HISTORY OF Parke and Vermillion Counties Indiana With Historical Sketches o( Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families ILLUSTRATED 1913 B. F. BOWEN & COMPANY INDIANAPOLIS. INDIANA F53 r DEDICATION. This Work is respectfully dedicated to THE PIONEERS, long since departed. May the memory of those who laid down their burdens by the wayside ever be fragrant as the breath of summer flowers, for their toils and sacrifices have made Parke and Vennillion counties a garden of sunshine and delights. 11 D PREFACE All life and achievement is evolution; present wisdom comes from past experience, and present commercial prosperity has come only from past exer- tion and suffering. The deetls and motives of the men wlio ha\e i;(jne before have been instrumental in shaping the destinies of later communities and states. The development of a new country was at once a task and a privi- lege. It required great courage, sacrifice and privation. Compare the pres- ent conditions of the people of Parke and X'ermillion counties, Indiana, with what they were one hundred years ago. From a trackless wilderness and virgin land, it has come to be a center of prosperity and civilization, with mil- lions of wealth, systems of railways, grand educational institutions, splendid industries and immense agricultural and mineral productions. Can any think- ing person be insensible to the fascination of the study which discloses the aspirations and efforts of the early pioneers who so strongly laid the founda- tion upon which has been reared the magnificent prosperity of later days? To perpetuate the story of these people and to trace and record the social, political and industrial progress of the community from its first inception is the function of the local historian. A sincere purpose to preserve facts and personal memoirs that are deserving of perpetuation, and which unite the present to the past, is the motive of the present publication. The work has been in the hands of able writers, who have, after much patient study and research, produced here the most complete biographical memoirs of Parke and Vermillion counties ever offered to the public. A specially valuable and interesting department is that devoted to the sketches of representative citizens of this county whose records deserve preservation because of their worth, effort and accomplishment. The publishers desire to extend their thanks to the gentlemen who have so faithfully labored to this end. Thanks are also due to the citizens of Parke and A'ermillion counties for the uniform kindness with which they have regarded this undertaking and for their many services rendered in the gaining of necessary information. In placing the "History of Parke and \'ermillion Counties, Indiana," before the citizens, the ])ublisliers can conscientiously claim that they have carried out the ])Ian as outlined in the prospectus. Every biographi- cal sketch in the work has been submitted to the party interested, for correc- tion, and therefore any error of fact, if there be any, is solely due to the person for whom the sketch was prepared. Confident that our efforts to please will fully meet the approbation of the public, we are, Respectfully, THE PUBLISHERS. CONTENTS PARKE COUNTY. CHAPTEK I— EARLY INDIANA HISTORY 26 Father Marquette — The Illiiuiis Indians — Voyage ot Joliet — Fernando de Soto and His Cavaliers — Settlement of Spanish in Florida — Retraeinj? of the Steps of Karly Kxplorors — Reaches Wisconsin — The I'ortacre — Meeting of the In- dians — Kasbaskia Discovered— LaSalle's Explorations — Father Hennejiin — Building of Fort Miamis — Termination of War with England — The Nortliwesi Territory — Act of Congress Making a Division Including Indiana, May 7, ITSo. CHAPTER II— INDIAN OCCCPANCY AND HARRISONS TRAIL 46 The A'arious Indian Tribes — Delawares — Pot tawa torn ies — Miamis — Description of Tribes and the Country — A Transformation — Ceology of Parko County — Harrison's Trail. CHAPTER III— PIONEER SETTLEMENT OF PARKE COUNTY 54 An Early-day Description of the County — Concerning the First Settler — Set- tlement of Jiiuies Dot.v — Those Who Came in 1S22 — Later Settlements — New Discovery — Character of the Pioneers. CHAPTER IV— ORCANIZATION AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT 60 .\ct of Org.iuization of the County — County-soat Locating Conunittee — Rivalry for Seat of .Tustice — Temporary County Se:its — County Government — .\gents Sell Town Lois — Various Court Hou.ses and .Tails — Erection of I'resent County Buildings — Contents of Box in Corner-stone — Finances — Asse.ssed Valnalion by Townships — Tlie .\syliun for the Poor — Early Court Indictments. CHAPTER V— COUNTY AND OTHER OFFICIALS 67 State Representatives — Clerks — Sheriffs — Recorders — Auditors — Treasurers — Coroners — .\ ssessors — Surveyors — Judges — Common Plea s .Tudgos — Proba te Judges — Present Bar of Parke County — Court Officers in Ittll'. CHAPTER VIMILITARY HISTORY OF PARKE COUNTY 72 Cau.ses of the Civil War — Lincoln's First Call for Men — First Enrollment at Rockville — List of All Companies and Regiments from Parke County — Hundred- day Men and Veterans — Cavalry — Artillery — Infantry — McCune Cadets — Na- tional Gn.ird— An Old Mexican War Soldier— The W.'ir with Spain. CHAPTER VII— PARKE COUNTY'S RELKiKMS SOCIETIES ST Pnitestant and Catholic Elements in Pioneer D.ays — Baptists — Presbyteri.ans — United Presbyterians — Christian Churches — The Methodist Episcopal Demmi- Ination — African Methodist Episcopal — Lorenzo Dow at Rockvilli'^ -United Brethren — Lutherans — Roman Catholic— Society of Friends— Ilicksites-I'ni- versalists. CONTENTS. CHAPTER VIII— CIVIC SOCIETIES IX I'ARKE COCXTY 111 .Mnsonic Order — IiKleiipiideiit Onler of Odd Fi'Uows — D:ui,s:hters of Rehekiih — Kniirlits lit Pytlii.is — CimikI Aniiy of tlie Rcinililie. CHAPTER IX— NEWSPAPERS OE PARKE COUNTY 119 First iiiul Later Xewspapers — The Whig Party Organs — "OllAe Branch." a Noted Publication — History of the "Tribune"' and the "Republic.in" of Today — Democratic and Independent Papers — Present Newspapers of the County. CHAPTElt X— IMPORTANT CRIMINAL CASES 123 Cases Prior to the Civil War — Liberty Township Crimes — The Celebrated Beau- champ Case — Killhig of Nillis Hart at Montezuma — Killing of Mr.s. Vollmer of Rockvillt! — Killing of Oscar P. Lill— Terrible Deed by Insane Man— Sheriff Mull. With His Deputy and Others Killed. (JHAPTKR XI— POLITICAL HISTORY AND ELECTION RETURNS 1.30 Democrats and Whigs Pitted Against Each Other — Trouble Over the Canal — The National Roail Difficulty — Hard Times Come on — Election Returns — Presidential Votes Since Lincoln. CHAPTER XII— EDUCATIONAL HISTORY OF PARKE COUNTY 135 CHAPTER XIII— AGRICULTURE AND MINING 142 Products of County a Third of a Century Ago — Coal Mined — Turnpike and Gravel Roads — Agricultural Societies at Montezuma, Rockville, Bridgeton and Bloomiugdale. CHAPTER XIV— MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS -_ 146 Local Railroad History — Present Railroad Mileage in Parke County — Coal Min- ing — lOarly Mines — Present Operations and Output — Accidents — Prices — Coni- p.-inies Oiierating — Banking History of Parke County — B.-ink Building and (»ld National Hall — Its Burning and the New Building — Present BanJvS — Village Plats — Population of County — Witness Trees — Records Burned — Legal E.\ecu- tions — Taxation List of 1S33 — Soldiers" Reunion — Market Quotations — Days of Public Mourning in Parke County. CHAPTER XV— STATE TUBERCULOSIS HOSPITAL 160 Establishment by Legislative Act — Location and Legislative Connnission-p Buildings — Mode of Treatment — Results. CHAPTER XVI— TOWN OF ROCKVILLE ' 164 Donation of Lauds to County — First Settlers on Plat — Wallace Ray, the Pioneer Hotel Keeper and Postmaster — Saw-mills and Factories — Potteo' — Woolen .Milks — Destructive Fires — Poor Fire-lighting Apparatus — Opera Hou.ses — lucoi'- poration of Town — Water Works and Lighting Plant — \"olunterr Fire Comi)any — Industries — Advent of the Colored People — Cemetery. CHAPTER XVII— ADAMS TOWNSHIP 172 Early Settlers — Early Hardships — A Noteworthy Incident —Development and Present Condition of the Town-shiji — Assessed Valuation — Population in I'.llO. CHAPTER XVIII— FLORIDA TOWNSHIP 176 Location — Old Can.il — Population — Valuation at Present — Name of Town.ship — Early Settlers — Villages — Roseville — Numa — Clinton Lock — Rosedale— JessuiJ — West Atherton — Coxville. / / CONTENTS. CHAl'TKi; XIX— CUKKNE TOWXSIlir IS! I.oi'.itiou and Topogmiihy — IJnilroMfls — I'oimlatioii — Valuatifm of Property — In- ilian Days and Wild (Jaiiie — Karly Scttleiiieut — Mills — Villap:t's of I'aikville — lyiciimr SI ills. CHAl'TKK XX -llOWAItL) TOWNSHU" 1.S5 P.oiuidaries — Tii|Mii;ra|iliy — Xaiiiini; of Townsliii) — Karly Si'ltlciuciil — I'ioiu'er .Millini; — I're.sent Conditions — I'oiiiilation of llic Towiisliiii. CH.\l'TKlt XXI— JACKSON Tl iWXSlIir 1.S7 Xaniing of Towusliiii — (;(!o;,'iaiihy and Topogi-apliy — First Settlors — Early Sur- veyors — First Hirths — Assessed \'a Illation --To] ml, -it ion- -\'ill:i?;i's Manstii'ld — Lena. CHAPTFU XXI I— LIBERTY TOWNSHIP 1!)1 Locatiou — Streams — Population — Asses.sed Valuation — I'ioueer Settlers — Rela- tions with the Indians — Old Tauyard — First Toaoliei' — Earl.\ Priies — Pioneer Church — Early Saw-mill — Old Grare-yard — Indian Remains — Villages — Lodi- ville — Old Westport — Sylvania — Tangier. CHAPTER XXIII— PEXN TOWNSHIP 195 Size and Locatiou — Assessed Valuation — Population — ^Soil and I'roducts — Gravel Roads — The Quakers — First Pioneers — ^'illages — Annapolis — Bloouiingdale (Bloomfield) — The Academy — Early Industries — Cloth-making — Prices for Spinning and Weaving — The Old Fulling Mill — First Saw-mill and <.;rist-nnll — A I'ioueer Foundry — T*lie Old Cast Plows — Flat-boat Building. CHAPTER XXIV— RESERVE TOWNSHIP 201 Name — Boundary — Large Farms — Fine Timber-land — Population — Assessed Val- uation — Early Settlement — Indians — Farm Implements I'sed by the Pioneers — Deer Pleutiful— Flat-boat Building — First Schools — First Death— First Wed- ding — Towns and A'illages — Montezuma — Colma — Canal and Railroad Days — Population — Assessed Valuation — Railroad Shops — Old Flouring Mill — Business Interests of 1912 — Corporation History — Water and Light Plants. CHAPTER XXV— RACCOON TOWNSHIP 208 Big and Little Raccoon as Known to Indians — Great Forests — Reclaimed J>ands — Early Settlement — Milling — Villages — Catliu — Bridgeton — Diamond - Early Com Crackers and Mills — Milk Sickness — Population — Assessed Valuation. CHAl'TER XXVI— SI(;AR CREEK TOWNSHIP 213 Area — Streams — Assessed "\'aluation — Population — First Settlement — Jlilling In- terests — First Meeting-house — Public Roads — Russell Postoffice — Killing of Old Johnnie Green, the Indian Chief. CHAPTER XXVII— rXION TOWNSHIP 216 Boundaries — Streams — Resources — The Natural Bridge — I'opulatiou — Property Valuations — The Pioneers — Indian Trail — Drunkenness Among the Indians — Pioneer Martin- Laud i;ntries — Steam aud Water Milling — Bellemore — New Discovery — North and Southampton — HoUandsburg^Public Roads — Cemeteries. CHAPTER XXVIII— WABASH TOWNSHIP 220 Location — Boundary — Topography — First Jlills — Early Settlers and Later Pio- neers — Mecca Saw-mill — Population — Assessed ViiluUtion— lirsf School House — Flat-boat Building — "Never-built" Railroads — I'resent Railroads — Wabash & Erie Canal. CONTENTS. CHAI'TEi; XXIX— WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP 22S Population — ^■i\luations — First Settlers — Roaring Creek Settlement — First Or- chards — Schools — Prcsliyleriau CUurob — The "Alniislity's P.nll-iln2" — First Deaths — lioseville Mills — Nyesville — Judson — Lodires. VERMILLION COUXTY. CHAPTER I~NATI"RAL FEATIItES OF VERMILLION COUNTY 227 Siiiuificanc-e of Nanje — Geographical Situation — The Beautiful Wabash and Other Streams — Geological Formation- -Soil. Streams, Springs — Mineral Wealth — Concerning the Forests — Clays of the County. CHAPTER II— PREHISTORIC AND INDIAN RACES 235 The Mound Builders — Implements and Relies Foimd — Buryinis Grounds — Find- ing of Skeletons — Indian Occupancy of County — The Miamls. Kick.ipoos. Potta- watomies — French Missiouaries — First Trading Posts — The Rrouillets — .Toseiih CoUett. Sr. — General Harri-son's March to Tippecanoe — Murder of Sc-Seeji — Militai-y .Tournal. CHAPTER III— THE FIRST WHITE SETTLEMENT 246 John Vannest and William Bales — Narrow Escape from Death of Jlrs. Vannest — Great Slaughter of Wild Animals. CHAPTER IV— ORGANIZATION AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT 249 Size and Boundary — Original Organization — Acts Creating the County — County Government — Transcript of Early Records — First Jury — Court Houses and .Tails — Present County Buildings — Coimty Asylum for the Poor — Robbery of the County Treasur.v — Assessed Valuation by Precincts — Funds — Receiiits and Dis- bursements. CHAPTER V— CdfNTV AND OTHER OFFICIALS 262 Sheriffs — Recorders — Clerks — Treasurers — Auditors — Surveyors — Coroners — As- sociate Judges — I'robate Judges. CHAPTER VI— MILITARY HISTORY OF VER.MILLION COUNTY., 268 Its Part in the Civil War — Some of the Causes of the War — Firing on Fort .' Name — Fir.st Settler — Other I'ioneers — General Features — Jlininj; — .'iclinols and Onirches — Area and Population. CHAPTER XXI— EUGENE TOAVNSHIP .IIU Boundary and Location — Area and Population — Valuation — A Mound Discov- ery — Rare E.xhibition of Animal Nature — Early Settlement — Towns and Villages — First Newspaper in the County — Cayuga — Eugene — Railroads — Cayuga Mills — Grand Army of tbe Republic — Good Templars — Incorporation — Postoffice Safe Blown Open — Electric Ligliting — Present Business Interests — Colletfs Home f(ir Orphans. CHAPTER XXII— HELT TOWNSHIP 405 Geograi)bical Situation — Area and Population — Assessed Valuation — Pioneer Settlement — First Scbuol — Old Davis Ferry — Famous Fox Hunts — Rural De- velopment — Gravel Highways — Modern Farm Improvements — Parcel Post — Towns and Villagtjs — Toronto — Jonestown (St. Bernice) — Hillsdale — Highland — Summit Grove-yDana— Situation — First BuildlngSp-Ipcorppration. CHAPTER XXIII— HIGHLAND TOWNSHIP 417 Location — Boundaries — Population — Area^Assessed Valuation — Early Settlers — Perrysville — Village of Gessie — Rileysburg. CHAPTER XXIV— VERMILLION TOWNSHIP 423 Situation — Name — Population — Valuation of Property — Area — Pioneer Settle- ment—Sketch of Hon. O. P. Davis— A Ix>ng-lost Daughter— Quaker Hill Settle- ment. HISTORICAL INDEX PARKE COUNTY. A Adams Township 172 AfrifMii M. K. Cluircli 102 Agi'ifulturiil Societies 143 Agrictilture 142 Annajjolis 196 .^niiy Ford 52 Assessed Valuation 65 Assessors. County 70 Assofiate Judges 70 Auditors, Connty 65) Awful Experience 173 B BankinK iu Parke County 149 Baptist Churches 88 Bar of Parke County 71 Bellemore 218 Bloomfield 196 Bloominsdale 1 196 Blooniingdale Academy 139 Bridjreton 211 Brooks, C.ipt, Andrew 55 C Catholic Churches , 105 Catlin 211 Cemeter.v, Rockvillo 169 Christian Churches 95 Churches 87 Circuit Judges ■ 70 Civi<- Societies 111 Civil War nays . 73 Clerks, County 67 Clinton Lock 179 Coal MniiniEr Operations 147 Coloma 207 Colored People, Rockville 171 Common Pleas Judges 71 Coi-oners 69 Counties, Formation of 44 County Assessors 70 County -Vuditors 69 County Clerks 67 County F.x.iminers 138 County Funds 64 County Coveniment 61 County Otticials 67 County Organization 60 Count.v Recorders 68 County Superintendents 138 Count.v Surveyors 70 County Treasurers 69 Court House. First 61 Court Houses 62 Coxvllle 180 Criminal Cases 123 Crops .inil Weather 144 D Daughters of Rebekah 116 Days of Mourning 156 De Soto. Fernando 27 Diamond 212 E Karly County Seats 61 Early Indiana History 25 Early I-aw Breakers 66 Early Teachers' Qualitications 137 Education in Parke Ci)unty 135 Educational Statistics 140 Eighty-lifth Regiment '. 81 HISTORICAL INDEX. Election Returns 133 Kleventh Cavalry 82 Enlistments for War 73 Examiners. County 138 F I'niiii Iniiilements, Early 202 I'm nil rroductious 142 I'.inii Values 143 Finances of Parke County 64 l'"in's in Kockville 167 First Court House 61 First Jail 61 First Schools 1.35 First White Settler .55 I'lorUla Township 176 Formation of Counties 44 Forty-third Rejiiment 77 Fourteenth Regiment 74 Free and Accepted Masons 111 French Possession 43 Friends' Bloomingdale Academy 139 Friends' Church 106 G Garfield's Death 157 Gen. Harrison Trail 52 (Jeology of Parke County 53 (Jrand Army of the Republic 117 Grant Alemorial Services 15S Greene Townshiji 181 Guioii 184 H Harrison Trail 52 Hennepin, I.ouis 37 Hi<-ksite Quakers 108 Hobbs, Barnabas C. 1.37 Hollandsburg 219 Howard 194 Howard Township 185 Hundred-day Men 83 I Implements, Early 202 Important Criminal Cases 123 Independent Order of Odd Fellows 114 Indian Davs 182 Indian Occupancy 46 Indians. Removal of 44 Industries of Rockville 170 Insane Man's Deed. 128 J .lack.son Township 187 .Tail, the First 61 .lessup ISO .Tdhnny (ireeu Kille\vnslii|i 20S Railroads 146 Rehekah Degree IHI Iti'iorders. Cuunty 68 Iteiiirds Burned 155 Keli^'ions Sm-ieties 87 Kcnidval of Indians 44 llcprcsentatives 67 Reserve 'I'ownsliip 201 Itockville 104 Rockvllle Tribune 120 Roman Catholic Churches 100 Rose. Chauncey .55 Roseville 178 S .•^cliiMil Consdlid.-itlons 130 School Statistics 140 Schools of Parke County 135 Second Court House 62 Settlement of Parke County 54 Settler, First White 55 Seventy-eighth Regiment 80 Sheriffs 68 Society of Friends 106 Soldiers' Reuuion 156 State Representatives 67 State Tuberculosis Hospital 160 Sug.ir Creek Township 213 Superintendents of Schools 1.38 Surveyors. County 70 Sylvania 104 T Tangier 104 Taxation List of 1833 155 The Press 110 Treasurers. County 60 Tribune. Rockvllle 120 Tuberculosis Hospital 160 Twenty-first Regiment 75 r I'nion Township 216 Fnited Brethren Churches 105 rnitetl Presbyterian (^liurches fM Cuiversalists 110 V Valuations 65 Vill.ige Plats 152 W W.ib.ish Kitlemen 75 W.ihash Township 220 W.ir Questions "2 HISTORICAL INDEX. \V:isliiiiL'liiii Tnw iisliip 22'.'. W:itt'r WorUs. ]!(i<-lllett Home for Onihans 402 Connnissinners. First Count.v 252 ('(inuMissidners' Records 252 Comparative Prices 361 Coroners 260 County .\nditors 265 County Clerks 263 Ciaint.v Commissioners. First 252 County Finances 250 Comity Funds 250 County Oovernnient 240 Comity Officials 202 Counly Recorders 203 County Seat Located 251 Cotmty Societies 305 County Surveyors 205 County Treasurers 204 County Ti-ensury Robbed 258 Court Houses 255 Crops 1 344 D Dana 414 DatiKliters of Rebekah 310 Days of Mournins 370 l>(>ath of President fJartield 371 De.ith of President McKinley 372 Iiiar.v of (Jen. Tipton 244 Doctors 318 D.viianiiters 368 B Fdnc.itional History 280 Kishteenth Itegiment 276 Fifrhty-Hfth Regiment 280 Flection Returns 358 Flectric Line 340 I'.numeration. School 292 Ftisene. Town of 400 lOuirene Township 304 Fxplosiou. I'owder Mill .. ."'.07 HISTORICAI. INDKX. F Palrview Park 393 Fiuni Statistics 344 Fifty Tears Ago 358 Finances of County 259 First County Coniniissioners 252 First Grand Jury 253 First Petit Jury 254 Fli'st Schools 291 First Willie Settlement 246 P'orests 231 Forty-tliirtl Regiment 277 Fourteeutli Reginient 274 Fox Hunts 410 Fratcrnai Societies 307 Free and Accepted Masons 307 Friends 303 G r.colot'v 22S Gessie 422 Gravel Roads 341 Hari-isdu's Marrli 241 IMt Townsliiii 405 Tli^liland 414 Ili;;lil;md Townsliip 417 Tlillsdale 413 I IndeiKyndent Order of odd Fi'lln\vs_ IJd'.i Indian Occupancy 238 Indian Races 235 Indiana Furnace 355 Industries of Clinton 379 Iron Industry 355 Iron Ore 231 J Jails 255 Jonestown 412 Judges, Associate 267 Judges. Probate 267 Jurors. First Grand 253 Kni^'lits (if I'.vtlii.is 311 Kniglits of llie Gol(l<'ii Circle 272 T, I.asI and I.ai'f:csl .Mines ;i53 Iwiwyers 312 Legislative Act 249 r.iMCdln's Assassination 370 Lodges 381, 401 I.ong-lost Daughter 427 M .Market Q\iotations 361 .Masonic Order 307 Medici 1 Societies 324 MetliodisI Kiii.scopal Churches 298 Mllilary History 268 .Mines 348 Mining Wages 350 Miscoll.-ineous Topics 355 Mound Ruilders 235 N Narrow i;auge U.iilro;id .340 Natural Features 227 Natur.-il Gas 385 Ncwiiorl 386 Newspapers 325 O Odd Fellows 309 Oflicials of County 262 Old Indi.ina Furnace 355 Old time eirfuit Rider 302 One Iltiiidrod 'i'vveiity ninth Regiment 281 Org.iiii!'.,i(loii of County 249 Orphans' Home. The Collett 402 P r.-rrysville 420 Petit Jury, First 254 Physicians of County 318 Plats, Original Village 362 Piilitical Incidents 357 Poor Farm 257 HISTORICAL INDEX. ri)|inl;iticiii Statistics SGA I'ostofflces .•',(;(; Poverty aiul Hii))i)iness 373 I'liwder Mill Explnsimi 307 rre-liistoiic Races 235 Presbyterian Churclies 203 Prices; Comparative 361 Prices for Coal 35(p Probate Judges 267 Q Qualver Hill 428 Qualjers 303 R Railroad Jlileage 341 Railroads 337 Rebeliah Degree 31(i Recorders of County 263 Regulators 270 R()l)bery of County Treasury 2iis Roman Catholic Cluircbes 304 S Si. I'erniie : 412 School ICnunieration 292 School Statistics, 1SS7 290 School Statistics. 1912 292 Schools. First 291 Se-Seep. Chief 242 Settlement, First White 246 Seventy-first Regiment 270 Sheriffs 262 Sixteenth Regiment 275 Sixth C.ivalry 279 Slaughter of Wild Animals 248 Society of Friends 303 Streams 227 Summit Orove 414 Surveyors of Couuty 265 T Temperance Orgauization 366 Thirty-tirst Regiment 277 Timber 231 Tipton. Gen. John 243 Toronto 412 Transportation Facilities 336 Treachery 272 Treasurers of County 264 U ••Uncle Tom^s Cabin^' 269 United Brethren Churches 2Jt6 United Brethren Union Churches 306 Universalists 304 V y.-iluations 239 Vermillion County Attorneys 312 Vermillion County I'hysici.ins 318 Vermillion Township 423 Vill.ige Plats 362 W War Funds 282 Water Power 232 BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX A Adams, .lames W 64o Adams, ,Joseph D 709 Adams. Lewis E 67S Adamson. Henry 515 Aikman, Barton S., Hon 434 Aiknian. Homer B 638 Alll)riglU, Henry 674 Allen, R. A 757 Amis, Joseph W 458 Andrews, Darwin 546 Arthur. James N" 556 Ashley, Charles W., Jr 510 Ashniore, James 706 Aye. Albert 610 B Bales, Harry 782 Ball. Charles F 595 Beeler, Frank H., M. D 447 Bennett. Charles 662 Benson, .^lonzo O 537 Bingham. Thomas 646 Bishop, Lucius O 448 Blake. William P 623 Bowsher, William A 524 Brannon, Charles 668 Briggs, Guy H 754 Brockway, Allan T 483 Brown, John D 769 Brown. William F 712 Bryant. Guy 686 Burks, .John D 789 Burnett, .Tames F 552 Butcher. Rev. A. C 750 C Carpenter. B. O 800 Carter. M. B 748 Case. Marvin H 736 Casebeer, I. M., M. D 643 Catlin, Samuel T 487 Chaney, Ernest. 669 Chaney. .lames A 649 Chaney. Omer 658 Chapman, Ewing 497 Chesterfield, Oscar 612 Church. Richard F 543 Clark, Albert L : 794 Coble. Samuel 672 Cole, Jacob S 620 Collings, William B 689- Conley. Hugh H 734 Coo])er. Charles R 747 ro\. William, Sr 752 r'ox, William N 628 Cri.sty, Frank P 560 D Daniels, Joseph J 507 Davis, Bird H 544 Davis, Holbert 809 Davis, Jacob G 549 Davis, Samuel B 512 Delp, Juel A 699 Devonald, William 561 Dickenson, G. E 799 Drake. Leonidas 565 Dugger. James G 557 Durr. Sebastian 681 E Elder. James E 443 ■^Uer. James H 783 Evans. Dr. E. SI 697 F Ferguson. Arthui 601 Ferguson, Henry 569 ."'erguton, James 605 BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX. Finnegan, G. L l S04 Finney. R. J 766 Fisher, J. A 651 Frantz, Joseph L 599 Frazer. Allen ; 755 Frist. Jasper N 580 Fultz. Charles .\ 624 G Garwood. Judge A 805 Gates, F. M 621 Gillum, William B 525 Gillum, William H., M. D 498 Gilmore. John W 540 Goodin. William . 618 Gregg, Fred Alfred 562 Gregory, flames 600 Gregory, Thomas 802 Griffin, Fred 664 Griffin, G. W 811 Griffin, J. G 812 Griffiths, D. W 803 Grubb, Henry 502 Giiinn, Robert E 75.'! H Haddon, Jesse E 551 Hall, Melvin L., M. D 741 Hall, Capt. S. J 729 Hargrave, Arthur A 504 Harrison, Edgar R 786 Harrison, Robert 758 Harrison, Roy C 598 Harshbarger. John E 670 Hatiield, G. W ■_ 773 Hathaway, Elberson 715 Hayes, William L 571 Heaton, J. R 655 Henderson, Harold A 516 Henderson, John 732 Hess, Asa A 550 Hobson, Ira 700 Hosford. Charles 792 Hosford, Monroe G 587 Hughes, Ralph V 798 Humphries, L. B 589 Hunt, Elwood 518 Huxford, A. J 466 Huxford, Perry 781 H\ixford, Voorhees 660 J Jacks, George W 676 Jacobs. Herman H 657 lames, James D 793 Jardine. William 718 Jeffries, Stephen H 532 Jenks, Stephen 713 Johns, J. .M 576 Johnson, Daniel C 508 Johnson, Frank R 635 Johnson, William A.. .AI. D 615 Johnston. James T 476 Johnston, William. Jr 810 Jones. Edward 555 K Kearns, F. M 807 Kerr, James H 538 Kessler, M. V 814 Keyes, Otis M., il. D 602 L Lake, Israel 787 l.aney, George L 640 Lang, Benjamin F 717 Lanning. William 693 Laverty. Aquilla 530 Leaviti, H. B 772 Lindley, S. G 702 Linebarger, George H 631 Linebarger, John A 456 Linebarger, Levi J 634 Livengood, Charles A 692 lx)ckridge, A. B., M. D 492 Lowe. Harry L 705 Ivowlor. C. M 806 Lyday, Mark W 578 Mc McCaman, E. F 728 .McCormack, E. G 720 McCutchan, E. M 764 McDonald. Thomas L 582 McKlroy. Stephen C 610 .McFaddin, John S 520 .McMuUen, D. B 6o3 BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX. M Miinion. Sylvester 771 .Alark. J. H 711 Marks. George E 534 .Martin. T. C 76:', .Ma.wvell, Howard 4!)0 Ma.wvell, W. H 6H0 Meyers, Charles H 545 Miller. C. F 795 Miller, Dick 813 Miller. John R 53l> Jliller, John R. Mc 71!i Mitchell. Frederick A 6t)!l Montgomery. Hugh 533 Montgomery. .John H 656 Moore. Harry 654 Morgan, Brown H 574 ^lorgsn, Harmon K 572 .Morris, C. C, Jl. D 4D5 Myers. J. H 677 Jlyers, Quincy A 462 Myers. William C. .M. D 604 N Xeal. M. Hudson 703 Xebeker. Mark E 511 Xeel, E. E 647 Nelson, Thomas H : 591 Newlin, Ira S15 Newton, John R 665 Nichols, Frank H 461 Nichols, Maj. Jonathan M 464 Nixon. Robert H 452 Nurnberger, Albert 666 Overpeck. C. W.. .M. D 489 Overpeck, Isaac M 680 Overpeck, Leonidas E 650 P Paine, James 581 Paine, John R 584 Parke County Times 528 Payne. Harrison T 445 Peer, William F 722 Pence, Peter 485 Phillips, Parke 691 Phinney. Walter G 759 Pickaril. Isaac A 4J3 Pickard, John S 517 Pierce, Jesse W 76S Pike. Stephen A 500 Pitman. Bennie E 568 Poiter, Worth W ^^ 632 Pritchett, Grover C, M. D 607 Puett. .lames W 682 Puett. S. F. Max 473 Puett. Samuel D 474 Puett. Thomas B 684 Puffer. Morgan 707 Puutenney, John G 608 R Redman, .lohn W 554 Reed. Charles S 606 Reed, James S , 765 Reeder, Valzah 749 Renick, Charles D 593 Riggs, William 626 Richards. Harry J. 808 Kobliins, S. y\ 791 Roberts, Phillip A 779 Rohm, E. H. C 774 Rohm, George W . 778 Rudy. Milo J 541 Rusing, R. J 679 Russell, Jesse H 725 Rutter. J. Carl 704 S Salmon. George H 661 Satterlee, Willis A 575 Scott, Matthew M 745 Seybold, John N 596 Seybold, Percy 688 Seyliold, William P 586 Shannon. Walter B 636 Sberrill. B. O 738 Sherrill, C. L 528 Sherrill. F. L 528 Shew. Henry "84 Shirkie. James 570 Simpson. J. T 744 Skeetors, Homer J.. 439 Skidmore. J. F 740 Snow. James M 659 BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX. Soules, Alonzo 687 Spellman, E. H 733 Spencer, Frank 724 Spencer, George \V., Jr 450 Spencer, John H 467 Staats, Samuel 723 Stark, Alfred H 454 Stark, John O 472 Stephens, Edgar R 627 Stewart, Lee Roy 780 Stone, Clarence 590 Stone, Robert I 639 Stoner. Lycurgus T 685 Strain, Joseph W 441 Strong, Daniel S.. U. D 548 Strouse, Isaac R 480 Stiiltz, (Jcorw W. 5G3 Stuthard, George B 471 Sunkel, George D 614 Swope. Raymond E.. M. D 484 T Taylor. Green T 1 622 Taylor, James A 663 Thomas. Charles B 671 Thomas. Clay E 785 Thompson, Dee 1 698 Thomson, William M 479 Times, Parke County 528 Tolin, John A 727 Tucker. W. N 797 Tutwiler. James P 585 Tyre, James 652 V Vansickle, Ross 716 W Walker, Charles P ^ 696 Walker, Fred 667 Walter, John 558 Watson, Henry 630 Wait, William C 469 Walters, John 559 Welch. Elmer T 613 Welch, John A., .M. D 616 Welch. Patrick 721 Wheat, Albert 694 White, Hon. Ared F 429 White, Isaac D., M. D 761 White, Ren M 762 White, William J 776 Whittington. James M 523 Williams, Daniel C 529 Williams, David 675 Winter, C. A 743 Wood. Fred 790 Wright, Dana F 567 PARKE COUNTY CHAPTER I. liAKI.V iiXDIANA HISTORY. What is now known as the state of Indiana was originally discovered and hence claimed as the possession of France by that government. It was Joliet. a Frenchman of great experience as a navigator and discoverer, who was accompanied by that illustrious Catholic. Father Marrpiette. who first set the world in possession of the facts concerning the great Mississippi river and its wide, rich Aalley. Marquette had learned much concerning this stream through the Indians whom he was seeking, in the northern country, to con\ert to Christianitx. In a leltcr written b\- Marcpiette from his mis- sion to his reverend superior, he wrote : "While the Illinois (tribe) came to this point they pass a great river which is almost a league in width. It flows from north to .south and to so great a distance that the Illinois, who know nothing of the use of a canoe, have never yet heard tell of its mouth : thev only know that there are great nations below them, some of whom, dwelling to the east-southeast of their country, gather their Indian corn twice a year. A nation that they call Chaounan ( Shawneese) came to \isit them during the past summer; the young man that has been given me to teach me the language has seen them ; they were loaded with glass beads, which shows that the\- have communica- tion with the Europeans. They had to journey across the land for more than thirty days before arriving at their country. It is hardly probable that this great river discharges itself into the ocean from \"irginia. We are more inclined to think that it has its mouth in California. If the savages, who have promised to make me a canoe, do not fail in their word, we will navi- gate this river as far as possible with a Frenchman and this young man that they have given me, who understands several languages and ])ossesses great facility for acquiring others. We shall visit these nations who dwell along its shores to open the way of our fathers who for a long time have awaited 26 PARKE AND V'ERMII.I.IOX COUNTIES. INDIANA. this happiness. This discovery will give us a perfect knowledge of the sea, either to the south or west." This knowledge came to the ears of the French authorities at Quebec, and indeed over in Paris, and naturally enough stimulated further inquiry. There were three theories as to where the [Mississippi river finally emptied its wfaters : One that it was discharged into the Atlantic ocean, south of the British colony of Virginia; second, that it flowed into the gulf of Mexico; and third, which was the most popular theory, that it was emptied into the Red Sea. as the Gulf of California was called, and if the latter, that it would afiford a passage to China. To solve this important problem in the world's commerce, it was determined, as appears from a letter from the governor, at Quebec, to M. Colbert, minister of the French navy at Paris, expedient '"for service to send Sieur Joliet to the country of the Mascoutines, to discover the South Sea and the great river — they call the Mississippi — which is sup- posed to discharge itself into the Sea of California." Father Marrjuette was chosen to accompany Joliet on account of the mformation he had already gained from the various Indians he had met. as he wrote Father Dablon, his superior, when informed by the latter that he was to be Joliet's companion. "I am ready to go on your order to seek new nations toward the South Sea. and teach them of our great God whom they hitherto have not known." Before proceeding with a description of the wonderful history of this voyage of Joliet and Marquette, it will be well to note that Spain had a prior right over France to the Mississippi valley b}' \irtue of previous discovery. As early as 1525. Cortez had conquered Mexico, portioned out its rich mines among his favorites and reduced the inofifensi\ e inhabitants to the worst of slavery, making them till the ground and toil in the mines for their unfeel- ing masters. A few years following the conquest of Mexico, the Spaniards, under Pamphilus de Narvaez. in 1528, undertook the conquest and coloniza- tion of Florida and the entire northeast coast-line of the gulf. After long and futile wanderings in the interior, his party returned to the sea coast and endeavored to reach Tampico. in wretched boats. Nearly all perished by disease, storm and famine. The survivors, with one Cabeza de Vaca at their head, drifted to an island near the present state of Mississippi, from which, after four years of slavery, De Vaca. with four companions, escaped to the mainland and started westward, .going clear across the continent to the Gulf of California. The natives took them for supernatural beings. They as- sumed the guise of jugglers, and the Indian tribes through which they passed invested them with a tribe of medicine men. and their li\es were thus guarded PARKE AND \ERMlLLIOX COUNTIES, INDIANA. 2^ with a superstitious awe. They are, perhaps, the first Europeans who ever went overland from the Atlantic to the Pacific. They must have crossed the Great River (Mississippi) somewhere on their route, remaining '"in history, in a distant twilight, as the first Europeans known to ha\'e set foot on the banks of the Mississippi river." It was in 1539 when Hernando De Soto, with a party of cavaliers, mostly the sons of titled nobility, landed with their horses upon the coast of Elorida. During that and the following four years these daring adventurers wandered through the wilderness, traveling through portions of Florida. Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, crossing the Mississippi river, it is sup- posed, at some point within the present state of ]\iississippi. Crossing the great river, they pressed their way onward to the base of the Rocky moun- tains, vainly searching for the gold so mai-velously described by De Vaca. De Soto's party endured hardships that would depress the stoutest hearts, while, with sword and fire, they perpetrated atrocities upon the Indian tribes through which they passed, burning their villages and inflicting cruel- ties which make us blush for the wickedness of men claiming to be Chris- tians. De Soto died in May or June, 1542, on the banks of the Mississippi, below the mouth of the Washita, and his immediate attendants concealed hi? death from the others and secretly, in the night, buried his body in the middle of the stream. The remnant of his survivors went westward and then returned back again to the river, passing the winter upon its banks. The following spring they went down the river, in seven boats which they had rudely constructed out of such scanty material and with the few tools they could command. In these boats, after three months' voyage, they arrived at the Spanish town of Panuco, on the river of that name in Mexico. Later, in 1365. Spain, failing in ])re\ious attempts, effected a lodg- ment in Florida, and for the protection of her colony built the old fort at St. Augustine, whose ancient ruins still stand out boldly today, as showing where the first settlement was effected in this country. It also stands as a monunienl (i\er the graves of the hundreds of natixes there killed, after serv- ing in bondage, by their Spanish conquerors. These unfortunates had aided in the construction of the massive walls of masonry, converted into dun- geons, dark and gloomy, and in which they finally perished. While Spain retained her hold on Mexico and enlarged her possessions and continued, with feebler efforts, to keep possession of the Floridas. she took no measure to establish settlements along the Mississippi, or to avail herself of the advantage that might have resulted from its di.sco\ery. The Mississippi river excited no further notice after De Soto's time. For the next 28 PARKE AND \'ERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. century it remained a sealed myster_\- until the French, approaching from the north by way of the Great Lakes, explored it in its entire length and brought to public view the vast extent and wonderful fertility of its valleys. Retracing our steps to the notes made in the carefully kept journal of Father Marquette, who, with Joliet, descended the Mississippi, it may first be stated that joliet and Marquette's voyage made one of the most thrilling and romantic chapters in the history of the country, especially to those inter- ested in the original of things connected with the states of Illinois and In- diana. The following is extracted from Marquette's journal : "The (lav of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin, whom I had always invoked, since I have been in the Ottawa country, to obtain of God the grace to be able to visit the nations on the river Mississippi, was in- cidentallv that on which M. Joll\et arrived with orders to the Comte de Frontenac, our governor, and ?^I. Talon, our intendant. to make the discov- en- with me. I was the more enraptured at this good news, as I saw my designs on the point of being accomplished, and myself in the happy neces- sitv of exposing my life for the salvation of all these nations, and i)articu- larl\- for tlie Illinois, who had. when 1 was at Lapointe du Esprit, very ear- nesth entreated me to carr_\- the word of God to their countrw "\^'e were not long in preparing our outfit, although we were embarking on a vovage the duration of which we could not foresee. Indian corn, with some dried meats, was our whole stock of provisions. With this we set out in two bark canoes, M. Jollyet, myself and fi\e men. firmly re.solved to do all. and sufifer all for so glorious an enterprise. "It was on May 17. 1763. that we started from the mission of St. Igna- tius, at Michilimakinac. where I then was. "Our jov at being chosen for this expedition roused our courage and sweetened our labors of rowing from morning till night. As we were going to seek imknown countries, we took all possible precautions that, if our enterprise was hazardous, it should not be foolhardy : for this reason we gathered all possible knowledge from the Indians who had frequented these parts, and etven from their accounts traced a map of all the new country, marking down the ri\ers on which we were to sail, the names of the nations and places through which we were to pass, the course of the Great River, and what direction we should take when we got to it. "Above all, I put our voyage under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Immaculate, promising her that, if she did us grace to discover the Great River, I would give it the name of the Conception, and that I would also give that name to the first mission I should establish among the new nations, as I have actuallv done among the Illinois." PARKE AND VKRMII.I.IOX COUNTIES. INDIANA. 29 After some days tliey readied an Indian \illage. and .Mar(|uetle's diary continues: "Here we are, then, at the Maskoutens. This word, in Algon- quin, may mean 'fire nation,' and that is the name gi\'en h_\- them! Tliis is the limit of the discoveries made by the I'rench. for they ha\e nul yet passed beyond it. The town is niade u]> of three nations gathered here, Miamis, Maskoutens and Kickabous. [This village was near the mouth of Wolfe river, which empties into Winnebago lake, ^^'isconsin. | .Vs liark for cabins in this region is scarce, they use rushes, which serve them for walls and roofs, but which atYord them no protection against the wind, and still less against the rain when it falls in torrents. The advantages of this kind of cabins is that they can roll them up and carry them easilv where the\' like in hunting time. "I felt no little pleasure in l)eholding the position of the town. The view is l>eautiful and picturesc|ue, for, from the eminence on which it is perched, the eye disco\ers on every side prairies spreading away beyond its reach, interspersed with thickets or groves of trees. The soil is \erv good, producing much corn. The Indians gather also large quantities of plums and grapes from which good wine could be made if they choose. "No sooner had we arrived than M. Jollyet and I assembled the Sa- chems., He tokl them we were sent b\- our governor to discover new coun- tries, and I, by the Almightx'. to illumine them with light of the gospel: that the sovereign ]\Iaster of our li\-es wishetl to l)e known to all nations, and that to ol>ey his will I did not fear death, to which I exposed myself in such dangerous voyages : that we needed two guides to put us on our way : these, making them a present, we begged them to grant to us. This the\ did very civilly, and even proceeded to speak to us liy a present, which was a mat to serve us on our voyage. "The next day. which was the tenth of June, two Miamis whom they had given us as guides, embarked with us in the sight of a great crowd, who could not wonder enough to see se\-en Frenchmen, alone in two canoes, dare to undertake so hazardous an expedition. "We knew that there was. three leagues from Maskoutens. a river emptying into the Mississippi. We knew, too. that the point of the compass we were to hold to reach it was the west-southwest, but the way is so cut up with marshes and little lakes that it is easv to go astray, especiallv as the river leading to it is so covered with wild oats that \ou can hardly discover the channel: hence we had need of two guides, who led us safelv to porta.ge of' twenty-seven hundred ])aces and helped us transport our canoes to enter the river, after which they returned, leaving us alone in an unknown country in the hands of Providence." 30 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. This portage lias gi\en us the name of Portage City, at which location it was. and is situated in \\ isconsin, where the upper waters of Fox river, empt\'ing into Green bay, approach the Wisconsin river, which, coming from the nortliwest. here changes its course to the southwest. The distance across this neck is a mile and a lialf, over tlie beautiful prairie above described by Marquette. Marquette's journal continues: "\\'e now leave the waters which tlow to Quebec, a distance of about five hundred leagues, to follow those which will henceforth lead us into strange lands. "Our route was southwest, and after sailing about thirty leagues we perceived a place which had all the appearances of an iron mine, and in fact one of our party who had seen some before averred that the one we had found was \ery rich and very good. After forty leagues on this same route we reached the mouth of the river,, and finding ourselves at forty-two one-half north.' we safely enter the Mississippi on the 17th of June with a jov I can- not express. "Having descended as far as forty-one degrees and twenty-eight min- utes, in the same direction, we find that turkeys have taken the place of game, and pisikious [buffalo] or wild cattle that of other beasts. '■.\t last, on the 23th of June, we perceived foot-prints of men. In- the water sides, and a beaten path leading to some Indian village, and we re- solved to go and reconnoiter; we accordinglv left our twn canoes in charge of our pen])le. cautioning them to beware of a surprise: then M. JolKet and I undertook the rather liazardous discover}- for two n.-icn. single and alone, who thus put themsehTs at the merc}- of an unknown and barbarous people. We followed the little path in silence and going about two leagues we dis- covered a village on the banks of the river, and two others on the hill a league from the former. Then, indeed, Ave recommended ourselves to God with all our hearts, and having implored his help we passed on undiscovered, and came so near that we e-\"en heard the Indians talking. \Ye then deemed it time to announce i)ursel\es, as we did by a crv which we raised with all our strength, and then halted without advancing any farther. At this cry the Indians rushed out of their cabins, and having probably recognized us as French, especially seeing a black gown, or at least having no reason to dis- trust us, seeing we were but two and had made known our coming, they deputed four old men to come and speak to us. Two carried tobacco pipes well adorned and trimmed with many kinds of feathers. They marched slowly, lifting their pipes toward the sun, as if offering them to it to smoke, but yet without uttering a single word. They were a long time coming the PAUKE AND VERMIU.IOX COUNTIES, INDIANA. 3 1 little way fnun the village to us. Having reached u.s at last they stopped to consider ns attentively. ■'I now took courage, seeing these ceremonies, which are used by them only with friends, and still more on seeing them covered with stuffs which made me judge them to he allies. I therefore spoke to them first, and asked them who they were. They answered that they were Illinois, and in token of peace they presented their pipes to smoke. They then invited us to their vil- lage, where all the tribe awaited us with impatience. These pipes for smok- ing are called in this country calumet, a word that is so much in use that I shall be obliged to employ it in order to be understood, as I shall have to speak it frequently. "At the door of the cabin in which we were to be received was an old man awaiting us in a \-ery remarkable posture, which is their usual cere- mony in receiving a stranger. This man was standing perfectly naked, with his hands stretched out and raised toward the sun, as if he wished to screen himself from its rays, which, nevertheless, passed through his fingers to his face. When we came near him be paid us this compliment, 'How beautiful is the sun, O Frenchmen, w ben thou coniest to visit us ! .Ml our town awaits thee and thou shalt enter into all our cabins in peace." He then took us to his, where there was a crowd of people, who devoured us with their eyes, but kept a profound silence. We heard, however, these words ad- dressed to us occasionally : 'Well done, brother, to visit us." As soon as we had taken our places in the cabin, they showed us the usual civilities, the pre- senting of the calumet. \'n\\ must not refuse unless \(,u would jiass fur an enemy, at least for being verv impolite. It is enough, however, to ])retend to smoke. While all the old men smoked after us to honor us. some came to in- \-ite us, on behalf of the great Sachem of the Illinois, to proceed to his town, where he wished to hold a council with us. \\'e went with a good retinue, for all the people who had never seen a Frenchmen among them could not tire looking at us: they threw tbemseh'es on the grass near us 1)\- the wa\side : then ran ahead of us: they threw themselves in front of us, and turned back to look at us again. All this was done without noise, and w ith the marks of great respect and entertained us well. "Having arrived at the great Sachem's town, we espied him at his cabin door l>etween two old men ; all three standing naked, w ith their calumets turned toward the sun. He harangued us in a few words to congratulate on our arrival, and then presented us his calumet and made us smoke: at the same time we entered his cabin, where we received all their usual greetings. Seeing all assembled and in silence, I spoke to them by four presents w hich I 32 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. made tliem take. By the first, I said that we marched in peace to visit the nations on the river to the sea ; by the second, I declared to them that God, their creator, had pity on them, since after having laeen so long ignorant of Him, He wished to become known to all nations : that 1 was sent on His be- half with that design: that it was for them to acknowledge and obey Him; by the third, that the great chief of the b'rench informed them that he spread peace everywhere, and had overcome the Iroquois ; lastly, by the fourth, we begged them to give us all the information they had of the sea, and of all nations through w hich we should have to pass to reach it. ■'When I had finished ni}- speech, the Sachem rose, and laying his hand on the head of a little slave whom he w as about to gi\e us, spoke thus : "I thank thee, Black-gown, and thee, Frenchman,' addressing M. Jollyet, 'for taking so much pains to come to \isit us. Never has our river been so calm, nor so free from rocks, which }our canoes have removed as they passed; ne\'er has our tobacco had so fine a flavor, nor our corn ajjpeared so beau- tiful as we behold it today. Here is my son, that I give thee that thou mayest know mv heart. I pray thee take pity on me and all my nation. Thou know- est the Great Spirit who has made us all ; thou speakest to him and hearest his word ; ask him to give me life and health, and come and dwell with us that we may know him.' Saying this, he placed the little slave near us, and made us a second present, an all mysterious calumet, which they value more than a slave. By this present he showed us his esteem for our governor, after the account we had given of him. By the third, he begged us, on behalf of the whole nation, not to proceed farther on acount of the great dangers to which we exposed ourselves. "I replied that I did not fear death, and that I esteemed no happiness greater than that of losing my life for the glory of Him who made us all. But these poor people could not understand. The council was followed by a great feast which consisted of four cour.ses, which we had to take with all their ways. The first course was a great wooden dish full of sagamity — that is to say, of Indian meal boiled in w ater and seasoned with grease. The master of ceremonies, \vith a spoonful of sagamity, ])resented it three or four times to the mouth, as we would do with a little child: he did the same to M. Jollyet. For the second course, containing three fish, he took some pains to remove the bones, and having blown upon it to cool it, put it in my mouth, as we would food to a bird. For the third course they produced a large dog which thev had just killed, but learning that we did not eat it. withdrew it. Finally, the fourth course was a piece of wild ox, the fattest portions of which were put into our mouths. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 33 "We took leave of our Illinois about the end of June, and embarked in sight of all the tribe, who admire our canoes, having never seen the like. "As we were discoursing, while sailing gently down a beautiful, still, clear water, we heard the noise of a rapid into which we were alxjut to fall. I have seen nothing more frightful ; a mass of large trees, entire with branches — real floating islands — came rushing from the mouth of the river Pekitanoui so impetuously that we could not, without great danger, expose ourselves to cross over it. The agitation was so great that the water was all muddy and could not get clear. "After having made about twenty leagues due south and a little less to the southeast, we came to the river called Ouabouskigon, the mouth of which is thirty-six degrees north. [This was the Wabash river.] This river comes from the country on the east inhabited by the Chaouanous, in such numbers that they reckon as many as twenty-three villages in one district, and fifteen in another, lying quite near each other. They are by no means warlike and are the people the Iroquois go far in order to wage an unprovoked war upon them ; and as these poor people cannot defend themselves they allow them- selves to be taken and carried off like sheep, and, innocent as they are, tlo not fail to experience the barbarity of the Iroquois who burn them cruelly. "Having arrived about a half league from Akansea [Arkansas] river we saw two canoes coming towards us. The commander was standing up, holding in his hand a calumet, with which he made signs according to the customs of the country. He approached us, singing quite agreeably, and in- vited us to smoke, after which he presented us some sagimity and bread made of Indian corn, of which we ate a little. We fortunately found among them a man we brought from Mitchigamen. By means of him I first spoke to the assembly by ordinaiy presents. They admired what I told them of God and the mysteries of our holy faith, and showed a great desire to keep me with them to instruct them. "We then asked them what they knew of the sea; they replied the\ were only ten days' journey from it (we could have made the distance in ti\e days) ; that they did not know the nations who inhabited it, because their enemies prevented their commerce with these Europeans: that the Indians with fire-arms whom we had met were their enemies, who cut off the passage to the sea, and prevented their making an acquaintance with Europeans, or having commerce with such nation ; that besides, we should expose oursehes greatly by passing out on the river. Since being armed, and used to war. w c could not, without danger, advance on that river whicli thev constantly occup\ (3) 34 PARKE AND VERMILLION' COl'NTIES, INDIANA. "In tlie evening the Sachems held a secret cnuncil un the design of some tu kill us fcjr ])lunder. Init the chief broke u]) all these schemes, and sending for us, danced the calumet in presence, and then, tu remcive all fears, presented it to me. ■•.\1. jollyet and 1 held another council to deliberate on what we shuuld do, whether we should ]nish on, or rest satisfied with the discovery we had made, .\fter having attentively considered that we were not far from the gulf of -Mexico, the basin of which is thirly-one degrees north, and we at thirty-three degrees: so that we could not be more than three days' Journey: that the Mississippi undoubtedly had its mouth in Florida or the (iulf of Ale.xico, and not on the east in X'irginia. whose >ea-coast is thirty-four de- grees north, which we hail passed, without yet having reached the sea. nor on the western side in California, because that would require a westerly, or west southwest course, and we had always been .going south. W e consid- ered, moreover, that we risked losing the fruit of the \-oyage. ot which we could gix'e no infcirmation. if we should thrtjw ourselves into the hands ot the Spaniards, who would undoubtedly at least hold us ])risoners. Besides it was clear that we were in no jjosition to resist Indians allied to Euro])eans. numer- ous and e.xpeit in the use of fire-arms, who continually infested ibc lower part of the river. Lastly, we had gathered all the information thru could be gained from the expedition. All these reasons induced us to return. This was announced to the Indians, and after a day's rest ])reparecl for it. ■■.\fter a month's navigation down the .\lississip])i. from the forty-sec- ond to the thirty-fourth degree, and after having published the go.spel as well as 1 could to the nations I met. we left the village of Akansea on the ijtli of julv. to retrace our steps. \\'e accordingly ascended the Mississi])pi. which gave us great trouljle to stem its currents. We left it indeed about the thirty- eighth degree, to enter another river I the Illinois), which greatly shortened our way, and l)rought us little trouble, wc soon arriving to the lake of the Illinois, ■A\'e had seen nothing like this river, for the fertility of the land, its ])rairies, woods, wild cattle, stag, deer, wild-cats, bustards, swans, ducks, par- rots, and even beaver: its many little lakes and rivers. That on which we sailed is broad, deep and gentle for sixty-five leagues. During the spring and part of the summer, the only portage is half a league. "We found there an Illinois town called Kaskaski, composed of sexenty- four cabins: thev received us well, and compelled me to promise them to re- turn and instruct them. One of the chiefs of this tribe, with his young men. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 35 escorted us lo lllinnis lake, whence at last we returneil in the close of Septem- ber to the Bay of tlie I'Y'tid ((ireen bay), whence we had set out in the be- ginning of Jime. Had all this \-oyage caused Ijut the salvation of one suul, 1 should deem all my fatigue well repaid, and this 1 have reason to think, for when 1 was returning, I passed In- the Indians of Peoria. 1 was there three days anuduncing the faith in their cabins, after which, as we were embark- ing, they bn night me. on the water's edge, a dying child, which I baptized a little before it expired. 1)\- an admirable providence for the salvation of that innocent soul." Count FrciUtenac. writing from Uuebec to 1\I. Colliert. minister at I'aris, announces that "Sr. johet, whom ^^onsieur Talon ad\ised me, on my arrival from bVance, to dispatch tor the (bscovery of the South sea, has re- turned three months ago. He has disco\ered some very tine countries, and a navigation so easy through beautiful rixers he has found, that a ])erson can go from Lake Ontario in a bark to the Gulf of Mexico, there being onlv one carrying place found (around Niagara Falls), where Lake Ontario communi- cates with Lake Erie. I send you by my secretary, the ma]) which Sr. Joliet has made of the Great river he lias disciixered. and the obser\ations lie has been able to recollect, as he lost all his minutes and journals in the ship- wreck he suffered within sight of Montreal, where, after having a completed voyage of twelve hunrlred leagues, he was near l)eing drowned, and lost all his papers and a little Indian whom he brought from those countries. These accidents ha\e caused me great regret." LA S.\LLe's E.XPLORATIONS. Governor b'rontenac of Oneliec selected La Salle to take command of l'"ort l'"rontenac, near Kingston, on the St. Lawrence river, at that time a dilapidated, wooden .structure on the frontier of Ganada. La Salle remained in Canada about nine years, accpiiring knowledge of the Indians, their man- ners, languages, etc. He then returned to France and presented a iJClition to the King, in which lie urged the necessity of maintaining Frontenac, which he offered to restore with a structure of stone: to keeji there a garrison equal to the one in Montreal: to employ as many as fifteen laborers during the first year: to clear and till the land, and to supply the surrounding Indian villages with Recollect missionaries in furtherance of the cause of religion, all at his own expense, on condition that the King would grant him the right of .seign- iory and a monopoly of the trade incident to it. He further petitioned for 36 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. title of nobility in consideration of voyages he had already made in Canada, at his own expense and which had resulted in great benefit to the King's colony. The King heard the petition graciously, and on Alay 13, 1675, granted La Salle and his heirs Fort Frontenac, with four leagues of the ad- jacent country along the lakes and rivers above and below the fort and a half league inward, and the adjacent islands, with the right of hunting and fishing on Lake Ontario and the near-by rivers. The same day he issued La Salle a title making him a nobleman, having, as the King declared, been informed of the worthy deeds performed by the people, either in reducing or civilizing the savages or in defending themselves against their frequent in- sults, especially of the Iroquois, etc. He left France armed with these pre- cious documents and repaired to Canada, where he performed the conditions imposed by the terms of his titles. He sailed for France again in 1677, and in the following year, after he and Colbert had finally matured their plans, he again petitioned the King for a license to prosecute further discoveries. The King granted his request, giving him a permit, under date of May 12, 1678, to endeavor to discover the western part of New France; the King avowing in the letters patent that he had "nothing more at heart than the discovery of that country where there is a prospect of finding a way to pene- trate Mexico," and authorizing La Salle to prosecute discoveries, and con- struct forts in such places as he might think necessary, and enjoy there the same monopoly as at Fort Frontenac on condition that the enterprise should l3e conducted at La Salle's expense and completed within five years ; and that he should not trade with the savages, who carried their peltries and beavers to Montreal : and that the governor, intendant, justices and other officers of the King in Xew France, through the Prince de Conti, was intro- duced to one Henri de Tonti, an Italian by birth, who for eight years had been in the French service. Having had one of his hands shot off while in Sicily, he repaired to France to seek employment. It was a most fortunate meeting. Tonti — a name that should be prominently associated with dis- coveries in this part of America — became La Salle's companion. Supplied with this new grant of enlarged powers. La Salle, in company with Tonti, and thirty men, comprising pilots, sailors, carpenters and other mechanics, with a supply of material necessary for the intended expedition, left France for Quebec. Here the party was joined by some Canadians, and the whole force was sent forward to Fort Frontenac, at the outlet of Lake Ontario, since this fort had been granted to La Salle. He had, in conform- ity to the terms of his letters patent, greatly enlarged and strengthened its PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 37 defenses. Here he met Louis Hennepin, a Franciscan friar, whom it seems had been sent hither, along with Father Gabriel de la Ribourde, all of the same religious order, to accompany La Salle's expedition. In the meantime Hennepin was occupied in pastoral labors among the soldiers of the garrison and the people of the little hamlet of peasants nearby, and proselyting the Indians of the neighboring country. Hennepin, from his own account, had not only traveled over sex'eral parts of Europe before coming to Canada, but since his arri\al in .\merica had spent much time in roaming about among the savages, to gratify his love of adventure and acquire knowledge. Hennepin's name and writings are so prominently connected with the history of the Mississippi valley and withal, his contradictory statements, made at a later date of his life, as to the extent of his own tra\els, have so clouded his reputation with grave doubt as to his regard to truth, that we will give no sketch of his life and travels, to speak of. His first work is gen- erally regarded as authentic. That he did go up the Mississippi river there seems no contro\ersy. while grave doubts prevail as to many statements in his last publication, which would otherwise pass without suspicion were they not found in company with statements known to be untrue. In the preface of his work, published in 1697, Father Hennepin assigns as a reason why he did not publish his descent of the Mississippi river in his volume issued in 1683, "that I was obliged to say nothing of the course of the Mississippi, from the mouth of the Illinois down to the sea, for fear of disobliging M. La Salle, with whom 1 began my discovery. This gentleman alone would have the glory of having discovered the course of that ri\er. But when he heard that I had done it two years before him he could never forgive me, though, as I have said. I was so modest as to publish nothing of it. This was the true cause of his malice against me and of the barbarous usage I met with in France." Still his description of places he did visit; the aboriginal names and manners and customs of the Indians, and other facts which he had no mo- tive to misrepresent, are generally agreed upon as true in his last, as well as in his first, publication. Flis works are indeed the only repositories (if niaiiv interesting particulars relating to the Northwest, and authors quote from him, some indiscriminately and others with more caution, while all criticise him without measure. Hennepin, known as "Father Hennepin." was born in Belgium in 1640 and died at Utrecht. Holland, within a few years after the publication of his last book. jg PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES. INDIANA. LA SALLe's OPERATIONS. La Salle brought up tlie St. LawreucL- to Fort l<"ronteuac the anchors, cordage and other material to be used in the \-essel which he tlesigned to construct above the Niagara Falls, tor navigating the western lakes. He alread)- had three small vessels on Lake Ontario, which he had made use of in a coasting trade with the Indians. One of these, a brigantine of ten tons, was loaded with his effects; his men, including Fathers Gabriel, Zenobius Meniljre and Hennepin, who were commissioned with care of the spiritual di- rection of the expedition, were placed aboard, and Xnvember i8th the vessel sailed westward for the Niagara ri\er. They kej)! the northern shore, and run into land and bartered for corn with the Iroquois at one of their \-illages, situated where Toronto, Canada, is located, and for fear of being frozen in the river, which here empties into the lake, had to cut the ice from about their ship. Detained by adverse winds, they remained here until the wind was favorable, when they sailed across the end of the lake and found anchorage in the mouth of Niagara river on December 6th. The season was far advanced and the ground co^■ered with snow fully a foot deep. Large masses of ice w ere floating and it became necessary to protect the ship, hence it was drawn up against the current, by means of strong cables, and finally dragged to the shore. A cabin, to protect with palisades, for shelter and to serve as a magazine to store supplies in, was also constructed. The ground was frozen so hard that it had to be thawed out with boiling water before the men could drive the stakes. La Salle now commenced to plan for his new boat. The ground was cleared away, trees felled, and carpenters were set to w-ork January 26th, and some of the plank being ready to fasten on. La Salle drnxe the first spike. As the work progressed La Salle made several trips, over snow and ice, for the purpose of hurrying matters along by secur- ing his needed materials. One of his vessels was lost on Lake Ontario, heav- ily laden with a cargo of valuable supplies, through the fault or wilful per\^er- sity of her i>ili)t. The Iroquois Indians were causing La Salle all kinds of trou- ble and these savage depredations, want of wholesome food, the loss of the vessel on the lake, and a refusal of the neighboring tribes to sell anv more store of their corn, reduced the partv to stich extremities that the shij:)- carpenters tried to run away. Thev were finallv persuaded to remain and prosecute the work. Six months later the new boat was finished, and had been set afloat even prior to that time, to avoid the designs of the Indians. She was sixty tons burden, and called the "Griffin.'" It was not until August. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 39 1679, that her can\as was sjjread and the pilot, steering" hy the compass, witii La Salle and his thirty or more men, sailed out westward upon the unknown, silent waters of Lake Erie. Three days' sailing hrought them to the mnuth of the Detroit river. Father Hennepin was fairly delighled with the vmm- try along the river last mentioned. So charmed was he that lie undertook to persuade La Salle to settle at "De Troit."' But La Salle would not listen to his plea, hut steadilv pressed onward and after nearly heing .shipwrecked in a storm, he finally reached the island of .Mackinaw. La Salle, it must he re- membered, had two objects — first, his interest in the commerce of the new. wild country, the jmrchase of valuable furs, and secondly, his interest in m;ik- ing discoveries and explorations for his King, as he had contracted tn dn. Here La Salle made a hasty decision that really was the worst stej) he e\er took in his career. This was in sending the ship liack down the waters of the lakes, and then himself to ])rosecute his voyage the rest of the way to the head of Lake Michigan in frail birchen canoes. It delayed his discox'eries for two long years, brought se\ere hardships upon himself and greatly emliar- rassed all his future plans. The "(irifhn"' was lost, with all her cargo. She nor her crew was e\'er heard of after leaving the I'ottawalomie islands and what became of the ship and men m charge remains a m\'ster\- to this day. La Salle himself grew into a settled cunxiction that the "(irifhn" had been treacherously sunk by the pilot and sailors to whom he had entrusted her, and in after years thought he had found evidence that the authors of the crime, laden with the merchandise they had taken from her, had reached the Mississippi and ascended it. hoping to join De Shut, the fanmus chief of the Coureurs de Bois, and enrich themselves b_\- traffic with the mirthern tribes. The following is. in part, Hennepin's account (if La Salle's \ o\-age in canoes from the mouth of (ireen Way south along the shore of Lake Michi- gan, past Milwaukee and Chicago and around the southern end of the lake; thence along the eastern shore to the mouth of St. Jose|)h river; thence up that stream to South Bend, making the portage here to the headwaters of the Kankakee: thence down the l\;mkakee and Illinois through I'eoria lake. The ]>ri\ation and suffering to which La Salle and his part\- were exposed in navigating Lake Michigan at that early day, and late in the autumn of the year, when the waters were \-exed with storms, illustrate the courage and daring of such an undertaking. Hennepin says: "We left the Pottawatoniie islands to continue our voyage, being fourteen men in all. in four canoes. 1 had charge of the smallest, which carried five hundred weight and t\\'o men. 40 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. My companions being recently from Europe and unskilled with such boats, left me to handle the same in time of storms. "The canoes were laden with a smith's forge, utensils, tools for carpen- ters, joiners and sawyers, besides our goods and arms. We steered to the south toward mainland, from which the Pottawatomie islands are distant forty leagues ; but about midway, and in the night-time, we were greatly en- dangered by a sudden stomi. The waves dashed into our faces, the night was dark and we had much difficulty in keeping our canoes together. The day- light coming on, we reached the shore, where we remained four days, waiting for the lake to grow calm. In the meantime our Indian hunter went ashore in .search of game, but killing nothing other than a porcupine; this, however, made our Indian corn relishing. The weather became fair, we resumed our voyage, rowing all day and well into the night, along the western coast of the lake of Illinois. The wind again grew too fresh, and we landed upon a rocky beach where we had nothing to protect ourselves against a storm of snow and rain, except the clothing on our persons. We remained here two days for the sea to go down, having made a little fire from the wood cast ashore by the waves. We proceeded on our voyage, and toward evening the winds again forced us to the beach covered with rushes, where we remained three days ; and in the meantime our provision, consisting of only pumpkins and Indian corn, purchased from the Pottawatomies, entirely gave out. Our canoes were so heavily laden that we could not carry provisions with us. and we were compelled to rely on bartering for such supplies on our way. We left this dismal place, and after rowing twelve leagues came to another Pottawatomie village, whose inhabitants stood upon the beach to receive us. But M. La Salle refused to let anv one land, notwithstanding the severity of the weather. fearing some of his men might run away. We were in such great peril that La Salle flung himself into the water, after we had gone three leagues farther, and, with the aid of three men, carried the canoe of which he had charge ujwn their shoulders, otherwise it would have been broken to pieces by the waves. We were obliged to do the same with the other canoes. I myself carried the good Father Gabriel upon my back, his age being so well advanced as not to admit of his venturing in the water. We took ourselves to a piece of rising ground to avoid surprise, as we had no manner of acquaintance with the great number of savages whose village was so near at hand. W'e sent three men into the village to buy provisions, under the protection of the calum^ ("pipe-of-peace"'), which the Indians had presented us as a means of intro- duction to, and a measure of safety against other tribes that we might meet on our way." PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 4I Father Hennepin continues: "Our three men, carrying the calumet and being well armed, went to the little village about three leagues from the place we had landed ; tiiey found no one at home, for the inhabitants, having heard that we refused to land at the other village, supposed we were enemies and had abandoned their habitations. In their absence our men took some of their corn, and left instead some goods, to let them know we were neither enemies nor robbers. Twenty of the inhabitants of this village came to our encampment on the beach, armed with axes, small guns, bows, and a sort of a club, which in their language, means a head-breaker. La Salle, with four well-armed men, advanced toward them for the purpose of opening a con- versation. He requested them to come near us, saying he had a party of hunters out who might come across them and take their lives. They came forward and took seats at the foot of an eminence, where we were en- camped, and La Salle amused them with the relation of his voyage, which he infonned them he had undertaken for their advantage and thus occupied their time until the arrival of the three men who had been sent out with the calumet, on seeing which the savages gave a great shout, arose to their feet and danced about. We excused our men from having taken some of their corn, and informed them that we had left its true value in goods; they were so well pleased with this that they immediately sent for mure corn, and on the next day they made us a gift of as much as we could conveniently carry in our canoes. "The next morning the old men of the tribe came to us with their calu- met of peace, and entertained us with a free offering df wild goats, win'ch their own hunters had taken. In return, we presented them with our thanks. accompanied with some axes, knives, and several little toys for their wives, with all which they were very much pleased. We left this ])lace the folldwing morning and soon encountered a four-days storm. "November ist we again embarked on the lake and came to the mouth of the Miamis, which comes from the southeast and falls into the lake." La Salle and his party entered Kaskaska village, near Peoria lake, April 8. 1677. The Indians gave him hearty welcome and flocked from all direc- tions to the town to hear the "Black Gown" relate the truths of Christianity. December 3, 1679, the explorers embarked, being in all thirty-three men and eight canoes. They left the lake of Illinois and went up the river of the Miamis, which they had before made soundings of. Hennepin says: "We made about five and twenty leagues southward, but failed to discover the place where we were to land, and carry our canoes and effects into the river 42 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. of Illinois, which falls intu that uf the Mississippi. We had already gone Ije- yond the portage, and. not knowing where we were, we thought proper to remain there, as we were expecting M. La Salle, who had taken to the land to view the country. He was lost for a time, hut finally came t(j the rest of his comjiany." La Salle then rehuilt l-"ort Miamis and finally ahandoned his voyage down the Mississippi bv sailing boats and ci included to go by ordinary wooden pirogues or canoes. Tonti was sent forward to Chicago creek, where he constructed a number of sledges. After other preparations had been made. La Salle and his party left St. Joseph, came around the lake, and placed their effects in sledges. His party consisted of twenty-three I-"rench- men and eighteen Indians. The savages took with them ten squaws and three chiklren, making in all fifty- four persons. They had to make the port- age of the Chicago river. After dragging their canoes, sledges, baggage and provisions, about eight}- leagues over the ice, on the Desplaines and Illinois rivers, they came to an old Indian town. The expedition continued down, as fast as weather would permit, to the ?ilississippi. Bearing down that wonder- ful stream, thev finally, on April oth, came to the place into where the ri\er begins to dixide into sexeral channels and empty into the gulf of Mexico. La Salle, in a canoe, coasted the borders of the sea. and then the parties assem- bled on a diy spot of ground, not far from the mouth of the river. On April 9th, with all the pomp and ceremony of the Holy Catholic church. La Salle, in the name of the King of France, took possession of tlie .Mississippi and all its tributaries. The entire party, civilized and savage, present with the expedition fired their guns and shouted. "Vive le Rio." La Salle planted the column, at the same time proclaiming", in a loud \-oice. "In the name of the ]\Iost High, Mighty, Im-incible and Mctorious Prince, Louis the Great, 1)}- the Grace of God, King of France and of Xavarre, fourteenth of that name, L this ninth day of April, one thousand six hundred and eighty-two. in vir- tue of the commission of his Majesty and his successors to the crown, take possession of this country of Louisiana, the seas, harbors, ports, bays, adja- cent straits, and all the people, nations, provinces, cities, towns, \-illages. mines, minerals, fisheries, streams and rivers within the extent of the said Lcniisiana, from the mouth of the great river St. Louis, otherwise called Ohio, as also along the river Colbert, or Mississippi, and the rivers that discharge them- selves therein from its source beyond the country of the Sioux, as far as its mouth at the sea, and also to theniouth of the river Palms, upon the assur- ance we have had from the natives of these countries that we were the first PARKE AND XKRMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 43 Europeans who have descended or ascended the ri\er Colbert (Mississippi); hereby protesting against all who may hereafter undertake to in\-ade any or all of these aforesaid countries, peoples or lands, to the j^rejudice of His Ma- jesty, acquired by the consent of the nations dwelling herein. ()f which, and of all else that is needful. 1 herein- take to witness tlinsc whu hear me. and demand an act of the notary here present.'" At the foot of the tree to which the cross was attache^ and sur- rounded bv the charming blue, grass. Here he sees the indications of a coal mine- there of a rock quarry and yonder other marks of an industrious race. And Lgain he passes for miles through gently rolling fields whence comes the scent of clover or new-mown hay, and is cheered by the rattle of the reaper ■c > ?3 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 49 and the hum of laboring grangers. Not less does he see on every command- ing point the pretty white church with heavenward-pointing spire or the district school house, or more pretentious academy. "A hundred years ago how different the scene. An unbroken forest spread from north to south and from the eastern border to the small prairie which lines the Wabash below Montezuma. Along the highest land between the two Racoons ran an Indian trace from Weautanon, or Orchardtown (Terre Haute), to Ouiatenon. Down the Wabash came the light pirogue of the French-Canadian or the lighter canoe of the red man; and along the creeks the savages hunted or fished or idled away the long summer days. Sugar creek, from its source to its mouth, had witnessed maiiy a hard-fought battle between Indian tribes who contended for its possession, but now the Miamis band held it in peace. They found in its waters, alive with fish, an unfailing resource when game was scarce. From the mouth of the Leather- wood to the Wabash extended a straggling village of Wea-miamis, at the head of which in later years was a chief with an unpronounceable name whom the whites familiarly called Johnny Green. On Sugar creek, we know not exactly where, w as another village, and along Big Raccoon were a few small settlements, inhabited only in winter. Sugar creek through its upper course ran then, as now, between bold and rock bluffs, but no other creek in the county was anything like it is now. They consisted rather of long, deep ponds connected with shallow ripples, and Big Raccoon through much of its lower course had no defined channel. Beaver dams and immense drifts obstructed its course, and for miles in a place the stream extended almost from bluff to bluff, a long swamp with a slow current. Indeed, as late as 1850, many of the creeks in this county had a more uniform volume of water in summer than now, and contained many long, deep pools joined by ripples ; and the Wabash remained navigable till late in the summer for Ohio steamers. None of the streams rose so suddenly, or so high as now, and none fell so low in the summer. The Waliash had at least twice the summer \olunK' it now has, and even such small streams as Mill creek. This was also true of Williams creek and Rock mn, each and all being good fishing runs and remained good mill streams till 1830-40. The rain fall of the year has not decreased, but it was then more evenly distributed in tiiue. The furthiT change is accounted for by the clearing of the land and the draining of the swamps, allowing the falling rains to discharge more rapidly. Such were a few of the features of the county a hundred years ago." — From the pen of J. II. Beadle. (4) 50 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Thirty-five years afterward considerable change was already noticeable. Jacob, Swan and Bull, Wea. chiefs, ranged from Orchardtown ( Terre Haute) to Shawnee Prairie ; Stone-eater had his headquarters on or just above Sugar creek, and the Dazney Indians roamed over the Raccoon prairie and thence on to Fort Harrison. The soldier, the explorer and the hunter had become acquainted with the land, and the whites of more eastern localities looked toward this section for a home-building spot. Rev. Isaac McCoy, who preached the first gospel sermon in this green, glad solitude, had invaded this region. He was a Baptist missionary and came to the Wabash valley to preach to the Indians and white men, in 1817, preaching at points as far north as the Big Raccoon. In fact, it might be stated that he could have been considered the first white settler, for he was certainly here long enough to become a settler, legally. Early in 181 8 he made a location on land in the farm later owned and occupied by Mrs. Lawrence Cox. and he collected a few half-breed children and taught them English and religion. He learned the Indian dialect in order to better cope with the Catholic missionaries who spoke that language, especially among the Miamis. A few Christianized Indians came from Brothertown, New York, and assisted him. In 1819 Mr. McCoy married the first couple ever united in Parke county. His diary says : "On the i6th of February I joined in marriage Mary Ann Isaacs, of the Brothertown Indians, who had been spending a few weeks at our house, to Christmas Dashney, a half-breed Wea." Historian Beadle, so well known in Indiana, said of this faithful mis- sionary of the Cross : "Mr. McCoy continued his labors in this county till 182.2-3: and his journal tells of struggle against struggle and continued dis- appointment: of loving care for converts demoralized bv the whiskv of white men; of toilsome journeys to Indian camps: of cold nights in the lonely woods; of shivering days in w-et brush; of insults and rebuffs: of hunger and foul weather. He was a gentleman of culture and of pleasing address, and soon learned to speak the Indian dialect fluently. He was assisted, now and then, by other teachers and preachers, including Mr. Martin and Johnston Lykens. With a large family he followed the Indians, even to Michigan, seeing them die off like sheep from the effect of white man's whisky. Thence he followed them to Indian Territory, alx^ut 1830, and saw the remnant of the tribe attached to the Cherokee nation. He had fought a long, hard fight and lost, as the world would say; he had attached himself to a dying race, and neither prayers nor tears nor much labor could arrest their ine\itable decav. Nav, the destinv of the race seemed even to his friends to be death ; PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 51 one by one, he saw his ten children sicken and die, and in his old age, lonely and poor, he calls upon God to attest the rectitude of his intentions and save a few witnesses for him out of the many for whom he had toiled. And at the last he saw an Indian church formed on an apparently sure foundation in Oklahoma." It would seem that this was a part of God's great plan — the red man must needs become extinct and the higher race, the white, must perfect the plans of an All-wise Providence. If so, then God" will retrieve and make right all these seeming wrongs between the two races. In that other and eternal existence, such characters as Missionary Isaac McCoy and John Elliott, Las Casas and William Penn must be permitted to rejoice with the once sad victims of civilization, and go out to suffer no more for ever. After the period just named came the battle of Tippecanoe, in Novem- ber, 1811; then the war of 1812 with England. In October, 1818, the Indians signed the treaty of St. Mary's (Ohio), by which they ceded all of these lands north of the "ten o'clock line," except the "Sugar Creek Reserve," and early in 1819 William Polk surveyed the eastern portion of Parke county and ran tlie line of the Reser\'e, as "provided by law," completing his work in August. The eastern line of the reserve was not, however, cardinal ; it ran from Raccoon to Sugar creek in a line a little east of north, passing two miles west of Rockville. It was provided by law that this should remain a reserve, and the timber thereon be protected and the Indians guaranteed peaceable possession " until such time as the United States shall make further and permanent provision for the Confederated Weas and Miamis; provided, that Christmas Dazney, on account of important public services, shall be entitled in fee simple to one section of said reserve, to be by him selected." This section Mr. Dazney chose near Stringtown, as it was called, now Armiesburg, and old settlers a third of a century knew it as the Dazney farm. Thereafter the land below the line was known as Old Pur- chase, and that above as New Purchase ; nor was Sugar Creek Reserve for- mally opened to settlement till 1823. when William Bentley surveyed it into sections. On his way to Tippecanoe county, General Harrison, in 181 1, with nearly one thousand United States troops, crossed the Raccoon creek in \\'aliash townshii), this countw and camped for the night. 52 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. THE GENERAL HARRISON TRAIL. When General Harrison left V'incennes in November, 1811, to proceed against the Indians in what is now Tippecanoe county, and which campaign resulted in the triumphant battle of Tippecanoe, on the morning of Novem- ber 7, 181 1, he took between eight and nine hundred soldiers of the United States army and marched under the guide and trust}' scout, Zachariah Cicutt. He entered what is now known as Mound township. Warren county, thence passed northward through Kent township, encamping first (in that county J in a small grove, and there on his return trip, after the battle, buried two or three soldiers who had been wounded at Tippecanoe. Their resting place is at what is now called Gopher Hill cemetery, about two miles to the southeast of State Line village. From that point the army resumed their march north- east and passed by the huge bowlder, which until recent years stood in the highway on the old Hunter farm, between sections 19 and 30, township 21, range 9 west. This was an immense granite bowlder and if it had not thoughtlessly been blasted and removed would doubtless today have a suitable inscription on its rustic surface, making a permanent landmark for all gen- erations to come, showing just where Harrison and his army passed. The second encampment in Warren county was made just across the Big Pine creek, east, and "about eleven miles from its mouth into river Wabash."' This is known now as "Army Ford," and there seems to be two theories as to where the army really did cross this creek, but the generally accepted one is that his crossing was made above where Honey creek comes into Big Pine creek, and in the center of section 9, township 22, range 8 west, on lands now owned by Scott Brier, a descendant of one of the first settlers, and who, with his neighbors, has always called this the crossing place of the army. It is in Liberty township. This seemed to be the belief of Judge Isaac Naylor, who wrote on this theme many years since, and he was with Cicott after the war of 181 2 and went over the trail and noted the camping places. The other theory (we give it for what it is worth) is that it was in the southwest quarter of section 4 in the same township and range, less than a mile to the northwest. But there seems little good evidence that this is correct. From that point — "Army Ford," where\-er that ma_\- have been — the line of march was taken up and pursued in a northeastern direction, directl\- to where the battle was fought in Tippecanoe county, passing through the corner of Pine township, diagonally northeast through Adams township, PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 53 cutting the northwest corner of Medina lownship, thence on into 'iijipecanoe county. It should he added that on the march back from Tippecanoe to Vin- cennes, Harrison lost a man named Drummoml, who was buried near the camping place on Big Pine creek. Tlie grandsons of pioneer settlers re- member the grave well and frequently tell strangers of its loneliness, at an earlv day. This soldier, with probably the three buried at what is Gopher Hill cemeterv, were the only ones who died from wounds en route to Vin- cennes, and to their gra\-es there should ht placed an appropriate talilet or monument, either by Warren county or b\- the general government, the l)ra\e men certainly deser\-ing of such recognition, even at this late day. GEOLOGY OF PARKE COUNTY. Tarke county is based on a regular slope from east to west. Along the eastern border of the county the under-coal limestone crops out. Ix-ing the bed-rock of Big Raccoon at intervals for ten miles. Thence westward, then through what may well be styled the basin rock of the county, with a tolerably regular slope for fifteen to twenty feet to the mile, passing some distance under the bed of the \\'al)ash, and. as shown by borings made up to 1880, maintained the same westward slope to the Little Wabash ri\-er, under which it is found seven hundred feet deep. Beyond that it turns and comes up with the same regularity, again coming to the surface in western Illinois. .Assum- ing that this was the bed of the old river in which the coal was made, T'arke county lies along the east shore of what was the marsh in which the coal plant grew. The fossils, therefore, are all of the coal period — at least in the western part of this county. The huge reptiles and mammals lived in the ne.xt succeeding ages. The largest of these fossils now unearthed are a species of the "goose-necked lizard" and some detached bones of an American mastodon. As most of this county was filled with made or solid land before the coal period ended, it follows that all the rock-in-place is of the sandstone shale and lime-rock of the coal measures, but on that there is an immense .thickness of tlrift and the soil is from the wear of the crystalized Canadian rocks. For these reasons there is an inexhaustible fertility directly over immense beds of coal, with an abundance of good building stone and the finest of pure water from springs and wells. .\s the larger streams, in their passage across the county, have to cut down from the high le\'els of the lime- stone foundation to the level of the river Wabash, there appear wild, per- cipitous bluffs, presenting some of the finest scenery in all Indiana. CHAPTER III PIONEER SETTLEMENT OF PARKE COUNTY. The contents of this chapter are beheved to be substantially all that is necessary in order to give the reader a comprehensive account of the first settlement of what is now known as Parke county, Indiana. Xot that it contains in minute detail the circumstances surrounding the entry of land and settlement of each actual settler in pioneer days, but it is designed to give something in general of the pioneer band that located in various parts of the county, leaving much of detail for the different township histories. However, before entering into this task of outlining the first settlements in the county, it will be best to reproduce the views of Surveyor M. D. Buck, published in Brown's Gazetteer, in 1817, and also of the author of that work, after he had made a trip to the Wabash valley, Iroth of whom we here quote and inter- weave : "Rocky river (Sugar creek) is one hundred yards wide, at its mouth, and has several large forks The bottoms bordering the Wabash are rich : wells have been sunk in them that showed a vegetable soil twenty-two feet deep, though the ordinaiy depth is from two to five feet. All the streams have spacious and fertile bottoms. The prairies in the vicinity of Fort Har- rison exceed for beauty and richness everything I ever beheld. The land sells ver\' high near Fort Harrison, for it is the most delightful situation for a town on the Wabash. The Indians camp in the woods convenient to water, where they build wigwams. W^hile surveying in the wilderness they appeared very friendly, and offered us honey and venison. The woods abound with bears, wolves and wild turkeys. About three-eighths of the land we sur- veyed is excellent for most kinds of produce; the remainder is good for grazing, but too hilly, flat or wet for grain (' !) Wheat grows rank, but the grain is not as plump as in New York. The difficulty is, the land is too rich until improved ( !) Apple trees bear every year. Wheat is seventy-five cents a bushel. Flour is three dollars per hundred — four dollars delivered at Fort Harrison; pork four dollars; beef, the same; butter and cheese, one to two shillings. European goods exorbitantly high. Ginseng grows on the bottoms to a perfection I never witnessed. Harrison's Purchase was first PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 55 opened for sale at Jcffersonville, in September last [1816J, and numerous tracts sokl at fmrn tour to thirty dollars per acre. .\ sectiun on the W'aljash below Fort Harrison [now Terre HanteJ sold at thirty-two dollars and eigh- teen cents per acre. The best proof of the excellence of these lands is the fact of their being the scene of numerous Indian population. Serpents are very numerous. Deer are mortal enemies of the rattlesnakes and often kill them by jumping upon them. It is also reported that the turkey buzzard has the power of killing the rattlesnake by its intolerable stench, which it most pow- erfully emits by a violent fluttering in the air a little above the snake's head." To definitely locate and name the first actual white settler in this county is now impossible. It is, however, known that the Dotys, Henrys and others had come up to the line of the Old Purchase at least as early as 1818, possibly 1817. It is known that James M. Doty settled on Henry's prairie in 1818, and is by many called Parke county's first settler. At about the same date came Judge Joseph Walker, who settled in what is now Florida township, near the present town of Numa. William D. Mitchell, so long and well known in Union township, was born in Raccoon in 1818, just after his parents ar- rived there. Mrs. Peggy Miller, whose maiden name was Robinson, came to Fort Harrison with her parents in 181 5, and was always sanguine that they moved into Parke county in 1818. James Kerr bought land in this county at the very earliest sales, either 1816 or 1817; but did not settle permanently till i82_'. His wife always claimed that her family located in Parke county in 1818. Many more claim that Dr. Taylor was the first permanent pioneer settler in the county, on the upper end of Henry's Prairie, and early in 18 17 or i8t8. The true first settler will never be known, as no record was made of the coming of several families, all of whom constituted the first l)and of pioneers. It was certainly from among the families already mentioned. Among .the strong men who followed up the army and studied the coun- try, was Capt. Andrew Brooks, Indian agent, trader and interpreter. He made numerous trips from Fort Harrison northward ; whether on the prairies of the southwestern border of Parke county or in the dense woods in the center of the county, he everywhere noted the local advantages; especially did he scan the localities favorable for a good mill site, and as early as 181 7 Tpossibly 1818) he set his eye on the blufif at the south bend of Big Raccoon. A year or so passed before he found a partner with capital sufficient to im- prove this water power, but fortunately he fell in with Chauncey Rose, at Fort Harrison, who became known as a distinguished pioneer and philan- thropist. He was born December 17, 1794, in Weathersfield, Connecticut, and 56 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. when twenty-two years of age came to Indiana, reaching Fort Harrison (Terre Haute) early in 1817. An elder brother settled in Carolina, and advanced him some capital, and he had already shown his ability to acquire more, when he met Captain Brooks. They were kindred spirits and. together with Moses Robins, formed a partnership to establish a mill, store and dis- tillery on Big Raccoon. _ \Miile the snow was yet on the ground they left Fort Harrison, in company with a friendly Indian, made their way to the locatiun selected, and early in 1819 broke ground for a mill and named the place Roseville. About this time there were many of the shiftless, roaming type of men and women who came in and remained, as in all new countries, for a few years and then passed on to newer, wilder sections where they might mingle with the Indians, hunt, fish and trap, and not be held in obedience to any civil law or custom. But of these settlers no account will here be made, as they were not in any sense county or state builders, but nomadic in style and habits. ^Meanwhile the business enterprise of the firm of Rose. Robins & Brooks had been completed and was running in full blast in 1819-20. The Indians came in from far and near to exchange their furs and meat for flour and whisky. Soon a second store was opened by Scott & Linton. Now came in a better, more stable class of settlers and made claim to much (^f tlie fine farming lands in the county. Just who was first to locate in the northern part of the county, no one seems able to tell, but certainly in 1819 there were several families, and in 1820 the following located in Florida and Raccoon : Judge Joseph Walker, James Henry and his fixe sons. John. James. Richard, Moses and \Mlliam; John Doty, Samuel Adams. \\'illiam Xevins and Jacob Bell. John Adams, David Evans and Boston Derr were the first to locate in the forks of the Raccoon. William Rea was first to locate on Little Raccoon, aljove the forks: he came in 1820 to the northwest corner of section 7. in Raccoon township, not far from the present town of Catlin. John Sunder- land soon came in, as did Caleb ^^'illiams and Henry Greer. Many of these pioneers came in before the land w^as actually opened for settlement, and abided their time. The first land sales did not take place above the "ten o'clock line" until 1820, and in the fall of that year, too. The records show that among the earliest to purchase lands here were : James Buchanan and Mr. Gilkinson. fathers of Alexander Buchanan and John C. Gilkinson, Esq., and they bought, at Terre Haute, the same land on which their sons lived so many long years. Joseph Ralston came to Parke count\' in 1819 and settled near Kerr's springs, on Big Raccoon. He cut the date on an immense beech tree, and it remained legible for full forty years. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 57 Among the settlers north of the creek, and south of the Hue, were Dempsey Seybold. Dr. Taylor, John I'rince, Samuel Prince, John Morrow and members of the Doty, Henry and Robinson families. These men all reared good sized and highly sturdy, intelligent families and Ijccame masters of the situation in after years in the development of Parke county. Major Ambrose Whitlock, government surveyor, reported his work finished in the New Purchase in the summer of 1820, after which a great immigration set in. from \^incenncs and Terre Haute, settling up the valley of the Wabash to a goodly extent ; the Raccoon and its branches all gave up their virgin lands to settlers and permanent home-seekers. The paths, traces and blazed trails were alive with land-hunters and explorers ; Indians, traders, hunters and speculators, on foot and horseback, \\ ere all hunting out locations for themsel\-es. The year 1S21 saw a wonderful addition to the pioneer settlement in Parke and Vermillion counties. Perley Mitchell made the first entry in Penn township, in the Sugar creek and Walnut groves aboxe Leatherwood. The rush lasted until the autumn of 1822, after which the advent of pioneers was more even and moderate. They had a little imder- standing among themselves as to bidding on land, and if an outsider ])re- sumed to over-bid them, he was usually instructed bv "persuasion," generally heeded, to "move on." In the fine autumn days of 1822 — ninety years ago — the father of Squire Glass, John Glass, arrived on the Raccoon and halted a few days at the home of Reuben Webster, who had been a settler for two vears on the creek about three miles below Bridgeton. There, in two weeks, Mr. Glass lost a fine mare, seven sheep and a valuable dog, all with milk-sickness. Tliis was a common thing in early days. Then, too, the pioneer band had to struggle with the fever and ague for a number of years. Some could not withstand it and returned to the East, from whence they had emigrated. Many who sought lands at Terre Haute in the fall of that year were unable to secure the coveted lands in the bottoms, but as it turned out it was a stroke of good fortune for them, for they found the uplands and timbered sections to be even more valuable as the years passed by. [Messrs. Glass, Jacoli Miller, John Miller, and Thomas Woolverton started for Montgomery county, where there was already a good sized Kentucky settlement, but early in the day they chanced to meet a solitary horse-hunter who told them of a "mighty fine strip of black walnut land just about the divide between the two creeks." They went on and were charmed by its appearance, and ere the sun went di^w n the next day they had selected lands in that favored sjjot. This was the 58 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Opening of the New Discovery, as James Kelsey called it from this circum- stance, and as it is still known. Then began another great land-hunter's rush. These settlers did not see the well cultivated section that cheers and charms the passerby of today. All was one vast wild forest land, obstructed with tanglewood and thicket. In every fertile spot the peavine grew in tangled masses, cropped by the cattle, which frequently fattened upon this wild food alone. Elsewhere the spicewood choked the glade, while on the southern slopes and black-soiled bottoms the pawpaw thickets yielded up their sweets in great abundance. In many places the tangled woods were impassable, and the first settlers were sometimes days in cutting away the brush and trees in order to gain an entrance to the spots they had chosen for erecting their cabins. One writer says: "'The Linn thicket, which now contains a good area of the best land in the county, was navigable for ducks from the spring thaw, often as late as July first. By following the windings of low lands, a goose could have swum across a township in many seasons. But there were some compensations. Game was, of course, plenty, though beef and pork were called a luxury. An occasional bear was still found; a few wild-cats lingered in the bottoms; deer and turkeys were on every hand abundant, and squirrels of all kinds thick enough to be a nuisance to farmers. Coons, 'possums, foxes, ground-hogs and wolves were common ; the ugly looking porcupine was now and then found, and birds were twenty times as numerous as nowadays, and their songs were never sweeter." The old Indian trace from Fort Harrison to Fort Wayne bore north- east from the head of Henry's Prairie, keeping on the divide between the Big and Little Raccoon, and it was soon beaten into a road by eager home- seekers. By the middle of the summer of 1823 Abel Ball, John Jessup, Henry Nevins, Joseph Wilkinson, Silas Harlan, John Blake, Nathan Blake, Charles Woolverton, John Burford, Benjamin Walters, Constantine Curry, Clem B. Burton, and probably twenty more, had settled in New Discover)-; and liefore the cold weather set in, there might have been seen a line of comfortable cabins and clearings even as far as Crawfordsville. May 13. 1823, there came a great time of excitement at the land office located at Crawfordsville. It was for the first pick of land; horses were run to death, men rode day and night in storms, swam swollen streams, and risked their own lives in many curious devices -to reach the land-office first or outwit a rival. The "witness trees" were well known, as the survey Avas but recent, and the man who first threw down the "numbers" on the counter and announced his claim got the land. In 1824-5 the Hollandsburg neighborhood was filled, and it is stated PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 59 that in October, 1825, not a single piece of lirst class land remained nntaken between there and Crawfordsville. Later, the lands were not bought and sold so readily, but it was soon found that many who took up the Linn thicket lands had made no mistake, for they proved rich and valuable. In passing, it should be said that after the first decade or so, while the virgin soil was being turned up to the sun's hot rays, especially in the autumnal months of each recurring year, things went well with the settlers, but during this first period of their sojourn here the fever and ague did great mischief and afllicted every family and sometimes eveiy member of the household. By reason of this, great suffering had to be endured, for it is said that in that sickness people "want to die, but can't." But after the lands were broken up a few years, the decaying underbrush burned and the land with sluggish pools of water had been drained out, the country was one of beauty and enjoyed by a happy band of sturdy pioneers, who became the grandfathers and fathers of the generation just now passing. Indeed, these pioneers builded far better than they knew, and this the twentieth century is enjoying the fruits of their toils and self-sacrifices. "We love best the man that dares to do — The moral hero, stalwart through and through, ■^'ho treads the untried path, evades the rut; Who braves the virgin forest, builds a hut. Removes the tares encumbering the soil. And founds an empire based on thought and toil." CHAPTER I\'. ORGANIZATION AND COUNTY GON'ERNMENT. The tliiid Legislature of the state of Indiana, by an act approved Janu- ary 9, 1821, at the then capital of the state, Corydon. organized Parke county, with what is now known as Vermillion county attached as a civil township for \-arious purposes. The same day the Governor appointed Capt. Andrew Brooks sheriff, t(j serve until an election could be held, and James Blair coroner. On March 27th Dempsey Seyljold and Joseph Walker were ap- pointed associate judges for the new county and Wallace Ray as clerk and recorder. May 30th John Skidmore and Joseph Ralston were commissioned justices, and all these were to act until after an election, William Clark was also appointed resident surveyor, but did not qualify, and Stephen Collett was appointed and served in his place. The first election for the new county was fixed for the first Monday in August, 182 1, when tlie polls were o|:)ened at the house of Richard Henry, on Henry's prairie, just ali(i\e the county line. Judge Seybold and 'Squire Ralston (irganized the i)iill. Judge James Barnes acted as judge of the election, and what hajipened in way of trouble is briefly narrated elsewhere in this volume. At the date above mentioned the county was supposed to have a \-oling population of four hundred, and commissioners were sent to locate a perma- nent county seat. This commission was made up of Gen, Joseph Orr, Gen, Artluu- Patterson and Col. Thomas Smith, the la.st named later becoming the well-known Indian agent. There were here, as in all new counties, a rivalry as to who should secure the countv seat. The commissioners were e\'idently well and favorably impressed with the Buchanan vicinity, near the jiresent town of Judson, but were urged to visit Thomas Gilkeson's jilace, nn tlie Raccoon, before deciding. While at his place the commissioners were in\-ited by Messrs. Ray, Hand and Simmons to visit another spot, which brought them up at Ray's tavern, in what is now Rock\-ille, on a dark, gloomy morn- ing early in the month of February, 1824. The commissioners were wet, weary and miserably fatigued, but were royally entertained by Mr. Ray, the landlord. Just what inducements were offered, aside from the steaming breakfast of which they all partook freely, none can conjecture, but before PARKE AND VERMII.IION COUNTIES. INDIANA. ' 6l another twenty-four hours had rolled around, the county seat of I'arke county was located at Rockville, and to seal the act a bottle of aged whisky was properly emptied, after which the bottle was broken upun the big rock on the highest point of the site, and thus was legally baptized the to\\n-lo-l)e, the ■ county seat, Rockville. The temporary seat of county go\erninent, howe\er. had l)een at Rose- \-ille first, and next at Armiesburg, and two courts had been held at the last named place, at least. The county seat was permanently hxed at Rockville in 1822. No buildings suitable for the offices and court were provided, how- ever, until 1824. Sixty votes were cast at the first election in this county, that of 182 1. There was only one voting precintt. The county clerk's office, with the records, was burned in the fall of 1832, and an act of the Legislature made the justices of the peace county commissioners. The hrst board meet- ing after the fire of 1832 was in January, 1833, at which they ordered re- pairs and a reproduction of the county records, as far as it was possible. In 1844, the law was changed and from then on the county commissioners were elected instead of appointed. The first board was Tobias Miller, James W. Beadle and Nathan Evans. COUNTY GOVERNMENT. In spite of the fact that the law for the formation of Parke county re- quired Uie erection of necessary public buildings within twelve months after the location of the county seat, none were begun until two years afterward. A court house and jail w-ere finished in June, 1826. The court house was a spacious log structure, built on the south side of the present public square, and served the double use of a house of worship and a temple of justice until it w^as superseded by the brick court house and the brick school house. The old jail served until 1858, when it was burned, but in reality it had been unfit for a public building for several years before its final destruction. The jail, which was also built of logs, stood on lot No. 59, just across the rail- road track and to the northwest of where later stood the old brick jail. Pio- neer Ray donated forty acres to the county, on which the public square and business houses are located today, and his partner. Hand, ga\e twenty acres, and Patterson and McCall, the other town site founders, gave tweiUy acres. It should l)e recalled that in the beginning, Andrew Ray, Aaron Hand and James McCall joined in conveying one hundred acres of land to Parke county. This was conditioned on the permanent location of the seat of justice at Rockville, a deed over which there was nuich litigation in after vears when 62 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. the people sought to remove the seat of justice to Bloomingdale. Thomas Smith, one of the commissioners to locate the county seal, was also ap- pointed by the governor to lay out and properly plat the newly located count>' town, which he at once proceeded to execute. The last of April he began to advertise, and June i6 and 17, 1824, cried the sale of lots in Rockville. He sold on commission plan and almost "cried" in reality over the few lots sold and the very low prices which he was compelled to sell them for. Lot No. i, on the northeast corner of town, was sold to James Strain, Sr. The county officers soon removed to "town" and three or four lawyers, of which it is related many believed young Joseph Van i\Ieter was the brightest, but it ap- pears he never made good in the great conflict of life and was never heard of save for a short sojourn here. VARIOUS COURT HOUSES AND JAILS. Parke county's first court house was the rude, but good sized, log struc- ture built in 1826, which served until 1829, when a contract was let to Matthew Stewart, against great opposition, to build a new court house. County orders were worth only fifty cents on a dollar, and it was thought the whole county would soon become bankrupt. But the wheels of time revolved and the brick court house was completed in 1832, and served the county until 1879, when it was torn down by Isaac McFaddin. The old brick jail, built at that time, ser\ed (longer than it ought to have been tolerated) until 1858, when it was burned. The picture of the old brick court house shows it to have been a good structure for its day and served well the uses for which it was originally intended. On December 3, 1878, the county auditor was authorized to atlvertise for plans for a new court house and a jail. These bids were opened January 29, 1879. and there were found to be fifteen of them. It took until March 20th to settle the question of which plans were the best and most acceptable. Those furnished by T. J. Tolan & Son, of Fort Wayne, were selected and an order issued causing bonds to be floated in the sum of $100,000 to meet the payments on such public buildings. Then bids were asked for the construc- tion of the proposed buildings. On May i, 1879, the bids were opened and it was found that the highest bid was that of $78,250 and the lowest was $68,800, but the lowest bidder could not furnish sufficient bonds and it was awarded to the next lowest bid, of $68,900, which was that of William H. Myers, who, it was later found out, was a relative and co-worker with the PARKE AND VERMII.I.ION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 63 iron company aiul the architect of l'"ort Wayne. L'nder this contract made by the connty board and Myers, the work i)rocec(led until the autumn of 1880, when he had collected more from the county, really, than was his due, and a difficulty arose, the result of which was that Myers abandoned the work and the county went ahead, under a superintendent, George W. Collings. and finished the buildings. Myers had been paid $58,836.07 when he quit. The cornerstone was laid September 11, 1879, under Masonic rites. This stone bears the following inscription: "County Commissioners, Zachariah Byers, Mahalon M. Marshall, William Carmichael. John B. Connelly, Auditor. T. J. Tolan & Son, Architects. W. H. Myers, Builder. September 11, 1879." It now appears that the two dates found over the north entrance — "1879- 80" — is a mistake. The building w"as not completed in 1880, but in 1882. It is supposed that Myers, the contractor, had these stones cut and intended to complete the court house by sometime in 1880, as contracted for, and for some unknown reason this "1880" stone was allowed to be placed in the front wall — possibly the work had progressed as far as the setting of this stone before the contractor Myers quit. The court house cost the county in round figures $110,000, with heating plant. The Ijrick jail, on the opposite side of the square, cost about ten thousand more. Both are still in good condition and fine buildings. The court house is a fine stone structure, of fine styled architecture and modern in most of its appointments. A splendid clock and bell were added later, costing about $1,500. The final day of dedication was at hand and, despite the bad weather, the assembly was very great. It was on Washington's birthday, February 22, 1882. S. D. Puett was chair- man of the day. Exercises opened by singing "Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow." Rev. W'. Y. Allen then read the Ten Commandments and offered prayer. Hon. Thomas N. Rice was orator of the occasion, and speeches were made by others, on "The Bench and Bar," and also on the county officials, past and present. The president of the day was Col. E. M. Benson; vice-presidents, Zachariah Byers, William Carmichael, M. W. Mar- shall. O. P. Brown. J. D. Collings, George ^Mater. Numerous speeches were made during the forenoon, afternoon and evening. Within the corner-stone of the present court house were deposited, under direction of the Masonic lodge that had charge of the stone-laying, these articles: A copy of the by-laws and historical records of Parke Lodge No. 8, and of No. 37 ; various papers belonging to the various lodges and societies in Parke county ; also a history of the lodge known as Silliman Lodge of Knights of Pythias, with its charter, and those of the Masonic and 64 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Odd Fellows lodges; a list of all lodges in the county; copies of the Rockville papers, including that of the Tribune of September ii, 1879, Rockville Re- publican of September 10, 1879, the Monfcaiitna Era; blank notes of the First National Bank; small quantities of grain of each variety grown in Parke county; postage stamps of all denominations; American and foreign coins; business cards of the business men of Rockville: brief account of the old court house, with a photograph of the building; names of county commis- sioners: photograph of the residence of A. K. Stark, and other objects of historic interest; statistics of Parke county for 1878 and a copy of the inter- esting address of Dr. Thomas Rice, on the occasion of corner-stone laying. FINANCES OF P.\RKE COUNTY. The receipts and expenditures of Parke county for the }ear ending June I, 1855, ^^'e:Te as follows: Receipts, from show licenses, $50: county revenue for 1854, $10,341; township ta.x for 1854, $2,534; road tax collected for 1854, $160; cost of printing, $265; other items, making a total of $13,569. The expenditures for the same period were: Keeping the poor, $1,347; assessing revenue, $545; county officers, $2,427; cost of printing, $320; keeping prisoners, $355; books and stationery, $238; bailiffs' fees, $316; jury fees, $785; insane persons, $49; public buildings, $250; fuel, $13; election expenses, $17; bridges, $2,015; township tax, $2,534; road tax, $120: total, $11,753. Total of the county's receipts were, that year, $13,569. In the month of February, 1912, the treasurer's books showed the fol- lowing exhibit in the funds in the county : Disbursed. Oh Hand. County Revenue $ 58,522 $17,946 Principal, Common 6,896 2,168 Congressional 1,348 173 Endowment 1,275 ^8 Interest, Common , 2,664 -45 Congressional 2,086 643 Endowment 374 360 Fines and Forfeitures 615 180 Bonds for construction gravel roads 37,946 37,098 Redemption of Gravel road bonds 57-753i 9,302 Show License 20 Liquor License 4,000 Township Tax 14.992 2,443 OLD FAHKK COl'NTY COURT HOUSE. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 65 Local Tuition $ 52,705 $ 9,334 Special School 59,260 11,095 Road 7,363 71 Common School Revenue 30-635 891 Library 146 4 Special School Building 4-125 79 Corporation 8,493 "^ Water Works 2,034 Electric Lights 2,127 34 Cemetery 233 13 Clay Plant 618 11 Park 102 6,892 Gravel Road Repairs 23,125 Totals $387,190 $99>332 The above serves to show many things connected with the county at this date — the schools, gravel roads, fines and general financial affairs. ASSESSED VALUATION, I912. The following shows the personal and real estate assessed valuations by townships and corporations: Adams Township $1,250,500 Howard Township $ 438,025 Washington Township — 907,760 Rockville (Corporation)-- 1,058,600 Sugar Creek Township 354,395 Marshall (Corporation) 164,810 Liberty Township 812,110 Montezuma (Corporation) 420,888 Reserve Township 718,235 Rosedale (Corporation)-- 315,010 Wabash Township 787,555 Diamond (Corporation)-- 68,930 Florida Township 1,324,155 Bloomingdale (Corpora- Raccoon Township 958,720 tion) 181,945 Jackson Township 496,520 Judson (Corporation) 28,010 Union Township 838,630 Greene Township 1,005,580 Penn Township 617,775 Total $12,798,240 THE PARKE COUNTY ASYLUM. Be it said to the credit of Parke county, that it has never had a great burden on account of its unfortunate poor, and for this expense the people (5) 66 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. ha\e ne\er given of taxes begrudgingly. For many years after the organiza- tion of the county each township looked after its own paupers, but of more recent years the system of caring for such charges has been changed to what in IntHana is stxled a county asylum, located near the county seat, where con- venient buildings, and a farm which is nearly self-supporting is employed for the safe and humane keeping of those who by reason of old age or misfortune have been thrown upon the people for support. The present superintendent of this institution in Parke county, E. AI. Carter, reported in May, 1912, that the asylum then had twenty-two inmates, mostly men, too aged for work. During the three months just before the 30th of last May, thirty-four persons had been admitted to this asylum and twelve had been discharged from it. At that date there was on hand in the fund for the maintenance of the institu- tion, $148.80, and $197.90 had been paid out at the asylum in the quarter ending when such report was filed with the county auditor. Hence it will be seen that there are not many paupers within the county's charge, and that no ta.x-payer is heavily burdened on their account. Indeed most everyone feels it a duty and pleasure to aid in making life comfortable to these few un- fortunates. Sometime prior to the Civil war, the county deemed it wise to purchase a farm near the county seat, and there care for her poor. This was carried out and a building erected less than three miles from the court house. This 5er\-ed until the present thirty-thousand-dollar buildings were constructed. Here every care possible is taken of the unfortunate inmates. The property is looked after by the superintendent, under the watch-care of the county com- missioners. EARLY LAW BREAKERS. An early term of Parke county court indicted six persons and fined them for gaming; six for profane language; one for retailing spirituous liquors: one' for giving a friend whisky at camp-meeting; two for illegal \oting. At an- other term, twenty-four men were indicted and fined from one to ten dollars for betting small amounts "just to make it more interesting.'' CHAPTER V. COUNTY AND OTHER OFFICIALS. Owiiii;; to the disastrous fire of November, 1832, many of the early rec- ords of this county were destroyed, hence there are some facts lacking con- cerning the election, appointment and terms of the early-day pnl)lic officials, but the ftillowing is almost a complete list of those who ha\-e served, and in the order in which they were elected or appointed to office: STATE REPRESENTATIVES. i8j3 — Thomas Blake. 1825 — Joseph M. Hayes. * * * * 1835 — General George K. Steele. 1843 — James Kerr. 1845-6 — William R. Nof singer. 1848 — John J. Meacham. 1849 — Samuel H. Johnston. 1850 — Gabriel Houghnian. 1851— E. S. Holladay. 1852 — George K. Steele. 1854 — Levi Sid well. 1856 — George K. Steele. 1858 — Samuel H. Johnston. i860 — George G. Grain. 1862 — Col. Casper Budd. 1864 — Thomas N. Rice. 1866— Walter C. Donaldson. 1868 — James T. Johnston. 1870-72 — John E. Woodard. 1874-76 — Daniel Thomas. 1878— Robert Kelly. r88o — Ira H. Gillum. 1882 — William Knowles. 1884— William X. Aiken. 1886-88— George Hobson. 189Q-92 — Jeremiah Morris. 1894-96 — Albert Al. Adams. I S96-98— Albert M. Adams. 1898-1900 — Elias H. Owens. 1900-04 — Elias H. Owens, died. — John R. Johnston. 1904-06 — John R. Johnston. • 1908 — Jacol) S. White. 19 10 — Jacob S. White. 1912 — George ^^'. Spencer, Jr. COUNTY CLERKS. 1 82 1 -1 833 — Wallace Rea. 1833 — Joseph Potts. 1833-50 — John G. Davis. 1850-51 — ^Joseph B. Cornelius. 1851-60 — George W. Thompson. J 8(x3-68— Samuel Magill. 68 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 1868-76— John F. D. Hunt. 1876-84 — David Strause. 1884-88 — Madison Keeney. 1888-92— Jesse H. McCoy. 1892-96 — Isaac L. Wimmer. 1896-1900 — John E. Harshbarger. 1900-04 — Charles D. Renick. 1904-08 — Ewing Chapman. 1908-12 — George L. Laney. 19 1 2- — Randolph J. Cummings. SHERIFFS. 1 82 1- — Captain Andrew Brooks. ' 1872- 1824- — Henry Anderson. 1874- 1825-7 — Isaac J. Sillman. 1878- 1827-31— William T. Noel. 1882- 1833- — John G. Davis. 1886- 1833-37 — William Kilgore. 1890- 1837-41 — Aaron Hart. 1894- 1841-45 — James Youman. 1896- 1845-49 — Gabriel Honghman. 1898- 1849-53 — James W. Beadle. 1900- 1853-57 — David Kirkpatrick. 1902- 1857-61 — Abraham Darroch. 1904- 1861-65 — George B. Inge. 1906- 1865-7 — James Phelon. 1908- 1867- — Jesse Partlow. 1910- 1867-72 — Nerval W. Cummings. 191 2- 74 — Christian Steinbaugh. 78 — George B. Chapman. 82 — Zimri D. Maris. 86 — John R. Musser. 90 — Ed. Nicholas. 94 — George S. Jones. 96— William D. Mull. — Barton W. Dooley. • — Perry E. Benson. — Perry E. Benson. — T. E. Aydelotte. ■ — E. M. Carter. — E. M. Carter. — Robert J. Finney. ■ — Robert J. Finney. — Edward D. Nicholas. COUNTY RECORDERS. The office of till 1848. 1821-33- 1833 - 1833-34- 1852 - 1853-57- 1857-65- 1866 - county clerk ex-officio was recorder until 1833, when the separate recorder was created. It was changed again to a combined office -\Vallace Rea. -James G. Davis. -Duncan Darroch. -Joseph B. Cornelius. -Samuel Fisher. -F. W. Dinwiddle. -Tames I\[. Thomas. 1870-74 — Elwood Hunt. 1874-82— William J. White. 1882-90 — Henr)? B. Cord. 1891-98 — Charles E. Lambert. 1898-06 — Daniel J. Chapin. 1906-12 — Carl Rutter. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 69 COUNTY AUDITORS. Prior to August 9, 1841, the work devolving on what is now the auditor was laid upon the duties of the county clerk. 1841-58 — Joseph Potts. 1886-94 — Samuel T. Catlin. 1858-62— L. A. Foote. 1894-98— Elias H. Owen. 1862-66 — George P. Daly. 1898-02 — Stephen A. Pike. 1866-74— -John H. Tate. 1902-06 — Henry Guhb. 1874-82 — Jesse B. Connelly. 1906-10 — PI. A. Henderson. 1882-86 — Edwin F. Hadley. 1910 — ^James E. Elder. COUNTY TREASURERS. The sheriff collected all taxes from the l)eginning of the county govern- ment down to 1833. when the office of treasurer was established. 1833 —Hugh J. Bradley, 1880-84— James ^'• McCami)hell. 1834-8 —Austin M. Puitt. 1884-88— Isaac A. Pickard. — Erastus M. Benson. 1888-90 — James X. Dinwiddie. 1841-1859 — Aaron Hart, Miles Hart, 1891-93 — X. W. Cummings. Samuel Hart, Charles 1893-96 — Moses T. Kelly. (irant and John R. 1896-98 — Thomas D. Byers. Miller, 1898-1900 — \Villiam Rawlings. 1839-63 — Washington lladley, 1900-04 — George Bronson. 1873-67 — John T. Cam]il)ell. 1904-06 — Edward Bradfield. 1876-72 — John H. Lindley. 1906-08 — Edward Bradfield. 1872-76 — X', W. Cummings, 1908-12 — George W, Spencer, 1876-80— F. \V. Dinwiddie. CORONERS. Among the coroners who have served in i'arke county may he given these: 182 1-5 — Truman Ford. 1837-39 — William M. Brooks. 1825 — James Nesmith. 1839-43 — James J. Roberts. 1827 —Stephen Idemming. 1844-45 — Hugh S. Comingore. 1831-33— Samuel H. Johnston. —Randall H. Burk. — Charles Nugent. 1846-49 — Solomon Pinegar, 1835-37— Hugh J- Bradley. 1849 —Johnson S. White. 70 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Others — Christopher Hensel, Mat- thew Gilkeson, Daniel Mater, John Alexander, Ed. Brown, James Jacobs, Will- iam Mains, James M. Cox, John Aydollett, \VilIiani Knowles (colored), Ouut O. Hall, Robert ]. Fvtte, Theodore H. Johnson (col- ored). Squire Glass, Hiram Xewlin, A. Morris, John A. Musser, Hiram E. New- lin, Chas. W. Overpeck, Thomas J. Collings, W'ill- iam J. Pease, Peare, Col- lins. COUNTY ASSESSORS. This office was created in 189 1, by act of the Legislature. The first to hold the office in Parke county was Stephen A. Pike, appointed in June, 1891, and who served until November of that year. 1 89 1 — Samuel Coble. 1900 — Charles E. McDaniel. 1906 — Stephen A. Pike. 19 10 — Stephen A. Pike. COUNTY SURVEYORS. Among the various surveyors in Parke county have been the following : Jeremiah H. Siler, Enos C. Siler, William H. Nye, John T. Campbell, Claud Ott, Alfred Hadley, whose deputy was a Mr. Demare, who had the field- notes of the whole county in his house, when all were burned, causing the county a great loss. Later surveyors have been : Claud Ott, John A. Camp- bell, Arthur Pickett, James E. Phillips, Henry Davis. JUDGES. The first court held in Parke county was at tiie house of Samuel Blair, in Rosedale, where it continued to be held until a suitable place could be pro- vided at the county seat. The first associate judges were Samuel Steele, 1826; James McSmith, 1827. The judges of the circuit court were: Isaac Naylor, 1833; associates. Judges Robert Mitchell and D. Seybold. In 1S38, E. .M. Huntington; associates, R. H. Wedding, W. C. Donaldson. 1842, Will- iam P. Bryant: same associates as before. 1844, John Law; associates, Alex- ander Kirkpatrick, \\'. C. Donaldson. 1850, S. B. Gookins; associates, A. Kirkpatrick and Samuel Case. 1851, D. R. Eckles; same associates as before. In 1852 the office of associate judge was abolished. The judge next to serve was W. P. Bryant. 1858, John M. Cowan: 1867, C. Y. Patterson: 1873, PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 71 Samuel C. Wilson ; 1879, William P. Britten, Albert D. Wilson Iiaving served just after Judge Wilson for a short term. The ne.xt judge was Joshua J. Jump, succeeded by Ared V. White, Gould G. Rheubv, Charles W. Ward, William C. Wait, Jr., Barton Aikman. CU.M.MON I'LEAS JUDGES. From 1853 to 1873 e.xisted what was styled the court of common pleas. The judges in Parke county were: Hons. John R. Porter, 1853; S. F. Max- well. 1853: C. Y. Patterson. 1861 ; S. F. Maxwell. 1865: 1869, John T. Scott, who was in office when the position was abolished. PR0B.\.TE JUDGES. From 1829 to 1853 there was the office of probate judge in Indiana, and in Parke county the gentlemen who served as such judges were Joseph Potts; Daniel M. Morris, 1834; T. S. Baldwin, 1834; John Marshall, 1844 to 1853. PRESENT BAR OF PARKE COUNTY. The attorneys practicing at the Parke county bar in the autumn of 1912 were as follows: Ared F. White, Albert J\I. Adams, J. M. Johns, S. F. Max Puett, Clarence G. Powell, J. C. Buchanan, S. F. McGuinn. D. J. Chapin, George W. Bell, W. T. l-'ink, Elwood Hunt, Howard Maxwell, Howard Hancock, Roy W. Thompson, Tenbrook ]\IcCarty, F. M. McLaugh- lin, R. C. McDivitt, Chas. E. Lambert, H. A. Henderson, Earl Dowd, Henr}' Daniels, David Strouse, J. S. McFaddin, Frank Strouse, J. S. White, C. E. Xewlin, Clyde Riggs, Will G. Bennett, J. M. Xeet, Carrie Hyde. The court officers were: Barton S. Aikman, judge; George L. Laney, clerk: Leonora Gleason, deputy: W. A. Satterlee, pro.secutor: Robert J. b'in- ney. sheriff: ]\Iarion Grulib, deputy: W. T. Fink. dc])uty. CHAPTER \1. MILITARY HISTORY OF I-ARKK COUNTY. Over the great (juestions of state's rights and slavery, the Civil war tinally was comnienceci. tor all time, prohably. to settle these ciuestions on the American continent, and set, as it were, a guide-board to all foreign nations, powers and kingdoms, that they, too. might learn that men (black or white, red or copper colored) are endowed witli certain inalienable rights, including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It took four long years of blood-shed to settle this question. Sword and powder finally settled it, once for all, that the nation is and always must stand above its individual states and territories. In the settlement of this question, the settlement of the slaxe traffic was also settled. l)y the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Lincoln, primarily as a war measure, hence with no recompense to the slave owners for their propertv in the slaves they held. Had they laid down their arms in 1862, a different page might have been given to the history of the fair Southland. In the opening months of 1861, however, Parke county only felt these truths darkly : and as late as January 23d of that year, no less ardent a patriot than John T. Campbell published in the Rcfiitblican. of Rockville. a well- written letter advocating peaceable secession : but at the same time from all quarter? of the county came reports of public meetings, where men of all parties pledged themselves to sacrifice life and property, if need be. for the preservation of the Union. But these sentiments changed, or rather crystal- lized the sentiment in the county, after the famous s])eech of tliat great patriot and statesman. Governor Oliver P. Morton, in which he laid down the ])rin- ciple that the nation had the constitutional right to fight for its existence, though its enemies in certain states objected, and that, if necessary, they had the right to coerce the rebellious states. While the public mind was in this state the rebels struck the first blow, and Indiana's res]ionse was immediate and enthusiastic. On April 12, t86i. Fort Sumter was attacked: April 13th, it was coinpelled to surrender: April 14th, President Lincoln called for 75,cxx) volunteers, and April T6th, as soon as the news had reached Parke county, its men ''arose as one man," practically, to assert their devotion to PARKE AND \1XMILOOK OOUKTIES, IXDIAKA. 73 the Starr)' flag of freedom and Union. On Tuesday, the i6th, the people came together as bj- one common impulse, and hundreds of young and mid- dle-aged men vowed to die, if need be, for the Union of States. No re- cruiting officer arrived imtil the 17th, when a mass-meeting was called. •Charles E. Adamson, a typesetter on the RockfiUe Republican, reached the stand first and enrolled his name, the first in Roclcville, but the first to em-oll from Parke countj- was G. H. Hansel, who walked from this count}- to Brazil, where, two hours before young Adamson had enrolled, he had signed the sheet at Brazil, making him the first of this countj^'s brave men to offer his ser^•ices to the countr)-. Young Hansel lived at Bridgeton, and to him mtist Ix: given this honor. This matter was settled by the t\\"o men after their return from the war, when the day and hour of the enrollment was investi- gated and agreed upon, as above narrated. Following the enroUment of young .\damson, were entered the names of W. X. Painter, R. R. Smith, J. F. Meacham, Zach Garrett, E. M. Foote, I. E. Wright. Dan. A. .\nderson. George Sanderson. Jim Steele. J. .\. Wilson. Jacob Xeron. Samuel L. Comp- ton, William S. Coleman, James R. Painter. John .\. Pike, David Byei3, James R. Hollowell. W. X. Ralston and Jobe Graves. These left the next day for Indianapolis, there to learn, with siuTDrise. that out of the number only fifteen were accepted upon physical examination; but later in the war, when the government wanted and needed men, they were not so critical and so particular, even if a man's body had some little defect, if he was able to load a musket and march in defense of Old Glorv-. Then it was that many of these first rejected men, \vho had not sulked, but waited their time, were able to enlist and march with older soldiers from Parke coimty commands. The men who were accepted at Indianapolis were assigned to Company C. Eleventh Indiana Regiment, commanded by the now late Gen. Lew Wallace, and took part in the three-months campaign in West Virginia, as the terri- tor\- is now understood, but then a part of Old \'irginia. They participated in the battles of Phillipi and Laurel Hill, and drove the rebels from that territOfTi'. J. H. Hollowell. one of the boys from Parke count>- of a scouting squad of eleven, fought in the bloody battle of Kelley's Island, in which they opposed fiftA' Confederate soldiers, upon whom the eleven had suddenly come. It was surrender, and then probably sudden death or long capti\-ity. unless they could fight their way out. Their decision was prompt, and worthy of brave men — they fought. From tree to tree, firing at every opportunity and dropping a man at almost everA' shot, they fought their way •^ut. 3nd onif" off with the loss of hnt two men Hollowell shot down two 74 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. men, then, coming in close quarters, clubbed his gun and disabled two more ; again fired, with the stock of his gun almost off, and again brought down his man. Of the enemy, he certainly killed three and possibly two more. From accounts published by J. H. Beadle in 1880 and by Isaac R. Strouse in 1896, the following has been largel)' compiled : COMPANY A, FOURTEENTH REGIMENT. The first full company that left I-iockville was on May 8, 1861. They went to Camp Vigo, Terre Haute. It was composed of the very best young men of the community. Its officers were : L. A. Foote, captain : Thomas Williams, first lieutenant ; T. A. Howard, second lieutenant ; Robert Catter- son, orderly sergeant. At the same time Captain Wheat enrolled forty men in Rockville, and the remainder of the company in Rosedale. Captain Foote's company became A of the Fourteenth Indiana, and voted to go into the service for three years, on May 25, 1861, three days before the order of the war department which organized the three-year regiments. On June 8th, the day after the company was mustered, the ladies in Rockville gave a din- ner at Camp Vigo, to Company A, and Captain Foote was then presented with a sword, the speech of presentation being made by T. N. Rice. Before these men left Terre Haute, G. W. McCune, of Rockville, was appointed assistant surgeon of the regiment and Nathan H. Kimball commissioned colonel. They left Camp Vigo, June 25, 1861, for Indianapolis, and were sent from there direct to the seat of war in Virginia. After serving some months. Captain Foote and Lieutenant Howard resigned : Lieutenant Bost- wick was killed at Antietam and at Fredericksburg Captain Kellev was killed. Lieutenant Baker's leg was shot off. The command of the company was then given to Joshua L. Hayes, who had enlisted as a private. From the start the regiment made an enviable record, and Company A was second to none in the army. In the fight, camp or march they w ere always true repre- sentatives of an ideal American soldier of the volunteer type, which Gen- eral Logan contended was the best soldier the country had. They partici- pated in the battles of Greenbrier, Winchester, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Mine Run, Wilderness, Cold Harbor. At the latter place they were ordered to Indianapolis and mustered out, having served three years. Those who veteranized were transferred to the Twen- tieth Regiment and remained until the end of the war. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 75 COMPANY 11, TWENTY-FIRST REGIMENT. Capt John T. Campbell, who was rejected from the Fourteenth on ac- count of the want of teeth, came home and immediately began raising a com- pany. The men at Annapolis, on June 30th, elected John 1". Camiibell, cap- tain; Thomas Bryant, first lieutenant; James Connelly, second lieutenant; and William P. Wimmer, adjutant. The company was composed of intelligent, fine looking men, under thirt\- }ears of age. They received orders to report at Indianapolis, and left Rockville, July 5th. They were assigned to Colonel McMillen's Twenty-first Regiment, and became Company H. From Indi- anapolis they went direct to Baltimore, where they remained during the w inter and in the spring moved by water for Xewport Xews. there emliarking on the ship "Constitution" for Ship Island, and became a part of the Army of the Gulf, under General Butler, which had for its object the capture of Xew Orleans. Leaving Ship Island, they were sent to New Orleans, after the fall of Jackson and Phillipi. During their service as infantry their duty was of the most dangerous character, being employed to dislodge rebels from the swamps and bayous of Louisiana, and they were constantly fighting the enemy. The company took part in the battle of Baton Rouge, and signally distinguished itself, suffering severe losses. In this fight Captain Camijbell was wounded and, to the regret of his men, had to leave the service. After the battle of Baton Rouge the regiment became the First Heavy Artillery and Company H became noted for the remarkable accuracy of its gunners, doing very effective service at the seige of Port Hudson. It has been said that Company II contained the best gunners in all that department of the army. In the disastrous expedition up Red river, this company bore an active part in repelling the repeated attacks of pursuing rebels. After their return, the most of the regiment having veteranized, they went to New Orleans and soon after took an active part in the Mobile campaign, which resulted in the cap- ture of Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines, and finally in the surrender of the city itself, with an immense amount of ordnance and three hundred cannon. The company went to Baton Rouge and were there detained till January 13, 1866, when they received their final discharge. THE WABASH RIFLE.MEN. This was the little company of men raised by Fred Arn and William H. Beadle. They rendezvoused at the Fair grounds in Montezuma, where, on August 6th, they elected Fred Arn, captain ; W. FI. Beadle, first lieutenant, y6 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. and Dr. Richard \\atennan, second lieutenant. They left Montezuma Aug- ust I9tli, and before leaving were presented with a beautiful flag by the ladies of the place, Hon. T. N. Rice presenting it on behalf of the ladies. Arriving at Terra Haute, they were kept in Camp Vigo till September 21st, then ordered to Evansville, where they drew their rifles and went to Kentucky. During the long and dreary winter they suffered from sickness, being stationed at Calhoun, Kentucky. This winter was the hardest of their campaigning. In February they went to Fort Donelson and gallantly fought through that bloody battle. The next fight was Shiloh, in which the gallant Arn, then a major, was killed. His body was returned home and buried at Alontezuma by the jNlasonic fraternity. This company stood unflinchingly while the battle raged hottest in front of Murfreesboro and went down to "the Valley of Death" at Chickamauga. They were made veterans January i, 1864, and came home on a furlough, returning in time for the brilliant Atlanta campaign. They took part in the battles of Resaca and Kenesaw mountain and were in that awful slaughter at Jonesboro, below Atlanta, which ended that historic cam- paign. When Hood made his desperate raid back upon Nashville, they were sent with the division to overtake him and engaged in the battle of Nashville. The company was mustered out December 8. 1865. THE PENN GUARDS. At the breaking out of the war a company was organized and called the "Penn Guards." George Harvey proposed that they go into the United States volunteer service, whereupon fifteen at once declared their wish to volunteer. Recruiting began at once and was aided b\' James Hollowell and William Geiger of Rockville. They organized and elected Harvey captain; Geiger, first lieutenant, and Hollowell, second lieutenant, the latter later be- coming colonel of his regiment. This company was mustered into the Thirtv- first Regiment and became Company I. .\t the liattle of Pitts1)urg Landing, Captain Harvey was severely wounded and while being carried from the field was shot through the head and instantly killed. His remains were brought back to Rockville and escorted to his father's house, two miles north of town, by the Rockville Union Guards. The citizens of the place asked permission of his family to bury Captain Harvey in the cemetery at Rockville, which was granted. Over his grave was erected a befitting monument, telling how he fought and died that the country might live. The history of Companv I, as to the engagements in which it took part, is the same as Company A. Both PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. JJ companies, after the battle of Nashville, were transferred to the Army of Occupancy in Texas, and mustered out on December 8, 1865. COMl'ANV K. FORTY-TIIIKD REGIMENT. John Callender raised this company, aided by William S. Magil, William Sweeney, V. P. Bonsell and Samuel Garrigus. The company collected at Terre Haute and it was decided not to hold an election of officers until it was completed. At the election held at Camp Vigo, Tuesday, October 29th, John Callender was chosen captain; W. S. Magil, first lieutenant; G. H. Hensel, second lieutenant. As soon as the citizens heard of the election, a fine sword was presented Lieutenant Magil, who acknowledged the compliment by a card published in the Parke County Republican. Company K was presented with a handsome flag b)' the patriotic ladies of Rockwell, which flag was sent to the town later, with appropriate ceremonies. July 4, 1865, General Steele was commissioned colonel of the regiment, which took its departure for Ken- tucky, November 17, 1861 and, were located for a while at Spottsville, but soon sent to Calhoun, where thej^ remained until February, 1862. Company K engaged in the work of true soldiers and suffered some, but fared better in health than other commands, owing to the extra time and expense used by Colonel Steele to take good care of his men and their surroundings. But later, while this company was on duty along the Mississippi river, it suffered much from sickness, as did other soldiers of that department. Colonel Steele resigned January 17, 1862, which act was deeply regretted by his men. The other officers of the regiment petitioned him and passed resolutions of regret and desired him to remain in the service, but his health would not permit. The company was transferred to the Department of the Mississippi and most of its service was along that stream. They were with the Forty-third Regi- ment, the first Union soldiers to enter Memphis, after the war began. From Memphis they were sent to Arkansas, particijiating in the liattle of Helena, July 4th. doing some excellent fighting. This regiment captured a full rebel regiment of greater numbers than the Forty-third. At Little Rock they re- enlisted as veterans and were sent home on a furlough. They returned to Indianapolis and were never sent to the front, but guarded rebel jirisoners until mustered out, July 14, 1865. ^8 PARKE .\ND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. THE NINTH BATTERY. This command was raised by Captain Thompson, of Evansville, In- diana, who recruited about forty men in Parke county. The remainder of the battery was enrolled m ^Montgomery county. It was organized at In- dianapolis and left for Cairo, Illinois, the men being thoroughly drilled and then sent on to Tennessee in the vicinity of Pittsburg Landing, where they arrived Sunday, April 6th, at sundown. The batteiy was composed of young men and from their youthful appearance became known as the "Boy Battery." Their extreme youth and inexperience led many of the old soldiers to doubt their usefulness, and they were often told that they would ne\-er stand what they had just gone through that day, but would run at tlie first opportunity. The batter\- was finally planted on the extreme right of the Union lines, and was supported by Gen. Lew Wallace's brigade. Directly in front of the Ninth was a rebel battery which had done good service on Sunday. In the early morning the Ninth opened the great battle which was to end in defeat of the rebels and the death of one of their great generals — a battle never before equaled on this continent and almost without parallel in modern war- fare. The Ninth soon dismounted and silenced the rebel battery and was advanced about two miles, where the}' fired every charge of ammunition they had. During the fight they had fired one thousand three hundred rounds and experienced officers said they never saw guns served or aimed with greater efifectiveness. The men who predicted the "boy battery"' would run gave three rousing cheers, when they saw how manfully they worked at their guns and afterwards the Ninth was known as the best battery in the whole service. After the battle the battery was returned by General Wallace, until the evacuation of Corinth, where they went with the Thirteenth .\nny Corps (then under gallant McPherson). Among the principal actions in which they engaged were famous Shiloh, Corinth, those of the Meridian campaign and Red River expedition and from Vicksburg they were deployed on the expedition against the rebels. .\t Memphis they veteranized, and all save a detachment were sent home on furlough. The men left took part in the battle of Tupello, Mississippi, after which they chased Price through Missouri over into Kansas, marching seven hundred and twentv miles and returned in time to fight at the battle of Nashville. At this battle, A. P. Noel, wounded at Tupello, came out of the hospital and joined his battery on his crutches. He was seen by Gen. A. J. Smith, who ordered him back, but Pat wanted to stay and only went to the rear when taken in charge by a PAKKE AND \ERM ll.l ION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 79 guard! The Ninth was ordered to report at IndianapoHs, after the battle of Nasln-ille. From there they were to take boats for Evansville. When a few miles out from Paducah, Kentucky, the steamer "Eclipse" exploded; on the boat were sixty-eight of this battery, and all hul ten of the brave boys were killed, scalded or wounded. The Ninth was reorganized at Indianapolis, but never reported for duty, as the surrender of Lee to Grant occurred soon after they were reorganized, when all the light artillery not in the field was mustered out. With the Ninth Battery ended the enlistment for the second grand uprising". The ne.xt call, in the summer of 1862, was made, when the Seventy-fifth, Seventy-eighth and Eight}-fifth Regiments were sent to the field from Indiana. The action of the Parke county men in these engage- ments will lie traced out fui'tlier in this chapter. I'.\RKE C()LXTV .\GAIN TO THE RESCUE. In 1862. the demand for soldiers was greater than in 1861, when it was a matter of conjecture what the Confederates could and would accom- plish. P)Ut not so in 1862; it was then a dread reality what they were doing to our forces. McClellan had marched nearly "on to Richmond," but retreated, after the slaughter of Malvern Hills, Glendale, Gaines Mills, etc. The Army of North Virginia, «-ith its veterans from Manassas and Seven Pines, were pressing forward to the music of "Mainland, My Maryland," and that under Kirby Smith, eager to avenge Zollicofer and Fort Donelson, had re-entered Kentuckv', with evident intention of invading Indiana. The patriotic men of Parke count)- were called upon and responded nobly as before, enlisting by the hundreds in the armies of the L'nicin. On July II, 1862, Wallace W. McCune, assisted by some patriotic young men, began raising a company, with headquarters at the fair grounds at Montezuma. .\t a war meeting held at Rock\ille, July 26th, addressed by ex-Governor J. .\. Wright. Lieutenant Mc.Vrthur. of Captain McCune's company, enrolled a number of men. After camjjing a few days at Monte- zuma, the company went into Camp Vigo, Terre Haute, after which it was sent to Indianapolis and mustered into the Seventy-first Infantry for three years and became Company G. The regiment was immediately sent to Ken- tucky and took part in the battle of Richmond when only twelve days from home. Most of the regiment were taken prisoners, after hard and desperate fighting. They were immediately paroled and sent to Terre Haute. Captain McCime resigned November 30, 1862, and Lieutenant Mc.Xrthur became captain. The regiment was sent back to Kentucky after being exchanged, and in February, 1863. was changed to a cavalry organization and l^ecame 8o PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. the Sixth Indiana Cavalry, after which it was sent to eastern Tennessee and engaged in the siege of Knoxville. In the spring of 1864 they were sent to Georgia and assisted in the Atlanta campaign, as part of the Army of the Ohio, participating in all of the cavalry operations and taking part in the battles of Resaca, Cassville and Kenesaw Mountain. After the fall of Atlanta they were sent with Sherman on his raid against Macon, which resulted in the surrender of his staff and the greater part of his command. Of the captured, twenty of the company starved to death in prison — Andersonville and Libby. Those not captured were at the battle of Nashville and remained in that city till April, 1864, when they were sent to Mississippi and became part of the military division of that state. They were mustered out September nth at Murphreesboro, Tennessee. COMPANIES C AND D, SEVENTY-EIGHTH. During the last week of July, 1862. one hundred and twenty men for sixty days' service were raised in Parke county, mostly from Rockville and Bellemore. The company went to Indianapolis, where some difficulty about the election of officers occurred and the company, being too large, was divided. Those who preferred T. A. Howard as captain stepped to one side, and those wanting J. W. Humphreys to the other. Captain Howard was the favorite with most of the men, consequently the Rockville company was the largest. They elected Howard captain, J. M. Nichols, first lieutenant, and Madison Keeney, second lieutenant. The Bellemore company elected Humphries, captain; E. Cole, first lieutenant, and S. Crooks, second lieutenant. The two companies, with one from Clay and Putnam counties, became the Seventy-eighth Indiana, whicli regiment was never completed, and left In- dianapolis Friday evening, August ist, for Evansville, where they drew arms and uniforms and Saturday evening went to Henderson, Kentucky, remained one day ^nd Sunday night went by boat down the river to Union- town and marched to the country several miles to capture some guerrillas, but owing to the want of a competent guide the expedition was abandoned. During that march Private Loveless, of the Bellemore company, was mor- tally wounded, being shot by his own comrades, who, without orders, fired upon the skirmish line of their own men. On September ist the battalion — one hundred and fifty men — were attacked by seven hundred and fifty Rebels and, after a severe fight, lasting an hour and a half, during which Captain Howard and many others were killed and others mortally wounded, they had to surrender. Though the Rebels were victors, their success was dearly PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 8l bought, as about twenty of their number were k-illed and many more wounded. The men of tlie Seventy-eighth were paroled and sent to Indianapohs. where they were discharged. COMPANY A, EIGHTY-FIFTH REGIMENT. Tliis command was raised at AnnapoHs and sworn in at that place in August, 18O2. Company .\ was presented with a beautiful silk Hag by the ladies of Annapolis, Dr. J. S. Uare, on behalf of the ladies, making a neat speech. The company went to Terre Haute, where it elected Abner Floyd, captain; C. Sherman, first lieutenant: H. Ingraham, second lieutenant, and A. McCune, first sergeant. The regiment was organized Se])tember 2d and the next day went to Camp Morton, from which they were ordered to Camp Wallace, at Covington, Kentucky, where they were thoroughly drilled and then sent to Tennessee. In their first fight, at Thompson's Station, they made a gallant record, being in battle witli their brigade against five brigades of Reliels. under Forrest. In this fight Captain I'loyd was killed. The Union men fought all day against an overwhelming number and every round of ammunition was fired before they would surrender. The prisoners were taken to Richmond, where thev were confined twenty-six days and then re- turned to Indianapolis, exchanged and again sent to Franklin, Tennessee. When Sherman concentrated his matchless army for the Atlanta campaign, this regiment went to Chattanooga and was assigned to his command. Com- pany A was in the fierce charge upon the hills of Resaca, driving Rebels from works which seemed impregnalile, and took part in the battles of Cassville. Dallas W'oofl, Golgotha Church, Culp's Farm, P'each Tree Creek and niany more, and ' when Atlanta finally fell and was "fairly won" and Sherman again took the field. Company A went with him to the sea, marching through Georgia, to Savannah, and on through the two Carolinas to Richmond. From Richmond, they went to Washington, D. C, and back to Indianapolis and were discharged. COMPANY B, EIGHTY-FIFTH REGIMENT. This organization was effected as a part of the Eighty-fifth Indiana Volunteers and was begun in July, 1862, and completed by electing l-"rancis Brooks, captain; David I'billips, first lieutenant: Robert Clark, second lieu- tenant. The company left Camp Dick Thompson, at Terre Haute, with the regiment, September 3. 1862. and went via Indianapolis and Cincinnati, to (6) 82 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Kentucky, where it struck the Kirby Smith raiders and lay in Hue of battle several days and nights vvithout a single cartridge. It soldiered along through the "dark and bloody ground" and was then ordered to Tennessee. Its first engagement was at Thompson's Station, where it behaved well, but, with other portions of the regiment, was captured and taken to Libby prison. The prison life caused the death of nine members of the company. After its release and exchange, it again entered the field and participated in the Atlanta campaign, "down to the sea," through the two Carolinas and on to Washing- ton, D. C, where it took part in that greatest of all military pageantries, the Grand Review. It was then mustered out. COMPANY F, ELEVENTH INDIANA CAVALRY. This company was chiefly organized by Capt. Daniel A. Porter, in the autiunn of 1863. First Lieutenant D. Phillips and a man named Taylor, with a party of Illinoisians, was sent to help fomi the required number. Taylor was elected second lieutenant, but never commanded, John E. Wood- ard being afterwards chosen by the men, received his commission as second lieutenant. The Eleventh, greatly to its disappointment and in violation of the promise made the soldiers at their enlistment, was not immediately mounted and placed in duty on the front. They were scattered by companies along the Memphis & Charleston railroad in the spring of 1864 in Alabama, where dis- ease killed more than the bullets would have. In the fall the regiment was driven in by Hood's advance, mounted at. Nashville and sent to meet him at Columbia, Tennessee. The regiment, one of those forming Stewart's bri- gade, Hatch's division, made a complete circuit of the Rebel army and its many battalions, moving by dififerent routes and often in close quarters with the enemy. Company F, with three others, was on one occasion almost entirely surrounded, charged by three columns and shelled at three hundred yards' distance. The greater part of the command escaped by cutting their way out to the Nashville pike. There about thirty men rallied and drove back the front of the Rebel achance, re-took the prisoners and retired in good order, as the heavy columns of the Texas cavalry came up. The battalion that evening lost nearly one hundred men in killed, wounded and missing. This was known by soldiers as "Spring Hill fight." .'Kt Franklin, the Eleventh was on the left flank of Schofield's army, but not in actual engage- ment, as there was no place for cavalry to operate. They made a good record at Nashville, the regiment fighting dismounted, taking eight out of sixteen Rebel cannon. It is said that Frank Howard was the first man to capture a PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 83 gun. Of two hundred and fifty men in the last charge at dark, they lost thirty- seven men in less than three minutes. Bert Chapman, the orderly in com- mand (acting adjutant), showed soldierly qualities. He stayed through the thick of the fight, refusing to let a serious lameness from an old wound keep him out of the battle. John Lindley, a sergeant, rode a white horse through a corn field, where the Eleventh left most of its dead lying, at which point the field officers and Lindley dismounted and led the brigade to its last charge, just as the curtain of night fell, and took in four of the Rebel guns. From that point the company followed Hood, being all the time in front and almost daily engaged with his rear guard, until he crossed the Tennessee. Lindley was promoted to captain; Chapman to first lieutenant and Howard to sec- ond lieutenant. The regiment was sent west in May. 1865, riding from St. Louis to buffalo ranges in western Kansas. The\- were brought back and mustered out in the fall of that year. THE hundred-days' MEN. August 7, 1864, under the call for twenty thousand men from Indiana, to serve one hundred days, Company H, Indiana Legion — "Rockville Guards" — began to recruit, preparatory to offering the company organization to the volunteer service. The number was soon made up. a large number of Rock- ville men who would be accepted under the call, and many who could enlist for three years, volunteering. On Monday, May C)th, the company elected Milton Vance, captain: S. B. J. Bryant, first lieutenant: James Phalon, sec- ond lieutenant, and L. A. Foote. orderly, who was later made major of his regiment. The company left Tuesday for Indianapolis, accompanied to the depot in a heavy rain storm by a large crowd of ladies and gentlemen. At Indianapolis, the company presented their captain with a handsome sword. Private J. M. McLaughlin making the presentation speech, which was replied to by Captain Vance, .\fter lieing organized as Company G, One Hundred and Thirty-third Indiana Volunteers, they left Indianapolis for Nashville, May 2 1st, and after a few days there were sent to Bridgeport, .\lal>ama. They were as well drilled as any single command in the army at that date, but were never sent to the front, remaining at Bridgeport, doing guard duty, until mustered out of service. 84 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES. INDIANA. SECOND COMPANY. Soon after the first company was sent Sontli, another was recruited in Rockville. They, too, went to Indianapohs and were consolidated with part of a company from Madison county. They were sent to Nashville and then down the Nash\ille & Chattanooga railroad to Tullahoma, where they did similar service as the company that had preceded them. The last named was known as Company D. One Hundred and Thirty-Sexenth regiment. Thus ends the hrief (imperfect in many ways) history of the military operations of the men who served from Parke county in defense of the Union, but this is the best that the author, at the mercy of imperfect records in the adjutant-general's office, can here furnish. It covers the chief events connected with the great struggle in which Parke county bore a very patriotic and important part. From first to last. Parke county sent out fourteen full companies, and more than half of fi\e other companies. To these add the original volunteers in the Eleventh Indiana Regiment, the scattered ones in the Eighty-fifth Regiment, those in the Ninety-se\enth and One Hundred and Fifteenth, the parts of companies in the One Hundred and Forty-ninth, the individuals in the sharp-shooters, the volunteers of 1864-5 o" the gmi- boats and other detached squads and it is found that the county contributed not less than two thousand volunteers for the Union cause between 1861 and 1866. And remember, these were from a county that had a population of less than sixteen thousand souls when the war broke out. The county also raised funds for bounties and relief of $234,970. .\side from the usual number of worthless men who always find their way into armies, in all wars, in all countries, the men from Parke were solid citizens, terribly in earnest in their devotion to the national interests. In the camp-fires, in the tented fields of the Southland, might have been heard discussions of every theme imaginable. The officers were in no degree superior to the privates, as a general rule. The volunteer from this county was a man of standing at home, and saw the necessity of being true to his convictions and bared his breast unflinchingly on many a hard-fought battle field. .\t this date (1912) but few survive to tell of the terrible battles and long marches. There are some, however, and they are respected by all for what they endured in the days when the country demanded good men. In 1883 there were one hundred and seventy-five of these ex-soldiers in Parke county who were drawing pen- sions from the United States. The number has been diminishing ever since, although the pensions were raised after that date, making the amounts paid PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 85 out here quite as large as a c|uarter of a cenliiry ago. Xot alone did the sturdy farmer leave his plow in the field to enlist, but beside him stood the merchant, the lawyer, the doctor, the mechanic and the learned Greek and Latin scholars from institutions of learning. While lndian;i hail its jiack- biters at home, — its copiKT-liead element, — the liest citizens, both in ])ublic and pri\-ate life, were men who stood by the Union in its hour of peril. Peace finally came, but not without great loss of blood and personal sacrifice on the part of Parke county soldiers. With the many companies and regiments went forth many bra\e men who never returned to enjo\- peace and long life among their people. P>y the wayside, on the hills, in the morasses and swamps of the far-off Southland; in the Golgothas around prison ])ens of Dixie, they sleep unshrouded, un- coffined and unknown, there to rest until the Angel shall proclaim the Resurrection Day, and bid the earth reveal her secrets. No gentle hand scatters flowers over their narrow homes. None go to weep where they rest hidden from sight and knowledge, but perchance the busy husl)andmen jjIows o'er the spot where they lie in silence, and the wind in the tall grass chants its solemn requiem. "On fame's eternal camping ground Their silent tents are spread ; And glory guards with solemn sound The bivouac of the dead.'' There were several of the pioneers here who served in the war with Mexico, in 1846-7, and the last one, A. P. Noel, died in iqi 1. At the time of the Spanish-. \mcrican war. 1898, a com|)an\- was re- cruited in Rockville for that .service, but were never called out. as the .state quota was tnade up by use of the regular National Guard com])anies. This company, which would have gladly served, was largely from out the men belonging to the old Cadet and Battery companies of Rockville. THE m'cI'NE C.XDKT.S. This was a military coni])any organized as state militia and sworn into service, with forty-eight members, .\pril 30. 1880. It secured (|uarters o\er the old woolen factory, which it used as an armory and where the meml>ers were drilled. The captain was Clinton Murphy: first lieutenant, Isaac R. Strouse ; Frank E. Steven.son, sergeant, at first, but at the completion of the 86 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. organization in April, the following were elected : Clinton Murphy, captain ; Frank E. Stevenson, first lieutenant; C. E. Lambert, second lieutenant; William L. Mason, orderly sergeant; Lannie L. Ticknor, second sergeant; William D. Stevenson, third sergeant; Frank H. Nichols, fourth sergeant; Tilghman Bryant, fifth sergeant; Isaac Strouse, first corporal; William W. Smith, second corporal; Benjamin Grimes, third corporal, and George C. Cole, fourth corporal. The state furnished this company with breech-load- ing Springfield rifles. They were neatly uniformed in navy blue coats and sky-blue trousers and caps. The cost of the uniforms was eleven dollars and seventy-five cents per suit. After about five years, this company disbanded. At present Rockville is the headquarters for the Indiana Artillery, Major Stevens, commander; Major Frank E. Strauss, chief engineer of staff. Another militar}- company here is Company C Battery, whose officers are at present : Dennis Williams, captain ; first lieutenants, James F. Ander- son and R. E. Swope ; second lieutenants, Frank J. Strain and William Elliott. This battery has a membership of one hundred men. CHAPTER VII. PARKE COUNTY S RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. A majority of the pioneer band that in\-aded the wilds of what is now known as Parke county, Indiana, had been reared in the atmosphere, at least, of church influences, and many had been members of some one of the relig- ious denominations in the communities from which tliey emigrated. So, at an early day, they began to look to the formation of religious societies here and to the erection of some place in which to worship the "true and living God." The good seed scattered away back there a century ago has kept on producing good fruitage and may now be seen welling up in the Christian spirit manifested on every hand within the borders of Parke county, the present home of numerous churches and a regular church-going people, grouped into several different denoniiiiatiDns of both Protestant and Catholic faith, but all of whom own the Chirst as their common Master. Almost a third of a century ago it was written by J. H. Beadle, author of a history of this county, that the Catholic people had taken up their work in this country long before the Protestants, and that the standard of Rome had been planted on the banks of the Wabash long before it had in Geneva. "From this vantage ground Catholicism has been pushed by the aggressive energy of Protestant nations : England has triumphed over France and America over Spain and Mexico, till the Catholic ])ower is confined to one small corner of North America, with a majority in no state and only in one territory of this nation. To the Missionary Baptists must be given the credit of the first church in Parke county, and to Rev. Isaac McCoy must be given the credit of having preached the first Protestant sermon in this county." Long years afterward the (Jld-School Baptists, led by Matthew Noel, Austin M. Puett and others and ministered to by Elder Newport, founded a flourishing society in Rockville and built a brick churcli : liut bv slow de- grees the society went down and the Ituilding was finally used for a carpenter shop, and at last torn down. OO PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. THE BAPTIST UENOMINATION. Aside from tlie pioneer church al)o\e mentioned, the Baptists have had the following churches w ithin Parke county : What was known as the New Discovery Baptist church was situated five miles from Rockville, on the Greencastle road. This society was formed August 2C). 1834. with thirty-se\en members. By 1879 it Iiad a meniliership of seventy communicants. The church was built about 1845. The Second Baptist church of Rockville was organized July 23, 1870, l)y Rev. L. .\rtis. It liad a Imilding on lot No. i of the original town plat. It cost one thousand ti\e hundred dollars and was thirty by forty feet in size. This society originally had ele\en members. 1iut b\' 1880 had reached a membership of forty-one. The Colored bVee-Will Baptists organized in Rock\ille in May, 1880, with eleven mem1)ers. They used the Second Baptist cliurch each fourth Sabbath. Their first pastor was Rev. Isaac Hill. The first church 1)uilt in Union township was what was styled the Providence Baptist church and was called the "meeting house." It was Iniilt out of the raw n:ateria] of the forest, with but little liewing. It stood in the southwest corner of the township and there was a graveyard near liy it. In this house Benjamin Lamliert, Jerre Baldwin, Samuel Medley and others exhorted. In tlie church yard nearby, the first to be buried was Moses Bald- win. Later this rude house of worsliip was aliandoned and a Ijetter one, known as Mount Moriah, was built across the wax- in Greene township. Tlie first church in the township of Union was built in 1828-31. and tlie one in Greene township referred to was erected in about 1840. on section ^t,. a frame structure thirty by forty feet, its cost Joeing fi\'e hundred dollars. In 1874 the society built their third liuilding on the site chosen in 1841. and this building cost them one thousand se\-en hundred dollars. Jesse McClain served as pastor forty years. In 1880 the memliershi]) of the church was sixty. The history of the Baptist church in Bridgeton, as shown liy records pre- pared in the seventies by Dr. J. W. P. Seller, was as follows: A1x)ut 1850 Elder P. Swaim came from ,the New Discovery church and held meetings in pri^'ate houses around Bridgeton. After him came Rev. P. T. Palmer. At this time the members here belonged at New Discovery. About 1853 a com- mittee made arrangements and erected a church at a cost of nine hundred dol- lars, it being thirty by fifty feet in size. On June 3. 1853, there convened at Bridgeton a council which represented the churches of New Discovery, PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 89 Freedom, Goshen and Liberty, and organized a society.- Elder V. T. Palmer was moderator and R. Davis the church clerk. A joint letter of forty-two members from New Discovery church was presented, asking to be organized into a church, and were so organized by said council. Their first pastor was Peter M. Swaim. in the early eighties the membership had grown to about sixty-five. Since its organization up to 1879 there had been between three and four hundred persons taken into this society and several ministers had been ordained. As the first Baptist church here had been built b\- all classes it was used in common by all orthodo.x denominations. In 1879 a neat build- ing was erected, at a cost of nine huudrefl dollars, and the membership then amounted to about fort}'. A regular P)aptist church was organized on section ^2. Raccoon town- ship, about 1835. with a membership of nearlv thirty. The first jjreacher was Rev. Lsaac ^^'. Denman. who preached there fully forty years. He met his death August 31, 1875. by being run o\er by the cars. In 1858 a chapel was erected costing five hundred dollars, one-half of which Mr. Denman paid himself. The earl\- memliers of this church have long since been gathered to their fathers. In Liberty township a Baptist church was formed al a \ery earl\' date and a Iniilding erected, which was followed in 1869 b\- anotlier, costing two thousand eight hundred dollars, dedicated b\- Rev. C. B. Allen. In Jackson township, about 1832, was built the first meeting house, and it was of the Baptist denomination and styled Rocky Forks church. The society was first fonned by seven members. The old log "meeting house" stood more than a half century and until in the eighties. PRESENT nAI'TIST I' 1 1 IKCII ES. At this date (1912) there are the following liaptisl churches within Parke county: At Bridgeton, the church has a memliershi]) of lwenty-se\cn. and its property is valued at $1,500. The Brown Valley church has a membership of one hundred eighteen: \aluation of church, $3,500. Carbon has a church of twenty members, and the clnu'ch is valued at $1,800. Friendly Grove, membership, ninety-nine: valuation ])roperty. $1,200. Friendship church has a membership of thirty-nine and a church valued at $900. 90 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Goshen churcli has a membership of fifty-eight and church property valued at $1,500. Marshall church has a membership of sixty and church property valued at $2,000. New Discovery church has a membership of one hundred thirty-four and property valued at $2,500. Rockville church has one hundred thirteen members and property valued at $2,500. Tennessee church has a membership of one hundred and church prop- erty valued at $1,000. Union has a church of seventy-six members and property valued at $1,000. PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES. This is among the pioneer church societies in Parke county, and for- tunate it is that one of the pastors of the Rockville church found time, amid his labors, to prepare its early history, from which we draw largely for this article, so far as it relates to Rockville and vicinit}-. J. S. Rogers, church clerk, placed the item referred to on historic pages for the church. "In the autumn of 1822 Rev. Charles C. Beatty, later a doctor of divin- ity at Steubenville, Ohio, then a young missionary, visited Parke county and gathered together a number of Presbyterian families, principally from fier- cer county, Kentucky. Among that flock we find the names of Buchanan, Gilkeson, McMillen, Balch, Adams, Garrison, \\'hite, Anderson, ]\Iann, Ran- kin and others, all living on Little Raccoon creek, between where Waveland now stands and the mouth of that stream. After preaching to them for some weeks, some times in groves and some times in private houses, he or- ganized them into what was known as Shiloh Presbyterian church. In 1824 they erected a hewed-log meeting house for worship, near Little Raccoon creek, about four miles northeast of the town of Rockville. This was the first built in Parke county. The ruling elders were Amos P. Balch, William McMillan, Jonathan Garrison, James Buchanan and Henry Anderson. It is said that this church in 1830 reported some one hundred members to the general assembly. Revs. S. K. Snead. D. C. Proctor, Isaac Reed, Gideon Blackburn, Samuel Taylor, John Young and James Thompson visited the church and preached more or less to it prior to 1828, when Rev. Samuel H. McNutt. a young minister from Virginia, became stated supply to that peo- ple, and so continued until 1S32. That vear a large section of Shiloh church PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 9I and congregation, together with a number who had removed from other states to Rockville, resolved to start a new enterprise at that place. .*\ccord- ingly, on August ii, 1832, after a sermon by the Kev. John Thompson, a church consisting of forty members was organized, with the Rev. S. H. McNutt as pastor. Henry Anderson, James L. Allen and James McCamp- bell were chosen ruling elders ; the two latter were then ordained and the three installed as ruling elders of the Rockville Presbyterian church. Early in 1833 they erected the old First church. In 1835 ^°^'- McNutt, who had served the church as stated supply, be- came the regular pastor, and officiated as such until 1846, when by mutual consent his pastoral relations to the church was dissolved, and he was fol- lowed by the Rev. William Y. Allen. In March, 1839, the church reported one hundred and thirty members to the general assembly, only nine of whom remained in the bounds of the congregation in 1877, a large number having died and removed, many emigrating to the far \\'est. In 1880 Dr. Beaty was the only surviving minister of old Shiloh ; all the members of the old organization have passed away except John C. Gilkeson and Margaret and Isabella Gilkeson. In 1839 forty-one members withdrew and formed a sep- arate church known as the Second Presbyterian church of Rockville (New School). The First Presbyterian church was now known as Old School. In April, 1842, the First church reported one hundred and sixteen members: in 1843, one hundred and thirty- four; and in 1845, one hundred and forty-four, which last number was the largest e\er reported. In 1859, tlie membership was about ninety. * ''■' * In 1862, Rev. W. Y. Allen requested the church to unite with him in asking the presbytery to dissolve the pastoral relation existing between him and the church, both of which requests were granted, and after a pastorate of almost sixteen years Mr. Allen closed his labors in this pulpit. The Rev. S. H. McNutt succeeded 5s stated supply one year, and was succeeded in June, 1863, by the Rev. Reaubien in the same capacity. The latter resigned in November, 1864. and moved to Philadel- phia. The pul])it was then practically vacant for one year, after which Rev. John Mitcliell served a year and resigned. Rev. Dr. Jewett, a Congregational minister from Terre Haute, came next and supplied the church until the reunion in 1869. In 1866 James R. McArthur, from .-\labama, was added to the bench of ciders, and in i8r)8 1). M. Maxwell, T. X. Rice and W. L. Mc- Millen were ordained ruling elders. The tiirec last, with J. C. Gilkeson and Levi Sidwell, constituted the bench of elders at the time of the reunion. On April 22, 1839, forty-one members withdrew and organized the Second 92 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Presbyterian church of Ruckville ( Xew School), as before mentioned. James L. Allen and David Todd were chosen ruling elders. Rev. S. G. Lowry, of Crawfordsville, was the stated supply from July 15, 1839, to July 15, 1847. During his pastorate one hundred and twenty-three members wre receixed into the church. A house of worship was erected, and on November 22. 1840. \\as dedicated, the sermon being preached by Rev. John S. Thompson, of Crawfordsville. In 1847, Rev. Lowry was succeeded by Rev. W. JVI. C'heexer, who was the next year regularly installed pastor, and continued as such until the latter part of the year 1849. when lie gave way to the Rev. W. D. Rositer. The fruits of Mr. Cheevers ministry was the addition of twenty-eight into the church. Rev. George A. Adams preached from 1852 to 1835, and added thirteen to the church. Re\'. John .\. Tiffany succeeded .Mr. Adams in 1856, and remained as stated supply two years, in which time nine united with the church. In the early part of 1859, Rev. John O. Blythe began his labors, remaining eight months and receiving two into the church. The next stated supply was Rev. John Hawks, whose period of service extended from 1859 to 1866. During six years of this time one hundred and four memljers were added to the congregation. On February 3. 1862, I. G. Coffin, previously elected, was ordained a ruling elder. The spring and summer months of 1867 found the pulpit only occasionally sup- plied, but un October 23d the Re\'. John M. Bishop began his ministrations. "On June 1 1, 1869, the elders of this society addressed a communication to the First Presbyterian ciiurch of Rockville, proposing a union of the two, and at a congregational meeting of that church, held Julv 17-22, the ])roposi- tion was accepted. Accordingl}-, on Deceml)er 29th the union was furmallv consummated at a called meeting of the (ireencastle presbytery, convened at Terre Haute, the Crawfordsville presbytery, to which the First church be- longed, having previously set it off for that pur])ose. Rev. John M. Bishop was continued jjastor of tlie uniteil church until October 2T,. 1872, when Rev. Henry L. Dickerson was installed stated supply. Early in the summer of 1877 the latter resigned his charge and removed to Dan\i!le, Indiana. Rev. William H. Hillis was the next to sen'e as pastor."' It may be stated that in 1880 this church bad a membership of one hun- dred and forty-one. In 1870 a fine large l)rick edifice was erected and served well its purpose until the ])resent church structure was built in 1891, or rather remodeled, and is known as Memorial church. A pipe organ was added in .\pril. 1910, at a cost of two thousand fi\e hundred dollars. The pres- ent membership of this church is two hundred and sixty. The pastors since the PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INTILWA. 93 last nientioned have been as follows: Revs. W. 11. llillis, truiu 1879 to 1881 ; James Onielvena, from 1881 to .Vugust, 1887: James Kerns, from January 17, 1887, to 1888: J. 11. Sharrard, from May 17, 1888, to March 20, 1895; J. P. Roth, from June 17, 1896, to May 29, 1899; J. C. Christie, from 1899 to 1903; H. L. Nave, from January 10, 1904, to i()o8; \V. B. Chancelor, from 1908 to the present date. In conclusion, it may be added that when the ( )ld and New School churches united, the bells of the two societies were taken from their re- spective buildings and recast into one which hangs in the lower in the rear of the new church. This is indeed a beautiful symbol of the perfect union of the two church bodies. The old Second church building, in the west jjart of town, was converted into a carriage shop for Foster Brothers. The old First church was sold to John Tate and others and for a time used for school purposes. Afterwards the Colored Baptists held services in it and later it became an implement house. In Lil>erty township, in 1847, ^ Presbyterian congregation was organ- ized with twent}' menil>ers, and the following year a meeting house was built. It was burned and rebuilt in 1877. at a cost of eight hundred dollars. Rev. James Ashmore was the lirst jjastor of which we ha\'e anv record. Re\'. T. A. Williams was pastor in 1 cS8o and then the church had a membership of sixty. In Reserve township a Presbyterian church was erected in 1853. The first minister was Rev. John Haw ks, who organized the congregation and car- ried on the building operations of the first church. He was succeeded by Rev. Thomas Gritifith and he by Rev. William Wilmer, who in the later seventies was followed by Rev. Stinson from Kentucky, who had about forty members under his charge. In Adams township, the New Bethel Presbyterian cliurch was located on the Rockville gravel road, two and a half miles out of Rockville. It was organized in 1859 by twelve members, luir a time the congregation wor- shiped in the school house, but later a nine hundred dollar church building was erected. Rev. John Hawke was the first pastor of this church. .\t one time more than sixt\- names were on the church roll and fort\- were added after a single revi\al period. For many years this societv was the means of doing a great deal of good in the conimnuity in which it was located. At Judson. in Washington township, there was a Presl)vterian church organized early in the seventies and in 1873 a luiilding was erected hv this denomination and the Methodists in union. 94 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Another Preslnterian cliurch was formed in Liberty township ]\Iarch 10,1876, Rev. J. W. Hanna being the first preacher. This never came to be a large congregation. PRESENT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES. In 1912 the Presbyterian churches of this county are located as follows: Rockville, ^Memorial church, with two hundred and sixty members ; Mt. Herman church, at Howard, which was moved in from the country in 1901 and now has a membership of fifty-five; New Bethel, three and a half miles out of Rockville. an old society that has virtually gone down, but the few re- maining meml)ers still hold the church property, and have occasional services: the Guion-Jutlson church with fifty-five memljers ; Bethany church was a country church until about 1910, when it was removed to the town of Mar- shall and now has a membership of ninety-one; Montezuma has a Presby- terian church of thirty members and owns its own manse. The Cumberland f^resbyterians had a juiut Iniilding in Liljerty township at one time and a small congregation. LXITED PRESBVTERI.ANS. A society of this denomination was organized in Greene township in 1858, by the union of the Associate Reform Presbyterians. Associate Presby- terians and Cmenanters. The next }"ear they coiumenced to erect a place for worship, which was finished in i860. Its cost w^as less than eight hundred dollars. \\'illiam G. Spenser was the first ordained minister of this church. In 1880 the society had a membership of forty-four. The church was located on section 35. This branch of Presbyterianism was founded in Scotland in 1733 by members who disliked certain things connected with the old Presbvterian creed. In 1753 it established its first church in this country, at Philadelphia. In 1779 this sect united with the Reformed Presbyterians and formed the Associate Presl^yterian denomination. The .\ssociate Presbyterian church of Portland Mills, originally called the Raccoon, was organized February 19, 1829, by Rev. James P. Miller, a missionaiy worker appointed by the synod. The first pastor here was Rev. Nathaniel Ingels, who was followed by James Dixon, who after a quarter of a century of faithful work, rested from his labors. The first meeting house was made of logs and was erected in 1831. This was succeeded in 1850 by a large frame building and again in 1874 PARKE /\ND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 95 another took the place of that structure and cost the congregation two thou- sand six hundred dollars. It seated six hundred persons. At present the denomination has in this county is not strong, if indeed there be an organization at all. CHRISTIAN CHURCHES. The Christian church at Rockville was organized in September, 1838, with sixteen members, and the next year a church building 30 l)y 40 feet was erected on lot No. "jt, of the original town plat. William Cooper was the contractor and Joseph Ralston assisted him in the work of building. For twenty years and more this sect carried forward a praiseworthy work. In 1858 a large number of the members rela.xed their connection when a re- organization was effected, thirty-nine men and women placing their names on the new roll. In i86j there were over eighty communicants. Strong inter- est was manifested for a time, but in 1865 the church becarne completely disorganized and lapsed for a period of ten years, no service being held dur- ing that time. On February 2^,, 1875, a society of Christians was fomied from the Bo)'d school house. Both that and the preaching place were called "Whitehall." By August, 1875, through Thomas Boardman, the church was transferred to Rockville, to unite with those of the same faith in that town. The congregation was raised to sixty-four members. At the end of four years attendance flagged and not over a dozen attended services. Ac- cordingly, on November 21, 1879, Thomas Boardman addressed a letter to each of the brethren exhorting them to attend on the 30th and assist in an- other organization. This call was answered by thirty-one persons renewing their membership. Of the present of this church it may be said, that it now numbers about one hundred and thirty and has a frame edifice and property worth about five thousand dollars. This was built in 1894. The present pastor is Rev. William T. Barbre, now on his fifth year as the minister. At Catlin a Christian church was organized in Raccoon township, alxnit 1867, with a membership of forty-two. .\ house of worship was erected at a cost of one thousand six hundred dollars in the village of Catlin. In 1871-2 Jacob Wright held a well attended revival. This church had its own troubles from time to time, and the faithful few numbered only twenty-five in 1880. The building still stands, liut the society has gone down. In Jackson township, the Christians erected a church thirty by forty feet, in 1873, which building cost two thousand dollars, and had a seating capacity of five himdred. Previous to that these people worshiped with the 96 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Methodists, in the grove and at the mill. The house was dedicated April 10, 1874, by Thomas Goodman. Here numerous revivals and special services were held and many were added to the church on profession of faith. This church is located in the sprightly little town of Lena. The church here is not flourishing well at this date. In Greene township the Christian people built the first house of worship in 1839 at Portland Alills, "in the face of secular opposition," wrote one of its leaders man\- years since. Up to 1880 there had been established three dis- tinct societies of this order in this township, the first in 1839, which society erected a church in 1850, costing one thousand five hundred dollars. The first minister was Rev. J. M. Harris. The second was the congregation that built a building at Bank's Springs, on sectiori 5, in 1840, and this was a log structure, followed by a frame house thirty-five by forty feet. The third society was one that joined with other denominations of the community in erecting a union church building at Parkville, in 1865. This building burned later. In 1870, the Christians, through the efforts of James H. Jack, built a church costing one thousand seven hundred dollars. This was free to all denominations when not in use by this people. In Sugar Creek township. Pleasant Grove Christian church (Xew Light), so called Ijy many, was instituted at the school house in 1868, where meetings continued to be held until 1870, when a church was erected thirty- two by forty-two feet, costing one thousand dollars. Rev. L. W. Bannon was the first minister and organizer, and began with a membership of thirty persons. In 1881 this church had a working membership of one hundred and sixty. The New Lights, or a branch (or another name for Christians), built in Howard township in 1835 a log building in which to worship. It' served a decade, when they purchased the old Missionary Baptist church in conjunc- tion with the Methodist people and occupied the same jointly. At present ( 1912) the Christian churches of Parke county are: The Rockxille church. L'nion church, four miles west of Rockville, has fifty members, but no regular pastor. Christian chapel, or Daly's church, in the south part of the county where Rev. Chester Fiddler, of Terre Haute, preaches occasionally: membership about ninety. At 2\Iecca. this .society has a good frame building and a small congregation. .\t Montezuma, there is an old church and a congregation of about forty memljership. At Bloom- ingdale the church numbers about one hundred and twenty, worships in a frame building. Rev. Elvin Daniels, preacher. At Byron, there is a brick PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 97 church and about seventy-five members; Rev. C. C. Dobson, of Brownsburg, preaches here. At Parkville there is a frame church and about sixty mem- bership; Rev. Bratton preaches once a month. At Bellemore and Coxville there are church buildings, but no regular services at this date. METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCHES. It is believed that Methodism was first taught in Parke county by the giant preacher from old Virginia, Rev. William Cravens, who probably preached the first Methodist sermon north of Big Raccoon creek, and he, with Father Armstrong, John Strange and William H. Smith, founded the church in Parke county. There was preaching here long before there was any organ- ized society of Methodists, but in 1823 there were enough of the Methodist faith here to meet in classes formed and which met at private houses, and at least as early as 1826 Rev. William Smith, later known by all as "Billy Smith." preached regularly in the old log court house on the north side of the public square in Rockville. It was probably in 1826 that the church was regularly organized, and from that time on religious pioneering went forward with the felling of forest trees and the killing out of snakes and wolves, both so numerous here then. The early church books show the naines of Cornelius Sunderland and wife, and Greenberg and Lavicie Ward. In 1828 Rev. Samuel Brinton took charge of the church as its regular pastor. His labors were mightily blessed and for many years this was the most prosperous church within Parke county. From the pen of Editor and Author Beadle, of Rockville. and from historic accounts published in the Rockville Tribune, the writer is able to here reproduce the early history of the Methodist church at Rockville, which is indeed complete and very interesting. We quote as follows from this historic account given in 1879-80: "The chastening and hallowed influences of the gospel followed close upon the footsteps of the pioneers; and a settler's cabin was hardly up before an itinerant was there with his Bible and hymn book, gathering the family for devotion around the altar in the wilderness. The first settlers were an in- tensely earnest people; they manifested no half-way religious feeling, but worked for the Lord as they worked for themselves, with loud shouts and heavy blows. An early missionary in these parts, probably the first of the Methodist faith in the county, and the one above named, was William Cravens of Virginia, a fearless and remarkable man. He was a mason bv trade, and (7) 98 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. had been dissipated, but was converted and took a singular and solemn vow of abstinence by putting his bottle into, and making it a part of, a wall which he was building. He was powerful of frame, a slaveholder, and quite wealthy. He abandoned his former vices, and liberated his slaves. Taking the pulpit, he assailed the great evils of Southern society; he declaimed against tal W. Coffin. Albert G. Cofifin, David L. Hamilton. Henry Slaven and Joseph B. Cornelius. The officers installed were Peter Q. Stryker, worshipful master; John Briggs, senior warden; Seba S. Case, junior warden: Joseph B. Cornelius, secretary; Charles Grant, treasurer; Randolph H. Wed- ding, senior deacon, Albert G. Coffin, junior deacon ; D. L. Hamilton, stew- ard and tyler. Joseph C. Smith, Aaron Griffin and John R. Ten Brook were the first persons elected to take degrees in this order. The grand lodge of Indiana granted a charter May 29, 1845, ^^'^ ^t this time the name of the lodge was changed to Parke Lodge, which it is still known as. In 1880 this lodge had a membership of forty-nine, and it has always been in a prosperous condition. The laying of the corner-stone of the new court house in the month of September, 1879, was under the auspices of this lodge and was a notable event in the history of the order, as well as of the county government. The ceremonv took place in the presence of a fair-sized audience of citizens and the lodges from Terre Haute and Judson and delegations of the fraternity from Annapolis, Bellemore, Mansfield, Roseville, Harveysburg and other places, and was performed by Most Worshipful Grand Master Robert Van Valzah, assisted by a full corps of Masonic officials. At the conclusion of the ceremonies Dr. Harrison J. Rice, a member of Parke Lodge, deli\ered an historical address of great interest and highly befitting the occasion. In the casket deposited in the stone was placed a copy of the oration, and of the charter of the lodge, with many other articles which it is expected will be of curious interest to the citizens of Rockville and Parke county centuries to come, perhaps. Parke Lodge now (1912) has a membership of one hundred twenty- three. It meets in the Masonic hall, owned by the fraternity, jKu-chased in 1909, and which is large and complete in all of its appointments. The present 112 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. officers are: W. B. Ceilings, worshipful master; Jacob S. White, senior war- den; George L. Laney, junior warden; William Hobson, senior deacon; Ollie Decker, junior deacon; M. W. Marshall, secretary; W. H. Hargrave, treas- urer; tyler, W. J. Gaebler. Parke Chapter No. ■^j, Royal Arch Masons, was secured by an applica- tion for dispensation July ii, 1856. At a convocation held on that day by Royal Arch Masons there were present Addison L. Roach, M. G. Wilkison, John T. Price, H. Alvord. P. Q. Stryker and L. A. Foote and an organiza- tion was made by appointing Roach to the chair and Foote as secretary'. A committee appointed to procure a dispensation reported October 7th, in which it was made known that a dispensation had been obtained from William Hacker, most excellent high priest of Indiana. The meeting organized with William Hacker, grand high priest, presiding; S. F. Maxwell, king; P. Q. Stryker, scribe; Sayer, captain of the host; L. A. Foote, principal sojourner; J. S. Dare, royal arch captain; H. Alvord, master of the third veil ; John T. Price, master of the second veil ; M. G. Wilkison. master of the first veil. A charter was issued by the officers of the grand chapter of In- diana, May 21, 1857. At that date the membership was twenty-one. The present membership is fifty-nine. This is the only chapter of Royal Arch Masons in Parke county. Annapolis Lodge No. 127, Free and Accepted Masons, was char- tered May 26, 1852, and in the year of Masonry 5852. The first officers and charter members were: John M. Wadding, worshipful master; Edward D. Laughlin, senior warden; James W. Tucker, junior warden; John D. Gifford, secretary; John S. Dare, Simon Vestal, John Kelly. L. B. Dunigan, C. N. Harding, David Best, William Sweeney, R. A. Coffin. Bridgeton Lodge No. 169, Free and Accepted Masons, was or- ganized in 1854. The petitioners for the dispensation were M. G. Wilkinson, Mahlon Wilkinson. R. C. Allen, N. B. Smook, John Briggs, Jr., James A. Cole and Jeptha Garrigus, all but the last named being members of Parke Lodge No. 8. The petition was granted with the title of Whitcomb Lodge. M. G. Wilkinson was the first master, and Mahlon WilkinsoM and R. C. Allen were wardens. A charter was issued May 30, 1855, and the title of Bridge- ton No. 169 was given. The meetings were held in the second story of R. C. Allen's wagon shop for eight years, when, in 1863, the limited room and in- creased membership made it necessary to provide other quarters, and the lodge was removed to the upper story of Dr. Crook's drug store. In 1868 the store and contents were burned, including the lodge room, library and other valua- PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. II3 bles. The Crook store was rel)uilt and a lodge room built especially was added to the structure. The lodge then flourished as never before. At Waterman, in the extreme northwest part of Parke county, Lodiville Lodge No. 172, Free and Accepted Masons, was chartered in Alay, 1855. the first officers and charter members being: J. \l. T. Bright, wurship- ful master; N. Thomas, senior warden; A. R. Hood, junior warden; Samuel Richmond, secretary; Isaac Carman, Andrew Baker, D. G. Ephlin. Montezuma Lodge No. 89, Free and Acce])ted Masons, was chartered May 28, 1861, its first officers and charter members l>eing: R. M. Gilkinson. worshipful master; Firman Allen, senior warden; Jacob Myers, junior warden; George Kretz, treasurer; Thomas Griffith, secretar\- : David Phillips, senior deacon ; William Mcintosh, junior deacon. In the autumn of 1912 the officers of this lodge were: R. W. Johnson, worshipful master; C. S. Overman, senior warden: R. W. Sutton, junior warden ; T. A. Welshnans, treasurer : W. P. Montgomery, secretary ; Samuel J. Holmes, Frank Arn and T. A. Welshnans, trustees. The membership is now se\enty-four. and the liall is \alued at three thousand dollars; it was erected in 1902. Catlin Lodge No. 402, Free and Accepted Masons, was char- tered May 25, i86g, with a membership of sixteen. The charter members were : S. T. Catlin, Thomas Harshman, Marshall Gray, A. S. Alden, Thomas Akers, John Pence, Asal Riggs, John Lollis, S. R. Beal, Price Hawkins, Ira Jones, John Thomas, Har\-ey Gray, L^riah E. Thomas, J. W. Puett and Dr. George M. Knight. The lodge met for many years in the Ray hall. In Union township the first fraternal society formed was that of the Masonic order. An informal meeting was held at the store of James Brack- enridge, November 7, 1874, for the purpose of considering the expediency of organizing a Masonic lodge, and on December 26, 1874, thirteen members met for this object. J. M. Jerome was elected worshipful master; A. B. Collings, senior warden; James Brackenridge, junior warden; W. P. Blake, treasurer: J. D. W^right, secretary: W. Jerome, senior deacon; P. L. Reid, junior deacon ; Albert Beach, tyler. Lena Lodge was organized September 29, 1874, in Mui'iihs hall, in the town of Lena, Jackson township, with a membership of eight. The officers elected were : Wellington Peach, worshipful master ; James Smook, senior warden: Levi Woodrum, junior warden; John .\. Welch, secretary; Jacob Plummer, treasurer; M. R. Plummer, senior deacon; Mathew G. Ouin, junior deacon; Jesse Williams, tyler. A charter was granted May 22. 1877, in the (8) TI4 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. meantime the lodge working under dispensation. Up to 1880 no death had occurred within the circle of the membership. PRESENT MASONIC LODGES IN THE COUNTY. In 1912 the following Masonic lodges existed within Parke county: Parke Lodge No. 8, with one hundred and twenty-three members; Monte- zuma No. 89, with seventy-four members; Annapolis No. i2j, with sixty-four members; Bridgeton No. i6g. with ime hundred and twenty-tiiree members; Lodiville (Silverwood) No. 172, with forty-six members; Rosedale No. 259, with eighty -two members; Catlin No. 402, with tifty-eight members; Judson No. 518, with fifty members; S3dvania No. 559. with sixty members. ODD FELLOWSHIP. The oldest Odd b'ellows lodge in Parke county is the one instituted at Rockville, Xu\ember 9. 1849, known as Howard Lodge No. 71, by Taylor W. Webster, district deputy grand master, of Ladoga, assisted by Joshua Ridge, Samuel Noel, W^illiam Kromer. Samuel Sto\er, James Houston and William Detrick. It was named in honor of John Howard, the eminent philanthropist of England. The charter members were F. W. Dinwiddie, Joseph Phillips. Charles W. Stryker. Samuel A. Fisher and William McClure. The charter bears the date of January lo, 1850, and among other eminent names affixed to it was that of Hon. Schuyler Colfax, a past grand in the order. This lodge was organized in the Masonic ball at the court house. The first real Odd l-'ellows hall was a twn-story l)uilding, which stood many years and was finalh' used as a ljlack>niitli shop. The lodge started mU with six work- ing members, and struggled with but few additions for a few years, when it took a start and grew rapidK- until the Avar between the states broke out, when many of the members enlisted in the Union cause. -\t the close of that deadly struggle the lodge again took on new life and prospered. ,\fter 1876 the lodge built a three-story building on the north side of the public square, at a cost of five thousand dollars, and on the third floor of which structure was built their lodge room, a spacious, well- furnished hall. Rockville Encamijment No. 95, Patriarchs Militant, was instituted No- vember 9, 1849. Its charter bears the names of W. C. Lumpton, grand pat- riarch, and E. H. Barry, grand scribe. The twenty-fifth anniversary of the chartering of this lodge was commemorated by a grand banquet. November 9, 1874. Ox'cr nine hundred were furnished a suni])luous dinner, gotten up PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. II5 by the ladies of the old National Hall. Hon. Schuyler Colfax delivered the address in an able and truly eloquent manner. Reserve Lodge No. 102, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was in- stituted November 10, 1851, at Montezuma, the charter members being Samuel A. Fisher, John W. Wade, James Jacobs, George H. Ribble, Samuel D. Hill and George W. Thompson. Annapolis Lodge No. 431 was chartered, or rather organized, January 7, 1874, with the following as charter members and first officers: J. D. Con- nely, noble grand; R. W. H. McKey, vice-grand; Wyatt Morgan, treasurer; John J. Garrigus, secretary; Miles Ratcliffe, warden; William and Samuel Brooks. Parke Lodge No. 498 was instituted August 26, 1874, by John T. San- ders, of Indianapolis. The charter bears the date of November 18, 1875. The first officers and members were: John J. Garrigus, noble grand; R. H. W. McKey, vice-grand; W. R. Cooper, secretary; Wyatt Morgan, treasurer: John P. Lungren, ^liles Ratcliffe, Samuel Brooks and William Brooks. It was written of this lodge in 1880 : "It is one of the brightest lodges in the county, the spirit of friendship obtaining universally among the membership." Union Lodge No. 198, Daughters of Rebekah, also met within the lodge room of the last named lodge and in 1879 was the only lodge of its kind in Parke county. It was fonned in August, 1879, by the following members: Dr. McKey. W. R. Cooper, Jennie Cooper, W. P. Flo}d, Elizabeth Floyd. Thomas Clark, Anjennetta Clark. MWes Ratcliffe, E. J. Ratcliffe, S. Harlan, Mary Ilarlriu, J. C. Herslibrunner, L. W. Ranton anrl Angelina Banton. PRESENT ODD FELLOW.S LODGES. The following is a list of the Odd Fellows lodges within Parke county in existence in 1912 : Reserve Lodge No. 102, Montezuma, has a membership of seventy-six. and owns a fine hall, erected in 1900 at a cost of six thousand dollars, which is all paid for. The present officers are: Charles Machletd. noble grand: Perry Jarrod. vice-grand; John G. l.nwry, secretary: Roy AikniaiL treasurer; John Machledt. Oliver ^\'hitson and William Whitson, trustees. Howard Lodge No. 71, Rockville, two hundred and seventy-six members. Bloomingdale Lodge No. 431 has fifty-five mmebers. Parke Lodge No. 498 has twenty memljcrs. Tangier Lodge No. 632 has seventeen meniliers. Rosedale Lodge No. 698 has one hundred and thirty -eight members. Il6 PARKE AND VERMILLION C0T;NTIES, INDIANA. Prosperity Lodge has one hundred and eleven members. Mecca Lodge No. 755 has one hundred and three members. Bridgeton Lodge No. 815 has forty-two members. This makes a grand total in the county of nine hundred and seventeen. REBEKAH DEGREE LODGES. At .Marshall, Union Lodge has sex'en members. At Bloomingdale, P'earl Lodge No. 226 has thirty-five members. At Rockville, Shining Light Lodge has one hundred and eighty- four. At Rosedale, Mary Lodge No. 431 has one hundred and two. At Montezuma, Wabash Lodge No. 498 has seventy-two. At Bridgeton, May\iew Lodge No. 689 has seventy -five. This makes a grand total in the county of four hundred and seventy-five. The only encampments of the fraternity in Parke county are those at Rockville and Rosedale, both flourishing in the autumn of 1912. KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS. This, one of the more modern civic societies, has a good following in Parke county. The first lodge of this order, Silliman Lodge No. 66, was in- stituted September 8, 1875, by District Deputy Grand Chancellor Albert Dickey, of Crawfordsville, assisted by the members of DeBayard Lodge No. 39, of the same place. The charter was granted January 2'i,, 1876, by C. T. Tuly, grand chancellor of the grand lodge of Indiana, and the charter mem- bers were as follows : William R. Fry, M. J. Cochran, William P. Strain, Z. Byers, W. N. McCampbell, O. J. Innis, T. H. Holmes, J. Wise, J. S. Hun- nell, William H. Gillum, George B. Chapman, J, B, Connelly, J. E. \\'oodard, J. D. Carlisle, William Rembolz, R. Christian, Charles H. Bigwood. David A. Roach, E. A. Matson, S. C. Puett, William D. Sill, F. M. Hall, S. D. Puett, A. J. East and John B. Dowd. In 1880 this lodge had a membership of one hundred and seven, and was reported in an excellent condition, finan- cially and fraternally. ]\Ieetings were held every Wednesday night in Castle Hall, in the third floor of Shackleford's block, on the north side of the square at Rockville. Now the hall is in the \^' hippie block ; number of members, one hundred and seventy. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. II7 PRESENT LODGES OF THE ORDER. In lyij the following i)oints sustained Knights of Pythias lodges: Rock- ville, Silliman Lodge No. 06, with one hundred and seventy members ; Rose- dale Lodge No. 224, with tnie hunilrt-d and eighteen members; Mecca Lodge No. 488, with one hundred and fnur members: Montezuma Lodge No. 264, with eighty-seven members: Tangier. I'hilemon Lodge No. 399, with forty- seven members; Bloomingdale. Penn Lodge No. 87, with thirty-si.x members; Marshall Lodge No. 133. with twenty-eight members: Bellemore Lodge No. 640. with si.\tv-one member.^ ; .\cme Lodge No. 98, at Sih'erwood, with membership of fifty-three: Bridgeton Lodge No. 435, with a membership of one hundred and forty-eight: Casey\-ille Lodge No. 465, at Diamond, with a membership of ninety-two. The Rockville lodge is the mother of all the others in Parke county. Its officers, according to the last obtainable report, that of the grand lodge of 1912, gives the ofificers as follows: C. E. Burnett, chancellor commander; Frank Shaw, vice-commander; Fred Burnett, prelate: Early M. Dowd, keeper of records and seal; John H. Spencer, master of finance: A. T. Brockway, master of exchequer; Sherman Call, inner guard; S. L Skelton, outer guard. At Montezuma, Lodge No. 264 was organized June 2, 1891, and now has a membership of eighty. The present elective members are: J. L. White, chancellor commander: A. Scribbling, vice-commander: \\"illiam Skeeter, prelate ; William Burgess, master of wampum ; A. L. Jerome, keeper of records and seal; John G. Lowry, master of exchequer; John C. Hamilton, master of finance: John Morgan, master of arms: William Norris, outer guard: A. M. Kay. inner guard ; Frank Wilson, N. S. Wheeler, John L. White, trustees. The order owns a hall valued at two thousand five hundred dollars. .\ few of this lodge belong to the Uniform Rank degree. GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC. The Grand Army of the Republic, the great Civil war and Union soldier fraternity, was early in the field in Parke county, and at one time there were numerous posts organized in the county, but with the death of so many of the loyal "boys in blue," of late years, many posts ha\e been compelled to surrender their charter. There are still a few posts in this countw including the first organized, that at Rockville, and a few more. Th^ total member- ship is now quite small. The sight of the once numerous copper buttons and Il8 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. post badges of the country is year b}' year growing sadly less, and ere long one will look upon these badges of honor as our grandfathers used to the relics of the old Revolutionary soldiers. The names and numbers of the posts in this county in the fall of 19 12 were as follows, with the names of the commanders: Steele Post No. 9, Rockville, with fifty membership; D. H. Strange, commander. Floyd Post No. 10, at Annapolis; J. R. Tucker, commander. Scott Post No. 305, at Portland Mills ; Inin Thomas, commander. Hobson Post No. 29, at Mar- shall ; Stephen Beeson, commander. Altoona Post No. 407, at Waterman ; George W. Knaver, commander. Kelly Post No. 572, Bridgeton; J. H. Kerr, commander. CHAPTER IX. THE NEWSPAPERS OF PARKE COUNTY. The art and profession of newspaper-making first got a foothold in Parke county in 1S29, as appears from the earliest files of which the author iias any access or knowledge. This was in the establishment of the Wabash Herald, started in 1829. It was in the early months of 1828, when this county had a population of less than two hundred souls, that its populace began to agitate the question of securing a local paper, having become tired of de- pending upon those printed at Terre Haute. So by the circulation of a sub- scription paper the Herald was founded, and its editor was a Mr. Clarke, from Ohio. It was a mild-tempered Jackson political organ, but paid more attention to local news than to shaping political opinion. John Marts pur- chased the office soon after, and he entered into a "stan-ation career." That was a day of red-hot campaigns and no neutral paper had any showing in the minds of the determined and positive first settlers in these parts. Marts sold to William T. Noel, who at once changed the name to that of the Rock- ville Intelligencer and converted it into a radical \\'hig organ. Noel set out to build up the Whig party in Parke county and really flid accomplish nnich in this direction. Later he sold to Comingore, who was followed by Mr. Snyder, and in turn he was succeeded by Col. Henry Slavens. who changed its name to the Olizr Branch, which, however, was anything but a peaceful organ, but on the contrary, was always in "deep mud and hot water." This caused the few issues of a paper known as the Whig Rifle, but the original paper was counted the real party organ of the Whigs for many years. It finally became so personal that the Democratic leaders started a paper to further their end in the county. It only ran for a short time and the oldest present inhabitant knows not its name or date of its publication, simply the tradition handed down that such a paper once existed here, for no copies can be found to tell the birth and death of the paper. It was not far from 184-' when Matthew Simpson bought the Whig paper, the OVnr Branch, and conducted the same many years, after a very creditable fashion for those early days, when all matter had to be set up by hand and when pure rag paper obtained, instead of the rotten, almost I20 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. worthless, present-day print paper. The paper was run off on a hand-press and its circulation was none the largest, but the price was from two to three dollars per annum, cash in advance (sometimes), and when not so paid the rate was much higher, and the rule generally lived up to. Then there were no "patent insides," or cheap [jlates, with love story attachments, to the pub- lication, sent by express at so much per inch or pound. Editorials were then all original, no borrowed type or plates. Even the "patent medicine" notices all had to be set up at home, yet they told of as many cure-alls as those of today, and cured as many ( ?) then as now. One specialty was the full-text of long-winded speeches made in Congress, covering page upon page of fine type, and often continued to other issues of the paper. Also the long editor- ials explaining the position taken Ijy the Congressmen, etc. The foreign news had t(j come by sailing vessel and steamer for years, until, in the fifties, when the submarine cable brought European news, which, after its long route from New York and Philadelphia, finally found its way here by stage or canal boat, when it was headed "Latest News from Europe." Then, as even now, there were Ijaskets full of poetr} set up annually, that was simply abominable. Finally, the name of the paper was changed to that of the Parke County li'liiy. and so continued until 1854, when the son, Rufus Simpson, took con- trol and named it the True Republican, which with the flight of years be- came the Rock'iille Republican. In 1880 this was published by Keeny & Brown, which in reality is the legal offspring and descendant of the original \Miig organ of this county. In the meantime, the Democrats had several times tried to sustain a newspaper, for political reasons. Init had failed until in 1856, when E. Cox established the Democrat, which was short lived. Again in 1864, a traveling printer started another Democrat, but neither stood fire long enough to be counted in the chapter of journalism here. After many years, the Monte- zuma Era became the leading Democratic organ of Parke county, and flour- ished quite well; it was still conducted in 1881 and was noted for being a good family newspaper with Democratic politics. Shortly after the close of the Civil war, Dr. John S. Dare, who gained some celebrity as a prose and verse writer, and who was from North Caro- lina, established the Parke County News, an independent paper, leaning to- ward the Greenback doctrine. It did not pay and was sold to George W. CoUings, who called his paper the Patriot, a Democratic organ. He sold to T. B. Cheadle, who founded the Rockx'illc Tribune, an independent Republi- can paper, which, in March, 1879, passed into the hands of J. H. Beadle, who PARKE AND \ERMILL10N COUNTIES. INDIANA. 121 contlucted the same until he sold an interest to Isaac Strouse, who in a year or so purchased the remainder of the property, and has continued its publica- tion for more than thirty years, making it a stanch Democratic organ. The Parke County Signal files show that it was established August 14, 1880, at Rockville, and run for a number of years, when it was merged with other publications and quit as a separate paper. It was radically Demo- cratic, and had scathing editorials, in which the Republican party was fre- quently "roasted" and which caused many heated newspaper discussions and animated ret(.)rts, l)et\\een the editors of the various [)arty organs. There have been many other papers published in the county at an early daw l)ut none of great ]irominence, down to a quarter of a century ago. PRESENT NEWSPAPER.S. In 1912 the newspapers of the county are as follows: The Tribune, at Rockx'ille. published Ijv Isaac Strouse, who has heen con- nected with the pa]ier for thirty-ixld vears, and is now one of the leading Democratic organs in this section of Indiana. The Republican, at Rockville. is published and owned by A. A. Mar- grave, who has conducted a clean, newsy, and straight Republican organ here since April 4, 1888, when he purchased it from the company represented by Brown Brothers. This paper is the continuation of the early-day Parke County IVhig, and later the True Republican. Earlier still its predecessor was the Oliz'c Branch, published first in about 1842, by Matthew Simpson, but it had heen launched bv the \\'hig element with William T. Noel as editor, who called the paper the Rockville Intelligencer. In taking the Re- publican, in April. 1888. Mr. Hargrave made this brief, modest announce- ment, and he has. during all these years, lived up to what he there stated : "In assuming the control of the Republican two objects are in view, one to make a living out of the business part of the establishment, the other to give the people, and especially the Republicans of Parke county, a first-class Re- publican newspaper. For these two objects I w ill work with might and main. The hearty co-operation of all is solicited. Without this confidence and hel]) of mv readers and patrons this paper must fail. But after all. the paper must show for itself. It is hoped no old friend of the paper will be lost and that many new ones will be gained. "Respectfully. "Arthur A. H.\rgr.\ve." 122 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. The Montezuma Enterprise, now owned and conducted by C. S. Over- man, who has recently located there, is an independent newspaper, calculated to upbuiid the vicinity in which it circulates, on both sides of the Wabash, in both Vermillion and Parke counties, especially the latter. It succeeds the old Record, published by A. B. Powell. The present rate of subscription is one dollar and twent}-fi\'e cents and the Enterprise is filled with choice, crisp locals, and also carries a paying list of home advertisements, showing the patrons appreciate the manner in which the paper is being conducted by Mr. Overman. The Blooniingdale U'orld was established in 1880 by W. H. Bright, and is now a six-column quarto, subscription rate one dollar and twenty-five cents per year. This newspaper has always given more in return for what has been paid in subscription and other patronage to the ofBce than most papers have done, being always clean, newsy and progressive. The town of Rosedale has had numerous newspapers, some of long and some of shorter duration. In searching out the list the writer finds the Clipper from 1896 to 1898; the Southern Parke Press, that printed its last issue Sep- tember 28, 1888, C. E. Hardick, editor and publisher; Wentworth & Went- worth published the Rosedale Tribune from 1902 on for almost four years. The present Tribune is edited and owned by H. Clay Owen ; its size is an eight-page six-column paper, and is progressive in politics. The Nezvs is a publication at Marshall. CHAPTER X. IMPORTANT CRIMINAL CASES. W'hilf the recital (jf crimes Imiii^ ago ci>niniitted may not appeal to every reader as befitting a work ot the historic kind presented in this volume, yet there were certain crimes — especially before the Civil war — that tend to throw light on the class of people in these parts and really are narratives of no little interest to possibly a respectable majority of the readers, hence will here be inserted. At least three of these crunes were committed in Liberty township. At an early day William Slocum. while hunting in the woods, came upon a wild cat dragging something from a brush heap. He killed the cat and found in its claws a dead infant, apparently of recent birth. A girl named Smith, living near by, was suspected ; but when an inquiry was begun she arose from the l)ed, dressed in man's clothes, walked to the Wabash, hailed a passing steamer and departed, and that was the last Liberty township ever beard of "the un- wedded mother. Luke Mead, of Libert}' township, was an elderly man, with a voung wife of whom he was passionately jealous. He was also talkati\e and quar- relsome when in liquor. His jealousy was directed chiefly toward Lewis Thomas, and one day the two had a \'iolent quarrel in the town of Lodi, now Waterman. Soon after they started home by different routes, and Mead was never again seen alive, a few days afterward being found in the beech woods dead. His body was greatly swollen ; by his side lay a broken whisky bottle, and under his thigh a dead rattle snake! On his person were scratches which the witnesses thought could not have been made by the snake, and on his throat dark marks which might ha\e been made liv the fingers of a vcrv strong man. Lewis Thomas attended the in(|uest with other neighbors, and was there arrested and taken before a justice. While the latter hesitated whether the proof was sufficient to commit. Gen. T. A. Howard passed down the road, returning from court at Covington, and Thomas at once employed him as counsel. He pressed the trial and evidence was judged insufficient to hold. No further action was taken, but the community held the accused guilty and withdrew all fellowship from him. His residence then became intolerable. 124 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. and he went to California in 1849, where he died in 1850, in apparent peace and without any reference to the tragedy. If guilty, his case did not turn out in accordance with the popular notion in such cases. Another remarkable disproof of the popular idea "that murder will out" is found in the case of Washington Hoagland. In 1855 he was residing with his brother Rowan in an old farm house, set far back from the road, a gloomy looking place, seemingly fitted by nature as the locality of mysterious crime. Two lewd girls had made the house their home for a few days, with a consent of Ro\\an Hoagland, and Washington had raised a disturbance about it. One niglit he was called into the yard, a scuffle occurred and next morning he was found there dead, in his hand a pistol, and on his throat the marks of strangu- lation. When he was lifted from the ground the pistol fell from his hand, which the people thought a proof that he did not die holding it. He was a strangely (|uiet man. ahiKjst simple-minded, and without an enemv. Strict examination of the brother and the girls developed no proof, though the latter were generall\' Ijelieved to ha\'e guilty knowledge of the murder. No one was arrested, proof being lacking, and the suspected soon after took final leave of the county. The experience of this township tends to prove that murder escapes detection as often, in proportion, as any other crime. Far more sensational and sorrow ful was the case of Noah Beauchamp, the only man hanged in Parke county. Beauchamp was a man somewhat past middle life, a Ijlacksmith of heavy person, ruddy complexion and strong passions. His temperament was impulsive, and he was, one might say, imreasonably jealous of the honor of his family. He was a consistent mem- ber of the Baptist church, thoroughly honest in his dealings and enjoyed the general respect of his neighbors. His neighbor, George Mickelberry, was a man who also enjoyed the respect of all and no difficulty ever occurred be- tween the men, until the women (piarreled. Delia Decker, a \()ung" woman liv- ing at Mickelberry's, had employed one of Beauchamp's daughters to do some work, and charged that Mrs, Beauchamp had stolen, or rather failed to return, a quantity of wool entrusted to her for the work. Of course this soon grew to a neighborhootl scandal and. coming to Beauchamp"s ears, in- flamed him to a high degree of anger. He declared he would go immediately and have "the Mickelben-y family take it back." On his way he passed where they had been cutting up meat and picked up. a butcher-knife which lay on a stump. He said he did this thinking there might Ije two or three men at Mickel- berry's and that he would be overpowered if attacked. He also told a friend — ^but does not state the fact in his confession — that he knelt and prayed before reaching Mickelben-y's for guidance; nevertheless, he did go there PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. I25 angry and with his knife concealed. Ahnost choking with angei', he ad- dressed some violent language to Delia Decker, when Mrs. .Mickelberry arose and left the room. Mickelberry expostulated with him mildly, hut Miss Decker answered by reiterating the charge that his daughter hail stolen the wool. White with passion he said : "If you was a man I'd cut you into shoe- strings." Thereupon Mickelberry laid his hand on Beauchamp and said: "You shall not talk that way in my house." .\nd on the instant Beauchamp drew the knife and with one fearful blow buried it to the hilt in the other's breast. Mrs. Mickellierry testified that she heard the bone snap from the adjoining room. Mickelberry fell dead without a word or cry. For one instant the homicide stood as if paralyzed. Then he dropped the fatal knife and fled. Reaching the river, he stole a canoe and crossed, then made his way by the most direct route to Texas, then the uncommon refuge for the unfortunate and the criminal. There he worked at his trade and went by his true name, possibly thinking himself perfectly safe. But a large reward was ofYered, his description being puWished far and wide, and two adventurers in Texas arrested the fugitive. It was not easy, at that day, to get a man of that sort out of Texas, as the state had need of every strong arm, against its many enemies, and the more desperate he was the more she needed him. On his way back Eeauchami) made Line dash for liberty, knricked down one of the men and nearly overcame the other, but was overpowered. On the steamer he hanged himself with the sheet from his bed, and was almost dead when discovered and cut down. The crime was committed in the northern part of Vigo county, but Beauchamp employed Gen. T. A. Howard as counsel, who took a change of venue to Parke, where the pro- ceedings, including the appeal to the supreme court, lasted o\er a year. Howard threw all his energies into this case, and felt for his client more than a common interest; but it was in vain. He was sentenced to death and the supreme court confirmed the sentence. No trial held in Wabash valley e\er excited more interest, and the conduct of Mrs. Mickelberry, in particular, on the witness stand excited the deep respect of all, and even affected some to tears. When Ned McGaughey, who prosecuted, asked : "Can you jioint out the murderer of your husband?" the tears gathered in her eyes, as she softly replied : "It was the old gentleman who sits there." Xo part of the examina- tion drew from her a single angry remark about Beauchamp, to whom she invariably alluded, as "the old gentleman." General Howard never ceased his efforts to save Beauchamp's life, till he had laid a petition for commutation before the governor, and l>een sadly refused. On a dark, gloomy Sunday, George Howard. Joseph Ralston, Henry 126 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Slavens and Ludwell Robinson together w ent to the jail. Then Howard, with tears in his eyes, said to Beaiichamp: "I have done all I could, but there is no hope ; nothing remains for you 1)ut to prepare for death." Beauchamp replied that he was ready to die, thanked Howard warmly and requested to have Rev. Newport preach his funeral before the execution; then ate a light breakfast and made his last wishes on various matters, known to Henry Slavens (then editor and lawyer), who also wrote out his so-called confession. Friday, February 8, 1843, ^^'^^ ^ bitter cold day, but a large crowd assembled. Beauchamp sat in the old court house, dressed for death, and listened to his own funeral sermon. Then the sad procession repaired to a hollow half a mile east of town, where the gallows had been erected. He said no more to the crowd than a mere good bye. Sheriff Youmans was so agitated that his first blow missed the rope. The next severed it, and just as the condemned murmured, ""Lord Jesus, receive my spirit," the drop fell and, without unus- ual struggle, he passed to eternity. It is foreign to this work, but only a few years before his cousin Beau- champ, of Kentucky, had died the same death, and for a crime likewise com- mitted in defense of family honor. His wife had been seduced before mar- riage by one Sharpe, who later became attorney-general. The wrong was talked over by the young people, and finally Beauchamp became so frenzied that he called Sharpe out one night and killed him. The wife of the mur- derer clung to him to the last with most affecting devotion. As the fatal day drew near, both seemed exalted above the ordinary feelings of mankind. They prayed aloud, they sang till the jail walls echoed their fervor, and e.xulted that he was to die for no mercenary crime, but in defense of chastity and family honor. She rode with him to the scaffold, sustained his courage in the last trying moments and had inscribed on his tomb her endorsement of what she considered his chivalrous act. Thus died the two Beaucham])s, men of high spirit and noble, but untrained, instincts. Men of strict honesty in life, but victims of illy-regulated passions. Their"s were no vtilgar crimes, and it is impossible for the generous mind not to feel a sympathy with such men, even while inexorable law condemns. Another peculiar case will be narrated in this connection: In Xuma there had lived from a very early day one Silas Bowers, who was a business man, but always in some local trouble and had many suits at law. He had come to I)e an experienced rogue. In 1854 this man whose name was Bow- ers lost a suit at law by the testimony of one Sidwell, and in a few nights afterward Sidwell's barn burned, with his crop and tools within it. The honest citizens rose en. masse, seized Bowers and a few of his gang, whipped PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. \2,'J him and a hired witness, named Burke, till they confessed to the arson, then notified them to lea\e on pain of death. Burke immediately complied, after detailing that Bowers employed him to burn the barn, and he in turn em- ployed one Reeder, who reall_\- applied the torcli. Recder was chased into a swamp in Vigo county and there mysteriously disappeared, never to be seen in this section of the country. Bowers went to Terre Haute, and actually had the audacity to return, backed by a new gang. The society here known as the Regulators now saw that it was a life and death contest, as Bowers had not only employed attorneys and brought suits, but had a gang of supv- posed assassins to aid him. The citizens again captured him by stratagem, and whipped him so unmercifully that his back was a mass of raw and bleeding flesh. Then, it is reported, they tied him to a tree, placed a gun in Sidwell's hands and directed him to shoot Bowers, which Sidwell offered to do if enough of them would join to make it uncertain who fired the fatal shot. The country was now terribly excited. The first move of the Regula- tors had been generally approved ; indeed, they numbered some of the best men in the county. But some shrank from extreme measures ; two parties formed, and Bowers had a few symjiathizers. He left, l)ut again returned, this time only asking permission to settle up his business and then leave the country. This the Regulators readily granted. But the inob spirit was now aroused, and good citizens who had started with it could no longer control it. Other men were now "regulated" for mere offenses against morality, and one, Ben Wheat, was fearfully lashed for no offenses at all that anyone can recall now. Meanwhile Silas Bowers had finished his settlement, placed his remain- ing property in the hands of a trustee and, with his wife, had started for Illinois in a carriage. He had most unwisely threatened vengeance just be- fcTte leaving, and it was whispered about that his death was detemiined. A few miles west of the Wabash he was fired upon with unerring aim by two men concealed ahead of him by the roadside, and fell from his carriage mor- tally wounded, his life blood spattering the dress of his wife by his side. The manner of his assassination was never successfully searched duI. and it is well perhaps not to inquire too closely or curiously, even at this late date, as to just who had a hand in this afifair — let the cloak of charity fall and there forever remain. In iS^C) occurred another nun-der. which may here be of .some interest. In the school of Couse and Condit were two lads of fifteen and eighteen sum- mers, Oscar P. Lill and Charles H. Thompson. They got into difliculty, one with the other, over some small afifair in a literary society, which resulted in Thompson stabbing and killing his classmate. Thompson fled to Mississippi, 128 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. but was pursued and brought back the next summer. The trial was a long delayed one, and celebrated counsel was procured on both sides, including Hon. Dan Voorhees as prosecutor and Hon. R. W. Thompson, later secretary of the navy, for the defense. The murderer was finally sentenced for one year and the governor pardoned him out in a few months, when he went to Iowa, seiTed honorably in the Union army, settled in New Orleans, where he was city appraiser under the reconstruction government, and after the revolution there in 1877 returned to Iowa. It was an unfortunate affair and the man Thompson, who did the criminal deed in his youthful passion, always carried with him the deep, sad regrets of having taken the life of a fellowman. Including the killing of Nillis Hart, at Montezuma, in the autumn of 1856, Parke county had eight homicides up to 1881, of which three were directly due to whisky and two to lust. The last murder in this county was the killing of Mrs. Lottie Vollmer by J. C. Henning, at Rockville, in the nineties. The murderer was tried and hung at Crawfordsville, Montgomery county. THE WORK OF INSANITY. In the month of April, 1896, the entire county was saddened by the work of an insane man named Alfred Egbert, of Rockville, who killed a Mrs. Herman Haschke. an innocent woman in tlie part of town in which the insane man lived ; and in meeting the sheriff. Col. W. D. Mull, his trusty deputy, William Sweem, Agnes, a daughter of the murdered woman, aged nine years, and her brother, Herman, aged seven years. The work was all done with a shot gun, with which he killed himself while secreted in one of the stock stalls at the county fair grounds, thus ending one of the most terrible tragedies ever darkening the pages of Parke county history. The funeral of Colonel Mull was attended by persons from all over the county; the court house was heavily draped in mourning and sorrow was felt, keen and deep, everywhere. The old soldiers and Grand Army had charge of his burial. Rev. F. K. Fuson, of the Presbyterian church, preached his funeral sermon. This truly good man and county official. Colonel Mull, was born in Ohio, came here in 1840, enlisted in Company A, Fourteenth Indiana Regiment, served later as colonel of the One Hundred and Forty-ninth Regiment. He studied medicine at Jefferson Medical College and practiced medicine at Terre Haute till 1877. The deputy sheriff, also killed, was raised in Parke county, as a car- PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 129 penter, and was a good man and inoffensive citizen, carrying out the duties of his office when shot down by this unfortunate mad man. The murderer, if such he might be termed, was born in Rockville in 1874, was by trade a carpenter and worked on the house of Dr. Mull, among his last jobs. Thus six human lives went out in as many hours, on Rockville soil. (9) CHAPTER XI. POLITICAL HISTORV AND ELECTION RETURNS. Perhaps no more accurate account of the early pohtical complexion of Parke county >can here be given than that expressed in a fomier history of the county by that fair-minded citizen, J. H. Beadle, from whose writings we here draw liberally. Among other points he makes clear of the following facts, ]jut into other language, in part. Concerning the clerk's office in Parke county, it may be said that for numerous reasons there has been connected with it much of political and other interesting history. This office was held for thirty years, almost a generation, by two men, while tliat of the sheriff was frequently held more than five years at once by the same individual. Very few, if indeed any, counties in the commonwealth have been so fortunate in their county offi- cials. For fifty-nine years, says Mr. Beadle, down to the date of his writing, there was an unbroken line of countv treasurers without a single defalcation. Again, take the map of the Hoosier state, as it was in 1840, and the Whig strongholds then are generally strongly Republican now. And what is true of Indiana is also true of the country at large. The Friends (Quak- ers) were nearly all W'higs, and nearly every member of that honorable so- ciet\' became radical Republicans. Reserve township, for example, was Democratic on the issues of tarii?, bank and distribution: it remained Demo- cratic when those issues were as dead as Julius Caesar, and was still Demo- cratic in Garfield's time as President, but on an entirely new set of political issues, which have no connection with the issues of 1840. Yet men are sometimes blamed for changing their party, though political parties are ever ch^anging themselves. "Why men who held together on finance and revenue issues should be expected to hold together on negro suffrage and reconstruc- tion, is one of those things no logician can solve." Along about 1832-3 there seems to have l.)een a general epidemic among the county officials, as to being elected and after a time handing in their resignations. From records it appears that many men who in 1828 had been Jackson men, in 1832 were anti-Jackson men. John G. Davis, who was elected on his popularity for sheriff in 183 1, resigned in 1833. At the same PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. I3I time Coroner Johnston resigned, and Nugent was appointed in his stead ; but he, too, resigned in ^larch, 1835, and Hugii J. Bradley was commissioned in his place. It was almost impossible to tind a man in those days who would hold the office of coroner or probate judge. Meanwhile the county offices and nearly all of the records of the county were consumed by fire; the Legislature was appealed to and corrected the difficulty, as far as possible, by an act to validate titles and records, but an immense amount of trouble devolved on the officials, and of course the people got impatient and decided to "have a change," as they have in politics many times since then — sometimes for the better and again for a far worse administration. In 1823 Nathaniel Huntington and Thomas H. Blake ran for the Legis- lature, to represent Parke county with Vigo, and the vote stood: i'arke — Huntington, 79; Blake, 243. Vigo — Huntington, 138; Blake, 310. In 1824, Jacob Call, Thomas H. Blake and Ratliffe Boone ran for Congress: and in i8_'() the last two and I^aw rence S. Shuler, of Terre Haute. But Boone was by this time too strong for anybody to successfully cope w ith him. His district extended from the Ohio to Lake Michigan, and. he faithfully canvassed it every campaign. Lawrence S. Shuler was the most eminent surgeon in this part of Indiana, and frequentl)- went a hundred miles to perform some deli- cate operation. He died not long after he was a candidate, universally la- mented. Boone's next competitor was John Law, who brought into the can- vass of his district great energy. He and Governor James B. Ray made a thorough canvass of the district in 1828, holding forth at every settlement, and people came as far as thirty miles in canoes and on horseback to hear them speak. One night they were swamped in the W'ea plains, but found a house at ten next morning, got breakfast and fresh horses, and galloiJed on to their next appointment. Boone continued to represent thi,s district as long as he cared to (Parke, however, was soon cut off in a more northern district), then went to Missouri, and, after all. died in comparative obscurity. There is nuich talk of the purity of politics at thai early date, bm upon a slight ex- amination into the records, it will be seen that candidates abused one another then even more violentlv than in these latter times, and more rudely aufl coarsely, too. Judicial circuits were on the same broad scale, and for years lawyers and judges (same as Lincoln an in the county have been Democratic and others Republican. The "stand-patter" and the "|)rogressive" is no new thing in Parke countv politics — they have thri\e(l liere for these three score years and more, and are still in evidence. ELECTION RETURNS. It is impossible to give full presidential election returns, but the follow- ing fragmentary account will give the reader a general idea of the political complexion of national matters in Parke county: 1864 — Lincoln (R) 2,ii_' 1S72— (irant (K) (Majority-- 983 McClellan (D) 1,236 1876— Hayes (R) 2,429 186&— (No record) Tilden (D) 1,817 134 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES. INDIANA. 1880— Garfield ( R) (Major- ity) 797 1884 — Cleveland ( D) 1,929 Blaine (R) ^.562 1888— Harrison (R) 2,768 Cleveland (D) 2,160 1892 — G rover Cleveland (D) -1,993 Benjamin Harrison (R) 2,363 1896— William McKinley (R) .2,818 William J. Bryan (D) -2,590 Prohibition candidate -- 40 People's Party 156 Gold Standard 10 National 46 1900 — William McKinley (R) -3,064 William J. Br}'an (D) -2,587 Prohibition candidate 205 People's Party 6 Socialists 6 Social Democrats 66 Union Reform 13 1904 — Theijdore Roosevelt (R) 3,468 Alton B. Parker (D) --2,176 1908 — William Howard Taft (R) 2,939 William J. Bryan (D) -2,647 Prohibition candidate 307 Socialists 197 CHAPTER XTI. I'AkKK IDLXTY SCHOOLS. P.Y I'nor. John A. Lineiiahgkr. We, of our day and age, are so accustomed to the rights and privi- leges we enjoy that it does not occur to us that we are rea])ing the result of the earnest thought and endea\'ors of the men who ha\e preceded us. This is as true in the field of education as elsewhere. We somehow fail to remem- ber with proper appreciation the pioneers who laid the basis for our splendid system of public education. As we have noted the meager beginning and have seen the wonderful growth and development, the organization, the supervision, the course of study, the changed teaching force, we are interested to know what has been the impetus that has brought this progress to us. The famous Ordinance of 1787 declares "Religion, morality and knowl- edge being necessary to good go\-ernment and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged." The spirit of this ordinance is found in both constitutions adopted by the state. It seems to us that the men who have guided our state caught the meaning, for the in- junction has been performed to the fullest in both letter and spirit. We point with pride to our elementary and secondary schools and spend almost a million dollars annualh- in support of our higher institutions of learn- ing. How vitally the schools have affected the life of the state we can realize only in part. As Indiana has not been tardv in the work of education, so the history of the schools of this countv shows that I'arke has alwaxs kept al)reast the educational thought of Indiana and the nation. It is much to be regretted that so \-ery little is kucjwn of the beginnings of our school system in the various townships of the county. It appears that our earliest schools were established about 1830, Sugar Creek township's first school house was located on Wolf creek in i82<;. with Xathaniel Mor- gan as teacher. Another school was established north of the Xarrows in 1830. Three schools were organized in Howard township in 1830; one in section \(> in the n(^rthern part, one in the southern and nne in the eastern 136 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. part of the township. The earhest school in Liberty township was near Sylvania, with Isaac Hobson as teacher. Reserve township's first school was in the Linebarger settlement in the house of Josiah Horgar, his son being the teacher. One year later, in 1825, the first school house was erected in this neighborhood. James Siler taught the first school in the southern part of the township in a vacant cabin near the residence of Solomon Allen, who boarded the teacher for tliirty-seven and one-half cents per week. Probably the first school in Union township was taught in the small log structure which stood for many years on the Burton farm just east of Bell- more. A more pretentious early building near Bellmore, which is thus de- scribed, may serve as typical of the best of the primitive school buildings. "The school house was four cornered. One corner was used for a fireplace and from this ascended a chimney. The floor was 'ready luade.' T,umber was generally too scarce, so it was thought that the ground would do. XAHien floors were put in they were made of puncheon. The window was an opening provided by leaving a log out of the side of the house and covering it with greased paper. The roof was of clapboards fastened down by a binder, as one would make safe a load of hay on a wagon. The seats were halves of logs with flat sides up and wooden pins for legs. There were no desks, .\long the side of the house and below the window, that there might be as much light as possible, was an eighteen-inch plank used as a writing desk. Big and little reached up and bent down that they might learn to write. If there were any other fixtures liesides the benches and writing desk they were in keeping with the style of house." Tn 1839 a school house was built in what is now Xo. i district in Florida township. It was built by subscription for both school and church purposes. G. K. Lank ford was the first school trustee elected in Raccoon town- ship. Prominent among the early teachers were William Goodin, HugJi \'in- zant. G. L. Bailey and Calvin Pruett. The first school house in Washington township was built in what was known as the "lost quarter." The first teacher was John McBride. Enoch Kersey taught the first school in the Roaring Creek settlement in 1833. It was a subscription school, Mr. Kersey receiving two dollars per scholar per month. The first school in Adams township was taught bv John McGinnis in the Andrew Ray log cabin on the northeast corner of the square, after Ray had moved into lu's new home. This was in the early twenties. Other early teachers in this township and town were William Noel, Jeremiah Depew, PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 1 37 John Hayes, Taicinda Depew, Jolin Garrigus, Jesse Lowe and Judije Morris. In ii'^37 an effort was made to secure Asbury University (now Deranw) and liberal sul)scriptions were made, but Greencastle was successful. It is impossible to state just what qualifications were required of the early teachers. There was no uniformity, even in the county. The patrons were the judges of the qualifications of one who wished to teach their chil- dren. However, we do know tliat he was a severe disciplinarian, who Ije- liexed that the rod should not be spared, and many tales are told nf the "awful" flog.e^ings that were begun by the teacher on the opening day of school and continued as an essential feature throughout the term. The writer Ii;ii] the pleasure of hearing ''first hand" of the general condition and the character and scope of the work of our early schools. He was rpialified to speak because he attended school in the early forties and taught in the early fifties. In the earliest .schools, the "three R's" only were taught, "Readin", Ritin' and Rithmetic." to the Rule of Three. By 1840 some history and geog- raphy were added to the curriculum. The early teacher received a salary of about twenty dollars per month and "boarded around." It is impossible to say when the teacher ceased to teach subscription schools and became a teacher of public schools under a real system. How- ever, in i(S(Si we find Parke county with a school examiner, whose duty seems to have been to pass upon the scholarship of an ap])licant. Later he was gi\en the added duty of visiting the schools of the count\- and reporting to the state superintendent of public instruction. Each examiner determined in his own way as to the standing of the applicant. Barnabas C. Hobbs thus describes his first examination : "The only question asked me was, 'What is the product of twenty-fi\e cents by twent}-five cents?' .'Vs the (|uestion did nut nccur in Pike's arithmetic, T could not answer it. The examiner thought it was six and one-fourth cents, but he was not sure. We discussed its merits for an hour or more, when he decided that he was sure I was qualified to teach school, and a first-class certificate was given me." Mr. Hobl)s probably did more than any one man to give Parke county recognition in the educational world. For more than fifteen years he was principal of Friends Blooming- dale Academy. Then in 1866 he was elected president of Earlhani College and in i8r)8 he became state superintendent of public instruction. While hold- ing this office he was chosen chairman of the committee for considering a scheme for federal aid to education in all states where it might be needed. In 1871 he returned to Bloomingdale and again assumed the principalship, which position he filled several years more. In 1873 the General .Assembly abolished the office of county examiner 138 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. and created tliat of count\' superintendent, or ratlier merely clianged tlic name and enlarged the powers of the old office. ATr. Siler was the first super- intendent of Parke county. The list of county examiners and count)- superintendents, date of elec- tion, and length of term follows : Wilson Hobbs — Jnne 4. 1861, one year. Edwin F. Hadley — September 4. 1862, two years. Chester G. Bartholomew — Jnne 14. 1864, one year. John M. McLaughlin — June 9, 1865, two years. Joseph Foxworthy — June 11, 1867. one year. .\red F. White — June 5, 1868, five years. Elwood C. Siler — June 2, 1873, two years, eight months. Oliver Bulion — January 28. 1876. five years. W. H. Elson — June, 1881, ten years. Charles E. Vinzant — ^June, i8gi, six years. Jesse M. Neet — June, 1897, fourteen years. Homer J. Skeeters — February, 191 1, to present time. The foundation work for the county institute is to be credited largely to Superintendent Elson, although the development has come through many vears and each superintendent has contributed his share. In 1887 the en- rollment was 171 and the cost $205.00. Tn 1912 the enrollment was t6o and the cost $340.00. It is doubted if any movement in the schools of any state has been a greater source of inspiration than has the county institute, bring- ing as it does the best men of this and other states with messages of cheer. Along with the county institute has come the township institute, which has been of direct benefit to the schools. The teachers of the several town- ships meet and discuss questions of local interest and study books which deal with the hi.story of education, psychology of the child, method of the recita- tion or possibly a text which is wholly inspirational. These books are se- lected and outlined for study by the state board of education. Each town- ship chooses its leader ; but once each year, in each township, the county su- perintendent is the leader. One cannot write a historv of the development of the schools of this county without speaking of the Indiana Young People's Reading Circle nio\x- ment. This mo\ement began in 1884, but it was se\'eral years before it was a vital factor in the schools of the county. This work was furthered greatly by the unceasing energy of Superintendent J. M. Neet. Mr. Neet for six years was a member of the Indiana Young People's Reading Circle board and had the honor to serve for two years as its president. More than one PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 1 39 year of his term this countx' was the banner county of the state and thousands of good books are purchased each year and placed in tlie hands of the chil- dren of the county as a result of his efforts in that line. Consolidation can only be said to be in use in twn townships and in those two. Liberty and Reserve, it is not carried out in the largest sense. Several other townshi])s ha\'e abandoned schools and now trans])ort the pu])ils to adjoining districts, but without changing the conditions of the school afifairs of the district that cares for the children. Township high schools have made a marvelous growth since the town- ship high school law passed by the General .\sscmbly of i()or. wherebv the townshi]! trustees may pro\ide secondary education. .\t the jjrescnt time the following townships maintain high schools: Florida, at Rosedale: Union, at Bellmore: Wabash, at Mecca: Washington, at Marshall: Raccoon, at Bridge- ton, and Liberty, at Tangier. Superintendent Skeeters has been \er\- instru- mental in getting' the standard of his township high schools such that the state board of education will place them on the list of certified and accredited schools. Besides these township high schools there are three other schools offering secondary instruction : The public high schools of RockviHe and Montezuma, and Friends Bloomingdale Academy. The academy has had an interesting history. Tn 1845 Harvey Thomas, a well known educator of Pennsylvania, conceived the idea of e.stablishing a Western manual labor school for the purpose of furnishing a thorough edu- cation to young persons of both sexes. At first there was a farm of about forty acres on which a suitable building was erected. Tt was soon disco\-ered that the manual labor system, though correct in theory, was not at all ])racti- cable on the small scale here tried and the plan was abandoned. The T-'riends church had been much interested and decided to take over the ])roperty. .\c- cordingly the Friends Bloomingdale .Vcademy was charteretl under the law, to be managed and controlled by the Bloomingdale ((uarterly meeting of the Friends church. The board of trustees selected (he principal and gave direct control to him. Those who have served in this cajjacity are B. C. Hobbs, Seth Hastings, John Chawner, Josiah P. Edwards, Thomas .Armstrong. .\. F. Mitchell. Tr\in,g King, W. J- Reagan, R. S. Coppock, \\'illiani Hill and Milton J. Hover. Three vears ago Prof. William Hill, a former resident of Bloomingdale, but now connected with Chicago University, organized the academy for the purpose of eventually establishing an agricultural school. The citizens of Bloomingdale and the friends of the academy were greatly pleased b)' his ])lan and much assistance was given the school. The grounds were beautified, the buildings remodeled, the faculty increased, courses in agricul- 140 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. ture and domestic science were offered. An agricultural guild \Aas estab- lished by a number of farmers of the community. The present principal, Mr. Hover, has been working in sympathy with that movement. It cannot be told just how permanently the purpose of the academy has been changed, but tlie movement is laudable. The alumni of the academy numbers more than two hundred and fifty, the first class having graduated in 1869. Tlie attempt at graded schools in Rockville, the county seat, probably dates back to 1832. In 1839 Parke County Seminary was organized. A brick building was erected in the west part of town. James Brown was the principal and Matthew Simpson, later Bishop Simpson, was the assistant. In 1873 a new building was erected at a cost of thirty-six thousand dollars. The graded schools were held here and the old seminary building was used for a colored school and is so used to the present day. Rockville is the only town in the county that provides separate schools for the colored race, instruction in both common school and high school studies being given in their own build- ing. The building of 1873 becoming inadequate, due to the increased attend- ance in high school, a fine modern building was erected in 1908. This has been a very strong factor, promoting interest in the schools, being a matter of common pride of the pupils and patrons as well. That the town and com- munity has availed itself of the high school is shown by the fact that four hundred and twenty-five have graudated from the high school since 1876. Rockville has always been fortunate in having as members of her board of education able and public-spirited citizens who have been glad to serve the best interests of the town and community. The present board consists of J. S. McFadden, president : O. M. Teague, secretary, and ^\^ S. Ferguson, treas- vu'er. In order that the statistical report of the present countv superintendent may mean anything in showing the advancement of the schools I shall briefly give some com])arative figures: In 1870 there were 118 schools: in 1912 there were no schools. In 1870 the total enrollment in the grades was 5.232, and in the high school. 142: in 1912 the total enrollment in the grades was 4,530. and in the high school. 383. In 1870 the average length of the school year was 98 days. Howard and Greene townships having 58 days and Rockville 178 days: in 1912 the average length of the school year was 147 days. Howard and Sugar Creek townships having 120 days and Rockville 165. In 1870 there were 131 teachers — 92 males and 39 females; in 1912 there were 178 teachers — 69 miles and 107 females. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. I4I In 1870 there were four teachers employed in high school work; in 1912 thirty teachers gave all their time to high school work. Average wages in 1870 were $2.00 per day; average wages in 1912 were $2.90 per day. In 1870 the value of school buildings was $89,000 and the value of equip- ment was $6,900; in 1912 the value of school buildings was $230,000 and the value of equipment was $10,000. In 1870 the total tuition expenditure was $26,688.05; in 1912 the total tuition expenditure was $73,415.86. In 1870 the total special school fund expended was $14,091.51 ; in 1912 the total special school fund expended was $68,551.29. Such is a brief sketch of the development and progress made in the schools of Parke county. It is a record of which every citizen can be justly proud. And best of all, we are not content with the attainments already reached, but we can foresee even greater progress in the next quarter of a century than has taken place in the last half century. CHAPTER XI II. AGRICULTURE AND MINING. Agriculture and coal mining operations are the two leading industries and sources from which wealth is derived in Parke county. It was by the former that the sturdy pioneers made their living, and really is the great source which has developed the count\- into its present state of prosperity and perfection. The various township histories will deal considerably on this subject, in connection with the development of the county, but it will lie well here to note some of the points connected with the resources of the countv from these two industries. The land is somewhat more hilly than in other parts of the state, yet there are thousands of acres of rich alknial soil within Parke county that yields up its annual harvest to gladden and repay the industrious husband- man. It is seen in reports made to the state in 1880 — nearly a third of a century ago — which gi\'es the following report of the ])roductions of this county : In 1880, Parke county produced in bushels: Wheat, 636,000; oats, 68,000: clover .seed, 3,600: corn, 1,085,942: Irish potatoes, 14,000; fall and winter apples, 78,000; peaches, 4.600; and of small fruits, 45,000 pounds of excellent gra])es. 1.500 gallons of strawberries, 8,200 gallons of currants, blackberries and raspberries. 6,000, with many cherries, etc. In the month of August, 1881. it was reported to the state that Parke county had growing 38,000 acres of Indian corn; 11,000 of timothy meadow; 11,000 of clover; 35,ocx> in blue grass; and that the year previous it had produced 32,000 gal- lons of cider, 11,500 of sorghum. 7,000 of maple syrup and made 28,000 pounds of butter. The number of cattle reported that season was 16,000 head; fattening hogs, 33.000; stock hogs. 21.000: sheep, 29,000 head, from which wool was clipped amounting to 100,000 pounds. The same year there were 150,000 chickens, 6.400 geese and ducks, 700 stands of bees, with a production of 8,800 pounds of honey. For the vear ending. April. 1881. there was mined in Parke county. 8,000 tons of bituminous coal; number of coal miners. 166: 200 tons of fire- clay. It had sixty miles of first class turnpike, with twenty-five miles more PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. I43 under construction. The present number of miles of gravel roads is some- thing over eight hundred miles, second to only two in Indiana. In 1910 I'arke countv, according to the L'nited States census bulletins, had 2,448 farms, and were classed as follows: 183 had from three to nine acres; 146 had from ten to nineteen acres; 475 had from twenty to forty- nine acres; 669 had from fifty to ninety-nine acres;. 581 had from one hun- dred to one hundred and seventy-four acres ; 250 had from one hundred and seventy-five to two hundred and fifty-nine acres: it8 had from two hundred and sixty to five hundred acres; 21 had- from five hundred to one thousand acres ; 5 had from one thousand acres and o\-er. The total land area was 286,080. Land in farms, 236.392 acres. Improved land in farms, 166,741 acres: woodland in farms, 67,326 acres: ])er cent. i>f area of land in farms, 89.6: average number acres in a farm in the county, 104^ acres. The value of all farm property in 1910 was placed at $18,234,495. In- crease in value in last decade, 87 per cent. Average value per acre, $51.27. Value of cattle, $464,(100: horses, $890,000: nudes, $103,000: swine. $298,000; sheep, $89,490: poultry, $()0,6oo: colonies of bees, 987: value of bees, $3,852. AGRICULTURAL .SOCIETIES. More than half a century ago Parke county farmers took steps to organ- ize and sustain agricultural societies and associations, some of these being successful manv years, while others fell for want of united interest and effort. Parke and Vermillion counties were long associated together in county agri- cultural and annual fair enterprises. The old newspaper files disclose the facts that in 1855 and on through the Civil war period u]) to and including 1865. fairs were held annually by these sister counties, jointly, some of which were held at Montezuma, while others were held elsewhere. Another ac- count shows that the Parke County Agricultural Society was holding its first annual fair in 1880, after a lapse of more than twenty years. The tair grounds were dedicated ; McCune's Band was present and an admission was charged to the grounds on the day of public dedication. Races were had between some of the fastest horses in Indiana. The president was S. Coll- ings; vice-president, James A. Allen; secretary, Da\id II. W'ebl;): treasurer, N. W. Cummings ; general superintendent, Shelby C. Puett. The grounds consisted of forty acres, with a splendid driving or race track: Ladies Hall, and many stock sheds and stalls. No "skin-games" of gaming and gambling were allowed on the grounds, no matter what price was tendered them by such gamesters. 144 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. In June, 1866, there was held what was known as tlie Parke County Horticultural and Rural Institute, at Bloomingdale. The president was E. C. Silers; treasurer, Parley Pearson; secretary, John M. Hill. At all of these exhibits there were hundreds of fine displays in farm, garden, fruit, stock and handiwork, all from Parke county. At Bridgeton, Raccoon township, in the spring of i860, Abel Mitchell offered a premium for the best colt that could be shown in Bridgeton in June. At the appointed time there were twenty colts brought and about five hundred persons were present. This gave the idea of a fair. June i6th, that year, was organized what was styled the Bridgeton Union Agricultural Society, which became a joint-stock company and was incorporated. The fair grounds consisted of about twenty acres, with a good trotting race course. In 1880 the reports show the society to have been in a flourishing condition. A few years later, however, all fairs in this county went down, including the Rock- ville fair, which closed about 1890. CROPS AND WEATHER. A record was kept on Silver Island, from 1834 to 1881, by Norburn Thomas, \\hich shows the weather and crops in that vicinity for the years included in the period named : 1834 — All grain in bottom destroyed. 1 83 .S -36-3 7-38 and '39 — Raised a good crop. 1840 — Wheat badly rusted. 1841-42 — A crop. 1843 — Half destroyed. 1844 — All destroyed July 7th. 1845 to 1850 — A crop. 1 85 1 — All destroyed June 15th. 1852-3-4 — Very dry season. 1855 — A crop and veiy wet year. 1856 — No summer so dry since the settlement of county. 1857 — Driest spring ever witnessed. 1858 — Crop all destroyed. 1859-62 — Good crops. 1863 — Corn all frost bitten. 1864 — Short crops. 1865 — Partly lost in October. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. I45 1866-7— Crops good. 1868— Half lost. 1869-73 — Fair crops. 1875 — All destroyed ; highest \\ ater ever seen. 1876— One-third lost. 1877 — A good crop. 1878-9 — Small portion lost. 1880 — To Tune ist. one-third lost so far. (10) CHAPTER XIV. MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS RAILROADS. The state railroad commissioner's reports for 191 1-2 show the number of miles of each railroad in Parke county, main track, as follows : Central Indiana, 15.38; Brazil division of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois, 26.08; Terre Haute division, Chicago & Eastern Illinois, 4.21 ; Chicago, Indiana & Western, 20.89; Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis, 1.07; Toledo, St. Louis & Western, 3.08; Vandalia, 23.44. This makes a total of 91.45 miles of main trackage in Parke county. By an old newspaper file at Rockville, dated November 20, 1859, it is gleaned that at that date the first attempt, in public, to secure a railroad for Parke county was made, by holding a mass meeting at the court house, that week, to look toward securing the Evansville & Crawfordsville line. The company wanted Parke county to donate, in subscriptions, money to the amount of sixty thousand dollars. There were subscriptions made at this meeting amounting to ten thousand dollars. The work went forward, men worked for and against the project, and meeting after meeting was held, but subscription was not popular. 1861 came and with it the Civil war opened, which stopped all such enterprises. After the war, the county was still without a railroad line. Coal had been struck in paying quantities in many sections of the county, and was seeking its outlet to the great outside world, through some system of transportation. Five different lines sought to enter or cross this county in the early seventies, and all but two failed to accomplish tlieir iani. First, the Logansport, Crawfordsville & Southwest- ern, vi'hich was surveyed to Rockville in 1870, commenced to be constructed in 1871, and was completed to Rockville in 1872. Soon the old Evansville & Chicago line was leased to this company and it then made direct connec- tions between Terre Haute and Logansport. The east and west road, later styled the Indianapolis, Decatur & Spring- field line, had already gotten as far from the west as Montezuma, this county, bv the time of the 1873 panic, and by a series of mysterious business negotia- tions, its course was turned to the northeast and by Bloomingdale, and it was finallv completed across the county in 1877-8. So it will be observed PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. I47 that Kockville, the county seat, had, with the central part of the county, a splendid grade and right-of-way, while the northern portion had the road itself; the crossing, instead of being at Rockvillc, as popular belief was that it would be, was at an inconsiderable way station, with several small towns and hamlets, instead of the concentrated railroad and commercial interests usually found at a county seat. The road, starting out from Attica, Foun- tain county, was destined, it was supposed, to run through this county, en- route to the southeast, but after several miles of track had been provided for in this county, it found its coal interests led it farther to the west, hence that did not materialize to do any commercial good for Rockville. After the shifting scenes of a full third of a century and more of pro- posed and completed steam railways, in this county the list has been narrowed down to these : The road from Terre Haute to the northeast, known as the Vandalia (of the Pennsylvania system) ; the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton line, from Montezuma eastward across the county; the Chicago & Eastern Illinois, running from north to south through Parke county, entering the territory in Liberty township and passing out at the south from Florida town- ship; the Central Indiana line. The commissioner's reports on the mileage of these various roads is found at the commencement of this item, and gives a total of less than ninety-six miles of road, but which gives ample outlet for the products of Parke county, in all directions one may desire to ship in or out. COAL MINING OPERATIONS. Some of the enterprising men tried taring for oil, but that was soon shown to be a geological absurdity in this county. Then all talk was about coal. Before the war, Professors Cox and Brown had made a hasty survey of Parke and shown that it was fortunately located on the eastern edge of the great Illinois coal field. Then local enthusiasts took up the work and proved that this county contained enough workable coal to supply the world for a thousand years. Later surveys lowered this claim a little, but ])roved be- yond controversy that Parke had eight good seams and enough for all prac- tical purposes. Mines were opened in every section of the county, but it soon appeared that there would be no market without a railroad, anil in a little while no less than five lines were laid off through the county, of which two were actually completed. First was the Logansport, Crawfordsyille & Southwestern, which was surveyed to Rockville in 1870. Work l>egan in 1871 and trains started to Rockville early in 1872. Soon after, the company J 48 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. leased that part of the old Evansville & Chicago, above Terre Haute, and after that the road was managed entirely by them from Logansport to Terre Haute. Meanwhile the mining interests had developed rapidly. On Sand creek, three to four miles northeast of Rockville, private banks had been worked for many years : but the survey developed the fact that immense wealth in coal was waiting development there, and as soon as the Logansport railroad reached the locality active business began. The Sand Creek Coal Company, the French Mine Company, and several indi\iduals worked the ground actively for a while, and the large and flourishing village of Nyesville sprang up in the beech wood. For a long time development was hindered by strikes and other results of the ill adjustment of labor and capital, but ere long the coal mine there established a reputation which made it the preferred of all the accessable markets for heating and steam making. Long before the war there had been some coal mined from the Wabash bluffs, in Florida township, but now the improved transportation gave it a great stimulus, and the village of Clinton Locks was in like manner built up by miners and their families. And similarly, the mines on Lower Raccoon built Rosedale and other settle- ments. Coming down to the present day, the mining reports of Indiana give us these figures: Number of tons coal produced in Parke county in 1910, 728,000 tons ; wages paid for mining the same, $780,260. The names of the mines operating in Parke county in 1910 were: Brazil, No. 9, seam four feet and three inches thick ; Superior No. 2, four feet and four inches thick ; Superior No. 3, three feet and three inches thick; Superior No. 5, three feet and three inches thick; Fairview, five feet seam; Parke No. 11, six feet six inches thick; Parke No. 12, six feet seven inches thick: Lyford No. i. six feet in thickness : Moore, four feet thick ; Harrison, three feet five inches thick; No. i, four feet two inches thick. The only mining accident reported during the year 1910 was that at Superior mine No. 3, where an Italian named Carlo Ponti was killed by a premature blast, on July 25th of that year. Coal was retailing at Rockville in the autumn of 19 12 at about three dollars and twenty-five cents per ton, thus giving the population cheap fuel for both domestic and manufacturing purposes. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. I49 BANKING IN PARKE COUNTY. The first banking carried on in Rockville was by the Rockville Bank, organized in 1853. Besides some eastern capitaHsts. General Steele, Persius Harris and a few others became stockholders of a concern of which Brock- way and Levings of Cleveland, Ohio, were the chief factors, commencing with an advertised capital of $300,000. A three-ton fire-proof safe was brought from Terre Haute and placed in the Harris building, a three-story structure where Dooley's hardware stands. A force of men and twelve yoke of oxen succeeded in transporting the safe as far as the Armiesburg bridge, when all stood from under and held their breath while the ponderous load went safely o\er with its burden ! It was not long before the capitalists of the East and the Rock\il!e n'eu Iiad dift'ercnt \ iews on finances and hank- ing management, and the I'arke Count}- Bank was organized and commenced business September i, 1855, with a capital of $100,000. The first directors were: Alexander McCune, I. J. Silliman. John Sunderland, P. E. Harris, G. K. Steele, E. M. Benson, Dr. James L. Allen. John Milligan and Salmon Lusk. In July, 1863, the stockholders concluded to wind up their afl^airs and apply for a charter for a national bank. The board of directors was fixed at nine and the capital at $125,000, and on September ist the assets of the old corporation were turned over to the First National Bank and the lat- ter assumed the liabilities of the former. General Steele had been president of the Parke County Bank from its first formation ; he was now elected president of the national bank, and continued to lie annually elected until 1871, when he declined to serve longer. Calvin \V. Levings had also been cashier of the old bank from its inception, and he continued in that position in the National bank. In 1864 the capital was increased to $150,000 and in 1869 to $200,000. In July. 1877. the afifairs of the bank were wound up, and a new charter was received under the name of the National Bank of Rockville, with a capital of $100,000. The First National Bank of Rock- ville was the sixty-third national bank incorporated in the United States. Their building was completed in 1869. and went through tlie disastrous fire in 1870, unscathed. The charter of this bank expired May 14. 1897, when the title was changed to that of the Rockville National Bank and a new charter secured. In 181)6 the capital of this institution was $ioo.ocx): de- posits, $152,000; resources and liabilities, $318,815. Its present capital .stock is $50,000; surplus and profits, $78,431; circulation, $50,000; deposits in November, 1912, were $424,657. thus making its liabilities $548,439.36. 150 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Its table of resources as shown in statement of September, 1912, were: Loans and discounts, $221,435.03; overdrafts, $5.12; United States bonds for circulation, $50,000; bonds, securities^ etc., $113,151.06; banking house and fixtures, $20,000 ; cash in vaults, $29,340.69 ; cash due from banks, $112,007.46; due from United States treasurer, $2,500; total, $548,439.36. This bank belongs on tlie "Roll of Honor," sliowing that it possesses surplus and profits in excess of capital, thus giving tangible evidence of strength and security. Of the 7,500 National Banks in this country, only 1,300 occupy this proud position, and this Rockville institution is among the number. It goes without saying that it has been won by merit and worth alone. In the original bank building, erected in 1869, provision was made for what was long known as the National Hall, a public auditorium, seating six hundred persons. It had a large stage and a handsome drop curtain, well remembered by many now residing here in Rockville. It had dressing rooms and was fully up-to-date. Its roof had a resort place where many select parties were held, and there they surveyed the attractive landscape presented by nature round about the town. Here hundreds viewed the total eclipse of the sun in August, 1869, a rare sight for any generation of men to behold. Concerts were held there, men and women were there united in marriage, and many happy gatherings were there assembled. Rut, like all earthlv things, the building was doomed. On November 16, 1906, it was burned and the present magnificent brick structure was built the following year, and in it the postoffice is kept. This building and its elegant fixtures would do credit to any city in the country. The officers of this concern have been in part as follows: Presidents, George K. Steele, Alexander McCune, Nathan Pickett; (National Bank of Rockville) J. M. Nichols to January i, 1894; S. L. McCune from January I, 1894, until expiration of charter, May 14, 1897: (Rockville National Bank) S. L. McCune, until January 3, 1897; S. T. Catlin. from June 3, 1897, to December, 1908, when he died; F. H. Nichols, from December 12, 1908, to the present time, November, 1912. The cashiers have been : Calvin W. Levings. S. A. Hornick, William Magill, William E. Livengood, S. L. McCune, F. H. Nichols, from 1894 to expiration of the charter May 14, 1897, and under the new charter until elected president in December, 1908 ; A. T. Brockway, present cashier. The present assistant cashier is W. H. Dukes ; also Edgar Teague. M. H. Case is the present vice-president. S. L. and M. H. McCune were former vice- presidents. The Parke State Bank was organized, as the Parke Banking Company, PARKE AND X^ERMILLION COUNTIES. INDIANA. I5I I by A. K. Stark, D. A. Coulter and J. H. Tate, as a private l)aiik. The same year they erected their bank Iniilding. a two-story brick, twenty by ninety- three feet in size, located on tlie northeast corner of the Square. In 1875 Mr. Coulter withdrew, selling his interest to his partners. In June, 1886, Mr. Tate resigned as cashier and removed to Omaha, Nebraska; Alfred H. Stark was made acting cashier, serving until 1887, when he was made cashier. In 1893 it was incorporated as the Parke Bank, D. W. Stark becoming asso- ciated with the new concern, a state bank. A. K. Stark was elected presi- dent and A. H. Stark was made cashier. The bank was re-incorporated under the banking laws of Indiana in 1902, under the title of Parke State Bank. Its officers in November, 1912, were A. K. Stark, chairman; A. H. Stark, president; W. J. White, vice-president; G. C. Miller, cashier; H. M. Rice, assistant cashier. The statement of the bank September 4, 19 12, shows resources and liabilities to the amount of $538,277.95. The cash capital is $75,000; surplus, $20,000; undivided profits, $12,052.06; deposits, $424,556.07. The management of this banking house is beyond question among the best in the country. Its stock is owned by some fifty prominent citizens of Parke county, seven of whom compose the board of directors, who participate in the actual management of the bank's affairs. The board of directors is composed of the following representative business men: A. B. Collings, capitalist: W. E. Ferguson, of I'^erguson Lumber Company; \V. B.. Thomp- son, of Thompson Co. ; A. K. Stark, A. H. Stark, W. J. White and G. C. Miller. Their work is all checked by an auditing committee, composed of three other stockholders, besides which precaution, the bank is regularly ex- amined by the state banking department. This double check of accounts makes it doubly safe and secure to its depositors and stockholders. At Montezuma there have been two small banking houses, private con- cerns, of no great consequence, that went down years ago. Aside from those there have never been any banks in Parke county until the present ones were formed, and of which the following is a complete list, with particulars concerning them and their present standing, officers, etc. : PRESENT BANKS OF PARKE COUNTY. The First National Bank of Montezuma was established in 1904. Its present officers are : President, S. P. Hancock ; vice-president, J. E. Johnston ; cashier, R. W. Johnston. Its capital is $25,000; deposits, $90,000. The Citizens National Bank of Montezuma, established in 1909, has a 152 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. capital of $16,000, and deposits amounting to $95,000. Officers: W. E. Dee, president; C. \\'. Hughes, vice-president; S. P. Hancock, cashier. Rosedale N^ational Bank, organized in 1908, has a capital of $25,000 and deposits of $95,000. Officers: Thomas Conley, president; E. R. Bald- ridge, vice-president; Clyde Riggs, cashier. The Bank of Bloomingdale was organized in 1907, and has a capital of $30,000 and deposits of $240,000. Officers : E. E. Neal, president ; Cyrus E. Davis, vice-president; W. M. Haig, cashier. Mecca Bank, established 1911, has a capital of $25,000: deposits of $120,000. Officers; William E. Dee, president; Edward Shirkie, vice- president; S. P. Hancock, cashier. Citizens Bank of Marshall, established in 1903, has a capital of $20,000; deposits amounting to $80,000. Officers : James C. Swaim. president ; O. W. Burford, cashier. The organization of the banks at Rock\'ille has l)eeii t^iven in full above. In all the passing years Parke county has never had but one bank failure, that of a small private concern at Montezuma, years ago. The banks of Rockville came through the various panics and today are the business and financial pride of the entire county. VILLAGE PLATS. The following village plattings have been made in Parke county : Armiesburg. platted prior to 1832, on sections 7 and 12, township 15, range 8 west. Plat, as executed originally, destroyed by fire of 1832. It is situated in ^^■abash township, on the old canal. Annapolis, on the northwest quarter of section 12, township 16, range 8 west, was platted February 4, 1837. by \\'il1iani Maris. Sr.. and John Moulder. Bridgeton. on section 22, township 14. range 7 west, by James and Mary Searing. March 27. 1857. Bloomingdale. platted September 30, 1865. on sections 13 and 24, town- ship 16. range 8 west, by William Pickard. H. B. Little and A. D. Tomlinson. Catlin, platted in townships 14 and 15. range 7. in the early sixties. Coloma. platted on sections 33 and 34, township 16, range 8, January 27. 1876. bv fifteen persons. Diamond, platted on section 34, township 14, range 7, by the Brazil Block Coal Company, December 10, 1893. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 1 53 Fullerton (Lodi), platted on section 2, townsliip \j. range 9, by Jesse Bovven and others, April 13, 1836. Guion, platted on section 7, township 16, range 6. hy Robert F. Bruin, January 7, 1882. Howard, platted l-"ebruary, 1848, by John (iaw, just west of Westport. Hudnut, platted on section 14, township 14, range 9 west, by Joseph W. Morey, April 27, 1880. Judson, platted on section 24, township 16, range 7 west. May 4, 1872, by Alexander Buchanan. Jessup, platted by John Barnes, February 26. 1887, on secticMi 14, town- ship 14, range 8 west. Klondyke, platted on section 31, township iTi, range 8 west, January 15, 1907, by William E. l^^rguson, Walter S. Ferguson and Mary Ferguson. Lyford, platted on the southeast of section 14, township 14, range 9 west. May 14. 1892. by William H. Bonner. Lena, platted on section 33. township 14, range 6 west, 1)\- Robert IT. King, February 15, 1871. Lyford City, platted on sections 14 and 27,, townshi]) 14, range 9 we^t, by John B. Shaw . .August 8, 1892. Montezuma, platted on sections 2=,. 26. 35, 36. township 16. range 9 west, by .\mbrose Whitlock, July 20, 1849. Mansfield platted August 4, 1852, by Samuel B. Gookins. Marshall, platted on section 9, township 16, range 7 west, by .Alfred Hobson and Mar\' Hobsbn, November 19, 1879. Mecca, plattefl on section 20, township 15, range 8, August 7, 1890, by Samuel T.. McCune. Xuma was platted by John \\'ilson, Octol)er 10, 1836, on section 23, township 14, range 9 west. Northampton, platted on sections 7 and 8, township 16, range 6 west, December 26, 185 1, by William and John .Aydelott and Jesse Collings, Nyesville, platted on section 34, township iTi. range 7 west, bv Martin Newling, October 18, 1872. Parkville, platted in township 16, range 6 west, October 4, 1837, b\- Presley Doggett. Rockville foriginan, platted February 28, 1823, on section 7, township 15, range 7 west, by William P. Bryant and T. .\. f Toward. Rosedale, platted on parts of sections 23, 27 and 34. township 14, range 8. Sylvania. platted on section 10, township 17, range 8 w-est, bv David Hadley, September 6, 1839. 154 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Tangier, platted by William B. Swaine and Edmund Lindley, March 13, 1886. on section 15, township 17, range 8. Westport (now Howard), platted by T. X. Burton and James R. Bur- ton, on section 18, township 17, range 8 west, June 20, 1836. West Union, platted on section 17, township 16, range 8 west, February' 18 1837, by John G. Hongham. \Vest Atherton, platted on section 36, township 14, range 9 west, by Sirena L. Modesett, August 23, 1908. \\'aterman (formerly Lodi), on section 8, township 17, range 9 west. POPULATION OF PARKE COUNTY. The population of this county, according to the 1910 United States cen- sus reports, was as follows : Total population, 22,214; the towns, cities and villages as listed in the census compendium was, Annapolis, 200; Bloomingdale, 528; Bridgeton, 219; Catlin, 185; Colma, 184; Diamond, 1,070; Guion, 50; Jessup, 75; Judson, 141; Lena, 225; Lyford, 100: Marshall 334; Mecca, 1,350; Montezuma, 1,537; Nyesville, 95; Rockville, 1,943; Rosedale, 1,166; Sylvania, 200: Tan- gier, 275. The total population of the county in 1861 was 15,538; in 1870 it had reached 18,166, and in 1880 it was placed by census reports at 19,406. From the above it will be observed that of the inhabitants in 1910 there were 9,810 living in the towns and villages, while the balance of 12,333 re- sided in the country, the total being, in 1910, 22,214. (See Township His- tories for present population of each township.) The above shows an increase in population of three and four-tenths per cent, between 1900 and 1910. The county has 474 square miles and a popu- lation to each square mile (average) of 49.7 persons. The foreign population includes: Austrians, 176; English, 149; Italians, 163; Scotch, 103; Welsh, 28. The sex are divided, 11,556 males and 10,658 females. The per cent, of illiteracy in the county is 5.3 per cent, of the entire popu- lation. Those of school age are 6,770; of those attending schools, 4,604, or 88 per cent. The number of dwellings in the county is, 5,349: number of families, 5.414- PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 155 WITNESS TREES. The late J. H. Beadle is authority that there were in all about three thousand "witness trees" blazed by the United States government surveyors in this county, as shown by the record of the land office. In 1880 there were but a few still standing, the balance either having died from old age or been thoughtlessly cut down by the axeman. At that date there was an effort made to prevent these trees from being destroyed. RECORDS BURNED. In the month of November, 1832, the building containing the deeds and other valuable public records of Parke county was burned. All deed records were burned save those recorded in book "D," which was opened November I2th the year before and was only about half filled. These deeds were all recorded with a quill pen in elegant style of penmanship by the recorder, Wallace Rea. LEGAL EXECUTIONS. The first legal execution in Parke county was that of Noah Beauchamp, on Friday, February 8, 1843, i" the timber southeast of the Rockville ceme- tery, by Sheriff Jesse Youmans. People came from far and near to this execution, even from Illinois and surrounding counties in this state. It was a bitter cold day and several women, with babes on their arms, were present and drank whisky freely, with the men, in order to "drive out the cold." The second execution in the county was that of Buck Stout, on August 8, 1883. l)v Jolin R. Musser. This was really a case from Montgomery county, but was tried in the courts of Parke county. TAX.-VTION LIST OF 1 833. The following shows how property was taxed in 1833, in Parke county: Poll tax 37>^c First-class land, per acre, one hundred acres 80c Second-class land, per hundred acres 60c Third-class land, per hundred acres 40c Each hundred dollars bank or other stock 25c Each town or out lot, one-half cent per dollar assessed valuation. 156 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. SOLDIER^S REUNION, 1 875. The greatest military gathering in Parke county was in 1875. wiien a reunion was held of the old soldiers. At least fifteen thousand people gath- ered at Rockville, and the occasion was graced by the appearance of Gen. \Villiam T. Sherman, one of the two great heroes of the civil conflict. M.\RKET QUOTATIONS. Tn 1854 the True Rcf^iiblican, of Rockville, had the following- local mar- ket quotations in its columns: Flour, $7.00 per barrel: wheat, $1.10: corn, 48 cents : oats, 40 cents : rye, 45 cents : molasses, per gallon, 2^ cents : coffee. 43 cents: sugar, 5 cents: rice, 6 cents: butter, 28 cents: bacon, 7 cents: ham. 15 cents: eggs. 10 cents: tea, from 60 cents to $1.00: cheese, 10 cents: honey, 15 cents: chickens, per dozen, $1.50. The quotations at Rockville in October, 1865, a decade later, and after th close of the Civil war, were as follows: Wheat, $2.00: apples, $1.00; Iri,sh potatoes. 40 cents: butter, per ]X)und, 35 cents: eggs, per dozen, 15 cents: lard, per ])ound, 20 cents: bacon, 20 cents: feathers, per pound, 60 cents. The present year, 1912, papers give the following in their September issues, as being the going prices ; Corn, 69 cents : wheat, 83 cents : oats, 40 cents; barley, 53 cents; rye, 70 cents: flax-seed. $1.62; potatoes, $1.13; hay. $14.00; butter, 23 cents; eggs, 18 cents; hogs, $7.11; clover seed, $9.80; wool, 18 cents; coal oil, 15 cents: gasoline, 20 cents; nails. 3 cents: calico, 6 cents: muslin, to cents: sugar, 6 cents. DAYS OF MOURNING IN PARKE COUNTY. The news of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, on the night of April 14, 1865, at Ford's theater, W'a.shington, D. C, by the shot fired by J. \\'ilkes Booth, and from which wound he died at 7 -.22 the follow- ing morning, was received at Rock\ille just as the citizens \vere making out a program for a great jollification meeting over the news of the previous day of the surrender of Confederate General Lee to General Grant, which meant the close of the war. The jollification meeting was turned into one of mourn- ing, and Governor Oliver P. Morton, who had announced by proclamation that April 20th would be observed the state over by the loyal L'nion citizens as a dav of jubilee and rejoicing, recalled his proclamation and that day was PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 1 57 set apart in Indiana as a clay of mourning for the fallen magistrate. At Rock\ille no large demonstration was held, hut the citizens met at the court house the day following the receipt of the sad news and arranged for a ])ul)lic meeting on the following Sabkith at the court house, at which Rev. .McXutt was called to serve as chaimian and Samuel Magill, .S. 1". Maxwell and Thomas N. Rice were appointed a committee to retire and draft a set of resolutions, which had five sections and which were soon presented and passed by the assembly, after which the Doxologv was sung and the bene- diction prmiounced. The hour seemed too sad and sacred to make speeches and none were made, at length. It was a l)low which struck to the very heart of all. and it was many weeks before the people of Rockville and Parke countv could rally from the terrible shock of real grief. Garfield's death. Wednesday, September 21. 1881. memorial services over the death of President James A. Garfield were held in Rockville. at the Presbyterian church. The business houses were tastily draped and all places closed during the exercises that afternoon. Flags were hungat half mast. At two o'clock the bell tolled its solemn tones, in memoriam of the death of an assassinated President, the second in this country. The audience within the church sat in quiet and hushed attention. The McCune Cadets marched with draped flags and reversed arms from the annory and. upon invitation, took seats near the stand. The church was appropriately decorated under direction of Capt. J. F. Meacham, Dr. Wirt, and Misses Mary AIcEwen and Maggie Thompson. A large portrait of the deceased President, in a shield embellished with the flag, crepe and flowers, hung on the wall behind the pulpit. Above this were in large, golden letters of beautiful design, the then memorable words. "God reigns." Hon. Thomas X. Rice was president of the day and spoke touching- ly. Rev. W. P. Cummings offered invocation and Rev. William Y. .Mien read the Scriptures. Short addresses were made by A I'. White, Rev. John L. Boyd, Rev. McSmith, Dr. Gillum and J. T. Johnstqji. At the close, the Cadets fired their military salute and marched l)ack to their armory. The next Sundav memorial services were held in the Christian church. m'kinlet's de.vtii. Again the hand of the as.sassin laid low another bcloxed President. Will- iam McKinlev. who was shot in Buffalo, New York, while attending the 150 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Pan- American Exposition, and who died September 14, 1901, from the wounds inflicted upun him eight days earlier. A befitting tribute was paid to the dead President b}- the city of Rockville. The entire population devoted Thursday, September 19th, from two to four in the afternoon, to the honor of the beloved magistrate. When the hours for the exercises at the opera house arrived the auditorium was filled with truly sorrowing and reverent people. The decorations were in keeping with the occasion. A large picture of the dead President was quite prominent, being beautifully mounted, and underneath was the inscription: "God's will, not ours, be done." The meet- ing was called to order by S. D. Puett ; invocation by Rev. J. C. Christie ; a memorial sermon was delivered by Rev. H. N. Ogden; a short address was given by Hon. James T. Johnston, who was introduced as a personal friend, a comrade in the days of Civil war on the tented field and a colleague of his in Congress four years. He naturally spoke with much feeling of the la- mented President. Next, Elder O. E. Tomes followed Mr. Johnston with a brief tribute, in which he discoursed in a most masterly manner and compared Mr. McKinley's assassination with those of the lamented Garfield and Lin- coln. PRESIDENT GRANT MEMORIAL SERVICES. The Rockville Tribune, on July 23, 1885, contained this item : ■■\\'e stop our press, after a part of the edition is printed, to publish the following: 'Western Union Dispatch — New York, July 23, 1885. General Grant died at 8 :o8 a. m.' " Saturday, August 8, 1885, was obserxed in Parke county, and especially in Rockville, as well as generally through the United States, in honor of ex- President U. S. Grant. By common consent all business took second place in people's minds, in city, town, village and country, all parties and classes uniting in public testimonials to the memory of General Grant, as he was best known. Rockville had ser\ices not soon to be forgotten by the younger gen- eration. It was stated at the time that perhaps no town of the size in all the broad land observed the day so worthily and well as did Rockville. Before noon, a large concourse of people was on the streets; the proprieties of the occasion (that being the funeral day of Grant in New York City) were well preserved. Soon after noon all business was suspended. The Opera House Band took its place in the west balcony of the building and played a sweet and plaintive air, which music touched the heart of every one in hearing, more than all the words spoken on that occasion could possibly have done. The Grand Armv of the Republic issued from their hall and marched in step PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 1 59 with the music to the opera house, faced outwardly and ga\e the order, "Salute the dead," then dispersed among the audience. The body of the house was completely filled and a portion of the large gallery. Chaplain Rev. B. P. Runkle offered prayer, solemn and impressive; Hon. Alfred F. White, chairman, announced the order of exercises; Capt. John H. Lindley read the memorial address; Hon. Thomas N. Rice followed with the regular oration. It will long rank as among the local classics. He traced thoughtfully and tenderly Grant's every step from Cadet Grant and Lieutenant Grant, to the great commander over millions of men. Next Capt. Frank M. Howard spoke in behalf of the Grand Army of the Republic, emphasizing the "uncon- ditional surrender" and "fight it out on this line if it takes all summer" theories of Grant, and wound up his remarks by these eloquent words : ' 'But, we comrades would love to believe that since the day he died, somewhere on the Elysian plains, the boys each night have bivouacs around the old com- mander. The G. A. R. salutes the dead comrade and general! Men shall not look upon your like again, Old Soldier, hail and farewell!" John H. Beadle spoke of Grant as a citizen. Dr. W. H. Gillum was in- vited to represent the Confederate army. He praised Grant for his militarj' bearing and tact, and also for his great magnanimity in his final hour of victory over the South. He said that in his humane conduct that he had ex- celled all other commanders, either North or South. It was not blood and revenge Grant worked for, but peace and prosperity, and for these he con- tended and finally won over the "Lost Cause" which the speaker fought for in the Confederate ranks. CHAPTER XV. THE STATE TUBERCULOSIS HOSPITAL. At Rockville, the county seat of Parke county, is located the Indiana State Tuberculosis Hospital, and while it is a state institution, it is deemed a proper subject to be placed in the annals of Parke county. From facts ob- tained from the late Dr. H. B. Leavitt. the popular, talented and efficient su- perintendent, whose death was chronicled this autumntime, and from other sources, the following may be relied upon as the history of this institution to date of November, 1912 : After prolonged efforts on the part of the state health authorities, who had repeatedly shown the necessity of a state tuberculosis hospital, the Legis- lature of 1905 passed a resolution authorizing the Governor to appoint a committee to investigate the need of such an institution, and report their findings and conclusions to the next Legislature. The committee was ap- pointed and after a proper investigation it made a report to the Legislature in 1907, recommending that the state of Indiana needed a tuberculosis hos- pital and that two hundred and fifty thousand dollars be appropriated for that purpose, but the Legislature only appropriated enough to purchase a site and authorized the Governor to appoint a commission to locate and purchase a site. The committee was constituted as follows: J. N. Babcock, Topeka; Dr. Henry McClure, Indianapolis; Benjamin F. Bennett, Greensburg; Isaac R. Strouse, Rockville : W. S. Holman, Aurora. This committee of five in- spected twenty sites in this state and hospitals in other states, and finally selected and purchased five hundred and four acres, three miles east of Rock- land is rich bottom ground, while the rest is rolling high pasture and woods. The commission made a report to the Governor and Legislature in 1909 and asked for an appropriation of three hundred thousand dollars for the pur- pose of erecting a hospital which would accommodate two hundred and sixty patients, but the Legislature appropriated only one hundred and thirty thou- sand dollars. The commission then proceeded to commence the erection of a hospital, first, an administration building, a power house to the rear, which furnishes steam heat, water and electric lights to the in.stitution. Next to this is a steam laundry, w ith all modern ecjuipment. On the sides of the adminis- tration building are two pavilions, one for men and one for women, connected PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. l6l with the atlniJnistr;ition building b}- means of two covered corridors. Tiie ward buildings contain fort)- rooms each, witli bath rooms, sun parlors, diet kitchens and nurses' rooms. The upstairs and downstairs porches run the entire length of the building except where the sun parlors run through them in the middle. The rooms upstairs are equipped with so-called Indiana con- vertible sleepers, a device used in no other state institution in this country. Each room is equipped with a bed, dresser and chairs. A corridor at the rear of the rooms runs the entire length of the pavilion and connects with the glazed corridor to the administration building. The glazed corridors from the pavilions to the main buildings have proved indispensable during cold winter weather. The administration building contains on the first floor busi- ness ofifice, superintendent's office, examining room, operating room. X-ray room, staff dining room and board of trustees' room. The second and third floors furnish the quarters for the staff and employes. The laboratory, dark room and store rooms are located in the basement. In the rear of the admin- istration building are the kitchen and patients' dining rooms, and in the basement the ice plant and cold storage rooms, bake shop and the employes' dining room. The commission then made a final report to Governor Marshall and turned the hospital and site over to him. The Governor accepted it on the part of the state and issued a proclamation October 31, 1910, and appointed Dr. Henry Moore, of Indianapolis, Isaac R. Strouse, of Rockville, and Dr. O. V. Schuman, of Columbia City, as trustees to manage the institution. This board i|ualified under the law and held their first meeting December i, 1910. The Legislature of 1911 made an appropriation for maintenance of the in- stitution for two and one-half years at the rate of nine dollars per week for each patient, also made a specific appropriation to stock and equip the farm, build a roadway to the hospital and completely equip the wards, ad.niinistra- tion building, power house and laundry. They also made an appropriation of five thousand dollars to erect ten houses for fifty patients. After the population of the hospital had reached one hundred patients, the trustees ad- vertised in various journals and received more than thirty applicants from eight different states for the position of superintendent. After due consid- eration and examination. Dr. H. B. Leavitt, of Worthington, Indiana, was elected as superintendent, and Dr. W. A. Gekler, of the Winyah Sanitarium, of Asheville, North Carolina, was selected as head physician of the hospital, which was opened for patients April 1, 1911, with one patient, a staff con- sisting of superintendent, head physician and matron and the following em- (lO l62 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. ploj'es : Two trained nurses, an electrician, engineer and firenian, laundry- man and assistant, baker, head cook, two waitresses in dining room, dish washer and two domestics, a farmer, dairyman, carpenter and teamster. The force has been added to from time to time as necessity demanded. The operating and treatment room, which has since been more fully equipped, serves for the minor surgery and dressings, and various other treat- ments, such as nose and throat. The examining room, which is the office of the head physician, contains the chart records which are kept for all the patients. The chart system at the hospital is really a composite of the bes* systems in use in other public and private institutions of the country, and is second to none in the point of completeness and amount of information kept on file. During the first year of its existence this hospital discharged thirty patients as cured ; that is, every sign of activity in the lungs on physical exam- ination had disappeared and the general condition equal to or better than that during usual health. This classification of cured patients is somewhat more exacting and less favorable for statistics than that of manv other institutions, but is also much more reliable and trustworthy. The hospital has not been opened long enough to ascertain the percentage of relapses among these cured cases. The number of those in whom the disease has been arrested is about the same as those cured. Many of these arrested cases ha\e. l)v taking care of themselves at home, resulted in cures. The term "arrested case" is ap]ilied to those who no longer present any of the symptoms of the disease and whose general condition is normal, but in whose chests there are still some slight signs of activity. Ver\' fe^v patients who ha\-e remained in the institution more than a week or two have failed to show improvement as manifested in subsidence of symptoms and gains in weight and strength. As is to be ex- pected, a number of patients have been admitted to the hospital, who simply refused to stay an}^ length of time and, of course, showed no lirilliant results. The average gain in weight among those who gain is over ten pounds, while the average loss is about three pounds. In addition to the physical benefits the patients derive from their stay at the hospital, each one of them gets a first-hand object lesson in personal cleanliness and careful and proper dis- posal of sputum. They are, by means of pamphlets and lectures, given all the information possible concerning the disease so as to be of benefit to those about them upon their return home in an educational wa\-. Tlie law govern- ing the institution requires that only incipient cases be admitted for treat- ment, but it is often hard to draw the line between incipient and moderately advanced cases. It has been the policy of the institution to accept all those in PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 163 whom a cure or at least decided improvement lias seemed to be possil)le re- gardless of the amount of lung involvement. .Xdxanced cases, in which the disease is limited to one side only can be treated b>' some means of artificial pneumothorax and if not cured, at least decidedly improved, but there are many cases which cannot be accepted. Isaac Strouse. of Rockville. editor of the Tribune, above named as one of the original committee to select a site for this hospital, and who really had more to do with the final selection at Rockx'ille than any other memljer of the committee, is now a trustee of the institution and since the death of Dr. Leavitt, has had active management of the institution. The i)eople of Parke county will owe a debt of gratitude that years cannot repay, for the services Mr. Strouse has been able to render them in the matter. Since the death of Dr. Leavitt, Mrs. Leavitt has lieen appointed matron of the in- stitution, an appointment worthily bestowed. CHAPTER XVI. TOWN OF ROCKVILLE. Parke county was organized in 1821. Rockville was laid out in 1824 and settled as the county seat permanently that year and received its name from the granite bowlders thereabouts. Gen. Arthur Patterson and Judge McCall donated twenty acres of land, Aaron Hand twenty and Andrew Ray forty acres, on which the public square and present business houses are lo- cated, in 1823-4, when a native forest was cut from the town site and Andrew Ray built the first house, a log cabin. In 1825 the town had between five and six hundred population. After Rockville had reached its townhood, the first persons to come in were Gen. Arthur Patterson and Judge James B. McCall. They had just arrived and fairly got settled as the platting was accomplished. McCall was a surveyor of land. These two men erected the first business house, a large one-story frame, situated on the southwest corner of the Square, where now stands the Presbyterian church. Some years later it was raised to a two-story structure. General Patterson was a man of polished manners, very energetic and strong-willed; he was the life of the town, and its progress was largely due to his untiring energies. He was the .father of Judge Patterson, of Terre Haute. McCall, his partner, was a surveyor and lawyer, but gave no attention to either profession while residing in Rockville. He died by his own hand, at Vincennes. In 1826 about a dozen families came in, but the town grew slowly. In addition to those named, were John Ashpaw, Jeremiah Ralston, Wallace Ray, the Lockwoods and Dr. Leonard and Dr. McDonald. The number was increased by James and Robert McEwen, who came in March and at once put in their tannery, the first in the county, aside from that of Caleb Williams, who located in 182 1. James Strain, Sr., a tanner by trade, came in March, 1824, and went to work with Williams, but in a few vears bought tlie machinery of the tannery and moved to Rockville. Both finally run down and were little used after 1850. In a couple of years the large trade carried on by Patterson and McCall attracted other business men to Rockville. Before 1830 Duncan Darroch, John R. Marshall, John Sunder- land and Persius Harris were all engaged in mercfiandising here. Harris was a Campbellite minister. Marshall and Darroch were in trade on the PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 165 south side as early as the winter of 1826-7. Sunderland's store was on the southwest corner of the Square, on the south side of High street. Andrew Foote opened a store soon after and was in trade for many years. Wallace Ray was the first postmaster and w^as succeeded by Matthew Noel, who was an early justice of the peace. Scott Noel came in 1826 and held many public positions, being postmaster many years. Jonas Randall came from Ohio in 1829 and erected the old Hungerford buildings. James Pyles was an early blacksmith. In 1S32 he was keeping hotel. In 1827 there were two cabinet shops — small affairs — and there the household furniture such as had to be purchased was made and repairing done; also the few coffins needed were made and trimmed in these shops. Not long after 1830 James McCanipbell and McMurty started in business. These men were merchants and pork- packers, and carried on a large trade with New Orleans. The next business men were Walter C. Donaldson and Erastus M. Benson, who opened a store. Tyler S. Baldwin, who, with Judge Bryant, had been reared among the Shakers in Kentucky, was also a prominent business man. George W. Sill and James Depew first clerked for Baldwin, but later became his partners. Sill arrived here in 1833, and continued in trade for twenty-fi\e years. It is related that his "words were softer than oil." In 1836 Jeremiah Ralston was conducting a store in Rockville. Adamson & Robinson and Levi Sidwell all settled about 1836. The last named, in company with Mr. Rosebraugh, opened the first drug store, Robert Allen & McMurty being in trade about this date also. The firm of A. M. Houston & Company was composed of General Alexander, M. Houston, William P. Mulhallen and Pembroke S. Cornelius. Houston's jiarliiers were all young men., but lie was a noted char- acter in Rockville and community He had been a general in the militia and served under Jackson in one of the Indian campaigns. He was a South- ern gentleman, who had not altogether escaped Southern ways and vices. In his early days he had been a gambler, and had made and retained a good for- tune, and lived in elegance and ease. Later in life he was converted to the Christian faith and united with the Presbyterian church, in which he was ever afterward an active member. The first millinery store in Rockville was established by Mrs. Lucinda Bradley, about 1837: her husband was a carpenter. Mrs. Lucy Smith and Mrs. W^atson each had shops a little later, .\nother pioneer was Gabriel Houghman, who came in from Butler county. Ohio, in 1830, settling a half mile south of town, but in ^8;iy moved to the town and engaged in mer- chandising in the firm of .\llen. Xoel & Company: he .soon Iwught Allen out. Fnr twelve year> lie licld pnlj'ic offices, first a> deinity sheriff, then county l66 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. assessor, sheriff three years, and in 1850 was elected to the Legislature. At that date he bought the Rockville House, on the northeast corner of the Square, where later the Rice block was erected. In 1841 J. M. Nichols settled in Rockville and embarked in the tinning business, his being the second establishment of the kind in town, the first tin shop being that of Diocletian Cox, who had left before ]\Ir. Nichols went into business. At a little later period came he who was later known as Gen. George K. Steele. He did a large business and was prominent as banker, politician and railroad promoter. Among the most universally admired and excellent business men that early Rockville ever had was Isaac Jarvis Silli- man, a New Englander, who also was in the milling business, an account of which is given elsewhere in this work. Just at the close of the Ci\il war, a woolen factory was put in operation by Sill & McEwen, at least they started it, when one of the firm died, after which Nichols & Thompson completed it and operated it until about 1875, when it ceased to longer pay interest on the investment. The machinery was mostly sold and the factory abandoned. The factory was a three-story build- ing, forty by eighty feet in size. The ]M-operty cost twenty-eight thousand dollars. In i8jy, Samuel X. Baker, from Kentucky, settled on the Leatherwood and started a pottery, in which he made red-ware till 1S33, then removed to Rockville and built another pottery, which he operated until his death in i860. It was continued by his sons, James H., Samuel and Charles, till 1873, when the last mentioned started one in the northeast part of Rockville, where for several years he turned out twenty-four kilns of ware each year, averag- ing upwards of forty thousand gallons of earthenware. In 1880 the old one was producing about twenty-four thousand gallons per year. Stoneware, such as crocks, jugs, vases and flower pots, w'ere there made in large quan- tities. The town has always been noted for its excellent saw-mills and, while the forests are fast disappearing from Indiana, there are still many fine trees being annually converted into lumber at the mills in Rockville. The business interests in Rockvillle, a third of a century ago, included these : Four gen- eral stores, one clothing house, three groceries, two boot and shoe stores, one harness shop, one pro\'ision store, three furniture stores, and undertakers shops, two jewelry stores, three agricultural and hardware stores, three grain warehouses, two newspapers, two carriage ancf two wagon shops, two black- smith shops, two saw and planing mills, two hotels, two boarding houses, three ,, millinery stores, two banks, one photograph gallery, four shoemakers, one PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 1 67 repair and machine sliop, three saloons, two livery stables, two brick yards, one tile factory, two potteries, and several loan and insurance agencies. DESTRUCTIVE FIRES. From the pen of J. H. Beadle, who wrote on Rockville in 1880, we take the liberty to quote the following concerning early conHagrations in the town of Rockville : "Rockville has been terriblv scourged by fire. It had not suffered more than an average percentage of loss from this cause until 1871, when three conflagrations in that ^-ear burned out three sides of the public square. The first occurred on the night of July 4th, on the south side. The buildings were all wooden and, with the exception of the one on the southeast corner, rook- eries : but to some the loss was not less severe on this account, though the aggregate was inconsiderable, when compared with the later fires, especially the one on the north side. This last took place on the night of September 17th. Starting in the old hotel on the northeast corner, it swept everything clean to the National Bank. Here was concentrated a greater part of the business and of course here was the greatest loss. Several of the best brick buildings in the town were in this row. The estimated loss, after the insur- ance was paid, was about sixty thousand dollars. The east side was con- sumed on the night of December 8th, seven brick front rooms being destroxed, besides less valuable property. The old hotel on the west side, where the new one is now building, was burned at another time. The south side fire was thought to have been accidentally caused by a crowd of drunken men ; Init the others w-ere supposed to have been incendiary. "The town has ne\ er had an adeijuate fire a])paratus. It has a small engine which is more effective in relaxing \igilance and promoting fancied security than otherwise. So far as the api>earance of the town is concerned, these fires have been an advantage; they made room for large, tasteful edifices which now cover the ground." The last great fire was that of the night, of November 16, 1906, when the National Bank block burned, causing a loss of thirty thou.sand dollars. The Terra Haute and Bloomingdale fire companies came to the rescue, but too late to sa\e the property. This building had the old National Hal! on one of its floors and was a fine auditorium. Dr. Goss lost his modern ph\sician and surgeon's oftice in this block and he lost expensive apparatus, with little insurance on same. The cit\- now has a better protection against fires than it has ever before had. l68 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. The old opera house in Rockville was dedicated June 9, 1883. by John E. Owens. It was built b)- the Rockville Opera House Company, at a cost of thirty-five thousand dollars, and seated eight hundred people. In the autumn of 1912 the new and strictly modern opera house was opened to the play-loving public. It was built by a stock company at a cost of twenty thousand dollars and easily seats eight hundred presons. The architect was W. H. Floyd, Terre Haute : builder, Edgar Jerome, Rockville. The stockholders are F. H. Nichols, president: Frank M. Adams, vice-presi- dent ; Allen T. Brockway, treasurer ; George L. Laney, secretary ; Howard Maxwell, John S. IMcFadden, Sidwell Alden, S. F. Max Puett, J. M. Johns and D. M. Carlisle. The committee on building was Howard Maxwell, D. M. Carlisle and J. M. Johns. MUNICIPAL HISTORY. For thirty years Rockville was an unincorporated place, but in July. 1854, voted to incorporate, and the first election of officers resulted as follows : Board. Harvey L. Hoss, D. W. Stary, E. S. Terry, Isaac J. Silliman, James H. Sanderson ; clerk, F. W. Dinwiddle. The records are not in suitable condition to give lists complete. The 1912 officers are: Board, H. E. Marks, president: William F. Graham, Will- iam B. Thompson, E. J. Coleman, B. J. Hunnicutt : clerk, William T. Patton : treasurer, F. H. Nichols: marshal. Joseph Boardman. THE POSTOFFICE The postoffice at Rockville is a third-class office. The present postmas- ter, J. H. Spencer, was commissioned March i, 1906, and succeeded I. L. Wimmer, who had served one temi. while the present incumbent is now serving on his second tenn. During his administration the office has handled over twelve hundred pieces of registered mail matter and not a single loss in the entire time. There are now seven rural free deliveries going out from this office. The last two years, ending March 30, 191 2, the business of this office has been in excess of seven thousand dollars each year. Two assistants and the postmaster do the work of the office. The postal savings department of the Rockville office was instituted November 2, 191 1, and has not thus far proved to be a large depository, but is increasing some. \Vhile its safety is acknowledged, the low rate of interest ]5revents man)- from depositing. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. ' I69 WATER WORKS AND LIGHTING PLANT. After several years of discussion, and with some opposition, an election was called to determine whether Rockville should be supplied with a system of water works that would make her on an equal footing with other towns. Finally, on May i, 1893, such an election was held and the result was that there were found two hundred and eighty-three voting for the measure as against one hundred and fourteen opposition votes. September 5, 1894. a contract was let to sink, within the town limits, a six-inch well of the tubular type. In all, three such wells were sunk, but a sufficient flow of water was not found and the plan was abandoned and one was put down in the Little Rac- coon bottoms, on the farm belonging to S. C. Puett, where a heavy flow of pure water was obtained at the depth of twenty-five feet. July 31, 1893, '^'''^ town board advertised for plans and specifications to erect water works, and~ on September 12, 1895, nine bids were opened for the construction of the plant. None of these bids was accepted, however. Public opinion was un- settled. The next move was to construct water works and light plant, com- bined, and this plan was carried into effect in August, 1903. There had been an electric lighting plant owned by private capital in Rockville for several years and this the town of Rockville purchased and combined the water ■works and electric light plant in one. since which both have given good and profitable service to the citizens and tax])ayers. They now have forty-nine hydrants, situated at various points in the town : a high stand-pipe and tower which throws water to a good height by direct pressure of the pumps. Im- proN'ements at the plant and about tlie town'are l>eing made the ])resent year. A volunteer fire company is organized and with the water works system, aided by a chemical engine and hook and ladder appliance, the present fire chief, L. W. Brown, is enabled to do good service at fires. The water supply, at present, is derived from deep wells on the Raccoon bottoms, two and a half miles east from the town. There is also a well at the plant in town, which can be relied ujjon in case of fires. The water at the big well, east of town, is affording an abundance of the purest water. CEMETERY AT ROCKVILLE. The cemetery at Rockville has been in use since 1824. Up to 1883 there had been buried within this sacred enclosure over two thousand persons. The land consisted of a six-acre tract. The first to be buried there was a child of Pioneer Ilann: she was buried on her father's own land, a part of his estate. 170 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. and of which he soon gave the public an acre, including the spot where the dear one was interred, thus making a start towards the present cemetery. The grounds are just to the southeast of the city proper. Up to 1826 there had been only five burials there, in the two years of use. No record is found back of 1839. John Alexander commenced his duties as sexton of this ceme- tery in 1843 ^"d up to 1883 nine hundred graves had been dug by him. There the strong man and the frail woman, the infant and the aged, had l^een put beneath the sod. Civilian and soldier had there been buried, including many of the Civil war soldiers, and one continental soldier — Jesse Duncan — who fought at Guilford Court House, whose remains lay on the east end of lot No. 147. Many beautiful family monuments and memorial piles now grace this cemetery, which is kept in fine condition. With the return of each spring time, and Memorial Day, the graves are visited and the green carpeting moistened by the tear-drops of the friends of those who lie there, sleeping their last sleep. Of recent years many improvements have been made on these lots and today the passerby recognizes a Christian communit}'. for no other so carefully watches the resting places of their departed dead. There have been at least three additions made to this "Silent City," l)ut in all only about eleven acres are platted, and but about eight of this has been occupied with graves. INDUSTRIES OF ROCK\ILLE. Milling is one of the earliest industries in almost any community, and here in Rockville the flouring mill industry was first established in 1853-4, by a New Englander named Isaac Jarvis Silliman, who was a pioneer miller at Bridgton and Armiesburg, where he was a partner of General Patterson, both in milling, merchandising and distilling. About the date last mentioned, he came to Rockville and entered into a partnership with O. J. Innis and J. M. Nichols. In a few years Innis retired, and Silliman and Nichols purchased the mill. Early in i860, William M. Thompson and James H. McEwen bought Silliman's interest in both mill and store property. A few years later Silliman died, greatly regretted by the community, at the age of seventy or more. In 1864 the mill was sold to Eiglehart and Brothers, of Evansville, and finally went into the hands of the national bank here, and it was burned in 1884. After this the citizens were greatly in need of such an industrv as a good flouring mill, and then commenced the remarkable history and career, in Rockville, of the Rohm family, three generations of which have been con- nected iwith flour-making in this section of Indiana. In April, 1893, E. H., PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. I7I Cahin and George W. Rolini, sons of Jacob Rolini, who had coninienccd mill- ing at tlie age of ten years for his father, began the construction of a modern fiour mill at Rockville, on the site of the old woolen factory, where plenty of good water and other conveniences were at hand. — the site of the present roller mills, — and made their first flour on New ^'ear's day. iS(j4. It is a brick structure, with metal roof, and is grouped with the power house, ware- house and roomy ofifice. As far back as 1896 this mill employed eight men. It is still running at full capacity and is known far and near for its superior grades of flour. The only other important industries in Rockville are its two quite ex- tensive lumber mills and wood-working machinery, the one being the exten- sive works of the Ferguson Lumber Company, the other, Graham & Com- pany, both of which firms do a large hard-lumber milling Inisiness. It may be added that the town no\v has five garages in successful opera- tion, and that many automobiles are sold and used in Parke county. ADVENT OF THE COLORED PEOPLE. According to the 1870 United States census, ^Vdams township had sev- enty-four colored population, of which fifty-five resided in the town of Rock- ville. The year after the Civil war closed-^i8r)6 — there was only one colored person in the town, Alexaniler Harper, a hatter by trade; he died and his family went away. Patrick Thomas arrived that year and was soon follow ed by Alexander Black. In 1870 Abram Gaston brought his family to Rock- ville from North Carolina; he accompanied Samuel Kirkman. who had l)een back on a visit ; this was the first family from that state. In the colonv that emigrated from that state in 1872 were Joseph Kirkman. Jesse Kirkman, Anthony Brower, Jesse Craven and Ransom Coble. By 1880 colored people had come in from the Carolinas, Virginia and Tennessee till they numbered fully two hundred, many of whom became excellent citizens and not a few became well-to-do persons, who seemed to prize their liberty and rights, and they and their children have kept up this record of good citizenship until this time. They support a Methodist and a Baptist church and a public school. CHAPTER XVII. ADAMS TOWNSHIP. Adams township, in which the seat of justice is located, has, in common Avith others of Parke county, no pubHc record showing the facts connected with its organization and settlement, owing to the fact that the records made b)' the early county officials were all burned in the fire of November, 1833. Except for the first actual settler, there is abundant proof about who the first settlers were. It was contended at the date of the old history', by Walker Adams, that his father, James Adams, made a settlement in 1816, on the Little Raccoon in what is now known as Adams township. He further con- tended that the township derived its name from his father, all of which looks plausible, though possibly he has fixed the date of coming a little too early. However that may be, it is usually granted that Adams was first to locate in this township, and that it was before 1818. There is no account of any others coming in prior to 1821, to make permanent homes for themselves. In 181 7 a colony of several families emigrated from Butler county, Ohio, and settled on the Big Raccoon, in what came to be known as the Bell Settlement, near Bridgton. Among those were Abel Bell. Tobias Miller, Solomon Simmons, the Adams and Webster families. Isaac McCoy, the celebrated Indian mis- sionary, had his home in the same region. A few years later Aaron Hand, also from Ohio, joined this colony. In the spring of 182 1 Solomon Simmons moved and located, a mile southwest of Rockville. In the autunm of the same year Aaron Hand came up from the Bell settlement and located on the present site of Rockville. Greenberry Ward and his father, James Ward, made a tour of exploration and in their travels found Cornelius Sunderland, living on what in later years was known as the' Beadle farm. In 1822 came James McGinnis, settling a mile and a half south of Rockville. Cornelius Sunderland arrived the same year. Andrew Ray came to Rock\i;ie that year, early in the spring, but was here the autumn before and located his lands. At that date land hunters were numerous and there was much rivalry to see who should obtain choice bottom tracts of bottom lands. A party con- sisting of James Glass, John Miller, Jacob Miller and Thomas Wolverton, who were much disheartened at not being able to secure such lands as above mentioned, were on their way to Montgomery county to search for a better PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 1 73 choice uf lands, ulicn tliey were happily directed by a Kentuckian to the ''di- vide between the two Raccoons." Upon examination, the country pleased them and they decided to locate there, and were joined by Tobjas Miller, Reuben Webster, Lawrence Cox and a few more. So general was the sat- isfaction at finding their desires, that James Kelsey named the settlement "New Discovery," and it is still spoken of as such, and churches and schools have been named for it. A wonderful rush soon pushed forward for this portion of the county. The land office was soon moved from Terre Haute to Crawfordsville, and the route was dotted all the way with newcomers' places, and smoke from many cabins greeted the eye. For the choice of land men took great chances at swimming streams and they rode day and night, through drenching rains and other fierce storms, often exhausting and sometimes kill- ing the horses which bore them. Next was heard the sound of the settler's axe and saw, in clearing up the forest and making farms. The crashing of falling beech, walnut and sugar trees might ha\e been heard on every hand, preparatory to the log-heap and crackling fires. The spring and summer of 1822 were exceedingly wet, and the new- comers were sad and disheartened with water all around them, and mud, mud, mud at their feet. They hauled their grain from Fort Harrison, but found other supplies at Roseville. Toward the close of the summer the rain clouds passed by and sunny weather was present to greet them. Here might have been seen men and women with children at their knees, far distant from their former homes and out of reach of every civilized comfort, spreading their beds and boards in a trackless wilderness, infested with venomous reptiles and wild beasts, voluntarily seeking rough toil, accepting course food, and facing all but famine, yet yielding to nothing but protracted and blighting ilis- ease and sometimes death. Their experiences form a story of trials, priva- tions and sufferings, and a picture of heroism and triumph, which can never be accurately depicted by the pen. The Rockzillc Trihinic at one time published the following incident that may throw some light upon this state of affairs : "Nancy, wife of Cornelius Sunderland, had been to her father, Nathan- iel Page's one afternoon late in the autumn of 182 1 or '22, to borrow a reel. The houses were not more than half a mile apart and as she was returning she strolled along, gathering nuts, buried in the leaves on the ground, failing to note the direction, and strangely oblivious of everything around her. until her attention was arrested by a sudden darkening of the sky and falling of snow flakes. On looking up she discovered that she had missed her wav, but, correcting her course, pressed forward with all haste, in the supposed 174 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. direction of her hume. She had not proceeded far before she was filled with alarm at finding herself in a dense forest, and totally ignorant of her where- abouts. The snow was falling fast. The deep gloom and grand silence of the woods added to her painful feelings and situation and her fears grew almost frantic, when she noticed the dog that had accompanied her had dis- appeared. She searched wildly about for the path, shouting eveiy few steps, and then pausing for an answer, but hearing no sound but the beating of her own heart. On and on she wandered without a glimpse of a single object she knew to relieve her terrified thoughts. Xight came on and stiil she groped about. The boughs were now bending beneath the weight of falling snow. At length, finding that her traveling and calling were only a vain waste of strength, and wet, cold, faint and overwhelmed with despair, she took shelter in a hollow tree, where she passed the night. As soon as daylight came she renewed her fruitless endeavor to find a habitation or to attract at- tention by her cries. As hour by hour went by she continued her wanderings till late in the afternoon, when her strength was gone and, benumbed with cold, she sat down to await help or die, "When e\ening came it was known that she was lost. Her husband, greatlv distressed, spread the alarm and the settlers north of the Big Rac- coon turned out in a general search. By the middle of the next day all the west part of the county was aroused and had joined the relief party. About sunset John Sunderland, while hunting along the bluffs of Raccoon, heard a faint cry, so faint that he could not ascertain the direction, till several times repeated in answ'er to his shout. Following the sound, he came upon a human being leaning against a tree, whom he confidently believed to be a squaw. He supposed she had been abandoned or lost by her tribe, nor was it till he drew near and actually touched her, that he recognized his sister-in-law ! Thirt\' hours of toil and suffering had completely transformed her : her dress was in rags, her voice was almost gone, and she was so chilled that she could not climb upon a log, and he had to lift her to a horse and then hold her as he would a child. But the constitution of a pioneer woman soon brought health and she survived to a good age, to be the mother of a large family of vigorous sons and handsome daughters. And it is recorded that, womanlike, she had held onto the borrowed reel, through all her wanderings." Other early settlers outside of Rockville, not already named, w ere : Jos- eph Wilkinson, who came from Warren county, Ohio, in 1825, and located in New Discovery; James Ward and son Greenberry, in 1826: Nathaniel Page, about the same time. By about 1830 nearly all the land, at least all of the choice tracts, had been taken up, and settlements were evenly distributed. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 1/5 It is related that it was tlitn uncommon to find a stretch of countrj- where there was not a house at least within two miles of another. The Indians had nearly all departed. From 1825 to 1831 there were numerous parts of tribes of the Delawares and Pottawatomies left behind the main tribes of these Indians. The settlement at Rockville is mentioned in the town oi' city his- tory of that place, hence is omitted here. Aside from the interests at Rock- ville, the township is an agricultural section, noAv highly developed and full of beautiful farm homes and a happy, intelligent and prosperous peo[)le. A table elsewhere gives the population of this and every other township within Parke count\-. The Educational chapter treats of the early and present schools, while the chapter devoted to churches gives much concerning the various branches of religious work in Adams township. The wagon roads leading into Rockvillfe are numerous and all well graveled at this date, and the number of carriages and automobiles owned by the farmers is indeed wonderful, while the rural free delivery of mail and the parcel post make a net-work of the township. These all present a great contrast to the days of 1822, when the first stakes were stuck b}' the hands of a few pioneers. The valuation of property, real and personal, in .\dams township in 1912 is $1,250,500, outside the city of Rock\ille. Including the city, the valuation, as per recent assessed list, is $2,500,000. The 19 10 United States census gave Adams township (outside town of Rockville) a population of T.417. CHAPTER XVIII. FLORIDA TOWNSHIP. Florida is the extreme southwestern civil sub-division of Parke county. It is bounded on the west by the Wabash river ; on the north by Wabash and Adams township ; on the east by Raccoon township and on the south by Vigo county, Indiana. The old canal runs through its western borders. Its towns and hamlets are Coxville, Rosedale, Jessup, Lyford, Hudnut, Numa, and numerous postoflices, some established many years since, but abolished upon the introduction of the modern rural route system. Its area covers about forty-eight square miles. Its population in 1880 was 1,944. while at present (1912) it contains about 3,170 people. In 1880 its assessed valuation was $689,364, in real estate and personal amounting to $175,662, as against a total in 1912 of $1,324,155. Its territory is watered by Little and Big Rac- coon ri\ers. Along these streams, which are really large creeks, and along the Wabash river are the bottoms, stretching more than a mile in rich level lands, and where some of the finest crops of wheat and corn are produced annually. Back of these valleys are the blufYs showing their rocky heads, but soon wear down to a level country again. These flats formed by the raising of the bluffs are almost level, and at some remote period, possibly formed an island. East of Rosedale, the country forms a flat sandy section, resembling the prairies of Illinois somewhat. The north part of Florida township is very rough and broken, but most of its land has been utilized by energetic farmers and stockmen. The township was named, according to Jesse R. Youmans, at its or- ganization in the fall of 1821, from David Loree, a pioneer who had emi- grated from such a named township in New York state. The first settlers in this township are to he classed among the first pioneers within Parke county. Among such sturdy, self-sacrificing characters may be recalled John M. Doty, whose axe was among the very first to be heard ringing through the forests of the county. He settled east of Rosedale, where he remained till overtaken by death. Another was Henry, a family well known in Parke county, through their descendants, to this day. It is claimed that this family settled east of Rosedale about 1816, and the place where they first set stakes. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 177 almost a century ago, is still known as Henn-'s Prairie. .Mr. Henry had fonr sons, John, William, Moses and Isaac. William died in Florida townshi]) in 1848; Moses was killed while en route to New Orleans with a flat-boat loaded w'ith pork. The forks of the creek were settled by John .\dams and James and Moses Barnes, from Kentucky. William Evans came to Florida town- ship about 1820. One of the first settlers in Parke county was Joseph Wal- ker, who came in 1816, locating on the bluff in the southwestern part of this township. This was ever afterwards styled Walker's Bluff. He first pre- empted a quarter section, where he built a log cabin, sixteen by eighteen feet, and there set out the first orchard ever planted in the township. He also built the first brick house in the town. A Mr. Kispert later owned and occu- pied this place. In 1819 Chauncey Rose settled in the township, which also was the date of the building of the Raccoon Mills on the stream where Rose- ville was afterward built. Rose came to the country a poor man. and when he bought his land bought it simply for farming ])urposes, little dreaming that he was to sell corner lots from the tract he had selected. Other early settlers were Messrs. Robbins and Brooks, who were early factors at Rose- ville and carried on merchandising at that point many years. In 1820 Will- iam Smith built his log cabin three-quarters of a mile to the south of Rose- dale, on Henry's Prairie, and lived there until 1835, when he erected a double-log cabin where Rosedale was later situated. He who was usually styled "Major," really James Smith, came in 1820, and has always been recognized as the first settlers on the bluff north of Jude Walker's. He finished a cabin eighteen by twenty feet, and became the owner nf nearly a section of land. It was there that David D. Loree made his home in the spring of 1820. He came from New York, from which state he started on a flat boat, accom- panied by his brother's wife and her daughter, Minerva (later Mrs. Brown). Capt. Daniel Stringham, a soldier of the Revolutionary war. and Jonathan Rockwell settled on what was known as ^'ankee street at about the same date. Other early settlers were John and Syhester Sibley, Zebina Ho\ey, the celebrated pioneer carpenter of this counts', and Hectnr Smith. .\n early blacksmith was Mr. Drure, in 1823 on Walker's land. Most of the follow- ing men were in Florida prior to 1830: Joseph Cahill, David Hix, Samuel House, John Crabb, Seba H. Case, Peter Pence, Z. Fenton, Abraham Laney, the Rukes, John Steward, the Boatmans, Benjamin Dailey, George Baugh, James Laney, the Kilburns, John Cottrell, James Burson, Cephas Fisher. The township is now well developed and made u}) of wealthy and fair- circumstanced farmers. Some of the old settlers have sons and daughters (12) 178 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Still residents of the township where their forefathers first settled, while a majority of the people are of a later generation who came from other sec- tions of this and other counties. The schools and churches are all mentioned in the general chapters of this work, hence are not further noted in this con- nection. It may be stated in passing, that the pioneer Chauncey Rose very greatly resembled Daniel Webster. He was a man of character, enterprise and great public promoter of good in Parke county. VILLAGES OF THE TOWNSHIP. Florida has several small towns and hamlets, including the following: Roseville, the first village in the county, received its name from Chauncey Rose, its first settler, who entered the land upon which it stands in 181 9, and soon commenced the building of a grist mill on the banks of Raccoon creek, W'hich was for many years known far and near as the Raccoon Mills. A saw- mill w'as soon completed a short distance above the flouring mill. He also erected a cabin or two, for himself and those who worked for him, these being the first erected in the village. The mill soon grew to Ise one of great promise and drew customers from a radius of more than twent\-five miles. After many years the mill did not longer produce sufficient flour for the in- creasing demand, when another was constructed, being later owned and ojicrated by Daniel Kiblar. The first store was run by Moses RobJjins, which was opened about the same date as the mill. At first the Indians were the best patrons, and Air. Robbins was by them called "Old Mohawk.'" They brought him large quantities of furs, for which he exchanged to them coffee, tobacco, "'mad water," etc. "Uncle Moses" kept in stock everything that was called for b\- both white and red men, and for manv ^•ears drove a successful trade and barter, but finally died a poor man. Judge Wedding conducted the second store in the village and operated it successfully till he removed to Terre Haute. In 1820 a tan-yard was established at Roseville, a quarter of a mile to the southeast of the mills. After two years it proved a failure and was abandoned. A distillery was also thought necessary and one was Iniill at the foot of the bluff, and there many a barrel of whisky was made and sold at twenty-five cents per gallon, and shipped to New Orleans on rude flat-boats. Another was situated a half mile south of the first one and was known as the McCamic still-house. In 1825 Robbins and Wedding were extensively en- gaged in pork packing and shipping to New Orleans. The first doctor was Dr. McDonald. In this village the first session of court was held in Parke county. The first grand jury sat here, and here the first indictment was PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 179 found, while the first case was tried in the court which was in session, the same being a criminal case. John Grim, for stealing some furs from the Indians, was sentenced to ihe penitentiary for one }ear. Between 1825 and 1835 Roseville was indeed a lively place. It soon began to decline, however, when Rockville opened up and, in addition to the county business, also flrew trade which had formerly gone to Roseville. Xuma, situated on section 26, range 9, was first settled by John Wilson, he having entered the land and laid out a part of his farm into town lots in 1837. These lots were advertised in 1838. and a number sold at prices rang- ing from twelve to fifteen dollars. Nearly every person in the neighborhood purchased one of these town lots. Mr. Wilson erected the first frame house in the village, it being designed as a hotel. The stage which carried passen- gers along this road from Terre Haute to Lafayette stopped here to change horses and eat their meals. The hotel had a sign reading. "Entertainment for Man and Beast," and as it did not pay, Mr. Wilson tore it down and opened a general store. In 1840 Mr. Gleason erected a large frame building in the southern part of town, which was used both for hotel and store purposes. Gleason sold to Silas Bowers, after which it became a noted place. During the building of the canal quite a business was carried on at this point, but when that highwa}- was finished the interest in the town was forever gone. Clinton Lock received its name from the fact that the locks of the ^Vabash & Erie canal were situated at this place, and also from its location immediately across the river from the cit\' of Clintmi. In June. iSSo. it was named Lyford. It is in section 14, range 9. and is a station now on the Chicago & Eastern Illinois railroad. John Crabb entered the land on which the village is situated, and in 1833 •'•o''^ to his son, W. G. Crabb. He built a large warehouse there in 1850; it was on the bank of the canal and was forty by eighty feet, two stories high. After the days of the canal it was no longer needed for grain, and in 1862 it was sold to ^'ouman & Smith. A. & J. M. Lyons put in a stock of merchandise in 1851, amounting to seven thousand dollars. At the closing of the canal in 1865. everything in the town seemed to instantly decline and went to decay. It remained defunct until the autumn of 1873, when a switch from the Evansville & Terre Haute railroad was put in and run to the mines and warehouse of A.sa Fitch, who put in titty men and shipped fifteen cars of coal per day. .\ year later another mine was opened half a mile to the north. In 1875 ^^^^ railroad purchased tiiese switches and recognized Clinton Locks as a station point on their line. That year the store was opened and in 1877 a store was conducted by Lake & Com- pany. In i87(> the old warehouse was purchased by Hudmut & Company, l8o PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. who carried on a large business, it was in 1879 that the great stave factory was estabhshed at this point by Jesse Chitter, who there made about seventeen thousand staves each twenty- four hours. Later a cooper shop was added and thus the staves made up into casks and barrels. West of the village the first ferry was run from Florida to Clinton. It was owned by David Patton, and consisted of a simple flat-boat pushed across the Wabash by means of poles, the fare being thirty-seven and one-half cents per team. Rosedale received its name from pioneer Chauncey Rose, of Terre Haute. The ccjniing of the Terre Haute & Logansport railroad was the commence- ment of this village so well known now. It is situated in the southeastern portion of Florida township, and was platted by Ephraim Doty. The first house there, built by William Smith in 1835, was a large hewed log house twenty by forty feet. The whole community assisted in raising it, occupy- ing two full days. It still stood in 1890, the property of Jerry Beal. Notliing of inijiortance happened at this point until i860, when the railroad w'as fin- ished and a store was built; also a warehouse and mill, a drug store and scliool house. Frank Bell was the first postmaster, receiving his commission from President Lincoln in January, 186.2. The village had a population of one hun- dred in 1880, but of recent years it has improved greatly and the census of 1912 gives it a population of 1,166. All branches of small town business are here represented by enterprising men. Jessup, another hamlet of this township, is situated in the northeastern part of the township, and derived its name from Mr. Jessup, an old resident of the community, and who at the completion of the "pumpkin vine railroad'' moved near where the village now stands. Pleasant ' Hawkins and Monroe Barnes, of Terre Haute, who shipped a barrel of pork addressed to "Jessup," really originated the name. The road was just finished and the conductor and train crew searched the list of towns, when they finally decided to put the goods otif for Jessup at that point, and they were making a point in his- tory of which they then knew not ! The place is not of great importance, yet, as a trading place, has been a good thing for the people of that section. It now has about seventy-five population. West Atherton is located in the extreme southwest corner of the town- ship, and is a small station point on the branch of the Chicago & Eastern Illi- nois railroad. Another town in this township is Cox\ille, a thri\ing hamlet of more modern type than many already named. CHAPTER XIX. GREENE TOWNSHIP. Greene township is congressional township No. i6 north, of range 6 west, and is situated on the east side of Parke county, with Putnam county on its east. Union townsliip to the south, Washington to the west and Howard township and Montgomery county on its north. The nortii and south branches of the Little Raccoon flow through its domain. Big Raccoon cuts ofif a small corner of this township on section 36, where Portland Alills is located. The surface is varied. Along the lianks of its streams it is much broken, rising in places to considerable hills and bluff land. The northeast quarter and south half are level and well adapted to agriculture. The soil is exceed- ingly fertile. Limestone abounds on the west side of the north l)ranch, and there are numerous outcroppings of coal, with indications of some iron. On the east side of this branch sandstone of three kinds, red, yellow and gray, is found in considerable quantities. It is well suited for building purposes. Fire rock, used for chimney and fire-place backs, is also found in this town- ship. The township was originally one dense forest, embracing many varie- ties of excellent timber. In the more swampy parts the underbrusli was so thick, together with pea-vine and nettles, that a road had to be blazed, that children might find their way to and from school at an early day. In 1880 two-thirds of the township was under a fine state of cultivation. Much im- pro\ement has been done there in the passing of the last three decades. What is or was known as the Lindon thicket, or s\\ amp. and considered by the pio- neers as worthless land, is now the most \aluable in all the township. It ma\' be .said that Cireene is an average farming section of Parke count}-. Sufficient gra\'el is found to construct all the roads necessary in the territory. The Vandalia railroad traverses the northwest comer of the township, while the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton line passes through the entire north- ern part of it, with a station junction of both roads located at Cuion, a ham- let of fifty ])ersons. The i)resent assessed valuation of the township is $1,005,580. while its population in 1910 was placed by the United States cen- l82 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. sus as 1,009. Of the schools and churches other chapters in this work will treat at length. INDIAN DAYS AND WILD GAME. The early settlers saw the redmen at their doors asking for food and to trade with them for furs. Their principal camp was on the north of Little Raccoon, northeast of the railroad crossing at Guion. Here, for the last time in the histor\' of Greene township, thej- built their camp-fires, sang their songs of war and the chase, raised the war whoop, and bade adieu to the hunting grounds and graves of their fathers. They were at all times friendly to the settlers, yet it is said that one John Hathaway lost no' opportunity to dispatch an Indian. His father had been murdered and himself wounded by them, at a settlement on the Wabash, and he had sworn to wreak out vengeance in their blood. Indian relics found there are such as arrow heads, stone axes, and one iron tomahawk, once in possession of Ambrose Lambert, was a real curiosity; it had a curved blade about five inches long by two and a half in width; the pole served for a pipe; the handles to this combined instru- ment of war and peace are one. Once game' of every kind belonging to this latitude was found here in abundance. To see twenty-five deer in a drove was nothing uncommon, or turkeys to alight on the trees in numbers so great as to break down their branches. Squirrels, porcupines, mink and other small animals were as com- mon as small birds are now ; now, only a few squirrels remain. Among the early settlers Ambrose Lambert was the most successful hunter. Snakes of almost every kind were here in great numbers. East of Parkville, on the old Mathias Sappinfield farm, is what is known as "'snake den." Here, in a cliff of sand-stone, serpents of all kinds came in the fall to take up winter quarters. In the spring, men came and killed them in great numbers, as they basked in the sunshine on the rocks. EARLY SETTLEMENTS. In the autumn of 182 1, five families emigrated from Kentucky to this sec- tion of the county. These were Daniel Bruin, Sr., James Buchanan, David Todd, Abraham Durlin and Ambrose Lambert, accompanied by three young men, and they all settled on the west bank of the north branch of Little Rac- coon, south of the railroad crossing of today at Guion station. This without doubt was the first settlement in Greene township. They came not to hunt PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 183 deer and dig "sang," but for the purpose of building for themselves permanent homes. These sturdy pioneers went to the task of felling the giant forest kings and erecting cabin homes in what was a vast wilderness. Abraham Durlin's cabin was the first readv for occupancy, but by the time the winter's blast had come on, all were comfortably housed for the long, dreary winter. But hard times were in store for this little band of pioneer settlers. They had little money or grain, and had to purchase the latter from neighbors at very high rates. Then the sound of the water mill had not yet been heard in the settlements, and the roads were little more than paths beaten by wild beasts and wild men in days long gone by. When they had corn, they re- duced it to hominy by means of the wooden mortar. This they made in two grades, coarse and fine. The former was eaten, with such other food as they could procure, for breakfast; the latter was made into a kind of coarse bread and served the remainder of the day. At all times, however, they were sup- plied with an abundance of wild game. This tided them over until a small patch of ground could be cleared, and a crop raised. Yet, it is written that nearly all lived to be old men and women. This colony was followed in the spring of 1822 by about fifty families, who settled near them in Union, Wash- ington, Greene and Howard townships. The second settlement was effected at Portland Mills, in 1823, on the line between Parke and Putnam counties, by Clemen Gare, Moses Hart, John Foster, Lemuel Norman and Samuel Steele, all of whom were from Ken- tucky. The immigration came rushing in mightily from Kentucky, Pennsyl- vania and the Carolinas, until about 1836. As early as 1830, the pioneers saw the rude round-log cabins, with their board roofs, mud chimneys and paper glass windows, all around them in every direction, but as the years wore away better abiding places were provided. MILLS OF THE TOWNSHIP. The greatest drawback in this settlement was the lack of mills. Rose- ville, twenty-five miles distant, was their nearest milling place. So bad were the roads and so high the unbridged streams at times that the families had to subsist on such meals as they were able to make by hand, such seasons lasting sometimes for weeks. Then a settler never went to mill alone, but the neigh- bors would all club together and go with their teams in' a company. Extra men went ahead, to hew out a road-way and assist the drivers in crossing streams and hills. The first mill in this township was erected at Portland Mills, in 1825, by Samuel Steele, father of the better known George Kirk- 184 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Patrick Steele, and pioneer settler of that place. This was a combined grist- and saw-mill. It was many times rebuilt and finally, in 1880, was owned by J. E. Blake, being then looked upon as Parke county's best mill. The fiour made there at an early day was hand bolted. The pioneers and their children looked upon Mr. Steele as a great benefactor to his race, and today, were they living, would plead for his bust to adorn the Hall of Fame. The first, as well as only, still for making liquors in this township was built and run by Mathias Sappinfield, on his farm, one mile and a fourth east of Parkeville. The village of Parkeville was platted in township 16, range 6, October 4, 1837, by Presley Doggett. Guion, another hamlet, already mentioned, was platted by Robert Bruin. January 7, 1882. in section 7 of the same town- ship and range. CHAPTER XX. HOWARD TOWNSHIP. Howard is the northern township in Parke count}-, in range b, township 1 6. The east and south boundaries are each six miles in length, and the northern boundary is three miles long. Fountain county is to the north, Montgomery to the east, while on the south are situated (ireene and Wash- ington townships. The western boundary is very irregular; along this lie Sugar Creek and Penn townships, the latter bounding only a spur, one and a half miles wide, projecting from the southwest of Howard township. On the west and south of Howard township is some farming land as fine as the "King- dom of Parke" contains. Along the Sugar creek, which flows southwest through the township, the surface is very broken for some distance away from the banks. The east and south parts of the township are divided into large farms, well improved and now very valuable. In lieu of good farms the hilly country is rich in its deposits of mineral wealth, sandstone of several varieties, and limestone, fit for any sort of buildings. The soapstone beds in the township are twenty feet in thickness, between two strata of sandstone. Coal and iron ore crop out from the hills. Coal is found in a twelve-foot vein and of good quality. Up to 1855 Howard formed a part of Sugar Creek township. Before this several petitions were presented to the county commissioners by the cit- izens on the west side of the township for a division as it is now, but these petitions were denied them. In 1855, through the energies of Col. Casper Budd, the trustee of Sugar Creek, these petitions were finally granted. The territorv thus set ofif was organized into a civil township, called Howard, by Colonel Budd in honor of General Howard, then one of the county's most prominent men. In 1912, the assessed valuation, real and personal, of Howard township was $458,025. Its present population (T910 census) is 666. The schools and churches are treated under separate general chapters in this work. The first church organization was in 1833 and the first school was taught in 1830. 1 86 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. EARLY SETTLERS. The original settlei^s in what is now called Howard township were Henry Litsey, Samuel Snook and James Long. The first located in 1822, on Sugar creek; the same year came to section 31 Samuel Snook and the third was James Long, on section 17. In 1823 the stream of immigration began .pour- ing in to Parke county from Kentucky and North Carolina, and by 1830 there was little choice land for sale. Of these few settlers it may be stated that they were quiet, industrious people, who came not for office or specula- tion, but simply for the purpose of making for themselves and families homes. They made their own cloth from the flax they raised ; ate bread from the grain they had sown and threshed by hand, and in most cases had pounded it into meal and flour. But few bushels were left when the family and stock had been supplied. In 1830, Salmon Lusk bought and packed pork at the narrows of Sugar creek. This furnished the people with a little ready money in exchange for the little stock they produced. At the same time and place Prior Wright opened a small general store, which supplied them with the few actual necessities needed. With the surplus of a ten-acre farm, when pork was only one dollar and twenty-five cents per hundred, calico thirty-five cents per yard and salt five dollars per barrel, they could purchase but little. These pioneers were nearly all God-fearing people, and early organized church societies and held worship in log houses, where the God of their fathers was worshiped in a true and faithful manner. The great trouble encountered at that day was the securing of suitable breadstuff s. Prior to 1826 the nearest points at which they could obtain flour was at either Alamo or Roseville. In 1826 Salmon Lusk built a mill at the narrows of Sugar creek. The first mill built in the township was by Urial Clore; the second was built by Blumens White in 1853, ^"d later known as Scott's Mill. No serious epidemics have ever visited this township, and but few fatal accidents have occurred. The first person killed was James P. Robinson, who fell from bis wagon going down a hill near Rockville. The next was a lad, named William Montgomery, who was killed by the falling of a tree, and the third, Richard Watson, was crushed by the beam of a ciover huUer at Jacob C. Banta's. CHAPTER XXI. JACKSON TOWNSHIP. Jackson township named for old "Rough and Ready," Andrew Jackson, once President of the United States, is in the extreme southeast part of Parke county, w ith I'utnam county to its east. Union township north, Raccoon town- ship west and Clay county, Indiana, to its south. The "hills of Jackson" is a common expression in speaking of this portion of the county. Yet much good land is found within the limits of the township. The once giant forests have been cleared away and beautiful farms are now seen in many sections. The saw-mill here was early set to work and did its part in developing the country. The Big Raccoon cuts off the northwest corner, passing out in sec- tion 1 8. Along this creek lie the rich alluvial bottom lands, more valuable than any other kind of soil. The southeast is quite level, the balance being rough and hilly. The township abounds in numerous beautiful, never-failing springs of pure water that gladden the heart of both man and beast. Then there is a wonderful sulphur spring. The Indianapolis & St. Louis railroad passes across the southeast corner of this township, and one of its stations is the village of Lena. The old settlers were nearly all dead by 1880. The first settlements were effected in the Big Raccoon valley about 1820, at a time when the Indian roamed up and down that stream at will and was "lord of all he surveyed." About 1820 the first cabin in the valley was built where Mans- field now stands, being erected by Nelson and Hubbard, for James Kelsey, as a residence. In 1821 lands were entered by (ieorge Kirkpatrick and Nash Glidwell came from Ohio. Robert Glidwell surveyed through this section in 181 6, and about 1823 entered land, his patent being signed by President Monroe. In 1821 Zopher and Emily Coleman sought a home in the wilds of Jackson township, settling north of the present site of Mansfield. They came in from South Carolina. That year a son was born to them and they named him Zopher, Jr., he being the second born in the township. George Hansel was born in Pennsylvania in 1795, and when the war of 1812 broke out he enlisted and aided in the defense of Fort Hamilton, also crossed the White river and helped to destroy the Indian town. Prepared by these ex- periences, he came to what is now Parke county in 1820, and entered land l88 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. in what is now the northwest part of Jackson township. He left for two years, and then returned to occupy the lands he had selected. He was much engaged in the early surveys of this county and constructed with his pen a map of Parke county, showing all the sun'eys. sections and streams. He ser\ed as justice of the peace many years, being the first elected in Jackson township. Jacob Cole later owned the farm he settled upon. As early as 1825, William Bullington arrived. He came from Kentijcky to this state in 1815. having moved from \"irginia to Kentucky in 1807. He said that there were not men enough in Parke county to raise a respectable cabin, and that many of them li\ed in their wagons and camped out. Bullington accompanied the Indians from ]\Iansfield to St. Louis when they were remo\ed from Ohio to the Osage country. The.se Indians, one thousand two hundred in num- ber, divided into three detachments, separated from each other a day's jour- ney, so that the hostility existing between dififerent tribes might be controlled. Bullington was twenty-three days with these Indians, when he returned. By trade he was a mason. In 1869 he removed to Union township and in 1880 was still living, having reached his four score years. ^-Jesse and "Amelia Moore both emigrated from South Carolina to Ken- tucky, and in 1826 to Jackson township in this county. They started Octo- ber 8th. and arrived here and leased twenty-seven acres in the northeast quarter of section 9, agreeing to build a house and set out an orchard, besides clearing up seventy acres. They had the privilege of using the whole quarter section. There were three families of them : the old folks. Jesse and Amelia : Naoma Pruett and husband, with family of two children ; Thomas Aloore and wife, with one child : and Joab, a single man. Jesse and his son Joab worked a half of the land, and Thomas and Stephen the other half. Thomas became the wealthiest man in Jackson township thirty years and more ago. In 1829 came Michael and Elizabeth Pruett, hailing from the famous Blue Grass district of Kentucky, bringing their son Calvin w ith them. They bought land not far from Mansfield. His sons, Calvin, Cyrenus and James, with other children, spent their lives in this township. When the public school law was voted on in this county. Calvin Pruett was the onlv man to vote for it in his township. The voters hooted at him and called him "too advanced for this county" and he stood and voted alone, but it was not long before he was gratified at being vindicated by the passage of the law, the base of our present fine school system. Cyrenus Pruett was many vears a town- ship officer, including that of assessor. James Pruett faced the enemv's shot and shell during the Civil war, and spent fifty-two days in Andersonville prison-pen. PARKE AND VKRMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 189 By 1830 there were possibly twenty-five families within Jackson town- ship, as there were thirty-two votes cast at an election in that year. Among the pioneers were: Thomas W. Moore, Jcseph Coombs, John Coombs, Mahalan Stark, James Parsley, Hugh Vinzant. Presley Tyler, John ^'oung, Stephen Mannon, Samuel Johnson, Solomon Garrigus. In 1S37, however, the dull times struck in and not for a number of years was there much immi- gration to this county, after which, though, it was redoubled. From 1865 to 1880 Jackson township made wonderful progress. The census nf 1880 gave it as having 1,442 population. Its present population is 1,157. Its assessed valuation in 1912 is $496,520. VILLAGES OF JACKSON TOWNSHIP. Lena and Mansfield are the only two villages within this township. The older of these is Mansfield. The log cabin of Mr. Kelsey must have Ix-en the beginning of what was then literally and truly a "man's-field," although in a very wild state. No finer mill-site was to be found anywhere in the country than at this point. The bed of the Big Raccoon creek is here a solid rock, affording an indestructible foundation for both a dam and a mill. A mill was constructed here about 1820, at least it must have been within a year or so either way from that date. Thomas Woolverton, who purchased land in Union township in 1820, helped to raise this mill, and he departed that vear for Virginia, where he remained five years, then found the mill in operation upon his return. So few white men were present in the neighbor- hood that Indians were pressed into assisting in the "raising" of this mill. It was thirty feet -square. Grists came here from a long distance. It was owned by several persons, including Kelsey & Dickson, Judge S. Gookins, of Terra Haute, and Gen. G. K. Steele, later falling into the hands of Jacob Rohm. It was torn down and another built on the old site in 1880. Mr. Gookins laid out the village of Mansfield. A postoffice was estab- lished in 1825, the postmaster being Mr. Dickson and the mail came from Terre Haute. In 1829, G. K. Steele opened a store here; he became owner of the mill property in 1838, continuing in both store and mill until 1846. The first physicians here were Drs. Noffringer and Britts ; then came Drs. Dailey and Farrow. The churches and schools of the \illagc and townsliip are treated under separate headings in other chapters. In the historj' of Mansfield, the ladies of the village and county around performed one deed that should live in history. Prior to the war, and dur- ing that struggle, Mansfield was harboring slavery within her midst in the igO PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. form of intemperance. Rising in their majesty, they made open war upon the. traffic, and with their own efforts rolled barrels of liquor into the streets and spilled the contents. Airs. Samuel Jcihn.ston was one of the leaders in this whisky insurrection. The ladies were victorious, and Mansfield drew full inspirations of pure air. Later, another saloon was started in a building standing on the bank of the creek. One night some citizens hitched oxen to it and drew it over into the creek, whose waters did the rest! This wound up liciuor selling, even in drug stores, for many a year. VILLAGE OF LENA. Lena, in the southeastern portion of Jackson township, was platted on section 35, in township 14, range 6, by Robert King in 1870. It sprung up as a station point along the Indianapolis & St. Louis railroad, and soon be- came a good shipping point for the immense quantities of lumber and staves cut from the surrounding forests. Adjoining the place on the south is Alarys- ^■ille, in Clay county, but both are now really one town. J. B. Cochran, sand- wiched between the two places, is credited as having been the oMest resident in either place. He was the first merchant and postmaster, also first railroad agent and express agent. The first blacksmith was Thornton Wilson; Will- iam Girton the first shoemaker; Hasty & Sons were the first millers. Lena today has a population of about three hundred, and is a lively local trading point in the county. Dr. J. H. Ranch, of Chicago, a wealthy landowner and coal operator, passed several years at Lena, erected many buildings, improved the streets, graded roads, made brick, mined coal, and in many other ways was a promoter of the public good of the new village. A Masonic lodge was formed there in 1874. While Jackson township had many disadvantages at an early day, and was accounted rather slow-growing for many decades, it has finally come to rank among the sister sub-divisions of Parke county, as being almost equal in prosperity to any other. * CHAPTER XXII. LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. Liberty is the northwestern township in Parke county. The W'abasii river washes its western borders, Fountain county is on its north, while south and east its boundaries are Resene and Star Creek townships. Its streams are Coal, Mill and Rush creeks, with their numerous tributaries, many of which, at an early day, furnished an abundance of waterpower for milling pur])oses. The township is one of the most thickly settled in the county, it having had a population, in 1880, of 1.774. The last enumeration (1910) gave it as 1,513. The 1880 assessed valuation was $449,202 in real estate, while its personal property amounted as per assessed valuation to $168,385, as against a total valuation of $812,110 in 1912. Some of the finest grazing land in Parke county was reported by writers a third of a century ago. The bottom lands in the western part of the township are not excelled in all Indiana for the fertility of the soil and the annual production of immense crops of corn. Originally. Liberty township was composed of thirty-nine full and six fractional sections, but in the seventies sections 35 and 36 and the south halves of 25 and 26 were cut off to form a part of Penn township. PIONEER SETTLERS. The first settlers in Liberty township were located in the northwest portion, and came in about 1821-1822, when Abe Timberman, William and Edward Brockway and Samuel Arnot came up the Wabash and pitched their tents in the vast, untried wilderness, while in 1825 David Shirk arrived, who, in addition to hewing out a farm from the forest, preached the gospel to the few settlers over that portion of Parke county, he being of the Baptist denom- ination. Eariy that year came also John Richmond and he was soon fol- lowed by the Burtons, who entered land on which Howard now stands. The settlers of 1823 included Jacob Bowshcr and family, who located on Sugar creek, in section 25, at which time the Indians still occupied this part of the country, a village of one hundred and fifty wigwams standing on the land he chose. The chief of this band was John Cornstalk. They were, however, at this date, very friendly with the white settlers, ne\er displeasing them 192 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. further than the occasional stealing of a calf or pig. While off on a hunting expedition, a young man named Steever set fire to and burned down their village. Upon their return the tribe of Indians went to putting on war paint, and asked Mr. Bowsher to tell them who had committed the deed, saying that in case he told them no harm would come to anyone but the guilty party. So, in defense of his neighbors and himself, he was compelled to tell the Indians who it was, but took care to send a boy to notify the Steever fellow of his action, so that he might make good his escape, which he did, after the Indians had chased him sixty or seventy miles. Soon after that these Indians were removed to their reservation, and after that only small parties were ever again seen in the township. Near this Indian \illage was a burying-ground, in which more than a hundred graves were found by the first white settlers. One, better cared for than the others, was believed to be that of a chief, and after the final removal of the Indians it was opened by Joseph Bowsher and other boys, who found a string of gold beads, a butcher knife and other relics. In 1824 came Lawson Hoffman, settling in the southern part, when nine- teen years of age. Joseph Thompson came four years later and at same time came Isaac Harvey. The first to effect settlement in what is known as the Rusli Creek settlement, which was about 1830, was James Marks, who came from Kentucky and purchased a quarter section, where later his son George resided. After paying for his land at the land office, he had twelve and a half cents to begin the world on. John Osborn arrived the same year, and later came Isaac Weaver: then James Woody, who came in 1S33, followed in 1834 by George Towell and George Marris, while Thomas, Jonathan, Lot and David Lindley arrived in 1832. A tan yard was put in operation in 1836 by Harlan Harvey, of W'arren county, Ohio, and was run by him and his partner, George Madden, who arrived in 1837, for sixteen years. In 1840 Mr. Madden laid out a nursery, which furnished fruit trees and ornamental shrubs for a wide scope of country. A greater part of these settlers were of the Friends religious faith and in 1832 a congregation was formed by them, by Isaac Hobson, David and Lot Lindley, and a few more. This, with other churches and schools, will be mentioned at length in chapters on these subjects. The first school house was built in 1830, and its first teacher was Isaac Hobson. who also kept a small store at his house on Rush creek. Another store was owned by a stock com- pany, situated west of Rush Creek meeting house, in which W. Hadley ofti- ciated as a clerk. At that time prices ranged as follows : Calico fifty cents a yard; coffee, fifty cents a pound; salt, five dollars per barrel, while wages ran from twenty-five to forty cents a day for labor, and in harvest, with the PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. T93 reaping-hook, thirty-seven and one-half cents per day was paid. .\c:ir the iiioutii of Sugar creek was the mill to which this settlement liad lo look lor its milling advantages. That was operated by John Beard, an old man, who had arrived in the county at a very early day. .\ .saw-mill, propelled by water power, was erected on Rush creek by a Mr. Reid, in 1826. At the same time there was a small corn cracker in the northwest part of the township, and a water mill in the extreme southern part. The first steam saw-mill was built in uS4at of this size, after which the \essel was ready for launching. The boats were built from three to four feet above the gunnel and sided up with two-inch jilank, the same as the bottom, the niof. which had a pitch of sixteen inches, being covered with five-eighth-inch bijards. The vessels were run out of the creek with two oars, one at the Ijow and one at the stern, none being used on the side while in the creek, except upon going o\er dams when the water was low . when it was necessarv to get up 200 PARKE AND VFRMILIJON COUNTIES, INDIANA. as much headway as possible, that being the safest method. The steering oar is made of the same length as the boat, and so constructed as to balance in the middle. The steersman stands, or rather walks, on a bridge in the center of the vessel, so that by the time he reached New Orleans he would walk a great many miles, from one side of the craft to the other, while steer- ing her on her course. At the date of the first construction of flat boats here, the cargo consisted entirely of com and pork, but a few years later crates of wheat, flour, lumber, staves, hoop-poles, potatoes, poultry and even live hogs became common. The amount of ear corn which a sixty-foot boat would carry was one thousand eight hundred bushels, but there was a constantly in- creasing demand for larger boats and before the business went out of exist- ence boats were built which would carrv double that amount." CHAPTER XXIV. RESERVE TOWNSHIP. This townshi]-) derived its name from its having heen a part of the Indian reservation, which consisted of a strip of territory on the Wabash river, seven miles in width, extending from the mouth of Sugar creek to the mouth of the Raccoon. It comprises twenty-two full and five fractional sec- tions, and originally contained a large portion of what is now Penn town- ship. Its western boundar}' being the Wabash river, its territory early at- tracted the attention of pioneers going up and down the river in search of homes. Liberty township is to its north. Penn on the east and south is Wabash township. A third of a century ago and more this township wa.s noted for having the largest farms and some of the best in the count)-. Ex- cept the draws and rough land along Sugar creek, the entire township is fitted for successful agriculture, and has come to be highly improved and well culti- vated bv men who, knowing the producing qualities of the fertile soil, hold their lands at a verv high figure. Eastward from the ^\■abasll river there is a strip of over two miles in width, extending back to the bluffs, which was originally covered with the finest kind of heavy timber. The assessed valua- tion of the personal and real property in this township in 1912 as shown by the county records was $718,235. Its population in 1910 was 2,224. Of the schools, churches and lodges, see chapters of a general county nature within this volume. EARLY SETTLEMENT. Ohio furnished many of the first settlers for this section of Indiana, who. having been pioneers in that state, knew full well how to subdue .mother wilderness and cause it to blossom like the rose. Xortli Carolina also fur- nished many more, a greater portion of wliom were of the Society of Friends, and this people left their moral and Christian impress upon the township. The Indians, knowing full well what sort of men and women they had to cope with, made the pioneers their friends. The first to come into what is. Reserve township to make a permanent settlement were the Linebargers. in 1822. the next being John Beard, who erected the first mill on Sugar creek in that year, the Browns, Mellikins and Torias Horgar, immigrating at the same time. In 202 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. the southeastern part, in 1825, came Puett and Cliarles Burton. In 1826 Solomon Allen arrived, the other early settlers being Warren Davis, Daniel Wickersham, the Morris family. Isaac Pemberton, Peyton Wilson, Abraham Halliday. Jeremiah Siler and others, .\nother settlement was that at ]\Ionte- zuma, those in the van being Whitlock, Majors, Joseph Hayes. Webster and Feeney, who arrived about 1823 or 1824. William and Thomas Cook, James and Samuel Hill, Aquilla Justin, John Shook and Chatsworth also arrived at an early day. Immigration soon rapidly increased and poured a steady, strong current into the heart of the wild forests, which soon heard the sound of the woodsman's axe and the hmd where fur centuries had stood the stately trees was turrred into grain and corn fields. The leveling of the forests also created another paying industry, that of lumbering and milling. John Beard erected the first mill, the simple corn-cracker of which was put in operation in 1822. It stood at what is now known as West Union. It was a log structure and the grinding arrangement consisted principally of nigger-head burrs, which, if sharp and newly dressed, would grind grain to the amount of about three bushels per hour. When the pioneer wanted wheat flour he had to go to Roseville. where the nearest flouring mill was situated. In 1826 Solomon Lusk erected a mill at the Narrows, and in 1827 Simon Rubljottom built one on Leatherwood creek, and in the same year another mill was put up near Armiesburg, after which the settlers had milling nearer home. The implements used at an early day were of rude construction, and tiie following description, written many years since, will give the reader an idea of tlieir character in general : Of course the axe was first in importance and was used for many mechanical purposes. It was designed for practical e\erv- day use, more for what it would do than for its beauty or ornamentation. The Carey plow, the most generally in use, was a rude affair, having a wrought iron share and a wooden mould-board. This was succeeded in 1839 by the cast-iron plow made by W. G. Cofiin at his foundry, two or three miles northwest of Bloomingdale. This implement was, however, so clumsy and heavy that it never amounted to much for practical use. Then came the Peacock plow, which had a cast mould-board and a wrought iron share. It was made at Cincinnati and superseded all others. Five years later the Rich- mond steel plow appeared on the markets and came into favor among the farmers. The fields of the pioneer were not large, hence the crops were not heavy to plant or cultivate. There being no markets for several years there was no incentive to grow much more than JKime consumption demanded. The flail was the implement first used in threshing out the grain harvested, but was soon exchanged for that better method of securing the wheat, that PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES^ INDIANA. 2O3 of treading out by horses or oxen tramping" the grain, after which the chaff was l>lo\vn out by means of the wind, or by a sheet in the hands of two per- sons, making an improvised "fan." The earhest threshing machine in Re- serve township was about 1840, owned by Elsberry jinnet, and was a \ery incomplete affair, threshing from fifty to one hundred bushels i)er day, and delivering the grain and chaff together, later to be sei^arated with a tan. A two-horse tread-power was employed to run this machine. Soon the four- horse Ground Hog machine came into use, and as the \ears w ent by improved machines were invented. The mowing scythe, hand-rake and wooden pitch fi>rk were the im[)le- ments of hay and harvest, the latter often being a forked sapling with its rough prongs sharpened. The grain scoop was not known for several years. In cribbing corn it was either thrown with the hands or pushed out of the end of the wagon with the feet. The first scoop made in the tow nship was made of wood, and owned by John Fortner. In about 1838 iron scoops came into common use. On account of this township being reserve land, it was not opened up to the public as soon as that in other parts of the county. Game of all kinds remained here some time after the animals had been driven from other set- tlements. Black bear could be found occasionally after the arrival of the first settlers: in fact, in 1827 Solomon Allen killed one in his door yard. Deer were seen in large droves and furnished the settlers with an abundance of good meat, while their skins were used for a number of practical purposes. Wild turkeys were formerly very abundant, while ducks and geese were num- berless. The raccoon, opossom, fox, mink, otter, wolf, muskrat. weasels and other fur-bearing animals were found in large numbers. Flat-boating was largely carried on from this part of the county, such vessels being the only means of conveyance and transportation of produce to markets, and the building ami manning of these crude crafts gave employ- ment to many men. A boat-\ard was situated near the mouth of Rush creek at a very early date, and at se\'eral points on Sugar creek, as noted in the his- tory of Penn township. The first school in this township was in the l.inel>arger settlement in 1824. The first birth was that of Joseph Allen, in 1827, and the first recorded death was Solomon .Mien's infant, about the vear 1827. The first wedding was that uniting Jeremiah Morris and Marv .\nn Lewis. The arri\-al of Mr. Allen in the countr\' was i|uite a helj) to the settlement, as he was a wheelwright and cabinet-maker, and made coffins, for which he received from twenty-five cents to three dollars each, .\fter paying t'or his land, after 204 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. coming in, he had eighty-seven cents left to begin honic-l)uilding with. On finishing his cabin he immediately seasoned lumber, from which he con- structed tubs, buckets and other articles of domestic use, the proceeds from the sale of which enabled him to li\e until he got a few acres cleared up, and then raised a crop. The second season of his residence here he spent seventy- two days assisting his neighbors in log rolling and raising cabins and barns. TOWNS AND VILLAGES. Montezuma and Coloma are the two town plattings within this township around which clusters some of the interesting history of this subdivision of Parke county. .Montezuma is situated in the southwest corner of Reserve township, on the east bank of the Wabash river, and was a j^lace of earl\- day importance in this section of Indiana, when the Wabash river and the old Wabash & Erie canal were the great water-ways and outlets to the outside markets The town was laid off by Whitlock and ]\lajors about 1824, and a larger platting efifected in canal days by Ambrose Whitlock. Julv 20, 1849, on sections 25, 26, 35 and 36, township 16, range 9. The first store was opened by Joseph M. Hayes ; the next by Nesmith, whose stock, it is related, consisted of two bolts of calico and a barrel of whisky. The third store was Feeney's. The first justice of the peace was Mr. Chatsworth. and the first physician was Dr. Samuel Hill, who arrived at an early day. The first frame house, and which was standing about thirty years ago, or possibly later, was built by Mr. Webster. It should be remembered that the Wabash river towns of that long ago day consisted of Montezuma, Covington. Portland, Attica, Williamsport, LaGrange and Lafayette, and a spirited rivalry was on between these points for the supremacy. As river towns they all were equally situ- ated as to commercial importance and for years it was hard to tell which would finally terminate in a city of goodly proportions. Keel-boats and pirogues touched all of these landings and the same pioneer steamboats did carrying trade for each. Eventually, Lafayette obtained and kept the prize, it having secured a railroad before the other towns. However, upon the com- pletion of the Wabash & Erie canal in 1850, Montezuma took on a new life and up to i860 was the most prosperous period it had ever experienced. Business of all kinds, for all this section of country on lx)th sides the river, was carried forward in good and enterprising shape. The business of clos- ing the canal, effected about 1873, sounded a death knell to many industries at Montezuma, but the building of the Decatur, Indianapolis & Springfield railroad, in that year, brought new hope to the citizens of the river town. PARKE .\ND VERMII.MON COUNTIES, INDIANA. 205 for here a station was established and the company erected their shops there. Since then the town has gone along in its quiet manner, ebljing and falling like the ocean's tide, some decades being better than others, but never reaching the once fancied greatness it hoped to attain to. In 1880 the tow n had a large tlouring-mill, four grain warehouses, two saw-mills, one planing-mill, a pack- ing and slaughter house, two dry goods stores, two drug stores, six groceries, one clothing store, one hotel, a livery, agricultural implement warehouse and two saloons. Its population then numbered about 700, and that of the town- ship was 1,550. The 1910 census gave Montezuma a population of 1,537, and Reserve township was given as 2,224. ^^ 1880 the assessed valuation of Montezuma corporation was in personal property, $105,075, and of real estate, $123,060, while the township had $456,466. Today (1912) the \alua- tion of real and personal property in Montezuma is $420,888, and in the town- ship a total of $718,235. In 1880, the railroad repair shops were burned and many men thrown out of employment, which tended to injure the growth of the place. Disastrous fires, too, have played their part in hindering the growth of Montezuma. Among these was that of 1907, which destroyed the newly built Sanitarium hotel, a mineral water resort of modem type, with more than forty elegant rooms and all modern fixtures. The artesian well furnished a superior water to many of the well-known and successful health resorts of the country. The property on which flows the artesian water is owned by, at least controlled, by William Montgomery. The old flouring-mill, after many years, was converted into a cob- grinding mill, which when it was doing a good business, in 1909, was also burned and never rebuilt. To the east of town a few miles is located one of the largest brick-making plants in the state. It is known as the Marion Brick Works. BUSINESS INTERESTS OF I912. At present Montezuma has the following interests : The First National Bank, Citizens Bank. Montezuma Enterprise, C. S. Overman. Postmistress, Emma Powell. Hotel, D. I. Dunlap. General stores — J. E. Johnson & Co., William H. King, Kemp Bros., \V. B. Pawley, M. Watson. Hardware — Cornwell & Spencer Drugs — A. B. Powell, F. S. Stebbins. 206 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Harness — Charles Fortner. Clothing — Harry Reeder. Elevator — Rohm Bros. Feed mill — George Mathas. Ceifient blocks — \\'illiam Carty and Wallace Dietz, contractors. Lumber — Montezuma Lumber Company. Furniture — Hugh Montgomery & Company. Restaurants — ^ Alexander Leslie, John Gilmore. Tin Shop and Sheet Metals— L A. Sharp. Livery — Cheesewright & Machin, D. M. Scott. Blacksmiths — Richard Mcintosh, H. Webster, H. Welchans. Meats— A. B. Jones, W. P. Pawley, H. Aikman. Physicians — Mrs. R. L. Dooley. J. C. Reeder, O. A. Xeuhouse. Veterinary Surgeon — Dr. Back. Carpet factor}' — S. Case. Automobile Garage — Pitman & Co. Gravel companies — Three in number. Saloons — Four in number. Barbershops — Three in number. Transfer company — H. Reirdan. Dental Surgeon — One. Photograph gallery — One. Jewelry — One. Machine shoi) — A. E. Higbee. Newspaper — The Enterprise. VILLAGE CORPORATION. The history of the corporations here dates back to a very earh' date. The 1912 officers are: President, William Whitson; members, H. D. Coffin. Fred Dicken. Dr. B. F. Hudson, George Mathas: treasurer, Joseph Taylor; clerk, O. N. Henderson ; marshal, N. S. Wheeler. In 1906 an electric light plant was installed, the power coming from and furnished by the Burns & Hancock brick plant on the west side of tiie Wabash river. It has been a success and the forty street lights are now no expense to the town, as the plant is more than self-sustaining, and it is designed, as soon as possible, to erect new works in the town proper and add w ater \\orks, making a combined plant. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. T.O'J The churches of Montezuma are: The Methodist, Presbyterian, Chris- tian, United Brethren, HoHness and the CathoHc. The lodges are Masonic, Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias. COLOMA. Coloma is a small hamlel situated on sections ^^t^ and _54. of Reser\-e township. Its population is about two hundred. It is located on Rocky run, and was laid out in 187O, but was located in 1864, when William Lewis opened a store there. M. Morris purchased this store, and was appointed the first postmaster. For many years William P. Musgrave conducted the only store of the place. Rocky Run Friends church was located at this point many years since. This village serves well the surrounding community in which it is pleasantly situated. CHAPTER XXV. RACCOON TOWNSHIP. Tin- Indians called the two streams now known as Big and Little Rac- coon creeks, "Big and Little Coon." These streams both cross this township and hence its name. The township, which is six miles square and contains twenty thousand and forty acres, is situated in the southern tier of townships. The land was once densely covered by a forest of giant trees, which had to be cut down before the surface was suited for farming; this was a great task, but was finally accomplished by the sturdy pioneers' axe. In the Raccoon bot- toms the land is composed of a rich alluvial soil, yielding large crops of corn and wheat. Other parts of this township are not so fertile and productive, but since draining has been made, and several marshes reclaimed, there is much good land outside the bottoms. What is known as the "Ten O'Clock Line," which divides the old and new purchases, crosses this township from sections 6 to 36. EARLY DAYS. Just who was the first person to actually settle in this township is not fully established. James Kerr and Dempsey Seybold came into the township and selected lands in 1816, but there seems no authority showing that any permanent settlement was effected until 1818, when Dempsey Se}bold came with his family from Kentucky, and settled on section 20, later known as the Jeffries property. Mr. Seybold brought his wife and at least one child, Thomas K.. born in 1816, who afterwards married and became the father of a family, among whom were W. H. H. Dempsey, C. John and James H.. all well known settlers of Raccoon township in later years. It is certain that Mr. Seybold was the second settler in this township north of the Big Raccoon creek, there being only one other in the vicinity at the time, and only three families in Parke county north of the Big Raccoon. Mr. Seybold became influential and was one of the men who helped to locate the county seat and court house square of Vigo county, in Terre Haute. He later served as judge of the court as an associate judge. He died on June 3. 1835, leaving at least two sons, Thomas K. and Dempsey. Thomas K. was murdered at Terre Haute. April 9, 1850, and the hand that perpetrated the crime was not know-n PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 2O9 for several years, when at last a man from Illinois, on his death-bed. con- fesseil the deed, i'efore the Seybolds could reach the sick man death had removed the criminal, so that the mystery was never fully understood. About the time last mentioned, came in the Mitchells. William IJ. ^Mitchell was born in Raccoon township February 22, 1818. The Millers settled here either 1818 or 1819, for John B. Miller was born here August 23, 1819. It is said that the first log cabin built in the township was by one Richardson. Other settlers in 1818-19 were the Adamses, Samuel, Sr., William, Andrew, James, John and Samuel Adams, also William Nevins and possibly a few more. In 1 819 Nathaniel Bliss Kalley. then nineteen years of age, came from Ohio to Raccoon township and leased a farm from David Hansel. There were not enough men in the community to raise Dickson's mill, so Indians were pressed into such work. With Indian Bill, Nathaniel Kalley used to sport in wrestling matches. He raised a crop of corn and then returned to Ohio and in 1821 or 1822 returned with his father and mother, and family of wife and one child, Ruth, he having been married to Rebecca Hansel in Ohio. He rented till 1831, when he entered the west half of the northeast quarter of section 11, township 14, range 7. His patent was signed by .\ndrew Jackson, President of the United States. He was one of the township's best and most stirring men. His father, David, entered one hundred and twenty acres east of Nathaniel's, where he spent the remainder of his years. At about this time, and very soon thereafter, came in Jacob Bell, John Blue, John Morrow, James Barnes, John Robinson, Joseph Ralston, John Prince and \'incent Jack- man. In 1820 William Rea, father of the first clerk of Parke count)-, came, in company with James Boyd and James Fannin, from Chillicothe. Ohio, and settled on the southwest quarter of section 7, in Raccoon township, and there erected a log cabin, which still stood thirty years ago, having always served as a comfortable dwelling house. He was the first to locate on the Little Rac- coon. Either in the autumn of 1821 or the spring of 1822, John Sunderland, Sr., and son, John, Jr.. came from Ohio and located on the northeast tpiarter of section '), ;uid a sun-in-law of Mi". Sunderland, Henry (ireen, settled on the east half of liie northwest (|uarter of section 5. In the fall nf iSjo riiomas Gilkinson, in company with James Buchanan, came to what is now i\accoon township and entered their land. In the s])ring of 1821 Thomas (lilkinson came in and took land in the snuthwest (piarter of section 3. built a cabin. cleared oft" a few acres and tended his crop of corn, and in the fall of that year brought his wife and five children from Kentuckv and settled in what (14) 2IO PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. was then a wilderness of wood and wild animals. In 1S21 jeptha Garrigus moved to Raccoon township, bringing his family in a boat down the Ohio ri\er. up the Wabash and Big Raccoon, into the southwest part of Raccoon township, where he settled. Jeptha is supposed to have brought the first rats to this region among his articles of freight. He had thirteen children, and had served as a colonel in the war of 181 2. When he was married, at his request the following marriiige ceremony took place: "I, Tobias Miller, jus- tice of the peace for the county of Parke, do hereby certify that Jeptha Gar- rigus and Polly Kratdzer are joined together in marriage as long as they could agree, by me this October 24. 1834. John G. Danis, clerk." About this time there were three separate settlements in Raccoon town- ship : The Bell and Garrigus settlement, in the southern part ; the settlement around "Sodom.'' so called on account of its distillery and the general wicked- ness of the place; it is now- Bridgeton; and the settlement in the northwestern port, known as the Pleasant Vallev settlement. From 1820 to 1830 prominent among the newcomers were James Hop- per, the Hartmans, Charles Beacham. Samuel Crooks. William Rea and Robert Martin. These early settlers were men of sturdy, honest yeomanry of the Eastern 'and Southern states, who desired free and independent homes of their own. Indeed, through all those long years of hardships, they were building far better than they knew, and their children and children's children are now reaping the reward of those pioneer years on tlie part of those early- day toilers and builders. MILLING. The Lock.vood mills, later known as the Bridgeton mills, were built by Lockwood ani2 Ailliman about 1823. but owned by Oniel and W'asson. Daniel Kalley later owned the mill site. It changed hamls several times and finally burned down. The next fall the records runs that "the people got up a frolic, got out logs and built a new mill." It was run till 1869 and burned again, but replaced by a large frame structure, four stories high, costing fourteen thousand dollars. The first saw-mil! on Little Raccoon was built by Thomas Gilkinson in VILLAGES OF THE TOWNSHIP. Catlin. Bridgeton and Diamond are the three platted villages within Rac- coon township. Away back in the early years, when the surrounding country was little else than a wilderness, and the old stage routes connected the prin- PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 211 cipal points of civilization, tiiere began on tin- hanks of the Big Raccoon what is now the sprigiitly prosperous town of Bridgeton. The start was the erec- tion of a mill that cracked corn. This was about 1821. Nathaniel Smock opened a store, and later a distillery started up and was operated many years. This made a bad neighborhood which many years ago reformed and is no longer known as it was once, as "Sodom.'' Mulligan & Ketchum also handled general merchandise at this point, and sold to iVIr. Searing. The town was then platted and Smock & McFarland were the leading merchants. In 1856 Dr. James Crooks settled in Bridgeton. His father was William B. Crooks, the first physician in Raccoon township. Milk-sickness was an awfully dreaded disorder of early days, and Dr. Crooks seemed to have a fair specific for it and was \ery successful in treating his scores of patients. The location of Bridgeton is section 22, township 14, range 7 west. It was platted by James and Mary Searing, March 27, 1837, and was named from the bridge across the Big Raccoon at that paint. In 1880 it had one hundred and twenty population, but now has two hundred and twenty-five. Catlin is a station point on the A'andalin railroad. It took its origin from the fact that the railroad ran through that part of the township and in the early years of the Civil war, Hiram Catlin, a Mr. Montgomer\- and Henry Miller owning the land, it was thought best to start a town and shipping point. Hence Mr. Catlin erected a grain warehouse there, he having for a partner in his enterprise Thomas Harshman. The\- liought grain and carried a small stock of general merchandise. In 1861 a l)lacksmith shop was built by James Sanderson, and Joseph Terry built a wagon shop. The early growth of Cat- lin was due largely to the enterprise of James Ray, who came from Ohio to Vigo county in 1820, and to Catlin in 1861. In 1862 he erected his saw-mill, and in 1865 a good gri.st-mill. He also built a store room, with a ])ublic hall above. In all he built seven of the best early-day buildings in the hamlet. .\ postotfice was secured in 1862, and Thomas Catlin was appointed postmaster by President Lincoln. For many years Catlin was the chief depot for the extensive stave trade of this community, and the material was supplied bv two saw-mills near by, Hamilton's and \\"nkelield's. Today Catlin is a good town, with many excellent business houses and tasty residences. Its population is less than two htmdred. The schools, churches and lodges of this town, as well as all others in the county, are treated under separate headings. The population of the township in igio was 1,702. The total assessed valuation of property in Raccoon township in 1912 is $958,720. 212 PARKE AND N'ERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. At Catlin is the great Standard oil pumping station, with its large tanks. This company pays taxes on $100,000 worth of property in Parke county. The village of Diamond, in this township, was the outgrowth of the large coal mining interests of that section of Parke county. It was platted on section 34, township 14, range 7. December 10, 1893, by the Brazil Block Coal Company. It became a prosperous town and all the common branches of business were carried on successfully so long as the mines were running in full blast, but because of decline in the mining interests, trouble with labor and capital and other causes, the town is not as good as formerly. Its popu- lation in' 1910 was placed by the census bureau at 1,007, which has materially decreased and the corporation of the town has applied to be annulled and it will be assessed and cared for under the old township go\ernment after 1912. CHAPTER XXVI. SUGAR CREEK TOWNSHIP. In the north central i)ortiun of I'arke county is Sugar Creek township. It is on the north line of the countw west of Howard, north of Penn, and east of Liberty township. It was originally a part of Howard township, but later a part of Penn township; it was divided in 1855, and now contains twenty-three full and five fractional sections. The topography of this part of Parke county is very rough and hilly, but even these hilly lands are val- uable, as they afford a wonderful grazing tract and as such have yielded millions of dollars worth of stock and wool to the owners. Greene, Brush, Mill and Sugar creeks and numerous branches flow through this township, having in years gone by furnished splendid power for the mills located along their banks. In 1912 the total personal and real estate valuation, according to the county records for this township, was $354,395- Its population in 1910 was placed at 680. The first settlement has about all been recited, so far as interest is con- cerned today, in giving the establishment of the first mills, etc. In 1826, at the narrows of Sugar creek, was built the first mill in this part of the county, by Solomon Lusk. He cut and blasted the mill-race through the rock and erected a large mill, making a good grade of flour. He also established a pork packing house, and shipped large amounts of grain, pork and flour to points as far south as New Orleans. He sent as many as tw^enty flat-boats to that gulf port annually. At the same place, in 1830. Prior Wright opened the first store in the township, which, along with the mill and other valuable holdings, were all swept down the stream by the floods on N^ew Year's morning, 1847. In the north part of the township the settlers commenced to pour in by 1827, among the first being David Allen, T. Poplit, John Summers, Daniel Myers, Thomas Ratclifife, Walter Clark, Jesse Barker, John and Thomas Cachatt and Esquire Moore. In the southern part came in Joseph Thompson, Elisha Heath, William Floyd, William Jenkins, James Bacus, \\'illiam Cox and Zimri Hunt. The second mill was built on Mill creek, on the later site of Russell's mills, by Joseph Thompson in 1829, the dam being formed by felling a large 214 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. poplar tree which stood on the bank of the stream, and letting it fall across the stream. This dam lasted for twenty years. The original mill was a small affair, in a log house, in which corn was cracked by a pair of nigger- head stones, the grain when ground being bolted b\ hand, the water-power bolting machine being an improvement put in later. Thomas Cachatt oper- ated this mill until his death, in 1842, when it was sold to Jerry Kemp, and later still it was owned by Joe Russell. In the seventies this mill was refitted and converted into a steam mill, with water power when there was a sufficient flow. Wilkins' mill, on Mill creek, was erected by Jessup & Hunt in 1S35, first as a saw-mill, then changed to a saw and carding-mill, and still later with a corn cracking mill. In 1852 it was sold to Wilkins, who took the old mill down and rebuilt on the south side of the stream. It was finally burned in 1877 ; Mr. Wilkins died and it was never rebuilt. The first meeting house in this township was a log house near the center of section 16, built about 1830 by the Methodists. In the northeast corner of section i was erected what, in 1S79, was the oldest church building in use in the county, and probably the oldest in this part of Indiana. It was built in 1835 by the Baptist denomination, and known as the Wolf Creek Baptist church. The congregation was formed in 1833. The first public road was constructed through this section in 1835, by James Bacus, and styled the Greencastle and Perryville road, of which the pioneers were very proud. This township had numerous Grange lodges in the palmy days of the Patrons of Husbandry, Ijut they ha\e long since gone the way of all the earth, and "middle men," legitimate dealers, ha\'e taken the place of half farmer and half merchant men. At Russell Mills postoffice a large flouring mill was erected, and a few stores opened, a shop or two started and a physician located there before 1879. Another large store was started at what was known as Orangeburg; also Dr. Williamson located at that point. There are no towns or villages within this township at this date. OLD JOHNNY GREEN KILLED. A former history of this township gives the following concerning the death of old Johnny Green, the noted Indian chief : "The last Indian killed in this part of the country was old Johnny Green. He was a bad Indian in fact. His own people would not let him associate with them. One dav Henrv Litzev and some more of the old settlers were at PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 215 old John Beard's mill, at the mouth of Sugar creek, after flour; the old Indian also happened to visit the mill at that time and began boasting of the number of women and children he iiad killed. In place of going on the war path with the warriors, he used to skulk around the settlement and slaughter the defenseless females and infants and on this occasion was boasting of his exploits in that line, and telling with great glee how he used to impale the little innocents on saplings and laughed as he described how they \\ould shriek and cross their little arms about. This aroused Mr. Litzey's manhood and he at once proceeded to inflict corporal punishment on the old heathen. The other men, however, interfered and the matter dropped. On his way home on horseback, Mr. Litzey heard the report of a gun and felt a bullet whistle past him ; glancing behind, he observed the Indian, with a smoking rifle in his hand, peering from behind a tree. Being unarmed, he at once put spurs to his horse and rode at a lively gait for a mile or two, when, thinking he had gone out of the reach of danger, he again dropped into a walk. Again he heard the report of a rifle and again felt the wind from the bullet pass close by his head, and not being willing to run the risk of a third shot, pro- ceeded home as fast as possible and arrived in safety. On reaching the house he took his gun and went ofif on a hunt, and Johnny Green was never seen again in that part of the country. It was never known for certain who had put him out of the way, but public opinion always gave Mr. Litzev the credit of the act, though he would never acknowledge it, always stating that the last time he saw the Indian, he observed him sitting on a flat rock in Sugar creek, just below the Narrows, fishing; suddenly he jumped up as if crazy and dived into the water, from which he never arose." CHAPTER XXVII. UNION TOWNSHIP. Union township constitutes all of township 15, range 6, hence is just six miles square. It is one of the eastern tiers of townships in Parke county, and is bounded on the north by Greene, on the west by Adams, on the south by Jackson, and on the east by Putnam county. The main streams that water and drain the township are the Big Raccoon. Troutman's run. Limestone branch of Raccoon. Rocky Fork and others of lesser importance. Bain's branch has its source in the east and flows west, vmiting w ith the larger stream in section 10. For a third of a century and more it has Ijeen possible for all these streams to be crossed by footmen, except the Raccoon. In many 'places the beds of these streams are solid limestone rock. The current of these creeks and rivers is very rapid, owing to the great fall of the land through which they pass. The lime and sand rock along the rivers afford excellent building stone. What is one of the curiosities of this county is the natural bridge on the west side of the creek at the old B. A. Martin place, where it spans a .gull}'. It is solid stone, averaging twenty-four inches through, ha\ing a span of fully forty feet, with a track of about twenty feet wide. One can walk erect under this bridge, and at one time it was much higher from floor to ceiling, the soil having washed in from above and filled it up below. In 191 2 the assessed valuation of all personal and real estate in this township was $358,630, and its population in 1910 was placed in the govern- ment census report at 948. CONCERNING SOME OF THE PIONEERS. At the Terre Haute land oftice John Martin purchased, in 1820, one-half of section 33, and then returned to his land after a year with his family. Before that, however, parties of hunters and fishers had A-isited these lonely forests, but not to locate. Mr. Martin came in with his wife and family of eleven children. They emigrated from North and South Carolina, in a four- horse wagon and a two-horse vehicle, the distance being six hundred miles, and \\ere en route six weeks. The way was often so densely covered with PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 217 timber and brush that an axman had to go ahead and prepare the way. Upon arriving they proceeded to erect a rude log hut in which to find sheUer for the time being. They buiU on a hillside, at the bottom of which was a fine spring of pure water. The Indian trail from Terre Haute through Mansfield and along the Big Raccoon to Cornstalk passed close b\- the place. This trail crossed and recrossed this creek in many places. The elder Martin was a blacksmith and gunsmith, besides being a farmer. The Indians passed up and down their trail and frequently camped on the Martin land near the pretty, swift-running creek. Tliese consisted of the Delawares and Miamis, and they furnished the gunsmith Martin with plenty of repair work, for which they usually paid the cash. Mrs. Martin made clothes for the children out of buckskin, while they also had plenty of good venison for the table. Mr. Martin related how all the Indians would drink and get beastly drunk, except one who would always remain sober to take good care of the rest. They fre- quently quarreled badly among themselves, but ne\er molested the whites and always paid for what they Ixjught of them. There are three Indian graves on the Martin farm, but usually they buried their dead at Cornstalk. The older Martin continued his liusiness until 1827, when he died and was buried on his own land. He had served at the age of sixteen years as a sub- stitute under Washington in the Revolution ; had experienced the hardships of war, so was w'ell fitted for pioneer life here in the solitary wilds of Parke county. The family began to separate and divide the farm, and move and marry and raise families of their own. The same year in which Mar.tin came in Thomas VVolverton, from Ohio, purchased land in sections 29 and 30. They came after the Blakes and stayed at Blake's while he cleared up a patch of land and erected a cabin. Wolverton then went to Virginia, stayed five years, and returned, built, dug a well, and made other impro\'ements. He then went to Ohio. \Voherton died in 1848, leaving a wife and family. In 1821 John Miller entered land in sections 29 and 30. He began his farming, after having built a comfortable cabin. The same \ear \\'illiam Sutherlin arrived from \'irginia and bought land in both Putnam and Parke counties for his sons. In 1822 he moved his family, wife and nine children, and he settled near the eastern line of this township. Isaac Norman helped to survey this county in 1820, and selected his lands, but did not settle for some years afterward. John Duncan entered land in 1822 or 1823, and Thomas Carmichael came about that date. In 1822 came the Troutmans, Stephenses and Kays. .\ little later came the Jameses and Xa- than Plunket, as well as Temuel Norman, who lived on the Big Raccoon. In 1823 Thomas C. Burton entered land in New Discovery, east and northeast 2l8 PARKE AND \ERM1LLI0N COXJNTIES, INDIANA. of Bellemore. Other early settlers were John Blake and his large family, John McGilvery, John Noble, Robert Broaddus and Samuel Harlan. All of these arrived prior to 1830. Those coming in between 1830 and 1840 included John Collins, John and William Bulion, the Akers and Mershons and Cyrus Goss. MILLS AND VILLAGES. At first the settlers had to carry their grain to mill on horseback to Dixon's mill, and a little later to Portland. The Noble mills were built in 1829 on the Big Raccoon, south of present Hollandsburg. John McGilvery hauled the mill-stones from \'igo county. Soon after this the Springfield mills were built. These mills did the sawing and grinding for many years after the first settlers came in. As the township was settled up more there came a natural demand for mechanics, the first, of course, being blacksmiths. About 1830 William Aydelotte settled on the present site of Bellemore, or rather a half mile to the north. There he started a blacksmith shop, doing tiie work for a large scope of country. This was the first shop in New Discovery, but Martin's must have been the first shop in the township. In those days a round rod of iron was seldom seen in these parts, so Aydelotte kept a forge and he and his boys forged their own iron. William Alexander probably had the first inn or tavern, and this was the germ, so to speak, of Bellemore village. A few more cabins were put in around the Guisinger shops, and John Bulion, Sr., having come from the East, suggested that the cluster north of the State road be called Northampton, after the city of this name in Massachusetts, ■ and that south of the road be called Southampton. The shop at the latter place was soon abandoned, so the town was known as Northampton. John Aydelotte built a blacksmith shop, and John M. Turner rented the back room for a wagon shop. In 1856 Turner built his wagon shop, the first in the township, and there did a thriving business. About 1839 William Thornton built the first store room, what came to be known as Bellemore. In 1850 Isaac Wimmer bought from iVlexander his property, and in 1853 sold to Moore and Snow, and they put up a steam flouring-mill and a saw-mill, put up a store building and each a dwelling. The hamlet began to be a center for trade, and the people demanding a postoffice, they petitioned to have one established and suggested the name be Northampton, but while the depart- ment granted the office, it found it impracticable to call it Northampton, as Indiana already had such a postofiice, hence it was named Bellemore, which derived its name as follows : ]\Ir. Moore, then a resident of the place, had PASKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 2I9 some dauyliters w honi (General Steele, a guest of Moore, very much admired. The General one day said to his host, "This town ought to be called Bellemore (Belle-Moore) in honor of your daughters;" hence the origin. The second town in this township was Hollandsburg, on section 9. In 1855, or about that year, John Collings built a hewed-log house on the spot, and Abraham Collings built a store sixteen by twenty feet, and there sold goods, carrj'ing about a four-hundred-dollar stock. Thus was started the village. The Collings gave it the name it bears, in honor of a Baptist min- ister in Kentucky whose name was Holland. About i860, John AIcGilvery built a large house for a residence — the best in the place. In 1859 the Baptist church was built. The first postmaster was L. 13. McGilvery. Neither Hol- landsburg or Bellemore were ever incorporated, but remain small trading places. Union township has no railroad facilities, and most of the grain is hauled to Rockville and other sliipping places. The roads of this section are extremely hilly, owing to the lay of the country, and in an early day it was almost impossible to get in and out of the township. But as time went on roads were finally provided at much expense and hard labor. The cemeteries of this township are mostly of the "familv burying- ground" character, each early family choosing to bury their departed dead as near the spot where they lived and labored as possible. Among the well- known burial places are the Blake graveyard, the Martin graveyard, the Nobles and Kelley, the Colemans, Harneys, and Coopers. The schools and churches of this township have been noticed in the gen- eral chapters in this work. CHAPTER XXVIII. WABASH TOWNSHIP. This siilj-division of Parke county is on the western border, and is south of Reserve, west of Adams, north of Florida township, and is bounded on the west by the Wabash river, which is the dividing line between this county and Vermillion county. Along the river, and in places running back a con- siderable distance, are the Walmsh bottoms, which are considered the richest land in the state, although up the river at the northwest corner of the town- ship the land is higher, but not broken, and is therefore the most valuable of any in this part of Parke county. The middle and northeast part of the town- ship is quite hilly, the bluffs in places rising abruptly to a considerable height. These hills are to quite an extent underlaid with coal; a fair quality of build- ing stone is also found in places, and iron exists upon Iron creek in the north- east part of the township. Raccoon creek, the chief stream in the township, enters from the south and runs northward some little more than half way through the township, then turns west, running almost directlv to the river. On this stream Abner Cox built the first mill of any note in this part of the county. To it came the pioneers, some in row boats, some with carts and oxen and some from other parts came with grists on horseback, winding their way over hills and through the heavy timber, then scarcely broken by the sturdv settler's axe. This mill was built near Armiesburg. After the mill came other milling improvements, to grind out whisky from rye and corn, making a home market for farmer's produce. One writer in 1879 said: "It was discovered that a 'worm' in this still house was more venomous than any reptile ever found in Parke county." In 1830, Patterson, Silliman & Com- pany started a store here, where pork could be sold at a dollar and fifty cents per hundred, salt could be purchased at seven dollars per barrel, and calico from thirty-five to forty cents per yard. Some of the first settlers hauled w-heat to Chicago, Louisville, and Cin- cinnati Ohio, and sold it for fifty cents per bushel and hauled back mer- chandise, PIONEER SETTLEMENT. Among the early settlers may be recalled Isaac Ghormly and family. Daniel James and Aquilla Justis, Lucius Kebby and family, Aquilla Punten- PARKE AND \KRMII.LIOX COUXTIKS, TXDIANA. 221 ne\ , Mark ami Thomas Cooke, William Hixon, Azariah Brown. James and Aquilla Lavert}-. Man_\- of these pioneers have descendants in the township today. At the time the early settlers came, the Indians were ipiite numemus. In this township was one section of land oiven b)- the state to I'hristmas Dazney, spoken of elsewhere in this volume. The Indians were peacealile. hut idle and shiftless. In 1832 the Mecca saw-mill was built bv Alexander AlcCune and Samuel Lowry. In 1833 ^ factory for wool carding and a year later a fulling mill were added to the place and in 1855 these gentlemen built a large custom mill, In 1873 a good bridge was built over the creek at this place, protected from the weather by a shingle roof. This place is about two miles up the creek from Armiesburg. The latter place derived its name from the fact that it is on the place where General Harrison crossed the Raccoon creek, and camped with his army, while en route to the famous battle ground of Tippecanoe in this state. In 1912 the assessed valuation of personal and real estate property in this township was $787,555. Its population in 1910 was 1,955. The churches and schools are mentioned under general chapter heads. Many of the early settlers buried their dead in the most convenient places, generallv near their own homes, and for long years the plow and harvester have gone ruthlessly over the spot where lie their remains. Since 1840, however, more care has been taken to protect the burial places within the township. About 1836 Leatherwood burying ground was staked olT and in 1849 ^^'is deeded by Isaac Silliman to the trustees of the society of the United Brethren. About forty years ago, William Hixon deeded to the trustees a piece of land in sec- tion 19, township 15, for a place to bury the dead. Other places were later selected. The first school house in the township was erected in 1834. b)- A. Mc- Cune, three-fourths of a mile from Mecca, to the southeast. Flat-boat building was one of the early-day industries in this township. Many of the pioneers made trips to New Orleans by these boats. Mr. McCune having made thirty-five trips to the gulf in this manner. .A. local writer mentions the "never-built'" railroads in Wabash town- ship in the following strain : "If any township in Parke county, more than another, can boast of her imfinished railroads it is Wabash. In 1873 Mr. Young, of Chicago, started the Indiana division of the Chicago. Uanville & \"incennes railroad. It was graded alxnit half wa\- through the township, from the snuth side, running 222 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. through the Raccoon bottoms. The truss bridges were also erected. In 1854 the IlHnois Central and Indiana Central surveyed a line through the north part of Wabash township, but never built the road. In 1874. a company formed to build the Springfield road. This line passed over the old survey. On October 15, 1875, the contract was let to build and own the road from Montezuma to Indianapolis, via Rockville. The grading was begun in the fall of 1875, and in the winter of 1876 they failed and the road was aban- doned. Thus the fond hopes of the Wabash people as well as those of Rock- ville, perished and, like the morning dew. flitted away and the prospective, like the canal, are 'hopes deferred.' " But later the township was blessed with a line of railroad known as the Chicago & Eastern Illinois, which enters the county in Liberty twonship and traverses the townships of Liberty, Reserve, Wabash, Florida, fonning junc- tion with the \'andalia at Rosedale. with a station point in Wabash township, at Mecca, on sections 19 and 30. This was constructed in the eighties and is a paying railroad proposition and has been the means of bringing into exist- ence the sprightly town of Mecca, which was platted on section 20, township 15. range 8. August 7, 1890. by Samuel L. McCune. Other plattings were made later. The place now has a population of about one thousand four hundred and is supplied with all that goes toward making up a modern buiU town of its size. Its churches and schools and other interests are noted throughout other chapters, in a general way with other towns. Being one of the new towns of the count)-, its early history is not so important, but the earlv settlement of Wabash township gives tiie pioneer history of that portion of the county. It may be added that the old \\'al)ash & Erie canal runs from north to south, through ^Vabash township, and in its day was looked upon as a great thoroughfare. Traces of the canal are to be seen at many places along the western part of Parke count\', including the town of Monteziuna and Reserve and Wabash townships. At Mecca there is now in operation an extensive plant for the making of drain tile, by William Dee, who is the great Chicago tile manufacturer through this section of Indiana, with several plants for brick and tile. CHAPTER XXIX. WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP. Washington township is a central sub-(li\ ision oi I'arke count) . It has a population, as noted by the last federal census, of 1.481. Its assessed valua- tion, both real and personal property, in 1912. is $907,760. This township comprises part of township 15 and township 16, ranges 6 and 7, and contains thirty-six sections of rich, beautiful land, with extensive coal-bearing lands and mines, the latter for year having been its greatest source of revenue. The old-time log cabins that once dotted this section have been displaced and mod- ern farm houses of rare excellence and attractiveness now adorn the entire township. Several never- failing streams of the hnesl. purest water course through this township. Among these may be named Roaring creek, Leather- wood, Sand and Williams creeks, whose waters find their way into the little Raccoon. In 1872 the Terre Haute & Logansport railroad was constructed across the corner of this township, and a station point established on section 24, which was later named Judson. On section 35 is Xyesville, Iniilt up on the coal mining interests of that neighborhood, it having a branch line extending to the mines. FIRST SETTLERS. The first white man to invade and claim land within Washington town- ship, as now defined, was Alexander Buchanan, who arri\ed in 182 1, locating on section 24, near Little Raccoon creek. \Mien he came this was all a forest land and indeed wild in all that could be mentioned. His only neighbors were the Indians, they being of the Delawares, Miamis and Pottawatomie tribes, whose villages and burying grounds were then numeious in this township. The next settler was David Bruen, who located at the point later known as Bruen's cross-roads, where the first postoffice was established, with Mr. Bruen as postmaster. In the autumn of 1822 there were twelve families in this set- tlement. These were the Buchanans, Bruens, David Todd, Ambrose Lambert, Charles Abbott, his mother and brother, two families named Harlan, a Dutch famih" named Shmok, and the families of McMillan and Garrison, the two 224 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. later having settled over the line in Adams township. The following year came Fleming and James Long, and soon came the McMurtie family. Then the number which came in was too large to here trace or enumerate. In the Roaring Creek or Poplar Grove settlement, in the north end of the township, the first to arri\e was John Maris, in the fall of 1826. He settled on the southeast quarter of section 5, on the old Indian trail. He cleared ten acres of land and the next year raised a crop of corn for bread purposes and feed. He obtained his seed corn from the Cook family, in the settlement to the west of him, paying ten cents a bushel for the seed. Next came in Joshua Newlin, his son John and daughter Sarah and her husband. James Underwood, they being newly married, but had never tried the perplexities of married life in a new country. They reached this township in the fall of 1827 and located on the northeast of section 4, at once building a shed, in which they lived for three weeks, at the end of which time they had their cabin erected, save the stick-and-clay chimney, which soon followed. The following winter was occupied at chopping" and logging, clearing away for a patch on which t<.) sow and plant. In tlie meantime the}" had to live chiefly on corn bread and mush and milk. Corn was still ten cents. Init money was hard to get hold of. They brought seeds with them and planted some peach seed, and in three years had plenty of fine fruit from this early planting. An apple iircliard was also planted from which they had an abundance of good apples within se\en years. His son John settled on section 4, and at once cleared away five acres, settling on the same in the spring of 1828. The son- in-law, Underwood, settled on section 3 and went to housekeeping. The next to come was Nathan Hockett, in the spring of 1828, who went to work on land he purchased in section 4. He owned the first cow in the settlement, having brought her from North Carolina when he came. The next fall came William and Jesse Hobson, locating on section 9. In 1829, in the autumn time, came the Teaghe family, their location being on section 8. Others who soon swelled the number in the little colony were Aaron Rawlings. Aaron D. Huff, Gabriel Wilson, Eli Bundy, Jonathan Trublood and family, W. Hill, Elias Trublood, Jesse Yemp, David Newlin. Joshua and John Engle. and the McCampbell family. The first school house was erected on what was known as the "lost (|uarter." a strip of territory on section 26. It was there that a school was taught by John McBride. an Irishman. In 1833 the first school in Roaring Creek settlement was taught. The Presbyterians built the first meeting house in this township in 1823. Early services were held by the Methodist Epis- PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 225 copal people, uiuler Re\-. Craxens, who styled himself, '"The Almighty's Bull- dog." See church chapter elsewhere; also educational chapter for schools. Among the first deaths in the settlement above mentioned was the drown- ing of Samuel Teaghe. July 4, 1834. Roseville mills pro\ided the first milling facilities this township had. In 1825 Samuel Steele built his Portland mill, in Greene township, and soon there were a number of mills erected in near-by districts. At Nyesville, noted above, in 1880 there were extensive coal mining operations opened up, on sections ^^ and 34. These mines were opened and worked by the Parke County Coal Mining Company, and this has been the means of supporting a good little mining village ever since. The United States census of 1910 gave the population as ninety-five, which fluctuates with the number of miners employed at various times. The village of Judson, a place having less than two hundred inhabitants, in 1910, is situated on section 24, of this township, and was platted by Alex- ander Buchanan, May 4, 1872. The railroad was completed that year, and the first store was opened by Glover & Milligan, who were followed very speedily by many more business concerns. Presbyterian and Methodist churches were soon organized and houses provided in which to worship. A Masonic lodge was formed in 1874. and an Odd Fellows lodge in the same year. ('5; VERMILLION COUNTY CHAPTER I. NATURAL FEATURES OF VERMILLION COUNTY. The word "vennillion" is from the French, signifying" "a bright red sul- phuret of mercury," and is applied to this territory and the stream by that name, on account of the red or brown color of the earth and the abundance of "keel," or "red-chalk," found along the banks of the river now called Vermillion. It is believed that this substance was formed by the burning of the overlying shale, the outcrops of the coal, the latter igniting from the autumn fires set by the people then inhabiting" thi.s region. The river was first named, then the county. Geographically. Vermillion count) is thirty-nine degrees and fifty-five minutes north, and eighty-seven degrees and ten minutes west longitude from Greenwich, England. The standard railroad time, which is conformed to the ninetieth meridian, is about eleven minutes slower than local sun-time. New- port, the county seat, is five hundred and twenty feet above sea-level, and fifty- five feet above the low water mark of the Wabash river opposite. The beautiful Wabash river, with its charming scenerv, is equal in that respect to almost any other stream in the W'est. Its silvery ripples are seen here and there midst luxurious foliage of splendid forest kings, while long ranges of hills add further beauty and sublimity to the scene which is ever a feast to the eye of the beholder. The more than thirty-sexen miles of river front presented within this county, is wholly made up of attracti\'e natural scenery, making the territory one of the "loveliest valleys in the West." The W^abash and its tributaries completely drain and water the countv of which this volume is a history. Spring branch, really a large creek, flows south- westerly through the northeast comer of Highland township. Coal branch flows south near the western border. Big Vermillion river winds in graceful curves through the southwestern corner of Highland townshi]) and also through the northern part of Eugene township. Little \'ermillion river winds 228 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. through the southwestern corner of Eugene township, emptying into the Wabash near the middle of the eastern side of Vermilhon township. Jonathan creek, in the western portion of Vermillion township, flows northeasterly into Little Vermillion. Brouillet's (pronounced Brulet's creek) is wholly within Clinton township, coursing its way southeasterly, forming confluence with the Wabash river. Little Raccoon creek, in Helt township, runs to the south- east, in the northeastern portion of the township, falling into the Wabash l)e- tween Highland and Alta. GEOLOGICAL FORMATION. Almost one-third of the territory embraced within \'ermillion county con- sists of rich, fertile and valuable bottom lands of the great and historic \\'abash river together with its affluents. Big and Little Vermillion rivers and Norton's creek. The main terrace of the "second bottom," is finely developed in the region of Perrysville and Newport. This terrace is from one to four miles wide, giving an extended stretch of rich, well drained farming lands, with an average elevation of about forty feet above the first bottom. Below the town of Newport the blufifs reach the river so nearly that the terrace is nearly obliterated, and the immediate bottoms are hence very narrow. At the mouth of Little Raccoon creek the bottom lands are extended wider, but there is no large amount of terrace land until the head of Helt prairie is reached, at a point six miles to the north of the city of Clinton, where it stretches to the south- ward and is from one to three miles in width. Again three miles below Clinton it narrows clown at the moutii of Brouillet's and the count)" line. When Vermillion countv was first settled by white men the bottoms were heavily timljered, but a large part of the terrace \\ as de\oid of timber. It is hardh' probable that this laud was originally, prairie, on account of its nature and favorable situation, hence it is supposed that this land was cleared and cultivated by the same race of people, possibly the much-talked-of, and but little understood, Mound Builders. The "mounds" are to be seen all through this region, and it is thought that the annual fires prevented a re-occupation by trees and shrubs. Rising from the upper bottom lands bluffs are seen, more or less abrupt, which attain a general level of from one hundred and twenty to one hundred and thirty feet above the river bed, forming the somewhat elevated border lands of Grand prairie. The most gradual ascent is to the westward from Perrysville, which provide a natural roadway for the railroad now traversing this portion of the county. South of the Big \'ermillion river the bluffs are PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 229 much Steeper. These bhiffs are too steep for practical cultivation, and tinil)er is still found growing, including oak, hickory, maple and walnut, and. in the south part of the county, beech. Thirty years ago and less there were found large groves of maple of the sugar variety. l''roni the chief streams this tim- bered region extends to the westward to the state line. The northern and middle portions of the county are in great part a portion of what is known as the Grand prairie, which covers all eastern Illinois, from the forests of the Lit- tle Wabash to Lake Michigan. Vermillion county is blessed with springs, bursting forth from below the bowlder clay of the drift period. JNIany of these springs are exceedingly strong in their flow, but with the settlement of the county, artificial drainage, etc.. have somewhat diminished. The alluvium of the river bottoms have the comuiun features of all river deposits. Vegetable remains are mingled with fine sand and mud washed from the drift-beds up the streams, and occasional deposits of small stones and gravel, derived either from the drift or from rock formations through which these rivers have cut their way. The only positive information con- cerning the depths of these lieds refers to the prairies between Eugene and Perrysville. where wells have been sunk sixty feet through alhuia sand, and then encountered six to ten feet of sticky, bluish mud filled w itli leaxes. twigs and trunks of trees, and occasionally small masses of what appears to have been stable manure. This stratum is sometimes called "Xoah's Barnyard." The lake-bottom deposits, of a corresponding age, which commonly miderlie the soil of the Grand prairie, have been found west of the state line, consi.sting of marly-clays and brick-clay sub.soil, and probably exist eipially under such portions of the prairie as extend into ^'ermillion county. There are numerous fine gravel beds in the county, ])iincipally de\eloped since the construction of railroads. The bowlder clay mentioned abo\e. which substance forms the mass of drift formation, is a tough, bluish drab, unlaminated clay, more or less thoroughly filled with fine and coarse gravel, and includes man\- small bowlders. On the high blufi". to the west of Perrvs- ville. this bed was penetrated to a depth of about one hundred feet before reaching the water-bearing quicksand commonly found beneath it. Outcrops of one hundred and ten feet ha\e been measured. This is much thinner in the southern part of ^'ermillion coimty. I'"rom tlie difference in ch;iracter of the included bowlders at different le\'els. it is supposed bv geologists that the currents which brought the materials composing these beds flow ed in different directions at different times. As an example of the above descriptions, said a writer on this subject 230 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. twenty-five years ago: "A section from a branch of Jonathan's creek, in Eugene township, where bowlder clay, with pebbles of Silurian limestone and trap, thirty feet ; vellow clay, with fragments of coal, shale, sand-stone, etc., four inches ; bowlder clay, with pebbles of Silurian limestone, twenty-five feet; ferruginous sand, a streak; bowlder clay from the northwest, with peb- bles of various metamorphic rocks and trap, and nuggets of native copper, fifty feet." The section of rocks exposed at the horseshoe of the Little Vermillion exhibits the following strata : Black, slaty shale; coal, two and a half to four feet thick: fire-clay and soft shales, with iron-stones, fifteen feet; argillaceous (claye)') limestone, one to two feet; dark drab clay shale, one foot; coal, four to five feet ; light colored fire-clay, two feet ; dark colored fire-clay, one foot ; soft, drab shale, with iron-stones, ten to fifteen feet; fossiliferous, black slaty shale, often pyritous, with many large iron-stone nodules, two to three feet. A considerable portion of the bowlders and pebbles of these beds, espe- cially those consisting of limestone and the metamorphic rocks, are finely polished and striated on one or more of their sides, showing the power of the forces which were engaged in their transportation from their original beds. Nuggets of galena (lead) and of native copper are occasionalh' met with, and have had the usual effect of exciting the imagination of those ignorant of the fact that the rocks which contain these metals do not occur nearer than the galena region of northern Illinois. The only rock formation in the county, practically speaking, is that of the "coal measure" already mentioned. The first uppermost vein of coal is cov- ered by a few feet of soil only. The limerock below it is very thinlj' lamin- ated, being mingled with much clay ; but the shales covering the next vein con- stitute a fair working roof. The sand iron-stones are interesting to the hunter of fossils, as thev con- tain numerous fragmentary remains of fishes, insects, etc. This fossil dis- trict extends along the Little \''ermillion to its mouth and down the Wabash. Outcrops of this strata are found along the chief streams throughout the entire county of Vermillion. In going up stream along the Big A^ermillion river, on its south bank, a mile below Eugene, a bluff t\\ enty to thirty feet high is of irregularlv bedded, highly ferruginous, coarse grained sand-stone, often containing plant remains, with some large fragments of trees, etc. Some of these beds are sufficientlv solid to make good building stones. In quarrying them many fine trunks ha\"e been found and the larger branches of leipodendron and sigillaria. Wells sunk below Perrvs^'ille, below the limestone rock, ninetv feet, have PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 23I exposed no traces of coal, but coal is found at no great distance, owing to the sudden dips in the geological strata. In general terms, it may be said that most all of Vermillion county is underlaid with a good liuality of soft coal. A total estimate of eight feet would probably cover the thickness of coal underneath this county — a wonderful mine of wealth for generations yet un- born ! The chapter on Mines and Mining in this work will treat the vast coal mining interests. The principal iron ore found within Vermillion county is an impure car- bonate, occurring in nodules and irregular layers of sands. Once, these were shipped to a furnace at Brouillet's Creek, where they yielded thirty-three per cent, of iron ore. The ore here averages from twenty to thirty per cent. Along the Norton creek bottoms, near the head of Kelt's prairies, a bed of bog-iron, about three feet thick and extending over an area of about eight acres, has been discovered in the last thirty years. Zinc blende is also found in small i|uantities. Its a])pearance, at an early day. on the Little \'erniillion river, gave rise to the so-called "silver mine." The second bottoms, or terraces in Vermillion county, in order from the north are named Walnut Mound, Eugene or Sand, Newport and Kelt's. The soil is a black sandy loam, producing the richest and most paying crops. These terraces comprise aljout three-tenths of the entire count}-, and are from thirty- five to sixty-five feet above low-water mark, while the higher portions of the county are from two hundred and fifty to two hundred and seventy feet above low-water. Professor Collett, in his 1880 report, says: "Remains of the mammoth have been discovered in nearly all sections of Indiana. They have consisted, as a rule, of the most compact bones of these animals, as the teeth, tusks, jaws and thigh bones. Some of the best preserved teeth of the mammoth were found in the counties of Vigo, Parke, ^'ermi!lion, \\'ayne. Putnam and \"an- derburg." CONCERNING THE FORESTS. Eighty-five per cent, of the area of Indiana was originally heavily foi'- ested. The prairie district occupied a small portion of the northwestern part of the state. In this part the timber was confined principally to the low lands. In all parts of the state the timber has been cut for lumber and to clear the farm land, until now only twenty per cent, of the original forest, seventeen per cent, of the total area of the state, remains. The cutting off of the forests of the state has had a great influence on the drainage. When the forests were slill intact, the fallen lca\cs. mold and shade tended to rt'tain the surplus water 232 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. during the rainy seasons, and this water, given out gradually, tended to equalize the stream flow. Floods were less common then. Now the sys- tematic drainage of the land causes the water, during the rainy seasons, to flow- directly into the stream. Thus the streams are flooded during the wet weather and soon dry up after the rains cease. This condition is especially true of the portion of the state south of the Wisconsin glacial boundary. In the Wis- consin glacial area the sand and gravel deposits serve to some extent the same purpose as the leaves, mold and shade of the previously forested area of the unglaciated region. The effect of the removal of the forests is shown by the remains of old water-mill sites, on small streams which are now drv for more than half the year. Many of these small power mills were run continuously fifty years ago. These power sites are now impractical except where im- mense storage basins can be constructed. Charles R. Van Hise in the United States government reports on Conservation, says : ''It is estimated bv AIcGee that, by injudicious farming and deforestation, the water table has been low- ered in the eastern part of the United .States by from ten to forty feet. In- deed he estimates that the shallow wells and springs in this part of the country, at least three-fourths, have failed. The springs ha\-e dried up: the small brooks have ceased to flow: the, wells ha\c lieen sunk to lower levels. "In this matter we have an exceptional situation with reference to water which is somewhat analogous to that of minerals. \\'e are using the supplies of the past and not restoring an equal amount. This we are doing to some extent because of our present need: but also more wells are drilled in many artesian districts than arc necessary : and when thev are not in use, which is often the larger part of the year, the water from them is allowed to run off freely. Usually it is not realized that such waste lessens the head and makes available a smaller amount of water when it is again needed. This waste of underground water is analogous to the waste of natiu-al gas. Strange as it may appear, waste of this kind is allowed to continue not onl\- in humid regions where water is not appreciated, but in arid regions where it is at such fundamental importance. Such waste should Ije prohibited bv la\\ and the law- should pro\-ide means of enforcement. "Already strict laws exist in a number of states of the West : this is il- lustrated by California. It is clear that laws preventing the waste of water are constitutional upon substantially the same grounds as are the laws with reference to the waste of natural gas. This is clearlv indicated bv decisions which have been rendered in the various courts. "It is important to get into the ground a sufiicient amount of water, so that the water table will be maintained at a conx'enient depth. This is es- PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 233 pecially important in the arid and semi-arid regions, for there often the under- ground water is the only certain source of this element for domestic purjxises and for irrigation. "On a much wider scale increasing the proportion of jirecipitation which goes under ground, may be accomplished by covering the earth with vegeta- tion, by contour plowing, and b}' culti\ating in such a manner as to leave a rough surface." The whole of this question simply shows the opinion of an expert upon the subject of the conservation of water. The last paragraph is applicable to Indiana and to Vermillion and Parke counties. It is indeed astDuishing to notice the poor grade of farming carried on in man)- parts of this state. Fields are left absolutely bare for a whole summer and for many years. Such fields not only drain off most of the water which falls upon them, but the hard crust causes the evaporation of the underground water to lie much greater. Upon such fields even a rank growth of weeds is a blessing, except for the seeds which they produce. One of the secrets of successful farming in this state is the power of the farmer to properly handle the ground water under his land. When every farmer understands the secret of conserving ground water and puts the knowledge to practical use. the dry well and intermittent spring problems will be greatlv lessened and the facilities for water-power will be somewhat increased. Then, from all that has been observed, it will pay to save the remaining" forests and conserve the water, both upon and underneath the fertile soil of Indiana. ' "That old familiar tree. Whose glory and renown Are spread o'er land and sea — And woulds't thou hew it down.^ Woodman forbear thy stroke! Cut not its earth-bound ties ; Oh, spare that aged oak Now towering to the skies !" CL.VYS OF \i:KMir.I.IO.V COIWTV. The entire coal measure of this and adjoining counties is underlaid with a verj' superior grade of clay, including that suitable for pottery and fire- brick. White settlers first began to use this clav in this ixirtion of the state. for making "stone-ware." By 1840 this had grown to be a large industry. It 234 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. then went down largely and by 1853 but little was made use of. Efforts were made then to utilize the shales and clays again. At Hillsdale and at Monte- zuma, Parke county, several plants were erected for making fire-clay goods for refractory purposes, in the construction of furnaces, crucibles, flues and generally where heat resistance is sought. At Montezuma, too, a clay roofing tile factory was operated. In 1S90 the clay industry again took on new life, and four large plants at and near Montzuma and one at Clinton were estab- lished. The business up and down the Wabash, in these two counties, is now largely interested in tile. CHAPTER II. PRE-HISTORIC AND INDIAN RACES. Perliap.s nu lietter, relialjle accounl of the Mound Builders and Indians who lived, labored and died within tlie domain now known as \'ennillion county can l)e given, at this date, than that prepared from facts compiled by that student and correct writer, Hon. John Collett. hence the following de- scriptions of those who inhabited the country pri(jr to the coming of the white race, should be credited largely to him, and as he was the slate geologist and in a position to know whereof he wrote, it will be taken as nearly true as mortal man can now hope to arrive at conclusions draw n b\ him and made a j)art of the state's record. When first explored by the w hite race, this county was occupied by savage Indians, without fixed habitation, a\"erse to labor and delighting only in war and the chase. Their misty traditions did not reach back to any pre\ious people or age, but numerous earth-works are found in this region of such ex- tent as to require for their construction much time and the persistent labor of many people. Situated on river blulYs, their location combines pictures(|ue scenery, adaptability for defense, convenience for transportation by w ater, and productive lands. These are not requisites in the nomadic life of red-men, and identify the Mound Builders as a partially civilized people. Their mounds and other works are of such extent that it required years of lalmr. with basket and shoN-el. to erect such coordination of labor as to indicate the rule of jiriest- ly government or regal authority; they were certainly to that extent civilized. Their work in its vastness shows that governments were necessary, which must ha\-e had civil power to request and require the necessary labor. The implements found in the graves, mounds and tonil)s were more c^flen domestic and agricultural, and indicate a peaceful, ol)edient race. Their temples w'ere defended by bulwarks of loving hearts rather than by warrior braves. Many of the religious emblems and articles of utility made of stone point back to the earliest forms of sentiment represented by the fire and sun worshipers of cen- tral .'Xsia and give a clue to the reason why their favorite habitations and mounds were as a rule never placed beneath the eastern liluffs of streams. 1)ut on the other hand were so located in elevated positions, (jt on the western 236 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. bluffs, that when the timber was cleared away and the lands reduced to culti- vation, a long- outlook was given to the east and to the sun rise, from which direction their expected Messiah, or ruler, was to come. Similar customs still prexail in Mexico. Traditions intimate that the tribes were driven southward, from the north- ern portion of the continent, and these traditions are corroborated by the dis- covery of relics in this region made from material found far to the north. Clusters of mounds are found in A'ermillion county, on Mound prairie, near the Shelby battle ground and nearl}- all along the track between Eugene and Newport, many of them from twenty to forty feet in diameter, four, five or six feet high, and the clusters containing from ten to eighty mounds. One memorable mound is situated in the northern part of the city of CHnton, fmni which earth was removed for road building about 1830. In it were found stone implements of the Mound Builders accompanied with copper beads, fi\-e copper rods, half an inch in diameter and eighteen inches long, showing that it was one of the earliest of the Mound Builders works, while the>- were also accompanied with other implements imported from the north. Another, on the Head farm, near Newport, had copper rods, or spear- heads and smaller stone implements. These were probably l)urial grounds. A majority of them contained no relics, but were simpl\' al^andoned mounds of habitation. Mr. Pigeon, in his volume called "Dacoudah," says he no- ticed figured mounds of men and beasts on the south bank of the Little \'er- million. three or four miles from its mouth. .\ burial mound, near the north- east corner, contained a chief in a sitting position, in the center. Radiating from his body, like the spokes of a wheel, were fi\'e persons, slaves or wives, to wait upon him in the other world. His useful implements for the other world were a great number of copper l>eads from a lialf inch to an inch and a quarter in diameter, seven copper axes, one of which contained unmelted vir- gin silver, as it occurs at Lake Superior, varying in weight from two to eight pounds, and seven copper rods (spear heads), with pots and crocks, contain- ing black mold, as if it were food. The streams near their homes afforded fish for food, and the implements found indicated that they were skilled in hand- ling fish spears and gigs. The soil surrounding their homes was always the choicest, with the addition of beautiful and engaging scenery. The relics found in their mounds show that in their more northern home, in Wisconsin, Minnesota and ]\Iichigan. the common northern material, the striped slate and copper, was abundant. In Vermillion county relics of this character were scarce and precious, if not holy. At more southern points, striped slate im- plements of northern stone are very rare, while the precious copper could no PARKE AND VERMII.LIOX COUXTIES, INDIANA. 237 longer be used in implemeiU niakiii.i;-, but was lieateu intn ihe linesl ol sbccts and bent over ornauieutal pendants. AH these, and the customs of their bur- ial, indicate an Asiatic origin, and prove conclusively that in their migration to this region they passed by more northern regions, including Lake Superior. Afterwards the northern barbarian came, of an intermediate race, betw cen the Mound Builder and the red man. The Mound Builders were driven away bv this irruption, their property seized, many of their wives made captives and adopted by the new people. Many of the customs of the old people conse- quentlv remained with the newcomers, and the latter also deposited their dead in the old mounds over the remains of the more ancient people. The number of individuals thus found buried together, number from five to two or three thousand. Their graves and relics from the tombs are the only story of their lives. Throughout all these a deep spirit of religious de\otion is indicated, as well as the belief in the existence of another world and that imjilements of a domestic nature were necessary to the comfort of the departed. On the Moore farm, three miles northwest of Eugene, jNIr. Zeke Shew ard, in making an underground "dug-out" for the storing of vegetables, on a small mound surrounded by giants of the original forest, found at the depth of three feet, and at least one foot below the surface of the surrounding soil some pieces of metal about the size of a teaspoon handle, and one coin. On analysis thev were found to be made of lead, antimony, and tin. The coin had in relief easily identified figures, of a worshiped crocodile of Egyj^t, or a holy water dog of America, and wood characters, much resembling those of China, or Hindostan. Prof. W. D. Whitney, of Yale College, one of the most thorough linguists of America, believed the characters to be .\rabic, but of so ancient a date that the Oriental Society was unable to read them. The director of the Briti,sh Museum, in London, determined them to be ancient Hindostanee, but of so early a date no scholar in England could read them. Trees, and their remains, indicate an age of more than two thousand years. In March, iS8o, while a companv of gravel road workers were excavating gravel from the bank on the ridge at the southwest corner of the Xewi)ort fair ground, five human skeletons were found, supposed to he the remains of Indians buried at that point at an early da\-. In the gravel bank along the railroad, at the southeast corner of the fair ground, another skeleton was found. No implements of war were found w ith the bones, but ashes were per- ceivable, which would indicate that they were the remains of Tmlians. .\fter burying the dead it was their custom in some parts of the country to build a fire over the corpse. Many of the skeletons thus discovered, as well as a large l)ortion of the bones of the lower animals, on exposure to the air, crumble 238 PARKE AND VERMIIXION COUXTIES, INDIANA. away so easily that it becomes impossible to preserve them for exhibition. A collection of a dozen skeletons shows by measurements of the thigh- bones found that the warriors, including a few women, averaged over six feet and two inches in height. Without animals for transportation, their bones were made wonderfully strong b}- the constant carrying of heavy burdens, and their joints heavily articulated, and the trochanters forming the attach- ment of muscles show that they were not only a race of giant statute, but also of more than giant strength. ]\lan\ relics from these mounds, as well as from the surface of the earth elsewhere, have l)een collected by old resident physicians, and others, especially Prof. John Collett, late state geologist, and Josephus Collett, and an interest- ing museum mav here and there be found presenting a great variety of arrow- points, spear heads, stone axes, tomahawks, pestles, mortars, aboriginal pot- terv. pipes, ornaments, bones of Indian skeletons, etc. INDIAN OCCUPANCY OF THE COUNTY. At the ad\ent of the white man to the Wabash valley the Indians had virtually ceased from their long warfare and were living in a quiet state. They had no villages or places of permanent residence. In the summer time they remained at one point and in the autumn and winter elsewhere. They lived in wigwams made of deer skins and buffalo robes, which could be easily re- moved from place to place, or be substituted by others made from the bark of trees. The first white settlers saw all along the banks of the creeks and rivers circular holes in which Indians had cooked their food, and at night would sleep upon the ground with their feet hanging down in the warm places made there in the manner described. The \\'aba.sh ri\er was by them called Wah- bashshikka: bv the French. Ouabache; the Vermillion was called Osanamon, but bv the French, a name which signifies yellow, red or vermillion. after- wards translated into English as Yellow river. The Miamis occupied a portion of what is now Vermillion count}', but their general territory was east of the Wabash. They were a tall, straight race, of handsome countenance, especially the maidens, and were brave and terrible as enemies, kind and faithful as friends. Then there were the Kickapoos, or Mosquitans, originally from the north and northwest, who occupied the regions south and southwest of the Big Vermillion river, but occasionally, by comity of neighbors, camped for a greater part of the time north of the Vermillion, on their neighbor's territory. The Pottawatomies, also a northern tribe, owned the territory and their rights PARKE AND VERMILLION COITNTIES, INDIANA. 239 were recognized by the govcrnnK'iit in treaties. Vermillion county was at that time and had been for some years the home of each tribe, who at the zenith of their power had their headquarters at the Big Springs, a half mile south of Eugene, and the place was known among the whites as Springfield. There the councils of their confederacy were held and decisions as to wars and other troubles adjusted. The great treaty with the British merchants was made, and the governor of \'irgina took possession of immense tracts of land on the lower Wabash. Many of the early settlers recollected the meetings held there, comprising eight hundred to one thousand individuals. The Pottawatomies were of a somewhat subdued disposition, somewhat stoop-shouldered and of unpleasant countenance ; on the other hand, the Kickapoos were a warlike race, quarreled some with all other tribes, and only happv when giving and receiving hard blows. It is believed that the French missionaries passed down or up the Wa- bash as early as 1702. possibly two years earlier than that. The missionaries, being Jesuits, were successful in winning converts among the savages. Near the Indian village on section \(). township 17. range 9 west, on cutting down a white oak tree, the rings of grow th over the scar made h\ a white man's axe showed that the incision was made not later than 1720. It was about 1790 when General Hamtramck led his expedition of Indian volunteers and militia from Vincennes to attack the non-aggressive Indians and their \illage on the old Shelby farm, near the mouth of the Vermillion. These were the weakened remnants of the now almost extinct Pottawatomies and Kickapoos. This was their favorite camping ground, the confluence of the rivers giving them opportunities for taking fish, which were then \erv plentiful. The terrace lands above were filled with thousands of plum bushes and grape \'ines, and it was known as the "great plum patch." The exjiedi- tion, in two columns, crossed the Indian ford at Eugene, just north of where the mill dam was later constructed. Thence they marched in a circuitous manner to attack the village in the rear, when the direct division should attack * it at the same time from the south. The warriors and braves were ofif on a hunting expedition, and there were none to molest or make afraid the "gal- lant" soldiers, except the broken down old men, the women and the children. It is no wonder that later on the Indians of this region took part in the battle of Falling Timbers and Tippecanoe. La Chappelle is the name of the first trading post established in the \'er- million village, near Hamtramck's battle ground, the northwest quarter of sec- tion 33, township 18. range 9 west, by M. Laselle. afterwards for many years one of the distinguished citizens of Logansport. this state. Another trading 24P PARKE AND \ERMIJ.LION COUNTIES, INDIANA. post was subsequently established by an Englishman on the John Collett farm. sections 9 and 16. It was the custom of the French traders here to strike small medals, in size less than a silver c[uarter of a dollar, with a few figures and initial letters upon them, and tack them upon the trees at the mouths of the iriljutaries claimed, as a sign of possession. The Indians at the southern end of this county did their trading at stockades in Sullivan and Kno.x counties. Among the earliest traders were two brothers, Frenchmen, named Brouillet. For some reason the Indians of that region entertained a strung enmity toward one of the brothers. He was captured and brought to 'their village, near the mouth of a creek south of Clinton, that now bears his name. At once it was decided to burn him at the stake, and to the stake he was fastened with buckskin thongs. After the men had ceased talking", the squaws, according to Indian custom, had a right to be heard. An aged squaw, who had had a son killed in warfare, demanded the right to adopt the prisoner as a substitute for her lost son, and whilst the privilege was generally granted, on this occasion the demand was refused, although she pleaded earnestly and long. In her wild but heroic determina- tion, she seized a butcher knife and, before anyone could interfere, cut the prisoner loose, pointed to a canoe on the sand shore of the Wabash, and told him to run and save his life if he could. He did run. Pushing the canoe out into the water as far as possible, and giving it directive force toward the middle of the river he sprang aljoard and. lying flat in its bottom, paddled it into the stream beyond the reach of the Indians' rifles and escaped. This inci- dent gave the stream the name of Brouillet's creek. The Brouillets took wives from the Miami tribe. The wife of the elder Brouillet belonged to the family in the line of promotion to the chieftainship. On his death the mother returned to her people, and the children were en- titled, according to law, to their proper home and position among her people. Her eldest son grew up an enthusiastic and vigorous young man, and became one of the chiefs of the Miamis. He was equitable in his dealings, energetic in his duties, and a great commander. His prudence ser\-ed in a great meas- ure to settle any difficulties with his white neighbors, who were constantly encroaching upon his territory and often inflicting injustice upon his people. Frequently, the young men desired to avenge their wrongs, but he was able to prevent the butchering episodes of Indian warfare and retaliation. Joseph Collett, Sr., after surveying through the then swampy grounds of Hendricks and Montgomery counties, found that his camp was without pro- visions, and all. including himself, were more or less sick. On the return march of Gen. William Henry Harrison's armv to Fort Harrison, now the PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 24I cit)' of Terre Haute, he directed the otliers to iio and secure food, and leave him on the hank of the Raccoon creek in a httle tent. L hief Brouillet came to him, offered his services to kill game and to dress and cook it, and tenderly care for him, which he did as well as could a woman. Fifty years later. Mr. Collett could only recall the experience and scene with tears in his eyes, and declared Chief Brouillet was one of the best looking men that ever trod the hanks of the \\'ahash. and that he was as kind hearted as he was hra\e. GENERAL IIARRISON's MARCH TO TIPPEC.\NOE. In the march to Tippecanoe the Confederate Indians had prepared an ambuscade for Harrison's army at the narrow pass between the hioh, rocky bluffs and the Wabash river, at Vicksburg, near Perrys\ ille. The army forded the river near Montezuma and marched u]) on the west side of the river and thus avoided that ambuscade. They crossed the Little Vermillion, near the railroad bridge of later years, passed up the hollow just back of where-Joseph Morehead later settled. Remnants of their corduruy road and bridge might have been seen a quarter of a century later. On that march the useless shooting of a gun was prohibited, and even loud talking, under pen- alty of death. Judge Naylor, of Crawfordsville. who w as one of the volun- teers, tells the incident that on Oak Island, on S. S. Collett's farm, a fright- ened deer jumjied o\er the outer rank of men, and finding himself penned in. ran in various directions, over the enclosed space, and although the soldiers needed fresh meat they were not [lermitted to shoot the ;iniiiial. It was al- lowed to get away in safety. On the two spring branches, on the John Col- lett farm, sections 9 and 16, corduroy roads were to be seen as late as 1S90. The army marched as close to the river bank as possible, for the protec- tion of the pirogues and keel-boats, which carried corn for their horses and provisions for the men. Spies reported that on account of low water further navigation was impracticable at Coal Creek bar. The boats were landed on the Collett farm, near the later-day ferry known as Gardner's Ferrv. It was determined to build a stockade on the farm of the late J. W. Porter, at a point known as Porter's eddy, and that it should partially overhang the river, so as to protect the boats and their stores. Such a fort could usualK' ha\e been built in one day, but in the bustle and hurry of handling thev lost half their axes in the water. One of these was a long time afterwards found, and it was considered curious that a new axe, unused and mounted with an unused handle, sh.ould be found there, until Judge Xaylor exjilained the fact that manv axes w ere there lost on the occasion ju.st mentioned, while the men w ere (16) 242 PARKE AND VERillLLIOX COUNTIES, INDIANA. busily engaged in Ijuilding tlie stockade. Persons were still living in iSlair had been one of the heroes of Perr\-'s \-ictories on Lake Erie, and later held conspicu- ous positions of honor and trust in the coniniunit\- and state; but at this time he and Coleman were peace-makers between the Indians, whose confidence they had. and they knew that Indians, if ]iroiierl\- treated, could be trusted. Se-Seep, or See-Sheep, a small, l)ow-legged. stoop-shouldered, white- haired man a hundred and ten years old, was chief of the Pottawatomies and their allied Kicka])Oos. Their territory ranged from the Little \'erniillion to Pine creek, including the north half of \'ermillion county, all of Warren and the west half of Eountain. Se-Seep had been a gallant fighter in the defense of bis peo])le and country at the battle of b'allen Timbers ( Wayne's \ictorv). and afterwards in the terrible defeat of his ])eople at Tijipecanoe. Brave and heroic in battle, after signing the treaties of ])eace w ith the -\merican authori- ties, he was faithful and trustwortln- and finally liecame a reliable friend of the white peojile. He became the hero of a serio-comic incident wherein Xoah Hubl)ard. who settled on Indian lands where Cayuga now stands, be- came the butt of ridicule. Hubbard was culti\ating a portion of a ten-acre tract. One da\- the Indians crossed at the Arm\' I'ord and '"stole" roasting PARKK AND \F.RM II.I.ION COl'NTIKS, INDIANA. 243 ears and squashes as rental. Ilnliliard fmind Se-Seep with soine ears ot corn an ■ ert\', and that they should he dealt with and jjunished. They refused to call out the Rangers, hut said he might notify them to assemhle at their house the next morning. He did so, and the ne.xt morning some of the riflemen also assemhled and commenced ^.hooting at a mark. The Indians had camped for the night, a mile to the north, at the famous Buf-falo Sjjrings. I'lair intro- duced to the Indians the matters of diftereuce. anrl concluded to ha\e an imi- tation Indian pow -wow . .\ccordingi\". he anook, as authorities. Here the\ held a sham comt, chattering gihherish and gesticulating like lndi;ms, ;md fiualK rendei'ed the following verdict: That the two litigants settle the whole matter hy a fist fight. The decision was no sooner announced than the little old Indian chief, who was dressed only with a Iilanket-helt, threw it off and made rapidly for Huhhard. Of course the latter ran as fast as he could, mounted his i)on\ and was soon out of sight. The Indians, who are scarceh' e\er known to laugh, indulged heartily on this occasion. Se-Seej) was fiuall\- murdered in a foul manner at Xehuker's .Springs, l-'ountain comUy, at the age of one huudreil and ten \ears, Iw a lazv. \icious Indian named Xannupia. lie had a splendid son, who, at the age of sex'en- teen years, was killed hy falling fift\- feet from a tree, while fighting a hear, ne.ar the residence of lohn Colletl. .\lthough n(.i hattles or skirmishes in connection with the war of 1S12 took ])lace in this comity, the "\ einiillion countrx" w ,is twn cir three limes crossed hy helligerents. I'rom a cii])\ of (leu. jnhn Tipton's inurnal it is learned: Tipton was an illiterate m;in. hut a daring fighter, and in the aiUumn of 181 1 he, as a pri\ate in Ca])tain Spencer's Harrison County RiHemeii, iour- neyed from Corxflon, that county, down the Wahash to Fort Harrison, four miles north of Terie Haute, ;ind up the same stream again, in the Indian cam- paign which ended in the hloody hattle of Ti])pecanoe. The compain- com- jirised forty-seven men, hesides otificers, and these were joined In- Captain Heath and twenty-two men. In going flown the river they guarded a keel- hoat of provisions for Camp Harrison, and concerning this trip it niav he 244 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. quoted: "October 6. — We mo\ed early; one mile came to the ri\er at the coal bank; found it was below the \'ei-niillion half a mile: we took cotifee; moved after the boat started down. The coal bank is on the east side of the Wabash. We went through a small i^rairie: crossed the river to the west side ; went in on the head of a bar and came out on the low er end of another on the west side; went through a small prairie, then came to a big prairie, where the old \'ermillion town was. We crossed the \\"abash half a mile above the Vermillion ri\'er's mouth, before we came to the abo\-e town. Crossed the X'ermillion ri\er, took a south course through timbered land, and then through a prairie with a good spring and an old Indian hut. then through a beautiful timbered ground to a small creek, and stopped to let our horses graze ; then went through a good land with a ridge on our right out of which came four springs, and for two miles nothing but large sugar and w-alnut. The hill and the ri\er came close together. We found a good coal bank fourteen miles 1)eow Vermillion. We then crossed to the east side, went three miles and camped with the boat; after coming twent\- miles and finding two bee trees, left them." .\n entry was made on the 31st as follows : "We moved early. Two of the oxen missing. Three of our men sent to hunt for them. We crossed Raccoon creek. Saw our men who went to guard the boats on the 29th; they left us. We came to the river where we camped on our return from Vermillion on the night of the 6th : thence up to the ford. Saw our boat guard just crossing the ri\er. We halted till the army came up. then rode the river, which was very deep, then camped. Our boat-guard and the men who went to hunt the oxen came u]). when we left the guards. We took a north course up the east side of the Wabash, crossed to the west, with orders to kill all the Indians we saw. Fine news! The gov- ernor's wagon was left this morning in conse(|uence of the oxen being lost. All the army crossed in three hours. We drew corn. "Friday. November i — I was sent with eighteen men to look for a way for the army to cross Little Vermillion. Marched at daybreak ; came to the creek : found and marked the road ; waited till the armv came up ; went on and camped on the river two miles below the Big \^ermillion ; Captain Silencer, myself and three others went up the Big \'ermillion ; returned to camp. Gen- eral \\'ells, with fort}- men. and Captain Berry, with nine men. had come up. Our camp marched in front today, as usual, which nt)w consisted of thirty- seven men. in conseipience of Captain Berry and Lindley l)eing attached to it. "Saturday. November 2. — A fine day. Captain Spencer, with ten men, went out on a scout. Our company not ])arading as usual, the Governor PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 245 threatened tn l)ri-ak the ofticers. 1 staid in ramp. The army staid liere to Imild a block lumse on the bank of the \Val)ash three miles l)elo\\ Vermillion, in a small prairie. The house t\venty-fi\-e feet square, and a breastwork from each corner next the ri\er down to the w ater. Took horses and drew brush over the prairie to break down the weeds. This eNenini; a man came from the garrison; said last night his boat was fired upon. One man, who was asleep, was killed. Three boats came up, unloaded: went back, taking a sick man with them. One of Captain Bobb's men died tonight." "Sunday, the 3d. — A cloudy day. We mo\ed eaii\ . ( )ur company marched on the right wing today. Crossed the big N'ermillion. through a prairie six miles, through timber, then through a wet prairie with groves of timber in it," etc. Thus has been quoted all of (leneral Tipton's journal that ])ertains to the march through Vermillion county. I'nder date of November 7. iSi 1. be gives an account of the battle of Tijipecanoe. in a paragrajih scarcelv longer than the average of his journal, as if unaware that this action was of any greater importance than an insignificant skirmish. Tipton was promoted from rank to rank until he w^as finally made general. His orthography, punctuation, etc.. were so bad we conclude not to follow it in the above extracts, save in a few cases, like spelling "staid." Nearly every entry in his daily journal not quoted opens with the state- ment that the weather is very cold. He also makes occasional reference to the soldiers drawing their rations of whisky, from one to four quarts at a time. In Harrison's march to Tippecanoe his l)oals (pirogues) could not |)ass Coal Creek bar, spoken of above, under date of Octol)er 31st. and for their protection he built a stockade fort at the bead of Porter's edd\ . the ])reci,se location being the northeast quarter of section 1;. township 17. range (> west. Here he left the sergeant and ten men to guard them. The remains of the hea\y timbers were still to be jilainly ol)ser\ed in iN^o. Corduroy or ])ole bridges, buried in mud, might have been seen in iSyo. on the spring branches on the farms of Hon. John Collett, S. S. Collett and the Head familv. sec- tions 9 and 15. township 17, range g west. General 1 larris(jn .ilsci had caches I places for the safe keeping and hiding of food) in this cdunlN along the Wabash. According to the treaties, General I burison made a ]nirchase for the government, the northern line of which, west of the Wabash, extended from a point directly opposite the mouth of the big Raccoon creek northwesterly. This tract was opened for white settlement long before the southern portion of the county was. which remained in the possession of the Kickapoos and Pottaw atomies for a few^ years longer. CHAPTER III. THK FIKST WHITE SETTLHMEN T. The (late uf the first settlement hy whi'e men in \'ermilhon county was 1816. The location was the southeast corner of section 9, township 14. range 9 west, where John \'annest and a man named Hunter, who was by occupa- tion also a hunter, had \-entured west of the Wabash to select land for making a permanent home. This ]3oint was about a mile north of where now stands the thriving city of Clinton. Here they halted first for the night. Hunter .soon secured a deer, which he killed, and thus they were provided with a fine su])- per. In the morning, after gazing about for a few minutes only. Mr. X^annest decided that that would be as good a location as he would prnbal)ly find. Then he returned to his temporary home at Fort Harrison, four miles north of present Terre Haute, and waited a short time for the day of the government land sales to arrive at Vincennes. He then entered three-quarters of section I), and later purcha.sed the other (piarter of the same section nf William Bales. This land is on the second !)ottom. \cry high and beautifully undulating, but was originallv heavily covered with excellent timber. Had he gone a little further to the north he would have discovered a beautiful little jjrairie. which would be land already cleared for him; but this point was either unknown to him. ov else it was too near, or even o\er. the line between the government land and that of the Indians, .\gain, at that day it was a tpiestion in the minds of settlers as to whether the prairie lands could be profitably culti- vated an. and his wife Mary died Xngnst 29. 18J4, aged fortv-four \ears. l)oth being Iniiied in the ('linton cemeterx', north of town. ( )ne of their daughters. .Sarah, who became the widow of Scott Malone, wris the oldest woman resident of Clinton county in 1881). and used to recall the time when the girls, as well as l)oys. had to "go to meeting" and to school barefooted, sometimes w;dking and other times going on horseback. The schools and religious services w ere held in the then popular log school house, with puncheon floor, mud-and-stick chimnex'. Hat rails for benches, a slab pinned u]) for a \\ riting desk, ;md greased paper for window s. .Mrs. Alalone and her twin sister, born .\ugust (). 1812, hence four years of age when the parents moved to X'ermillion countv, were remarkable from the fact that tliex' so iiearh- resem])led one another that e\en in womanhood one was mistaken for the other, e\-en \)\ their riwii children, flie twin sister was Jane, who married Thomas Kibliy, and died in .March, 1880. Records left by these w orth\- women have inaterialh' aided the present historian. .Mrs. X'annest bad two narrow escapes from death at the hands of the Indians. This came about as follows: Two white soldiers at Cam]> Harri- son became engaged in a (piarrel one day, and one of them, in attem])ting to shoot the other, carelessly missed his aim and killed an Inilian s(|uaw bevond. Tliereiipnii the red-skins vowed that they would kill the lirst "white scpiaw"' they saw who should cross to the west side of ilu' Wabash. Accordinglv, they watched their opportunity, and made two attempts to take the life of Mrs. \'annesl. In the first instance her life was sa\-ed b\- the tiiiiel\- inter- ference of a friendly Indian, .and the other time In the \ ioleiit interference of her relatives and friends. Soon after this her husband took her back to Fort Harrison, where she remained until the affair had been partialh- forgotten bv the Indians. The al)o\-e will suffice on the first settlement of this countw ;md this brief description will be followed u]) in the histories of the \arious lownshi])s. 248 PARKE AND VERMILLION. COUNTIES, INDIANA. GREAT SLAUGHTER OF ANIMALS. At an early day there were several circular ■'liunt>" or "drives. " The largest competitive chase held in the county lasted three months. Two leaders were chosen, who picked their men and divided the neighborhood into two parties for a compass of ten miles ; they were to bring in the scalps of the slain animals at the end of three months, and the leader who showed the most scalps could demand five gallons of the best whisky, as a treat from the beaten side. A wolf, fox, crow, coon, or mink scalp was to be considered equal to five other scalps in their value. A squirrel or chipmunk scalp counted one. On the appointed day the opposing forces assembled. The committees began to count the scalps, and the task took them until three o'clock in the afternoon, when it was announced that tliere were seventy thousand scalps. Thus by a general rivalry, the settlers enjoyed the execution of a plan which proved the means of safety and protection to their homes and their crops. CHAPTER IV. ORGANIZATION AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT. The territorx' coniiJrising present \'eniiillion cnunt\- is thirty-sexcn miles lon,o' from nortli to south and a\erages at>out se\en miles in w idth from ea.sf to west. It is bounded on the north by Warren county. Indiana, on the east by the Wabash river (Fountain and Parke counties), fni the south b\- \'\go county, and on the west by Edgar and Vermillion counties, in Illinois. Vermillion was originally a part of Vigo county. In 182 1 Vigo county was divided by the organization of Parke county, which comjjrised Vermillion as a part of it, and Roseville. on the Big Raccoon, was the county seat. In 1823, by act of the Indiana Legislature. Parke county was rlivided by the Wabash river, the part west of the river being organized as ^'ermillion county and named from the rivers. For manv years the Big Vermillion river had been the boundar}- lietween the possessions of the Peaukeshaws on the south and the Kickapoos and Pottawatomies on the north, and during the period of ownership by France it was a part of the boundary between Canada and Louisiana. Vermillion county was created by an act of the General Assembly, ap- proved January 2, 1824. In order that it may be referred to as the genera- tions come and go, and being assured that it is authentic, as copied from the minutes and journals of the General Assembly of the state, the full text of the bill is here given, and reads as follows: ''Section i. Be it enacted by the General Assembl\- of the state of In- diana, that from and after the first day of February next, all that part of the counties of Parke and Wabash included within the following bounds shall form a new county, that is to say: Beginning on the west bank of the Wabash river, where the township line dividing townships nuniljered 13 and 14 north, of range 9 west, of the second principal meridian, crosses the same; thence west to the state line; thence north to the line dividing townships num- bered 19 and 20 north; thence east to the W^abash river: thence south with the meanders of said river to the place of beginning. "Section 2. The said new county shall, from and after the first da\- of February next, be known and designated by the name of the county of Yer- 250 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. million, and it shall enjo\- all the rights and pri\ileges and jurisdictions which to a separate and independent county do or may properly belong or appertain; provided always, that all suits, pleas, plaints, actions and proceedings which may before the first day of March next have been commenced, instituted and pending within the county of Parke, shall be prosecuted to final judgment and effect in the same manner as if this act had not been passed: providing also, that the state and county taxes which are now due within the bounds of the said new county shall be collected and paid in the same manner and by the same officers as they would have been if the creation of the said new count}' had not taken place. ■'Section 3. Robert Sturgis and Samuel Caldwell, of the county of \'igo; Moses Robbins, of Parke county: William Pugh, of Sullivan county, and William Mcintosh, of the county of Putnam, are hereby appointed com- missioners, agreeably to the act entitled ".Vn act for the fixing of the seats of justice in all new counties hereafter to be laid off.' The commissioners above named, or a majority of them, shall convene at the house of James Blair, in the said new county of Vermillion. (.)n the first da\- of March next, and im- mediately proceed to discharge the duties assigned them l)y law. It is hereby made the duty of the sheriff of Parke county to notify said commissioners either in person or by written notice of their appointment, on or before the first day of February next: and the said sheriff of Parke count\- shall recei\e from said county of Vermillion such compensation therefor as the county commissioners of said new county of Vermillion shall deem just and reason- aljle : who are hereby authorized to allow the same out of moneys in the treasury of said county, not otherwise ap])ropriated. in the same manner as other allowances are made. "Section 4. The circuit court of the county of Vermillion shall meet at the house of James Blair, in the said new county of \'ermillion. until suitable accommodations can be had at the county seat: they _ shall adjourn their courts thereto, after which time the courts of said county shall be holden at the seat of justice of said county established by law: ])ro\ided always, that the circuit court shall have authority to adjourn the court from the house of James Blair as aforesaid, to any other place, pre\ious to the completion of the public buildings, should the said court or a majority of them deem it expedient. "Section 5. The lx)ard of county commissioners of the said countv of N'ermillion shall within six months after the permanent seat of justice of said county has been selected, proceed to erect the necssary ])ulilic l)uildings thereon. "Section 6. The agent who shall be api)ointed for the sales of lots at the I'ARKE AND VERM II.l.inN COl'NTIES, INDIANA. 25I seat of justice of said new county shall reserve and receive ten per centum out of tile proceeds of all donations made to said county, and also out of the proceeds of all sales made of lots at the count) seat of said county, and jjay the same ox'er to such person or persons as ma\' be appointed hy law to re- ceive the same, for the use of the count}' library for the said county of \'er- million, which shall pay over at such time and place as may be directed by law. "Section 7. 'I"he powers, privileges and authorities that are granted to tile qualified \oters of the county of Dubois and otliers named in the act en- titled 'An act incorporating a cnuiUv lil)rar\' in the cnunties therein named, appri)\ed January j8. 1818, to organize, support and conduct a county library, are herebx- granted to the qualified voters of the count}' of \ ermillion; and the same powers and authorities therein granted and the same duties therein re(|uired of the se\eral officers and [jcrsons elected li\ the cpialified voters of Dubois and other counties tlierein named, for the ]nu-pose of carr\ing into effect the provisit)ns of the act aforesaid, according to the true intent and meaning thereof, are hereb}' granted to and required t bad iurisdiction o\er more than a hundred miles of coutitr}' north and south, extending to Lake Michigan, within a few miles from the modern cit\' of Chicago, c'oi'xrv cox'i'.KX M I'.xr. In i8_'4 the coiuit} >eai was located at Xewport. wIktc it has always remained. It was then within little else than a wilderiu^. The locating commissioners were: Robert Sturgis. Samuel .M . Caldwell. William rn"'li and William Mcintosh, of adjoining counties. It is likely that a tifth com- missioner was appointed, but did not serx'e for some unknown reason. 252 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. It is likely that the county seat was located at Newport on account of its central location, and also on account of the immense spring that gushed forth from the earth at that point. -Vgain, there was located a grist and saw-mill on Little \'ermillion ri\-er, and the people donated more liberally than was. the case in other parts of the county. After securing a seat of justice, the earliest acts of the county commis- sioners were recorded in a home-made book, manufactured for the purpose by the county clerk. It was left where mice worked and much of the records are not jjlainh- made out. in March, 1882, as much of the mutilated book as was possible was carefulh transcribed in a large well-bound book. This transcript begins with tlie minutes of the session of March, 1824, the year in which the county was organized, so really but very little of the original rec- ords have been lost. The first session was held at the house of James Blair, situated near the southeast corner of the northeast quarter of section 16, in township lO north, of range 9 west. That was on the west side of the old wagon road leading from Eugene to Newport, about half way laetween the two towns. The early records abo\ e referred to included the following paragraphs : "At a special meeting of the board of commissioners of Vermillion count}', begun and held at the house of James Blair, on Tuesday, March 2^, 1824. and the commissioners, having their certificates of election and having taken the necessary oath, took their seats. Commissioners present, John Haines, Thomas Durham and Isaac Chambers. "First. Ordered, that William W. Kennedy l)e and is hereby appointed clerk of the board of commissioners of Vermillion county for this session. "Third. Ordered, that all that part of the county of Vermillion con- tained in the following bounds, to-wit : Beginning at the Wabash river, where the line dividing townships 13 and 14 crosses the same, thence with said line to the line di\iding the states of Indiana and Illinois, thence north to the line (!i\iding townships 14 and 15, thence east with said line to the \\'al)ash river, thence south with said ri\er to the place of beginning, shall constitute the civil township of Clinton: and that tlie election in said township be held in said township at the house of John Sargeant, in Clinton. "Fourth. Ordered, that all that part of the county of Vermillion con- tained in the following bounds, to-wit : Beginning at the Wabash ri\-er where the line between townships 14 and 15 crosses the same, thence west with the said line to the center of township 16. thence east with said central line to the Wabash river, thence south with said river to the place of beginning, shall PARKE AND VKRM ILI.ION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 253 constiuitc the township of Jleh, aiiil that elections for said townsliip he held at the house of John \'an l"ani[). ■■l'"itth. Ordered, tliat all that i)art of Vermillion count}-, contained in the following bounds, to-wit : Beginning at the Wabash river at the center of township if), thence west with said central line to the line di\iding the states of Indiana and Illinois, thence north with said line until it strikes the Big Vermillion river, thence east with said ri\er until it empties into the Wabash, thence south with said river to the ])lace of beginning, shall C(jnstitute the township of \'ermillion, and that elections in said township l)e •held at the school house in section if), in township iCi. "Sixth. Ordered, that all that part of Vermillion county contained in the following bounds, to-wit : Beginning at the ^^■ abash ri\er at the month of Big X'ermillion river, thence west with said ri\er to the line dividing the states of Indiana and Illinois, thence north with said line dividing townships ig and 20 thence east with said line to the Wabash ri\-er to the ])lace of begin- ning, shall constitute the township of Highland, and that elections be held in that township at the house of Jacob Andrick." Among the earh- journal entries are those relating to the appointment of constables for the following townships: Charles Trowbridge, for C'linton townshi]): John Harper, for Helt township: Jacob Custer, for Vermillion township : George Hansucker, for Highland township. All the abo\-e jjro- ceedings were had on the first day of the first session of the Imard nf cmn- missioners. Clinton and Helt townships remain unchanged to this day. but the other two townships have been made into three as follows : The line between \'er- million and Eugene townships is the line dividing sections 19 and 30 of sur- veyed township 17 north and 10 west, running east to the northeast corner of section 21. townshi]) 17 north and range g west, thence north a half mile. and thence east to the ri\er: the line di\-iding Eugene and Highland townshijis is the line dividing sections ig and 30 of townshi]) 18 north and 10 west, run- ning east to the river; and from the northern side of Highland township has been cut ofY one tier of sections of congressional township ig north, g west, and thrown into Warren county. The first grand iururs in A'crmilbDn countv were a])]iointed as fol'ows : Daxid W. Arnold. Horace Luddington. Rezin She'bw Andrew Thom])son. John Ti])ton. William Coffin, John Scott. Jesse Higgins, Morgan De Puy. William Hedges. John '\''anncst. W^illiam Boyles. James Andrews. James Har])er, Sr., and Tames Davis. 254 PARKE AND \'ERM1LLI0N COUNTIES, INDIANA. The first petit jury was composed of the following gentlemen: Joel Dicken, Robert Elliott, James Groenendyke, John Thompson, Simeon Dicken, Isaac Worth, Lewis Zebreskey, Benjamin Shaw, Alexander Bailey, William Rice. 1-larold Hayes, Amos Reeder, William Hamilton, Juhn Clover, Ralph Wilson. Juhn Wimsett, Abraham ]\Ioore, John Alaxadun, Joseph Dillow, Thomas AIatlien_\ , John E. .\nderson, Obed Blakesley, John Van Camp and Joshua Skidmore. The board of commissioners appointed "superintendents" of the school .sections: Harold Hughes, for Clinton township: William Bales,' for Helt township; James Davis, for Vermillion township; William Coffin, for that in 17 north, 9 west, in Highland township; Horace Luddington in 18 north, and Jacob .\ndrick in ly, also in Highland. The tirst overseers of the poor in this county were: John Vannest, for Clinton townshi]); James .\ndrews and Augusus Ford, for Helt; Zeno Worth and John Tipton, for \'ermillion, and John Haines and William Gonger, for Highland. John Collett A\as appointed "agent for laying out a county seat," and also lor "selling such lots as were ilonated b_\- John Justice and George Miner for the use oi the county, such lands as were Ijy them donated as more fully a])pears by their l)onds." Alexander Bade}- was appointed the first collector in this count)-. "The County Library Fund" was in charge of James Blair. Ijut such library, with all others in the commonwealth, was abandoned. On the third da}' of this session the bills of the sheriff and commissioners a])pointed liy the state government to locate the county seat were audited and ordered paid. William Fulton was allowed thirty-five dollars "as a sheriff in organizing the county of Vermillion." and also twi) dollars and fifty cents for obtaining a cop\' of the laws regulating the duties of the office of sheriff in new counties. John Collett was authorized to receive a deed of the land for the cfiuntv seat from John Justice. Josephus Collett and Stephen Collett. the land being "all that part of the west half of the southwest (|uarter of section 26. in town- ship 17 north, of range 9 west, which may be south of the Little N'erniillion creek should the same contain more or less." The Ma\'. 1824. session of the board of commissioners met at the house of James Blair, liut at once adjourned to the house of Jose]>hus Collett. at Vermillion Mills. .\t this place Mr. Haines did not appear. The other two commissioners decreed that fcrrv licenses he se\'en dollars: "that the clerk PARKE AND VKRMII.I.ION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 255 list all property liable tu taxation for county purposes to the full amount allowed by law." The rate of tavern license was fixed at five dollars. The board entered an order that the seat of justice should be known as "the town of Newport." It was also ordered that the lots in said town be laid ofi ac- cording to the following form. \iz : Lots, sixty-six feet in frcjnt and one hun- dred and eighty-one feet in depth. The board divided the county mto thirteen road districts, and the .same w ere supplieil by supervisors through appointment. James IJlair was permitted to ojjerate a ferry at I'errysxille, and the rate of crossing was fixed by the count\- board as follow s : Wagon and fi\ e horses. seventy-five cents; wagon and four horses, sixty-two and a half cents; wagon and three horses, fifty cents; wagon and two horses, three shillings; man and one horse, one shilling; pedestrian, six and a fourth cents; neat cUtle. four cents a head ; hogs and sheep two cents a head. -Vt a point two miles north of Newjjort, John (iarduer was authorized to operate a ferry across the Wabash. During the first \'ear of the counl\'s histor\- the board of county com- missioners placed a license of ten dollars as a license to \-end foreign merchan- dise for the remaining portion of the year 1824. This was the first '■])rotective tariiif" heard of in Vermillion county. With the machinerx- set in motion, the newl}' organized county soon began to build for the future. Public buildings had to be constructed and roads and bridges made. Taxes had to be levied and collected, all of which kept the commissioners quite busilv engaged for a number of years. COURT HOUSE.S .'\ND JAII.S. N'ermillion couni\- has had tlic following ])ublic buildings erected for its use : .\t the lunc. 1 SJ4. session the count\- commissioners ordered a contract to l)e let foi" the building of a court liouse of the following descri])tion ; Thirtv-six feet in length and twenty-four feet in depth; containing two jury rooms, to be fmnished with a window of fifteen lights and a door opening from each into the court room; the latter to have eight feet for a passage be- tween it and the jurv room: balance of sixteen feet to be finished, laid off and worked in a semi-circular form, in a workm.-mlike manner: with seats for the judges, bar and jury: with bani.sters to .separate the said court and jury rooms, eight feet one from the other across said court house, at the distance of eight 256 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. feet from said jury rooms, except so much as may be necessary for the ad- mission of persons in and to the bar and court, which said space is not to exceed three feet ; and the said court room is to be furnished with three win- dows of fifteen Hghts each, and two good doors. Said building is to be erected on the southeast corner of the public square, of good substantial frame of a ten- foot story co\ered with joint shingles; and said frame to be settled on a sufficient number of eighteen inch blocks two feet long." June 24, 1824, the board of commissioners met and awarded the contract for building the alx)ve described court house, for three hundred and forty-hve dollars, the structure to be completed by the first of the following No\-ember. Although the commissioners refused to accept the building when said by the contractor to be completed, it was used for courts and other public meet- ings of all kinds until another was erected of brick. The contractor was John Justice, to whom the county paid a part of the contract price, and he sued the county for the balance, and finally recovered the full amount, the supreme court ordering the county to pay in full, with the costs in the pro- ceedings. In the month of February, 18^1, the county commissioners obtained plans for another court house, and advertised for proposals for furnishing the material w ith which to build it. James Skinner, being the lowest responsible bidder, was awarded the contract for furnishing the brick at three dollars and fifty cents per thousand, and Stephen B. Gardner was promised two dollars and fifty cents a perch for the stone. Other material was contracted for, and the court Iiouse was completed under the immediate super\ision of the county commissioners, and was occupied until January 29, 1844, when, at eleven o'clock in the forenoon, it \yas partly destroyed by fire. The board met im- mediately and ordered the necessary repairs made. A\"ith the re-building and repairs thus made the structure served the county until 1868, when another court house was found necessary for the protection of the records and the transaction of the county's increasing business. Its cost was thirty thousand dollars. To this was added a wing on the west, in 1903, costing the county twenty-eight thousand dollars more ,and this re-built .structure is the present court house, \yhich is a good brick building, of handsome ])roportions. In July, 1910, the belfry of the court house \yas struck by lightning, causing a loss of fifty dollars, w hich was made good bj- the insurance carried h\- the county. THE OLD COUNTY SEMINARY. NEWPORT. VERMILLION COUNTY COURT HOUSE. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 257 COUNTY JAILS. In June, 1828, four years after the urganization of the count), the com- missioners let the contract for the erection of the first jail in Vermillion county, the same being sixteen by eighteen feet in size, two stories high, of hewed timbers, with a partition of twelve feet for "debtors and criminals" room, lower story eight and a half feet in the clear, upper story eight feet, with partition as below, to be built of double tiuiljers, eight by ten inches thick, or wider if convenient; roof to l>e of joint shingles, etc., etc. Samuel Hedges was the contractor, and the contract price was three hundred and sixty-nine dollars. In connection w ith the same building was to be a clerk's room, fourteen by sixteen feet, one story high, nine feet in the clear, two fifteen-light win- dows, one door, etc. I'^or this room, Mr. Hedges was to be paid one hundred and sixteen dollars. Both structures were completed on time and no difficulty arose Ijetween contractor and commissioners. The present fine county jail, situated two squares to the east of the court house, is a combination of brick and stone. The brick jjortion. on the south, was a part of the jail built many years ago, and is now the sheriff's residence, while the main structure is of the finest grade of stone, cut and laid in an ex- cellent manner. The jail proper was erected in the nineties at a cost of fifteen thousand dollars. On the site of this building was the old jail in which was hanged the only man ever legally executed within \'ermillion county. This was in 1879 and is mentioned elsewhere. THE COUNTY ASVLU^t FOR TUF, TOOK. \'erniillion county has always been mindful of its unfortunate poor and at a very early date in its history pro\-ided a poor farm, which is still the com- fortable home of this class. The land comprising this farm — a (piarter sec- tion, two miles south of Newport — ^was first entered b}- \\'ill)ur and Da\is from the government and comprises the southwest quarter of section 3, town- ship 16, range 9. Later Peter Smith became the owner, and upon it as secur- ity he borrowed a certain sum of money from the county; failing to pay, the land reverted to the county, and after a short time the authorities converted il into a poor farm upon which i^ude Ijuildings were erected. These buildings on land worth thirty-fi\c dollars per acre in 1886, became worthless, and in 1887 Vermillion countv erected a splendid, up-to-date countv infirmarv. cost- (17) 258 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. ing almost sixteen thousand dollars. It included a department for the insane. The structure was erected two stories high, with a basement under the whole area, which was forty by one hundred and eight feet. The original building, as completed in 1S87-88, had thirty-two rooms for inmates, six of which were jjlanned for the insane subjects : five rooms were set apart for the use of the superintendent and his family. This building was constructed by Moore & McCoy of Danville, Illinois. In 1887 the reports show that the average num- ber of inmates was about twenty. Joseph Conrad, who was made superin- tendent in the spring of 1881. at a salary of six hundred dollars per vear. served for manv years. Since then many additions and improvements ha^-e been made on the premises. The superintendent's report to the county authorities in IQ12 show that there were then twenty-six males and fourteen females at this humane institution. The superintendent was Grant Knight. COUNTY TRE.VSURY ROBBED IN 187O. Vermillion county was the victim of a bold robbery on Monday night, April 18, 1870, and the Hoosier State, published at Newport, had the follow- ing account of the affair, at the time: Oxer thirty-fi\-e thousand dollars was stolen from the county treasury vault, which had been faithfully closed and locked by Treasurer S. B. Davis, who later became famous as the editor of the paper above named. The doors were forced open by steel wedges, which were driven by a sledge. Neighbors heard the noise, but not distinctly enough to have their suspicions aroused. The next dav Orville White, who had just learned of the burglary, saw two men carrying a satchel across the farms about three miles north of Clinton. Calling two railroad hands to his assistance, they gave chase, calling upon the suspected fugitives to halt. The}' struck for the ri\er, and lea\-ing a portion of their clothing up the bank, began to swim across. Mr. White and his companions arriving, saw a farmer on the opposite side whom they knew, and hallowed to him to kill the rascals. Getting into shallow water, they drew their revolvers and fired at liim. y\v. White then requested his assi,stant to watch the thieves until he could raise a posse to take them. Discovering a wallet in the river. Mr. White waded in and obtained it, and found it con- tained $16,354. He then went home, mounted a horse and started for Clinton to raise a posse : but in the meantime the scoundrels reached the opposite shore, a mile below where thev entered the stream, soon found two railroad PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 259 hands, and drew their revolvers upon tliciii. commanding them to give up their clothing in great haste, as they "had got into a row and had to swim the river to save their lives." Returning to the river, they got into a skiff and floated do\\n past Clinton under cover of the night, and thus succeeded in getting away. It is thought that very skillful burglars must have pulled off this job. The following day, Mr. White learned that one of the assistants, whom he had liastilv picked up from out ;i ccnupauy of railroad men, near by. was the receiver of a large amount of niDuey ;U that tiuie, but was not present at the robbery. On Mav 13th. $5,210 more of the county's mone}- was found in a satchel lodged on tlie roots of a cottonwood ;i mile and a half below where the thieves commenced to swim the river. ,''^13, 320 was never found. .\SSESSKD V.^LUATION BY PRECINCTS. The subjoined was the assessed \aluations in the various townships and corporations in VermiUion county in 1911 : Highland township $2,465,030 Dana (corporation) $ 486.395 Eugene township 1.376.085 T<'air\ie\\ Park fcorpora- Vermillion township 1.940.000 tion) 1 10.140 Helt township 3.202.720 I'linton City T.882.730 Clinton township 1.959.605 Cayuga (corporation) 363.820 Newport fcnrporation) __ 402.720 Total $14,189,645 COUNTY FINANCES. J.\NUARY. iqi2. From the county commissioners' report of the finances of Vermillion county for the period between January i. 191 1. and that of January 1. 191 2, the following is extracted : FUNDS. Balances on hand January i. 1911. and receijits from January 1. 191 1. to January i. 1912. $503,600. Balance on hand in net cash, January i, 1912, $1x3,260. RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTS. For the year ending January i, 191 2, the county officials made the fol- lowing exhibit (H. T. Payne, auditor) : 260 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. RECEIPTS. Balance on hand Jan. i, 191 1 $18,644.68 Treas. percentage and mileage 686.89 Township poor 7,031.44 Proceeds — poor asylum 1,005.38 Pub. printing and adv. 26.80 Board miners' examiners 3,068.00 Change of venue -48.50 Special judges 165.00 Jury fees ^.^J Int. from depositories 2,434.29 County tax 52,894.24 Miscellaneous 2,281.57 Clerk's fees 2,136.36 Auditor's fees 437—5 Sheriff's fees 400.28 Recorder's fees 2,431.85 Total $93,895.90 DISBURSEMENTS. Expense Circuit Clerk's office $ 2,366.58 Exp. County Auditor's office 3,544.94 E.xp. County Treasurer's office 4,039.08 Exp. County Recorder's office I-7I9-33 Exp. County Sheriff's office 3,036.00 Exp. County Surveyor's office 356.80 Co. Supt. and Teacher's Inst 1,892.99 County Assessor's office 789.86 Coroner's inquests 398.45 County Health Commissioner 614.98 County Commissioners' exp. 636.20 County Council, Pauper and County Attorneys 772.00 Board of Review 301.50 Board of Truancy 222.75 Assessing 2,616.00 Township poor 5,004.78 Court house 1,484.04 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 261 County jail 97549 County poor asylum 4,918.58 Orphan poor 2,484.25 Benevolent institutions 407. K) Insanity in(|uests 820.(^i() Elections 5.45 Soldier burials 500.00 Public printing 812.85 Roads and highways 5o.j^ Returning fines 17.00 Bridge supt. and engineer 114.00 Deficiency in school funds t._^32.47 Expense of game warden h.cxj Board of miner's examiners 9'9-75 Taxes refunded 86.87 Examination of public records ^ 1.338.30 Bridge repairs 8,768.71 Change of venue 1,141.90 Special judges 165.00 Jurors — petit and grand \.j2fi.z,T^ Official reporter .i'7-8o Bailiffs 45'-5C Board of children's guardians 59-75 Juvenile court 444.79 Expense of court room 147-75 Criminal expense 85.43 County bonds 2,800.00 Cash on hand 33,200.82 Total $93,895.90 CHAPTER V. COUNTY AND OTHER OFFICIALS. As far as can now be gleaned from the county records and state publica- tions, the following is a list of those who have served as county officials in Vermillion county from the date of its organization to and including 1912 (dates given show when they were elected to office) : SHERIFFS. I-'ebruary i, 1824 — William Fulton. September 8, 1825 — Caleb Bales. August 14, 1828 — Charles Trowbridge. August 28, 1832 — William Craig. August 16, 1834 — Allen Stroud. August 13, 1838 — William Bales. August 8, 1842 — Charles Trowbridge. August 20, 1848 — Owen Craig. August 2^, 1848 — Eli Newlin. August 12, 1852 — Richard Potts. November 18, 1856 — James H. Weller. November 18, i860 — Isaac Porter. Novemljer 18, 1864 — Harvey D. Crane. November 18, 1868 — Jacob S. Stephens. November 18, 1872 — Lewis H. Beckman. November 18, 1876 — Spencer H. Dallas. November 18, 1880 — William C. Myers. November 18, 1884 — John A. Darby. November, 1888— William Rheuby. November, 1890 — Michael Maher. November, 1892 — Josephus C. Dillow. November, 1894 — John M. Roberts. November, 1896 — John M. Roberts. November, 1900 — James A. Swayne. November, 1904 — J. H. Stephens. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 263 Novenil)er, 1906 — Robert J. Hasty. November, 1908 — Morton Hollingswurth, November, 1910 — Steve McCown. November, 19 12 — Steve McCown. COUNTY RECORDERS. April, 1824 — James Thompson (declined to serve). September, 8, 1824 — William Kennedy (died in office). August 29, 1826 — James T. Pendleton. August 27, 1827 — Stephen B. Gardner. June 8, 1833 — John W. Rush. April 22, 1838 — Alexander B. Morer. By the provisions of the new state law, the offices of recorder and clerk, which had, prior to 1852, been a combined office, were at that date changed, making two separate offices. After this change the recorders were : April 22, 1852 — Alexander B. Florer. No\eni])er 2, 1861 — Andrew F. Adams. Noxember 2, 1865 — Robert E. Stephens. November 2, 1874 — Jacol) A. Souders. October 26, 1878 — Cornelius S. Davis. November 13, 1886 — Melville B. Carter. November, 1890 — John B. Groves. November, 1894 — George H. Fisher. November, 1898 — George H. Fisher. November, 1902 — Albert K. Mahan. November, 1906 — J. S. Stephens. Noxember, 1910 — Frank Johnson COUNTY CLERKS. The oftices of county clerk and recorder were one and the same until 1852, after which they were separate offices — see above for the men who held the combined ofiices as far as is show n now by records. April 22. 1852 — James .\. Bell. .April 22, t86o — William 1*'. Livengood. April 22. 186S— James A. Bell. April 22. 1872 — William (iibson. 264 PARKE AND VERMIIJ.ION COUNTIES. INDIANA. April 2J. 1880 — James Roberts. April 22. 1884— Alfred R. Hopkins. November. j88f:) — Alfred R. Hopkins. November. 1890 — Jobn T. Lowe. November, 1894 — James C. Crane. November. I898~^^'illiam F. Wells. November. 1902 — W^illiam F. Wells. November, 1906 — John A. Hughes. No\'ember, 1910 — Manford C Jones. COUNTY TREASURERS. The list is not complete from the first to 1852, hence will not be given down to that date. No\-eml)er jt,. 1852 — William L'tler. November 2T,. 1854 — George H. Sears. November 2^, 1856 — (ieorge W. English. November 23. i860 — James A. Foland. November 23, 1864 — James A. Bell. November 23, 1865 — Samuel B. Davis. November 2^,, 1870 — James A. Foland. November 23, 1874 — James Osborne. November 23. 1876 — John H. Bogart. November 23. 1880 — Henry O. Peters. November 23, 1884 — \\'illiam L. Porter. November, 1886 — William L. Porter. November, 1888— William B. Hood. November. 1890 — Peter Aikman. November. 1892 — P'efer Aikman. November. 1894 — Edward B. Brown. No\'ember, 1896 — Edward B. Brown. November, 1898 — M. G. Hosford. November. 1900 — M. G. Hosford. Noxember, 1902 — H. R. Southard. November, 1904 — H. R. Southard. November, 1906 — .Albert K. ?\lahan. November, 1908 — John A. Hughes. November. 1910 — Andrew J. Huxford. November. 1912 — .\ndrew J- Huxford. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 265 COUNTY AUDITORS. August 30, 1854 — David Shelby. June 7, 1856 — Henry D. Washburn. November i8. i860 — George W. English. November 18, 1864 — James Tarrence. November 18, 1872 — Thomas Cushman. November iS. 1880 — Elias Pritchard. November. 1884 — Elias Pritchard. Noveml)er. 1888 — William M. Hamilton. November, 1892 — William At. Hamilton. November, tSc/) — ^^'illiam P. Bell. November, 1900 — \\'illiam P. Bell. November, 1904 — H. T. Payne. November, 1908 — H. T. Payne. November. 19 12 — Roy .'slater. COUNTY SURVEYORS. March 6, 1824 — Greenup Castleman. November ii, 1826 — James Osborn. August 30, 1854 — John Collett. November 18, 1856 — Edward Griffin. November 2, 1857 — John Fleming. No\ember 2, 1859 — David Shelby. November 2, i860 — B. E. Rhoades. November 2, 1861 — Daniel Shelby. November 7, 1862 — ^James M. Lacy. November 7, 1863 — Buskin E. Rhoades. No\ember 7, 18C14 — John Davis. October 2i<. 1865 — Martin G. Rhoades. Octoljer 2C1, 1870 — William E. Henderson. October 30. 1872 — John Henderson. October 30, 1874 — Richard Henderson. October 30, 1876 — John Henderson. October 30, 1878 — Piatt Z. Anderson. Noveml)er 13, 1884 — Fred Rush. November, 1886 — Fred Rush. November, 1888— R. A. Parrett. 266 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. November, 1890 — R. A. Parrett. November, 1892 — R. A. Parrett. November, 1894 — R. A. Parrett. November, 1896 — Fred Beard. November, 1898 — Fred Beard. November, 1900 — Robert Barnes. November, 1902 — Oscar T. Zell. November, 1904 — Carl H. Conley. November, 1906 — James W. Thomas. November, 1908 — -Howard Zell. November, 1912 — John H. Boe. CORONERS. September 8, 1824 — Matthew Stokes. August 29, 1826 — Carter Hollingsworth. August 14, 1828 — Matthew Stokes. August 28, 1832 — Edward Marlow. August 16, 1834 — Matthew Stokes. August 18, 1835 — Peter J. Vandever. August 9, 1836 — Alfred T. Duncan. August 14, 1837 — William Malone. August 10, 1841 — Leonard P. Coleman. August 8, 1842 — William Malone. August 23, 1844 — Durham Hood. August 25, 1848 — Daniel C. Sanders. August 23, 1850 — Joseph E. Hepner. August 12, 1852 — Andrew Dennis. August 30, 1854 — John Vanduyn. November 18, 1856 — Robert Elliott. November 2, 1857 — David Smith. November 18, 1858 — George Luellen. November 2, 1861 — John L. Howard. October 30, 1868 — R. Harlow Washburn. October 30, 1870 — Thomas Brindley. October 30, 1880 — Hezekiah Casebeer. October 30, 1882 — Thomas Brindley. November, 1884 — Thomas Brindley. November, 1886 — Thomas Brindlev. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 267 November, 1888 — Thomas Drindley. November, 1890 — Thomas Brindley. Novemlier. 1892 — Thomas Brindley. November, 1894 — Robert J. Hasty. November. 1896 — Robert J. Hasty. November, 1898 — Robert J. Hasty. November, 1900 — Robert j. Hasty. November, 1902 — Roljert J. Hasty. November, 1904 — Rol)ert J. Hasty. November, 1906 — Carl H. Conley. November, 1908 — George W. Wells. November, 1910 — Isaac D. White. November, 1912 — Isaac D. White. ASSOCIATE JUDGES. This office was abolished by the code of 1852. The following were the associate judges down to the date of the doing away with the office : April 22. 1824 — Jacob .\ndricl-c. February 4, 1828 — Christian Zabrisky. August 14, 1828 — Joseph Hain (resigned). April 22, 1 83 1 — John Porter. August 19, 183 1 — Alexander Morehead. March 4, 1835 — Matthew Stokes (resigned). August 18, 1835 — Robert G. Roberts. July II, 1836 — Charles Johnston. August 9, 1836 — Joseph Shaw. April 22, 1838 — Alexander Morehead (resigned). August 2~, 1S38 — Joel Hume (resigned). August II, 1840 — Ashley Harris. August II. 1840 — Eli Brown (removed from county). October 17, 1842 — James M. Morris. PROBATE JUDGES. This office was abolished with the incoming of the 1832 code in Indiana. Those who served while the office existed were : August 14, 1829 — Asaph Hill. January 8, 1833 — John W. Rush (resigned). May 6, 1833 — Rezin Shelby. August 19, 1847 — Francis Chenoweth. CHAPTER VI. MILITARY HISTORY OF VERMILLION COUNTY. Vermillion couiiU' was not settled until after the war of 1812 with Great Britain, hence had no part in that last conflict w ith the mother country. It had a few soldiers in the war with Mexico from 1846 to 1848, hut no regular organization from this count}-. The few who went from Vermillion county have long since been numbered with the dead. \\'hen the Spanish-. \nierican war came on in 1898, this county had no regular National Guard company, hence had no regular companv in that decisive war w ith Spain. This leaves the militar\- history of the county in that long-tlrawn-out struggle for the ])reservatioii of the Union — the Civil war, — and in this the county sent forth her full share of brave defenders, ^lany returned and many sleep beneath the Southern skies. Vermillion county may well be proud of its Civil war record, both as to the volunteers it sent to the front and the amount of money it fur- nished for the support of the families of soldiers, etc. To not have been loyal to the flag, here, was to be disgraced. JUST BEFORE THE CONFLICT. The days just before the civil conflict came on were thrilling times, and no better index can be given here than to cpiote from the article written in the Saturday Argus of Clinton, by L. O. Bishop, giving his own observations of those perilous days. He says : Our home seemed to be the storm center of the then hated abolition move- ment. "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Helper's "Crisis,"' Horace Greeley's Ncic York Tribune. William Lloyd Garrison's Liberator, stories of the Revolution and such literature made up much if not all of the inspiration of the family circle. -\Iy grandparents. Hiram and Sabrina Bishop, and father. Francis ?i[arion. were of Xew Hampshire and Massachusetts birth, and we all had indoctrinated in us a radical belief in liberty and hatred of all forms of injustice, of wrong b\- the strong upon the weak, and of sla\ery especially. On mother's side of the family origin began in Ireland, and all her tradi- tions and sympathies were against sla\erv and oppression. And right here I vill relate an incident that occurred at the then thriving town of Perrysville. PARKE ^VND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 269 j\l\- motlier, wlio had cunie from Virginia before 1858, was making her home witli the family of Ira Alxiill. Now Mr. and Mrs. Abdill were ardent church members, and they were rigid in their adherence to church laws. If there was any one act that was unpardonable sin, an act that w ould eternally damn the human soul, it was no\-el reading. .Some one tried to lead my mother awa\- from the straight and narrow way b}- placing in her hands a copy of "L'ncle Tom's Cabin." In the girlish innocence of her heart she saw no harm in reading that "Life .Vmong the Lowly," and finally liecame so deepl}' inter- ested in the story that one Sunda\ she sat and read past the dinner hour, utterly oblivious of the flight of time. l'"inally the good old mistress of the house broke into the room with the exclamation: "\Vh_v, Lin, what are you reading that holds you so? Don't you know it is dinner time? Some trashy novel I swan!" Mother laid the book down on the bed and flew' to her work. Mrs. Abdill, thinking she would just exercise authority over the character of the literature that came into her house, picked up the book in a gingerly way and began to turn the pages as though it were a message from Belzebub himself. Then she opened it at the title page and gave it a disdainful glance. .She turned to the oi)ening chapter and out of her curiositx- began to peruse the lines in order to get some excuse to condemn the w ork. She came to the heart-breaking scene of Eliza stealing through the dark- ness to the humble cabin of L'ncle Tom to inform him that they had been sold and she was going to run aw ay with her little babe. Thai was too much for the good old mother in Israel. Then she read the second chapter, and man- aged to get through the third safely, and the worst thing that happened to her was an aching heart and moistened eyes. And somehow she just wanted to know what was in the fourth chapter. And she read on and on and on. She forgot all care, all household labors, all religious rites and evening found the face of that dear old soul fairly glued to the thrilling pages uf a story told by a woman that was setting the heads of the nations athrill with an abhorrence of slavery. And then Air. Abdill, stern and firm in his convictions of religious duty, unbent somewhat. He, too, l)egan to read the stor\-. Finall\- it got such a grip on him that he took "Uncle Tom's Cabin" to bed with him and just lay there and read and read and burned the midnight oil until the wee snia' hours. But when at last that family had finished the story of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" there was a changed tone in another home. A woman's hand had done the w^ork. Perrysville felt the electric thrill, as was shown a few years later when the very flower of her manhiKid marched away amid waving flags and shouting multitudes in response to the President's call. I onlv mention this 270 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. incident to show how the quiet forces of God work in places and in ways un- seen and unknown of men, to prepare the way for the advancement of still greater things. That work of Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe set the world ablaze with hatred of human slavery. Everybody in the Wabash valley read it, or read about it. Its influence was subtle, but permanent. All those earlier years the agitation against human sla\ery had been pushed throughout the Xorth with all the \igor of crusaders. The wave struck Clinton. Big. impetuous, sympathetic Hiram Bishop one dav proclaimed upon Main street that from that moment on, he was for the abolition of slax'ery. The immediate provo- cation for the exclamation was the storv of a sla\e-po\\er outrage u])on free- speech. The .scandal spread like wild-fire all over the countr\-. There lived here in Ointon a harness-maker, another old Easterner, named John Cowgill. He heard the awful story that a man in Clinton had come out for aliolition. Cowgill ne\er stopped for a second to take thought as to whether it would be safe, but instantly blurted out that ''Here is another one of those d — d black abolitionists." Cowgill's endorsement of the unpopular idea only added fuel to the flames, and there burst forth a storm of wrath against the t\\ o men such as they did not forsee. "^^^hat !'" cried a pro-slaveryite to mv grandfather one day. "do you want to free the millions of niggers in the South, and have them coming up here into the Xorth and competing with honest men for jobs. Do \ou want vour daughter to marry a nigger ? Shame on you for such scandalous sentiment." But the storm of anger kept rising and growing hotter and hotter. And then one day grandfather Bishop came home in great trepidation. He was deejily stirred and uneasy. Something had gone wrong. Finallv the family was informed that he had been notified that he and John Cowgill were to be hung as "black abolitionists.'" The threat stirred up a hornet's nest in the village of Clinton and one dark night a posse of men gathered with ropes and went out to hunt up John Cowgill and Hiram Bishop and hang them to the first tree they could find. At the same time another company of men got together and sent the "Regulators'" sharp notice that the moment they began the hanging business there would be such a demand for ropes and trees that the supply would soon be exhausted. The real sentiment of the people had crystallized and taken on definite, defiant form and stood between two homes and the agents of an angered aristocracy that was then feeling the terrific blows of Lincoln's logic. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 27I I'"nrther than stating tliai the cause of tlie Civil war was the great ques- tion of slavery, that had been the difficulty Ijetween the North and the South for many years, it will not be necessary to go into the details, all so well known to the reader of history. The war came on in .\i)ril. 1861, and lasted four long, eventful years, and was finally decided in favor of the North and of the freedom of the black race on the American soil. Upon the election of Presi- dent Lincoln, Republican, in the fall of i860, over the split-up factions of Democracy, the more hot-headed people of the South rebelled and w ent out of the Union, South Carolina being the first to secede, and that state was soon followed by practicalh- all south of Mason and Dixon's line. The part taken in this war by the citizens of Vermillion count}' is best known by following the history of the \arious companies and regiments that had within their ranks men from this section of Indiana. Before .going into the histor\- of these commands tliex' niav be enumerated as follows: The Fourteenth Infantry, the Sixteenth Infantry, the Eighteenth Infantry, the .Thirty-first Infantr}-, the Forty-third Infantry, the Seventy-first Infantry (later the Sixth Cavalry), the Kiglity-fifth Infantry, the One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Infantry. The file of the Hoosicr State, on July 31. 1861. had the following: "Capt. P. R. Owen, of the 'Clinton Guards." arrived home on last Saturday. The Captain's sojourn in 'Seccssia' has ini])roved his appearance materially. He left the Fourteenth Regiment at Cheat River, eleven miles from Beverly, Randolph county. Virginia, and reports the Clinton boys all doing well and in excellent spirits. "Captain Owen addressed between six and seven hundred persons in and around the Presbyterian church, on Monday night, going into detail concern- ing the march of the Fourteenth Regiment from Floosierdom to the "sacred soil." and the full |)articulars of the battle of Rich Mountain, at the conclusion of which three cheers were given him by the interested audience. He left for \'irginia yesterday, accompanied by the good wishes of his numerous friends in this community." Another item in the same issue said, "Our citizens were aroused from their slumbers this morning by the ringing of the bell on tlie town liall, which was the signal for the departure of Captain Owen to join his gallant little hand in \'irginia. A large number of citizens, under command of James Mc- Culloch, accompanied by inartial music, proceeded to the residence of Captain Owen. In a few minutes he mounted his horse and was escorted to the east end of the bridge, where the company opened ranks as he passed to the front. John W. Vandiver, on behalf of the citizens of Clinton, delivered a well-timed 2^2 PARKE AND \ERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. speech, suited to the occasion. Captain Owen returned thanks for the hospital- it}- and warm welcome he had received since his return, and pledged the flag which the fair ladies had presented the regiment should be brought back un- tarnished and covered with glory and victory, he hoped. For himself, and those under him, he pledged loyalty and bravery on the field of conflict. Again three cheers went up for the Captain and his command. The Captain then rode proudly away to his duties in the far-off Southland." TREACHERY IN THE REAR ''kNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN CIRCLE." Vermillion county was not exempt from national enemies at home and sympathizers with the South, though not as bad here as in other sections of Indiana. In his well written articles on "Reminiscences of Fifty Years Ago," by Editor Bishop, of the Clinton Argus, we' are permittcil to quote the follow- ing on this subject : By the beginning of the second year of the Civil war the people of Clin- ton, in common with many other northern communities, began to find out that while the great conflict was bringing- out the best and noblest in men and women, it was also bringing to light the basest, the weakest, the most con- temptible and despisable elements of human nature. And reading the pages of history, we find that it was ever thus. Whether this outcropping of sympathy with the slave power was due to natural, inherent wickedness, depravity and sheer deviltry, or whether it was mistaken zeal in what the actors believed to be a just cause, it is not my pur- pose now to discuss. The facts are bad enough, let alone hunting for theories ujjon which to condone them. Scarcely had the men who could be spared gotten away than there began to be whispered about a mysterious brotherhood being organized all over west- ern Indiana and eastern Illinois. At first the name of the secret organization was not known. Its purpose was securely locked within the breasts of oath- ])ound members. Xo one knew whom to trust any more. \\'arnings of physical violence began to appear at homes, in towns and country, if certain parties did not let up on their oiTensive acti\ity in recruiting soldiers for the war. Mounted men were seen riding over tiie country at midnight. Depre- dations became more and more frequent and the losses heavier. Horses and cattle were missing and other acts committed, all of which, combined with the awful struggle at the front, made home life full of fear and anxiety. It finally cropped out that the name of this secret brigandage was the ■"Knigiits of the Golden Circle." The activity of this gang was so satanic and widespread that PARKE AND VERMIT.I-ION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 273 lor twenty years after the war to even hint that anyone had been a nienilier of it, or was in sympathy with it. was encmgh tn ihi\e a man \.<> pnlitical oblivion. Peojjle seored the Knit^hts of the (joiden Circle more bitteii\' than they did the men who were fighting openly for the Confederacy. The condition here kept growing worse and worse, until ])ublic sentiment was at fever pitch. Secret ser\-ice agents were detailed to hunt down the conspirators and bring them to trial. .\nd some were caught in the drag-net. But not until after great mischief had been done. It needed but a spark to set off this magazine, and one day the explosion came in a w ay and a place no one had dreamed of. There w-as at the time of which I speak, a low frame building at the northeast corner of Elm and Alain streets. The Main street room was occu- pied by a man who kept a groggery. Licensed saloons were unknown then. This man had so far kei)t a discreet silence on the subject of the war, although it was generally- believed that at heart he was in symi)athy w ith the rebellion. Several of the boys had come home on furloughs. One of them walked past this groggery in his uniform. The proprietor flew into a passion at sight of him. and began to pour forth a tirade of abuse and insult. As the young soldier went on past, the fellow, thoroughly enraged, stejjped up l^ehind him and dealt the boy a blow that felled him to the street. Instantly he was upon his prostrate form pounding the bo}' and would ha\e killed him. had not an older brother, seeing the affair, rushed to the boy's rescue. The incident spread over town like a prairie fire, and in a short time every returned soldier and able-bodied man was at the door of the shop armed to the teeth and ready for an emergency. That night the'doors were broken in bv a rush of men and in a few minutes it was literally wrecked. Every bottle and jug was smashed, every barrel of whisky was broken in with an ax and the place had a combined odor of wiiisky, 1)eer, w ine and tobacco and sour sw ill that would have made a starch factory smell like attar of roses. The proprietor w as roughly notified to get out of town and to do it "d — d quick, too." He got out about 12:30 in the morning, and a hatless man was seen running out of the end of the old toll bridge, headed for the south. He ne\er returned to straighten up his room or business affairs. The incident had one salutary effect after all. It showed the country that even the old men and those not ])hysicallv able to stand the army service were not to Ik; trifled with and it gave the Knights of the ( lolden Circle notice to keep hands off. .\nd from that time on their activities in this part became less. But meetings were kept up in the .southwest and arrange- ments had been made to help Morgan carry his raid into the North. How- ever, the government's secret service brought the scheme to a shar|r end. (18) 274 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. FOURTEENTH INFANTRY REGIMENT. The company know n as I of the Fourteenth Regiment of Indiana Infantry was formed at CHnton witliin less than a month from the time Fort Sumter had been fired upon by the rebels, at Charleston. South Carolina. Philander R. Owen w as made captain of the company, and during the war was promoted to lieutenant-colonel, when John Lindsey was commissioned captain to suc- ceed him. Captain Lindsey was enlisted as first lieutenant, and was mustered out Jime 24, 1864, on the expiration of his term. Upon his promotion to cap- tain. William P. Haskell, who liad been appointed second lieutenant of the organization, was commissioned first lieutenant to fill the vacancy, and was discharged Xoveml>er 25, 1863. for promotir;n in the Fourth Regiment of United States Colored Troops. James M. Alitchell was promoted from the office of second lieutenant to that of first. The colonels of the Fourteenth. in succession, were Nathan Kimball, of Loogootee, who was promoted briga- dier-general : William Harrow, of Vincennes, also promoted, and John Coons, of \'incennes. who was killed in tlie liattle of Spott.s}'l\'ania Court-House. \'ir- ginia. May 12, 1864. From the adjutant-general's and other state reports on the Indiana troops, it is learned that the Fourteenth Regiment was originally organized at Camp Vigo, near Terre Haute, in May. 1861, as one of the six regiments of state troops accepted for one year. L'pon the call for three-year troops the regi- ment volunteered for that service. The new organization was mustered into the United States service at Terre Haute. June 7. i86t, being the first three- s-ear regiment mustered into service in the whole state of Indiana. On its organization there were one thousand one hundred and thirty-four men and officers. They left Indianapolis July 5th, fully armed and equipped, for the seat of war in western \'irginia. They ser\-ed on outiiost dutv until October, when they had their first engagement on Cheat Mountain, with Lee"s armv, losing three killed, eleven wounded and two prisoners. Their secimd engage- ment was \ irtualh- in the same battle at Greenbrier. October 3. when they lost five killed and eleven wounded. March 23, 1862, under General Shields, Colonel Kimball and Lieutenant- colonel Harrow, they participated in the decisive battle of Winchester, where they lost four killed and fifty wounded, when "Sheridan was twenty miles awaw" as the ]>oet puts it. r.esides a great deal of niarcliing and other military duty, they marched three hundred and thirty-nine miles between May 12 and June 23. a part of -\\ hich time most of the men w ere without shoes and short of rations. In fuh'. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES^ INDIANA. 275 for about twenty days, the\' were kept on uutpost duty in the Army of the Potomac, coming in contact with the enemy ahnost day and night, .\ngust 17th, they participated in that great battle of Antietam, serving in Kimball's brigade of l-'rencli's division, it being the only jiortion of the line of battle that did not, at some time during the engagement, gi\e way. On this account the men received from General French the title of "( libraltar Brigade.'" For four hours the Fourteenth was engaged within si.xt}- yards of the enemy's line, and, after exhausting sixt\- rounds of cartridges, they supplied themselves with others from the bo.xes of their dead and wounded companions. In this fight the men were reduced in number from three hundred and twenty to one hun- dred and fifty. Subse<|uently, they were still further reduced at the battle of Fredericksburg. .\pril 28, 1863, being a little recruited by some of the wounded recover- ing, they were at the front in the famous battle of Chancellorsville, as well as at the desperate battle of Gettysburg, the turning-point of the Civil war. .\fter that battle thev engaged in several severe fights, and some of the men re- enlisted. December 24, 18^13. This truly nolile, brave regiment — wliat was left of it — was finalb' mustered mit at r,ouis\'ille. Kentucky. Jul\- 12. 1865. If Vermillion county had not been represented by another regiment in the Civil strife, it would have reason to be proud of its soldiery. THE SIXTEEXTII IXnL\NA IXFAXTRV. This regiment was organized May, i8()i, as a one-vear regiment, con- taining some volunteers from \^ermillion county. Pleasant A. Hackleman, of Rusliville, was the first colonel, and on his promotion to the brigadier-general- shi]i, Thomas J- Lucas, of Fawrenceburg. was ]ilaced as colonel. Horace S. Crane, of Clinton, this county, was mustered in as second lieutenant of Com- pany I, and mustered out with the regiment as sergeant. May 27, 1862. this regiment was re-organized for the three-year service, but was not mustered in until .\ugust 19th. On the 30th of the month last named, it took part in the battle of Richmond. Kentucky, losing two hundred men killed and wounded and six hundred ])risoners! .\fter the defeat the prisoners were ]iaroled and sent to Indianajiolis. and wer^ exchanged Novem- ber 1st. The regiment afterward p;irtici]);ue(l in the N'icksburg campaign, and did great duty in Texas and at .Arkansas Post, where it was first to phut the flag of the Union within the fort. Its loss was seventy-seven men, killed and wounded. In .\pril it participated in a successful engagement at Port Gibson, and fluring the ensuing several months it was engaged in the siege of ^■icks- 276 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. burg, in which it lost sixty men, killed and wounded. Later, it had several skirmishes with the rebels in Louisiana, and, in the expedition up Red river, sixteen engagements. The regiment was mustered out at New Orleans, June 30, 1865. THE EIGHTEENTH INDIANA INFANTRY. Company C of the Eighteenth Regiment of \'olunleer Infantry, from Indiana, was made up wholly of Vennillion county's noble sons, and all its ot^cers in the roster are credited to Newport. John C. Jenks was promoted from captain to major; James A. Eell, from first lieutenant to captain; Josiah Campbell and William B. Hood, from private to captain; Harvey D. Crane and Oscar B. Lowrey, from sergeants to frrst lieutenants; William H. Burtut was promoted from private to first lieutenant; William M. Mitchell, from private to second lieutenant ; William \\'. Zener from first sergeant to second lieu- tenant, and then to adjutant ; Jasper Nebeker was second lieutenant and died in the service; Robert H. Nixon and John Anderson were sergeants; and corporals included Samuel B. Da\-is, soon disabled bv tlisease, and later well- known throughout Indiana as the talented, fearless Rei)ublican editor of the Hoosier State, at Newport, this county. John F. Stewart, James O. Boggs, Alonzo Hostetter, Aaron Hise, James Henry, Charles Gerresh and John A. Henry were also corporals. John F. Leighton, of the recruits, was pro- moted from the ranks to the position of corporal. Hugh H. Conle\-, another recruit, subsequently became a prominent citizen of Vermillion county. The first colonel of the Eighteenth Regiment was Thomas Pattison, of Aurora, and upon his resignation, June 3, 1862, Henry D. Washburn, of New- port, succeeded him. The latter was brevetted brigadier-general December 15, 1864, and mustered out July 15. 1865. The first service rendered by this regiment, which was mustered in August 16, 1861, was in Fremont's march to Spring-field, Missouri. Soon afterward, at Black Water, it participated in the capture of a large number of prisoners. In March, 1862, it was engaged in the fierce contest at i'ea Ridge, where its brigade saved from capture another brigade, and the Eighteenth re-captured the guns of the I'eoria Artillfen-. After several smaller engagements in Arkansas it returned to southeastern Missouri, \\here it was on duty during the ensuing v inter. The following spring it was transferred to Grant's army, and, as part of the division com- manded by General Carr, participated in the flanking of the enem\-'s position at Grand Gulf, and May ist, in the battle of Port Gibsun. captured a stand of colors and some artillery; also on the 13th, at Champion's Mill, and on the 17th. at Black River Bridge. From the 19th till July 41I1. it was emjiloved in PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 277 the famous siege of N'ickslnirg. wlicre, during tlie assault, it w as the first regi- ment to plant its colors on the enemy's works. After the capitulation of \'icksl)urg, July 4. 1863, the regiment inoxed to New Orleans, and during the autumn following particijiated in the campaign up the Teche ri\-er and in the nperatinns in that part of Louisana. Xo\-eml)er I2th it embarked for Te.xas, where on the 17th it was engaged in the capture of Mustang Island, and also in the successful attack on Fort I'lsperanza on the 26th. After a furlough in the winter and spring of 1864, it joined (General Butler's forces at Bermuda Hundred, in July, where it had several severe skirmishes, .\ugust 19th, it joined (leneral Sheridan's .Army of the Shenan- doah. In the campaign that followed, the regiment participated in the battle of Opequon, losing fifty-four killed and wounded ; also in the pursuit of Early, seven killed and wounded: and in the battle of Cedar Creek, October igth, losing fifty-one killed and wounded, besides thirty-frve prisoners. From the middle of January, 1863, for three months, the Fighteeuth was assisting in building fortifications at Savannah. Alay ist, it was the first to raise the Stars and Strij^ies at .Augusta, Georgia. The regiment w as mustered out .\ugust 28, 1865. THE THIRTY-FIRST INDIANA INFANTRY. This regiment had a number of volunteers from Vermillion county. It was organized at Terre Haute, September 15. t86i, for three vears .service. The colonels were: Charles Cruft, of Terre Haute: John Oshorn, of Bowl- ing Green; John T. Smith, of Bloomfield, and James R. Hollowell, of Belle- more. It participated in the decisive battle of Fort Donelson : was in the bat- tle of Shiloh, where it lost twenty-twi.i killed, one hundred and ten wounded and ten missing: in the siege of Corinth: was stationed at various places in Tennessee: was engaged in the battle. of Stone River and Chattanooga, of the .\tlanta campaign, Nashville, etc., and was on duty in the Southwest until late in the autumn of the year 1865. many months after the termination of the war. THE FORTV-TITIRI) INKAXTKV KKclIMENT. Vermillion county sent out Company I of this regiment. Samuel T. Hall was captain from the date of muster, October 9. 1861, to January 7, 1865. the close of his enlistment, and then Robert B. Sears was captain until the regi- ment was mustered out. He was promoted from the position of corporal to that of first lieutenant, and finally to that of captain. l\avid .A. Ranger, of 278 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIAJvTA. Toronto, this count}-, was first lieutenant; William L. Martin, of Newport, was first the second and then the first lieutenant. George W. Shewmaker was second lieutenant for the first seven or eight months. John Lovelace was first a pri^•ate and then second lieutenant. George K. Steele, of Rockville, was colonel of the regiment until January 16, 1862; William E. McLean, of Terre Haute, until May 17, 1865, and John C. Major, from that date till the mustering out of the regiment. The first engagement had by this regiment was at the siege of New Ma- drid and Island No. Ten. It was attached to Commodore Foote's gun-boat fleet in the reduction of Fort Pillow, serving sixty-nine days in that campaign. It was the first Union regiment to land in the city of Memphis, and, with the Fifty-sixth Indiana, constituted the entire garrison, holding that place for two weeks, until reinforced. In July, i8C)2, the Forty-Third was ordered up White River. Arkansas, and later to Helena. At the battle at this place, a year afterward, the regiment was especially distinguished, alone supporting a battery that was three times charged by the enemy, repulsing each attack, and finally capturing a full Rebel regiment larger in point of numbers than its own strength. It aided in the capture of Little Rock, where, in January, 1864, the regi- ment re-enlisted, when it numbered four hundred. Next it was in the battle of Elkin's Ford, Jenkin's I-"erry, Camden and Alark's Mills, near Saline river. At the latter place, April 30tli. the brigade to which it was attached, while guarding the train of four hundred wagons returning from Camden to Pine Bluffs, was furiously attacked by six thousand of General Marmaduke's cav- alry. The Forty-third lost nearly two hundred in killed, wounded and miss- ing in this engagement. Among the captured were one hundred and four re- enlisted veterans. After this, the regiment came home on a furlough, but while enjoying this vacation they volunteered to go to Frankfort, Kentucky, which was then being threatened by Morgan's raiders. They remained there until the Rebel forces left central Kentucky. For the ensuing year it guarded the Rebel prisoners at Camp Morton, at Indianapolis. After the war ended, it was among the first regiments mustered out, this taking place at Indianapolis, June 14, 1865. Of the one hundred and sixty-four men captured from the regiment in Arkansas and taken to the Rebel prison at Tyler, Texas, twelve died. PARKE AND VERMII.I.ION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 279 SEVENTV-FIRST INFANTRY (LATER THE SIXTH CAVALRY). Company A of this regiment was exclusively from Verniillion county. Andrew J. Dowdy, of Clinti)n, was captain: Robert Bales, of Clinton, first lieutenant: William (). Xorris. of the same place, second lieutenant, killed at the battle of Richmond, Kentucky; Joseph Hasty, from Newport, succeeded him as .second lieutenant: fir.st sersjeant. William O. Washburn, of Clinton; sergeants, Francis D. Weber, of Newport: Johnson oMalone, Alexander M. Steats and George W. Scott, of Clinton; corporals, Jo.seph Brannan, Richard M. Rucker, Lewis H. Beckman, Larkin Craig, Daniel Bmitin, Reuben H. Clearwaters, John L. Harris and Charles Blanford; musicians. George W. Harbison and James Simpson. Most of these were credited to Clinton, though some of them, as well as privates which were credited to Clinton, and some to Newport, were residents of Helt township. The colonel of this regiment was James Biddle. of Indianapolis. .\t first this regiment was organized as infantry, at Terre Haute, in Julv and August, 1862. Its first dut\- was to rc])el tlie iinasion of Kirb\- Smith in I\entuck\-, August 30th. it was engaged in the battle of Richmond. Kentucky with a loss of two hundred and fifteen killed and wounded and three hundred and fort\-- seven prfsoners. After the latter were exchanged, four hundred men and officers of the regiment were sent to Muldrangh's Hill to guard trestle work, and on the following day they were attacked by a force of four thousand Rebels under the command of Gen. John H. Morgan, and after an engagement of an hour and a half were surrounded and captured. The remainder of the regiment then returned to Tndiana])olis. where thev remainetl until .\ngust 26, 1863. During the ensuing autumiL with two additi(inal com])anies. L and M, they were organized as cavalry, and were sent into eastern Tennessee, wliere they engaged in the siege of Knoxville and in the 0])erations against General Longstreet, on the Hol.ston and Clinch rivers, losing manv men in killed and wounded. May 11, 1864, they joined Gen. W. T. Sherman's armv in front of Dalton, Georgia, wdiere it was assigned to the cavalry corps of the Army of the Ohio, commanded by General Stoneman. They engaged in the battle of Resaca, also Cassville, Kenesaw Mountain, etc.. aided in the cajiture of .\la- loona Pass, and' was first to take possession of and raise the flag upon Lost MountaiiL In Stoneman's raid to Macon. Georgia, the .Sixth Crualrv lost one hundred and sixty-six men. Returning to Na.shville for another ei|ui])ment, it .aided (leneral Rous.seau 28o PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. in defeating Forrest at Pulaski. Tennessee. September 27th. and pursued him into Alabama. In the engagement at Pulaski the regiment lost twenty-three men. December 15th and i6th, it participated in the battle at Nashville, and after the repulse of Hood's army, followed it some distance. In June. 1865, a portion of the men were mustered out of service. The remainder was con- solidated with the residual fraction of the Fifth Cavalry, constituting the Sixth Cavalrv. and they were mustered out the following September. EIGHTY-FIFTH INFANTRY. Company D of this regiment was made up from the southern portion of Vermillion county. William Reeder, of Rockville. was captain until June 10. 1863, and thenceforward Caleb Bales, of Toronto, was captain, being pro- moted from the rank of second lieutenant. The vacancy thus made was filled bv Elisha Pierce of Clinton, who was promoted from the office of first ser- geant. The sergeants were James W. Taylor, of Toronto : W'illiam A. Rich- ardson. John .-V. C. Norris and David ]\Iitchell. of Clinton; and the corporals were Brazier E. Henderson, Ben White. Samuel Craig. James Andrews. Valentine Foos. Harrison Pierce, Joseph Foos and Wesley A. Brown. The musicians were Andrew J. Owen and John A. Curry. The colonels of this regiment were John P. Baird of Terre Haute, to July 20, 1864, and Alexander R. Crane, of the same city, until the mustering out of the regiment. This regiment was organized at Terre Haute September 2. 1862. Its first engagement -was with Forrest, with Col. John Coburn's brigade. March 5. 1863. when the whole brigade was captured. The men were marched to Tulla- homa, and then transixjrted to Libby Prison at Richmond, amid much suffer- ing, manv dving along the route. Twenty-six days after their incarceration the men were exchanged, and were stationed at Franklin, Tennessee, where they fought in skirmishes until Bragg"s army fell back. The following sum- mer, fall and winter the Eighty-fifth remained in the vicinity of Murfreesboro, guarding the railroad from Nashville to Chattanooga. It took part in every important engagement in the Atlanta catrtpaign, being in the terrible charge upon Resaca, and in the battles at Cassville, Dallas Woods, Golgotha Church, Culp's Farm and Peach Tree Creek. .\t the last named place it did deadly work among the Rebel forces. This regiment followed Sherman in his famous march to the sea, and back through the two Carolinas. engaging in numerous battles. At Averas- boro it was the directing regiment, charging the Rebel works through an open PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 281 field, but suffered ijreatly. Tt de-;troyed a half mile of railroad in forty min- utes time, corduroyiuij many miles of wagon road, and after a twenty-mile march one day it worked hard all night making a road up a steep, muddy bluff, for which they were highly complimented by Generals Sherman and Slocum, who had given directions for the work and were eye witnesses to its execution, .\fter se\eral other important improvements, it had the pleasure of looking as proud victors upon Libby Prison, where so many of them had suffered in captivity in 1862. Marching on to Washington. D. C, it was mustered out of service June 12, 1865. The remaining recruits were trans- ferred to the Thirty-third Indiana Regiment, who were mustered out July 21st, at Louisville. Kentucky. THE ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINTH INFANTRY. Of this gallant regiment, Company K was from Vermillion county, and it was recruited from the tenth congressional district during the winter of 1863-64, rendezvoused at Michigan City, and was mustered into service March I, 1864, with Charles Case, of Fort Wayne, as colonel, and Charles A. Zollinger, of the same city, as lieutenant-colonel. Of Company K, John O. Washburn, of Newport, was captain: Joseph Simpson, of Highland, first lieu- tenant, and the second lieutenants in succession were Thomas C. Swan, of Clinton, Joseph Simpson, of Highland, William F. Eddy, of Warsaw, and James Rol>erts, of Clinton. Henry J. Howard, of Toronto, was sergeant. Corporals. Jasper Hollingsworth, Granville Gideon and John W. Nixon, of Vermillion county, with members from other counties. After much long marching, the first battle in which this regiment took part was the' severe con- test at Resaca. opening the celelirated campaign of Atlanta. This was a great victory for the L'nion trooi)s. The next battle w as that at New Hope Church. Before and after this, howexcr, there was almost constant skirmishing, in verv rainy weather. July 19, 1864. the regiment was engaged in a severe fight near Decatur. Georgia, where they lost heavily. Soon afterward they were in the fight at Strawberiy Run, where they lost twenty-five men, but enabled General Hascall to turn a position which our forces, a brigade of General Schofield's corps, had failed to turn the day before. Then on until mid-winter the regiment was kept guarding and engaging in skirmishes. November 29th, occurred the battle of Franklin, where the enemy were repulsed with great loss. During the latter portion of the winter they were marching and battling near the coast of Virginia and North Carolina, and engaged in the battle of Wise's Forks, where the enemy met with signal disaster. The regiment was 282 PARKE .\ND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. engaged in provost duty about Raleigh during the summer of 1865. and on August 29th was mustered out of senice. CONCLUDING REMARKS. The foregoing is l>ut an outline of what transpired at home and in the Southland during the years of that long-drawn-out war, in which brother took up arms against brother, and in which family ties were broken asunder, never to be reunited again. \\'hi!e the soldiers above mentioned were doing their part bra\ely and well, in field and on marcli, those remaining at home were busy at raising funds with which to support and maintain the families of the volunteers, as well as in numerous ways help the general government to carry on the war, which- all loyal patriots believed was a just war. Every town- ship in this CDunty had its aid societies and relief funds. Men and women were alive to the pressing demands for hospital supplies for the men who had been sent to the front. The county commissioners, from time to time, levied taxes for the furtherance of the cause in the field. Bounties were freely paid and each patriot vied with his neighbor in seeing how much he could do toward relieving suffering at home and in the tented field. It is not possible to give a complete list of the soldiers from this county, and the larger part of those who donned the loyal blue, from 1861 to 1865, have long since answered the last roll-call, some being asleep under Southern skies, while the remainder are buried in home cemeteries and their graves are cared for and tenderly decorated with the return of each ^Memorial dav. Be it said with a just pride, that Vermillion countv was loyal to the Union cause. Its sacrifice was indeed great, but its victory was an eternal gain — an everlast- ing inheritance to the oncoming generations who shall here reap the just re- ward of liberty and union. The records show that A'ermillion county raised funds in Civil war days as follows : Bounties $ 76,032 Relief for Soldiers' Families 41,839 Miscellaneous Funds 986 ■ Total $119,547 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 283 ENTRIES FROM A SOI-DIER's DIARY. Tlic foUuwing- paragraphs ha\e Ijeen extracted from the prixate chary kept by Edwin C. Bishop, of Clinton, who was in the Engineering Corps of the Union arniw and a inenilx-r of the Eighteenth Indiana Infantry. These are cliietl) paragraphs of letters that he wrote home to his parents and brothers, and throw mnch light on the inside life and private opinions of soldiers who marched and fought in the Rebellion from 1861 to 1S65. Finally this brave man sacrified his life at Cedar Creek, near the close of the conflict. We are indebted to L. O. Bishop, of the Saturday Argus ( a nephew), for the manu- script transcript from which the following is quoted : "Spring"field, Missouri, Nov. 5, 1861. ■'Friends at Home : — Since 1 w rote to you last there have been some stir- ring times out here. 1 did not think then that within three hours we would be on a forced march : but such was the case. We received orders to march immediately and started just at sunset. After marching twelve miles we stopped for the night, built our camp fires and slept bv them. The next morn- ing we took up our line of march and stopped at eleven o'clock to get break- fast. We cooked all our provisions and filled our ha\ersacks, and got ready for a hard march and a fight. We had halted in a prairie and when we started the long line of soldiers showed to a good advantage : it w as a nice little armv of about se\'enteen thousand men. It was enough to make one feel like fighting to see so many in one line going onward to battle. In the morning the new^s came that we would have to cut our way through the Rebel army to Fremont; upon hearing this the enthusiasm became ^■er\• great and the soldiers would ])ress forward and "Forward" was the cr_\-. \\"e got to within se\en luiles of .Springfield that day and stopped to rest. .Vfter that we went to within a half mile of town, expecting to begin the fight in the morning. But we were disappointed, for in the morning Fremont w'ent past and camped with his guards and Indians on the road to St. Louis, he ha\ing been su])er- scded. and we found that Price was not near here, 'inhere is now an army of fifty thousand men here, who all expected to fight when they got here. We are under the command of General Hunter. We do not know, but many be- lieve that we will be sent to 'Old Kaintuck.' Our tents came up today, .so we are at home again. We have not got over our disappointment of not finding Price, after running all over the state. The dirty .skunk has got away without our men getting a chance to see hiui. It is most time to get dinner and 1 u il! 284 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. have to quit l^etore long. I guess I shall do some washing this afternoon. Lon is washing now. Give my respects to all, "Ed. C. Bishop." "Little Sugar Creek, Ark., ]\[arch 12. 1862. "Dear Father : — I suppose it is with feelings of anxiety you receive this letter, for 1 suppose vou heard of our great fight. When I wrote last I was on the picket, and that evening I was relieved and went to camp. That night about twelve o'clock we were ordered to cook two days' rations. ^ The next morning we packed up our things and sent the wagons back about one mile. Then we went onto a hill not far from our camp and commenced throwing up earth-works. Our battery and the Eighth Regiment w ere on a hill to our left. That evening we heard the firing between Siegel and the Rebels. We had been fighting on a retreat from a cross hollow. The next morning we went to our wagons to cook some rations ; but were soon ordered back to our breast- works; then we were ordered to the rear, as the enemy had come up on that side. By this time the firing had become very heavy and sharp. We came up in front of the enemy's right wing, composed of their best troops under McCulloch ; they had Indians. I cannot tell you in words so that you will understand, so T will tell you some, and draw a plan of the field, ^^'hite's brigade, composed of the Thirty-seventh and Fifty-ninth Illinois Regiments went in first, Init were driven back, and then by a skillful mo\ement the Rebels were driven back and our battery saved. This was the first day of the battle we were in ; I was not in the second day ; I got lost from the company in the night and was put on guard over the prisoners. I have not heard the loss on either side : but T think ours was about one hundred and twentv killed and two bundred wounded. T understand the Rebels left from two hundred and fiftv to three hundred on the field. We have alx)ut three hundred prisoners. The Rebels left the field in a hurry, leading sexeral hundred stand of arms along the road. "Good Bye for this time. "E. C. B." "Helena, Ark., August 30, 1862. "Friends at Home : — I am as w ell as could be expected and the company is in good spirits. I understand that fi\e lx)ats are to start for White river this morning. I do not know the object of the expedition: it max l^e a scout- ing party, perhajis it is going to gather cotton. It is rumored that the Rebels, PARKE AND VKRMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 285 torlv thousand strony, are adxanciiii; on this jilace. and these l)oats may be sent up White river to keep them fmni crossing, but 1 do not l)elie\e tiiat there are that many Rebels in this state; however, it there are tliat many, 1 do not believe the}- can whip us. They are building some fcjrtifications here which are to mount thirt\-t\\o-pounders. This seems to me to be a good place for a fortification, as the ri\er can l)e seen for a ilistance of elexen nnles down and four or five up .stream, from a ridge that runs through town and it is se])arated from the blui¥ by a hollow. The ground is such that a battcr\- could not charge upon, so the only way to dislodge troops would be to shell them or starve them out, either of which wi>uld l)e hard to do, as long as the ri\er is kept open. I understand that this is to be the military capital instead of Little Rock. We are having very good times here, for since it has come to be the policy to subsist on the country in which the war is carried on, the boys have most e\erylhing this country is able to raise. Xo longer are the corn fields guarded, so that 'roasting ears' can be had without paying two prices or run- ning the risk of getting into the guard-house. There is an old 'secesh' living in our camp or rather it was built around liini. \A'hen we came here he had lots of tee hives; there are none now ; Init thaf is all right for he gave two thousand five hundred dollars to buih.l gund)oats and was tanning leather for old Jeff Thompson; but the leather was not finished, so our men are having him finish it for us. .At first taking wagons and other [)ropert\- l)elonging to the Rebels was a low thing; now it is the only thing that can be done. I have found out how the thing worked; every Rebel was out fighting against us, while the darkies raised corn; we will have to .stop their supplies, and then gi\e them a whipping. •'Yours, E. C. B." "November 21, 1862. "Dear Friends; — The sentence for sleeping on one's post is to forfeit one month's pay; march ten days, four hours a day, in front of the colonel's quarters, wearing a head-dress I>arrel bearing this inscription, 'T slept on_ my post.' " "Patterson, November 18, 1862. "Dear Friends at Home: — I will commence this letter tonight. I re- cei\ed those things you sent me. and the long letter; I tell you it does a soldier good to get long letters. Captain Bell brought some good butter from home and also a cooked chicken, which with the bread you sent me made a good breakfast; a real 'Hoosier breakfast.' The bread tasted home-like, and the 286 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. can of peaches which we ate for dinner was excellent — all acknowledged them the best they had eaten for a long time. Captain brought a can of peaches and I am going to make a pie of them. \ow you may laugh, when I speak of cooking, but I tell you I can cook some. I and Lon went out of camp to try our rifles ; for a long time I was busy cleaning my gun. You may think half a day a long time to be cleaning a gun ; but it is as bright as a new silver dollar all o\er. I have a splendid rifle : it is a S])ringfield rifle and I would not take in trade for it one of the much boasted Enfield rifles. \\'hile we were out I saw a squirrel, and thought 1 would like to try my gun on him; so Lon went around the tree and made a noise and that scared the squirrel around to my side of the tree and I shot him. Well I must quit and go to bed : perhaps you would like to know about my bed. Well, we get corn stalks and put them on the ground and o\er them are spread t\\ o blankets and our oil cloth. Then we have three blankets over the three of us. "There were some five or six thousand Reljels building winter quarters on Black ri\'er, but we went down and shelled them ; they run, leaving all be- hind, and lia\e not been seen or heard of since. "Yours, "Ed." "January i, 1863. "Today another year is ushered into Time's great circle; another year to witness the unhappy state of our country. Shall this year see the end of this great war? I see by looking around me that all are of the same opinion and mind. Xone wish to see '63' grow old and die without seeing the traitor meet his doom; without seeing the American eagle sit in peace upon the ])al- metto undisturbed by the serpent that crawls at its foot. How different the scenes of today and former New Year days, when all was peace. Then the cannon's loud roar broke upon the ear telling only of jo}- and mirth ; now that roar speaks of bloodshed and e\-er}- boom sinks deeper into the heart as we think of the souls then sent and perhaps transported to meet their God. Then proud hearts that ha\e long since gone to rest engaged in the merr\- dance and tried to lose sight of time for a little while. Those that are left are soldiers, tossed on the battle-stained waves of war ; they are changed ; time and hard- ships of a soldier's life have made their impressions. The once light, loving heart has been turned to stone, by constantly coming in contact with scenes of strife. "Yours, "E. C. B." PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 287 "Milligan Bend, April 3. 1863. "Friends: — I do not feel niucli like writing. 1 came inlo my (|uarters last night and found those things you sent me had come. We got them up from the landing about ten o'clock and went to work to see what there was. Most of the things were spoiled: some cakes were good: but all the bread and pies were spoiled. Some of the green apples were good : they w ere fpiite a treat, for they are from fifteen to twenty-five cents ajjiece here now. The boots you sent were too large. Some of the furlonghed boys are fast coming back into camp. We are fifteen miles from \'icksburg and twenty-five by river. No news from Yazoo, and we do not know what is going on around us, as much as you do there. We can hear the shelling at Vicksburg. when- ever there is any going on there. Our position is at the siege as follows : First United States Infantry, Eighth, Thirty-Third and Xinty-Xinth Illinois. a battery of six pieces, siege guns and all stationed at the mouth of the canal opposite Vicksburg. We are in the Fourteenth Division and the Thirteenth Army Corps: our brigade is under General Baxter. I found a piece of poetry in the box you sent entitled 'Com.e Home.' T say : How gladly would I do it, And sta\- with nn- friends for ever. But first let us down with the Rebels. That our Union are trying to sever. ■"Fnwi.v C." "X'ear Vicksburg, Miss.. June u. 1S63. "M\' Dear Sister: — I will send you a few lines to let you know T am alive and well. \Ye had a battle at Champion's Hill. The Rebels run, as usual, and we had a fine time overhauling their knapsacks, which they left at Edwards Station. We all got clean clothes, tobacco, w riting paper, etc. This sheet is one I got : captured enough to last for a while. We took in two or three regi- ments at the ridge: they stuck cotton in their guns and ba\onets, when the charge be.gan, and turned and run for the bridge. I ha\e not found anv good place from which T can make a map of this field. I went to a ])lace and was trying to make a map of the field, but was shot at several times, so I left. The Rebels do not fire much. They opened a few guns this morning, but soon found that place too hot for them. Deserters come in all the time: they all tell different tales, and we do not know which to believe. Bui 1 guess thev have hard times: one of the Iowa boys gave a deserter his breakfast, and he ate four crackers, one loaf of bread, a lot of jiotatoes and liam. and drunk five 288 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. cups of Strong coffee. He told General Lawler that he had had but little for a week. We hear they can hold out fifteen days. The boys are in fine spirits. \\'hen they want a little exercise, they take their guns and go out to the rifle pits and take a few shots at the Rebels, if they can see one to shoot at. I have sent several dispatches to them to get in. What 'Rebs' are in tiie city are surely ours, unless they dig out under the hill. I guess after we get this place we will have to go over and help the boys in the Army of the Potomac; poor fellows, never were intended to fight, and not in the least frightened about Johnson. We will run him all over the state for a breakfast spell and take him in for dinner. I am now about four feet in the ground and feel perfectly safe. Write soon to yours, "Edwin." ClIAI'Tl'.K \ II. EDLCATIOXAI, IMSI(1K\- (II-' \KK.\I 1 1 .1.11 1\ lOrXTV. .\rlicle 7, section i. of the constitutinii nf Indiana, derlarcd that: "J\.nu\\ ledge and learning generally diffused througliout a conininnitN . being essential to the preservation of a free government, it shall he the duty of the go\ernmeiit 1>\ its (leneral Assembly to encourage, by all suitable means, moral, intellectual, scientific and agricultur.al impro\emeiUs. and to provide by law for a general and uniform system of common schools, wherein tuition shall be without charge and equally open to all." No .state or territory has manifested an eipially profound and intelligent interest in the subject of education .as has Indiana, commencing with the terri- torial existence in 1800. While the Congress of the United States, under the controlling influence of Jefferson, had been wise and far-seeing on this subject, yet it is a fact that in the organization of the new territories and states that body was more or less influenced by the men who api)roached Congress in the interests of the new municipality — men who were identified with it. And according to whom these men were and the suggestion that they would urge, would be nianv of the [)rovisions in the enabling acts on the subject of schools. liberal ])ro\ision had been made by the general goxernnient for |)opular education in all the Xorthwestern states. Before any of these states had been formed, while the general territor\- in w hich they were embraced was a w ilder- ness. inhabited almost exclusively by savages. Congress, on the 20th of May, 1785, passed an ordinance reserving every sixteenth section of land in the whole territory northwest of the river Ohio for the maintenance of ])ublic schools. Two \ears later, in the famous ordinance of 17S7. it was decl;ired that "religion, morality and knowledge lieing necessary to good go\ernment and the happiness of mankind, .schools, and the means of education, shall be forever encouraged.' In Indiana there was from the first a class of public-s])irited men who were the friends and earnest advocates of popular education. Tn 1807 an act was passed by the General Assembly of the territory, for the incoi-poration of a nniversitv at \'incennes. The first board of trustees of this universitv named (19) 290 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. in tlie incorporating act were men of large and liberal ideas of education. They reflected the true spirit of the framers of the ordinance of 1787. In the preamble to the incorporating act it was declared that "the independence, happiness and energy of every republic depended (under the influence of the destinies of heaven) upon the wisdom, \-irtue, talents and energy of its citizens and rulers ; that science, literature and the liljeral arts contrilmted in an eminent degree to improve those qualities and acquirements, and that learning had ever been found the ablest advocate of genuine liberty, the best supporter of rational religion, and the source nf the onlv solicl and imperishable glorv which nations can acquire." The only acts passed with regard to the school lands b\' the Territorial Legislature were those of October 26. 1808, and December 14, 1810. The former invested the several courts of common pleas in the territory with full ])0wer to lease the sections of land reserved for the use of s-:huols in the se\'eral counties, restricting the leases to five years and making it obligator}- ujiou the lessees to clear ten acres upon each quarter section. The latter act authorized the courts of common pleas to apix)int trustees of the school lands in the sev- eral counties, and prohibited the wasting of sugar trees and timber thereon. (^n January 9, 1821, the General Assembly appointed a committee to draft and report to the next Legislature a bill providing for a general system of education, with instructions to guard particularly against "any distinction between the rich and the poor." This committee drew up the first general school laws of Indiana. The space allotted us forbids e\en a catalogue of the various enactments of the Genera! Assembly on the subject of the jHiblic schools since the organization of the state government. Almost every session has witnessed the passage of either general or special laws pertaining to educa- tion in some form, either to the common schools or the incorporation of semi- naries, academies, colleges, universities or public libraries : and the successive governors of the state ha\e favored the interests of popular education. Vermillion county has always taken inuch care to proxide the best schools possible, both public and private. The last log cabin school house was super- seded more than forty years ago by the more modern frame and brick build- ings. A quarter of a century ago this county had school buildings as follows : Clinton township, brick, three ; frame, nine. Helt township, brick, three : frame, twenty, ^^ermillion township, brick, one: frame, twelve. Eugene township brick, one: frame, seven. Highland township, brick, one: frame, eleven. Total, nine brick buildings: fifty-nine frame. In 1887 the estimated value of school houses and lots was $5c;,ooo; of school apparatus, globes, maps, etc., about $4,000. Number of teachers PARKE AND VEKM U.l.ION COL'XTIES, INDIANA. 2gi. employed in the county, eij^iity-fixe. Tlic nunil)cr ul" children of school age (from six to twenty-one years) in i88t) was 4,_'9i. and the enrollment in the schools ui the county was 3,467, or about eighty per cent. In Clinton township the first school house was a log structure of the most jirimitive type, located at L)avid.son"s hill, one mile northeast of Clinton. There the onlv school books were the Knglish reader, Webster's elementary speller and the New Testament, with now and then a copy of I)a1)oirs arith- metic. Since then a remarkable growth has been seen with the ushering in and carrying forward of the free public school system, which many in the state bitterly opposed at the time, because of their lack of wisdom. Two or more attempts have Iwen made to locate special educational in- stitutions, including the one just before tlie Ci\il war, knuwii as Myram d. Towsley's Military Institute and the h'arnier's College, which went down on account of the coming on of the Rebellion in 1861. A portion of the large frame building tliat was tn be used perm;inently for that institution was afterward converted into an opera house, and its wings into dwellings. In Helt township the first school was taught prior to 1830, on the prairie. Newport, the county seat, has always been a good school town, and kept abreast with the times in e\er\- advance made in im])ro\-ed educational methods. In pioneer days, according to the state law, a county seminary was established here, as in all other county-seat towns. It flourished until the going out of the old private or subscription schools and the introduction of that better plan of the present common school, the free school system, when it was converted into a graded school about 185J. The building was a brick structure. .Additions were made to it from time to time and it was still in use in the nineties. Its location was on the heights overlooking the romantic scenes of the charming Little Vermilliou rixer. Two of the additions were made by the town of Newport at an expense of one thousand dollars. The town |)urchased the propert}- from the townshi]), when the municipality took it oxer and has had charge of the same since 1886. The advancement made in public school affairs in this county with the passing of a half century are indeed \ery great. This change is noted tiie more vividly, when one contemplates the old log school house down b\- the creek, or out on the prairies, in wdiich were taught the simjtlest rudiments of an education, under the hardships of a slab seat, a puncheon floor, and a fire- place for heating the same in the long, cold winter day. It goes without saying that children of today ought to master their studies more rapidlv and better than did their grandparents, and thank a higher order of Christian civilization for the most excellent school .system that now obtains frf)m one end of the countrv to the other, \\niile there were manv noble, brainv, well- 292 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. educated men of the Hoosier state who attended these pioneer schools, the larger per cent, of all those who attended those early-day schools never achieved any great educational accomplishments. .\11 praise to the present public school system. PRESENT STANDING OF VERMILLION COr.XTV SCHOOLS. The subjoined statistics will show the condition of the schools in the various townships in Vermillion countv. according to the suijerintendent's annual report for 191 2, including the items of teachers, buildings, wages, apportionments, etc, : School ;\Iale Female. Daily Wages. .Vpixjr- Houses. Teachers. Teachers. Male. Female, tionment. Clinton township 14 5 21 $3.10 $2.40 $44,031 Eugene township 5 2 6 3.25 2.84 8,620 Helt township 13 5 21 4,00 3.12 32.509 Highland township 10 5 11 4.00 3.00 13.032 Vermillion township 11 3 7 3.30 2.79 10,781 The number of graduates from the higli school last year was : Helt township, 11; Perrysville, 9; Cayuga. 3; Dana, 11: Newport, 8: Clinton, ig. There is one Carnegie Library-, connected with the city and township of Clinton. All of the district schools have small permanent liliraries. The present county school superintendent. ji)hn P>. Butler, has been serving in an acceptable manner since 1907. By a school enumeration for X'ermillion county, taken in Alay, 1910, the following facts were brought out concerning the school population : The number of school age in the sexeral townships and towns of the county was as follows: Clinton township. 844; Eugene township, 331; Helt township. 804; Highland township, 478; Vermillion township, 366: Cayuga town, 212; Dana town, 206; Newport town. 163; city of Clinton, 1,468. The totals for the years 1907 and igio, inclusive, were : J907', 4,627: 1908, 4,818: 1909, 4,792: 1910, 4,872. About 1904 the consolidated country school system was established in Helt township this county, and lias proven a grand success. It gives the pupils a better, easier method of getting to and from school, and at no in- creased expense, all things counted, than under the separate school district system. This school is counted one of the "model" schools in Indiana. It is a delightful sight to see the several teams lined uj) ready to receive the chil- dren when school closes each day. They are carried in hacks to and from their homes, a radical change for the better. It is believed that this system will ere long Ijecome universal in the country school districts in the state. CHAPTER \ III. CHURCHES OF NERMII.I.TOX COl-NTY. PRESBYTERIAX CHURCHES. The tirst deiKiininatiun in tliis comitx' to erect a house ol wDrship was the I'lesbyterians, who ori^aiiized at Clinton in iS,^i, aided by the Methodists. Running down in the course of years, in 1834 they reorganized their society, under Rew John (Jerrish. of Helt township, who (hed in the spring of 1887. in ixansas. Jn 1S87 there were lift\-ti\e members in the Clinton I'resbyterian church, the ruling elders being at that date E. \ . Brown and 1 )a\id .McBeth. .\ Sunda\- school was then maintained the year roimd. witli an axerage at- tendance of ninetx' pupils. I\e\ . L. C. Haw 1). 1).. of Terre 1 laute, was then serving as a stated supply for this churcli. commencing with February, 1887. Earlier pastors and supplies were Revs. James Boggs, in 1855: John A. Tiff- ner. two to three years: John Hawks, of Rockville. about the same length of time: Thonuis (irilVuh. of Montezuma, four \ears, and L. 11. l)a\idson. The first churcli building was coinerted into a barn. A new house of worship, erected about 185J, was a frame building, fortv 1)\' se\ent\- feet, located cen- trally, on the school house lot. The present church was erected of brick in 1896 at a cost of ten thousand dollars. Membership, one hundred and fifty. Other pastors have been: Revs. William Mitchell. ( ieorge .McColIough. L. Ct. Hay, A. M. >tooke, J. T. Hutchinson, C. II. Hoffoce, E. W. Sanders. C. E. Fowler. II W. White, and the jjresent ])asior. Rev. S. \'. Sydenstricker, who began in March, i(;io. Toronto i'resli^terian church was organized either 1850 or 1851, l)v Rev. (ierrish. The church, which was built during 1852, was a frame struc- ture thirty Ijy forty feet in' size, and in i8t)0 was still in good .state of pres- ervation. Among the e;ir]y members of the church were James .\. Elder and wife. Samuel Ekler and wife. Rev. John .\. Tiffany was pastor from 1858 to 1866. In 1887 the number of communicants was about twenty. A union prayer meeting was maintained by the Methodists, Presbyterians and Bap- tists. The Toronto Presbyterian church, at Bono, was organized manv years ago, but later the membership largely went to other points, as the country 294 PARKE .\ND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. settled up, many going to the church at Uana. There a neat church was luiih of frame, thirty-six by forty feet, besides a "rostrum" eight by fourteen feet. Its cost was al)out t\\ o thousantl eight hundred dollars, not counting i^ews and other fixtures. It was dedicated June 26, 1887, by Rev. T. D. Fyfife, of Roseville, Indiana. The leading men in building \\ere W. AI. Taylor, Samuel Aikman and Samuel Hall. This building is still in use. At Newport the Presbyterians were early in the field, but allowed the first society to run down. It was reorganized in the spring of 1875, b\- Rev. Mitchell, of Clinton, with only seven members. The ruling elders were M. G. Rhoades and I. B. Fusselman, later of Dan\ille. About 1847 a frame church was erected, forty by fifty feet, on Market street, east of the public square. This was erected soon after the organization was effected. Later it was occu- pied bv the United Brethren. The society was never very strong at New- port, other churches having held the field. The Eugene Presbyterian church was first organized in 1826, when the first meetings were held in the house of William Thompson, a log cabin a little west of the depot on the Big \'ermillion river. .\t first its name was the "River and Countv \'erniillion Church," and comprised, April 26, 1826, Asa Palmer, William Thompson, William Wilson, Ann Wilson, William Armour, Ruhama Armour. Eliza Rodman, Hannah Laughlin. Margaret Caldwell, Mary West, ]\Iary Thomp.son, Lucy Thompson, and Susan Wilson. The first minister was Rew James Hummer, who was succeeded by Revs. Baldridge, Kingsbruy, Cozad, Conklin, C. K. Thompson, Venable Crosby, Henry M. Bacon and W. Y. Allen, of Rockville. In 1887 this church had a membership of fifty-two. The second place of meeting was a brick dwelling, and the third place a neat frame church, thirty-six by sixty feet, erected in 1859 in partnership with the Methodist people. Its cost was three thousand dollars; it was erected centrally in tiie village of Eugene. Later the church interests were removed to Cayuga and in 1902 a fine brick church building was erected, bearing the inscription, "Eugene 1823 — Memorial — Cayuga, 1902." It is located in the best part of the western portion of the town. What was styled Mount Olivet Cumlierland Presbyterian church was located three and a half miles southwest of Eugene. At Perrysville a Presbyterian church w as organized at an early day and after struggling along many years finally dissolved, when it only mustered fifteen members. Their house of worship, which they purchased from the Universalist society, became unsafe, and in 1882 was sold for one hundred and fifty dollars and later torn down. There was no regular preaching .ifter 1873, when there was twenty-one members. PARKE AND VKRMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 295 BAPTIST t'lUKtllES. Riddle's Prairie Baptist church. — In 1852 a branch or mission of the Bloomtield Baptist church was organized at Toronto, and in July, 1833, it was reorganized as a separate bod_v in the Toronto Presbyterian church, by Rev. Ci. W. Riley. Revs. John and (i. W. Riley were preachers in 1832. the latter named l)eing tiie first pastor. L'p to August, 1861, the following served as pa.stors or supplies; Rev. Joseph Shirk, William .McAlasters and A. J. Riley: thence on down later came Revs. William McMasters. .\lelvm .\lc- Kee, William McMasters, Melvin McKee, D. S. French, W illiam McMasters, A. J. Riley, G. T. Willis, J. M. Kendall, 1883 ; W. T. Cuppy, 1886-87. The Tennessee Valley Baptist church was organized in September, 1872, in the Staats school house by Rev. William McMasters, who had preached there some time previousl}', when it was known as the "mission." Rev. William McMasters was pastor of this church until his death, in i88(), being succeeded by Rev. John H. Rusmisel. In 1873 a neat frame church was pro- sided at a cost of one thousand six hundred dollars. It was built in the north- east ([uarter of section 18, township 13, range 9 west. Present membership is one hundred. Dana Baptist church was formed in 1880, with twelve members, by Rev. G. T. Willis. Among the early pastors now disclosed by the records Were Revs. Willis, Cartwright, William McMasters. Palmer and l-'ranklin. The church building, a fancy brick structure, thirty-six b\- sixt\ feet, in the north- ern part of the village of Dana, was ))uilt in 1887 at a cost of twn ihous.ind five hundred dollars. lloijewell Baptist church, a fr;ime building about two miles north ot Gessie, was the place of meeting of a society which was organized \ery early in the county's history by the Rabourns. .V difficult}- arose over Freemasonry. one side holding" to the order, while the other pulled out of C liristian fellow- ship on account of this fraternity. The two factions were called ".Stippites" and "Johnsonites," after the two leading sjjirits of the Masonic and anti- Masonic factions. This split the little church into two parts, ;md neither flourished after that. .\t Clinton the Baptist church is young in years, it ba\ ing been organized in HJ09 with twenty-two members, which has now grown to a membership of ninety-four. .\ little more than three years ago a few Bai)tist families, desir- ing of having a church of their own faith, banded together and invited Rev. J. M. Kendall to preach to them occasionally, and August 18. 1909. with his 2g6 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. assistance, organized the First Baptist church of Chntoii. Indiana, with twenty-two meml^ers. About eight months after the organization of the church the pastor resigned because of other pressing duties. The following July the state convention sent ^Irs. X. B. Leslie to this important field, and under her care the work progressed rapidly, including a flourishing, modern planned Sundav school. On .March ist, this devoted woman was sent to other fields. Then the membership of the church had reached ninety communicants. A lot was purchased upon which to erect a church, the price paid being one thousand eight hundred and fifty dollars; it is at the corner of Fifth and Walnut streets, an ideal location. March i. 1912. the present pastor. Rev. -\. v.. C"!em, was called, since which he has devoted his entire time to building up the interests of the church and attending to the duties of raising funds with which to erect the new church, which has its foundation in ( December. 1()12) an< : church anfl parsonage valued at $9,000. Dana, C. E. Beebe, pastor; salary, $i,ckx): membership. 34^; three churches, valued, with parsonages, at $14,400. Fairview Park, .\. E. Kester. pastor: .salary, $800: memljership, 386; value of church and parsonage property, $13,500. Newport. .\. M. Ilagenbook. pastor: salary, $800; membershii). 276: value of church propert\', $10,500. Perrysville, H. N. Calton, pastor: salary, $800: membership, 282; val- uation of church and parsonage, $7,600. 302 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. There are some country charges suppHed from the ahove central stations of the society. But the above are the churclies Hsted in the latest conference minutes. .AN 0I,D-TIME CIRCUIT RIDER. In these da_\'s when, in the Methodist ecnnomy. the title of presiding elder has been changed to that of district superintendent, it may be of interest to know something of the character of the old-time circuit riders, and for this purpose here will be inserted a paragraph from the writings of L. O. Bisho]5. in a series entitled "i'"ift\' Years Ago." He savs : "S. P. Cohin was the minister here when Fort Sumter was fired upon and let me say right here that the old-tin-,e circuit rider certainly earned his salar}-. The Clinton cir- cuit then included Clinton, Salem, Centenary, Center and Trinity. There was, as a result, something doing for the minister all the time. The\" were ministers indeed. Colvin was a broad-minded man, a speaker of high ability, intensely devoted to his country, a fine comjianion, both in the home circle as well as in public meetings. And as a fisherman and a hunter he had no equals. Many a time 1 lia\e seen him ;md some of our familv ( thev were all Metho- dists or Presl)yterians ) go ijut on a hunting trip and bring ])ack a ten-foot pole full of game, so loaded that it required the two men to carry it on their shoulders. And such times as everybody would have. The cooks got busy and built a game pot pie, a wonderful creation of the culinar\- art. .Xnd the minister and the class leader, and the neighbors far and near would be in- vited to come in and enjoy the feast. And they sat down, some in calico and some in gingham, few possibly had something finer, Init the quality of the clothes made no difference in their happiness. And the jokes flew thick and fast and hearty, robust laughter shook their sides, and then thev would lean back from the table and roar with laughter over some bright shaft of wit or a skyrocket of humor that someone had let loose. And then thev sat up to the table and went at it again. I lost my religion at these spreads by always having to wait until second or third table and then pick the bones, if the preacher and his crowd had left any to pick. But these feasts w-ere very much like the miracle of fishes and loaves. If there appeared to be anv scarcity of game pie, or fried chicken, roasting ears, dressing, mashed potatoes, pie, cake and float, etc.. etc.. and more etc., somehow there was always enough and some to spare and e\-erybody was satisfied." PARKE AND \ERMlI.LION COUNTIKS, INDIANA. 3O3 THE CHURCH IN WAR DAYS. The old frame .Metlimlist I-Lpiscopal chuieli ut 1861 on South Main street was torn clown in about 1S83 anil the site was then occui)ied by a residence be- longing to Mrs. Clara Salyards. Mr. Bishop continues : "On this particular Sunday that I am speakinj? of there fell upon the people of Clinton such a deep, intense feeling of an inii)ending crisis that when Mr. Colvin spoke at times the faintest sigli could he heard over tiie room, so profound was tlie silence. Manv a boy sat tiiere that Sunday whn was shortly to lie enrolled in the greatest army the world has ever seen, and to take part in might}- move- ments on the chess board of the nation. "I'reitN soon we l)egan to miss the l>oys from their accustomed places, h'or it will be reiuenibered that those days there were about seventy-five per cent, of the people church members and ninety per cent, attended church — not so now-a-days ! There w ere \ acancies behind counters and school desks, on farms, in shops, at carpenter benches, and everywhere. It seemed as if every home in Clinton had given u]) one or more of its adult memliers. Bravely thev marched to the front, behind the Stars and Stripes, a martial band play- ing in stout-hearted tones, "Jay Bird," or "The Cirl 1 Left I>ehind Me." ^^']len they had all gone to the front there fell upon the homes of Clinton such a uall of silent anguish, such intense anxiety, that the wonder was that the mothers, fathers, sisters and sweethearts at home did not go mad from the \'er\- terror of the situation, "Indeed, there is but one description in all the literatine that I have read that aptly and tersely descril:)es the conditions at home during those four long years. That sentence was the prophecy uttered nearly two thousand years ago by the Nazarene, who, looking ahead and, seeing with god-like clearness of vision all effects following from their causes, exclaimed : 'And there shall come such times as never was'." SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. Hopewell Friends church was organized at an early day in \'ermillion township, this county, .ind was of the same "monthly meeting" as the one at Pilot Grove, Illinois. In 1887 it had a membership of two hundred and thirty. Ministers James P. Flaworth. William F. Henderson and Ruth R. Ellis all ser\'ed acceptably and well. The overseers at Hopewell (Quaker Hill) were Jonathan F. and Kate F. Fllis and Albert ami Jane Henderson. Dinah T. 304 PARKE .\ND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Henderson was recorder. The church or "meeting liouse" was Ijuilt in 1S73 at a cost of one thousand two hundred and fifty dollars. The Friends are not numerous enough here now to maintain many regu- lar meetings. ^lany of these people have long since remo\ed to other sections of the country. Xo better people, howexer. e\'er graced any community than these sincere and conscientious men and women styled "Quakers," but who prefer their right name. Friends. The Friends, however, in Eugene and Helt townships still have a good, thrifty settlement and maintain meetings at what is known as Hopewell, near Quaker ; at Henderson chapel and Lindsley, Eugene township. UNIVERSALISTS. A Universalist church was organized at Perrysville in 1842, and after- ward erected a house of worship, a frame structure, thirty-six b}' fifty feet in size, but being unable to pay for it. they finally, in 1830, sold it to the Presby- terians and subsequently disbanded. They numbered as high as fifty-fi\e members at one time, .\mong the ministers who served them were Revs. E. Alanford, the celebrated editor, a resident of Terre Haute: B. F. Foster, of Indianajjolis : Cieorge McClure, of Dayton, Ohio, and a Mr. Babcock. The organizing minister was Rev. Marble, of Fountain count}", who preached once a month for one jear. The leading meml)ers were Robert j. Gessie ("trustee and' mortgagee") , Dr. Thornton S. Da\idson, Dr. Porter. Messrs. Lawless and Watt. They conducted a flourishing Sunday school. The writer knows of no other societies of this denomination within this count}-. In fact the belief is not as popular in any part of the country as it was man}" decades ago. The Unitarians hax'ing taken many of the n"iembers o\er into their fold. E\"ery community, howexer, now" has Universalists in l)elief. but not in suffi- cient numliers to organize and carry forward a church work, as do other sects. ROM.\N C.\THOLIC CHURCHE.S. In the earl}" missionar}" days of Clinton some thirty years agc), there were very few Catholic families in Parke or Vermillion counties, and Rev. T. O'Donaghue, brother of the present bishop of Louisville, was entrusted with the spiritual guidance of a parish which was then almost a wilderness. In later years conditions began to improve, but not enough to warrant the es- tablishment of a parish. Clinton accordingly remained a mission of Monte- PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES. IXniANA. 305 zuma till 1889, when Rev. Joseph T. Baur was commissioned by Rt. Rev. Francis Silas, bishcjp of Indianapolis, to organize a parish. Coming to Clinton in Xovember of the same year Father liaur tirsl of- fered np the holy sacrifice (if the mass in the home of Peter Lamb at 315 North .Main street. There the faithful contimied In assemlile for dixine \\or>hi]) till the vear 1892. when the old Hoffman residence, now Xo. 31 ',i \\ ater street, was purchased and converted into a church. It did not loiii^' meet the reipiire- ments of the growing congregation. howe\er. and the present property at Sixth and Nebeker streets was secured aneautiful church, modeled after the catheilra! of Tluules in lrelanils. while the congre- gation of the church numbers four thou.sand souls. The total \alue of this cliurch projjerty is estimated at thirty thousand dollars. Father James L. P)Olin assumed charge of the ])arisli in i )ecemher. njio. and in the ff)llo\\ing year began the erection of the present school building, now in charge of the Sisters, six in all. h'ather Bolin was succeeded bv the liresent ])astor, j-'ather William !•". Keefe. (20) 3o6 PARKE AND VERMILLION COfNTIES, INDIANA. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. This denomination, sometimes known as the Church of Christ, and man.\- vears ago as Disciples or Cain])lieliites. at one time had a .strong following in \'erniillion county. Init it is not so large today. There are, however, some societies of this sect, including those at Cayuga, Dana. St. Bernice, State Line society, and Clinton, but none but the Dana church has a regular pastor at this time, December, 1912. There are houses of worship in each of the towns named. At Dana there are thirty-five members: the pastor is Rev. j. W. Parks, who came in 1912, and cares for the State Line church. in Clinton there are also a few families of this denomination, but wlm are known as the "Antis." as they are radically opposed to the use of church organs and inanv of the modern societies that are known in other religious societies as auxiliaries, such as Sunday schools, Epworth Leagues and Christ- ian Endeavors. They simply take the plain teachings of the Xew Testament, without credit or form of any sort, and they, too, style themselves "Christian," while many of the other of like general doctrinal belief call themselves the "Church of Christ," or "'Christ Church." The Clinton Christian church (first church) was organized in i.SSy in Crabb's Hall by the Rev. W. W. Jacobs, of Kansas. Illinois, and during liis stay with them the society prospered well, but after his departure from their leadershi]) thev declined until 1894, when Rew H. ]\L Brooks, of Paris. Illi- nois, appeared on the scene and reorganized the church. It was in l-'ebruary of that year that their church house was dedicated. It is a good brick struc- ture located on the corner of Seventh antl Blackman streets, .\mong the nu'nisters who ha\e served here all have done well their part toward l)uilding up the church, which now has a membership of about two hundred and fiftw who are ilaily trying to magnify the Christ, their Lord. UNITED BRETHREN I'NIOX CHURCHES. The United Brethren Union church, at Cayuga, was organized March 18, 1906, by Rev. C. Long, with D. L. Sollers, deacon ; O. S. Harvey, steward ; Harry Kiger. clerk. In 19C9 a neat frame church was erected at a cost of one thousand dollars. The membership of this church is now eightv-five. Rev. John \\ells. of Clinton, is the present pastor in charge. The new church building is i)rovided with a good bell and church organ. This denomination is also represented in this county at Cromersxille and Clinton. CHAPTER IX. FRATERNAL SOCIETIES IN' \E1< M Il.l.IO.V COUNTV. FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS. \'crniillion cuunty has the folli)\\ iiis.^" Ma.sunic k)dge.s. all pro.spcring, in the autumn of 1912: At Clinton. Jerusalem Lodge No. 99; at Newport, Xe\\]jc)rt Lodge Xo. 209: at T*err\s\ill(,', l"nit\- Lodge Xo. ,i44 ; at Cayuga. Cayuga Lodge Xo. 584: at Dana. Asbury Lodge X'^o. 320. At Clinton, I'reeniasonrv was first instituted ])rior to iS4,v '"'1 interest in its wnrkings declined and the charter was final!\- surrendered. Jerusalem Lodge No. 99 was chartered Ala\' J(). 1830. and has e\er since been kept a!i\'e. The charter members of this, the first lodge in the county, were: Syhester Redfield, \\orslii])fid master, who later removed to Xebr.aska : |ohn X. Perkins. Hiram I'larnes. John R. \Miitcomb. Henjamin R. Wliitcomb. William S. Price. James Gazsoway. James McCulloch. Xathan Sidwell. J. J. .Moore and William Barrick. The memljership of this lodge in 191 2 was one hundred and twent\-two. and its elective officers w ere then : J. X. Frist, wor- slii])ful master: .Mahalon Stark, senior warden: ( ieorge l)Oatman. iunior war- den: l\an W. Scott, secretary: Arthur V<. Rol)crts. treasurer: llenr\' Adam- son. senior deacon. The Masonic hall ot I'linton was erected in ii^oj and is valued at about ten thousand dollars. At Dana, Asbury Lodge No. 320 was chartered ]\Iay 24. 1865, by the following charter members: Morris Hager. John .\ve, Thomas S. Hood. James Osborn, Selah Teinple, Thomas .\. Edmundston. John Bilsland. Henrv Jordan. William 1". Hales. William F. Ford. The lodge was first organized at Bono, now called Toronto. Its present membership is se\ent\-eight. The lodge was built as the second floor of a building in Dana, the rooms l>eing especially prepared for lodge room uses, and the property is valued at one thousand two hundred dollars. The officers in the fall of 1912 were as fol- lows: James R. Douglas, worshipful ma.ster : Davis S. Williams, .senior warden: S. E. Scott, junior w.irden: H. L. Fillihger. treasurer: C". R. Jackson, secretary; F. B. Lowrey. senior deacon: Licob S. Randall, junior deacon; E. B. Thompson, tyler. 308 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Xewport Lodge No. 209 was instituted May 26. 1857. and its first officers were: Tliomas C. W. Sales, worshipful master; Abel Sexton, senior warden: llenrv V. Jackson, junior warden. The lodge now has a membership of forty, and its last nfficers are: Charles X. l''ultz, worshi])ful master: John A. Hughes, senior warden: M. B. Carter, junior w-arden; H. \'. Nixon, senior deacon: Joseph AlcCnrmick, junior deacon: Jesse Fultz, secretary; \'. R. Nixon, treasurer. The lodge built its present hall about 1900 at a cost of one thousand two hundred dollars and later bought the second story of the build- ing adjoining, so that it now' owns the whole second floor of the two-story brick building situated just west of the court house on the west side of the square, being about fort)'-four b\- fifty feet and di\ided into a large room, and two rooms on the south which are used for a dining room and kitchen. There is also Eastern Star Chai)ter' No. 236 in connection. The present worthy matron is Fannie Carter; worthy patron, Charles X. Fultz; associate matron, Edna Hollingsworth ; conductress, Goldie Fultz ; associate conduct- ress, Xellie Wait. At Eugene, this county, a Masonic lodge was instituted in 1847. ^^'''^^' about forty-se\en members, .\mong the first officers were : C. M. Comages, worshipful master; Har\e\' Skelton. senior warden; Dr. R. .M. Waterman, junior warden ; George Sears, secretary ; Anthony Fable, treasurer. After about ten years this lodge went down on account of remoxals to side towns and newl\- organized 'odges. such ;is were formed at Xewport, Lodi and Perrys\'ille. llarxey Skelton \\as the last master of die Eugene lodge as above instituted. With the springing into existence of Cayuga, the lodge was moved from Eugene there and now is in a ])rosperous condition, but no facts were fur- nished the compiler. At Perrysville, Unity Lodge No. 114 was organized about 1850, at least that early, and increased to thirt\--four members. The lodge flourished until May, 1859, when its charter was surrendered. .Xothing further was accom- plished in Ma.sonic circles until May 29. 1867. after the close of the Civil war period, when Unity Lodge Xo. 344 was instituted with the fodowing charter officers : W. B. Moffatt. worshipful master ; James Hemphill, senior warden ; Jacob S. Stephens, junior warden : William Jarnuild, secretarv : Robert E. Townsley, treasurer; H. M. Townsley. senior deacon; Jolm Wolf, junior deacon: Thomas Scott, tyler. The present officers are .Mexander Grubbs. worshipful master; Roy G. Jester, senior warden: .\rthur I'lunt. iunior war- den: Robert O. Jones, treasurer; J. F. Conipton. secretar\-. Thev own their own lod"e room. PARKE AND N^ERMILLION COUNTIES. INDIANA. 3O9 Of Chapter No. u^. Royal Arch .Masons, at Llinton. it may he stated that its charter was revoked by the grand chapter in November, nju, and now there are no cliapters of Royal .\rcli Masons w itliin N'ennillion county. The onl\- cmnnianderN- nf Knis.;]its Teniii'ar in this count\- is at Clinton. INDEPENDENT ()UIi1':k OI-" ODD KEF. LOWS. The earliest lodge of ()dd bellows organized in \ ermillion county was Cliarity Lodge Xo. ^j. chartered at Terrysv-ille .\pril 20, 1846. The first officers were: iracl Abdill. noble grand: Charles Bovles, vice grand: T. S. Dax'idson, secretar\- : Thomas Cushman, treasurer: John Dunlap. warden: C. .\. Gray, conductor: John A. Mincbell, recording secretary, in 1887 tiiis lodge bad a membership of nineteen: they owned their own building and had projjcrty x'alucd at one thousand three lunidred and fortv-eight dollars. Dur- ing Ci\'il war days tliis lodge was kej)! ali\e 1)\- six fiiithful members. Present membership is fort}-se\-en. Highland Encampment .\o. lO^ was instituted l)ecenil)cr 7, 1885. Rebekah Lodge Xo. J18 was instituted julv 24. 1882. Aniant Lodge X'o. 356 was instituted Xovember 16. 1870, with about a dozen members, which had increased to seventy-fi\e b}- 1887. The present membership is one hundred and se\enty-three. Cnity Lodge Xo. ^2/. a newer lodge, has a membership of one hundred and fi\e. Clinton luicampnient Xo. 143 was chartered .Mav i(). 1876. Vermillion Lodge No. 182. Rebekah degree, was organized July cj. 1877. Setting Sun Lodge X'o. 583 was organized April 2j. 1881, at Cayuga, with seventeen members, and the following officers: William H. Hood, noble grand: 1^. B. Johnson, vice grand: H. (). Peters, treasurer: 1). \\". P.ell, secre- tar\ , The ])rcseul membership is si\t\-tw(). Dana Lodge No. 581 was organized February to. 1881, with eighteen members, and Hiram Shepard, noble grand: Julius C. Crnves. vice grand; and Fred Rush, secretary. The memlx'rship of this lodge in \i)i2 was report- ed as one hundred and fifty- four. \'crmillion I^odge No. 394. at Xewjjort. was instituted in the room over the furniture store of David Hopkins by Past C.rand Hiram Shejiai'd, under a charter granted May 18, 1882, on the petition of Robert F. Stei)hens. Lewis Shepard, Thomas Cushman, F. V. Wade. Julius droves and ]. M. Tavlor. The first officers were: Lewis Shepard. noble grand: Robert P.. Stei)hens, 3JO PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. \ice t,naiul : Thomas Cushman, secretary; J. M. Taylor, treasurer. The lodge now has a membership of seventy-eight. Hope Lodge No. 268, Davighters of Rebekah, was chartered November 18, 1886. Vermillion Lodge No. 594, at Newiwrt. was instituted July 6, 1882. Its first officers were : Robert E. Stephens, noble grand ; Thomas Cushman, sec- retary ; James Chipps, treasurer. The 1912 officers are: George Morehead, noble grand; Guy F. Newlin, vice grand ; lies Morehead, recording secretary ; Edmund B. Brown, financial secretary; James Chipps, treasurer; Bird H. Davis, Ithimer M. Casebeer and Fred D. Wimsett, trustees. The present membership of this lodge is sixty- eight. Their hall was built in 1892, at a cost of one thousand six hundred dollars; parai)hernalia and furniture, four hundred dollars. This lodge is always represented at the grand lodge, and B. H. Da\-is of the Hoosier State, published at Newport, was appointed proof-reader of the grand lodge in 1912, and had served on the Daughters of Rebekah committee at a former session. PRESENT LODGES OF VERMILLION COUNTY. The follow ing shows an account of the (Jdtl bellows lodges in X'ermillion county according to the 1912 grand lodge reports; also the membership of each subordinate, as well as Rebekah degree, lodge : Charity Lodge No. ^2 has forty-se\en members. Amant Lodge No. 356 has one hundred and seventy-three members. Dana Lodge No. 581 has a membership of one hundred and fifty-four. Setting Sun Lodge No. 583 has sixty-two members. \'ermillion Lodge No. 594 has seyenty-eight members. St. Bernice Lodge No. 666 has one one hundred and thirty-eight mem- bers. B. F. Foster Lodge No. 730 has a membership of seventy-eight. L'nity Lodge No. 827 has a membership of one hundred and five. This gives a grand total of eight hundred and thirty-fi\e Odd l-"ellows in Vermillion county. REBEKAH DEGREE LODGES. Clinton. \'ermillion Lodge No. 182 has one hundred and tiftv-nine mem- bers. Perryville Lodge No. 218 has a membership of twentv-six. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 3II Newport. Hope Lodge No. 268 has thirty-two members. St. Bernice, Columbia Lodge No. 425 ha.s ninety- four members. Hillsdale Lodge No. 573 has ninety-nine members. Cayuga, Venus Lodge No. 515 has nine members. Dana. Ruth Lodge No. 634 has sixty-five members. This gives a grand total of mcmbersiiip in the Reliekah degree of four hundred and eighty-four. KNIGHTS OF PVTHIAS. Nermillion Lodge No. 113, of th.e order of Knights of I'ytiiias. was organized l)eceml>er 31, 1S84, witli sixteen charter members and tlie first officers were: Dr. James T. Henderson, chancellor commander; V. S. Smith. vice commander; L. .\. Morgan, master of finance: M. J. Rudy, master of exchequer; D. H. Cade, keeper of records and seal: W. A. Collins, prelate; G. R. Hicks, master at anns ; A. R. Marlat, iimer guard ; E. A. Lacy, outer guard. At Dana the Knights of Pythias ha\e a hall in conjunction with the Odd Fellows order. The lodge number is 247. At Clinton no data was furnished, but it is known that this order has Hazel Lodge No. 217, with C. C. Foley as keeper of records and seal, and A'ictor Lodge No. 553. There are now Knights of Pythias lodges at Clinton, Cayuga, Dana and Newport, all in a flourishing condition. .\t Clinton there is a Uniform Rahk degree of this order; also the Pythian Sisters. Riverside Lodge No. 242, at Newport, was instituted June 4, iSqo. The first officers were : Rev. F. W. Gee. past commander : R. E. Stephens, clian- cellor commander; R. B. Sears, \ice commander; ?>. S. Aikman, master of exchecpier; J. D. Collett, master of finance: R. B. \'an Allen, prelate; W. I. Place, outer guard; J. L. Nelson, inner guard; T. J. Nichols, master at arms; E. E. Henson. keeper of records and seal. The lodge now has a membership of one hundred and eighteen. Its elective officers are: George W. Short, chancellor commander; M. H. Aik- man, vice chancellor; W. AI. Place, tnaster of exchequer: \V. S. Brown, tnas- ter of finance; J. B. Butler, prelate; Charles \". Hughes, outer guard: .\. Julian, inner guard; Ties Moreheafl. keeper of records and seal. This lodge owns its own hall and its cost was about one tlmnsand two hundred dollars, erected in i8c;2. CHAPTER X, VERMILLION COUNTY ATTORNEYS. \Miile it is impossible to record the names of every man connected with llie bar of X'ermillion county, the following list will serve a good purpose in calling to mind many, both dead and living, who have practiced in the county. In Clinton township the list includes James R. Baker, who, although he (lid not practice law long, should not be omitted. He left the profession to become a Methodist Episcopal minister. Lyman J. Smith practiced here four years and remoxtd to Paris. Illinois. "ludge" John Porter, who lived in the country in this township, fol- lowed the law to some extent, was a man of good literary attainments, a mem- ber of the Legislature, etc. He died some time prior to the Civil war period. For about nne year prior to the war a man named Ragan practiced law at Clinton. Henr\- D. \\ ashlnirn, a native of \ ermout. a member of the noted W^'ashburn famil\- of the old Green Mountain state, was born in March. 1832. coming to this county about 1830: taught school three or four years, chiefly in l^lelt township, and some at Newport: studied law, while teaching, with Thomas C. \\'. Sale at Newport: admitted to the bar in 1833, and o]jened an office at Newport: was in partnership with M. P. Lowry for a time: elected auditor of Vermillion county in 1834, serving one term: entered the army as ca])tain of Com])any C, Eighteenth Indiana Infantry, promoted to lieutenant- colonel, then colonel, and l)reveted brigadier-general and then major-general, serving in all about four years, first in Missouri, next in the Army of the Potomac, then in Georgia: but in 1864, before the termination of the Civil war, was elected, while a resident of Clinton, to the lower house of Congress, against Daniel \\'. \^oorhees, serving from March, 1863, to March, 1869. In the last year be was appointed bv President Grant to the ofifice of survevor- general for the territory of Montana and while holding the office died in Jan- uary. 1 87 1, at Clinton, leaving a wife and two children. ComTnanding a com- pany of fifty men, he made the first explorations of the now famous Yellow- stone Park, in 1870. in which journey the exposure brought on iHness that proved fatal to him. He was a Methodist, a Republican and a member of the Knights Templar degree of Masonry. PARKE AND VKRMILLION COrXTlKS, INDIANA. 313 Henry A. Wliitc, a native of Helt township, tins coimty, practiced law at t'linton a nnnihcr of _\ears. tlien niox'ed to Kansas. M. I!. Davis, anotlicr X'ermillion connty prodnct, and a gradnate of old Aslnirv I'niversity, ("ireencastle, was admitted to the liar while a very young man, and was in ])arlnei-ship for a short time with II. II. (,'onley, of Xewport. In 1885 he left for l'>eatriee, Nebraska, and there practiced law and was con- nected with the ncatrifc h'rf'iiblican. a local newspaper. In 1888 the lawyers at Clinton were Daniel C. Johnsim, I'latl '/.. .\nder- son, Henianiin l\. W liitcdinli, I. H. Strain and Mehin 1!. Davis. At Newport, the seat of justice, the members of the legal profession have included these : Daniel M, Jones, a native of Vermillion count}-, attended Wabash College, not quite completing his course : he w as admitted to the bar in 1852 to 1853; was a member of the Legislature in 1861, as a Republican; was an :icti\ e partisan, a natural orator, and a shrewd lawyer, and died in the autumn of 1865, leaving a widow and three children. Mis wife was a sister of Stephen S. Collett. The son studied for a physician. I.. C. Allen, l)(irn near Highland, this countw studied law under M. G. Rhoades, of Newport, and was there admitted to the l>ar. He was justice of the ])eace in 1868-72, when he also had some trial cases on hand. He was a man of firm principles and sometimes a little sexere and rough. Later, he remo\ed to h'ountain coiuitv .and serxed as a deputx clerk at Covington. Nathan llar\e\ was a nati\e and li\ed man\' years in I'arke count}', this state, being educated at Bloomingdale school, the Quaker institution, under the instruction of Barnabas Hobbs. formerl\- state su|)erintendent of ])nblic in- struction lie had a fair mind and good scholarshi]). ( )n coming to .\ew - ])ort he taught school in the seminar}- building durii-ig the da}-s of the Cix'il war, for a couple of years, then married the daughter of John C. Johnson. 1 le became a law i)artner of U'illiam Lggleston, but was onl}- permitted to ])ractice about three vears. when he died, during a session ot covu"l. lie was an honoral)le man and had he not died so car!} would doubtless have been one of the county's best legal minds. Robert ."\. Parrett, a native of Indiana, settleil w ith his jiaieuts at New- port when a young man. His father was a traveling Methodist minister and the son Rol)ert was reared largely in Newport. He conimenced a course at .\slnu}- ( now De Pauw I'niversity ) and while yet in the freshman vear, on account of ill health, he had to desist. He then read law in the office of Judge Jump, was admitted to bar and practiced his i)rofession for a time. In the autumn of 1873 he was admitted as a pactncr of P,. p., and M. C. Rhoades. in 314 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. which relation he remained until January, 1880. He then engaged in farming near Newport. He was a good lawyer, a good bookkeeper and attentive to business, but, owing to ill health, was induced to abandon the profession for that more healthful and independent occupation uf a farmer. Prof. B. F. Rhoades, a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1834, came with his jjarents' family 'to Richmond, Indiana, in 1836, in a one-horse wagon. In 1837 they came to Parke county; then moved to Waveland, Montgomery county, where he attended the Waveland Academx'. and entered Wabash Col- lege in the junior year, graduating there in 1859. He then came to Clinton, Vermillion county, and taught in the Farmer's College a ])art of one year. He studied law in the office of Judge Maxwell, at Rock\ille, Parke county, was admitted to the bar, came to Newport in 1861, and commenced the prac- tice of law. He was in partnership with his brother, M. d. Rhoades, 1865-79. In 1865-66 he was a member of the Legislature. In 1878 he removed to Terre Haute. He went to Europe with his family and there spent thirteen months in tra\el. Early in the spring of 1881 he was appointed judge of the superior court of \'igo county, serving one }ear. For fi\e years he was one of the trustees of the State University at Bloomington, where he was also a professor of law for a time. John D. Cushman was born and reared in Perrysville, this count)'. His father was Thomas Cushman, who was elected county auditor in the fall of 1872, and moved with his family to Newport, where the son John studied law, was admitted to the bar, and began practice with Joshua Jump for a time: was in the office of Messrs. Rhoades, where he pro\e(l himself a good office man. a fine penman and an intelligent business factor of the countv seat town. He was a good public speaker, but never jiracticed at the bar to any considerable extent. In the autumn of 1875 he went to the Southern states, where he tra\eled for six months. Returning, he resumed law practice, sometimes alone, at other times with others, until his death, about 1882. He was a young man of more than ordinary promise when death claimed him. Thomas C. W. Sale was for many years a lawyer of Newport, and before the Civil war went to Paris, Illinois, where he recei\ed an appointment as Indian agent, and he was in the far West for a long period in the fulfill- ment of the duties of that office. Later he returned and resided at Paris, Illinois. Samuel G. Malone. who practiced before the A'ermillion count\- bar prior to the Civil war, removed to Decatur, Illinois, where he accunniiated from seventy-five to one hundred thousand dollars, but lost it all later. He then retired to his farm in Helt township, this countv. PARKE AND VERMII.LIOX COUXTIES, INDIANA. 3I5 William Eggleston, a native of \'erinillion county, Indiana, was educated here, attended the coniuion .schools and the county seminary at Newport, after he was grown to man's estate. He was industrious and ])ersevering. He took kindly to law. ;uul in due time was admitted to the bar. about 1^59. He worked up consideral)le practice, by liard struggle, making many ernirs, but after fifteen gears' practice accumulated a handsome propert\. He then engaged in the mercantile business with his brother, but they both failed in business. During bis experience as a merchant, however, William proceeded with the law profession and was again a successful attorney. Wliile here he wrote and published three works: "A Treatise on County Commissioners," ■"A Legal Work on Damages." and a play entitled "The Broken-hearted Wife," being a story of woman's lo\e and man's unfaithfulness, and consist- ing of facts that occurred a few years before, in this section of the state, imder his own obser\ation. He removed to Terre Haute in 1877. V. E. Witmer, about eighty-five years ago, came from Ohio to Newport, this countx'. where he practiced law about six \ears. then moved to a point near Logansport, where he died in the eighties. He was a man possessed of the "s])read-eagle " stvle. not deeplv \ersed. but executi\c. wnrking u)) law suits whether tbev slinuld ha\c beeti worked u]) or iini. William I.. Little, a graduate of old .\sbur\ Lnixcrsiu mow Del'auw ). became a Methodist minister. ])rcaching here a year or more. He then switched to fanning seven miles southwest of Newport, and in that he suc- ceeded well ; next he practiced law at Newport, settled a few estates, and then became a merchant, finally moving to Hutchinson, Kansas, about 1882. He had a fair intellect, a good degree of information on general subjects, and was a prominent citizen of \"ermillion county. From 1862-72 he acted as county examiner, and for about eight years served as county school superin- tendent. James Blanchard. another native of this county, received a good classical education and was an expert penman, on which account he was emploved much in the .stores and county offices as an accountant and coi^vist. Licking u|) a little law knowleflge. he was admitted to the bar and bad several law- partners. He was a good assistant in jjreparing legal pajiers. conducting cor- respondence, making collections, etc. .\bout 1884 he moved to Terre Haute, and from there went to South Hutchinson, Kansas, w here he is engaged in the real estate business and was generally successful. Ren nianchard. though nominally an attorney, never actually conducted a suit. He moved to Terre Haute and engaged in real estate business. 3l6 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Hon. Jusepli B. Cheadle. congressman from the ninth district in Indiana, was born in V'erniilHon county, Indiana, read law with judge Maxwell, of Rockville, admitted to the liar here about i8(')8, became deputy collector of internal rexenue, was a candidate for nomination for a number of offices, gradualix- drifting out of law into editorial wurk. had charge of the Iloosicr State, at Newport, nine months, in 1870, then the Rockville Republican and Rockville Trihtnic. later beciiming editor of the I-ninkfort Banner, Clinton count}-. Joshua Jump, born in Ohio in 1S43, studied law with R. N. Bishop, at Paris, Illinois, was admitted to the bar, and came to Newport in 1869, where his partnerships were in succession with William Eggleston, Koljert H. Sears, James Blanchard, John D. Cushman, and from March, 1879, to March, 1885, C. W. Ward. I'"rom 1885 to 1886 he was circuit judge. In June. 1887, he removed to Terre Haute. Politically, he was a Democrat, and was an im- portant figure in his part\- in state and county political work. Adam Littlepage, from West A'irginia. was admitted to the bar in New- port, l*"ebruar\- 6. 1883. formed a partnership with John A. W'iltermood. which e-xisted about three years. He married the daughter of S. S. Collett, and then returned to West Virginia. John A. W'iltermood, who was in 188S. jjostmaster at Newport, was ap- pointed to the position in September. 1885. He was born in Vermillion town- shi]) this count}', a son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph W. W'iltermood, and was reared on his ])arents' farm, most of his earlv xuuth i)eing spent in luigene township. He attended the State Normal at Indianapolis in ]878-7c;, taught school three }ears. studied law in the office of Judge Jump, admitted to ])rac- tice February 6, 1883, associated ])rofessionall} with H. H. Conle\- two xears, and w ith .Adam Littlepage about three years. The Newport bar, in 1888, consisted of these gentlemen: M. G. Rhoads. P,. S. Aikinan, C. W. \Vard, O. P.. Gibson, H. H. Conley and J. C. Sawver. Tn the winter of 1874-75 Messrs. Jump and M. G. Rhoads were attorneys for a fugitive from Illinois, charged with .stealing horses, and succeeded in releasinsf him from the custody of the officers. This raised much excitement amonc; the citizens of Newport, and indignation meetings were held, as well as in other sections of Vermillion count\". The officer holding the fugitive had not the proper authorit}- in the case. PARKE AND VERMILUON COUNTIES. INDIANA. 31/ XKUMlJ.l.lON COUNTY BAR OF lyiJ. llcury Adamson, Lliiilou; Joseph \\ . Amis, L lintuii ; Uanit-l L. John.sun, Clinton; Hezzie B. Pike, CliiUun; Juiiii A. \\ iltennoud, Clintuii ; E. V. Zell, Clinton; G. Edniond Bingham, Clinton; R. E. Gninn. Clinton; i-'rank R. xMiller, Clinton; I'Yank Smith, Dana; tjeorge D. Sunkel, Dana; Ed. H. James, Dana; Aliller W . Coffin, Caynga; Charles Hostord, Cayuga; Oscar D. Zell, Cayuga; Homer B. Aikman, Newport; Hugh .\. Conley, Newport; \\ . Hurt Conley. Newport; Charles Al. l-'ultz, Newport: Ed. E. Neel, Newport; .Martin G. Rhoades, Newport: William C. Wait, Newport; Homer (jalloway, New- port; Forest Ingram. Newport; Harrison T. Pa\ne. Newport; John B. Butler, Newport. CHAPTER XI. VERMILLION COUNTY PHYSICIANS. In the settlement of every new country the medical profession is usuall\- among the first to establish itself. The first settler, the family doctor and the traveling minister, is about the order in which the first steps toward dexelop- ment are taken. As much as may be said against the doctor when one is in possession of good health and has no need for the medicine chest and the faith- ful adviser, the time soon comes to one and all when the sight of the physician is welcome. During the w eary hours of the night, passed in the lonely pioneer cabin, the sick person with a fevered brow and hectic flush watched patiently for the coming of the doctor, with his saddle-bags, which cmitained many distasteful drugs of the old-school compounds. }'et were looked upon with great favor in da)-s and nights of sickness and swallowed in the hope that strength and vitality might again bless them. These pioneer doctors made their tri])s over hill and glade, through all kinds of weather, facing the storms of winter and the burning sun of mid-summer, in order to reach the bedside of the sick in time to be of service to them in the hour of their distress. Many of the bills for such service were never paid, hut the faithful doctor never stopped to consider the payment of the bill, going on his ])rofessii)nal call to cure, and not solelv to add to his own treasury. Scores of these old-time physicians were excellent doctors, understood human nature and knew much more than they have been credited with in these later years. True, the science of nidicine had not ]irogressed to the high degree that now oljtains, yet the suc- cess attained in caring for the ills of fifty and se\enty-fi\e years ago compares favorably with that of today, except in contagious and epidemic diseases, in which the more recent physicians are undoubtedly superior to their forefathers. The first plnsician to locate in Clinton was Dr. Joseph Hopkins, who came from Ohio in 1830. or possil:)ly a little before that year. He was an ac- ceptable ph}sician, practiced a number of years and died out West, leaving a wife and two daughters. Peace to his ashes! Dr. Eastman practiced here about the same time above named, but little can now be learned of him. Dr. 1. S. Palmer, a graduate of one of the Philadelphia medical colleges. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 3I9 settled in Clinton during the pioneer period, accumulated some property, but finally became very intem)jerate and lost what lie had honestly made. He finally lusl his own life in a most horrible manner, althout^h not intoxicated at the time. Visiting a patient across the river Wabash, one day about 1863, he noticed on his return many squirrels in the woods. (_)n arriving home he took his gun and started out to indulge in the sport of a chase. While crossing the river on the ice he broke through, but held himself from being drawn under by clinging to the edge of the ice, and there he held fast until parties had arrived from points a mile or more distant for his rescue. But his strength gave out and he went under, never more to be seen. His body was never recovered. Charles Knowles nearly lost his life in trying to save the unfortunate doctor. Ohio sent another doctor to these parts in the person of Dr. William Kile, a man of great energy and industry. After practicing several years and making a small fortune, he sold out and moved to Paris. Illinois, where he embarked in the mercantile business, and also had a good farm which he cultivated, handling stock in an extensive manner. Subse(|uently, the Doctor drifted into l)anking. It is related of him that when \isiting patients on the east side of the Wabash that he fre(|uently would swim his horse, on his return, rather than to come a few miles mit of his way to the wagon bridge. One time he was \-iolenth- attacked with small-])ox. when scarcelv anyone thought he could survive, but his "vitativeness" was so large that, as he was taken out into the country for treatment, passing a store, he called out to the proprietor. ''Save me the large pair of boots, will you?"' lie had ^erv large feet. He died at Paris many years afterward. Dr. Perkins, a botanic physician, practiced here a number of years and finally moved to Oregon. Dr. Rollin Whitcomb, another botanic ])hysician from New York, located here in 1841. After practicing here for a number of years, he moved to other parts, but again resumed practice here and remained until his death. Dr. I. B. Hedges accompanied his parents from Xew ^'ork w hen he w as a mere boy. in 1824. He commenced the practice of medicine in 1N4:;. and proved to be a successful doctor. He was a man of learning and stood high in the community. He left his family considerable i^roperty, as a result of his extended medical practice. Dr. P. R. Owen came to Qinton about 1854 from New Go.shen, Indiana, but was a native of Ohio, ^^■hen the Civil war broke out he enlisted and was elected captain of Company T, Fourteenth Indiana Infantry, promoted major and then lieutenant-colonel of his regiment; came home and ]iracticed his 320 PARKE AXD VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. profession until 1871, wiien lie died, leaving a widow and several children. He was an excellent Methodist minister at one time. The Grand Army post at Clinton was named in honor of him. .\nother ph\-sician here was Dr. Corkins. who after a few \ears' prac- tice, removed to Texas. Dr. William Reeder practiced medicine at Clinton for a nuiiiljer of years before the breaking out of the Civil war, in which he enlisted and held some ofifice in his regiment. About 1874 he moved to Texas, where at last accounts he was a successful practitioner in tlie Lone Star state. Dr. J, C. Crozier was another "before the war" physician in Clinton. He entered the Union ami)- as a surgeon, continued until the end of the war, then practiced here a number of years, finally going t(j Washington. D. C, where he was for many years connected with the pension department. Dr. William H. Stewart came in from Illinois, practiced three \ears and located in Terre Haute. In 1888 the physicians in Clinton were Drs. Henry Nel:>eker. J. H. Bogart and C. M. White. In Helt township the physicians of long ago included these: Dr. Hiram Shepard, born in Xewport. this count}', graduated at the Miami Medical College of Cincinnati, Ohio, and practiced at Dana from 1874 on. Dr. Granville O. Newton was born in Helt township, graduated at the named medical school, and after practicing in this countv in the countrv for a time removeil to Dana in September, 1885. Dr. Thomas C. Hood, also a native of Helt township, graduated at Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia in 1884. located in Terre Haute for a short time, moving to Dana in 1885. Dr. John C. Harrison was lx)rn in Craw fords\ille, Indiana, was a soldier in the Civil war, graduated in medicine at the Eclectic Medical College of Cincinnati, began to practice in partnership with his brother in 1868, locating at Dana in 1886. Dr. A. H. DePuy practiced in Helt township from 1856 to 1871. moved to Chicago. He was a regular graduate and an excellent man. Dr. Frank Foncannon, a native of Helt township, jjracticed in this town- ship a short time, then went to Emporia, Kansas. From out the numerous physicians who have from time to time prac- ticed medicine in \'ermillion township only these can now be recalled of the earlier ones : Dr. J. R. Willetts practiced here previous to the Ci\il war. and moved from the county. For a time he was in partnership with Dr. ( iriffin, long since deceased. Dr. E. T. Collett. son of Josephus Collett. Sr.. was a graduate of HARKF. AND VF.RMTI.I.IOX COl!NTlKS, INDIANA. 32.1 the l.()uis\iilc Medical College, practiced here and in Eugene township, and in 1878 committed suicide in Kansas, at the age of fifty-eight years. Drs. Clark and 1'. H. Leavitt practiced here for a numljer of years, part of the time as partners. The former nio\ed to Danville, Illinois, and the other died at Newport. Dr. E. Thomp.son moved to Illinois and ched there. He left Newport in the autumn of 1874. Other doctors of the township were Hrs. M. L. Hall, Levkis Shepard and James Wallace. .\niong the earlv physicians at luigene may he recalled the name of iJr. R. M. Waterman, who came in before 1837, and practiced until his death, about 1868, except a short time at Lodi, whence he entered the army. He was of the "retjular" school of i)ractice and came from Rhode Island. He estahlislu'd the first newspaper piil)lishe(l in N'ermillion county. I )r. James .\lc.\leen practiced here many _\ears, and in 1886 mo\'ed to Danville. Illinois, .\nother physician here was Dr. William C. Eichelberger. .\t Perrysville the list of men who ha\e practiced medicine is quite length}', and includes the following: Dr. Dinwiddie, said to have been a surgeon of the regular army, was the fust physician to locate at Perrysville. He left the place sometime in the forties. Dr. Thornton S. Daxidson came about i cS3y and died here about 1832. The ne.xt physician was probably Dr. Reynolds, about 1850. Dr. R. M. Waterman, after practicing here a while, moved to Eugene, w here he started the .\'c7cs-Lcttrr, and then to Lodi, Eountain coimty, where a postottice was named for him. "Waterman." lie ser\ed in the armv, as cajJtain of Comi)any .\ in an lndian;i regiment, but ct)ntracte. Small, not a regular graduate in medicine, was in iiartnership with Dr. Waterman antl others, liecame feeble b_\' reason of age and tinall\- died in .Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Dr. John Stewart FJaxter. from X'irginia. was a good surgeon, m i)art- nership with Df. Spotswood for a time, and died in Perrysville in 1853. Dr. Dexter 1". Leland. from some one of the Eastern states, arrived here about 1850, was a partner of Dr. Spotswood. a physician of gentlemanl\ manners, and died in three or four years after settling here. Dr. Lewis Clark came in 1834. was an energetic man, practiced here three years and moved to Kansas, where he died. Dr. Lewis Frazee, eclectic, was born in New Jer.sey in 1813, came to Perrysville in 1863, and died in Deceml^er, 1881. His first wife and their (21) 322 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. nine children all died before him. The son George began practice in Perrys- ville in 1870. dj'ing in 1878. Dr. J. M. Wilkerson arri\ed in Perrys\ille in 183J, and practiced a t'ew years only, then removed to other parts. Other doctors were: L. W. Meering; John Kemp, botanic; D. M. Bal- lard, from 1857' until his death: Joseph H. Olds, who came before the Civil war, entered the Union army, whence he did not return to this county. He was considered a physician of more than ordinary abilit\- and skill. Dr. Crooks, a young man in partnership with Dr. Clark for a period, mc)\'cd to Lebanon, where he died. Dr. B. I. Pollard, eclectic, from State Line (village), practiced in Perrys- ville in the early eighties and mo\ed to Dixon, Illinois. In 1888 the list of physicians at Perr}-sville included these: Drs. E. T. Spotswood, James T. Henderson, James Webb, J. AV. Smith, D. B. Johnson. .\. BLIND PHYSICIAN. 1 )i'. Cuthbert F. Keyes, deceased, \\as born near Dugee Ferry, in Indiana, in the vear 1S22. and in 1826 was brought by his parents to Vermillion county, where he was reared to manhood. His father was a gunsmith and wagon- maker and while he kept his slaves at work in the gun factory, the white men worked at the wagon yard and he himself ran boats on the Potomac river. After his father's death he lived with his mother and uncle, attending school at Clinton, riding to and fro night and morning. He spent a portion of his younger life clerking in a store for liis uncle and passed from this to the study of medicine, with Drs. Kile and Palmer at Clinton. He studied medi- cine some time and during this time he had to work for his board, doing anv little odd jobs he could find, but this only helped to make the man he after- ward became. He then went to St. Louis, where he attended one term of lectures. June 30, 1846, he married Miss Jane Bales, they beginning their married life on the farm. Here he began the practice of his profession, which he followed until he went to St. Louis to attend a second term of lectures. Tn this term his eyes began to fail and he became blind. He still continued the lectures. Professor Van Zant giving him the prix'ilege of this term free and at the close commended him for his close attention and industrv, although he was stone blind. His eyes were treated in the city at the same time. At the time of the birth of his son. Dr. O. M. Keyes (now of Dane), he was blind. W'hen he returned to his home from St. Louis he found, bv the care and in- dustry of his good wife that his affairs had been kept in good order. He sub- PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, IN1)L\XA. 323 sequently moved to Clintdii, hut l)ecoiiiing dissatisfied, lie returned tu liis farm, where he praeticed medicine until his death. On the morning of that day he arose, ate a hearty breakfast and started for Bono, about tliree miles south of Dana, to see a patient. On his way he suffered a sudden and severe attack of congestion of the stomach and Ijowels. 1 ie succeeded in reaching Bono and, lea\ing his team unhitched, staggered into b'rank Austin's store, where he fell on the floor, exclaiming, as he fell, that he had come there to die. He was taken to the house of Mr. Austin, w here everything possible was done to alleviate his intense agonw Doctor I^all was sent for. but one lunu* before he arrived, and at ten o'clock that same e\ ening, the restless spirit of the old veteran took its flight to that bourne whence no traveler returns. \o man was more successful in the county than he in his methods of treatment of dis- eases, and none had a more extensive professional experience. He never re- fused a call because the patients were poor. He was one of the few who fol- lowed his profession not for the purpose of amassing a great fortune, but be- cause he took delight in alleviating the sufferings of his fellow mortals. He was a man of kind disposition and noble and generous impulses, and was ready to make any sacrifices for the accommodation of a friend or neighbor. Though somewhat eccentric in his style, his warm and sympathetic nature and his kind and generous disposition made him a host of friends. Dr. Keyes left a wife and three sons and two daughters, in sad bereaxement by his death. Thus, one by one. the old pioneers pass awa}', leax'ing the world and the duties incumljenl on life to the rising generation. PII>'S1CL\NS T'KACTICIXC. IX TQI^-T^. At the date aliox'e gi\'en the (loctor>> jiracticing in Ibis connt\ were as follows : At Clinton— l)r>. (i. \V. Ashley, l". II. Heeler. V.. A. l-'.vans. W. 1). { ler- rish, C. E. Ragan, Annabale Solarglis (Italian). 1) C. Shaff. .\. .\. Washburn. Henry Washburn. 1. D. White and Dr. Reese. .\t Perrysville — Drs. Sanders and I.oomis. At St. Bernice — Drs. (jreen, Lonsdale and T. Newton. At Universal (Bunsen) — One physician was in active practice. At Newport — Drs. I. M. Casebeer, M. L. Hall and one other. At Cayuga — Drs. E. A. Flaugher, M. P. and S. C. Darroch, M. R. Pol- lom. .\t Dana — Drs. O. M. Keyes. D. S. Strong, W. C. Myers. G. C. Tritchett and Dr. Creen. 324 PARKE AND \ERM1LLI0N COCNTIES, JNUIANA. COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETIES. Perlia])s, outside ot the efforts to keep ali\e a cmmt}- agricultural society and hold annual exhihits of farm products, there is no other organization so hard to keep alive and in working order as a county medical society. This should not be so. but such is the almost uni\'ersal fact, not alone in Indiana, but in every section of the Union. Just when the first attem])t at maintaining such a societv of the medical men in ^''ernlillion county was made is not now known. It is certain, however, that more than forty years ha\'e elapsed since there was such an effort put forth, and it resulted in the organization of what was termed the X'ermillion County Medical Societ)'. It was in July. 1869. when a meeting was held at Newport, comprising James McMeen and Will- iam C. Eichelbarger, of Eugene : Hiram and Lewis Shepherd, of Quaker Point : Henry C. Eaton, of Brouillet's Creek, and M. L. Hall and C. Leavitt, of Newport, for the purpose of organizing a countx' medical society. This meeting adjourned to meet again a week or two later, but no further account is found of the afifair until in 1873. when they organized, electing Dr. I. B. Hedges, of Clinton, president. Sub.sequently the membership reached twenty- two, but the association was pennitted to run down in the course of about four years. The files of the Hoosicr State, published at Newport, mention the fact that in April, 1904, state organizer. Dr. M. A. Boor, of Terre Haute, was in Newport and formed a countv society, with officers as follows : President, M. L. Hall, Newport: vice-president. \\". P. Darroch. of Cayuga: secretary, O. M. Keyes, of Dana: treasurer, O. A. Newhouse, of Hillsdale. This so- ciety, however, went down, as did all the others. One reason assigned is the fact that I'linton has most of the physicians in this county, and the\' are located at the south end of the county, nearer to \'igo county and Terre Haute, which is easier of railroad access than the northern and western part of this county, hence the doctors run down there and attend the society there, while on the northern strip of \'erniillion county the physicians can easil\- go to Dan\-ille, Illinois. CHAPTER XII. NEWSi'.VPERS OI- VKRMII.I.ION COrNTY. For its size, Vermillion has always had as many, if not more, local newspapers than it could successfully support. In Clinton the history of journalism may be summed up In- the following cliang"es in offices and editors, regardless of the many locations or buildings in which the offices were kept, which is of little account, as all business houses and street numbers are subject to changes, for which the ordinary reader cares little. One press printed all the earlier new spajjcrs in Clinton, save the Argus alone. In 187^^ the Clinton Exponcnl was established by 1>. .'^. Rlack- ledge and James R. Ilaker. It was decidedly a Reiiublican organ. Its editor was F. I.. Whedon, from Ohio, at first. I'aker soon sold his interest to his partner, ;ind Mr. Rlackledge conducted the paper until Xoxeniber, iS7'i. when he sold to Lyman E. Knapp. In June. 1877, he sold to \\. S. Kna])]>, but it is related that King Alcohol foreclosed a mortgage and it "went up the spout." It r.aised its feeble efforts at existence next at Perr\s\ille, as the Exponent of that place. It only survived a short time, and some time in 1877 it was lx)ught by an attorney of Clinton. nameublished it until lul\- 1, i88j, w hen it was sold. August 31. 1882, Mr. P>ishop e.stablished the Satin-itav .irc/iis. The Herald suspended after struggling hard for o\ er :\ ■\-e.ar and ;i half. It was about this time that .Mexauder .Myers entered the uewspa|)er field, by establishing the Toinahazvk and Scalping Knife, which he ver\- soon changed to the Democrat, which died a natural death after six weeks' pul)lica- tion. In June, 1884, there came out the Clinton Siftings. which had trouble to "sift" out a living for about three \-ears, then went the wav of all the earth. 326 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Among the pioneers in the newspaper field here, tlie Argits lias pnlled through to the present date, through storm and sunshine, ever advocating the honest, unbiased con\-ictions of its editor. Lucius O. Bishop, who, through lieated poHtical campaigns and local Inckerings, has steadilx- made new patrons and friends and held his old ones. He is a practical printer, and a writer of no uncertain language, hewing to the line, when the case demands it, but ever holding aloof from the low and sensational in the selection of his subject matter. The .-ii'f/us comes forth on Saturday each week in the }ear, full of bright, sparkling news items, and editorials such as the pen of Mr. Bishop has been able to inscrilje for so manv years. He. having been raised in a print-shop, knows its every intricate detail. It ma\ be said, as of another paper, "Tf you see it in the Saturday Arfjiis it is true." The Clintonian, daily and weekly, was established in the eighties and was> the direct successor of the Clinton Republican, a four-page, six-column paper. Republican in its politics. The Clintoman is owned and edited by J. W. Pierce and is run on an iiuproved Campbell ])ress, by an electric motor. Sub- scription rate, one dollar and twenty-five cents per year. It is independent in politics. November 5, 1912. a dail_\- edition was established, a six-column, four to eight-page, rate five dollars per annum. The plant is full\- erpu'pped with linot\'pe, folder and jobbers, all run bv electricitv. The office has lieen twice enlarged in the last five years. The present jmblisher consolidated the Clinton Plaindcalcr (run here from 1906 to 1908 by C. C \^annest and C. H. Vaughn) with the weekly Clintotiiau. The present [julilications are u])-to- date in all features and voice the sentiments of the enter])rising, progressive element in the community in which it circulates. The Clinton Tiuies ( weekl)-) was established in the month of AlaA', i(;i i, by S. E. Mendenhall, who was succeeded in October of the same year by the law firm of Johnson, I^righam & Zell, who still own and conduct the paper, hiring a foreman for the mechanical part of the business. It is a Re- publican paper, a seven-column folio in size, all home-print. The rate of sub- scription per year is one dollar. A fine job de])artnient is attached to the news]iaper business. It is located on East Mulberry street, and the paper is published each Thursday, finding a good circulation in A^ermillion. Parke and Vigo counties. The Dana A^czcs, one of the county's reliable, readal)le local newspapers, was established by M. I,. Griffith, of ]\Ionticello. Illinois, as a Democratic paper, which it is at this time. The date of its establishment was October i. 1885. .\i)ril 15, 1887, he .sold the paper to J. L. Smith, who sold to Miss Beatrice Taylor in 1894. She sold to G. W. Sturm in iScjX, and in 190S he PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDLXNA. ^2/ sold to the present owner and editor, J. II. Jordan, who conducts a six-cohunn eight-i)age paper, and has a suliscription rate of one dollar and twenty-five cents per year. The machinery in this office is now prcipelled liy gasoline ])0\\er, and has included w ithin its e(|nipment a good job office. The name of this paper has changed with the whims of every one who has owned the ])lant. First, the Nczcs; then the I'cnuillioii Dcmocmt. under J. L. Smith; the Record, under Miss Taylor ; the Vcriuillion County News, under George W. Sturm, an prior to the date of the ]>aper"s issue. Most of the ad\'ertisements were from Terre Haute business men. One item of real local news was that the Evans\ille & Terre Haute railroad had just been completed between the two ])oints. \\', A. Henderson had the only home advertisement in the paper, which occu])ieil an inch of space in one column, telling the ])eople that he kept drugs and ])atent medicines, groceries and fionr. J- M. Hood ga\e notice that his tele.graph office was situated on the east side of the Square with Mr. Henderson. The subscription price for this paper was one dollar and fifty cents if paid in advance, and two dollars at the end of six months, also another fift\- cents was ut still runs as that of S. B. Davis & Son. Bird H. Da\is. ])resent manager an PARKE AND \ EKM IM-ION COUN'TIES, TXIUANA. 33I Parke give due notice that they will make appHcalii)n to llie next cuurt to have commissioners appointed to assign and set ofi the \\ idow "s dower, in the real estate of said deceased. 1 )r. Waterman i^iNes notice that the partnership heretofore existing between himself and i)r. Small is dissolved. Crawford & Jackson, proprietors of an oil mill, advertise that they will gi\e the highest price for flax and hemp seed, or castor l)eans. (leorge \\ . Palmer offers a one- horse wagon and harness cheap fur cash. j. W. Downing, justice of the peace, gives notice that an iron gra_\- mare taken up 1)\- James Rush was appraised by William T. Dole and A. Al. H. Robinson at forty-five dollars before him on November 24, 1838. W illiam Bales, sherifif, advertises tlie real estate of John I'^ousdick for sale at public auctinn t(j satisfv a judgment in favor of Silas Kellough. \\'illiam Dunning and 1. Dill. Joshua Skidmore. of Clinton. gives notice as follows: "'Whereas my wife. Mary, has left my bed and board without just cause or provocation. I do hereby warn all jjeisons, bod\- politic, or corporate, and of w hatever name or title, not to credit or harbor her on my account, as T am determined not to pay any of her debts after this date. Janu- ary I, 1839." The names of Durham Hood and Margaret Craft appear as administrators of the estate of John Craft, late of Eugene. Roseberry & Jewett, dry goork merchants, of I'errysville, occupy about une-third of a column in enumerating their large arrixal of new goods. William J. Xichols and James H. Corey, of Eugene, inform the ])eople where to get their saddles and cheaj) harness. Dr. T. S. Davidson tenders his pn)fession;il services to the citizens of Perrysville and adjoining country. 1 lall & (ie.ssie announce the reception of new goods in a neat two-inch card. Jones & Smith call attention in a four-inch card to their stock of fall and winter goods. Nathan Reed and J. H. AIcNutt reank was established ini- mediatelv after the failure of the prixate bank of Malone & Soil It now has a ca])ital of $25,000, with $9,000 additional as a surplus, making $34,000 of a working capital. The first of^cers were Oscar O. Hamilton and Matthew P. Hoover. The present officials are : Oscar O. Hamilton, president : Henrv C. Randall, \ice-president : Matthew P. Hoo\er. cashier. The ]iresent { igii) stockholders are Milton W. Cof^n. William T. Coffin. Samuel Collison, Oscar O. Hamilton, ^latthew P. Hoover, ATonroe C Hosford, Henry C. Randolph. George L. Watson, William H. Roach. At the close of business June 7, 1911, the following was the statement made b}- this bank : Loans $100,326.99 Capital stock $ 25,000.00 V. S. bonds to secure cir- Surplus 3,000.00 dilation 25,000.00 I'ndivided profits 4,328.23 Bond-^ and securities 13. 991. 47 Circulation 24. 990. 00 Banking bouse, furniture Reser\-ed for taxes 304.16 and fi.xtures 8.000.00 Deposits 125,460.55 Cash on hand and due from banks 34.514.48 Due from L'. S. treasurer (5 ])er cent, fund) 1,250.00 Total resources $183,082.94 Total liabilities $183,082,94 The Citizens State Bank of Newport was organized in December, ic)04. in w hich year they purchased the building in which they are still located. It was organized by the citizens of Newport and vicinity, who felt the need of a second bank at the county seat town. The first ofScers were : Maurice Hegerty, president: William P. Bell, cashier. There were originallv fortv- four stockholders and the capital was $25,000. The present officers are: Maurice Hegerty, president; V. N. Asbury, cashier. The present board of directors are A. R. Newlin, Guy F. Newlin. C. P. Potts, Silas V. Morgan, M. L. Holt. Maurice Hegerty. F. B. Brown and Charles M. Fultz. R, H. Nixon & Company's Bank, at Newport, was organized in 1872. with R. H. Nixon as its president. The same year in which the bank was PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 335 Started a bank building was erected, and in 1892 the bank was partly burned, causing a loss of $1,500 above the insurance collected. In 1886 the bank had its sate blown open, but the robbers did not succeed in entering the inner chest, hence the loss was only $750. Its present capital is $30,000, with sur- plus amounting to $15,000. The officers now are: R. H. Xixon, president; H. \'. Nixon, cashier; B. R. Nixon, assistant cashier. CHAPTER XI\'. IKA.VSPORTATION FACILITIES. Before the mlroduction of canals and railroads, or even before wagon roads had been provided, the Wabash valley was the center of attraction, for the Wabash river was the only means of transjxjrtation of products and supplies. The towns and villages along this river were thus made the centers of trade and exchange. All the adjoining region, to the east in Indiana and to the west in Illinois, was compelled to bring its produce to the ri\'er Wabash for transportation to New Orleans and other Southern ports and markets. At first flat-boats bv hundreds and thousands, forty, fifty, sixty, one Jmndred and one hundred and twenty feet in length, were constructed, loaded with pork. hogs, beef cattle, corn, wheat, oats and hay and sent down south. I-'ive hundred of these Ixjats were sent out of the Big Vermillion river from Eugene, Danville and other points on that stream in a single season. Scarcely a day in the April. May and June floods but that from twenty to forty of these boats would pass. They were generally manned by a steersman, who also acted as captain ; four oarsmen, with long side sweeps, and one general utilitv bov who did the cooking. Supplies of food were taken along, and no boat was considered safely e(|uipped which had less than twenty gallons of whisky. To the boatmen this journey was a source of delight and pleasure, and one that even attracted the attention of minds like that of .\braham Lincoln. There was something about the romance of these "clown-river" trips that charmed the young and middle-aged. The water, the free open air. the natural scenery and health-giving exercise, all conspired to draw many men and youth into this occupation. Those who made these trips came home with a large fund of interesting stories of the Mississip]ii ri\er and the cities along its either shore. Dozens of captains and boatmen lived in Clinton, Eugene and Perrysville, Sometimes the Imatmen would come north through the Cherokee Xation on foot. This trip, however, was considered a dangerous one on account of the noted .gang of robbers known as "Murrell's Gang," of southern Illinois and western Kentuckv. ]\Ian\- men from southern Indiana. Ohio and east Ken- PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. ^,2,7 tuckv were robbed, but fortunately none frnni \ernnllion ecjunty were ever thus attacked. Mercantile and other su])i)lies were hauled by wagons across the Alle- ghany mountains, taken down the Ohio river in flat-boats and brought by keel-boats up the Wabash by push-poles and cordeling ropes, which were sent in advance, tied to trees and wound up on improvised capstans. The first steamboat made its appearance on the W^abash in 1820, and it was a ijreat and much-talked-of event, creating nuich i)ublic excitement. The peo- ple, one and all, wondered and rejoiced at the steaming monster. The scream- ing fife, the throbbing drum and the roaring cannon welcomed the newly applied power. Soon steamers became more common, as one or more might have been seen passing each day up or down the gently winding banks ot the Wabash. Once, when the \'erniillion was at its flood-tide and the river at Perrysville was obstructed with ice. as many as eleven steamers sought har- bor at Kugene. FREIGHTING BY WAGONS. Before steamboat days, however, especiall}- in the autumn and summer months, goods were brought from Evansville and Cincinnati by wagon. .Men usually went in companies for mutual protection and assistance, with five or six-horse teams. One of the lead horses always wore a set of bells. If a team got stuck in a mud hole, which they frecjuently did. it was the custotu for an\- other teamster with the same number of horses to make an eft'ort to pull the wagon out. In case of success the bells changed ownership. In this way tiie bells were constantly changing from one to another. In a few \e;us the river teats superseded this expensive mode of shipping. Tw enty-fi\"e vears and more ago it was written of \'ermil]ion county : "The surface of \'ermillion county is naturally far more fa\ orable for wagon- ing than most counties in Indiana. In addition to this, the enterprising citi- zens have added the following w ell-established turnpikes : One from Newport to Walnut tirove and Kugene: Xewport to Ouaker Point: from a point (jn the latter to Dana; from Dana to Clinton: from Clinton to the state line, on the Paris road ; Clinton to the county line, on the road to Terre Haute ; frotu Perrysville southwest about eighty miles. THE K.\II.RO.\I)S OF \KUM 11,1. ION COl-NTV. Here in \ermillion, as in all Indiana counties, the systems of railroads have had much to do with the development of the county, the building and (22 338 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. undoing of long-ago-platted villages. As early as 1847 — sixty-five years ago — an east and west line of railway was projected through the county, yet the north and south railroad (now the Chicago & Eastern Illinois) was the first to be completed. The division from Evansville to Terre Haute was built in 1853-4; but the link through Vermillion county, connecting Terre Haute with Danville, was not finished until it was taken up by Joseph Collett, Jr.. in 1868-69. This wealth}, enterprising gentleman, assisted by O. P. Davis. Nathan Harvey, \\'illiani E. Livengood, Joseph E. Cheadle and others, held rousing meetings throughout this county, and thoroughly, honestly explained the advantages of the railroad and the feasibility of building it with a very light tax. But little opposition was met w ith, nearly everyone desiring such a railroad communication. In 1869 all the townships in this county voted a two per cent. tax. the limit in Indiana for such purposes. It was really one per cent, in addition to the one per cent, tax which the count\- agreed to give, provided it should be needed. ^^'hile this enterprise was going forward, other men were working on what wa*; .styled the "Raccoon Valley Railroad Company," planning to con- struct a railroad from Harmony, Clay county, to a point on the state line. near the roadbed of the old Indiana & Illinois Central railroad, passing through Clay. Parke and \"ermillion counties : but it was generall}- supposed by the citizens of Vermillion county to be a ruse, just prior to the x'ote to be taken on the north and south line, to defeat the latter, .\nother discourage- ment arose from other jjrojected east and west lines, notably the narrow- gauge route through Eugene township, in Avhich the people along that line felt much interest. The ensuing election, however, gave a decided majority for aiding the nortli and south line, then called the E\-ans\-ille. Terre Haute & Chicago railroad. This, under the management of Mr. Collett, was com- pletefl in 1870, to the universal satisfaction of the people of \'ermillion county, but not to many of the villages along its line, for the road was con- structed in the interests of the traders at Terre Haute and Danville more than for the local good of these villages and towns in \'ermillion county. The road was located a mile or more from many of these towns, except at Clinton, which tnok on new life and has prospered ever since, while manv of the river towns have suffered by reason of this line hav'ing been located so far back from the original town sites. Mr. Collett was elected president of the railroad and remained its exec- utive hear! until May i, t88o, when this link or division of the road was leased to the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Company, which corporation still owns and successfully njierates it. In \'ermillii)n cnuiitv there are 34. i- PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 339 miles of main track, and as early a'^ 1880 it was assessed at $17,000 per mile; seven miles of side-track, assessed at $2,500 i)er mile, and rolling stock at Si, 300. The principal stations in this county an- Clinton, Summit Grove, Hillsdale, Opeedee. Newport, Walnut Grove, Cayuga (Eugene), Perrysville, Gessie, and Rileysburg. THE WARASII l^\^.ROAn MISSED THIS COUNTY. What is now known as llic Wahash system was the first road proposed from cast to west through \'crmillion county. It was projected in 1847 ^"<^ was designed to run from Toledo Ohio, to Springfield. Illinois. Stock was suhscriljed in \'ermillion county and the route .surveyed. The first effort was to build the road to Paris and then on to St. Louis, .\fter much grading had been done, the enterprise changed management, and the result was that the route was changed and Lafayette and .\ttica obtained tine road, instead of Vermillion county. It was finished in t85T-5_'. The men who wdrked da\- and night for this line to be located through A'erniillioii county were James Blair. J. F. Smith. J. N. Jones, of Perrysville, and Joseph Moore and RoI)ert P.arnett, of Eugene. But their work failed to secure for this county the coveted railroad. After struggling and w-aiting man\' 'ong \ears a companv was finallv successful in obtaining two and one-fifth miles ot rail- road and a small flag station, the corporation being then styled the Indianapo- lis, Bloomington & \\"estern. but in the late eighties this was taken over by the present system styled the "Big I'our.'" which crosses the ^^'abash river at Co\ington. Fountain county, and simplv touches \'ernn'llion territory as abo\e noted, less than three nu'les in distance of main track. THE OLD INDIANAPOLIS, DECATUR AND SPRINGFIELD LINE. This railway was com])leted in 1874, without nnicli aid from the people. About 1854. when so many roads were projected and so few finished, the Indiana il- Illinois Central Railway Coni])aii\- nearly com])leteil the grading of this route. Later the Indianaiiolis, IMoomington & Western Companv leased the road. It has nine and a half miles within \^ermillion count}', with station points at Hillsdale and one at Dana, near the state line between In- diana and Illinois. Subsequentl}-, it passed into the hands of what is known as the Cincinnati. Hamilton S: Dayton Company, and they operated it until the summer of 1912. when it was taken over by the Baltimore &• Ohio sv.stcm. It crosses the \\'^abash at Hillsdale, passes through the southern ]X)rtion of Montezuma, and so on through Parke county. 340 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. THE OLD NARROW GAUGE RAILROAD. Alore than an\- other portion of \'erniiUion. the citizens of Eugene town- ship were interested in the old narrow-gauge line. Thev voted a tax. took subscriptions, and aided in all possible ways, but finally the project failed. The link here was then known as the Frankfort & State Line Road. The Toledo. Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroad Company constructed the road, of a narrow gauge, in 1882, but, like the original company, left the village of Eugene a mile and a half away, crossing the Chicago & Eastern Illinois line at Cayuga. In 1886 the company was reorganized under the name of the Toledo, St. Louis & Kansas City Railway (narrow gauge). They proceeded to enlarge the track to the standard gauge, put on first-class rolling stock and made the highway in all respects up-to-date. The longest bridge on this road is the one crossing the Wabash opposite Eugene, having five spans of one hundred and sixty feet each. There are eight and one-half miles of this road within Vermillion county. THE ELECTRIC LINE. Clinton, in this county, is the western terminus of the Terre Haute, In- dianapolis & Eastern Traction Company, that has a line from Terre Haute to Clinton, and runs its interurban trains every hour of the day, making a great convenience for the people desiring to trade in Terre Haute. It is a well equipped electric highway with all modern impro\ements. THE CHICAGO, TERRE HAUTE .\ND SOUTHEASTERN. Tiiis railroad was generally styled the "Walsh road" on account of its having been built largely through the capital furnished b_\- that noted capital- ist and Chicago banker, John R. \VaIsh, who finally was arrested for mis- management of the people's money and, after serving in the government prison in Kansas for his ill-doings, was pardoned after several years, and soon died. This line of railroad, in its course from Chicago to the great coal fields of Indiana, runs through Danville and Terre Haute sections and. en route, traverses the western line of \'ermillion county, with a station or two, including West Dana, where it crosses the old Cincinnati, Hamilton & Day- ton road. It was projected and completed early in the first decade of this century, about 1905. It transports immense quantities of coal. The length of its main track in this countv is a fraction over seventeen miles. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 34I PRESENT RAILROAD MILEAGE IN THE COUNTY. According to the latest oftkial returns to the state authorities, the fol- lowing is the mileage for tiie various railroads within \'erniillion county : Clinton City — Chicago & Eastern Illinois, eighty-nine one-hundredths miles. Dana (town) — The Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western (now Balti- more & Ohio), one-half mile. Newport (town) — Chicago & Eastern Illinois, t\vent_\-four unc-hun- dredtlis miles. Cayuga (town) — Chicago &- Eastern Illinois, ninety-eight one hun- dredths miles. Clinton City — Chicago & Eastern Illinois, eighty-nine one-hundredths miles. Highland ToNvnship — Chicago & Eastern Illinois, eight and eighty-seven one-hundredths miles. Peoria & Eastern, two and nineteen one-hundredths miles. Eugene Townshij:) — Chicago & Eastern Illinois, six and nine one-hun- dredths miles. Toledo. St. Louis & Western, five and seventy-nine hundredths miles. Vermillion Township — Chicago & Eastern Illinois, six and seventy-three one-hundredths miles. Chicago, Terre Haute & Southeastern, two and twen- ty-nine one-hundredths miles. Clinton Township — Chicago & Eastern Illinois, one and eighty-five hun- dredths miles. Chicago, Terre Haute & Southeastern, six and three one- hundredths miles. Helt Township — Chicago & Eastern Illinois, nine miles. Chicago, Terre Haute 1.1- Southeastern, nine miles. The C. I. & W. line, eight and seventy- four hundredths miles. Total mileage in county, seventy-two and sixty-five one himdredths miles. Main line tracks only given. GR.WEI. ROAD.S IN THE COUXTV. In 1910 the following gravel roads were listed by the county as having been constructed and then in use : In Highland township there were sixty miles. In Eugene township there were twenty-three miles. 342 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. In Vermillion township there were fifty-one miles. In Helt township there were seventy-six miles. In Clinton township there were sixty-six miles. The average number of miles per township was fifty-five and sixty-eight one-hundredths miles. The total mileage in Vermillion county was at that date three hundred. CHAPTER X\^ AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS. Indiana is a farming state, and among her small, but excellent, agricul- tural districts is Vermillion county, washed by the western shores of the famous W'abasli river. Indeed it has been long ago remarked that "every foot of this county is good farming land." Originally, one-fourth of its area was prairie and three-fourths timber lain!. The most of the prairie land is a rich black soil, while the remainder of the county is rich bottom land of the first and second variety. The entire county is easily drained and available to good cultivation. Especially the lower bottom lands are rich, much of it being suliject to inundations, which lea\es a sediment eijual to the soil found in the celebrated \allev of the .Xile in l'"g\pt. i lerc corn is supreme!}' en- throned as king of the crops produced. .\lso as high as sixty-hve bushels of nheat have been raised per acre, while one hundred and ten bushels of corn ha\e been raised in Vermillion county. -\t ;m early day, ilax was grown in unniense quantities. The llax i)ro- duced was mixed with cotton purchased, and woven into cloth. Then every house was a miniature factory. The machinery used for manufacturing flax consisted of a brake, a wooden kiiife to swingle out shix'es with, a hetchel or hackle to remove the tow and straighten mit the lint. They also used the small si>iiming wheel ("jenny") to twist it into thread, hor cotton, a hand gin was used, and hand cards were em])loyed to m.ake it into rolls, which were spun into thread upon a large spinning-wheel. A day's work for a woman was to card and spin from six to eight cuts. Ready-made clothing was not then known in the markets of the world. Nearly every man was his own shoemaker. Some of the more busy settlers employed an itinerant cob- bler, who usually made his trips from house to house in the autumn months and winter season, having with him his little kit of shoemaker's tools, with which he took the measure and made by hand the boots and shoes needed in the family. If the leather ran out before the youngest child was "shod." then he or she had to go without shoes, which often happened. When this county was first settled, no one could take less than a <|uarter section of land, which at government price was two dollars per acre, and tbi'^ 344 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. ' often strained the purse of the would-be land Imyer. Congress soon found out the hardship this worked and, desiring that ah should be permitted to engage in farming pursuits, which is the policy of all progressive govern- ments, it reduced the amount that might be entered to forty acres, and placed the price at one dollar and a cjuarter per acre, which permitted anyone who could raise fifty dollars to secure a comfortable home for himself and family, if he was fortunate in having one to help him enjoy the independence and battle with the hardships of a true-hearted pioneer farmer. Many men took advantage of this wise congressional provision and entered from fort\- to one hundred and sixty acres of Vermillion county land. This was the base of the agricultural prosperity found on every hand in this county today. While statistics are usually "dry reading," these must be presented in order to show the resources of the soil and mine. Hence the reader is re- ferrei! to extracts from state reports on the subject, and in this case the items will be condensed as far as practicable, and are as follows, for the year 1880 — thirty-two years ago^ — and also for 1910: In 1880, \'ermillion county was reported to have produced 635,000 bushels of wheat; of corn, 663,000 bushels; oats, 76,000 bushels; barley, 1,780 bushels; rye, more than 5,CK)0 bushels; Irish potatoes, 18,000 bushels; sweet potatoes, 840 bushels; buckwheat, 160 bushels; tobacco, 1,700 pounds; timothy seed, 800 bushels. In 1910 the reports show: Corn raised, 45,000 acres, i,yT,g,ooo Inishels; oats, 18,857 acres, 599,000 bushels; wheat, 12,252 acres, 230.000 bushels; rye, 257 acres, 3,772 bushels; clover seed 361 acres, 34,508 bushels; hay and forage, 11.000 acres, 15,000 tons; timothy, 7,644 acres. 9,701 tons; cattle, valued at $216,000; horses, $504,000; mules, $55,000; swine, $134,000; sheep, $17,000; poultry, $45,600; colonies of bees, 762, value of bees, $2,943. In 1910 there were 1,355 farms in the county, and they were di\ided as follows: 347 from 50 to 100 acres; 335 from 100 to 174 acres; 148 from 175 to 260 acres; 89 from 260 to 500 acres: 12 from 500 to 1,000 acres and two from 1,000 and over. The per cent, of land area in farms ninety-one and eight-tenths. Farm land improved, eighty per cent. Average number of acres per farm, 110.2. Value of farm property, $13,373,000. Average price per acre in county, $71.79; average in 1900 was $39.51. Among the first plows used in this and other counties in Indiana was the one called the "bull" plow. The stock, or wood-work, of these plows was generally made by the farmer himself. The handles were the butts of bushes, the crooked roots forming the hand-hold. The beam was hewed by PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 345 hand from small, tough oak. The mold-boards were made from blocks of wood about twenty inches square and two inches to three inches thick. The inner or straight side of the mold-board was fastened to the handle and the outer surface was hewn out in an irregular shape. The wing of the share extended high uj) the mold-board. A loop of iron made the point. It took a good team, a strong man and twelve hours hard work to plow from one to one and a half acres with such a plow, says Smith in his history of Indiana. The harrow was made V shaped with wooden teeth, the whole made by the farmer himself. Wheat had to be harvested by a sickle, with which an expert could cut about three-fourths of an acre a day. In 1840, the Peacock plow was introduced, being named for its inventor. This implement enabled the farmer to plow much more than formerly and do better work. Corn ground was "laid off" both ways (no check-rowers and planters) ; the wife, son or daughter would drop the corn at the intersections, while the farmer w ould follow along with his hoe and properly cover the seed. Wheat, oats and barley were all sowed broadcast, by hand, from a sack swung over the neck and shoulders. Eut few men could be liired, and in fact it w as well, for the farmer had little with which to pay for help, could it have been ob- tained. Each family did their own farm work in those days. However, in har\est time, there were manv ro\ing bands of "grain cutters," who were ex- ])erts with a sickle, who started in at the southern part of the state and worked north with the advancing har\est time. The best reapers could get thirty- se\en and a half cents per day and their board, or one bushel of wheat. It was not un.til 1840 that the grain cradle came into general use in this countrv. A good cradler could cut and shock about tw o acres a day, "l^etween sun and sun." Previous to 1840, grain was thresiied with a flail, or trod out bv horses. Two men could flail out twelve bushels a day and two men and horses could tramp out and winnow and separate the grain from the chaff, about twenty bushels a day. The winnowing and separating the grain from the chaff was done by hand sieves. The mixed chaff and grain was poured from above on the l>e(l sheet, while two men would \ ihrate the sheet so as to create a current of air, which would blow the chaff from the grain. The first threshing machine was introduced in 1839. With four horses and nine men, two hundred bushels of wheat could be threshed and cleaned in a da\'. The wheat had to go through a second cleaning process later on, before it was suited for the mill. It took three men two days to clean and tie ui) in sacks what would be threshed in one day. The scythe was the only grass mower for mnw ing meadows. A o-Qod & - 346 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Strong man could generally cut from one to two acres a day, between day- light and dark. Tlie hand rake was then used to rake up the "cutting'' and it was then stacked by means of wooden forks. With a modern mowing machine, one man and his team can easily cut ten acres a day and, with a steel-toothed horse rake, he can gather it for stacking purposes in about the same time. The stacking is done now, usually, by a steel fork operated by a man with a horse or team. Before the introduction of improved machin- ery, about 1840, it took one man twenty-four days to plow, seed and harvest ten acres of wheat and forty- four days to plow, plant, cultivate and harvest ten acres of corn. The decrease in annual crops does not in the least indicate the decline in agricultural interests, but simply is made plain h}- stating that rotation of crops, and putting more land into pasture, at certain times, causes this fluctuation in figures in the reports given by the assessor to the department of agriculture. The fruit crops, one year with another, in \'ermillion county are good, and a paying proposition to the horticulturist. Apples, pears and peaches all do well, and many years the crop of pears has been indeed wonderful, both as to quality and quantity. Within three miles of Clinton, two years ago, there were raised a thousand bushels of choice pears, on one farm, w hich the following season had half that amount. All varieties of small fruits do well in this section of the state, and add much to the resources of the farm. While many vegetables are grown here, the farmer makes the major ]3art of his money from the production of corn and the stock that he raises and feeds for the markets of the world. ''The Wabash Bottoms" have been known since the first advent of white tillers of the rich soil, to be famous as a corn- growing section. AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. Naturally, a good farming county has good farm associations and agri- cultural societies, by which one farmer may see the manner in wliich his fellow-farmer produces crops. Xot nearly enough attention, however, is paid to this matter, and in consequence the farmer and business man sufifers loss. Whoever causes two blades of grass to grow where one grew before, or he who shows a corn raiser how to produce ten bushels of corn more per acre, is really and truly a great benefactor to the entire human race. Ver- million county was slow to realize the importance of organizing and keeping up annual fairs, and not until 1866, just after the close of the Civil war, was any attempt made to form an agricultural society. One \\as then formed PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 347 ami continued to hold its annual exhibits at Xewpurt until i-S/tj, when, on account of the railroad running through the grounds of the society, public opinion so changed and interest \\as so slackened that it was practically abandoned. In 1880 a joint-stock company was organized, but that never materialized to any considerable extent. In 1887 two agricultural societies were organized, one, the \'ermillion County Fair Association, having its headquarters at Eugene, and another, the Vemiillion County Joint-Stock Society, with headquarters at the county seat, Newport. Both societies held fairs that year, but on account of the bad weather the one at Eugene was a dismal failure, while the one at Newi)ort had receipts amounting to two thousand two hundred dollars and e\er)- premium was paid in full. Two hundred and fifty stalls were occupied by horses and cattle. Steam water- works and reservoirs were used. No drunkenness or gambling was allowed on the grounds and all passed ofif as it should. Of later years the county fairs ha\e been allowed to run down and none are now held — and it is to be regretted, too. CHAPTER XVI. THE COAL MINING INDUSTRY. Aside from agriculture, the greatest source of annual revenue to the citizens of Xermilhon county are its coal mines, which are very extensive and prolific of much output, returning a large revenue to the operators and people in general, who reap from the immense shipments of the best grade of bituminous coal found in the state. As large as the mining interest is already, it has been estimated by experts in coal lands, and by geologists, that the zenith of its de\elopment will not have been reached for another quarter of a century. The six principal coal mining companies are oper- ating nearl}- a score of separate mines, and are employing upwards of three thousand men. One of the largest and most thoroughly modern, up-to-date collieries in the United States is located near Clinton, the Bunsen Coal Com- pany, a subsidiary of the United States Steel Corporation. More than three and one-half million dollars are in\'ested in this one plant for mining soft coal. When one contemplates the fact that the coal measure of the United States is limited to a few states, and to a small portion of these few states, and that more than ninety million people are depending largely on these coal mines for their fuel, both for domestic and manufacturing purposes, it will be better understood what a prize Vermillion county has locked up within her hills and valleys. The subjoined table will show the production of coal in \'ermillion county, as contrasted with the other great coal-bearing counties of Indiana, in 1910. as per the state reports. Of the total number of tons, there were 17,429,785 tons of bituminous and 875.459 tons of block coal. .\ccom|)an\ing the item of production, this table also shows the wages i)aid. County. Tons Produced. Wages Paid. Sullivan _ 4.339.173 $ 3.703.I-22 Vigo 4,116,981 3,612,856 Greene 3.241,690 2,532,927 Vermillion 1,676,281 1,446,481 Knox 1,045.868 720,091 Clay 948,402 1.064,757 Parke j'2j,y2y 780,260 PARKK AM) \ IKMII.I.IOX COUXTIKS, INDIANA. 349 Warrick 701.390 $ 559,108 Pike 599.9.S2 485.978 \'anderburg 3^9.98/ -9.>534 Gibson 285,101 255.286 Daviess 72,692 70.986 Total 18.125.244 $15,527,390 An early account of the development of the coal industry in Vermillion county reads as follows, the same havinj^' lieen compiled in 1887: "The Nor- ton Creek coal mines are located on the line between Clinton and ilelt town- ships, on section 5 of Clinton township and section 32 of Helt township. Their development commenced in the month of Deceml>er, 1884. F. A. Bowen was the proprietor and Charles P. Walker, of Clinton, tiie sii])erintendent and manager. In the spring of 1885. under the genera! laws of Wisconsin, the 'Norton Creek Coal Mining Companx" was organized, xvith a paid-up capital of $40,000, with its general offices at Milwaukee. Wisconsin, il. M. Benja- min, of that city, is the president of the company, and Charles P. Walker, of Clinton, Indiana, superintendent and treasurer, and general agent for Indiana. Connected with the property are two hundred and fifty-five acres of land. The mines are al)OUt two and one-half miles west of the Eastern Illinois Railroad and connected by a spur track. The company also owns the old ilriar Hill mines, on section 9, Clinton township, but they are not now being w orked. "On the southeast portion of section 5 is located the company's large mercantile establishment and local offices, which, with twenty-seven tene- ment houses, constitutes quite a \illage, called Cieneva. named in honor of a daughter of Superintendent Walker. The sales of coal in 1886 reached $160,000. and the mercantile establishment $42,000. Near the mines are several tenement houses, and at the Briar Hill mines eleven houses. All are occupied l)v emjiloyes of the company. The business is increasing, owing to the excellent quality of coal produced. Commencing with the winter of 1887- 88 an average working force of three hundred men are employed.'" Great had been the change by 1910, when the state reports show that 1.042 miners were emjiloyed in this county, who were using the pick in min- ing l>ituminous coal; received $829,000 wages, or $f)j2 average per man dur- ing the year named. Then besides these men there were 286 miners engaged in bituminous "machine mines." receiving $228,400 per year. The state reprjrts of two years ago — 1910 — exhibit the following facts concerning tile mines in operation in \"ormilli(in C()unt\': 350 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Name of Mine. Tons Produced. Wages Paid. Bering No. 8 276,143 $ 227,543 Eureka 2,763 2,620 Crown Hill No. i 269,241 239,691 Crown Hill No. 2 244,533 208,682 Maple Valley' 37,7^4 34-826 Buckeye No. 2 236,874 203,687 Klondyke 266,628 203,721 Crown Hill No. 3 244,284 230,310 Crown Hill No. 4 18,926 20,850 Oak Hill 7.050 74-470 Totals 1.604,026 $1,446,000 AVERAGE WAGES OF EMPLOYES. The wages paid here are about in keeping with the average in Indiana, of which the state reports two years ago said : "The total wages reported from the bituminous field being $14,318,196.12, shows an average of $741.87 fur each bituminous mine employe, and the total wages paid to bluck coal minors being $1,209,194.60, shows an a\erage earning of $646.27 for each block coal employe; the aggregate wages for the state being $15,527,390.72 and the total number of em])loyes in the state 21,171, shows an a\erage earn- ing of $733.42 for each mine employe in the state." MARKET PRICES FOR COAL. The following were the approximate prices received for the Indiana coal product in 1910, according to the last obtainable official reports: The market prices for bituminous coal during the period from January to April i (except yearly contracts) ranged from $1.15 to $1.75 per ton for mine run, free on board cars at the mine, the highest prices pre\ailing during the month of March. More coal was produced in this month than either of the two months preceding; Si. 40 would probably be a fair a\erage selling price for this i>eriod. From May to October i prices ranged from $2.50 down to $1.35; but a fair average for that period would be $1.95 per ton. From October to January i prices fluctuated, ranging from $1.35 to $1.50 and as low as $1.15; $1.35 would be a fair average for this period, or a ])roljable average of $1.60 per ton for bituminous coal (mine run) for the vear. Market iirices for block PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 351 coal ranged from $J.-'5 to $3.-35 per ton at the mines, ^^-/^ being a fair aver- age for the year. The cost of production from the bituminous fields of Indiana was figured a fraction in excess of eighty-three cents per ton for the labor cost for the total output of hiuiminous coal. The total wages for the block coal field was $1,209,- 194, or a fraction over $1.38 per ton for labor cost of production of block coal. In rexiewing the mining industry for Indiana for the year of 1910, a gratifying condition of affairs was disclosed in many branches of this im- portant industry. A larger increase in the production of coal, stronger and steadier market demands, a higher average selling price for all grades of coal, the highest average wage earned by mine employes, fewer strikes and a much larger tonnage per each fatal, permanent or serious accident to mine employees are shown than in any preceding year in the history of the state. In 1910 the production was 18,125,244 short tons, an increase of a fraction over thirty-two per cent, over 1909, the highest previous year in coal production in Indiana. A certain per cent, of this increase came from every county in the state, except Fountain and Perry counties, with one mine in each, which w ere idle or working less than ten men. The largest increase came from \^ermil- lion. \^igo and Sullixan counties, and w-as produced by machine mines. Sul- livan county, with 1,539,000 tons, showed the largest increase of all tlie coun- ties, while Knox and Vermillion were not far behind, DISTRIBUTION OF THE PRODUCT. Of the bituminous coal output in the state in 1910, 7,968,732 tons were consumed in. Indiana and 9,281,048 were shipped to other states, and of the block coal, 266,918 tons were consumed in Indiana and 608.541 tons shipped to other states, or a fraction over fifty-four per cent, of the entire production shipped to iither states. VERMILLION COUNTV MINES, I9IO. The following table gives the name, owners, the geological numlier of the different coal seams, character, thickness of seam and (lci)th over overlving strata, of the mines being operated in \'ermillion connt\- in ujio: 352 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Geographical Name of Company. Xame of Mine. No. Thickness. Depth. Brazil Block Dering No. 8 IV 5 Ft. 3 In. 200 Ft. Silverwood ^Eureka M 4 Ft. 6 In. no Ft. Clinton Coal Co Crown Hill No. i-_ V 4 Ft. 10 In. 165 Ft. Clinton Coal Co Crown Hill No. 2-_ V 4 Ft. 10 In. 155 Ft. Clinton Coal Co Crown Hill No. 3— HI 6 Ft. 345 Ft. Clinton Coal Co Crown Hill No. 4— IV 4 Ft. 6 In. 249 Ft. Clinton Coal Co.-__Crown Hill No. S-_ V 5 Ft. 182 Ft. Oak Hill Coal Co.— Oak Hill No. sO— - V 4 Ft. 10 In. 37 Ft. Oak Hill Coal Co.— Maple Valley V 5 Ft. 6 In. 225 Ft. Oak Hill Coal Co.— Buckeve No. 2 V 4 Ft. 8 In. 149 Ft. Oak Hill Coal Co.- -Klondyke III 7 Ft. 300 Ft. The only fatal accident reported to the state in 1910 was that of an Italian named Tomso Carlevatto, aged thirty-four years, killed by a falling boulder. a1 Crown Hill No. i, on March 7, igio. NEW MINE.S. , In U)io there were two new mines opened and their first shipments of coal were made in the early days of December of that year. These mines are Crown Hill No. 4 and 5, both owned and operated by the Clinton Coal Com- pany. No. 4 is located on the southwest quarter of the northeast quarter of sec- tion 29, township 14, range 9. in Clinton township: No. 5 is located on the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section 24. township 14, range 10, Clinton township. No. 4 mine is a machine mine, while No. 5 is a hand producing mine, both bituminous coal, running from four feet six inches to ti\ c feet in thickness of vein. MINERS A.N'D APPLIANCES. The state reports give in 1910 the following concerning the miners and appliances with which they work in getting out the \'ast tonnage of coal : Total Men employed. Mules Used. • Powder Used. Dering No. 8 298 23 1 1 .460 pounds. Eureka 18 3 87 pounds. Crown Hill No. i 290 16 18.238 pounds. Crown Hill No. 2 244 17 17,529 pounds. Maple Valley 95 4 2,448 pounds. Buckeye No. 2 225 28 14-95.2 pounds. Klondyke 217 15 13-291 pounds. Totals 1-387 106 84.010 pounds. PARKE AND VERMIIJ.ION COUNTIES, IXDIANA, 353 IIIK LAST AND LARGEST M 1 X ICS. The most extensive coal mines within tlic count), or state, are the ])i'0|j- ert\- oi the Bunsen Coal Lonipans', which corporation opened their works in tlie month of Octoher, 191 1. on section ,^i. townshi]) 14. range i> west. The president of the company is T. II. Lynch: the secret.'iry ami treasnrer, W. S. W'ardiey ; the .general supermtendent. C l'. Lynch, and the superintendent, Charles Karral. The present machinist is George iMnnigan. These mines are about six miles to the southwest of the city of Clinton. Three hundred and iwent\- men are now cmplo\eus items and tojiics not. sufficient in length to form a separate cliapter, Imt wliieli are replete with interest and xaluable facts concerniiig the county's history. THi; OLD INDIANA IKON FIJUXACE. F.\er\- section cif the cmmtrv that has been settled In' ci\ili/,eil peop'e for a centur\- nr more has. strewn along at \'arious points within its territory, some interesting landmarks of enterprises once of great \alue and importance to the community, but which have long since gone to decay and can only be traced b)' the traditions of men and a few material ol)jects. such as rusted-out m.achiiKMA-. an old water-wheel, a spindle, a shaft or some tumble-down struc- ture in which once was heard the hum of swiftly mo\ing machinery. .\11 is n(n\ silent. sa\'e the memory of some old man or woman who perchance re- calls those pioneer days and delights in telling the present generation of those days w-hen life was acti\-e and earnest to him and his companions. In 1839 what was styled the "Indiana Furnace"' in Clinton township, this county, was in full l)last. It w as the result of the discovery of i)aying fpiantities of iron ore within the community, and it grew to be among the most extensixe indu^'tries in the Wabash xalley. Here ]irobably was produced the first pig- iron in Indiana. Geologists inform us. however, that the principal iron ore found in this countv is an impure carbonate, occurring in nodtiles and irre- gular layers or bands. These nodules once supplied the material for the fur- nace on Brouillet's creek, where they yielded thirty-three per cent, of iron. The ore in Vermillion county is said to range from twenty-fiye to forty-five per cent, of iron. .Mong in the eighties there was discovered in the Norton creek bottoms, near the head of Kelt's prairie, a bed of bog iron ore. said to be three feet thick and covering an area of from six to eight acres. This. however, has never been de\eloped. The opening of the iron mines in Clinton township, in 18^7. was the commencement of the iron industry here. The old Indiana I-'urnace was in section 27, township 14, range 10. Stephen R. Uncles was the chief owner 356 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. and superintendent. Associated \\ ith him were Hugh Stuart and Chester Clark, the firm being Uncles & Company. Years later the land and iron works passed into the hands of Stuart & Sprague, and still later to K. M. Bruce & Company, the "company" being Da\ id Stinton. In iS5<) (ieorge B. Sparks, of Clinton, bought a contrijlling interest and, under the linn name of C. P>. Sparks & Company, tlie liusiness was continued until i8()4. Quite a \ illage of caJjins for the use of the workmen, and large compan}- supply store, with shops and other Ijuildings, might have greeted the eye of the traveler away back in the thirties and forties, when this was looked upon as a new countr)'. Here the iron ore was cast into "pigs," then re-cast into many kinds of castings, such as mill machinery, and especially into sto\es, which, were then just coming into general use as a household necessity. From these furnaces went forth thousands of tons of castings and pig iron, into the markets of the central West. Many a boat on the Wa- bash was freighted with the ])roducts of this furnace and foimdrv. Mere many found employment at good wages. The ninney tlnis ])aid out freely circulated in the neighborhoot] and made times quite li\el}'. Tliei'e were T.700 acres of land connected with the furnaces, and all was owned in 1887 by George B. Sparks, who used the greater portion of it for agricultural pur- poses. Even at that date there was nothing to remind one of the once smok- ing, flaming, consuming fires of the Indiana Furnace and the little ham!et that stood near the dingy plant, sa\ e a few cabins, almost ruined bv decay, and here and there a piece of machinery hea\il\- coated with the rust of years. The fires had long since liecn (|uenched. because of nx)re improved methods, a better grade of iron ore. and more modern facilities, those which were ushered in with the true "Iron Age" that commenced at the clo.se of the Civil war. There are still a few persons li\ ing in tlie count\- who rememl)er tlie l)usv spot known as the "Furnaces," and recall the long string of teams employed in drawing the ore from the mines and in C(^nve\-ing the manufactured metal, in "pigs" and in stove-plate and cooking utensils, to the waiting flat-boats on the banks of the near-by Wabash. The iron industrv was of short duration as compared to that of coal mining, which is now the great king of \'ermil!ion county industries. From a recent history of Indiana, liy Smith, we quote the follow ing con- cerning the early iron industry : "Limonite or bog-iron ores are found in many Indiana counties, including \'ermillion. Experience has proven that these ores are too silicious to compete with the rich beds of hermatite of Mis- souri, Tennessee and Georgia. As a proof of this it is only necessary to state PARKE AND \ERM I i.l.IOX rOl'NTI KS, INDIAXA. 357 that of fourteen l)last-furn;ices which ha\e l)een erected in Indiana in the past, not one is now in o])eration and most ni them ha\e long since hcen in rnin and ida\-. with all creation besides, we have hcen induced to ask \-ou to fax'or the Whigs of this place with the loan of your cannon for Friday next, ^^'e wish to put a stop to the noise of this little loco-foco pocketpiece w ith a few rounds from a Whig gun. "Yours, etc.. "'Thoiu.-is II. Smith. Barnes, John Kirkpatrick, l)a\id llulick. |ame^ Blair, r,. II. I'.oyd. M. Gookins. C. R. Jewctt, U. Haven, W. II. I'.mwn, Jo.seph Cheadle. W". P.. Moffatt. J. S. Baxter. R. J. ( iessie S. r.arnes, .\. Hill. C. V. McNeill. Jacob Sherfy. Austin Bishop. J. S. Stephens. B. R. Howe, John R. McNeill. :\. Dennis, G. H. McNeill." ' .\i the commencement of the L'i\il war. \ ermillion ceen as follows: i8f„S — U. S. Grant (R) m;ij__ 457 i8(/) — \\'illiani AlcKinley (Rl.i.jSi Horatio Seymour (D)-- William J. Bryan (D)--2.i3i 1872 — U. S. Grant (R), maj-- 750 1900 — William McKinley (R) .2.293 Horace Greeley (Lib.)- \\'illiam J. Bryan (D)-_i.767 1876 — R. r>. Hayes (R) 1,358 Joshua Levering (Pro.)- 107 Samuel J. Tilden (n)__i,ii4 1904 — Theo. Roosevelt (R) ^.724 i88c — Gen. James .\. (larfield Alton 15. Parker fD)-_ 1,437 (R) 1.562 Swallow (Pro.) 328 W. S. Hancock (H) 1.235 Watson (Peoples) 29 James B. Weaver (G) 149 i<)o8 — William Howard Taft John W. Phelps (Nat.)- i (R) 2.502 1884 — James G. Blaine (R)___i.59i ^^'illiam J. Bryan (D)__i,8i2 Gro\cr Cle\-cland (n)__i.320 Eugene \'. Debs (Soc.)- 407 1888 — Benjamin Harrison (R)i,729 E. W. C'hafin (Pro.) 217 (irover Cleveland ( D) 1,448 1912 — William Howard Taft C. B. Fisk (Pro.) Sj (R) 1,621 iS'02 — P)enjamin Harrison (R). 1,709 \\'oodro\\ Wilson (D)_i,78o Grover Cleveland (D)__i.428 Theo. Roosevelt (Pro.) 680 Bidwell (pro.) 81 E. \'. Debs (Soc.) 550 Jas. B. Weaver (Peo.)— 189 THE G.VTHERING STORM. The files of the Saturday .-liu/iis. of Clinton, published bv- L. O. Bishop, in June. ii;iT, contained the interesting reminiscence of fifty years ago in Clinton and \'ermillion county, and, bearing on the political issues of those days, it is here quoted as follows : "Perhaps in the minds of the younger readers of these memories will arise the question, Why. in view of the fact that Clinton was so far from the slave country, and a part of the North, was there such a powerful jiro- sla\er\- sentiment here? Allow me to digress from the main line of m story to answer this question. It must l)e borne in mind that at that time in which 1 write of Clinton, it had but one door open to the commerce of the world, and that was south \ia the Wabash. Ohio, Mississippi rivers. New Orleans was our great clearing house. It was no uncommon sight to see a fleet of Hat-boats tied u]) along the river front in those days, unloading sugar, cofifee, tobacco, rice, drv goods and tons of other manufactured goods PARKE ;\ND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 359 and ciiinmi)(Iiii(.'s and takini^' mi cnni and wheal and pork for tlu S intli. These flat boats were operated b\' hand. And it i'ei|uired several nmntli.-- In make a ronnd trip. The stories of ri^-er ad\entnre and frolic and tragedy, if w ritten, wonld make np some of the richest reading matter to be fonnd in any literatnre. lUil it was commerciab'sni that readied out from the great slave market and sent its poison up through the natural arteries of the physi- cal country and thus stupefied and held captive for years the niinil. the heart and conscience of the people until such prophets as Owen Loxejov and John Brown and William Llo_\(l (iarrison, like John the r>a|)tist, came cr_\ing through the wilderness, 'Awake! repent, and throw off the horrid s])ell.' "The only competitor this ri\er ever had was the Wabash &• b'rie canal, which then extended up from Evansville, somewdiat parallel with the Wa- bash ri\er, \ia Terre Haute. Lafa\ette to Toledo. Over this slow and tedious route a considerable commerce was conducted until the early sixties, when the absence of labor at home practically put it out of business. But there is in this connection a fundamental fact that cannot be too strongly emphasized and applied to the problems of today, and that is this: L'nrestricted control and use of the means of communication and transportation is a source of strength that is absolutely indispensable to the welfare of the people. So when this struggle came on the people of Clinton found themsehes at one einl of a rix'cr which ran at the other end to the \-er\- heart of the slave country, and was controlled by the slave power a'ong e\erv inch of its tor- tuous route from St. Louis to the Gulf of Mexico. Thus our commerce was bottled up and the stopper was in the South. Clinton felt this condition. It affected all classes. The sla\e power had many and effective agents at \vork all through this part of the country. Among them, preachers like Parson Brownlow . The only other outlet was to the north by wagon route to Chi- cago, and it was far more uncertain and expensive than was the easy flat l)oat ride down stream to New Orleans. \Vhen one closely understands how- strong was this commercial bond between the South and the middle West through the medium of these great rivers then it will be seen that the West made a greater sacrifice than any other part of the country, for the Eastern states had their railroads to the seaboard and then all the, world beyond as a field o\-er wdiich to roam for trade. And then, again, population was sparse. "The [lopulation of Clinton in i860 was not over two hundred and fifty. As late as 1865 men u.sed to sit in Jolinn\- Rh_\aii's little old shoe shop and take a complete census of every man, w oiiian, child, horse, cow, jack, chicken, dog and cat. .\nd when they had taken the census, how thev used to swell up with pride, ami exclaim, "See how we have grown in ten \ears.' 360 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES. INDIANA. "That niy estimate was correct was slmwn Fridax" 1)\' J. H. Bo!.;art. w lie in less tlian ten minutes' time recalled and named ever^• faniih'. store, ware- house and shop in Clinton in 1861. N^ot nnl\- is this teat remarkable for memory, and shows how men ])reser\'e their line mental powers. includiu.L; that of memory, but it shows the rapidit\- with wliich Clinton has j^rown. Just think of it. Here is a town of only two hundred and fift\- in i8C>i. whereas today ( icjii ) the place has reached se\en thousand, and instead of thirty-fi\e l)locks, today co\ers over a stjuarc mile. "By i860 public sentiment throughout the North began to assume con- crete form. It forced from unwilling lips defense of the truth. It crushed the wornout old Whig party and threw it into the political scrap-heap as a wreck, It split the sla\e-ruled jiarty and sh(i\ed int') the breach the \irilc. alert, wed.ge of the newly-born Republican ])arty and when the memorable campaign of 1858 came on there was such a tremendous widespread activity as was never before witnessed on an\- continent. If it be true that 'coming ex'ents cast their shadows liefore.' then certainl}- the cam])aigns of 1858-60 clearly forecast the struggle that was to Imrst upon the country a \'ear later. That summer and fall were given over to politics. Nothing else was dis- cussed. "The demonstration that greeted Linctjln on that occasion has, so far as 1 recall. ne\'er been equalled in the l)order line n\ the two states of Indiana and Illinois. "The Clinton delegation started with a strong caxalcaile (if mounted young wunien and men. ( )thers went in gavlv decoratdl wagons and others in carriages. Like an aAa'anche, it swept on across the township, gathering to itself large delegations all along the way. .\t the same time, from all the country surrounding Paris other delegations were moving on tnwarcl a center and when Mr. Lincoln arose to sjieak he was greeted b_\- a sea of eager faces that covered se\'eral acres, solidiv standing. That ])rocession is to this (kw the talk of the older men and women who remember it. "The cam]5aign of i860 was a fiu-ious cam])aign. Xo secret ballot then. E\'ery voter in Clinton township had to come to town to \dte and election day participated in it to the last hour. The young, humane Democratic Re- publican party took the township and sent the word to Lincoln that so far as this ri\-er town was concerned it would stand for a united counlrv. But our town paid a terrific ])rice for its rejection of the tempter. And the debt is not ])aid yet. Little apparently do the ])eople of todav seem to realize the awful cost it has taken in times past to maintain liberty and guarantee prog- ress. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 361 "So it was that luuler siuli tlin'lK anil stress in\- earliest days swiftly passed. .And one day father came home in a <^reat hurry from u]) town. His face was ])ale and his A-oice trembled. .Someone asked him. 'Why. I*'rank, what on earth is the matter?' 'hdrt Sumter has been fired on.' he huskily replied, ;uid on he went to spread the ;iw ful. ominous news. Just then another one came past and corroborated the news. It seems as though ill news of great importance spreads as if bv magic. It was true in this case. .\11 Clinton was on the streets in a few moments after the news of the P^ort Sumter afifair arri\ed. Excitement was at fe\er pitch, ("hurch bells were rung, crowds were addressed by impromptu s])eakers, and the children caught the fever and could hardly be kept in school. "The next thing we knew. President Lincoln had issued an a])])eal for se\'ent\-fi\e thousand men, and then the real seriousness of the crisis cruue rolling in with a rush to e\er.\- home." IM.\RKET UlOT.VriONS. The cpiestion of high and low tariff has ,alwa\s been one of interest to the political parties of this countrw and in H)io the arguments put forth in favor of the higher tarifY, and the denial that the tariff made higher cost of living, wa.s put forth in the Hoosier Stale, published at Newport, this county, in the following list of articles, Iiased on what ten bushels of wheat would ha\e ])urchased in i8(/i, under low rales of tariff ("tariff for revenue onlv'') and under the Republican rule and higher tariff of the administration of the last named ]iolitical party. The list is as follows: In 1896 ten bushels of wheat bought forty-se\en ])oiinds of coffee; in 1910 it bought one hundred and thirty-four pounds. In 1896 ten Inishels of wheat liought one hundred and twenty-three pounds of rice: in 1910 it bought two hundred and thirteen pounds. In 1896 ten bushels of wheat bought nine barrels of salt; in 1910 it bought thirteen barrels. In 1896 ten bushels of wheat bought one hundred and thirt\-t\vo pounds of granulated sugar; in 1910 it bought two hundred and forty-nine pounds. In 1896 ten bushels of wheat bought twenty-five pounds of tea; in 1910 it bought forty-nine |)ounds. In 1896 ten bushels of wheat bought one hundred and twentv-three yards of gingham; in 1910 it Ixjught one hundred and sixty-nine vards. In 1896 ten bushels of wheat bought two pairs of men's kip .shoes and 362 PARKE AND VERMII.r.IOX COUXTIES, INDIANA. left a balance of $1.47: in 1910 it bought four pairs of the same kind of slioes anil left a balance of S1.81. In 1896 ten bushels of wheat bought sixty-nine bushels of bituminous coal: in 1910 it bought one hundred and ten bushels of coal. In 1896 ten bushels of wheat bought fifty-seven gallons of coal oil; in 1910 it bought one hundred and one gallons. In 1896 ten bushels of wheat bought two hundred and ten pounds of nails: in 1910 it bought six hundred and forty-one pounds. In 1896 the government was operating under the low tariff legislation of President Cleveland's administration: in 1910 the go\ernment was ad- ministered under the Payne-Aldrich tariff list of the Republican party ad- ministration, as established by the McKinley bill, and upon which issue President McKinley had been elected to office. In the month of December, 1912, the following were the general prices at retail for the commodities named: Flour. $3.00 per hundred: corn, per bushel, 55 cents: wheat. 97 cents: potatoes, y^ cents: coal, per ton. $2.50; granulated sugar, per pound. 8 cents: coffee, from 2^ to 30 cents: butter. 35 cents: eggs, per dozen, 35 cents: milk, 7 cents per quart: beans, $3.75 per bushel : apples, $2.90 per barrel : prints, per yard. 5 to 8 cents : sheeting, 8 to 12 cents per yard : wool, per pound, 12 cents : common nails, 2 1-2 cents by the keg: coal oil, 15 cents; gasoline, 20 cents: hogs were worth S7.50 and western cattle. $6.30 per hundred, live weight. ORIGINAL VILLAGE PLATS. The following is a list of the original \illage plats of \'ermilli(in county, Indiana : Clinton was platted in section 15, township 14, range 9 west. Januar\- 8, 1829, by Lewis P. Rodgers. Cayuga (first known as Eugene Junction | w as platted September 20, 1827. by S. S. Collett. Dana, in section 26, township 16, range 10 west, bv Samuel and J. B. Aikman. Samuel B. Kaufman, and II. B. Hammond, the date being August 18. 1874. Aha was platted May 18. 1871. in llelt township, by John T. Panton, John D. Johnson, James [McLaughlin. Fairview Park was platted by Charles W. Whitcomb (trustee) on the southwest quarter of section 3, township 14. range 9. August 16, 1902. I'ARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 363 West C'lintuii jumtinn, ijlatlcd .\Ia\ 31. igi 1, \y\ il. .M. I'^crgusun. Sam- uel C. Stult/ and }Ieiirv C. Dies. Raiiij'evillc was ])latted SeptLMnber i''). i<)ii. on section 7, townshi]) 14. range 9 west. l)y the Clinton Coal Company. Geneva was platted, at least recorded, Decemlier _>S. 1900. liy the Tnrrev Coal L'om])any. in section 3. t(i\\n--lii]) 14. range (j west. Rhodes was platted on the southeast of section ^;^. township 14, range 9. by the Brazil Block Coal Company, December 11, 1903. Xeedmore was platted as a sub-di\ision, in section 34, townshi]) 14. range 9 west, on September 29, 1904, by the Indiana Fuel Compan\-. Centenarv was platted in sectinn 13. township 14, range 10 west. (Jctober 19, 1910, by Joseph W. Amis (trustee). Chum's I-'ord was platted in sections 30 and 31. township 14, range 9 west, ])v C (1. Wright (trustee), December 8, 1910. Universal was platted in the northeast quarter of section 31, township 14, range 9 west, March, 191 1. Perrys\ille was platted in section 34, township 10. range 9, and in sec- tion 33, of same township and range. May 25, 1832, by James Blair. Gessie was platted in section 28, townshi]) i<). range 10 \vest, March 20, 1S72, by R. J. Gessie. Rileysburg was platted in the southwest quarter of section 17. town- ship 19, range 10 west, June 4, 1904. by Sarah V.. Peterson and Richard C. Peterson. Newport was platted, or rather recorded as a \'illage, July 28. i(S2S. and re-platted and corrected up for record, March 8, 1837, by S. S. Collett: lo- cated in section 26, township 17, range 9 west. St. Bernice, platted in the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 28, township 15, range 10 west, .\ugust 18. 1905, by Alfred M. and Elizabeth J. Reed. Summit Grove, platted on sections 22 and 27,, township 15, range 9 west, November 16, 1871, by Abraham H. Puy. Hillsdale was platted in section 2, township 15, range 9 west, November II, 1872, by I'.verlin Montgomery and Benjamin ¥. Maston. Highland was platted in section 2j. township 16, range 9 west, and the northeast cpiarter of the northwest quarter of section 34, same township and range, September 20, 1835, by Michael Gohmly. Jones was platted in Helt township, in section 34, township 15, range ir west, ])\' I'hillii) Irmcs, on Fcbruar\- 23, 1862. 364 PARKE AND VERMII.T.ION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Springfield was platttd, or recortled as a \illage plat, October i. 1828. by James Burns. Solon was platted April _>, i83(), on the east half of the northwest quar- ter of section 2^, township 17, range 9 west. Trans\l\ania, platted in section 34, township 15, range 9 west, May 9, 1832, by A. E. Sergent and G. Powers. Sheperdstown, platted by John Villarson, in the northeast quarter of section 7. township 19, range 10 west, and in section 6, same town and range, .\ugust 10. 1836. CEMETERIES OF THE COUNTY. Clintiiu cemetery, platted in section 10, township 14, range 9. by five trustees, December 22, i89f . Toronto cemetery, by five trustees, F. A'. Austin, \\'. F. Kerns. ]\I. Puffer, S. Jenks and Samuel Malone, No\ember 26, 1893; location, section 1 I, tiiwnship 15, range 10 west. ( )tlu'i' cemeteries jilatted ami recorded are the \'erinilli(in cemetery and the Thomas cemetery. Eugene cemetery, platted by trustees. L. T. Naylor, d. H. 1^'able. 'SI. G. Hosford. June 11. i8gi. in section 31. township 18. range () west. F)ales cemetery. ])latted bv trustees, A lav i. 1894, in section 36, township t6, range 10 west. TTopewell Friends cemetery. POPUI..\TION OF THE COX'XTY. In 1880, according to the United States census reports, Vermillion county had inhabitants as follows : Clinton township and towns. 3,000: Helt township and towns, 3,027; Vermillion township and towns. 2.215: Eugene township and towns, 1,340: Highland township and towns. 2,433: total in county. 12.015. PRESENT POPULATION. The last federal census gi\'es X'ermillion couut\- a population of 18.865. di\ided among the townshi])S and towns and cities as follows, that of 1900 beint;' also noted : PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INIMANA. 365 1 yoo. 1 y 1 o. Clinlon townslui) and cit_\' 5>'93 9-341 t.'ity alone -2,918 6,289 l'"airvie\v Park O80 Eugene township and Cayuga 2,038 2,112 L'a_\uga town 832 ()i 1 licit township and Dana 3-799 3-S43 Highland township -.133 1-845 \'ermillion township and Newport 2.o8g 1 .<;74 Newport alone 610 jt^z The total pui)ulatiou cjf this comity in 1870 was 10,840; in 1880 it had 12,015; in 1899 it had 13,154; in 1900 it had 15,252; in 1910 it had 18,865. In 1910 there were sexenty-four persons to each square mile, in this county. The rural population was fifty to the square mile. The white population \\as 18,740 and the negro population 121. Native white ijopulation. 14.466: foreign-horn white population included these: From Austria, 342; Germany, 178: Hungary, 230: Italy. 811; Russia, 210; Scotland, 179; Ireland, 22. The county was divifled as to sex: 10,002 males, 8,863 females. The total of illiteracy was 300: per cent, of illiteracy, fi\e and two- tenths per cent, of population. Total between six and tw ent\" vears of age 5.423 : school attendance, 3,614: number of dwellings, 4.347: number of families, 4.544. The citv of Clinton had, in 1000, 2,918 population: in 1910. it had 6,229: 33 negroes: illiterate, 200: of school age, 1,692: attending school, 1,095: dwellings in city, 1,301 : families in city, 1,468. COUNTY SOCIETIES. ISesides the I ount\ Medical Societ)- mentioned elsewhere, this county had other im])ortant societies which, with the death and removal of their founders, went do\Mi. These included the Western Indiana Scientific Asso- ciation, founded bv the spirit and activit}' of that well-known man of New - ])ort, William Cibson. and later of l'err\s\ille. who, in the summer of 1875, issued a call to his friends in science w ith a \ie\v of organizing a societw The first meeting met in .\ugust that x'car and --uch men atteiuled and look ]iart as Prof. P.. Rhoades, Wi'liam Gibson, M. L. jlall. William I.. Little, Jesse Moucliin, P. Z. .\iiderson and Samuel Groenendyke. .\l their next meeting 366 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. the\- urganized what they were pleased to style "The Western Indiana His- torical and Scientitic .Vssociation." They adopted a constitution and by- laws for the purpose of "promoting disco\ery in geology, archaeology and other kindred sciences ; for our mutual improvement therein, and for the se- curing of a cabinet of natural histor_\- and a collection of minerals and fossils as \\\\\ illustrate the resources and wealth of \'ermilion county." The con- stitution was signed by John Collett. William L. Little, William Gibson. H. H. Conley, M. L. Hall. S. B. Davis. M. G. Rhoades. Jesse Houchin. W. C. Eichell)erger. Samuel (Iroenendyke, B. E. Rlioades and P. Z. Anderson. Mr. Collett was e'ected president; AT. (i. Rhoades. vice-president; ^^'illiam L. Lit- tle, treasurer; H. H. Conley. corresponding secretary; ]\1. L. Hall, recnrding secretary, and William Ciilison. librarian and curator. \^'ith the rcnio\al of l\lr. Cihson the moving. acti\'e s]iirit. after he bad succeeded in securing man\" items for the coHection and had them carefull}' stored awav in a neat, small btu'lding. the association ceased to exist, as is to be regretted bv all thinking people of the county. COl'NTV TEMPER.\NCE ORGANIZATION. .\ cnunt\ temperance organization was formed as a result of the "blue- ribbim" mo\ement. Februarv 16. 1882. at \ew])nrt. The meeting was called to order b\' Capt. R. B. Sears, of Newport, a member nf the state organiza- tion. Dr. E. T. Spotswood. of Perrysville. was temporary chairman, and E. H. Hayes, of Clinton, secretary. Vice-presidents were chosen from each of the fi\'e tow^nships in A'ermillion cnuntw ^Mrs. Emma ^Inlinw a noted teni- perance lecturer, was invited to make a can\-ass of the county. The consti- tution of the Grand Council was adopted. Resolutions called for none but out-and-out temperance men for the officers of the societv. Thc\' must a'so fa\'nr adopting resolutions to ^■ote for a probibitorv liiiuor law in Indiana. It is thought, bv some, that owinsf to its not being a religious or secret order, that it ^^-ent down before much sfood was accomplished. VERMILLION COfNTV POSTOFFICES. The facilities for receix'ing and sending mail matter in this count\- ha\e greatly changed for the l)etter with the passing of the decades since one man"s hat was the postoffice and mail was received "when convenient" from Dan- ville and Terre Haute, at two. or three places within the county. Tlie estab- lisliment of the free rural delivery of mails in the late eighties and nineties PARKE AND VERMII.IJON COUNTIES, INDIANA. 367 bruughl mail} chaugcb in Lhc lucation of postufhccs throughoul the entire country, including this count). Jn i88S the otiices in \erinilhoii count)- were Hsted as follows : Clinton: St. Liernice, at Jonestown, in the nortiiwestern portion of Clin- ton township ; Summit Grove, on the Chicago & Eastern Illinois railroad, in ilelt townsliip; Toronto, at or near Bono, Helt township, at the crossing of the two railroads of the county; Dana, in the northwestern part of Helt towiishij), iin the railroad running east and west through the county; New- port, the county seat; Quaker Hill, sometimes called "Quaker Point," eight miles west of Newport and in Vermillion township; Cayuga, in Eugene township, at the railroad crossings ; Eugene ; Perrysx'ille ; Gessie. on the railroad in the western portion of Highland township; Riley-sburg. on the same road two miles to the northwest of (iessie; Walnut (iro\e. Browntou, iligliland. Aha. ( )pee(lee were all hamlets and cross-roads, hut had no ])ost- 1 ifiices. The following is a true list of the ]>ostoffices in the couiit\' in njt-: Cayuga. Charles Hosford. ])ostniaster ; Clinton, J. O. .Stark, postmaster ; Dana, Roy Turner, postmaster; Eugene; Gessie; Hillsdale, Margaret Mc- Cart\'. postmistress; Newport, M. B. Carter, postmaster; Perr\s\ille. Tnskie; Rileysburg; St. Bernice, Ed. McCann, postmaster; New St. Bemice (a rural station) ; I'niversal. John Marietta, postmaster. The postal savings department was introduced in ^^erm^llion countv in 191 1, and in January. 1913. the parcel post system was installed in the county. All of these facilities give the persons residing distant from the towns and vil- lages almost an equal advantage enjoyed by the town dwellers of years ago. The fartner has his daily newspaper, with latest market reports and the iinpor- tant news of the entire world, brought to his door each forenoon. And if in need of some small article of merchandise, instead of going to town he can simply phone to his dealer and the mail carrier brings the article on his first trip out. the charges being merely nominal. \'^eri1y. the farmer is becoming more independent each year, and has of late just awakened to the fact that he is a potent political factor that must be reckoned with. POWDER MTI.I, EXPLOSION. Ma\" 4. igo4, at noon, the powder mill at Dorner, two miles southeast of Ne\v]iort. was blown up, four men being killed and many more injured. The scene of the disa.ster was in a little hollow leading of¥ from the main hollow w'hich runs east and west. There were at the time four hundred kegs 368 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. uf powder, ul t\\eiit)-h\e pounds weiglit each, amounting to ten tliuusand pounds of damp blasting powder. Henry Griffin and DeSoto i3iggs, two of the unlucl-;) workmen, were blown literally to atoms. The combined weight of the two men was about three hundred pounds and only sixty pounds of scattered fragments of human remains could ever be gathered together. The other two killed were George and Berkley Mayhew, brothers. The woods caught hre from the terrible explosion and it took much hard hghting upon the part of the men present to extinguish the iiames before they reached the other side of the hill, where there was stored two hundred and fifty thousand pounds of powder in the magazines of the Dupont powder works. Only two of the fourteen buildings were destroyed. They were never rebuilt. An almost endless litigation ensued for damages upon the part of the deceased men's friends, some of whom compromised and received small amounts from the compam'. The explosion was heard at Terre Haute and Clinton. John Potts, who was on his fatlier"s farm a mile distant, was knocked down by the explosion. Twent\- window lights were broken from the county poor asylum; pieces of shafting of six hundred pounds weight were hurled a ha'f mile distant and ]5lanted in the earth. A spring ne\er before observed by man was started from out the hill at the glaze : twenty-fi\'e copperhead snakes that had not yet come forth from their winter f|uarters were stunned and afterward killed by the men who were searching for the liodies of the unfor- tunate workmen. DE.STRUCTIOX BY DVX^AMITERS. L'lintun and \icinit}- has been the scene of terrible d_\namiter's work, including the blowing up of the Catholic church and, a few months later, the partial destruction of the piers of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois railroad bridge, at Clinton. The latter explosion was on April 19, 1910, when two explosions occvuTed. The shock was felt at Dana, Hillsdale and Terre Haute. The guilty ones were nexer captured, although there were large re- wards offered and expert detecti\es put into the case. The city ofifered one thousand dollars and the railroad company three thousand dollars. Blood- hounds were put into service, but all to no purpose. The partial destruction of the beautiful and massive Roman Catholic church at Clinton, supposed to ha\e been the work of someone not satisfied with the requirements and exactments upon the part of the priest in charge of the Clinton parish at the time, occurred in Novem])er. 1909. of which the Clinton Saturday Arpus had this to sav. editoriallv : PARKE AND VERMILLIUN COUXTIKS, INDIANA. 369 "The new Sacred Ileait Runian Catholic church was partially wrecked at I 1 :45 Tuesday night by the explosion of three sticks of dynamite. The explosions were so terrilic that almost the entire windows were blown out of many of the houses in thai part of the city. ^V police force was at once sent tor by 'calls' and the night officers responded, but no trace could be found that afforded any clue to the deed. "The damage done will amount to over one thousand dollars, on which there is no insurance. Wednesday the city council met and voted to offer a thousand dollars reward for the arrest and conviction of the miscreants. Seventy-nine sticks of dynamite were found at the church on Wednesday morning, which had they gone off' would have destroyed at least the southern half of the city. A call has been made for a l^inkerton detective and no pains or expense will be spared to bring the guilty parties to justice." The same local paper said on December 3, 1909: "The deadly eft'ects of the recent attempt to blow up the Catholic church in this city are far more wide-reaching than the mere damage to the building, serious as it was. Owners of property in that vicinity now li\'e in constant dread and apprehension of still further disaster. Some families ha\c rented rooms down town where the\- can ha\e the benefit of police protection, day and night; others refuse to slee]) at liomo at night time. Others are oft'ering their ])roperty for sale. The Catholic authorities ha\'e emjiloyed guards for constant night jirotection. Father Maher has. it is reporteil. rcmowd from the citv and his former duties have been taken by another priest." I'p to thi.s writing. December, 1912, there has been no due to the jicrsons who performed this dastardly deed. .\ P.RrTAI, OI'TRACK. During the latter part of the night of October u, 1883, says the Jloosier Stale, published at Newport, a most brutab outrage was committed by a band of robbers uix)n Elias Lamb and their family at their residence, near Xew- port. In the house were Mr. Lamb and wife and a married daughter, from Wayne county, visiting them. Between three and four o'clock the dog made considerable noise. Mrs. Lamb went to the window to see what was the matter and hissed the dog, wdiich would only ])lunge out into the darkness and then retreat. Not discowring anything, siie retmned tn bed. but the dog kejit u]) a howling and acted as if someone was encroaching on the premises. Tn a few minutes Mr. Lamb went out to sec if he could discover anvthing f24) 370 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. wrong. Returning tu his room, he had scarcely lam down when the door to an adjoining room against which stood a large bureau was burst open and the bureau fed to the floor, with a terrible crash, breaking everything that was upon it. Before the two could get out of bed they were seized by two bur- glars and a demand made for their money. Air. Lamb gave them all he had. The demand being repeated to his wife, she said she had a dollar and seventy- five cents upstairs. The villians made her get it without a light, at the risk of her life. They then declared that there was more money in the house and that the\- would kill them if they did not give it up. Mr. Lamb answered that they might kill them, but that they could not get any more money, for there was no more in the house. Then the\' assaulted-him and threatened to kill them both if they did not pay over more money. The}- first i)ummeled him awhile and then fired tw-o shots, one of them grazing Mrs. Lamb's head, splitting open her ear. Mr. Lamb, although badly bruised and one eye closed, managed to get out of doors, where he pulled the liell ro])e, which friglitcned the burglars away. The daughter referred to, who was sleeping in another room, crawled under the feather bed and thus escaped -discovery. Their son John, who was sleeping in a house some hundred yards distant, upon hearing the bell ran over to his parents' house and, finding they were suffering for medical treat- ment, proposed to go immediately for a physician, but they, fearing the rascals might return and do further mischief, be.g.ged him to remain with them till daylisj-ht. Durinf>' the niorni'Tr the tracks of the robbers were traced Imth wavs. between their house nnd town, but no further clue was ever obtained. ^•ER^^ILLI0N colxtv ix mourning. The following will serve the purpose of showing how the deaths of Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley were taken by the citizens of this county: lincoi.n's ass.vssin.^tion. In common with the entire nation, the news of the death at tiie hand of an assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, just at the close of the civil con- flict in which he was the true i>atriot and hero, was received with profound grief and sorrow- by this people, who had faithfulh- supported the great man in his everv eft'ort to save the Union. The pul)lic meetings were sad ones thniughdut the countv. Men met on the streets, in the shops, mi tlie farms PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTILS, INL)L\NA. 37I and at cross-road postoffices, only to see depicted in one another's faces the sorruw hidden within their hearts. Stunned and silent at hrst, they soon ga\'e utterance U> ihe hitternt-ss nf their souls. A saved L'nion, Init a lamented and assassinated President. Mags were at halt-mast: emhiems of mourning were seen on e\ery hand, and many a praxer went ui) to the Ruler of Xations that ])eace nuglit conic out of the confusion that e.xisted on e\er\- hand. It was the first great national sorrow this people had experienced. The\- had freelv given up their hra\'e sons, on man\- a well fought field of haltle, in de- fense of the flag, hut nc\'er had Xher moiu-ned a President in such critical da\ s as those iif .\pril. 1863. DEATH Ol" PNI-:sn)ENT C.AKin ELD. Again, sixteen _\ears later, in jul_\, ibiiSi, the cowardl} hand of an "un- balanced man," with political hatred in his heart, shot down President James Abram Garfield, at the Potomac depot in Washington, D. C. He suffered on, and was the object of a nation's sincere prayers, until death claimed him, September joth, that year. The Iloosicr Slate, published then, as now. at Newport. N'ermillion county, had the following editorial on the death of (iarfield : "Todav the whole nation mourns oxer the death of our President, which occurred at ten thirly-fi\e last Monda\' night. I'dexen weeks ago (initeau shot him down at the I'olomac de])(.)t in \\ ;ishington. while on his w a\- to visit his wife who was ill in ati l''astcrn cit\. Although a -tout, heart)- man. usual'.v weighing two linn(h'ed ])ounds. he had dwindled down to less than one hundred and fifteen pounds, Tlic ])rayers ot the whole nation went u]> foi' him. liul axaileil notli- ing. Death was sealed upon his manly brow when he was first shot, and no mortrd could stay its onward march. The i)eo])le feel sad and fnllv ajipre- ciate the fearful calamit\' which has befallen o\w cnuntr\-. 'A"esterda\- a large numlter of business bouses and residences were hea\'- il\' draiH'd in monrnini^-. It seemed like a iiall of dcsprn'r had sjjread over our quiet little village and the deeji ghioni of sadness could be plainlv depicted on the countenances of everyone. He is gone. Let the old warrior rest ! Let our ])co))lc hone for the best. "Memorial F.Ncrcises — In honor of the dead President, a public meeting was called at the court house in Newport by Marshal F. M. Pu'shop. on Snn- dav evening, to plan for a memorial meeting there on .\londav. At two p. m. Monda\- the court bouse was ful' ; business men all closi-d their places up and 372 PARKE AND VERMILLIOX COUNTIES, INDIANA. attended in reverence and sorrow. I'rayer was ottered by Re\-. J. H. Hol- lingsworth. W illiani L. Little made an appropriate address, highly compli- menting the dead chieftain. C. \\ . W ard deli\ered a lengthy address, full of many beautiful sentiments. Capt. B. B. Sears followed with another ad- dress, as did also Henr\- Hollingsworlh." DE.VTH OF PRESIDENT m'kINLEY. hor the tiiird tune the citizens of \ erimllion county were called upon to mourn the death of an assassinated Tresident. i'erhaps no better index to the sentiment concerning this dastardly assassination can be had than to re- print a portion of an editorial that appeared in the Democratic organ at Clin- ton, the Saturday Argus, published by L. O. Bishop, which reads as follows: "This morning (September 20, 1901,) the people of this nation awoke to a great sorrow and shame. Sorrow over the death of William JVlcKinley, who had been twice elected to occupy the chair of the highest office in the land, a kind, sincere and true gentleman and a high public official. Shame at the consciousness that, in spite of all boasted liberty and justice and prosper- ity that were said to abound, out of all should cuiiie one whose life had been so embittered at the wrongs he saw that he dared to lift his hand against the head of the republic. "In this hour of national affliction, when the future rises full of ])Otent hopes, and the hearts of all tnie Americans are heavy w ith sorrow and ajijire- hension, there should lie no partisanship, no strife, nothing- l)Ut the truest comradeship, for the blow that has fallen from the hand of the barbarian and assassin is a blow, not at AVilliam McKinley the man. but a blow- by sav- agery at citizenship: b}' chaos, at law ami order. .\t this moment, when the destinies of the nation may be changing, there can be but one sentiirent in all our hearts — profound sympathy for the one weak woman on w Iinse frail slioulflers has fallen this crushing blow." In Clinton, memorial services were held at the Methodist Episcopal church, at which numerous jironiinent citizens addressed a large audience, upon whose every face were depicted the lines of grief and true sorrow, re- gardless of party lines. All were ]\TcKinley's friends, in a true nersonal sense, for he was of that type of manhood that ever lia-^ the venK' peace and pros])crity in the country. rOVKRTY .\XD riAPl'lNESS. in a series of interesting articles frum the pen of Editor L. O. Bishop, in the Saturday Anjits. of Ciinton, in lyii, the following should be preser\-ed as a part of the history of X'ermillion county, showing as it does much of interest cnncciiiinL; the days hack a half century ago. While man\' of our readers will not (juite agree_ with the political philosophy of the writer, all will lie ])leased at the facts herein narrated: "In one of James W'hitcomb Riley's poems, Indiana's gifted poet reflects more than superficial sentiment when he exclaims: 'Take me Ixick to (iriggsby Station, where we used to be so happy and so poor.' That was the condi- tion of things that prevailed in Clinton half a century ago. "The Civil war contributed to this poverty in that it drew out of the country for destruction not only vast sujiplies in way of foodstuflfs, wool for clothing, li\-e stock, horses and mules, but it also drew into this fierce mael- strom 111 destruction all the aljle-liodiecl ]iroducers of wealth frtjm town and cnuntry. It put a stu]; to all exchange. Iiecause jjrices of exerytliing went skyward and wages were reduced tti a minimum, because no plans were for- mulated fur any ]nili!ic or pri\atc imiircwement that would circulate mone\' or employ labor. "So we were all poor in Clintcen struncr. Others used an open lamp, filled with oil of any inflammable kind and the wick hung over the edge of the lamp, nr it might run up a spout and be lisfhted. James Pa^•ne informs me that coal oil did not come into use here until about TR64. when 'Esquire 'Harrison invested in a coal oil lamp and took it to his country home, a few miles west of the citv. Tt was a venomous looking creature. 374 PARKE AND VERMILl.IOX COUNTIES, INDIANA. With no chmuie), and double-barreled at that! it created more curiosity aniung the neignijuii tnan a tlymg niachuie does today. Jr'eople would drne miles and miles and make it a point to have business at the Squire s to see that "new fangled contraption w itli which the famil) was going to cut some spiurge at niglil. J-lut there was not one m the house who would go up close to the lamp to light it. And it was used as an ornament until tinally someone did screw up courage to tire the tip ends of the two little wicks that seemed to run like a fuse to a mine below. "The experiment wurkcil ail right. At least it did nut l^luw up and that oil lamp soon de\eloped into a better affair and candles and grease lights, with their snuffers, smoke, grime and dirt, were soon relegated to oblivion. In the matter of producing a i)erfect artificial light the whole world hung on for centuries to the crudest of affairs and seemed nexer to think it possible to invent anything better. .\s a matter of fact, the world has made more prog- ress in way of comfort, convenience and cleanliness and in labor-saving de- vices in the past fifty years than it did in all the centuries that had gone be- fore. "Even as late as 1868 the wheat crop was cut by hand. And not until the White Brothers, Or\ille, Ren, Florence and James, always progressive faniicr>;, \entured to inxcst in a Walter A. Wood binder, and the Knowles Brothers, Charles B. and James E., tried the McCormick, that the farmers could he induced to get away from the back-breaking, sla\ish task of iiarvest- ing l)y hand. These machines were crude, heav}' affairs, costing from three Imndreil and thirtv-fixe dollars to tiiree hundred and se\ent\-fi\ e dollars, re- spectivclx'. and required from three to four horses to draw them when in the field, and were easily disarranged. Then Scott Haginhaugh. an agricultural im]>lement dealer, took the agency and liegan to exploit their many \-irtues. The machine used was to bind the wheat by means of wire banrls, which were cut by a halciiet in tliresliing. One dax- a farmer asked Scott wliat be- came of this wire. Scott, being equal to all emergencies, \-erv coolh' and promptly replied that 'It. evaporated.' The explanation seemed to be satis- factory, as a number of machines were sold. But the law of evolution was constantly at work, eliminating the old anrl useless and sulistituting the new and lielter ways of doing things. "Tlie richest man in Clinton at the beginning of the Ci\il war was prolv abiy worth ten thousand dollars, niostlv in merchandise, a residence mid some farm land. One fami'v. tliat of Ccnrse ^rcCiillmic;!'. had a niann ->nd PAKKE AND VERMU.I.ION COUXTIKS, INDIANA. 375 tliey liad u spick bpau parlur iii the uld 'White House tliat now stands on bouth Alain street. ■John i'ayton was a successful nieichant and later un furnished his fainil} with a piano; John \\ hitcoinb, another merchanl, purchased a piano. But outside of these three families, the evidences of wealth and luxury in Clinton were far between. "We were all poor iii Clinton in the early sixties,' and that poverty was no more like the poserty that infests our cities today than German siher is like the genuine article. The poverty of 1864 was not poverty that came to men by reason of unjust laws or of vicious systems. It was the po\erty of a natural condition of things; wealth was not. it was a poverty that made all men feel socially equal, ami they were on good terms with each other. There was no embarrassment on the part of either if a poor washwoman went to divine ser\ ice attired in calico and sat down beside a woman in all wool or silk; all was well. I have seen the mechanic sit in his shirt sleeves by the side of the merchanl in alpaca coal, and lioth sing the same Innins nf [)raise and gratitude from the same book, ami both kneel in the same pew and ])rav to the same Ueaxenh' bather for his guidance and mercy, and all classes would join in fraternal spirit at the same hospital)le table. The poverty of 1861-65 did nnl imbnile men by closing against iheni and their children all tlie natural oppiMlunilies for ad\anceinent. It did not di\ide society into two great hos- tile camps that we see about us today, the fortunate on one side and the out- cast on the other. The ])oor man was not shoved off the earth b\' some cold, unfeeling corporation, aided by jiolitical prostitutes and professional para- sites. The one great universal, underlying cause of the hap])iness tliat ])re- vaiied in i86[ was the fact that e\cry man was practically free to use the land and reap all proceeds of his labor. Tt was this that gave strength to the Xortb. It was the denial of this principle that made the South weak, and which finally 'ed fo its defeat and wiping out of its long cherished system. sla\-erv." CHAPTER X\1II. CITV OF CLINTON. Llinloii, named in honor of an earl}- governor of Xew York, DeW itt Clnilon, was laid out, probabl}', b} Wihiani Harris, a resident of Jviartin county, Indiana, in 18J4. Aiartin was a government surveyor. But the rec- ord of town and village plats at Newport shows that Clinton was platted and recorded by Lewis F. Rodgers, on January 8, 1829 — probably a corrected and legal platting recorded of the original town, it is .-situated (the original plat) in section 15, township 15, range y west. At first tlie growth of the town was very slow, indeed at the opening of the Civil war it only contained about two hundred and fifty inhabitants, but in 1868, when a railroad was an assured fact, it took on new life and vigor. But before railroad days it was the center of an agricultural district around it for a radius of fifty miles or more. Across the \\'abash the people traded mostly at Terre Haute, fifteen miles distant from Clinton and always an absorjjing factor in the country trade. Clinton stands on a le\el plateau of land extending from the western bank of the Wabash back nearlv a mile to the hills, in which the great coal deposits are. w hich have for years been suc- cessfully worked. The population of Clinton, according to the 1910 United States census, was 6,289. ^"t according to the igu city directorv, carefullv compiled, the city now has a population of 8,379. .\side from tlie mining element, the population is largely American. The commercial interests may be listed as between the extensive coal mining industry and the agricultural trade, with a considerable amount of money also put into circulation by rea- son of the vast brick and tile industries of the community, the paving brick alone being a large industry. But beyond question, tlie city thrives largelv on its mining interests which are increasing yearly. The transportation facilities are provided largely tlirougli the Cliicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad and the Terre Haute. Indianapolis & Eastern Trac- tion Company. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 377 THE BEGINNINGS. The first mercantile establishment in Clinton was opened l)y jolm and Benjamin R. Whitcomb, who kept a small general store. Other early business men were John Payton, John R. Whitcomb, H. B. Cole, John Ferrel and John Marks. Later business men were James McCulloch, Otis M. Conkey, Jones & Chestnut, troni Paris. Illinois. Leandcr Munsel, from the same place. Alanson Pialilwin. of Paldw ins\ille. illinnis. wlm were exlensixe jinvk packers at Clintrm. This cit\' was fur manv \'ears a noted ])nrk market and slii])pin2; point for packed pork. r,esser business was carried on h\' J. \\ . and h'ieldini.;' .Shepai'd. and \'olne\' IhUchison. nicclianics. who afterward nuned into the countr\ and became successful farmers; S. K. Patton. a cooper; 11. V. rveddint;'. carriage- maker and l)lacksmilh. and others. Many of the buildim;'s nccu|)ied 1>\- these ])ioneers were still --landinL;' in the nineties, on the bank of t1ie ri\-er. near the railroad bridsie. where the old boat landing was, as monumental relics of that long-ago steamboat period. The scenes of the ]iast e\-er and anon rise in the \-ision and memory of the older citizens of Clinton, who seem again to hear the shrill whistle of the steamer and the wharf-talk of ri\er boatmen and roustabouts, as they loaded and unloaded the great cargoes of merchandise to and from the boats bound north and south from this landing place. The population had not reached over one thousruid eight hundred in 1890, but modern de\elopnient. the growing industries, and general trend of the times of peace and real prosperity, will not long iiermit a city located as is Clinton to stand still, hence its ]iresent size and business enter])rise. EFFECTS OF CI\"I1. W'.\R. At the close of the Civil war there was a complete change in commercial and industrial life. It can onl\' be comjiared in physical nature to an up- heaval that obliterates old paths, landmarks and structures. Prior to the Civil war Clinton ;uul the surrountling country had many industries. It was the era of the small industry under individual control. Such towns as Per- rysville, Eugene, Mecca, Clinton and many others were centers of this kind of industry. Tn Clinton we bad a wagon factory conducted by Ix F. Morey. father of W. L. Morey. Tn that shop wagons were made complete, from end-gate to the tongue. And they were good wagons, too. They were like Holmes' wonderful "One-Hoss Shav." "that ran a hundred vears to a day." 378 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. They were like tlie cliaracters of tlie men who built them — strong, close built and enduriiiy. In connection with this wagon factor)' was the black- smith ^hn[). where the iron work was made, the paint shop where they were painted. Today these wagon factories have all been brushed away by the big fac- tories, owned and controlled 1)\- corjiorations backed by millions of dollars. We had a tan vard at the foot of Cronipton hill, where an old man, named fohn Crom])ton. tanned hides and prepared them for the boot and shoe fac- torv, conducted bv John K. Ryan, on South Main street. Between these two, we used to get boots and shoes made, pretty high priced 'tis true, but built like the garments of the children of Israel for wear. There was Harry Redding's famous copper shop, where barrels and casks were made. There were the great pork-packing industries. There was Robert Chambers' cabinet shop, where furniture was made. There was Greenwat's blacksmith shop, where horseshoes were made, and Wiley's ])lace, where cradles, bedsteads and coffins were made to order. There was the Mallor\- mill, where cane was ground and the juice was converted into sorghum mo'asses, which our mothers used in making ginger cake aljout three inches thick, as big as the o\en would take in. and which was compar- able onl\- to the food of the gods. .\nd there were saw-mills and shingle- mills and gri.st-mills all over this country. At Mecca, a woolen-mill used up the raw wool that was raised on' the backs of sheep that roamed the hills of Parke and \^ermillion counties. It was a Mecca indeed, for to it the mothers for miles around made tlieir annual ]iilgrimages e\ery fall, to Ia>' in a suppiv of good woolen clothes for use in the family during the follow- ing winter. The motive power of this woolen-mill was water that had been accumulated by placing a dam across the Big Raccoon. Perrysville was a thriving, humming town and easily the best town in tliis county, doing an immense business in manufacturing and merchandising. West of Clinton was the Tndi.'ma Iron I'urnace, which em])loyed a host of men, scattered a large jiay-roU throughout the township, and which used u]) the iron ore found evervwhtre in the beds of the creeks. Tn fact, the ]ieopU' were so self-de])endent that the\' could practically get along for long I)eriods without an\- outside aid. \nd \'et all these industries were paralw.ed and forever silenced by the after-results of the war. The fires died out of the smelting furnace, the boats came no more for their usual cargoes. .\t this time Main street was only a second-rate afifair. All the Inisiness was done along First street. The river bank was built up almost solidly in wood yards, coal yards, grain elevators, great warehouses, pork-packing PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 379 liousep, 'itoR's. etc. ll \\a>^ n\or commerce. 1 lia\e seUloin e\er s^one over into Illinois that 1 dn not meet some old farmer who, halt a centurv ago. hronght his grain and pork to Clinton to he shijiped off south in payment for tlie product of sla\e lalior. There was no outlet for all this sur])lus )jroduct. There \\a^ no place to ^hi]) it and no way of oetting it on to the markets of the wor'd. And the inilustries, in and about Clinton, wilted at the blast of war as a sensitixe |)lanl will wilt in the hand. Tlie men left the furnace lo go to the front. Althongii the\- were all l)emocr;ils. the\- were all loyal to their country. The fires went out. ne\'er to light the midnight skies again. .\nd today the place is almost a tradition. The flouring mill of William Hedges closed down, to never again turn a wheel and was later taken down, brought to town ;uid rel)uilt and lun-ned in March, 1891. The pork-packing houses all closed down, ne\er to re-open. The coal and wood yards and river traffic all fell into decay. The grain traffic alone held on until in the seventies, when the railroad came to its relief. Boys used to climb u]) into the warehouses and over the huge timbers to chase the bats and owls out from their hiding ])laces. (The abo\ e picture of Clinton and neighl)orhood w as p.ublished in the . liu/iis hv I.. ( ). Bishop and is doubtless true to life fort\- and fifty years ago.) INDUSTRIES OF CLINTON. I912. .\mong the leading industries of the city of Clinton may be here cited the Clinton Pax-jng ISrick Company, which was established in 1893. with a capital n( lift\- thousand dollars: M. L. ^b)r•Jy, president: II. C. Dies, treas- urer: I. W. kohl), secretary and manager: 1'.. IT. Morgan anrguson : secretary, J. W. Strain: H. T. Harger. Roy Slater. \'alzah Reeder, H. S. Pinson, ^Mrs. F. L. Swinehart. Miss Callie Mc^Mechen, Miss Bessie Vandyne. The librarian is Miss Faye Tillotson. The shelves of this new library are not well supplied with standard liooks, not even many of the state and L'nited States government rej^arts, but as time goes on doubtless the board will see to it that such works are adde, Init in that year the present system was installed. Wells were sunk to the t^ravel. in pure, living' water, in the vicinity of the plant, which is near the heart of the business portion of the city and near the bank of the \\"al)ash ri\er. Bonds were floated in order to secure means with which to Iniild the works, the cost to date being about $73,520. The plant was i)Ut in in n^io under the direction of Superintendent \\'. M. llamilton. who is still in charge. The total number of miles of water mains in the city now is thirteen. The plant was greatly enlarged in 1910 and is now supposed to be sufficient for a city ot twenty-tn'e thousand population. The (|ualit\- of water is second to none in tiie state. There are now thirteen wells, ranging in de])th from sixty to seventy-five feet, .going fifty feet below the waters of the W'aliash river, terminating in white gravel and sand, making a fine natural filter. The daily capacitv of this system is two and one-c[uarter million gallons. There are nciw ninety-two fire plugs or street hydrants, and in Decemlier. icjij. there were nine hundred customers. Water is sold both by meter and flat rate, the rates ranging from fifteen to thirty cents ])er thousand cubic feet. Three huge pumps are installed at the plant, but usually one is sufficient. In case of fire, another is set in motion and a ]>ressure of one himdred jiounds per square inch is realized in the business portion of tlie city. One of the mains extends about one mile out from the jiuii'ping ])lant. The ]iresent officers of the water works are the water committee of the city, with \\ill- iani Hamilton as superintendent, with Leslie Gallowa\- and Jesse C". Patch as engineers, one for da\' and one for night. ELECTRIC LIC.HTINC. I'LA.NT. While not a jjart of the munici)>al improvements, the electric lighting system in Clinton is here given. It is a i)rivate cor])oration. which organ- ized and commenced operations in the summer of 1891. the turning on of the current being on July i st of that year, and on the Fourth of July it was a feature of the citv"s Independence day celebration. It is known as the Clinton F.lectric I.i.ght and Power Com])any. Its first directors were J. F.. Knowles. Daniel IMcBeth. P.. H. Morgan. W. I.. Morey. W. II. I'.onner. J. W. Robb. secretar\- and manager, who has served in this cajjacity since then with a few vears interim, and constantly since 1905. .\t first simply an arc svstem was installed, but in 189J the incandescent system was put in 384 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. operation. The plant is located on Vine street, near the water works plant of the eity. close to the railroad and river front. They now furnish power to al! the factories and mills in the city, save two newspapers, even furnish- ing the power fur the roller mills and refrigerating- plant. Jt is all home capital and is a financial success. The plant has three immense Corliss engines and three dynamos, though but one usuall}- is employed, the others being for emergencv and power extension when needed. The present ])resi- dent of the company is David AIcBeth ; vice-president, Mark Xebeker, and J. W. Ri)l)bis secretary and manager: the other director is B. H. Morgan. ITEMS OF INTEREST. Aniiing the experiences of the people of Clinton, in years gone by, the following nia\- be of interest to the present-day and future generations: Here, as elsewhere in Indiana, the liquor question has ever been a thorn in the side of respectable citizens. Here has been fought many a hard con- test between temperance and anti-temperance people. The saloon is still here and will likeh' exist until some state or national law wipes the business from the face of the commonwealth. One of the most remarkable move- ments along this line, in modern days, was the "Woman's Crusade" of 1874- 7O. In 1874 a band of praying women laid siege to^ a saloon, day and night, being on duty in divisions, by turns. The proprietor finallv surrendered. In A])ril. 1875, a company of ladies, headed by Mrs. Malone and Mrs. I\il)li\-. marched in double tile to the saloon owned by Tice & Melcher. to hold an interview with the proprietors : but on arrival found the fort evacuated and the doors wide open. The ladies guarded the place until evening and then retired. The next night one of the proprietors was arrested, and while he was in custody the citizens gathered at the point of contest and demolished everything that contained intoxicating liipiors. The proprietor then sued fifteen of the citizens for $5,000 damages, but the case was compromised or dismissed. Other events of this crusade occurred, but of minor importance. There are now numerous saloons doing business under a license sys- tem, while the work of the temperance press and pulpit, of temperance so- cieties, including the Christian Temperance Unions, goes bravelv on. with the hope of making public opinion in the state and county strong enough in the near future to forever do away with drinking places in the city. PARKE AND VERMII.I.ION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 385 NATLKAI, GAS. What was styled the Clinton Natural Gas Company was organized in the sjjring of 1887, with a capital of from two to four thousand dollars. The ])rcsident was C. Mathews; secretary, W. 11. Hamilton; treasurer. N. C. .Anderson. The other direclt)rs were J. J. Higgins, Decatur Downing, J. E. Know'.es, C. B. Knowles. and W. A. Hays. Drilling followed, but the word failure was finally stamped on their laudable efforts. (25) CHAPTER XIX. THE TOWN OF NEWPORT. Xe\v|)ort. the seat of justice for Vermillion county, Indiana, was platted, or lecunled as a "\illage," July 28, 1828. and re-platted and corrected up for permanent record. March 8, 1837, by S. S. Collett: its location is in section 2d. township ly. rani^e 9 west. The first dry goods store opened here was by Daniel E. Jones, whose entire stock could have easily been carried on a wagon. This business was estaljlished in this manner: Jones was shi])ping hogs, some of which died. These w ere rendered into soap, wdiich was sold for goods. Later. Mr. Jones became a wealthy man, went to Chicago, where he became a millionaire, and died in that city. The first good residence in Newport was a l)uilding north of where the Methodist l''])iscopal church was erected. For mam- )ears the trees of this tow II were noted for their beautx' and size. .\ mimber of locust trees were planted in 1832 and in 1887 had grown to measure o\er two feet in diam- eter, while one apple tree had grown to the imusual size of o\-er three feet in diameter. Xewport was incorporated as a town early in the spring of 1870. The records show that the first officers w ere : ^^'illiam E. Livengood. president of the board: Clark Leavitt. Benjamin K. Dicken and E. V. Jackson: J. .\. Souders. clerk. Other presidents have been : E. ^'. Jackson. James A. Ikdl. E. M. Bishop. S. H. Dallas. James A. b'oland. William 1^. Henson, ()li\er Knight. James Hasty. Robert Landon. Cabin .\rrasniith. Robert E. Sears. John W. Cross. Passing' down to the present time the officers are: Presi- dent. I. M. Casebeer: other members nf the board. William .\shton. Her- bert C. Sawyer and John A. Darby; clerk, Clarence ]\Iagers: marshal. Matlicw- C. .\shcraft: treasiu-er. Robert A. \\'iltermood : William C. \\'ait. solicitor. Three attempts have been made to dissolve the incorporation of X^ew- port. Init all failed. The last was in 1877. when the question was put to the voters and b\- a majority of nineteen it was decided to hold the incorpora- tion. The town is still without a system of water works, but is furnished (under a ten-year contract) from Cayuga with a good electric lighting sys- tem. The town hall is leased. PARKE AND VERMIT.I.ION COUNTIES. INniAXA. 387 doini;" l);ick nian\' years, the town was noted fur its niilliiii; interests. An olil mill stootl un Market street, called the luireka .Mills, run by steam. It was Ijuilt by James A. I'ell. who sold to L'urtis & White, who in turn sold to B. J. Abbott, and while in the possession of the latter. January j6. r88_'. it was burned. b\- a careless act of an eni|)lo\c-, and was ne\'er rebuilt. The loss wa-. estimated at three thousand the hundred dollars. The chief industr\- is now the e\tensi\'e tile works of William l)ee. a Chicago capitalist, who has a series of plants for clay-working in this and Parke counl\. These works run da\' and night, the \'ear around. The banking interests ha\e beeti already noticed in another cha])ter. The newspapers of \ew])ort will be found in the I'ress cha])ter. and the churches and schools in other chapters. ( )n the night of .Mav 3. 1884. the Newport postoffice was robbed of three hundred and tift\ dollars, the safe being blown open. The burglars were frightened awa\ b\ the ])assing of a vrnnig man in the \-icinitv before the\' obtained all that tluw hail intenush. Wiltermood Bros. (R. A. and George). Shetland I'ony Ivarm — L. J. Place. Saw-mill — Charles T. E\ans. Shoe Rejjair and Custom Work — John 1). Brown. The B. A. W. Gasoline Light Manufacturing Company — I>eniamin A. Wil- termood. Transfer Line — Andrew J. \\ ise. Tile \Vork.s— William E. Dee Clay Works. Theater — "Idle Ibnu' Moving Pictures" — Elbert S. Nichols. CHAPTER XX. CLIXTOX TOWXSHIP. Clinton townsliip, named in honor of De Witt Clinton, a former gov- ernor of X'ew York state, is the southern sub-di\ision in \'erniillion county. It contains fi.rt\-t\\o s(|uare miles, and in 1880 had a ])Opulation of 3.000. with ];ers()na' ]irop;rtv xalued. in i8S_', at $643,675. Its population in igio was (including the citv) y.341. with an assessed \aluation in city and town- ship an-'ounting to S3. 842. 335. John X'annest, the first settler in tliis count}', located in section 9, of this township, in iSifi. See an account of his settlement in the general chapter on "Early Settlement." The next to enter Clinton township was John Heard, w ho located and built the first house in what is now the city of Clinton, and in either i8ig or 1820 l)uilt what was later styled Patton"s mill, three and a half miles southwest of Clinton, the same lieing \'ermil!ion county's first mill. ]\Ir. Beard was also an early justice of the peace. In 1818 came William Hamilton, who had sons, John and William, who lived many years in the county, W'illiam dying about 1878. The parents of Xelson Reeder came from Ohio and settled here in 1818. Judge Porter, of New York state, settled here in 1819. His son Charles was born in 1816. was a good and useful citizen. Init finally ended his own life l)y suicide. John J. Martin, who died in about 1884. was in his second \ear when his parents moved to Clinton township in 181 9. The same vear Daniel McCulloch. born in York state in 1797, .settled in Clinton township, this county, on a farm fi\e miles southwest of Clinton. His son, W. B. McCulloch. was born here in 1830. It was in 1820 when the parents of John Wright. Sr.. emigrated with him from New York to Clinton townshiix George Wright came in 1832. and died many vears ago. .Major (_ hunu. a regular arnn- officer, came here from Terre Haute some time ])re\ious to 1820. and was ;;n efticient soldier in dri\-ing the Indians away from this settlement. He also particijjated in the battle of Tippecanoe. und.tT (leneral Harrison, on November 7. 1811. He was nian\- ^•ears one of the justices of the |)eace in Clinton township. His son. Thomas, was man\- vears an honored citizen here. PARKE AND \ERM II.I.ION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 39I Jiihn (."'(ULT, Inini Ohio, Incatcd in Clinton lowiiship in 1 Sj i , with liis son, Joscpha A. Clo\er. Josluia Dean, a native of X'irqinia, l)orn in icSoi. settled in this township in iSjj. and died alxnit 1S77. The Xndvews family, including several sons, located here in 1822. Henry and Eli Shew, natives of North Carolina, were mere boys when they located as residents of Clinton township. The former was horn in 1813 and came here in 1823. and the latter, horn in 1811;. w as hr(]Ui;iU here in i8j_^. Capt. William S\\an was born in Pennsylvania in 1802, settled in Clin- ton township, this county, in i82_^, was a member of the tirst jm-v in X'ermil- lion coimt\- and followed the rixer, making over sixtv trips to Xew ( )rleans on both rafts and flat-boats. He was a Unix'ersalist in his religious belief, and a h'reemason. He died at Clinton. January 29. 1887. Washington Potter, who was still living in 1887. was eight years old in 1823. when he was brought to this township from ()hio. He was a carjienter by trade. Silas Da\MS. a cooper and farmer, was horn in 1818. and came to this townshi]) in 1823. The parents of William and Israel Wood came here in 1824. The same year came John W. Hedges. His son. l)i-. 1. P.. Hedges, was born October 30. 1819. died February 24. 1883. and was buried in the Clin- ton cemetery. It was also in 1824 when the father of Walter (',. Crabb, born in Favctte county, Ohio, came here to reside. In 1827 came James 11. .\llen. born in CMiio in 1S22. John Payton. an early merchant in Clinton, born in Ohio in 1818. came here in 1828. The same \'ear came James Clark. Sr.. from Ohio, where he was born in I7<)8. He became a sturdy farmer ;i mile and a half west of Clinton. .Samuel l)a\idson. deceased many years since, was born in Ohio in 1817. and settled in this townshii) in 1830. Martin X. Davidson was born in Ohio in 1829, was brought here in 1832. li\eidh- that it is imjiossi- ble to trace their comings and goings, but they included manv of Clinton township's best citizens. A former history of \'ennillion countv 'niention>. in 1887. the fact of there being three or four saw-mills in Clinton township, besides the two lo- cated at Clinton. Also that one of the largest agricultural interests in the township, at that date, was the extensive stock farm of Claude Mathews at Hazel Bluff, on Brouillet's creek, some three miles from Clinton. Of the churches and schools of Clinton township, the general chapters on these lojiics - il' trca' in detail. Also the .Treat coal niinin;,' interests form PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 393 a special chapter, licncc will iKit In- inenliMiR'd in this lownship hislury. This is the ci\i! township in which is situated the city u\ Clinton, the larsjest place in the county, whose separate history appears in another chapter. .\nother town of the township of Clinton is Fairview Park, adjoining the city of Clinton, platted in 1902 and is a separate incorporation. It has a popu- lation of about seven hundred, and has numerous stores and shops, w ith many residences, schools and churches. CH. NITER XXI. EUGEXK TOWxXSHIP. This townsliip is the second fruni the north Hne of the county, and is bounded on the east l)y Parke count} , the Wabash river being the dividing Hne : on the south is X'erniilhon township, on the west is the state of Illinois, and on the north is Highland township. In this portion of \'ermilIion county, more than at any other point, were the Indian villages, battlefields and first trading posts, as well as the first settlements by white men. While it is true that John \'annest settled the count\- first in Clinton t(j\\nship. the settlement in Eugene was much more rapid than in other parts of the county. Eugene township contains thirty-three square miles, and in 1880 had a population of 1,340, with personal property valued at $681,000. In 1910 the population was. including Cayuga, 2.1 12. In igii the assessed \aluation of both per- sonal and real property in this township was $1 .^jfi.oS^. exclusi\-e of New- port, which had $402,720. In 1869 Prof. John Collett discoxered. in a nidiind near luigene, a small coin u|)on which was an untranslatal)le inscription, in characters closeh- re- sembling .\rabic. This mound was covered with full-grown forest trees. Early settlers near Eugene village found an ax imbedded in the heart of an oak tree, with one hundred and twenty-five rings about it. thus indi- cating that the implement had been left there as earlv as 1712. or more than two hundred years ago. It was probably left there by the Erench people, possibly a missionary. It is true that dififerent kinds of timber, growing in different soils, may vary in the years noted by the "'timber rings," but this ax was evidentl}- placed there long before the Revolutionarv struggle. The following rare exhibition of animal nature occurred in this town- ship: One evening about sundown in April, 1868. as "Eel" Vickers. who lived about four miles northwest of Eugene village, was returning home from a house-raising, he was suddenly alarmed by the scream of a hnx. which he soon discovered was in pursuit of him. Being unarmed, he dared not give battle, and began to run homeward with all liis might. Of course the bea.st could easily enough have overtaken N'ickers at a boun a])i)r(iaclic(l his limise tin.- animal juni|)0(l arciuml in tnnu uf iiim. In iuK-nx-]!! his ])assa,t;c tn the house; hut at this ciitieal ninment. tlie (loi^s arrixed and chased it away. It- |)re\i(ius \elp- int;" had alarmed them and hiiiu<;ht them (JUt just in time, hut unt a second too soon. K.\KI.V SETTI.E.MENT. It was in Eugene towiishij) tiiat the Groenendykes, Thompsons, I'orlers, Armours, Colletts, Hepburns, Colemans, Malones. Naylors, Shelbys and oth- ers effected a settlement. .Many of iliese \\orth\- pioneers left numerous descendants who became and are still residents and influential citizens of Vermillion county. The firsl mill in this county was that erected in ("inlon tnwn.-hip li\' Jolm Heard, either in i8iis' \'ermillion river, at the ])oint in the northern ])ortion of Eugene township where the \-illage of Eugene was laid out. This was for man_\- years the best and largest mill in \^ermillion county. The following is an incomjiletc chronological list of pioneers who made their way to Eugene township between i8t6 and 1840: 1816 — Noah Hubbard, with a w ife and a large famih- of children, .\fter residing here many years he became a Aformon and went to Missouri, to join his people, then to Nauvoo, Illinois, remaining with them until they were driven away by the Oentiles, about 1847, when he returned to this county and began preaching that ])ccnliar doctrine. Rejoining the .Mni-nmns in the colonv at Coimcil Bluffs, Iowa, he died there. 1818 — Isaac Coleman settled three miles south of Eugene, on the i)rairie since known as Coleman's prairie. Judge J. M. Coleman came to the township a year later, from X'irginia, settling on section 16, township 17, range 9 west, and was long and intimatelv associated with the Collett families, lie had aided in laxing out the cit\- of Indianapolis, and also Terre iiaute, where he also built the old court house. In this count v he was one of the first grand jurymen. ;md an associate judge. Subse(|uentl\'. he remoxed to Iowa City, Iowa, where he built the State 1 louse, died and was l)uried there. The srune year (1818) came Major JauH's I'lair, who settled on the northeast (piarter of section Ui. townshi]) 17, range 9 west, anecame \er\- wealtln-, died here manv vears since. 1825 — The parents of James Sheward, who was born tin'-; year. I'.zekiel Sheward about 1870 in the township. 1826 — William Lultz. Sr., l)iirn in l'enns\l\;ini;i in 1X05, with his wife Nanc\', came to Eugene township this year, locating on Sand I'rairie. Thev had thirteen children. The ])arents of Josejih Holtz. who was Uirn in Ohio in 1822. came to the countv in this year. John Holtz, who was burn in Ohio, the same year, settled here in 1834. 1827 — Samuel \\'. ^^alone. born in Ohio in 1810. came to lielt town- shi]). this county, in 1824. and to Eugene townshi]^ in 1827: he conducted a hiitel fur a number of \cars. M. W. Xewiuan, bm-n in \'irginia in 181 1, was still a resident of the townshii) in 1887. Martin I'atrick came some time before 1827. Hiram Patrick was born here in 1829, and William Patrick, in 1831, lived here many years, then moved to Missouri, .\bout this date came also John Ross, born in Ohio in 1829. and brought here the same year. 1828 — Ig^natius Sollars, who died in June, 1833. Nancy, wife of Tru- man Sollars, died September 15, 1869, aged fifty-seveu and a half years. Mat- thew Cole, born in Ohio in 1824, was brought to this county in 1828. as was 398 PARKE AXD VERIIILI.IOX COUXTIES, INDIANA. also [esse Smith, from Tennessee, the year of his birth. Tlie same year came also W. L. Xa\lor, and tlie next year Lewis T. Xa_\-lor. who still resitled here in the latter eighties. Both were born in Ohio, W. L. in 1821 and Lewis T. in 1826. Benjamin Xaylor, another old resident, was torn in 1826. Jacob lies, who died fort\- years or more ago, was the father of James B. lies, born in 1829. and lacol) H.. born in 1833. Ixith nati\'es of this count}'. 1829 — John Hepburn. Sr.. who was born in \ irginia, died here about 1880. John Hepburn, Jr.. was a native of \'ermillion county, this state, Williani Hepburn was born in Ohio in 1823, and was lirought here in 1829. Enoch W. Lane, born in Ohio in 1798, died here I)efore 1850. 1830 — John Sims, born in \'irginia in 1808, lived a mile and a half south of Eugene many \ears. "Crate" Sims, his son. was born in \'irginia the same vear. Charles S. Little, from \'irginia. located near Eugene in 1830. and died in 1852. aged sixty-three years. His wife, whose maiden name was Rachel Moore, died, aged eight\- years, southwest of Xewport. in 188 1. Rev. Enoch Kingsbury came from Massachusetts to Eugene about 1830. and organized the Presbvterian church. His wife. Fannv G.. taught schon! there for a number of terms. Their eldest son, James G. Kingsbury, one of the editors and ]>ublishers of the Indiana Farmer at Indianapolis, was born at the resi- dence of Dr. .\sa R. Palmer, twcj miles north of Eugene village, in 1832. The same vear the famih- removed to Dan\ille. Illinois, where Mr. Kingsburv organized a church and preached there many \ears. He also acted in the capacity of a home missionary, preaching in neighboring counties both in Indiana and Illinois, till the close of his life in 1868. 1S31 — Harrison Alderson. whu died at a \er\- earh dav here, came that vear to this township. 18:^2 — I'hilo and Mild H^sford, twins, born in Xew York in 181 i. ^lilo died in January. 1880. after having spent a most useful and excellent life in this count}'. He was niany years in the emplo\' of Samuel Gronendyke. Joseph Wigley, this year, came to Eugene township. 1833 — Isaac .\. Brown. Sr.. horn in Tennessee in i8i(). settled "Brown Town."' and was still living in the latter part of the eighties. He haci at one time in his life weighed three hundred pounds. 1834 — John Rheuby. about this year, came in from Illinois and settled: he was a pioneer in Illinois in 1826. William Reuby was born in this county in 1.834- J- ^^ ■ Boyd was 1)orn in Pennsylvania in 1828. died here in the eighties. 1837 — The parents- of Edward P.. and Joseph Johnson: father died manv years since. Edward B. was born in Indiana in 1830, and Jo.seph in this PARKE AND VFRMUIJOX COl'XTIES, TKDIANA. 399 CO unt\ in iSo4. < ioldnian M. Hail. Ixiru in 'I'cnnfssce in iXix;. dieil in 1886. lames C. Intl. liorn in Xirj^inia in ]8if). rcnioxod frnni En.i;cnf to the sonth part of \'e!-mil!ion coiintw i8_^c; — Harne\ \ amlevanilcr, liovn in Illinois in iSjj. was a resident of Eutjene in 1888. (")tlier pioneers, whose _\ears of arrival are not ^i\en. are Zeiio W'urth and Sliuhael dardner. from Xorth (Carolina, who seltleil in W'alnnt (lro\e. Mr. Worth selected lands which were held hv his famil_\- man_\- \ears and still largely within the names of his descendants, the .sfeneratinn now numbering five in this county. Alexander Uichardson came that \ear also, and died in Indianapolis in 18(14. or possih'v a little later. Lewis Hollingsworth was horn in this count\' in 1835. On ("oleuian's ])rairie settled families named \\'ilson. Dicken. Hopkins, etc. John R. Porter. A. M., circuit judi^e for many years, and an advanced farmer between Eugene and Newport, was horn in I'ittslield. Massachusetts, Fehruar\- jj. ijqC). of an "old English familx :" graduaU'd at I'nion College. Schencctadx . New ^'ork. in 1815. taking the first honors of his c'ass. He studied law. and in 1818 liecame a ])artner of his i)rece])tor. About 1820 he came to Paoli. Orange count\'. Indiana, where he was countv clerk, postmaster and circuit judge. While there he married Mai-y Worth. Rccei\ing while there the appointment of president judge of western Indian.a. he mo\ed to this county, settling in Eugene township. His circuit extended from the Ohio ri\er to Lake Michigan. His term expired in ^l^;},J. Were he was elected judge of the court of common pleas for the counties of I'arke and \>rmillion. which oftice lie held until his death, alioiit 1830. He wa< a ]>romiuent states- man in carlv da\s. in laying the foundation of Indiana jurisprudence. Was a close reader of Eastern agricultural pajjers. and also of ancient classics, as well as foreign magazine literature. His conversational jiowers were conse- quently great, and his letters to the press were gems of eloquence. He was in correspondence, more or less, with such men as (Icneral Harrison. Henry Clav. Daniel Web.ster. etc., besides many (leorgia "colonels." Prominent In- diana men were frequently his guests. He was the leading spirit in all the public meetings in his neighborhood assembled I'or the deliberation of meas- ures of public welf.ire. He was president of the i^ogansport convention, which gave initial direction to the construction of the W'abash X'alley Railroad. As an agriculturist he was scientific and in advance of all his neighbors — so tar indeed as often to excite their ridicule. He leil in the rearing of fine • wooled sheep, and in the cultivation of Switzer lucerne, ruta-bagas. sugar beets, nioris. multicaulis. Raden corn and hem]). These paid him well in 400 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. pleasure derived therefrom, if not in money receipts. The Judge was a broad, man\-sided man. the hkes of whom are seldom met with in any generation. TOWNS .\.\1) NII.L.KGES. The tow lis ami \ illages of this tuw nship are chiefly Eugene and Cayuga. Of Eugene, it mav be stated that it was laid out by S. S. Collett, in 1^27, about the "Big \ermillion"' mills of James Groenendyke. Samuel W. Ma- lone, who later became a noted hotel keeper there, located at that point in 1S27. He was still hale and hearty in icSS/. James P. Xaylor. father of William L. Naylor, came in the next year. Eugene is but another example of how a railroad ma\- kill or make a town. The Toledo, Chicago & Eastern railroad Iniilt its line a little to the south of this \illage and then started up Cayuga. In 1887 Eugene had a po])ulation of about five hundred people. Its present population is placed at four hundred. The following was written of this village nearl\- tliirtv years ago : "'Two or three conspicuous features strike the stranger who visits the place. One is a most magnificent row of shade trees for a distance of two scpiares on the west side of the main busi- ness street — these are sugar maple. Each tree, with a perfectly symmetrical head, covers an area of forty feet in diameter. In the western part of the village is the most beautiful, perfect large white elm the writer e\er saw. ■'The ground on which Eugene is situated is just sandy enough to l^e good for gardening and at the same time jirevent mud in rainy season, ^\'ells are sunk only eighteen or twenty feet to find the purest water in a bed of gravel. Several large springs are in the \-icinity. The river, especialh' l)e!ow the mill dam, aft'ords the best fishing of all ])oints probabh' within a fiftv mile ladius. l-'ish weighing si.xtv pounds or more are sometinies caught, and (ier- man carp, one of the planted fish, weighing eight ])0unds are occasionalh' cap- tured. "The country here is all underlaid with coal. There is one vein of nine feet with only a seam of ten or twebe inches dixiding it." On the bank of the river here was erected by James nroenend\ke some time previous to 1824 a water saw and grist-mill, which, with its successors, enjoyed the greatest notoriety of all in Vermillion count} . W'hile ^Nlr. Cole- man owned it. more than forty years ago, the dam went out. and in 1885 a new mill was erected, it being the third building on the same mill site, two having burned. The 1885 mill was a large roller-process plant, managed by Samuel Bowers. The first newspaper in this county had its birth and death at Eugene. It PARKE AND VKUM II.I.IDN COUNTIES. INDIANA. 4OI was the .\"t'ri.'.f Letter, by \)\-. R. .M. Wati-rnian. and it was estal)lislR-il in iS,^/. and breathed its hist six months later ! The Inisiness interests o\ tins xilhige are not lar^e, in fad tlie raih^oads and bniicHng up of other towns lias cast a settled gloom over all former hopes of greatness. But around this quiet. r|uaint old country village rests many a fond, almost sacred memory, to the mind nf the pioneers' children and grand- children. CAYUGA. Cayuga ( (jr Eugene Statii>n. a> it was called man_\ years ago) is at the railroad crossing of the north and south and the east and west lines of rail- roads in Eugene township (the ''Clover Leaf" and the Chicago & Eastern Illinois). The census books for lyio gave it a ])iipulation of almost one thousand people. It was at lir>t named OsoninidU. after ;in Indian chief of that name. The place is alive to every worthy business enterprise and its people are a whole-souled class, who seem to live "for the hea\en that smiles abo\e them and the good that they can do.'' The Cayuga mills were built in 1885 b\- a companx' consisting of Samuel K. Todd. Monroe G. Hosford and Eli H. McDaniel. It was a full roller process with a daily capacitv of one hundred barrels, ll was run by a se\'enty- horse-power engine. This mill was built in the midst of a wheat field, and w as a success from the start. Of the churches, lodges and schools of Ca_\iiga. the reader is referred to other chapters in this \o!tnne. on these s]iecial topics. .\ Grand .\rmy of the Republic post was organized at Caxiiga in 18-6. with about tweiUy-twd charter members and later had as high tis thirt\'-hve enrolled. The first post commander was William C. I-'ichelberger. A Good Templar society was formed liere in 187:^ and continued until 1884. It had seventv members. The Red Ribbon movement was introduced here by Tyler Mason and the P>hie Ribbon movement l)y George McDonald. In T88r) a total abstinence society was formed, made up largely of reformed drunkards. It was sometimes referred to as the "Reformed Roosters." The churches of today in Caxiiga are the Christian. I'niied r.rethren. In Union, the Presbyterian. The lodges arc the Masonic. Odd l'"ellows. Knights of Pythias. Woodmen of the World and Moo.se. The \illage was made a town by act of incoriwration in about 1891. and its present officers are: President of the board. John T. Iliggins: the bal- ance of the board are S. C. Darroch. J- X. Spinks. Claire \'an Duyn. O. P. Williams: town clerk, George T. Ritter: marshal. Charles Prater (26) 402 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES. INDIANA. The town is lighted hy an electric plant owned by a Chicag-o capitalist, while the telejihone service is of home capital. The town has great need of water works. The electric light plant here supplies the county seat. Newport. Avith lights, under a ten-year contract. The postoffice safe was blown up by dynamite at one-thirty o'clock on the morning of .\pril u. 1890. So hca\}- was the charge that the safe was liliiwn to fragments. Window glass was broken in the front of residences and l)usiness houses. Xo money was obtained, however, neither an)- stamps: but the midnight thieves carried aw^iy many \alual)le papers belonging to the postmaster, and also those of Conway & M. ^^^ Coffin, lawyers. Xo clue was e\er had to the parties who blew up the office, collett's home for orphans. This institution is situated near the Vermillion and Eugene township line, about three and one-half miles from X^ewport. the countv seat. It was opened in Jime. 1902. and was founded hv Prof. John Collett and bisephus Collctt. l)oth deceased, but whose proi>ert\' had been di\ided so that it was possible to endow this home. It stands on a beautiful fonr-hundred-acre tract of farm land. It is a handsome building, costing originally twenty thou- sand dollars. The home was first opened by a su])erintendent wdid had lieen elected by the trustees of the Collett estate, named Charles ^^^ Ward," with Mr. and Mrs. A. R. Campbell, of Danville, Illinois, as overseer and matron. The conditions u])ou which this orphans' home was founded were such that any bright orphan whd had lived in \'ermillion countv six months might be received and cared for, but no idiots or feeble-minded children find a home here, save in special cases. .\t first, before the place became too much cmwded, old ladies of good character were allowed a home here, but after a few \ears it was found tliat childhood and old age did not seem to agree one w ith the other, and the ladies had to leave the home. ' The board reserves the right to reject any the}- see fit, but the worthy and unfortunate orjihan here is e\-er w-elcome and w-ell cared for. One thing was sti])ulated in the endnwu'ent. and that was that the ])lace should forever be for orphan cbi'dren and that the name should never be changed. The building is thirty-seven bv ninety feet, and the rooms include library, reading rooms, matron's and superinten- dent's offices and rooms, an overseer's room. etc. Toilet rooms and bath rooms are provided on both floors. An excellent kitchen and butler's room, a nursery department, for boys and girls, a sick room, a basement, with laundry. dry room, vegetable cellar and coal room with a large attic, where is a play SOLDIERS' MOXUMBNT. CLINTON. THE COLLETTS ORPHANS' HOME. PARKE AND \EKMIFJ.ION COUXTIES, INDIANA. 4O3 house and room for ten extra Ijeds, completes the rooms of the home. The floors are hard maple and the rooms are finished in hard pine. A large porch extends over the entire frontage of the building, and attractive columns, two feet in diameter, extend fiDiu the ground u]) in front >>\ both stories, which are of the Southern colonial .style of architecture. .\ beating plant and light- ing plant provide mauv conveniences. This institution is a credit to the designers and the kind-hearted men of ])hil;inthnipy. who made it possible to ])ro\ide such an excellent home for orphans in ^'ermillion county. The board of trustees, with the secretary and treasurer, annually ])r()vide for the man- agement of the home, which has acconi]>lishcd much good already. .\s the years go by the jjcople more and more appreciate this generous gift from two highly honored men who sought the happiness of the weak and parentless ■ children. The orphan. abo\-e all others, will ever exclaim "Peace be to the ashes of the two Colletts.'" The i^resent secretar\- of the hunic is G. W. Wail, nl .\e\\]n)rt. Tlic author is indebted largely to the editor of the floosicr SUilr. published at Xewport. for the abo\c tacts concerning this humane institution and its BUSINESS INTERESTS IN I912. .\t Cavuga in the winter of i(ji_'-i_^ the l)u>ines> inlerests consisted of the following: Banking — The First National. General Dealers — Richardson llros.. linrton Dry Gooils Com])any. Hale & Darrow. Van Houtin ( b". V.. Ik Sou). Groceries — Galbreath &■ Schriuer. C M. ( iuy. Hardware — Fable & Son. (i. 1,. \Vatsf)n & Co. (also undertaking and furniture). Furniture — Thomas .\. Sprouts. Clothing — L. L. Haughn. Five and Ten Cent Store — John S. Grondyke. Drug-s — Booe & Booe, Daniel Conway. Farm Implement.s — J. O. Higgins. Lumber — James Morgan & Com])an\'. Grain and Coal — Cayuga Milling Company. Photographs — A. D. Conelly. Mills — Cayuga Milling Company. Jewelry — George T. Ritter. Harness Shop and Shoes — Whittington Bros. (N. T. and \\'. W.). 404 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Restaurants — Charles P. Aliller, A. X. Mendenhall, Charles Gillis. Hotels — The Higgins and the Cayuga House. Newspaper — The Herald. Blacksmith Shops — Claire \'an Duyn. William P. Brown. Barber Shops — T. T. Sollers, Daniel Sollers, Milt Laughlin. Opera House — Frank Lindsley, manager. Meat Market— Ed. T. McMillen. Livery — A. L. Clark. Bakery — Cayuga Bakery, James A. Barr, proprietor. Canning Factory — C. P. Miller, president. Telephone and Light Companies. Physicians— Drs. E. A. Flaugher, W. P. & S. C. Darroch, AL R. Pol- lom. Dentist — George E. Wier. There are several small "farmers' " coal mines in the neighborhood. There are two brick plants, the Acme and the Cayuga Brick Company. The canning factory, a home industry, packs corn, peas and tomatoes. CHAPTER XXIT. IIELT TOWXSHTP. Ilelt township is the second from the southern Hne of X'erniilHon county and extends from the Wabash ri\cr west to the state line of Indiana and Illinois. It contains seventy-two s(|uarc miles, and in tSSo liad a [loimlation of 3,027, with a personal property valuation of $1,411,745. The igio United States census gave this township a population of 3,543, including the town of Dana, which had a population of 748. This is one of X'ermilhon county's most wealthy and progressive agriculttu-al sub-di\-isions. and has numerous towns, villages and hamlets within its borders. Its farming and mineral resources are very large and constantly on the increase. Land is doubling in' value and the citizens are now; in a jirosperous condition finan- ciallv. Her schools and churches, which arc of the u]vto-date type, are treated in other separate chapters. PIOXEF.R SKTTl.E.M KXTS. While the following is not a complete list of all the men and women who sought homes here in the pioneer days, it gives the most of them in the years noted : ,817.18 — In the winter of 181 7- 18 came (Ibediah Swayze. who occu- pied, as a "squatter," one of the three cabins just built by the Melts. He. however, remained as a permanent citizen. His remains now lie buried in Helt's Prairie cemetery, with his wife, two sons and a daughter. He had a grandson in 1887, living in Kansas City, whose name was Wesley Wright. i8t8— Daniel Helt, after whom the prairie and township were named. was born in Pennsylvania in 1791. was a soldier in the war of 181 2. under General Harrison, and died March 25. 1879. a good man and an acceptable member of the Methodist Episcoi)al church. George, John and Micliael Helt. all long since deceased. C. B. Thomas. Hiram. K. B. and F. M. Ilelt were all born here in pioneer times. Augustus Ford, from Ohio, long since deceased. His son John, born in Ohio, in 1800. came with him anrl died May 6. 1882, after having lived upon the farm first occupied for half a cen- tury. Mr. Rodney, from Maine. John Skidmore. who died at the age of 406 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES. INDIANA. eighty years. Hon. William Skidniore. born February 19, 1819, died in the eighties. George Skidmore was born in 1824 and Josiah Skidniore in 1831. Samuel Rush, father of James, who was born in Ohio in 1817. This year., or soon thereafter, C. C. Middle (or John Hiddle. according to one version) and John Martin came and Iniilt the first cabin on Riddle's Prairie. 181Q — Samuel Ryerson. who died January 31. 1862. at Clinton. His wife Phebe died in the autumn of 1874, aged seventy-nine years. She was a remarkable woman. At the age of twelve years she had never heard one pray. At that time she attended a Methodist meeting, where the expected preacher did not arrive, and the class leader sang and prayed, which was the means of her conviction and conversion and she remained a zealous mem- ber of the church all of her life. She and her husband formed the first Methodist Episcopal class on Kelt's prairie, consisting of ei.ght persons, soon after their settlement here. A short time before her death she willed one thousand five hundred dollars to the missionary society, five hundred dollars to Asbur\- Unix'ersit}-. two hundred dollars to the educational fund of this county and two hundred dollars to the Biblical Institute at Evanston. Illi- nois, besides other sums to various indi\iduals. Mathew Harbison came this year. Joseph flarbison was boru in this township in 1834. 1820 — Mr. Hood, father of Charles D. and S. S. Hood, both of whom were born in Tennessee in 1814 and 18 15, and they were still here in the late eighties. According to one authority. Joel Hollingsworth arrived in ITelt township this vear. 1821 — Abraham and Enoch White. The latter was born in Kentucky in 1814. James Harper. Stephen Harrington, who was born in Ohio in 1814, was a resident here during most of the county's existence. \\'arham (or "\\'iruni"') Mack, born in Ohio in i8oi. died here. The cither Macks came later. 1822 — William Andrew, Sr., tanner and farmer, born in Ohio in 1807. and died of heart disease in 1870. two miles .southwest of St. Bernice. a member of the United Brethren church, John Conlev came the same \ear. M. A. Conlev. long a resident; was born in this township this year. James Conley. born in Ohio in 181 7. and William Conley were both pioneers here. 1823 — Alanson Church, His son Josiah was born here September 29. 1823, and died in January, 1884. two and a half miles west of Summit Grove. Eleven of his twelve children were still living in 1887. John Peer. Sr.. born in Virginia, has long since been decea.sed. John Peer. Jr.. a resi- PARKE AND XKRMII.I.KIN COUNTIES, INPTAXA. 4O7 dent, was Ixirn here in 1834 The I'earnian faniilx', i)t the \(iun<;er nienibers (jf which John was still lixin,^- in 1886. 1824 — John A'an Lamp, in \\ htxse house this \ear was the first electinn held in the township, mo\ed to Missouri. John Langston. father of Oliver Langston. William L. Malone. horn in Ohio in 1805. Richard, his son. born in Ohio in 1826. later residefl in Dana. 1825 — Caleb Bales, Sr., from Virginia, died in 1836. Calel) l>ales, Jr.. was still li\ing in this township in the ei,ghties. William Bales was born in Virginia in 1827 and settled in this county in 18,^1. \^'illiam F. Bales was born in i82c>. Chandler Tillotson, who came to this county about the same period, died in this township. Daniel G. and G. B. Tillotson were born here in 1825. 1826 — Edwin (or Edmund). William and Elijah James. S. R. Josejih. W. A. and S. R. James were all natives of this county and resided in Melt township. Mr. Keyes. father of Dr. C. F. Keyes, of Dana. The Doctor (the senior) was torn in Indiana in 1822. brought to Helt township, where he was reared. He became a competent physician, and died at Dana Febru- arv 8, 1884, leaving a wife and fi\e children. John \ an Dyn. born in Xew Jersey in 1803. Mr. Thompson came the same year. .\lso Mr. Rhoades. father of Stephen Rhoades, was born in Kenliickw- in 1822. William Kearn--. born in Kentucky in 1806, died in the seventies. His son John was born in 1832. Samuel Pyle was two years old at this date, and was brotight here and became later an honored citizen of the townshi]). 1827 — Washington Engram. born in Kentucky in i8r2. John O. Rog- ers, born in Helt township this year, later resided at the town of Dana. Asa Mack came in this year or the year just previously. His son. Dr. Erastus Mack, was born this year and another son, N. B. Mack, born in 1832. went to California. 1828 — Joel Hollingsworth, born in South Carolina in 1801. died .May 30, 1875, in this township. George Hollingsworth. a carpenter, was born in 1827 in Indiana, and was brou.ght here in 1839. 1829 — The h'rench family. Felix French, liorn here this year, went to Michigan. Samuel h'rench. long resident. Joseph and John Staats. broth- ers, were from Virginia. Israel and .\braham Leatherman were lads when thev arrived this year. Samuel Hoagland was born in this county in 1829, and was a citizen here for a lifetime. Wesley Southard was born in \'ir- ginia in 181 1. \\'illiam Russell. Sr.. born in X'irginia in 171)7. wa•^ --till living here in 1887. David and Mahlon Russell were born here, in 1830 and 1833. 408 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 1S30 — James. L. U'ishard. born in Kentucky in 1794, was a soldier in tlie war of 1812, and died about 1884. John O. Wishard, born in the same state in 1805, came in 1834 and has long been deceased. J. H. Wishard. a life-long resident, born in this year. James L. Payton, born in 1800. James Payton, born in 1835, also deceased. A. M. Payton was born in Kentucky in 1823 and was seven -^ears of age when brought liere. James A. Edmans- ton. born in Indiana in 182S, was brought here in 1830 and li\ed here many years, then moved to Illinois. Robert Norris, a native of South Carolina, born in 1796, died in this township in 1873. John T. Bowen. Sr.. horn in Tennessee in 1800, has been dead more than thirt\^ years. J. T. Bowen. Jr., was bom in this county in 183 1. Jacob Miller, born in Kentucky in 1818. Mary E. Miller, born in North Carolina in 1816,. came in 1831. John and O. R. Blakesley. born here in 1830 and 1833. remained residents until their death. 1831 — Joseph Jones, born in Kentucky in 1810: Matthew Junes, born in North Carolina in 1818; Thomas Jones, shoemaker, born in the same state in 1820: and Wiley Jones, also of the same state, all came this year. \A''iIey. however, soon removed to Illinois. \A'iniam Jones, an old resident in 1886, was born in Indiana in 1829. 1832 — James Andrews came to this township before 1834. Sarah Eliza Andrews, born in 1820. married Mr. Dethrick and moved West. Han- nah Andrews, born in Massachusetts in 1823. came to \'ermillion count}- in 1839. John W. Reed, born in North Carolina in 1822. resided here from 1832 until his death in September. 1885. at Dana. David Reed, born in North Carolina in 1825. was a resident here for many years. P. M. Stokes- berry. born in Ohio in t8o8, was deceased in 1886. James H. White was born in Tennessee in 1805. and O. J. ^\'hite was born this year in Helt township. William Higbee. born in Ohio in 1814. lived in the township until in the late eighties. 1833 — J. S. Fisher, born in Kentucky in 1808. died thirty years and more ago. Benjamin. James and Joseph Fisher, pioneers and life-long citi- zens. Benjamin Miles, born in Kentucky in 1813: also a 'Sir. Foncannon, from Virginia. H. W. and John R. Roshstan, living at Dana for many years. James A. and Elder and James R. Finnell, the former from Ohio, and the latter from Kentucky, were both eleven vears of age when lirought liere in 1833- 1834 — Samuel Aikman, born in Indiana in 1814. was a long resident in Dana, this township. Robert McDowell, born in Kentucky in 1820. J. D. ^IcDowell. born in A'ermillion coimtv in 1836. has been a h'fe-long resident. PARKE AND VEKMIl.l.ION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 4O9 Mr. Johnson came in the same \ear. jnlm R. jnhnsnn. l)orn in Oliio in 1833, was brought to this township in 1S34, ami S. Johnson was horn here in 1835. 1835 — Samuel Tnllis, born in \'irginia in 1704. resided here until his death, at Bono, October 14, 1877. a member of the Christian ehureh. John Jenks, born in Vermont in 1804, died many years since in this townshi]). .S. Ponton, born in Virginia in 1787. John S. Ponton, born in Ohio in 1831. died a resident of the townshi]) in 1886. John Jackson, who had several sons, is deceased. Andrew Jackson, born in Ohio in T<>2;i,. was still a resi- dent here in 1888. Joseph Jackson: James C. Purson ; T-^aac X. Pul'ington. born in Kentucky in 1807. 1836 — Cephas Mack, born in Massachusetts in 1815. died Ajiril 29, 1885, in PTelt tow^nship. Plis brother, Spencer, born in the same state, in 1818, settled here in 1838. hut died many years since. 1837 — Benjamin TTarper, horn in \'ir<;inia in t70''i. died here in August. 1877. John R. Porter, born in Massachusetts in 1824. died here in 1878. James F. Barnett. Sr.. born in Kentucky in 1815. after settlint^ here became a merchant in Eugene. 1838 — Henrv Mitchell, blacksmith, was born in New ^'ork in i8oq. died in this township in June. 1881. William W. Price, born in Maryland in 1811, was still a resident late in the eighties. ^^'. C. and Abel Randall, from Ohio, came the same year. 1830 — William Thompson, born in Kentucky in 1818. died in the sjiring of 1887. Daxid D. Thompson, born in the same state in 1827-. died Febru- ary I, 1880. Frastus Crane, born in \'ermont in 1804. resided in Helt town- ship from T839 to the time of his death. Elijah and X. E. Taylor. Reuben Pufifer, F. S. Aye and many more came to this township that year. 1840 — Stephen Milliken. born in Pennsylvania in 1803; J. T.. Powers, born in Virginia in 1803. Other very early settlers in Helt township in- cluded these : Samuel Rice. William Hays. Peter PTigbie. Henry Bogart. Richard. Isaac and Tohn Short. Carmack. etc.. all of whom have long since been numbered among the dead pioneers of \'ermillion county. ITEM.S OF INTEREST. The first white child born in Pleit township was Hon. \Ml!iam Skid- more, in 1819; and it is still an unsettled question whether he or John Van- nest, Jr., of Clinton township, was the first child born in \'ermilIion county. The earliest church building in this township was the Salem church, on Halt's prairie, erected in 1848. 410 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. The first school taught on this i^rairie was prior to 1830. The first mill in Helt townsliip was built upon the hank of Coal brauL-h. a small stream that takes its rise in the central part of the township and flows southwest. This mill was built by William Anderson in 1836. but was abandoned more than a third of a century ago, and the stream that once fur- nished the w-ater power to propel its machinery now looks as though it would have been impossible to ha\e furnished sufficient power to run the machinerv. The old Davis ferry, at Opedee. three and a half miles below Newixjrt, was a famous place in early days, as it was the favorite jilace in earlv times, for crossing the Wabash ri\'er, for those who were traveling north, the sec- ond bottoms on the west side of the river afifording much better wagon roads than the east side. It was by this route that much of the teaming was done to Chicago, Ijefore canal and railroad days. FAMOUS FOX HUNTS. The first fox hunt of which there now seems to be any record in Ver- million county was that held March 31. 1883, when the citizens placed themselves, according to a pre-arranged plan, in a kind of a circle around a large section of territory, mostly in Helt township. At 9 130 in the fore- noon they started forward. All the marshals exercised due diligence to keep the men in proper shape, none of whom were allowed to be intoxicated or to carry a gun or ha\-e a dog with ihem. The east and north divisions, having to travel over a \er\- ])roken, hilly section of countr}-. and some of the men also disobeying orders, permitted eight fine foxes to escape. .\t eleven-thirtv o'clock men and boys could he seen in every direction, about eight hundred strong. a])proaching the center, and it was also observed at this moment that three red foxes were surrounded. Forming into a ring about fortv vards in diameter on the meadow near the Conley school house, three of the mo.st acti\'e young men entered the ring to capture the game by their unassisted hands. One fox, which was cri])pled in trying to pass out, was soon caught ; but the other two were chased for some time, when finalh- one of them broke the line where some women were standing and got awav. The remaining one, after being chased for some time by different ones, was finalK- caught by one Fred Ford. William Darnell was called for. who at auction sold the two foxes to the highest bidder, Richard Wimsett, of Opedee. Everv person present greatly enjoyed the day's sport. Having seen where thev erred in letting so many foxes away, they concluded March 1 3th. the next vear. to try it again, on a larger scale, but failed to ca])ture a single fox. and made PARKE x\ND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 4I I up tlieir niiiuls tliat there were no more foxes left in the lerritening vears of the second decade of the twentieth century. The tcjwns and villages of Helt town.ship are ipiite numerous, but none, aside from Dana, are of anv considvrable size. 412 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES. INDIANA. TORONTO. This is the name of an old postoffice at the village called Bono in the southwestern part of this township. The \ illage v.as started in 1848. by Tilly Jcnks and a few more, and at a time when the site was covered with a thick growth of timber and underbrush. Tlie first store was established by James Bacon, between 1850 and i8(io. In the .spring of 1863, Edward Eng- lish established a grocery store, selling out in August of the same year to Erancis I\I. .\ustin, who as late as 1887 was ruiming at that point a good- sized general store. John E. Hays was also in trade there at that time, ^^'hile the place was ne\er laid out or platted, it had most of the elements of a vil- lage pro]ier. save the organization formality. In 1885 it had a population of about eighty [)ersons. with one jjhysician. three churches (Presbyterian. Bap- tist and Methodist), one churcli building, a school house, blacksmith shop and a ])ost of the Grand Army of the Republic. The ])resent population is only about seventy-five. The postoffice was established here in 1871, with Francis M. Austin as postmaster, and he held the office many years. Bono was a postoffice established before Toronto was, and it was located a mile and a half tn the north, and ^vas discontinued on account of there being an- other by the same name in Indiana. JONESTOWN. NOW ST. BERNICE. What was originally styled Jones, but changes to Jonestown, on ac- count of another by that name in this state, was situated in the southwestern part of Helt township, and was named for Philip Jones, who owned a jwr- tion of the land on which it stood. It was laid out in Ci\il A\ar da\s about 1862, by Jones & \\'ellman. A log cabin was upon the site, and also a bet- ter dwelling, erected by Dr. Grimes the previous year. The pioneer store was Oldened by John .\mmerman. In the eighties, about twenty -five years ago. there were two general stores, one drug store, a grocery store, a flour- ing-mill. biu'lt in 1879, a blacksmith shop, a carpenter and cabinet-maker, a post of the Grand Army of the Republic, a brick schoolhouse. a L'nited Brethren church, one physician, a justice of the peace, a constable, and a postoffice, named St. Bernice, there being another Jonestown in the state. The office was established in 1863. with Dr. Wilson Grimes as postmaster. St. Bernice has now a population of about one hundred and fifty, or did have in 191 2 when the last census was taken. It is a station on the Chicago. Terre Haute & Southeastern railroad. PARKE AND NERMII.LION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 413 llILLSnAI.E. This is a heauti fully silualctl Htt'o hamlcl un the \vc-~t hank n\ ihc Wa- bash river, at the extreme eastern eml nt the township, and is the crussinj^ point of the two railroads, the Chicago & Eastern Illinois and the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton (now B. ,*v: O. sy.stcm). Hillsdale is located in section 2, township 15, range () west, ami was laid out in 1873 by E. Montgomery. The hr>t house w^as erected by 1 lart ^b)ntgomery, ;ind during the same vear he and his son established the first store, it being a general merchandise stock. A saloon came in next and the business of liquor selling has been a perpetual cur.se to the town from that day to this. Levi Bonebrake built the third house in the village. At one time there was a union depot fur tlie two roads, but several years ago one was provided for each railroad, and the improved block system of switches was put in to insure safety in train ser\- ice. The business interests have always been at the foot of the hill, near the two railroads, while the town's residences are nicel_\- situated on the hi'l. or really the third bench from the ri\er, the railrtiads occupying the second bench. The view from the heights is indeed splendid. There one finds numerous good ilwellings, a neat church and school house. Just south from Hillsdale. ])roper, is what was once known as .\lta. It is on the south side of I.ittle Raccoon creek. The two \illages arc now known as one. The population, in 19 12, is about two hundred and seventy -five. The unwritten historv of this village would, if trulv depicted, be of more interest than th.at which is known to tlie ])ul)lic. 1 lere many scenes of good and ill deeds have been enacted in the passing of the decades since the place had a name. Some might well be remembered and perpetuated, while many another transaction had better be forever buried in the shades of deep oblivion. In the autumn of 1912 there were the following business houses in Hillsdale: One drug store, three general stores, a grocery and meat shoj), the posti>ffice, barber shoj), millinery store, an exclusive grocery, two or more restaurants, a hotel, three boarding houses, etc. The Methodist E.pisco- pal church was erected of cement blocks in 1904, and is a fine structure, standing on the high hii! overlooking the valley. Here has re- sided for a half century pioneer John Wesley Casebeer, father of Dr. Case- beer, of Newport. After a wedded life of fifty-seven years. Mrs. Casebeer laid down the Imrdens of life a year or so ago. The inlluence exerted upon the village bv this worthy couple has been great. P.oth have been constant and loval workers in the Methodist Episcopal church. 414 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. At tilis i)oint mineral resources are good, consisting of coal, liuilding stone and excellent fire-clay. A mile to the north, at West Montezuma, is a large fire-brick factory. Iniilt in the early seventies and still doing an excel- lent and extensive business. It was originally built by Messrs. Burns, Por- ter & Collett. To the south of Hillsdale are other important clav industries. There is the National Tile and Drain Works, an immense plant making mil- lions of brick and tile annually. The church, lodge and school history of this part of the countv is treated under regular chapter headings on these topics. HIGHLAND. W hat was known at a \ery earlv da\" as Highland was a hamlet one mile to the north of Hillsdale, and at one time had a population of one hundred and fifty. It was one of the oldest trading points in A'ermillion countw ba\- ing been in pioneer stage-coach days a station on the route from Lafayette to Terre Haute. It had a postoffice for many years. l)ut when Hillsdale sprung into existence, by reason of the railroads, the ]^ostal business and of- fice was transferred to the last named place, the name nf the ])ostofhce also being then changed. .SUMMIT GROVE. This is a hamlet situated in Helt township, on the northwest i|uarter of section 26. and the northeast quarter of section 27. tnwnshi]! 13, range 9 west. It was sur\-eved bx' .\. Fitch. March 14, i where it empties into a large ditch. Its fall in this mile and a half is about eighteen feet. The exi>ense of this recent improvement in Dana was about $5,610, of which $2,983 is yet unpaid. It is assessed up against the lot owners of the corporation, and they alone will be allowed to u.se the same. The town hall of Dana is on Front street, built in 1900 at a cost of about 4l6 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. $1,400. The first floor is used for an engine house and the upper story for council rooms, etc. A town jail is in connection with this building. The fire company uf Dana is a volunteer one, headed by Chief Albert Brooks. There are few fires in Dana. There are no public wells or cisterns, things greatly needed ; however, the\' will soon be provided. I9I.2 BUSINESS INTERESTS. In the month of December, 191 2, the following were the business in- terests of the enterprising, clean and thriving town of Dana : Attorneys — George D. Sunkel, J. P. York, Frank Smith, Ed. B. James. Banking — The First National Bank, and the State Bank of Dana. Barber Shops — Lewis Brothers and H. N. Wheeler. Blacksmiths — Charles Hutson, Carl \'an Du)n, Lo\vrey & Mahan. Coal Dealer — L. O. Osmon. Dentist— W. M. Jones. D. D. S. Dry Goods — William Rhoades & Son, Dar Andrews. Department Store — M. F. Collier. Dray Line — Nichols & Wallace. Draper Acet}lene Light Gas Machine Manufacturing Company. Furniture — John W. Redman. Groceries — Messrs. Gudgel, Collier, Thomas Clark and B. F. Long. Grain— W. F. Gilbert & Son. Garage — Charles Cooper. Harness — Stanton Nichols. J. C. Hardy. Hotel — Dana House, Thomas Smith. Hardware — J. B. Fillinger & Son, J. C. Hardy, James Reed and Tomie Brothers. jeweh-}- — R. H. Manzey. Lum])er — R. W. Rowley & Son. Livery — Messrs. Crawford, Gass, Thomas and Judd. Milliner}' — Hattie Brown, Minnie Eaton. Moving Pictures — Claude Malone. Meat ALnrket — J. G. Davis. Newspaper — The News, by John Jordan. Phvsicians — Drs. O. M. Keyes. Daniel S. Strong, G. C. Prichett, \\'. C Myers. Photographer — \\'. A. .Smith Theater — The Opera Hall, by Tomie Brothers. Veterinaries — ^John Gass and two others. CHAPTER XXIII. IIIGHI.AND TOWNSHIP. Highland is the exlrciiK- norlhern .sub-division of N'erniillion county. Its northern boundary is the hue between Vermillion and Warren county. To the east is the Wabash river, marking the line between Vermillion and Park^ counties. This, like the other four townships of this coimty. extends from the eastern to the western side of W'rn.iillion county. it contains sixty .s(|uarc miles. In 1880 this township hatl a population of -^,433, and an assessed valuation of personal property amounting to $1,400,000. The United States census for 1910 gives the township a population of 1,845. •" 191 1 the county records show that there was an assessed valuatii^i of Sj.- 465,000 in this township. Perrysville, Rileysburg and Ciessie are small towns and \ illages within this civil township. The "Big Four" railroad passes through the northwest- ern corner of Highland township. A further account of the towns and \il- lages appears elsewhere in this chapter. The date of arrival of the pioneers to this i)art of \'ermillion county is indicated by the years at the head of the following paragraphs: 1822 — G. S. Hansicker, born in N'irginia in i^ij-', died here about 1885. His son, H. C. Hansicker, was born in this county in 1832. (ieorge Hicks, a soldier of the Rexolutionary war. was ( some say ) a pioneer in this townshii). but possibK- this is an error; he r.ia\ ha\e ser\ed in the war of 1812. for there is an account of George W. Hicks, a native of Massachusetts, born 1795, and who died here in 1878. Another settler of about 1822 was Jacob Hain, of Pennsylvania, born in 1799, and died in this count)-. 1823 — David Goff, born in Connecticut in 1709. remained a resident here until his death, September 7, 1881. His brother Almond died here about 1867, and another brother, Brainard, moved to Laporte. Indiana, where he died. His son Philander, born in 1834 in this township, was still a resident here in the eighties. Another .settler that year was Lemon Cbennwith. who for many years resided at Perrysville, this township. 1824 — John Chenowith settled on the Wabash, died in 1857. He was the father of Lemon, just mentioned, and also of lliram, an older son. (27) 4lS PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Thomas Chenow ith was a member of the constitutional convention in. 1850, and Isaac Chenuw ith was state senator in 1844-45. Isaac was Ixjrn in Ken- tucky in 1794, arrived here in March, 1825, and died in April, i85(). William Chenciwith, born in Ohio in 1823, was brought here in 1832 and always re- sided in this county. Solomon M. Jones, born in Tennessee in April, 181 2, died March 15, 1887, leaving a family of ten children. He was a soldier in the Black Hawk war. John N. Jones, Sr., was born in September, 1809, came here at a xery early date, was a partner of J. F. Smith in milling and merchandising business for many years, and died here in June, 1874. Will- iam Skinner, from Ohio, came in 1824, and died a few years later. His son Xorman was born in Ohio in 1816, and died here about 1880. Thomas Wright, who it is said brought the first hogs into X'ermillion county, was a settler that year, alsu. One of his o.xen dying, he cultivated his first cro]) of corn with a single ox. Milton Wright was born here in i!^32. Both he and his ])rother Stephen were the sons of Thomas Wright. 1825 — John Fultz, above Perrys\'ille, settled here and died many years later. His sons were John. Andrew and William \'., all long since deceased. Also .Allen Rodgers, from New Hampshire, died in Iowa or Wisconsin many years ago. J. AT. Rodgers, his son, l)orn in New Hamjishire in 181 3, died here in the spring of 1887. 1826 — James Blair, who had first settled in luigene township, \ illc. James A. Pvather, horn in Keii- tnckv in 1814, died here in 18SO. Another settler of 1830 was |ose|)li I'.riner. of I'errysville. 183T — Herbert Ferguson, horn in Virginia in .Septemlier, \J')'.). died here lanuar\- _'Ci, 1877. h^jhraim lietzer, fi-oni ( )hio. came in ])rc\'ious to 1831, Jacob Betzer was born in 1803 in ( )hio, died .about 18N3. .\;n"on ISet- zer moved to the far West. 1832 — Captain Andrew Dennis, ,1 boatman, born in .\ew Jersey in 1801. died in Dan\ille, Illinois, in the earh- eighties, lohn Hoohler. a L'nited Brethren minister, born in I'ennsyhania in 1801, died in Illinois. \\'illiam Trosper, bom in Kentucky in 1808, died in this town.ship in December. 1886. Xehemiah Cossew from .Maryland, came first to I'arkc couutv and in 1832 to this county: died long ago. His son I'eter, liorn m that state in 1812. is also deceased. Fielding Rabourn, horn in KciUucky in 1813, died here in the eighties. \Miliain H. Carithers from Ohio, long since died in this townshi]); he was the father of Jonathan, b'r.auk and llcnry, all living in the county in 1887. William Callihan, a potter by trade, mo\ed from Ohio, settled here and later removed to Danville. .M. B. Carter, who was county recorder in 1887 in this connty, was born in 1832. 1833 — J. ]•'. Will, William 1'., Thomas II.. ( i. II. and David Smith, from Virginia, all became settlers this year. Thomas (iouty came 1832 or 183V ^''f'' f""*^ 'f^' ■'^'^^.V ''',yffl sixty-one years. His son h'lias was horn in this townshii) in 1833. Henry (iouty may have settled in the township two or three years later: he died in 18(14. David (ionly wa> the son of Henry and Rebecca Gontv. lohn S. Kil])atrick, a miller, born in Kentucky in 1812. lived at Gessie for a time, and moved to Danville, where he died. Xorman Cade died soon after his arrival in the township. His son David later re- moved from this connty. Jacob (iivens, born in \irginia in 1813. died in this townshi]). The same year came James Hansen, lather of Smith Hansen. 420 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 1834 — Jacob Rud}-, born in Switzerland in 1S18, died here in the earl)' eighties. Alartin Rudy, his father, died here se\eral years afterward. Others who came in that year were Peter Switzer; his son Wesley, born in Ohio in 1 82 1, was still an honored resident in 1888. 1835 — Thomas Moore, who died in 1843, ^^''^ the father of Joseph and Washington. T. H. Harrison, born in \'irginia in 1810, was still a resident of this township in the late eighties. 1836 — John R. and George H. AIcNeill, from Maryland, the former born in 181 1 and the latter in 1818. Lewis and John Butler, from Ohio, the former bom in 1813. and the latter in iSi(): Lewis was deceased in 1886, when John was still living in \erniilIion township. Elijah Roseberry, who died in 1857, aged fifty-one years. Thomas Cushman, born in New York in 1814, was living at Xewi)ort in 1887: he had served as county auditor. 1837 — James J. Lewis, born in Maryland in 1805, still residing in this township in the late eighties. He was the father of J. A. Lewis and Joshua Lewis; the latter lived at Cayuga many years. Robert J. Gessie, born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, in 1809, was residing here in 1887. -^'i" other old citizen was Charles Chezem. born in Indiana in 1827. 1838 — Walter B. Moffatt, a native of Indiana, born in 1822, died Au- gust 14, 1882. Horatio Talbert, long since deceased, was the father of Henry, born in Pennsylvania in 18 16 and died in this township in the middle of the eighties. Samuel Harris, born in \'irginia in 1819. moved to another section of the country. 1839 — John Dunlap, dece^ised. born in Ireland in i8o(;. Others who settled that year were Samuel Swingley and Samuel W'att, from Ohio. Other pioneers in this township \vere J. F. Smith, John N. Jones, mer- chants and millers; Joseph Cheadle, father of Joseph B., who served in Con- gress from this district, was born May 9, 1789, in one of the Eastern states, and died in this township June 19, 1863; William B. Palmer, who died about 1876. It was stated in 1887 that there \vere liut three keeping house in High- land township who were in that relation in 1833. ^vhen Thomas H. Smith set- tled, he being the man who made this statement. These three were Mrs. Chestie Hain, Adaline V. Jones and Mrs. Glover. TOWNS AND VILLAGES OF HIGHLAND TOWNSHIP. Perrysville was laid uut in 1826, b\' James Blair, on a pleasing situation on the banks of the gentlv winding \\'abash. and named by him in honor of PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 42I the commander of tlie Lake Erie lleet in i8iJ, Commodure U. iJ. Perry. For many years this was the largest town within the Hmits of VermilHon county. For a time it w as ahead of Danville, Illinois — really until the present railroad system was projected. Since then it has lacked thrift, enterprise and growth. It was said thirty years ago that "the passing days are like one eternal Sabbath, (jrass and weeds have overgrown the streets and the lovely shade trees continue to do their sweetest duty." There is a station a little to the west uf the old town, .\mong the enterprising men who were engaged in business here in the more palmy days of the town's history may be re- called J. F. and T. H. Smith, J. N. Jones and Robert Moffatt. The old warehouses and grist-mill were used to some advantage in 1890. The\- were built and operated man)- years by Smith & Jones. Jones also Ituilt another grist-mill at the wharf, but it was burnt down many years since. March 31, 1884, occurred the largest conflagration ever experienced in the place. It en- tirely destroyed the three chief Inisiness bl6cks, two story liricks; these were the property of Smith Brothers. The fire originated in the roof of an adjoin- ing building. By this fire the Masonic hall, with all of its valual)lc records and paraphernalia, was destroyed. A few vears after the close of the Civil war, the Perrysville Woolen ]\Iills were erecteer day. In an historic account of this town, written in 1886. it is learned: ■11. S. Comingmore & Son's Perrysville Stove Works, in the southern i)ari of town, is a modern, neat establishment. It is in a brick building, erected in June. 1884. Its twii wings are for foundry and finishing rooms. The firm started in business in Perrysville, in 1858, in a small frame building." .\t the time above named— about 1887— there was then running the Per- rysville Creamery, on the bank of the Waba.'ih. It had a capacity of two thousand pounds of butter iier week. I-:. .\. I.acey was secretary and sujier- intendent. while J. F. Compton was president of the company. Perrysville was incorporated in January. 1881. and its first officers were: First ward. William Collins: second ward. John R. McNeill; third ward. Samuel Shaner. W. M. Benfield was elected clerk: Rezin Metzger. assessor: Lewis A. Morgan, treasurer: Peter S. Moundy. marshal. In the fall of 422 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 1884 the question of whetlier the corporation should )je cnntinued or not was up to a vote hy the citizens of the place, and resulted by a small majority in favor of letting the municipality go down. It is not now an incorporated place, but a quiet, orderly country village, where many of the older inhabit- ants live on the past glory of former days ! In 1910 the population of Perrysville was six hundred, and there were the usual numljer of stores and shops for a town of its location and size. Of the churches, schools and lodges, for which the place has ever been noted, otiier general chapters will treat under their appropriate headings. VILL.\.GE OF GESSIE. Gessie is a village on the railroad, three miles northwest of Perrysville station. It was laid out in 1872 by Robert J. Gessie and named for him. In 1887 this place had a population of one hundred and forty. The 19 10 United States census bulletin gives it as ha\'ing one hundred and fiftv. Dr. William Isaiah Hall, who purchased the first town lot in the place, also erected the first building. He was still practicing medicine in the place in 1888. His partner was for many years Dr. James Barnes, who afterward ])racticed alone in the Aillage. Early business men were J. C. Stutler. with a general .store; L. A. McKnight. general store and grain dealer: D. M. Hughes, drugs and groceries: John Cade, postmaster, drugs and groceries: A. \'an Sickle, blacksmith ; Silas Hughes, wagon and repair shop ; C. L. Randall, painter and jobber: John Haworth. .station agent: H. C. Smith & Companv. proprietors of .tile factory: this was built in 1884 and the first vear's output of the ])lant was six thousand dollars' worth of tile. Rileysburg. formerly called Riley, is a flag station twu miles northwest of Gessie, where in the eighties there were already a postoffice, store and a tile factorv. CHAPTER XXIV. VF.K.MII.I.IO.V TOWN SI I II'. X'cniiillion is the central civil township within N'erinillion county, hoth takin.i;- their name from the \'ermillion river. The countv seat. Xewixnt. is within this suh-clivision of the county, also the little station hamlet of ( )])C(lcc. The township contains forty-five .square miles. In i8So its populatinn was- 2,215: its i)ersonal pro])erty was then valued at $1 .o.Sb.ooo. The census of 1910 t;ivcs the population of tlie township as 1.974. includini; the town of X'ewport. which was listed at 748. The total i)ersonal and realty assessed valuation of property in the township in 1911 was $1. 940, 000. thai in .\ew- port being" $486,395. For an account of the towns, villages, schools, churches and lotlges within \ ermillion township, the rcailer is referred to special and general chapters on these subjects within this \(ilume. riONEKK SETTI.F.M KNT. Jt is not certain who constituted the first settlers in the township now- known as \'ermillion. Illy kept records, the lapse of many years, and the little attention paid by former generations to making note of such things, makes it verv difficult to establish beyond a doubt just who was really the first to establish a home and residence in the township. lUn it will suffice, for all practical ])urposes. to state that the first scttler> included lliese whose names follow : Richard and Susan (Henderson) llaworth. who, some claim, were the first couple to locate in the tnwnshi]), came in from Tennes.see in the autumn of 1820, .Mr. Haworth died in 1850. aged fifty-seven years, and his wife died in 1854, also aged fifty-seven years. In 1S21 came |;ic1 hicken. fmm I'rairie treek, Kentucky, settling where Newport now stands. His .son. P.enjamin K., long a resident in the vicinity, was horn in 1818 and died about i88() in either Michigan or Wisconsin. In 1S21 Iose])h l\ggleston. father of .\ttorney William I'-ggleston, came to this townslnp and died after many years residence. John I.. h:ggleston was Ix)rn in 1827 and resided in Newport. In 1822, it is suppo.scd that John Wimsett, of X'irginia, lucatcd here. 424 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Jacob Wimsett, born January 8, 1827, was still a highly respected citizen there in 1887. The same }ear came in Jacob Custar and located about one mile and a half above X''e\vport. Philemon Thomas came that year and re- mained until his death in i860. Nathan Thomas was h\e vears old when brought to this township in 1827. In 1823 Carter and Catherine Hollingsworth, of North Carolina, came into the township. Mrs. Hollingsworth died in 1880, aged eight}'-eight y^rs. Eber Hollingsworth, born in L'nion county, Indiana, in 1822, was brought to this county the next year. In 1887 he was a well-known, well-to-do farmer and stock trader, two miles west of Newport. Henrv Hollingsworth. born in this state in 1830. died in the latter eighties at Newport. In 1824 ,\nna, widow of A\ illiam Henderson. Jjecame a resident of this county. Adam Zener, born in Kentucky in 1803, came to Clark county. Indiana, in 1812, and in 1826 to Vermillion county, where he remained until his death, March 14, 1877; was a member of the IMethodist Episcopal church. Either in 1826 or the following year, came Philip \\'. Osmon, born in Ken- tucky in 1803. His son Archibald \\'., born 1829, became a well-known far- mer ten miles southwest of Newport. Jabez B., another son, born in 1836 at Newport, was a well-known man in his day. In 1827 came Richard Potts, who served as sheriff of this county tw'O terms, died in 1875. Robert Wallace, a native of A'irginia, became a resident of Vermillion county and located in this township in 1828, and died at Newport May jy. 1881, aged ninety-one years. He was a man of fine physical ajjpearance and was never sick to exceed a week during his manhood's days. William Wal- lace, who Avas born in Ohio in 181 7. was aljout eleven years of age when he was brought to this county. He died in the eighties. Joshiia Nixon, born in Ohio in 1813, came to Newport this year and re- sided until his death. May 23, 1875. a faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal church. James Asbury, born in Virginia in 1815, was another settler of about that day ; also came about that time, Aaron Jones, from New Jersey, and William Jones, from Union county, Indiana. Samuel Jones, a native of Ohio, came in 1830 to this township, and died in 1881. George Brindley, a native of Ken- t\icky, lx)rn in 1800, died in 1878, came here in 1828. In 1829 came Robert Stokes: also Samuel Davis, of Ohio, born in 1811, was still an active citizen of Newport in 1888. Among the settlers of this township in 1830 was Jacob Sears, who emi- PARKE AND VKRMILLIOX COUNTIES, INDIANA. 425 grated from Xnrtli Carolina, and died in 1859. aged eighty-five years. Thomas J. Brown, a native of Kentucky, horn 1801, died in this township. Ross Clariv. another settler ni 1830, was horn in Ohio in 1797. and died here in 1878. William L. Tincher. a settler of 1830, was born in Kentucky in 1814, was living in Montezuma in the eighties. About the same date came in Will- iam \\'. Doss, born in Kentuckx in 1817. He moved over to ]\Iontezunia. An- other 1830 immigrant to the township was Robert S. Xorris. from South Carolina, who died in 1877, aged seventy-three years. Other lifelong resi- dents of this township who came in 1830. when children, were Richard and John \\'. Clearwater, John T,. White. James IT. ITutson and ( ieorge Weller. In 1831 came William Nichols, born in \'irginia in 1804. died October II, 1876. Isaac and Henry Nichols, .sons of William, were brought here in an earl}- day. lived here manv years, and lioth died before 1887. Isaac and Alarv Carmack, from Tennessee, settled in the Lebanon neighborhood. He died in 1863. .Vlfred, a .son. born in Tennessee. January 8. 1814. died May. 1817; and Andrew, another son, .settled at Dana, this county. Henry Wilter- mood, born in Indiana in 1821. Charle> Herbert, tnuii Kentucky: his son, William I., l)orn in 1819, settled and was living in 1886 on section 27 of this townshi]). lohn Henderson, who came the same year la.st named for settle- ment, located on section 7. The settlement of 1832 included these: 11. F. Jackson, born in Ohio in 1798, died in ^lissouri. John Jackson and wife Lydia, from Ohio: the latter died in Decmeber, 1880, aged seventy-four years. Joseph Jackson, from England, died here before 1886. Ezra Clark, born in Ohio. 181 1. in his later years resided in Highland. John G. CTib.son. born in Ohio in 1810. lived in this township until his death. Julius Rogart. born in Tennessee in 181 1, was .still residing in the township in 1886. William B. Hall, who died in 186^. aged forty-two vears. James .\. Elder, horn in Brown county, Ohio, died prior to 1886. James Remley. born in Ohio. 1823. committed suicide. 18:54 John C. Johnson, born May 16, 1807, in Belmont comity, Ohio. married Februarv 24. 1833. Miss Elizabeth Shaver, a lady of superior educa- tion, and the next vear located in this vicinity, arriving at the mouth of the Little Vermillion river .\iiri! 8th. Here he entered a .small tract of land, built a cabin and began life on what was later known as the "first bottom." In 1 8^4 he built a new house, which he occupied until 1880. when he removed to Newport, where he died in February. 1883. after having reared an exem- plary family of sons and daughters. In 1834 came also Benjamin Davis, who died in 1854. at the age of sixty- four years. His wife, whose maiden name was Rusha Sears, died in 1869. aged sixty-two years. 426 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. In 1835 — John S. Bush. Ixirn in this state in 1828, was still living here in 1S87, and was totally l)lind. William Huff, born in Kentucky in 1812, and James Duzan, born in the same state six years later, both resided at New- port in the latter part of the eighties. 1836 — David Albridge, born in North Carolina in 1790. and died Sep- tember II, 1877, being at the time about the oldest citizen of N'erniillion county. He serxed as a soldier in the war of 1812-14. 1837 — Isaac Tropts, long a resident of the township, was nine years old when he came to the county in 1837. 1838 — Hiram Hastey. born in Indiana in 1818, was a harness-maker at Newport, where he died. J. F. ^^'eller. merchant at Newport, was born in Kentucky in 1818: finallv moved to Petersburg, Indiana. 1839 — T. W. Jackson, born in Ohio in 1816, was still residing here in 1887. 1840 — Hugh Dallas came into the township some time prior to 1840, from Virginia. .\bel Sexton, who in 1887 was still a prominent citizen of Newport, was a nati\e of New '^'ork. born in 1820. and settled in this county in 1843. Other prominent factors in the settlement and de\elopment of this township may be recalled the names of Alvah Arrasmith, Thomas G. Arra- smith, wagon maker at Newport, and G. W. Clark: also David Fry. James Kaufman, Leonard Sanders. Daniel E. Jones, who became a wealthy citizen of Chicago and died there ; also Major John Gardner and Henry Bet.son. Col. William Craig, born in Newport in 183 1, graduated at West Point Militarv School in 1853, having for his class-mates fienerals McPherson, Sheridan and Schofield; crossed the western plains in 1834 as lieutenant and aid-de-camp on General Garland's staff; served in the regular army ten years, being one of the best Indian fighters, and greatly admired by Kit Carson and other scouts. He finally died in the Southwest in 1886. A settler of 1840, in this township, should ha\e more than a passing notice. We refer to Hon. Oliver P. Davis, from whose initials the village and railroad station Opedee took its name — O. P. D. And the three letters also stood for the one thousand three hundred acre farm be owned between three and four miles below Newport, the "O. P. D. Farm." Oliver P. Davis was born in New Hampshire, in T814: learned the art of ])aper-making ; came to Indiana in 1838, tra\eling by coach, steamboat, canal and horseback, through the states of New York, Ohio, Michigan and the province of Canada. In New '^'ork he rode behind the first locomotive l)uilt in that state, then run- ning out of Albanx-. At Toronto. Canada, he was employed in a book-bind- erv and mill, doing the work more rapidly and efficiently than any of the PARKK AND VERMILLION COLNTIF.S, INDIANA. 427 native haiuLs. In Ohio lie fell in with a jolly dentist nf whom he began lo learn the art of clentistrw afterward practicing his new trade at l-"ort Wayne. After residing at Logansport and Delphi, this state, fur a time, he went to Crreencastle and commenced the stud\- of law in the office of lulward W. McGonghe}', read two years and then in 1840 nKn'ed to \ermillion county and began the i)ractice of his profession, continning for five years. .After that he followed the occupations of agriculturist and tradesman. At first he purchased forty acres, to which he later made additions until he had in iStSj one thousand three hundred acres of rich Wabash bottom, whereon some times he raised immense crojis of corn, occasionally fifty thousand bushels or more, and sometimes. b\- reason of flood or frost, he lost great crops. The sediment deposited by the Wabash floods keeps the .soil \ery rich. Ihu-ing the vear of the famine in Ireland, Mr. Davis took to .\cw Orleans by flat- boat twenty-five thousand bushel^ of corn, some of which he bought at eigh- teen cents a bushel and .sold it from forty-five cents to one dollar ])er bushel. He is said to have sold in one season eighteen thousand dollars worth ot corn raised by his own hand. Mr. Davis was also familiar with state legislation, having been a mem- ber of the constitutional convention of 1850, a member of the ( ieneral .\s- sembly three terms, a delegate to important conventions, etc. Politically, he was. at times, a Democrat, Republican. National, etc. In his religious belief he was a "free-thinker." .\ I.ONG-IOST D.MC.HTKK. In the month of September, iXj^^. Mr, and .Mrs. I'-rennan, li\ing a mile to the west of Newport, received a visit from their daughter, whom they thought they had lost twenty-one years before, when they left her tempor- arily in the care of .some one at New Orleans during the dreadful siege of cholera. She had been found during the preceding summer b\ relatives in Ohio advertising in the Irish Republic, a Boston newspajjcr. She was then a resident of New Orleans and the mother of four children. Mr. and .Mrs. Brennan, on learning their daughter was still alive and living in New Orleans, immediatelv decided to visit her: but before starting they received a letter from her stating that she was coming to see them. .Vccordingly .she soon ar- rived at .Newport, late at night, on her way. and such was her haste to see her pareijts that, though it was dark and rainy, she hired a team and was im- mediately taken mU to the home of her parents, where a very exciting meeting occurred. The daughter remained until spring and the niother died a few- weeks after the daughter's visit. 428 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. QUAKER HILL SETTLEMENT. Quaker Hill, or what i? sometimes called "Quaker Point." is the name of a fine neighborhood in a romantic section of country on Jonathan creek, near the western boundary of \''ermillion township. The \'icinity derived its name from tlie fact that an unusual proportion of the settlement was effected by members of the Society of Friends, nick-named "Quakers." A postoffice was established there, at a cross-roads, at an early date. The physicians of that section, at different times, included Doctors Joseph C. Cooke, who died in 1875, John Gilmore, Hiram and Lewis Shepard and P. H. Swaim. Newport, the county seat, is in this township, and is described in a sep- arate chapter. HON. ARED P. WHITE. BIOGRAPHICAL JUDGE ARED F. WHITE. True biography has a mure uublc purpose tliaii mere fulsome eulogy. The Historic spirit, faithful to the record; the discerning judgment, unmoved by prejudice and uncolored by enthusiasm, are as essential in giving the life of the individual as in writing the history of a people. Indeed, the ingenuous- ness of the former picture is even more vital, because the individual is the national unit, and if the unit be justly estimated the complex organism will become correspondingly intelligible. The world to-da_\- is very largely what the leading men of the past generation have made it, and this rule must e\er hold good. From the past comes the legacy of tiie present. Art, science, statesmanship and goxernmenl are accumulations. They constitute an inheri- tance upon which the present generation have entered, and the advantages secured from so \'ast a bequeathment depend entirely upon the tidelit\' with which is conducted the study of the lives of the principle actors who have transmitted the legacy. This is especially true of those whose influence has passed beyond the confines of locality and ])ermeated the larger life of the state. To such a careful studv are ilie life, diameter and .services of Judge Ared F. White, of Rockville, pre-eminently entitled, not only on the part of the student of biography, but also of e\ery citizen who. guided by example, would in the present build wisely for the future. In studying a clean-cut, sane, distinct character like his. interpretation follows fact in a straight line of derivation. There is small use for indirection or puzzling. His character is the positive expression of a strong nature, and he is distinctly one of the notable men of his day and generation and as such is entitled to a conspicuous place in the annals of his cit\-. comity and state, for here his life has been spent and his energies directed tow ard the general progress of his fellows, both as a private citizen and a public servant. The biography of such a man as he may well serve for an example and inspiration to youth who seriously meditate life, yet hesitate to lay the foundation for the stern realities of the every-day battles that await them. He is a fine type of the virile, self-made .American, having begun his career tmder no favorable auspices, but. with a persistence 430 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. as rare as il was admirable, he adhered to his purpose and in due course of time achieved notable success, the inhospitable environments of his youth not being without their compensations. The usual and persistent effort required to obtain liberal qualifications for professional pursuits, in spite of ad\erse surroundings, develop and strengthen the mind as labor hardens and renders flexible the muscles. Not satisfied with existing conditions, lie decided to rise above them, and to this end he lost sight of e\ery other consideration or made it subordinate to the one goal he had in view. Every step in his prog- ress has been tlue to matured plans and well defined purposes. By his courage and energy he climbed steadily and persistently and stood firmly upon each rung of the ladder until he could reach the next above and plant himself securely thereun. When a young man lie, selected the law aS his life work, and determined, regardless of hindrance, to master the principles of his pro- fession and rise abo\e mediocrity, instead of lieing satisfied with a mere super- ficial knowletlge. such as man\' ]jrofessional men under similar circumstances are content to acquire. Whatever success he achieved during his active, long and strenuous career was due to careful preparation, a high sense of justice, candor as a counselor, a religious regard for the truth, and courteous de- meanor and gentlemanh' conduct in all relations with his fellow men. .\s a practitioner or chu'ing his long and notable ser\ice on the bench no charge or susjiicion of any wrong doing ever tarnished his name or marred liis official record: his i)ersonal honor was never compromised and his private life has e\er lieen wholesome and free from fault. His friendshi])s are warm, stead- fast and ne\er. w itbout the liest cause, are thev interrupted or broken, while his sterling \\ orth makes him ;i power for good among all with whom he comes in contact. Judge White was born in Rockxille, Parke county. Indiana. May 2j. 1843. and is a son of Johnson S. and Hannah (Jones) White. The father was born in northern Ohio, and the mother's birth occurred in Clermont county, Ohio. Johnson S. White learned the blacksmith's trade when a young man. at which he worked during most of his active life, also became pro- prietor of a saw-mill and lumber \ard and finally farmed to some extent. He removed to Parke county, Indiana, about 1838 or 1839 and here established the permanent home of the familv and became well and favorably known to the early settlers in this section of the Wabash country. For some time he was engineer on a steamboat called the "Spv." which ])liefl the ^Vabash river. Gi\ing up that position, he went to the town of Montezuma and en- gaged in blacksmithing and was living there when he married. AToving from PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES. INDIANA. 43I there, he located where old Blooniingdale stood, coiitimnng hi.s trade two years, then came to Rockville, continuing- this line of endeavor until 1855, when he turned his attention to agricultural jjursuils. moving to his farm about three miles south of that town, carr\ing on his trade in cimncclion with farming until he bought a saw-mill in that neighborhood, which he conducted with much success until about 1874 or 1875. He then moved to Kockville where he spent the residue of his years, his death occurring in 187S. having been preceded to the grave by his wife in July, i8f) with 43- PARKE .\ND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Elwood Hunt for a number of years, or until 1886, at which time he was honored by the people by being elected judge of the forty-seventh judicial circuit, embracing Parke and Vermillion counties, and was on the bench for a period of eighteen years, his long retention being criterion enough to indi- cate his high standing in these counties and of the trust and confidence re- posed in him by the people, serving three full terms in a most able and con- scientious manner. He came to the bench well qualified for its exacting duties and responsibilities and from the beginning his judicial career was character- ized by such a profound knowledge of the law and an earnest and conscientious desire to apply it impartially that he was not long in gaining the respect and confidence of the attorneys and litigants and earning for himself an honora- ble reputation among the leading jurists of the state. From the first his labors were very arduous, as many important cases were tried in his court. not a few coming to him by change of venue : in addition to which he was also called to other circuits to sit on cases in which large interests were involved. So far as known, his rulings were ever without bias, characterized by their uniform fairness and impartiality, with a display of a profound knowledge of the A'arious phases of jurisprudence and his decisions in all cases were eminently satisfactory, and so in accord with the basic princi]iles of law and practice that everybody interested was thoroughly satisfied with his course. It is safe to say that no one ever wore the judicial ermine with more becoming dignity or was more worthy of the same in the annals of the Hoosier state than he. After the expiration of his term of office Judge White resumed the prac- tice of his profession in Rock\-ille in partnership with his son. J. Sr White, with offices over the Parke State Bank, and continues a leader of the bar in this and adjoining counties, his services having ever been in great demand in important cases. Being ever a student, he has kept well abreast of the times in new rulings, decisions, change of statute and, in fact, all matters pertaining to his profession. For a period of five years the Judge was school examiner, and was president of the Rockville school board for a period of nine years, during which there was a great impro\ement noted in the local educational system, he having been largely responsible for the adoption of a regular course of study and the division of the school year into regular terms, also by the gradua- tion of classes and awarding of diplomas. Politically, he has always been loyal to the Republican party and a local leader in the counsels of the same. He had the honor of being presidential elector in 1880 from the eighth con- gressional district. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDLWA. 4 ^_^ Fraternally, Judge White is a member of the Knights of Pythias, and the Hoosier Literary Club of Rockville, of which he has long been one of the principal lights. He united with the Methodist Episcopal church when a boy under the ministry of Rev. John Edwards. During the Civil war the subject proved his courage and his patriotism by enlisting in Company C, Se\enty-eighth Indiana Volunteer infantry, in i86j. In 1864 he became corporal of Company G, One Hundred and Thivtv- tiiird Indiana \olunteer Infantry, and was a member of a color guard of the latter regiment. According to his comrades, he pro\-ed to be a most gallant and faithful soldier for the Union, and he received an honorable discharge. He has been a student of military affairs all his life and is one of the best posted men on military subjects in the state. Judge White was married on October jj, 1X69, to Sarah Catherine Strouse. a lady of culture and refinement and a representative of an excel- lent old famil}'. well and fa\oral)ly known at Rocksille, she Ijeing the tlaughter of Samuel and Mar\- V. i Baker) Strouse. Her father was born in Bavaria, Germany, and her mnther was liurn in I'arke counl\-. Indiana. .Mrs. White was born in Rockville and there grew to womanhood and received her early education. The union of the Judge and wife has been blessed by the birth of the following children: Fannie S., Nellie 1).. Jacnb S.. who is a ]>romi- nenl young lawyer, practicing with his father in Rockville. and Helen .M.. wife of Walter C. Mand. of Terre Haute, Indiana. As alreadv intimated, the Judge has ever kept in touch with the interests of his citv and countv and is an ardent advocate and liberal patron of all worthv enterprises making for their advancement and ])rosperity. His activi- tv in behalf of everv movement for the gocxl of his fellow citizens has endeared him to the people aiming whom the greater part of his life has been spent, and his popularity is bounded only by the limits of his ac<|uaintance. being widely known as a ])rogressi\e citizen, prnfound sludeiil. gifted orator, learned jurist and ])olished gentleman. In closing this biography we desire U) give a further estimate of Judge White b) cpioting the following lines from an article which appeared some time ago in a newspaper of the Judge's home county, which will show the appreciation in which he is held there : '■Judge Ared F. W'hite is one of the few men about whom it is easy to say something at once truthful and pleasant. From his boyhood he has oc- cupied a position distinguished among his contemporaries. A fine manly bear- ing, a particular aptitude in certain branches of study and a marked talent (28) 434 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. for oratory, even in his childliood days attracted the attention of a com- munity then more than now alert for signs of talent in the rising generation. Although the parents of Judge White were not, in the common acceptance of the term, highly educated people, we have been told by those who knew them that the)- were possessed in a remarkable degree of that plain, commun sense, that insight into real life, that scorn of affectation and display that was the leading characteristic of many of the sturdy self-respecting American people of their day. "All who can recall the fine face of Johnson S. White will remember that peculiar stamp of integrity which it bore, and the look of sagacity and human understanding that one cauglit occasionally from his deep-set eyes. The father knew his son had talent, knew it without the fatuous vanity that leads some men to spend money on their sons. So he gave him the college educa- tion the bov coveted and his friends advised. He fulfilled his father's highest ambition. "We hear a great deal in these days of versatility about the all-around man, and Judge White answers to this description. Standing at the head of his profession, he is still devoid of the one-sidedness that often distinguishes men who have given their lives to the study of a profession. Judge White is a man of strong literary tastes, and he can now indulge in literary pursuits as a pastime or relaxation from the strenuous duties of life, as he does at short intervals to the delight of his friends. Perfectly at home on platform or rostrum, charming in the company of a few boon companions, he may be said to lack the faculty of letting his light shine promiscuously." HON. BARTON SCOTT AIRMAN. It is a well authenticated fact that success comes not as the caprice of chance, but as the legitimate result of well applied energ)-, unflagging deter- mination and perseverance in a course of action once decided upon by the individual. Only those who diligently seek the goddess Fortuna find her — she never \vas known to smile upon the idler or dreamer. The gentleman whose name forms the caption of this biographical sketch clearly understood this fact early in life, so he did not seek any royal road to success, but sought to direct his feet along the well-beaten paths of those who had won in the battle of life along legitimate lines. He had their careers in mind when PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 435 casting about for a legitimate line to follow, and in tracing his life histoi-y it is plainly seen that the prosperity and popularity which Mr. Aikman enjoys has been won by commendable qualities, and it is also his personal worth which has gained for him the high standing in Vermillion and adjoining counties, in which he has long been well known, influential and highly es- teemed. Before proceeding with the specific l)iography of ihc lion. Barton S. Aikman. it is deemed advisable to go into the history of this prominent old family at some length. The surname Aikman is of great antiquity in Scot- land. Its origin goes back to the time of Macbeth, in the year 1050, or nearly one thousand years ago. It seems that the name was first borne l>y the com- mander of the troops that attacked the usurper, Macbeth, before his castle, Dunsinane. It is believerl that Shakespeare's "Macbeth" was written from the stor\' of this episode, which is contained in the first historv of Scotland. Macbeth murdered Duncan, the king, and seized the throne himself, which he held for some sixteen years. In order to make himself secure he selected the commanding hill of Dunsinane, near the woods of Birnam. Here he built a strong castle. Malcolm, the son of the murdered king, decided to recover his father's throne. He enlisted the aid of Edward, king of Eng- land, hiring ten thousand troops from him, and advanced against ^lacljeth. When the Birnam woods were reached the invading soldiers each secured a large oak bough which they held in front of them in advancing on the castle. In the battle that ensued Macbeth's troops were defeated and he was slain. So, adopting the tradition which Sir Robert Douglas, Scotland's first historian, gives, it would appear that King Malcolm or the commander to whom the attack was committed was the first Aikman. Whoever he was. the success of the strategem of the Birnam oak woods gave him his surname. Oak- man or Aikman. From him all the Aikmans are said to have descended. Douglas, in the history already referred to, says that .Mexandcr de Aikman was compelled to submit to King Edward T of England, when he overran Scotland in the year 1296. He adds. "The ancestors of the family appear to have been free barons, and to have settled in the country of Forfar several, centuries ago. " It is a noteworthx- fact that .\ikmans are now, as they have been for seven or eight centuries or more, residing still in Forfoarshire. Representatives of the immediate family of the .subject of this sketch are .still residing in the locality in Scotland mentioned above, whence his forebears came more than a century and a ([uarter ago. Books of heraldry speak of the .\ikman coat-of-arms as one of the oldest in Scotland. For centuries the .Aikmans have been ruling ciders in the Presbvterian 436 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. church, inchiding the famous Pearl Street Presbyterian church in New York City. Of the Aikman family that concerns this historical publication most specifically, we first hear of John and Mary (Barr) Aikman, the former born on April 15, 1787, both natives of Virginia or Kentucky. They were married June 14, 1804, while living in Kentucky, and the following children were born to them : Barton Stone Aikman, father of Hon. Barton Scott Aik- man. the immediate subject of this review, was born October 17, 1805; Sicily Aikman. Ijorn December 11, 1808; James Aikman, born January 7, 1810. With these three children, John Aikman and wife moved from Bourbon countw Kentucky, to Daviess county. Indiana, in 181 1. and there were born to them in Daviess county the following children : Hugh Aikman, the first white child born in Da\iess county, born March 12. i8ij; Samuel Aikman, born February 28, 1814; John B. Aikman. born January 15. 1816: Thomas Aikman, born May 5, 1818; Elizabeth Aikman, born January 3, 1821 : Mariah Aikman, born November 23, 1822: Mary Aikman, born ^May i, 1825; Robert Aikman, born June i, 1827: William M. Aikman, born March 27, 1830, and Martha Aikman, born October 7, 1832. Barton Stone Aikman, the eldest of these children, came from Daviess county to Vermillion county, Indiana, in about the year 1827. and here began life in tvpical pioneer fasin'on, the country being wild and \ery sparsely settled. He was married to Jane Rhoades, Octoljer 17. 1827, the day he was twenty-two years of age. There were bom to this union the following children : John, Mary, Elizabeth, William, Silas, Alariah, Robert and James. They are all deceased except Mariah and Robert. After the death of his first wife. Barton Stone Aikman married Mary Jane Amemian on March 10, 1846. She was born in Indiana, November 18, 1824. To this second union nine children were born, namely : Peter is a retired farmer, living in Dana, Indiana ; Thomas went west when a boy, became a minister in the Methodist church in Nebraska, and he is now deceased; Hugh is engaged in the general merchandise business at Montezuma, Parke count}', this state; Franklin is also a Methodist minister and lives at Crawfordsville, Indiana; Margaret died in infancy; Edgar, deceased, was a practicing physician at Clinton, Indiana ; Samuel is a Presbyterian minister and lives in Philadelphia. Pennsyh'ania ; Henry is a grain dealer at West St. Bernice, Vermillion county ; Barton Scott, subject of this sketch, is the youngest of the familv. The parents of the above named children are both deceased. Of the present whereabouts of the brothers and sisters of Barton Stone Aikman, father of the subject, we give the following: Sicily Aikman mar- PARKE AM) NEU.MII.I.IOX COINTIES. INDIAXA. 437 ried a man named Robinson and moved to Daviess county. Missouri, where quite a large family of Aikmans now reside. James Aikman, now deceased, has descendants in Daviess county, Indiana, his children beinsr Henry, John. Samuel and Martha, and Mrs. Coleman of Topeka, Kansas. Ilu.cjh Aikman's descendants are scattered over the country. Samuel Aikman was married in Daviess county, Indiana, in .August, 1833, to Eliza Ann Eades, a cousin of the noted Captain Eades, and shortly afterwards settled in Vermillion county. There were born to tlieni the following children: John. Mary, Elijah, Martha. Margaret, Lucy, Caroline, William, Levi H.. Charles C, Lemuel and Adelaide. John B. Aikman died in Daviess county many years ago, and now has one grandson in Terre Haute. John B. Aikman. Thomas Aikman died when a small fwy. Elizabeth .\ikman married a Hawkins and moved to Greene county. Indiana. Maria .\ikman married a Helphinstine, and lived in Daviess county, where her descendants are now found. Mary .\ik- man married Capt. Isaac McCormick. .md left two daughters. Mrs. Corning, of Washington, and Mrs. i'ringle. of Bloomlield. Indiana. Robert .\ikman has been dead man\ years, and has one child living. Mrs. Charles Jones, of Washington. William M. .\ikman has five children living. Walter. Helen and Laura, of Chicago: Man. at Washington, .uid William at Natchez. Missis- sippi. Martha Aikman married a Johnson and now resides in Kansas, and she is now the only living child of John .\ikman. Barton S. Aikman and Samuel .\ikman were two of the early ])ioneers of Vermillion county. They were brtnight to this county by their father. John Aikman. to find them a home, about iiS30. The public records of the count\ show that John Aikman made the original entry of a large tract of wild ])rairie and timber land, which he afterward deeded to these two sons, giving them a start in life, when he returned to his old home in Daviess county. A hero of the wilds and the wilderne.ss himself, with a father's care, love and devotion to his children, he bravely led these two sons where they followed and ])lanted for each a home and they each began the battle of life in the primeval forest and untrodden waste of prairie. Here they battled and toiled and by their indu.strv, frugalitv and jjerseverance builded for their ]X)sterity. not only a rich heritage of lands, but a richer heritage of devotion and nobility. Samuel died at a ripe old age. and Barton S. died in middle life. The memory of each is honored and respected, not only by a long line of descendants, but by the community in which they lived. The names of the descendants of these two .\ikmans are too numerous to record in this sketch. They are all over \'er- million county and some are elsewhere. From the wilds of Kentuckv to the wilds of Indiana came Barton S. 438 PARKE .\KD VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Aiknian, five } ears before the latter state was admitted to the Union. During the Indian wars, when his home and loved ones had to be guarded, not only against wild beasts, but against wild and savage red men, he was compelled in his early life, in what is now Daviess county, to build a fort in which to shelter his family against the ravages of Indians. In one of these forts his son Hugh was ])orn. He was Daviess county's first school teacher, one of its trrst com- missioners, and sened on the first grand jury that met in the county. He built the first brick house in the county, in 1833, making the brick himself, tramping the mud with oxen. The old house still stands and is occupied by the blood :of its builder. Hon. Barton S. Aikman, subject of this sketch, grew to manhood in Vermillion county and received his education in the public schools of his native community, later taking the course at the Terre Haute State Normal School, from which he was graduated with the class of 1884. He began life for himself by teaching school, which he followed with much success for a period of five years. During that period he studied law% was admitted to the bar in 1886 and at once began the practice of his profession, which he has con- tinued w ith ever-increasing success until the present time at Newport, enjoy- ing a large and lucrative practice, figuring prominently in important cases in the local courts and taking a position in the front rank of attorneys in a lo- cality long noted for the high order of its legal talent. He has remained a student all his life and has kept fully abreast of the times in all that pertains to his profession. He is a careful, painstaking and persevering lawyer, who spares no pains in looking after the interests of his clients and he has great power before a jun,-, being a logical, earnest and not infrequently truly elo- quent speaker. Having long manifested an abiding interest in public afifairs, Mr. Aikman was elected prosecuting attorney of this circuit in 1890, which position he filled until 1904 in a manner that reflected much credit upon himself and to the eminent satisfaction of his constituents. In 1910 he was elected judge of the forty-seventh judicial circuit, and is still incumbent of this office. He is wearing the judicial ermine with becoming dignity, bringing to every case submitted to I|im a clearness of perception and ready power of analysis char- acteristic of the broad-minded and scholarly jurist, and he has by his able and unbiased course given ample room for the justification of the wisdom of his selection by the people of this circuit, for his decisions have been uniformly fair and clear, showing a deep and comprehensive knowledge of the basic prin- ciples of jurisprudence and the modern statutes of Indiana. His vast knowl- edge of the law^ is backed by a high purpose and an unconquerable will, as well PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 439 as vigorous mental powers, guided by high ideals and the liighest ^enS, 1884, at Montezuma, Parke county, Indiana, the son of W. J. and Susan M. (Ware) Skeeters. the latter having been the daughter of James P. Ware, one of the original settlers of this county, who came from the blue grass region of Kentucky and began life here in typical pioneer fashion when this portion of Indiana was practicalh- a wilderness. The mother of the subject was called to her eternal rest on Decem- ber 28, 1910. W. J. Skeeters, a highly respected citizen, lives at Blooming- dale, this county, on a farm, being regarded as one of the progressive agricul- turists of that community. The Skeeters family is of German origin on the father's side. The ma- ternal side of the subject's family is of old colonial stock, the Wares having lived in \'irginia in the early history of America. Both parents of the Pro- fessor had been jjreviously married, and the subject has a half-brother and a half-sister. Prof, Skeeters grew to manhood in his native locality and he received his primary education in the common and high schools of the village of Mar- shall, Parke county, later attending the Friends Academy at Bloomingdale, Indiana. His professional training was received at the Indiana State Normal School at Terre Haute. He had given such great promise in his work that before he had completed his course in the Normal he was elected county su- ])erintendent of schools of Parke county, in February. 191 1. to fill out an unexpired term, and he made such a splendid record in this capacity that he was re-elected to the office in June, 191 2. for a term of four years, and is still discharging the duties of this important office in a manner that reflects much credit upon his ability and to the eminent satisfaction of all concerned, irrespective of party alignment. He has his own ideas of school policy, which are modern and progressive, and which he seeks to maintain. He found the schools in good shape when he came in ofhce. but he began at once to secure a better organization, especially in the rural schools, and this has received his close attention ever since. He hopes to have all eight schools commissioned as high schools before his term of office expires. The rural school problem — PARKE AND \KU.M 11,1. ION COUNTIKS. INDIANA. 44I that of inakiiig- it more efficient — is one of his vital aims (hiriiii; iiis adminis- tration. He has done a most commendable work in strengtheninji the schools of the county and much better work is being done than ever before. Prof. Skeeters began teaching in 1901 and was teaching his eleventh year when he was elected county superintendent. He began in Washington town- ship, where he taught one year, also s])ent one year in (ireene township, then taught in Montezuma three years and for six years was principal of the Bloomingdale schools, giving the utmost satisfaction in all to both jjupil and patron, for he is regarded a painstaking, careful instructor, and as an enter- tainer at the same time. Prof. Skeeters was married to Madge K. Harrison, daughter of O. S. and Marv (Bates) Harrison, a highly respected family of Rosedale. Indiana, the wedding occurring in igoj. Her family from both sides came from Clin- ton, this state. O. S. Harri.son .started the first bank at Marshall. Indiana, and later e.stablisbed the bank at Rosedale. He is a man of much business ability and an influential citizen in this community. Mrs. Skeeters recei\ed a good education in the schools of her native town and is in every way a fit helpmate for a man of the type of the subject. This union has been graced by the birth of three children. namel\- : Ma.xw ell James, Harold Harrison and Warren Ware. Prof. Skeeters belongs to the Knights of Pythias, the Masons and the Modem Woodmen in his fraternal relations, and he holds membership in the Baptist church. Mrs. Skeeters is a member of the Christian church. Mr. Skeeters was formerly superintendent of the Sunday school at Bloomingdale. and has long been identified with church work. Politically, the Professor is a Democrat and loyal to its principles, Personally, he is a young man of pleas- ing address, kind, obliging, genial and uniformly courteous, being popular with all classes. JOSEPH W. STRAIN. Joseph W. Strain, president of the First National Bank of Clinton, is the scion of the two of the honored old pioneer families of this section of the state. He was born in this county on June 22. 1867, and he is the son of Daniel E. and Mary J. (Helt) Strain,' the father born near F"indlay, Ohio, from which state he came to Indiana very early and settled in Helt township, \'ermillion countv. The Helt family were among the very earliest settlers here, coming as early as 1S18. when the country was a wilderness and the 44-2 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. abode of all manner of wild beasts and red men. They settled on what has since been known as Helt prairie, Helt township, both having been named in their honor. Daniel E. Strain devoted his life to general farming and stock raising" in Vermillion county, becoming well established through his industry, and he was married in this county. His death occurred in 1903, at the age of seventy- liine years. His widow is still living, being now advanced in years, making her home with her daughter, Mrs. Frances A. Southard. She is a woman of gracious personality and, like her worthy husband before her. has always had a large number of warm friends throughout Vermillion county. Six children were born to Daniel E. Strain and wife, namely: Isaac H., who lives in Greencastle, Indiana; Frances A., who married Eura Southard, of Vermillion county: Charles H., who li\es in Helt township; Elizabeth married Victor Reichwald, of Chicago ; James died when twenty years of age ; Joseph W., of this review, being the youngest. Joseph W. Strain grew to manhood in his native count\- and was edu- cated in the common schools here, later entering the Indiana State Normal School at Terre Haute, from which he was graduated with the class of 1893. He also attended Indiana University and Chicago University. After leaving school he began life for him.self by teaching, which he continued with success for a period of fifteen years. For seven years he was principal of the high school at Clinton, during which he brought the same up to a verv high order of efficiency, discharging the duties of this responsible position in a manner that reflected much credit upon himself and to the eminent satisfaction of both pupils and patrons. As a teacher he kept fully abreast of the times in all that pertained to that vocation and introduced many helpful reforms, placing the local schools on an equal footing with any in the state and winning a reputation as an instructor and manager second to none. Finally tiring of the school room and perceiving a broader field for the exercise of his talents in another direction, Mr. Strain gave up his work as principal of the Clinton high school to take a position in the First National Bank of Clinton, of which he has become president, the important duties of which exacting position he has filled in a most able and commendable manner, giving eminent satisfaction to the stockholders and all concerned, his able management and wise counsel resulting in greatly increasing the prestige of this popular and sound insti- tution, one of the most conservative and safe banks in the state, according to those who have investigated its standing. Its other oflficers are : Edward Shirkie, vice-president: O. F. Houston, cashier; board of directors, F. L. Swinehart. John R. Newton, Edward Shirkie, B. H. Morgan, H. K. Morgan PARKE AND VERMILLION COLXTIKS, IXDLWA. 443 and H. R. McClelland. This hank was organized in ither wa.s a daughter of .Alfred Madley. a prominent abolitionist of I'arke county before the war. To the subject and wife have been born three sons, named as fol- lows: James Harlan, born September 24, 1902 ; William Alfred, born ( )cto- ber 19, 1903; Joseph Addi-son, born April 13. 190S. Mr, Elder is a member of the Alasonic order at .Marshall. I'arke count)' Politically, he is a faithful supporter of the Democratic ])ai-ty. Mr. Elder has been very successful in a business \\a\ and he is the owner of the home farm, pleasantly located hve miles north of Uockville and con- taining three hundred and forty acres. He has kcpi ihc olil place well im- proved and carefully culti\ated so that it has retained its oris,dnal fertility 'and strength of soil, and here he has carried on general farming on a large anil modern scale, being regarded as one of the successful and substantial agricul- turists and stock men of the county. He has long beqn acti\e in politics and influential in the councils of his party, though he is not a politician in a strict sense, merely desiring to aid his party and work for the general de\elopment of his county and state, aspiring to be merely a good citizen in the best sense of the term. He is an excellent judge of live stock, and until recently was a breeder of short-horn cattle, which, owing to their superior tpialit}'. always found a very read}- market when ofifered for sale. He antl his wife are great lovers of farm life, fully appreciating its freedom, health fulness and diversity of charms. HARRISON T. P.WNE. That life is the most useful and desirable that results in the greatest good to the greatest number and, though all vill touch others with whom we come into contact, making them better and brighter. In the list of worthy citizens of X'ermillion county occurs the names of Harrison T. Payne, for- merly a well know n educator and business man, and who has for the past eight vears discharged the duties of county auditor in a m.nmcr as to bring forth the praise of all concerned. In his career there is much that is commendable and his life forciblv illustrates what one can accomplish, even in the face of obsta- 446 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. ' " cles. if one's plans are wisely laid and his actions governed by right princi- ples, noble aims and high ideals. Mr. Payne was born near Pimento, Vigo county, Indiana, on May 4. 1868. He is a son of Thomas J. and Adeline (Jewell) Payne, natives of Vigo county and Kentucky, respectively. The father spent his active life in agri- cultural pursuits. During the Civil war he enlisted in Companv C, Eighty- fifth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Six brothers of the subject's mother were soldiers in the Union army during the war of the Rebellion. To Thomas J. Payne and wife were born the following children : Frank B. is engaged in railroad construction work at Weiser, Idaho; Martha J. mar- ried John H. Richey. a farmer of Eureka, Kansas ; Nancy J. married Daniel B. Stark, and they live in Colorado ; Riley is fanning at Howard, Kansas : Sarah J. married Thomas Forster, of Vermillion, Illinois; Harrison T. of this review ; Felix B. is a merchant of Clovis, New Mexico. Politically, Thomas J. Payne is a Republican. For some time he was justice of the peace in Edgar county, Illinois. He is a member of the Christ- ian church and is a deacon in the same. Harrison T. Payne was educated in the common schools of Indiana and Illinois. Thereafter he taught school for a period of fifteen years in a most successful manner, his services being in great demand. Finally tiring of the school room, he entered the business arena and was local agent for the Inter- national Harvester Company, at Clinton, Indiana, for some time, and he also engaged in the general mercantile business there. Taking an interest in pub- lic affairs, he was elected asses.sor of Clinton township, which position he held in an acceptable manner for six years. He was treasurer of the school board at Clinton for a year. For two years he was secretary of the Clinton Home Loan & Savings Association. He taught for some time in the Clinton schools, and in 1904 was elected auditor of Vermillion county, and, making a most commendable record, he was re-elected in 1908, serving eight vears in all, his term expiring December 31, 1912. He was conceded by all to be one of the best officials the county has ever had, and he discharged his fluties so ablv. honorably and conscientiously that he ever enjoyed the confidence and good will of all. Mr. Payne was married on April 12. 1896, to Carrie B. Fuqua, daugh- ter of Marshall D. Fuqua, of Sandford, Indiana, and to this union three chil- dren have been born, namely: Rheocus T., Lucille, and Mabel. Mr. Payne is a member of the Christian church. He belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America. Politically, he is a loyal Republican and is chairman of the Republican countv committee. PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 447 After thf suljject was twenty-one years old he paid tuition to attend a country school during the winter and summer months, which was conducted by his sister west of Sandford. Indiana, just over the line in Illinois. When Mr. Payne was seventeen years old he went to Kansas, where he remained for two years and seven months, and engaged in carrying a star mail route, in the employ of his brother-in-law, who held the government contract, carrying the mail between Climax and Nealville, Kansas. He was one of the first rural mail carriers in the countr\-. lea\ing mail for farmers, charging them fifty cents per month. FRANK H. BEFXER, M. D. Though the voung man Avhosc name heads this sketch can not claim long experience, he has shown by the purposes which have thus far guided his life, and the ideals which have actuated him, that he is one whose influence in the comunmity will ever be for right and progress, and who will always continue to deserve the esteem of his fellows while he ])ursues his present course. The son of a successful farmer and business man, he early felt a call- ing to the profession of medicine and began its study at the earliest opi)ortun- ity. No man can do more for the advancement of his community than the phy- sician of intellect, heart and courage, who lives true to the ethics of this pro- fession which comes closer to the majority of mankind than an\ other. Frank H. Beeler, the son of John B. and Sarah ( Mcflarry) Beeler, was born in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, on August 30, 1885. l'"rank L. McHarry, maternal grandfather, built the canal at the falls at Louisville. Kentucky, .and was owner of a line of steam and ferry boats, and was a well-known and prominent man especially among steambo;ft men. (irandfather John Henry Beeler passed the greater portion of his lif^ in Kentucky, and there was laid away to his final rest. John B. Beeler was born in Kentucky in 1846, and lives at New Albany, Indiana. He is a gravel road contractor, owns several famis, and has made a success of business undertakings, as well as accumu- lating even greater wealth in the numljer of strong friendships which he has made where\er he goes. Sarah McHarry was torn in Kentucky on August 18, i8rio. As a result of her marriage to John B. Beeler there were Ixirn twelve children, eight of whom sur\-ived their father. The father of the subject is a believer in education, and offered his chil- dren all reasonable opportunities to obtain it. Frank H. graduated at a small town high .school, and later at the ^Manual Training High School at Louisville. 448 PARKE AND VERMILLIOX COUNTIES, INDIANA. Kentucky. He then attended the Kentucky Medical University at Louisville, graduating from it, and was for some time connected with St. Edward's Hos- pital at New Albany, Indiana. In 1908 he started practicing at Bosweil, Wis- consin, later removed to Terre Haute, Indiana, and on March 30, 191 1, came to Clinton, where he bought town property and took up the practice of his profession. Though success was at first slow, he now has a good and in- creasing practice and stands well with the members of his profession. Doctor Beeler adheres to the Catholic faith of his mother. In politics he is a Democrat. He is an active member of the Knights of Columbus, and a man of influence in the local branch of that organization. LUCIUS OWEN BISHOP. The most elaborate history is necessarily an abridgement, the liistoriau being compelled to select his facts and materials from a multitude of details. So in every life of honor and usefulness the biographer finds no dearth of incident, and yet in summing up the career of any man the writer needs touch only the most salient points, giving only the keynote of his character, and eliminating much that is superfluous. Consequently in calling the reader's attentii.in to the life record of Lucius Owen Bishop no attempt will lie made to recount all the important acts in his useful life, for it is deemed that onl\- a few of them will show him to be worthy of a place in this volume along w ith his fellows of high standing and recognized worth, men who have figured in the growth ami prosperity of the section of the state with which they are identified. Lucius Owen Bishop, editor and publisher of tlie Clinfoii Ar(/iis. one of the ])est known and most popular newspapers of Vermillion county, is sr native of the city of Clinton, where he was born on April 17. 1859. He is a son of Francis Marion and Malinda (Anderson) Bishop, the father a native of Massachusetts and the mother of ^^rginia. The subject's paternal grand- father. Hiram Bishop, who came to Clinton county in 1852. was a well known contractor and builder. Among his public works was the construc- tion of a massive timber bridge across the Wabash river at Clinton in 1852-3. He married Sabrina Chapman and tliey became the parents nf four children, of whom the eldest was Francis M., the subject's father. Hiram Bisho]) made Clinton his home until his death, which occurred in the spring FARKE AND VF.UMII.LION COUXTIF.S, INDIANA. 449 of 1874. l^rancis Al. Bishup accompanied his ialher lo Clinloii in 185^ and here followed the vocations of architect and decorator, in which he acquired a good reputation, lie made Clinton his residence from the time he came here until his death, in 1905. in 1858 he married Aialinda Anderson, who bore him three children, the subject of this sketch being the eldest. The other two are Edwin Anderson Bishop, of i.ihertw ille. Illinois, and .Sarah Bishup. of Clintun. The mother of these children died in 1871. and in 1874 .Mr. Bishop married Jennie llighill, of Newport, liy whom he had Uiree children, of whom only one is living, Ethel Bishop. Lucius O. Bishop secured his elementarx' educalinn in ihe public scIiodIs of Clinton, and in 1877 he took up the study of law under the preceptorage of Henry A. \\'hite. of Clinton. He made good headwax' in mastering the principles of law and in a small wav he began the practice ]>efore he att.ained his majorit)'. But his legal ambitions were laid aside in 1871) when he en- tered the field of journalism, as one of the ])ublisliers of the Clinton Herald. In 1882 the partnership which had been formed was dissoKx'd and Mr. Bishop founded the Cliiit'>ii .-Iri/iis in .\ugust nf that year, and he has since remained in sole control of the pajier. i'be .lr party fur representative tn the Legislature in 19 12. The county is nominally Republican In aliout six hun- dred votes, but owing to our subject's prominence with all classes he was again elected to the ofifice sought. He enjoys the distinction of being the only Democratic representative from his county in fifty years, except the Hon. Dick Miller, elected in 1896 by a fusion of Democrats and Populists. Mr. Spencer was married on June 3, i(S9(>, to Cora .\. Stuart, daughter of Zeno and Jane (Hadley) Stuart, a prominent family of Hendricks county, Indiana. She was formerly a teacher. ha\ ing taught two or three years in her uati\e count} and one year in Henry county, this state. Herfather was a na- tive of North Carolina. He and his w ife are IxDth now deceased. They liecame the parents of seven children, four of whom arc now living, namely: Melviu. who makes his home in Hendricks county, Indiana: Cora .\., wife of Mr. Spencer: Tillie. deceased: Osie is the wife of John W. l*"igg, ex-county super- intendent of Hendricks county, but now teaching at Plainfield, Indiana: Olie is the wife of I'rank McCormick. a merchant of Danville. Indiana. To Mr. and Mrs. Spencer six children have been torn, namely : Hoyt S.. bom April 14. 1897. was graduated from the common schools and is now in high school: (iladys. born October 16. 1898. is also in high school: Dwight, 452 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. born January j/, 1901 ; Olive, born September 22, 1902: Kieth. born Decem- ber II, 1905 : Kent, born October 8. 1907. Fraternally, Mr. Spencer belongs to the Alodern Woodmen at \Va\e- land, Montgomery county. Indiana, since 1908. He also belongs to the Knights of Pythias at Rock-\-ille. The family attends the Christian church and are faithful in their support of the same. ROBERT HENRY NIXON. The two most strong!}- marked characteristics of both the East and the West are combined in the residents of \'ermillion and Parke counties. The enthusiastic enterprise which overleaps all obstacles and makes possible almost any undertaking in the comjmratively new and \-igorous middle West is here tempered by the stable and more careful policy that we ha\e borrowed from our Eastern neighbors, and the combination is one of peculiar force and power. It has l>een a means of placing this section on a par with the older East, at the same time producing a reliability and certainty in Imsiness affairs which is frequently lacking in the West. This happ^■ combination of characteristics is possessed to a notable degree by Rubert Henry Xixon, well known hanker and business man of Newport, one of the worthiest of \"ermillion county's nati\"e sons, whose influence during a ^■ery industrious and useful life has made for the general progress of the localit\- of which this volume deals. He is too well known to the readers of this work to need any formal introduction here, his career having conferred credit on the state and his marked abilities and sterling qualities ha\ing won for him more than local repute. Strong mental powers, invincible courage and a determined purpose that hesitates at no op- position have so entered into his composition as to render him a dominant fac- tor in the business world and a leader of men. He is essentially a man of afifairs. of sound judgment, keen discernment and rare acumen, far-seeing in what he undertakes, and e\ery enterprise to which he has addressed himself has been successful. His success in life has been the legitimate fruitage of consecutive efifort. directed and controlled bv good judgment and correct prin- ciples. Mr. Nixon is the scion of a sterling old pioneer family that was popular and influential in this locality in the days of the early setders. He was born at Newport, Indiana. May 24, 1842, and the major part of his three score and ten years have been spent in his native community. He is a son of Joshua PARKi; .\Xn*\ER.MII.l.ION COI'NTIKS, IXDIAXA. 433 and Margaret (I-ovejoy) Xixon. IxUh natives of Ailanis county, Ohio, wiicre they spent their earlier years, and there the father learned the trade of cabinet- maker and a llat-boat l^uildcr, also operated a flat boat on the Mississippi river, making twenty-one trips from Ohio to \e\v Orleans. He built a house boat at Ripley, Ohio, on which he floated down the Ohio river t(j the mouth of the Wabash, ascending the latter, and located at the frontier village of New- port, Indiana, in 1831. He here continued to follow big trade of cabinet- maker and Hat-boat builder, estalilishing the jiermanent home of the family here, and his death occurred at this home at the age of sixty-four years. He had but one child. Robert Henry, of this re\iew. Religiously, the formfer was a Alethodist, and in politics a Whig, later a Re])ublican, and allying himself with the Know-Nothing part\- when it was launched, lie was known for his honesty, hospitalit}- and industry and \\as ])opular with ri\ermen o\er the country and the early settlers of Newport. Robert H. Nixon was ])orn in a log house in \ew])i)rl, and here he grew to manhood and \\as educated. L'jion the commencement of the war of the stales he enlisted for serx'ice w ith the national troops, Com])any (.". I-lighteenth Indiana \'olunteer Infantry, on July 20, 1861, at Cam]i Morton, Indianapolis, and he saw considerable hard service in Missouri and .\rkansas. being under fire at Paw Paw, in the former state, and for meritorious conduct he was pro- moted to the rank of sergeant. He was discharged 3, and continued suc- cessfully in the same until 181)3. or a ])eriod of thirty years, during which his was one ni the best known and must ]i(ipnlar drug stores in tliis part of the ^^'abash \alle\ . In that year he w as burned out. He then enteretl the banking business, which he still follows. He had organized the bank of R. H. Xixon at his home town, Newport, on January 1. 187J. with a capital stock of five thousand dollars, which succeeded Imm the start under his able management and graduallv grew with adxancing years until it is now one of the most popular, sound and conservative banking institutions in western Indiana. Its officers at present are: R. FI. Xixon. president: H. \'. Xixon. cashier: R. R. Nixon, assistant cashier. The stockholders are: Ida Xixon (lalloway. of South Bend: JMary Nixon Davis, of Terre Haute: Lena Xixon Travis, of Fort AX'avne: R. H. Nixon. H. V. Nixon. B. R. Nixon and Marie Nixon, all of Newport. The capital stock is now thirty thousand dollars, with a surplus of fifteen thousand dollars. They carry on a general banking business, under the firm name of R. II. Xixon & Company, Hankers. The\ have a substantial 454 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. and atlrafti\e bank Iniilding. and the safe and other fixtures and furnishings are up-to-date in e\er\- respect. The bank owns two valuable, productive and well improved farms in this locality, one of two hundred and thirty-nine acres and the other of two hundred and eighty acres. Rol^ert H. Xixon owns per- sonally one thousand three hundred thirty-fl\e and one-half acres, all tillable but one hundred acres. It is all well improved and fertile. He is also a stock- holder in the State Bank of West Terre Haute, a director in the Union Trust Company of Indianapolis, also a stockholder in the McKeen National Bank and the United States Tmst Company, both of Terre Haute. He has been very successful in a financial way and is one of the substantial men of this section of the state, wielding a potent and wide influence in financial and business circles. Politically, 'Sir. Nixon is a Republican and is a leader in local party afifairs. He was a delegate to the Republican national con\ention in 1888. He was a member and treasurer of the Newport school board for a period of twenty-four years. Fraternally, he is a Mason. The domestic life of Mr. Nixon began on October 16, 1865. when he led to the hymeneal altar a lady of culture and refinement, known in her maiden- hood as Maria Hefflerman, who was born in Vermillion township, \'ermillion county. Indiana, and is a daughter of Elias Hefflerman and wife, a highly esteemed family of that section. The union of Mr. Xixon and wife has been graced by the birth of seven children, named as follows : Blanche, who mar- ried Fred Collett, is deceased; Ida is the wife of Dr. U. G. Galloway, of South Bend; Marv married O. D. Davis, of Terre Haute: Lena is the wife of Claude E. Travis, of Fort W'ayne : Bertha died when eight years old: H. \'. and B. R. are assisting their father in the bank. Personally. Mr. Nixon is a gentleman whom it is a pleasure to meet, unassuming, genial, obliging, a man of public spirit, unusual business ability and industry and a man of scruijulous honesty and high ideals, progressi\-e in his thought and wholesome in his prixate and Inisiness life. ALFRED H. STARK. Energy, sound judgment and persistency of effort will always win the goal sought in the sphere of human endea\or, no matter what the enxiron- ment may be or what obstacles are met with, for they who are endowed with such characteristics make of their adversities stepping stones to higher things. These reflections are suggested by the career of Alfred H. Stark, president of PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 455 the Parke State Bank, at Rockville, and a man who has Ions; ranked as one of the leading; financiers and representative citizens of I'arke and X'ermillion counties, having forged his way to the front ranks of men of affairs through his own efforts. He has been for many years an important factor in business circles of tlie thriving little city of which he is native and wlicrc he has been pleased to spend his life, and his [)opularity is well deser\ed, as in him are embraced the characteristics of an unswerving honesty and public s])irit that never flags. .Alfred H. .Stark was born on July 16. 1866, in Rockxillc. Indiana, an'l is the son of .Alfred K. and Sarah ( Harris) Stark, Iwth natives of Rockville and each representing prominent pioneer families, .\lfred K. Stark, who was born on Februar\- 14. 1840, has been a lifelong resident of Rockville. In 1855, at the age of fifteen years, he entered business as a clerk in the drug store of Coffin & Da\is. In 1862 he purchased a half interest in the business and 1864 bought the remaining interest. A year later he sold an interest in the store to his brother, D. W. Stark, and, under the name of Stark Brothers, the business was continued until their stock was destroyed l)y lire on .Septem- ber 17. 1870. In 1873 Alfred K. Stark became associated with Messrs. Tate and Coulter as original proprietors of the I'arke I'anking Compan\-. Later he became president of the l)ank, which became known as liie Parke State Bank, its present name. Mr. Stark has been an inlluential business man for a half century and at present he is chairman o\ the board of directors of the bank. ,\lfred K. Stark was twice in the military service of his country during the Civil war. having served as a private in Comjiauy C. Seventy-eighth In- diana Volunteer Infantry, and as an orderly sergeant in Company !•". One Hundred and Thirty-third Indiana Regiment. Alfred H. Stark, the immedi;ile subject of this review, grew to man- hood in Rockville and received a public school education there, which has been supplemented by close home reading of a miscellaneous nature and by wide observation and actual experience in the business world. When twenty years of age he began his Inisiness career by taking a position in the Parke State Bank. Imoui tlie beginning he exhibited uiutsual aliilily in this line of ef- fort, consetiuentlv his rise was rapid, and in i88f) he was made assi.stant cash- ier. .\bout 1889 he became cashier and in 1908 he was elected to the presitlency of the institution, the duties of which responsible ])Osition he has continued to discharge to the present time in a manner that reflects much credit upon him- self and to the eminent satisfaction of the stockholders and patrons. The ex- cellent prestige of this sound and popular institution, which has long wielded a potent influence in financial and commercial affairs in this and adjoining 456 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. counties, has been due in no ^mall measure to his energv, \\ ise counsel anil able management. Mr. Stark was married on October 18. 1892. to INIary Thomson, daugh- ter of William M. Thomson, a well known merchant of Rockville. in which city ^Irs. Stark grew to womanhood and received her education and where she has always been popular with a large circle of friends. This union has been without issue. Fraternally, Mr. Stark is a thirty-second-degree Mason and has long been active in that order. He belongs to the Memorial Presbyterian church of Rockville and is a liberal supporter of the same, being one of its trustees and most influential workers. Politically, he is a Republican, but not a biased partisan or active in the ranks ; however, his support may always be depended upon in furthering any movement looking to the betterment of his town or county in any way. He has been very successful in a business way, and in connection with the Ijank he is the owner of a \alualile and well improved farm, in which he takes much interest. He is a fine type of the progressive, far-seeing, obliging and genteel business man of the twentieth century. JOHN A. LINEBARGER. The men most influential in promoting the advancement of societ}- and in giving character to the times in which the)- live are two classes — the men of study and the men of action. Whether we are not more indebted for the im- provement of the age to the one class ov the other is a (|uestion of honest dif- ference of opinion: neither can be spared and both should he encouraged to occupy their several spheres of labor and influence zealously and without mutual distrust. In the following paragraphs are briefl\' outlined the leading facts and characteristics in the career of a gentleman who combines in his make-up the elements of the scholar and the energy of the public-spirited man of affairs. Devoted to the noble and humane work of teaching. Prof. John A. Linebarger, the efficient and popular superintendent of the Rockville public schools, Parke county. Indiana, has made his influence felt in a most potent manner in the localitx" of which this history treats. .Ml who come within range of his influence are profuse in their praise of his admirable qualities, and the high regard in which he is held, not only profesionall\- but socially, indicates the possession of attril)utes and characteristics tliat fully entitle him to the res]iect and consideration of his fellow men. PARKE AND VERMIIJ.IOX COUNTIES, INDIANA. 457 John A. I,inebai"ger was born in W'csl L'nion. Reserve township. J'arke county, Indiana, on February 28. iHjf), ami he is the son of George and Mariah (Hocker) Linebarger. both also natixes of I^arkc county. George Linebarger, who still lives at West Union, is a farmer by vocation and pos- sesses those sterling qualities which have gained for him ,1 high standing among the best men in his community. The subject's paternal grandfather. Andrew Linebarger, was a native of North Carolina, and came to Parke county in 1822, being numbered among the pioneers of this section of the state. He settled at West Union, where he siient the remainder nf his life, dying on April 28, 1907. at the advanced age of ninety-two years. He was married twice, first to Elizabeth Burton and then to Mary Warner, and be- came the father of fifteen children. To George and Mariah Linebarger were born six children, of whom four are living, those besides the subject being Mary and Melvina, at home, and Mrs. h-ah Scott, of Santiago. Chile, whose husband is a teacher of mathematics in a boys" institute there. Both of the subject's parents taught in the schools of Parke county |)rior to their marriage. John A. Linebarger received his elementary education in the common schools of Reserve township, following which he entered Dc I'auw I'niver- sity, at Greencastle, where he spent seven years, three years in the preparatorj'^ department and four years in the college proper. He was graduated in June, 1897. with the degree of Bachelor of Arts and took the Phi Beta Kappa honors. He was also a tutor in Greek for two years in the university while a student. Following his graduation. Professor Linebarger was for two years engaged in teaching school in his home township, following which he gave two years' service as principal of the high school at l'"owler. Indian.-i. I le then became superintendent of the public .schools at ^lonleziima, this county, re- maining there for four years and establishing a record for etihciency and abil- itv that was bound to receive larger recognition. Se\en \ears ago he was of- fered and accepted the position of superintendent of the schools at Rockville. in which position he has been retained from year to year, his administration of the schools being eminently satistactory to both l)oard and patrons. He has brought the schools u]) to a standard of elticiency thai r.mks them w ith any in this section of the stale, due to his force of character, ability as an organizer and the results of his professional exi)erience. He has sliown himself to be a man of progressive ideas, broad-minded, and he keeps fully abreast of the times in all matters jjcrtaining to his profession. His work i> character- istically practical and in teaching or in superintending and arranging the course of studv. he possesses to a notable degree the sense of proportion and fitness. Although a school man in the broadest and best sense of the term. 458 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. Professor Linebarger has he\er become narrow or pedantic, but is a well- rounded, synimetrically-dexelopcd man, fully alive to the demands of the times, thoroughly informed on the leading questions before the ixiblic and takes broad views of men and things. His abilities have lieen recognized by his professional brethren through the state and he is a prominent member of the Southern Indiana Teachers' As- sociation, comprising three thousand members, l>eing the present cliairman of that body. Religiouslv. Professor Linebarger is a member of the Methodist Episco- pal church, in the activities of which he is deeply interested, especially in the Sunday school where he is the teacher of the men's Biljle class of one hun- dred and thirty-five members. Fraternally, he is member of the Free and Accepted Masons, while his social affiliation is with the Shakespeare Club, a leading literarv club of Rockville. As president of the Rockville Chautauciua Association, Professor Linebarger has been an important factor in the suc- cess which has attended the institution, for in this, as in everything to which he bends his energies, he gives the very best that is in him. His support may alwavs be counted upon in favor of every movement having for its object the advancement of the city's best interests. On November 22, 1905. John A. Linebarger was married to Iva Blue, of Montezuma, the daughter of James M. and Mary A. (Brown) Blue, a well known Parke countv family. Mr. Blue died on December 28, 1907, being sur- vived bv his widow. JOSEPH WILBOURN AMIS. Success in what are popularly termed the learned professions is the legitimate 'result of merit and painstaking endeavor. In commercial life one niav come into possession of a lucrative business through inheritance or gift, but professional advancement is gained only b}" critical study and c(jnsecuti\'e research long continued. Proper intellectual discipline, thorough professional knowledge and the possession and utilization of the cjualities and attributes essential to success have made Joseph W. Amis, of Clinton, Indiana, eminent in his chosen calling, and he now stands among the scholarly and able lawyers in a community long distinguished for the high order of its legal talent. His professional life has been characterized by not only the most adroit ability, but also by a broad human sympathy and an innate sense of actual justice, for when a youth he realized that there is no honor not founded on genuine PARKE AND VERiM II.I.ION COUNTIES, INDIANA. 459 worth, there is a vital purpose in life and tliat tlio best and hii;liest accom- plishment must come from a well-trained mind and an altruistic heart. Joseph W. Amis was born in Clinton township, \'ermilli(in county, In- diana, on P'ehruary i.S, 1868, and is the only child of (Jarret and jane I Clover) Amis, lx)th of whom also were nati\es of Clinton townshi]). The subject is the descendant in the sixth generation from the noted l-'rench llu^uenot, |olin Amis, whose son, Thomas Amis, was the progenitor (jf the family in America. The subject's paternal great-grandfather was John Amis, of the same name as his noted French ancestor. In an early day. and while still a youth. John Amis emigrated to Kentuckx . locating on (joosc creek, where he ac(|uired a large tract of land, becoming one of the most prominent and influential men of the eastern part of that state. He met a tragic death bv assassination in 1808. His son, Wilbourn Amis, who was Ijorn in i7()8, was, after the death of his father, taken to Rogersville, Tennessee, where he received his educa- tion and was reared to manhood, .\mong his children was (iarret .\mis, father of the subject of this sketch, \\ ho was born on July 23, 1838, and who ia now an honored resident of New Goshen, ^'^igo county, Indiana, having for many years been successfully engaged as a farmer and stock man. When the subject was but two years old, his mother died, and subse(|uently his father married Elizabeth Pinson, a representative of one of the prominent and well- known pioneer families of Vigo county, and whose death occiuMed on Jul\ 13, 1908. To this second union were born two children. Xettie, of Xew Coshen, Indiana, and James T.. of Wallace. Kansas. Joseph W". Amis secured his elementary education in the ])ublic schools at New Goshen, Indiana, and Oswego, Kansas, and the high school at Boli- var. Missouri. He then took a business course in a college at Delaware, Ohio, and also ])repared himself in pedagogy at the State Normal School at Terre Haute. During the period from 1886 to 1892 Mr. .\mis engaged in teaching school in Vigo and Vermillion counties, gaining a well earned reputation as an able and successful educator. In the meantime he had determined to take ui> the practice of law for his life work and to this end he had spent his leisure hours in the study of Blackstone, Kent and other standard legal authorities. In 1890 he was admitted to the bar of \'i.go count)- and in i89(; he was ad- mitted to practice in the United States courts. In 1892 Mr. Amis entered upon the active practice of the law in Clinton and has continued here since, with the exception of two years, from November, 1806. to November. i8()8. when he was located at Newport as a partner of the late Judge Charles W. Ward. 460 PARKE AND VERMILLION COUNTIES, INDIANA. With body and mind strengthened by the sturdy and self-rehant work of a farmer's son, and his school training supplemented by experience as a teach- er, Mr. Amis entered upon the practice of law well qualified for success. It is not often that true honor, public or private, comes to a man without basis in character, and during his residence in Clinton, its people ha\'e had ample means to know what manner of man Mr. Amis is. The consensus of testi- mon}- is that he is a good citizen in the full sense of the term, and worthy of public confidence. As a lawyer, he is well informed in his jirofession and faithful to his clients and the law. His mind is strong, judicial and well bal- anced, impartial and just. He ]jossesses a rare ecpianimit}' of temper and a courtesy which has won for him the sincere regard of his associates at the bar. Hs is an honest and fair practitioner, taking no part in the tricks of the pettifogger or lawyer of low degree, which sometimes casts odium upon a pro- fession which should ever be one of truth and honor. His personal life is above reproach, being a man of good morals, temperate and self-controlled. Mr. Amis has had great success as a general practitioner and has kepi well abreast the times in all that pertains to his profession. He has always made it a rule not to take a case in hand unless he was thoroughly convinced as to the absolute merits of his client's cause, and this has been one of the secrets of the uniform success which has attended him. In one line of effort alone he has earned the gratitude of the citizens of his county, namely, on behalf of good roads, of which he is an ardent advo- cate. Mr. .\mis has probablv accomplished more for the establishment and construction of good roads in Vermillion county than any oiber man. He has handled more petitions for gravel roads than any other man, and fortv- five of such roads in this county have been constructed as the direct result of petitions presented by him and most of which were ratified bv three out of four successful gravel road elections. In the examination and correction of land titles in \^ermillion countv Mr. .\mis has also done a vast amount of work, his labors along this line undoubtedly surpassing any other lawver in volume of business. Thoroughly accurate and reliable in important matters of this kind, he has honestly earned the large clientage which he now com- mands. He is at all times controlled by a high code of ethics and among his professional brethren he is held in the highest regard. Originally a stanch Democrat in his political afifiliations, Mr. Amis was in iSqo and again in i