rL^#. ^y ^* -^"^^ f^* -?r ^i^.5i- ^^» ^^•:'^f: Gc 977.201 J31s v.l A standard history of Jasper and Newton counties, A Standard History of Jasper andNewton Counties Indiana An Authentic Narrative of the Past, with an Extended Survey of Modern Developments in the Progress of Town and Country Under the Editorial Supervision of LOUIS H. HAMILTON, Rensselaer For Jasper County and WILLIAM DARROCH, Kentland For Newton County Assisted by a Board of Advisory Editors Volume I ILL USTRATED THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY -^ CHICAGO AND NEW YORK J—C' S-tT."^ 1308665 INTRODUCTION Indiana has always stood for not only prosperity, but originality, whether considered from the standpoint of the commonwealth or the people. In politics it is often classed as doubtful, because its men and women are thinkers, as well as doers, and are not led against their wills. Especially is the northwestern part of Indiana typical of prosperity, energy and independence, and Jasper and Newton Counties are centers of "God's country," as the real Hoosier calls his home hunting grounds, his picturesque streams, his teeming fields and his hamlets, towns and cities. It is this diverse, useful and interesting country and people which this history, now finished, has endeavored to depict in the gem counties of Jasper and Newton. The twin counties, which so worthily perpetuate the names of two brave Revolutionary com- rades, have put forth gallant soldiers of the later days, writers of wide repute, successful business men, women of culture, and numerous characters of both sexes whose strength and activity have been given to social, moral and religious development. From the very outset, it was the earnest aim of editors and pub- lishers to gather all material information bearing upon the multi- tude of topics which logically called for treatment and which the prospectus had promised. As a rule, the responses were prompt and hearty, although in scattered instances, and despite repeated requests, the facts obtained were not as full as desired. Without mentioning all who have thus promoted our enterprise, and co-oper- ated in the lightening of our labors, the editors acknowledge their obligations to their advisory boards of both counties and to the editors of the newspapers, without exception. All have rendered cheerful and efficient assistance. Not a few business men have also contributed of their valuable time in the actual preparation of manu- scripts, for which they have our special thanks. While it has been the constant aim of the editors to give all credit who have materially contributed to the upbuilding of any community or institution, the object has also been kept in mind of endeavoring to observe literary proportions in the amount of space accorded to the many topics con- sidered. In the progress and completion of the work, we have endeavored to be impartial, as becomes all historians, whether writ- ing of counties or of countries. CONTENTS CHAPTER I CO-OPERATION OF NATURE AND MAN The Kankakee and Iroquois — Surface Geology — Mineral Springs — Topography, Soil and Products — Moulding of Nature by Man — What the Fires Did to Drive Out Rank Forage — The Live Stock of Jasper County — ^Agriculture AND Live Stock Forty Years Ago i CHAPTER II CONFLICTS OF WHITES AND REDS The Miamis Tamed by the Iroquois — Labors of French Mis- sionaries AND Traders — French Indiana — Indiana Under British Rule — Uncertain French Titles to Lands — Ruled from Canada and Virginia — In the County of Illinois — Part of NoRTHVi^EST Territory — Indiana Territory^ — Gen- eral Harrison, Father of Indiana — Tecumseh and the Prophet — The Battle of Tippecanoe — Founding of the State Government — Miami and Pottawattamie Titles Ex- tinguished— Pottawattamie Villages in Jasper County — No Evidences of Permanent Prehistoric Settlements. . .16 CHAPTER III PREPARATIONS FOR WHITE IMMIGRATION The American Survey System — Survey of Indiana Public Lands — When Statehood Came — Creation of the Counties — Conditions Unfavorable to Settlement — William Dona- hue, First Settler — The Yeoman and the Nowels Family — Charles G. Wright — Thomas Randle and George Gulp — The Blue Grass Settlement — The Benjamins — Settlers of 1832-45 Z7 vi ' CONTENTS CHAPTER IV COUNTY AND TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION Erection of the Twin Counties — Named after Comrade Pa- triots— Jasper County of 1835 — County Seat Moved to Spitler's Cabin — Jasper and Newton Counties Consoli- dated— County Seat, the Falls of the Iroquois — Formation OF Townships — The Spitler Courthouse — The Early Rens- selaer Courthouses — The Brick Courthouse of 1856 — Courthouse Burned — The Courthouse of 1898 — County Jails — County Officials 44 CHAPTER V COURTS, JUDGES AND LAWYERS First Western American Courts — First Territorial Court — Federal vs. Territorial Jurisdiction — Judicial System un- der the First State Constitution — Subsequent Legislation Affecting the Courts — Circuit Court, a Monopoly of Judi- cial Power — List of Circuit Judges, 1852-1916 — First Court Sessions in Jasper County — Noted Early Lawyers — Joseph A. Wright — Rufus A. Lockwood — Edwin P. Hammond — Simon P. Thompson — Robert S. Dwiggins — Mordecai F. Chilcote 57 CHAPTER VI LAND HIGHWAYS Indian Trails in Jasper County — The White Man's Trails and Early Roads — Bridges as Connecting Links — Thwarted At- tempts at Railroad Building — Indianapolis, Delphi & Chi- cago Line, a Success — Rensselaer Gets Railway Connection Now IN the Monon System — The Big Four — The Three I's Railroad — The Chicago & Eastern Illinois 70 CHAPTER Vll GENERAL AND STATISTICAL Decadal Population, 1840- 1910 — County Revenue and Taxable Property — Present Area and Value of Property — County Finances — The Swamp Lands Scandal — Draining and Im- provement of the Lands — Jasper County Agricultural Society 76 CONTENTS vii CHAPTER VIII GROUNDWORK OF AMERICAN GROWTH Basis of the American Public School — Territorial and Early State Legislation — First Township Schools — The Old- TiME Subscription Concern — Created in Three Days — Founding a Regular System — Building Schoolhouses Un- der the New Order — Deciding on Teacher's Qualifications — Pioneer Schools in Jasper County — The County's Sources of Educational Revenue 84 CHAPTER IX SPECIAL PIONEER PICTURES First Sight of the Grand Prairie — Harbingers of Malaria — Abundance of Wild Game and Fish — The Seasonings and Cultivated Meats, Rarities — Settling of the Emigrant — Breaking Ground — The Pioneer's Live Stock and Forage — Wild Honey and Pumpkin Sirup — Hoosier Hunt^ ing Grounds — In the Kankakee Marshes — A Pottawat- tamie Village 92 CHAPTER X JASPER COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR State Militia Previous to the Civil War — Jasper County in the War of the Rebellion — The Ninth as a Three-Months' Regiment — General Robert H. Milroy, Leading Military Figure — Unveiling of Memorial at Milroy Park — Judge Hammond's Tribute to General Milroy — A Nursery of Military Renown — First Union Victim of the Battle- field— Company A, Fifteenth Indiana Infantry — The Sev- enteenth Infantry — The Forty-eighth Regiment — The Eighty-seventh- — Twelfth Cavalry, Company K — Fourth Battery, Light Artillery 114 CHAPTER XI RENSSELAER AND ITS INSTITUTIONS First Actual Settlers — The Yeomans — William Mallatt — The Rapids Named Newton — Yeoman Floated Out by Van Rensselaer — Newton Platted in 1839 — Name Changed to viii CONTENTS Rensselaer — Death of Van Rensselaer — Corporation of Rensselaer^ With Additions — Incorporated as a City — Municipal Officials — City of the Present — Municipal Departments — The Commercial State and First National Banks — State Bank of Rensselaer — ^Jasper Savings & Trust Company — The Local Press — Churches — St. Joseph's Col- lege— Societies 133 CHAPTER XII REMINGTON Always a Grain and Livestock Center — Elevators — State Bank of Remington — Corporation Matters — Remington Public Library — The Newspapers — The Churches — Foun- tain Park Assembly 154 CHAPTER XIII MINOR CENTERS OF POPULATION Saltillo, the Pioneer Settlement — The Forks Settlement, Rensselaer's Early Rival — The Blue Grass Settlement — Carpenter's Grove — Davidsonville — Hanging Grove — Town of Wheatfield 163 CHAPTER XIV NEWTON COUNTY BEFORE IT WAS A POLITICAL BODY Darroch's Review Previous to Civil Organization — No Indian History — The Period of Lawlessness — Early Adventurers — The Kenoyer Settlement — First Postoffice at Brook — John Murphy Founds Morocco — John Ade Locates There — Morocco and the Neighborhood in 1853 — Lands in the Goodland Region — Alexander J. Kent and Kentland. . . 168 CHAPTER XV MATTERS VITAL TO THE COUNTY Opposition to a Western County — State Supreme Court Up- holds Newton County' — The County First Publicly Recog- nized— First Officials Elected and Sworn In — John Ade and Family — Kentland Still the County Seat — Seat CONTENTS ix Located Before Town Was Platted — Proposed Change to Beaver City — Other Attempted Removals — The Old Court- house— -The New Courthouse — The Poor Farm and Asylum — Organization of the Townships — Roster of County Offi- cials— The County's Golden Anniversary — Increase in Population — Population in i860, 1870 and 1880 — Popula- tion in 1890, 1900 AND 1910 — Assessed Valuation of Prop- erty, 1916 — Other Statistics for 191 5-16 — Improved Roads in the County — In the Days of the Trails and Stage Routes — Projection and Building of Its Railroads 183 CHAPTER XVI COURTS, JUDGES AND LAWYERS Circuit Judges Presiding in Newton County — Judges of the Court of Common Pleas — First Term of Circuit Court — First Term of Common Pleas Court — Albert G. Brown and Other Pioneer Lawyers — "Reputation Is Not Character" — Reputation of the Beaver Lake Region — The Man from Mong — Convening of Court, an Event — A Degenerate Son — Legal Matters Connected with Kankakee Improve- ments— Beaver Lake Land Litigations — The Brandon Trial — ^Justifiable Larceny 209 CHAPTER XVII COUNTY EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM Pioneer Schools of the County — Prominent Ex-Pupils of a District School — The County Examiners (1861-73) — County Superintendents (1873-1916) — The System of the Present — Play, as Well as Work — The School Savings Bank — The Boys' County Corn Club » . 233 CHAPTER XVIII NATURE AND HER CULTIVATION Transformation of the Beaver Lake Region — Natural Drain- age AND Topography — Prehistoric Mounds — Soil and Prod- ucts— George Ade on Agricultural Changes of Twenty Years — Jump from $50 to $200 per Acre — Scientific Farming, the Explanation — Change in Popular Opinion 241 X CONTENTS CHAPTER XIX NEWTON COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR (1861-1865) The "Boys" of '61 — The County at the Outbreak of the War — First War Meeting — Summer and Fall of '61 — Organi- zation OF Company B — Off for the Front — Dark Days in Newton County — Enrollment in the County — "The Home Guard" — John Ade — Brook Soldiers' Monument and Tablet —Newton County's Roll of Honor — Gave Their Lives in the Service — "Out of Reach" 251 CHAPTER XX KENTLAND, THE COUNTY SEAT The Original Frontier Town — Struggles for a Distinctive Name — Improvements in 1865-70 — Great Fire of December, 1870 — A Series of Destructive Fires — Ultimate Result, Substantial Town Improvement — Public School Burned — Destruction of McCray-Morrison Elevator — Water and Electric Light Supply — Public School System — The Car- negie Public Library — Kentland Woman's Club — Warren T. McCray — Kentland's Material Standing — Discount and Deposit State Bank — Kent State Bank — Kentland's First Newspapers — Newton County Enterprise — Newton County Democrat — Early Kentland Churches — ^United Brethren in Christ — The M. E. Church — St. Joseph's Catholic Church — The Presbyterian and Christian Churches — Secret and Benevolent Bodies 275 • CHAPTER XXI GOODLAND Originally Tivoli, a Railway Flag Station — First Business Men and Additions — Grain Warehouses and Elevators — Extensive Grain and Produce Trade — Increase in Popula- tion AND Area — Abundant Supply of Water and Light — The Public Schools — Goodland's Two Banks — The Good- land Herald — The Churches — The Lodges 293 CONTENTS xi CHAPTER XXII THE TOWN OF BROOK Public Schools — The Brook Public Library^ — McKinley Park AND THE Soldiers' Monument — The Pioneer Methodists — Miss Ella Lyons' Story — First Church and School at the Lyons House — Changes in Circuits — List of Pastors — United Brethren Church of the Brook Circuit — The Christian Church — The Welfare Club — History of Brook Masonry — Knights of Pythias — The Independent Order of Odd Fellows — Modern Woodmen of America — The Bank of Brook — The Brook Reporter — Pioneer Times in Town and TownshiP' — Early Mills and Their Owners — Seven Good Strong Men — Samuel H. Benjamin — Morris Lyo-ns — John Lyons — Old-Time History by John Hershman and Morris Jones — Brook in 1856 — Mr. Hershman's Address — Stove Without a Fireplace — Other Home Improvements — Early Schools and Teachers — A Little Judicial and Civil History — More About the Township Schools 300 CHAPTER XXIII MOROCCO AND OTHER TOWNS Drawn to the Rich Fur Country — Murphy Lays Out Morocco — Slow Growth — Invisible Branch Bank of America — ■ Struggles to Become County Seat — Final Expansion — The Present Morocco — The Morocco Courier — The Methodist, Christian, United Brethren and Baptist Churches — The Morocco Woman's Club — The Lodges — Mount Ayr — First Called Mount Airy — Other Railroad Towns 335 Biographical 347 INDEX Abbott, Melvin, 143 Adams, Henry I., 55 Ade, 346 Ade, Ardis, 282 Ade, George, 188, 245, 305 Ade, John, 170, 177, 178, 179, 184, 186, 187, 194, 198, 199, 200, 204, 205, 208, 233, 254, 255, 261, 262, 285, 291, 337, 635 Ade, Mrs. John, 260 Ade, Mr. and Mrs. John (portrait), 177 Ade, McCray & Company, 285 Ade, William H., 193, 198, 396 Agate, Amos, 657 Aldrich, E. T., 343 Alexander, Robert, 47 Allen, Joseph,, 187, 190 Allman, Jesse D., 55 Alter, B. Frank, 371 Alter, I. N. S., 147 Alter, Isaac V., 392 Alter, John E., 56, 100, 393 Alter, John J., 199 Alter, Lewis S., 56, 361 Alter, Moses B., 55, 143 Alter, Samuel, 55 American Survey System, 37 Amsler, Henry, 437 Anderson, A. E., 342 Anderson, Edward, 131 Anderson, Emma M., 651 Anderson, James C, 652 Anderson, William B., 724 Andrews, John, 170, 184 Anheir, Anthony A., 193 Annabel, Thurman C., 56 Antrim, James F., 56 Antrim, Thomas, 56 Archibald, James, 191 Archibald, Pierce, 236 Area, 77 Armitage, John, 120 Armitage, Will, 120 Arnold, Alvln, 265 Arnold, Elias, 682 Arnold, E. R., 265 Arnout, G. W., 277 Ash, Daniel, 192, 206, 256, 258, 270 Ash, John H., 213 Askew, Eliza, 407 Atkinson, Charles M., 234 " Atkinson, Elias, 206 Atkinson, George W., 234 Atkinson, Walter, 234, 256, 258, 275 Austin, John M., 56 Babb, Henry, 134 Babeock, Augustus D., 625 Babcock, Frank W., 55 Babeock, G. M., 148, 159 Babcock, James B., 639 Babeock, James L., 639 Babeock, William C, 55 Baker, William P., 444 Ballard, James, 56, 170 Ballard, Rev., 316 Ballard, T. E., 311 "Bandits of the Prairie," 172 Bank of Wheatfield, 167 Bard, Samuel, 305 Barker, Martin G., 735 Barker, S. C, 171 Barker, Thomas, 170 Barker, Thomas R., 170, 175, 183, 187, 199 Barkley, Belle, 42 Barkley, Henry, Jr., 41 Barkley, Henry, Sr., 55, 56 Barkley township, 49, 76 Barnes, Lillian, 158 Barnett, Cynthia N., 472 Barnett, John, 472 Barr, Robert, 265 Bartholomew, Fred, 266 Bartholomew, Frederick, 762 Bartoo, H. J., 159, 341 Basis of the American public school, 84 Bassett, Clarence C, 605 Battle of Tippecanoe, 27 Beagley, Thorp, 304 Beard, F. H., 149 Beaver aty, 190, 192, 208 Beaver Lake, 241 ; bad name of, 215 ; land litigations, 223 Beaver township, 197, 202, 203 Bebout, Abraham W., 178, 747 Beck, Jennie, 120 Beef cattle, 9 INDEX Bekelheimer, I., 316 Bell, Charles W., 749 Bell, James, 298 Bellows, Albert J., 459 Benjamin, Jared, 42, 134, 458 Benjamin, Mrs. Jared, 42 Benjamin, Real P., 56 Benjamin, Rial, 43 Benjamin, Samuel, 175, 322 Benjamin, Samuel H., 176, 323 Benjamin, S. H., 165 , Bennett, William P., 398 Benson, Samuel, 165 Benton County, 48 Bernhardt, August, 541 Berry, William H., 462 Besser, Emil, 559 Beyea, Isaac, 276 Bieknell, John L., 301 Biddle, Jerome H., 155, 161, 497 Big Four Railroad, 207 Bird 's-Eye View of Rensselaer (^-iew), 143 Bishop, David L., 214 Bishopp, Arthur A., 285 Bissell, James, 211, 256, 258, 259, 271 Bissell, Jane, 260 Bitters, T. M., 148 Blake, William C, 224 Blessing, Joseph, 277 Bloomer, J. M., 266 Blue Grass Settlement, 42, 165 Blue, John, 255 Blue, Matilda, 331 Blue, Philip, 56 Blue, P. R., 167 Bogus Island, 215 Boicourt, Clement T., 445 Boieourt, Vivian, 445 Bold Rapids of the Eoekwise, 133 Bole, W. H., 199 Bond, G. A., 311 Bond, Jesse W., 620 Boothroyd, Dyson, 124 Boroughs, Thomas, 55, 147 Bostwick, Lathrop A., 143 Bounty system in Newton county, 2o8 Bowden, H. O., 286 Bowman, Ezra, 511 Boyle, Albert M., 199 Boys' Coimty Corn Club, 239 "Boys" of '61, 252 Bramble, Amanda, 260 Bramble, Samuel, 198, 254, 256 Branch Bank of America, Morocco, 337 Brandon, Samuel, 227 Brandon Trial, 227 Branson, M. M., 314 Breaking Ground, 97 Brecount, Alfred, 291 Brees, Sylvester, 714 Brenton, Joseph, 123 Brewer, Frank, 709 Bridgeman, Adda, 548 Bridgeman, E., 191 Bridgeman, George M., 199, 547 Bridgeman, Samuel, 758 Brigham, Elmer R., 194, 199 Bright, Michael G., 224 Bringle, Je-sse, 706 British Indiana, 20 Brook, 193, 202, 203, 208, 300; settle- ment of, 175, 176; postoffice, 178; Masonry, 317; early mills, 322; in 1856, 325 Brook Carnegie Library, 316 Brook Chapter No. 372, Order of the Eastern Star, 318 Brook High School Building (view), 301 Brook, H. J., 298, 605 Brook Lodge No. 70, F. & A. M., 317 Brook Lodge No. 277, Knights of Pythias, 318 Brook Lodge No. 427, L O. O. F., 319 Brook Modern Woodmen of America, 320 Brook Soldiers' Monument, 262, 303 Brook Welfare Club, 316 Brown, Albert 6., 211 Brown, Ephraim, 707 Brown, George H., 42 Brown, John T., 56 Brown, Mrs. G. H., 43 Bruce, Edgar L., 368 Bruce, Henry, 134 Bruce, Lawson, 55 Bruek, John A., 199 Bruner, John F., 504 Bruner, Mrs. Han-y, 303 Bryant, William P., 63 Builta, L. P., 341 Bull, E. H., 160 Burgess, Cliarles E., 426 Burgess, Hiram, 425 Burns, Albert M., 193 Burns, Mrs. William, 42 Burton, William H., 199, 554 Bush, Adah E., 284 Bush, Asabel K., 131 Business Street of the Present Good- land (view), 294 Bussell, Charles W., 515 Butler, Henry, 688 Calkins Brothers, 148 Calkins & Johnson, 148 Callahan, Thomas, 150 Callow, Joseph, 134 Carnegie Library Building (view), 316 Carnegie Library, Kentland (view), 283 Carpenter township, 51, 76 Carpenter 's Creek, 154 INDEX Carpenter's Grove, 165 Carr Brothers, 470 Carr, Matbew P., 469 Carson, J D., 161 Cashaw, I'homas J., 266 Cass, Lewis, 30 Catholic Church of the Sorrowful Mother, 167 Catt, Edmond, 266 Cattle, 14 Cattle-raising, 9 Chamberlain, King J., 737 Chambers, Joseph, 199 Chancellor, James, 195 Chapman, Blanche L., 412 Chapman, James H., 143, 146 Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad, 208, 339 Chicago, Indiana & Southern Rail- road, 208 Chilcote, Mordecai F., 68, 123 Chizum, Albert E., 46, 234 Chizum, James B., 234, 769 Chizum, Joseph M., 234, 612 Christian Church, Kentland, 291 Church & Hartley, 154, 295 Church, O. W., 158, 295 Church of Christ, Morocco, 342 Church of Christ of Brook, 314 Church of God at Rensselaer, 149 Church of the Sacred Heart, Reming- ton, 581 Circuit Court, 63, 210 Circuit Judges, 63, 209 Cissel, John H., 308 Cissel, M. O., 148 Citizens State Bank, Morocco, 341 Civil war bounties (Newton County) 259 Civil war enrollment in Newton County, 258 Civil war relief, 116 Civil war relief fund (Newton Coun- ty), 261 Clark, A. B., 158 Clark, A. L., 311 Clark, Amos, 178 Clark, George T., 753 Clark, Horace M., 660 Clark, Josiah, 140 Clark, Leslie, 148, 534 Clark, Mervin, 141 Clark, Thomas M., 255, 266 Clark, "William, 58i Clary, Isaac N., 32 Claussen & Son, 167 Claypool, James H., 308 Clifton, C. W., 333 Cochrane, John Sr., 621 Coekrill, Mrs. William, 43 Coen, Albin W., 55 Coen, John, 134 Coffelt, John, 191 Coffelt, Michael, 170, 187, 199 Coffert, Michael, 276 Coffman, Joseph, 31.' Coffman, W. N., 3l4 Cole, L. A., 141, 184 Colfax township, 198, 202, 203 Collier, Theodore E., 302, 317, 692 CoUier, Mrs. T. E., 303 Collins, Erasmus B., 254, 255, 265, 267 Collins, G. D., 316 Collins, Jasper J., 199 Collins, William, 769 Comer, Addie C, 523 Comer, Barney D., 522 Comer, Stephen T., 520 Commercial State Bank, Rensselaer, 145 Common Pleas Court, 62, 210, 211 Company A, Fifteenth Indiana Regi- ment, 125 Company B, Fifty-First Indiana Volunteer Infantry, 264, 267 Company H, One Hundred and Fifty- First Regiment, 262 Company K, Forty-Eighth Regiment, 128 Company K, Twelfth Cavalry, 130 Comparet, Frank A., 214, 571 Cone, C. B., 192, 285 Conn, G. A., 318 Conrad, 208, 346 Conrad, Jennie M., 346 Continental Railway, 208 Continental Railway Company, 73 Cooking Class in Operation (view), 238 Cool, L., 299 Cook, Milton, 199 Cooke, John L., 602 Coombs, J. v., 315 Cooper, J. S., 314 Coover, Marion C, 199 Coover, William H., 55, 158 Coovert, Frank, 198 Coppock, William C, 298 Corn-crackers, 99 Corbin, Henry K., 767 Corbin, William F., 698 Corbin, Mrs. William, 314 Corporation of Rensselaer, with Addi- tions, 141 Cotton, William, 134 Coughlin, Robert, 285 Counterfeiters of Bogus Island, 223 County Asylum and Hospital, 54 County finances, 79 County jails, 54 County seat, 48 Courthouse of the Present (view), 62 Courthouse of 1865 (view), 53 Court of Common Pleas judges, 209 Cowen, V. B., 286 INDEX Cox, Charles, 158 Craig, James R., 773 Crank, Rev. Mrs. S. M., 314, 315 Crawu, Mrs. D. J., 742 Creek, David, 185, 186, 247, 293 Crockett, Alexander, 49 Crowder, R. H., 159 Crowe, J. B., 160 Crozier, John, 160 Crumpaeker, E. T>., 305 Culp, George, 41, 135, 163, 370 Cummings, Roland R., 549 Cummiugs, William, 214, 549 Cunningham, Terrenee B., 550 Cunningham, William S., 730 Cured fish, 35 Curnick, Paul C, 149 Currens, E. C, 198 Dairies, 9 Daniel, Charles M., 198, 545 Daniel, Christian, 150, 442 Daniels, Elvin, 291 Daniels, George, 632 Daniels, Horace G., 679 Darroch, Austin M., 234 Darroch, Daniel C, 234 Darroch, John, 167, 177, 185, 186, 191, 206, 219 Darroch, John M., 234 Darroch, William, 63, 200, 209, 234, 242, 366 Daugherty, Daniel, 43 Daugherty, John, 43 Daugherty, Lewis L., 43, 56 Daugherty, William H., 43 Daveer, John W., 192 Davidson, Lewis, 165 Davidson, Moses E., 165 Davidsonville, 165 Davies, Daniel F., 56, 147 Daviess, Jo, 28 Davis, Charles M., 287 Davis, Frank, 193, 302, 303 Davis, Fred, 341 Davis, John G., 198 Davis, John E., 193 Davis, Mrs. John G., 284, 286, 287 Davis, Thomas L., 734 Davisson, Grant, 683 Day, Edward, 311 Day, John, 335 Dean, Algy, 219 Dean, Charles J., 472 Deardurff, Daniel, 177 Deardurff, J. R., 199 Deardurff, John, 255 Deardurff, John S., 266 Deardurff, Mrs. Tennis, 343 Deardurff, Young D., 616 Deaver, John W., 319 DeForest, O. E., 157, 158 DeHart, R. P., 192 Deitch, Albert G., 311 Democratic Sentinel, 148 DeMotte, 74 Denham, Charles T., 156, 384 Deuel, George E., 298 Dewees, Abraham, 305 Dewees, Abram, 692 Deweese, William, 265 Dick, Anthony, 151 Dickinson, Sumner H., 627 Dickson, Hannah, 314 Didlake, Mrs. M. T., 161 Diocesan Orphan Asylum, 149 Discount and Deposit State Bank, 285 Dluzak, Charles, 597 Dodson, J. v., 193, 235 Dodson, James W., 564 Domestic Science Products (view), 235 Donahue, William, 40, 49 Donaldson, S., 82 Doty, Daniel, 265 Dowling, William, 199 Downing, Wesley, 43 Drainage of Beaver Lake, 242 Drake, Ira, 198 Drees, Henry, 150 Dunham, D. S., 289 Dunham, J. D., 158 Dunliam, J. E., 158 Dunlap, John A., 409 Dunlap, Livingston, 187, 190 Dunn, Isaac, 670 Dunn, John P., 224 Dunn, Josiah, 175 Duunville, 74 Duvall, John W., 43 Dwiggins, Robert S., 67, 73, 214 Earl, William H., 266 Early school legislation, 85 Eastern Star, Brook Chapter No. 372, 318 Eddy, Norman, 128, 224 Edwards, J. H., 342 Eger, John, 143, 146 Eib, Adelbert, 680 Eighty-Seventh Regiment, 129, 270 Ekey, Alexander, 199 Elijah, James, 177 Ellis, James H. S., 143 Elliott, Horace, 320 Elliott, John, 175 Elliott, Stephen, 179 Emerich, G. A., 167 Enfield, Christian, 266 English, Edward C, 453 English, Job, 697 English traders, 19 Enos, 208, 346 Enterprise Printing Company, 287 Erwin, Felix R., 643 Esson, John, 575 INDEX Everett, T. J., 307, 311 Ewan, E. L., 195 Exhibit of Soil Products, Newton County (view), 246 Fair Oaks, 74 Falls of the Iroquois, 48 Fan iliar Object on the Early Roads, (view) 71 Faris, Benjamin R., 53 Farmers Co-operative Company, 154 Farmers State Bank, Morocco, 341 Farris, Andrew, 43 Farris, James, 342 Faulk, P. H., 343 Fell, Alson A., 55, 401 Fenwick, John, 487 Ferguson, Kin, 265 Fifteenth Indiana Regiment, Company A, 125 Fifteenth Regiment, Indiana Volun- teer Infantry, 266 Finn, John, 650 First Baptist Church, Morocco, 343 First church in Newton county, 288 First Civil war meeting in Newton county, 254 First National Bank, Goodland, 297 First Union victim of the battlefield, 124 Fisher, Henry, 134 Fleming, J. B., 149 Folger, William, 645 Foltz, Frank, 446 Food for Prairie Fires, (view) 5 Forage, 98 Fordiee, Jesse H., 154 Foreman, Marcus, 237 Foresman, 208, 345 Foresman, John, 333 Foresman, John B., 317 Foresman, John B., Jr., 695 Foresman, J. B., 345 Foresman, Lillian, 316 Foresman, M., 302 Foresman, Mrs. John, Jr., 303 Forks settlement, 163 Fort Chartres, 20, 21, 58 Fort Wayne & Western Railroad, 73 Forty-eighth Regiment, 128 Frankenberger, Charles, 199 Franklin, John, 165 Frazer, Daniel, 214 Freeland, Abram, 43 Freeland, Abram J., 470 Free school system, 88 French Indiana, 20 French Missionaries, 17 French, Moses F., 372 French titles to lands, 21 French traders, 17 Friedline, Fred & Company, 197 Fry, Daniel, 266 Frye, David K., 704 Foster, Timothy, 294 Foster, William, 257, 258, 293 Fountain Park Assembly, 160 Fountain Park Chautauqua, 161 Fourth Battery, Light Artillery, 131 Fox, John P., 301 Garrett, John M., 123 Garrison, J., 314 Gates, Everett, 342 Gehres, A. W., 316 Geizelman, Alexander L., 493 Geizehnan, Emma R., 493 Gilbert, James H., 155 Gillam, John, 163 Gillam Methodist Episcopal Church, 149 Gillam township, 77 Gillett, H. A., 209 Gilman, William W., 198, 634 Girard, William T., 124 Givin, Jesse C, 55 Gleason, David D., 648 Glick, G. M., 311 Gobin, H. A., 159, 306 Goddard, John D., 266 Goddard, Reece, 134 Godfrey, Samuel, 308 Goff, Statira B., 777 Goodacre, Isabelle, 316 Goodland, 179, 193, 202, 203, 208, 239, 293-299 ; warehouses and eleva- tors, 294; water works, 296; churches, 298 Goodland Grain Company, 295 Goodland Herald, 298 Goodland 's Public School, (view) 297 Goodnow, Aaron M., 223 Gragg, Bernard B., 317, 318 Gragg, Elsie, 318 Graham Edward, 341 Graham, Edwin, 287 Graham, W. H., 291 Graham, William H. H., 213 Grand Army of the Republic, Rens- selaer Post No. 84, 153 Grant, Alton, 465 Grant, Garland, 466 Grant, Shelby, 56 Grant township, 198, 202, 203 Graves, Daniel, 256 Graves, Daniel M., 130, 236, 272 Graves, Lawrence, 199 Graves, Milton E., 778 Graves, Robert O., 56 Greathouse, Charles A., 91, 237 Green, A. H., 147 Greenway, J., 311 Grevenstuk, Gerrit, 647 Gridley, Etta, 318 Gridley, Willis A., 317 Griffes, J. L., 160 INDEX Griffin, Fred L., 159, 161 Griffin, John, 58 Griggs, Henry T., 502 Griggs, Mrs. W. P., 314 Griggs, W. P., 301,, 318 Grindle, Alfred, 54 Group of the Early Settlers of Ren- selaer, (view) 134 Gmnm, Walter L., 161, 535 Guthridge, Albert G., 117, 123 Guthridge, A. J., 164 Guy, Jasper, 484 H. & D. plant, 295 Hall, Andrew, 198, 563 Halleek, A., 53 Halleek, Abraham, 402 Halstead, Chester H., 406 Halstead, David T., 55, 134, 407 Halstead, Everett R., 405 Halstead, Mieah B., 403 Halstead, Orpheus C, 404 Ham, Mrs. Ephraim, 256 Hamerton, J. T., 298 Harney, F. W., 191 Hamilton, Edward H., 199 Hamilton, Louis H., 375 Hamilton, Robert, 199 Hammerton, Elias, 675 Hammerton, George H., 676 Hammond, E. P., 63, 121, 123, 124, 214 Hammond, Edward P., 117 Hammond, Edwin P., 64, 201, 209, 258 Hammond, J. B., 167 Hammond, Joseph P., 55, 351 Hammond, Stewart C, 42, 351 Hand, S. G., 155, 156, 490 Hanging Grove township, 51, 77 Hanging Grove, 166 Hankie, Lemuel, 43 Hanley, Charles, 56 Hanley, Charles W., 63, 209, 349 Hansson, Johau, 415 Hardy, Abraham G., 56 Hargrave, Richard, 308 Harmon, T. H., 314 Harrington, W. A., 731 Harris, Benjamin, 199 Harris, Henry O., 508 Harrison, William H., 24, 27 Hartley, C. W., 295 Hartley, Charles, 195 Hartman, Louise, 158 Harwood, Riley C, 751 Hathaway Brothers, 154 Hatch, J. A., 255, 256 Hawkins, Ann, 256, 261 Hawkins, Barnett, 199, 562 Hawkins, Edgar, 305, 322 Hawkins, Geo. C, 266 Haymond, William S., 17 Haynes, Mrs. John, 316 Hazelton, Royal, 41, 133, 164 Healey Clark, 148 Healey, George H., 149, 533 Healey, Joshua, 123, 147 Hemphill, Marcus H., 55 Henderson, William, 56 Heukle, John A., 43 Henkle, Joseph C, 43 Henkle, Lemuel, 55 Henneberger, Anthony, 609 Hensler, Christian, 495 Heusler, Jacob A., 496 Herriman, George M., 195, 713 Herriman, Mrs. George M., 713 Hershman, Francis M., 721 Hershmau, John, 304, 319 Hershman, John E., 195, 300, 302, 327, 659 Hershman, R. E., 302, 303 Hershman, William H., 236 Hervey, O. P., 212, 236, 333 Hess, Andrew, 191, 319, 322, 693 Hess, David, 195, 322, 694 Hess, E. E., 302, 303, 318 Hess, E. S., 199 Hess, Edward, 302, 656 Hess, Egbert S., 546 Hess, Elmer E., 700 Hess, Etta, 318 Hess, Mrs. David, 314 Hess, Reuben, 56, 198, 386 Hess, Sherman, 690 Hicks, Andrew, 466 Hicks, Fred A., 156, 467 Higgins, John, 199, 251, 254, 255, 265, 483 Higgins, Ruth, 284 Hillis, George H., 755 Hinkle, Benjamin, 52 Hinkle, Wesley, 134 Hobbs, Clifton J., 56 Hoerstman, H., 167 Hogau, J. W., 311 Hogs Ready to be Shipped from Rem- ington, (view) 155 Holly, Guy P., 773 HoUingsworth, Emmet L., 145, 146, 532 HoUingsworth, George K., 145, 532 HoUingsworth, Thomas, 531 Holmes, C. Oliver, 298 Hooker, Joseph E., 712 Hoover, George 0., 480 Hoover, Lucy A., 480 Hoover, W."H., 55 Hoover, William I., 56, 448 Hoover, William M., 412 Hope, Valerius P., 756 Hopkins, Clinton, 134 Hopkins, George A., 705 Hopkins, J. D., 56 Hopkins, Joseph M., 56 Horses, 11, 14 INDEX Horticulture, 13 Hosier, Charles E., 766 Hudson, John, 593 Hughes, Levi, 159 Hull, J. H., 159 Hull, John H., 308 Humston, M. L., 341 Hunt, Job, 176 Hunt, Judsou J., 146 Hunt, Lewis W., 583 Huntington, Ella, 736 Hurley, Willis, 720 Hurst, J. S., 265 Hurt, Clyde, 285 Hutton, Coruelius, 159 Hutton, Joseph T., 195 Hiff, Charles F., 638 Iliff, Joseph ¥., 637 Illinois country, 22 Illustrations Rural Scenes in Both Counties, Frontispiece Vol. I; Food for Prai- rie Fires, 5 ; Jasper County Live Stock, 8; Northwest Territory of 1787, 23; Old Time Sawmill, 46; The First Jasper County Court- house, 50; The Courthouse of 1865, 53 ; Courthouse of the Present, 62 ; Familiar Object on the Early Roads, 71 ; Reclaimed Swamp Lands, 81 ; Rural School of Today, 88 ; Log Cabin 's Center of Inter- est, 96; Robert H. Milroy, 119; The Old Milroy Homestead, 120; The Memorial Monument, 122; Group of the Early Settlers of Rensselaer, 134; Old Mills Along the Iroquois River, 138; Bird 's- Eye View of Rensselaer, 143 ; Rensse- laer High School, 145; Main Build- ing of St. Joseph 's College, 151 ; Ready to Be Shipped from Rem- ington, 155; Remington's Water Tower, 157; Mr. and Mrs. John Ade, 177; Alexander J. Kent and Wife, 180; The Newton County Courthouse, 196; Williams Ditch Triers, August, 1916, 222; Manual Training Exhibit of Today, 232; Domestic Science Products, 235; Cooking Class in Operation, 238; Exhibit of Soil Products, Newton County, 246 ; Lyons Memorial Tab- let, 263; Public School, Kentland, 280; Carnegie Library, Kentland, 283; Water Works Plant at Kent- land, 287; Business Street of the Present Goodland, 294 ; Goodland 's Public school, 297; Brook High School Building, 301 ; Carnegie Li- brary Building, 316; Morocco High School, 336; View on State Street, Morocco, 341 Indian Corn Fields, 34 Indian Trails in Jasper County, 70 Indian treaties, 29 Indiana pjublic lands surveyed, 39 Indiana Territory, 24 Indianapolis, Delphi & Chicago Rail- road, 73 Indians, 16 Ingram, Andrew, 63 I. O. O. F., Brook Lodge No. 427, 319 Iroquois Press, 147 Iroquois river, 1, 101 Iroquois township, 197, 202, 203 Irvin, James, 154 Irwin, J. C, 159 Irwin, James F., 55 Irwin, Robert F., 595 Irwin, Schuyler C, 142, 143 Jackson, David I., 55 Jackson township, 197, 202, 203 Jakway, Adelbert 6., 298, 615 James, H. E., 148 James, H. E. & Company, 148 James, Horace E., 13, 147 James, R. B., 56, 147 James, Reuben H., 123 Jasper and Newton counties consoli- dated, 47 Jasper Banner, 147 Jasper county, 47; bounds, 44 county seat, 47; courthouses, 51 courthouses, 52; population, 76 area, 77; property valuation, 77, township areas, 78; personal prop erty valuation, 78 : in the Civil war, 114 Jasper county courthouses, the early Rensselaer courthouse, 52 ; brick courthouse of 1856, 52; courthouse burned, 52; the courthouse of 1865, 53; the courthouse of 1898, 53 Jasper County Agricultural and Me- chanical Association, 82 Jasper County Agricultural Society, 82 Jasper County Democrat, 148 Jasper County Live Stock (views) 8 Jasper Republican, 148, 158 Jasper Savings & Trust Company, 146 Jefferson Township, 197, 198, 202, 203 Jenkins, Alfred, 198 Jenkins, George G., 198 Jenkins, John, 219 Jenkins, N. F., 199 Jennings, Jonathan, 30 Jensen, A. L., 167 Jensen, Englebret, 654 Jensen, Thomas, 654 Jessie, C. A., 311 INDEX Johnson, Benjamin F., 132 Johnson, C. B., 299 Johnson, Cecil E., 56 Jolmson, Charles M., 148, 158 Johnson, D. M., 342 Johnson, John P., 198 Johnson, Silas, 170, 177, 184, 191 Johnston, John Z., 199, 277 Johnston, Ora C, 491 Johnston, Walter E., 490 Jones, Acquilla, 224 Jones, Cornelius, 305 Jones, Dexter R., 53 Jones, Ezra B., 199, 291 Jones, Lemuel C, 55 Jones, Morris, 304, 325 Jones, Morris A., 256 Jones, Schuyler C, 199 Jones, Thomas J., 646 Jones, W. H., 314 Jordan, John, 42, 165 Jordan, Sarah L., 513 Jordan Township, 77 Jouvenat, Charles, 158 Julian, 208, 345 Julian, J. B., 345 Justifiable larceny, 229 Kankakee improvements, 219 Kankakee marshes, 100 Kankakee river, 1 Kankakee township, 51, 77 Kankakee valley, 1 Kankakee Valley Draining Company, 219 Kanual, George, 399 Kannal, Harvey J., 400 Kay, Daisy, 343 Kay, M. D., 198 Kendall, J. M., 343 KendaD, Mrs. James, 314 Keefe, Patrick, 192, 193 Keene, Albert S., 655 Keeue, Nathan T., 655 Keener township, 51, 77 Keiser, Jacob, 147 Keith, Alice, 120 Kelley Grain Company, 154 Kelley, G. W., 316 Kennedy, Frank, 599 Kermedy, Jolm, 748 Kennedy, Joseph, 607 Kennedy, Sarah A., 749 Kenoyer, Aaron, 265 Keiioyer, Frederick, 47, 176, 289, 342 Kenoyer, Jacob, 175, 288, 312 Kenoyer, Lewis, 738 Kenoyer settlement, 175 Kenoyer, W. H., 198 Kent, Agnes, 260 Kent, A. J., 191, 192, 197, 256, 277 Kent, Alexander J., 179, 194, 276, 354 Kent, Alexander J. and Wife (por- trait), 180 Kent, Carroll C, 181, 193, 285, 358 Kent, John A., 357 Kent, Mrs. A. J., 260 Kent, Rosamond C, 357 Kent State Bank, 285 Kentlaud, 179, 193, 194, 202, 203, 208, 275-292 Kentland's fire of December, 1870, 277 Kentland's municipal water works, 281 Kentland churches, 288 Kentland Chapter, Royal Arch Ma- sons, 292 Kentland public library, 282 Kentland public school, 281 Kentland Woman's Club, 282 Kenton, Omar J., 473 Kenton, Simon, 164, 473 Kenton, W. M., 42, 136 Kern, Moses A., 149 Kesltr, George, 43 Kessler, David, 177 Kessler, Robert B., 754 Kight, Isaac, 674 Kilgore, Mort, 297, 610 Killenberger, William L., 236 Kimberlin, B. O., 290 Kindig, Samuel G., 741 King, Henry F., 417 King, Orris, 276 King, Sidnial, 134 Kinneman, John 6., 619 Kirkpatrick, Carrie, 282 Kirkpatrick, Delia, 282 Kitt, A. J., 158, 288, 298 Knight, Dorothy, 120 Knight, Joseph R., 143 Knight, Mildred, 120 Knights of Pythias, 318 Knox, Turner, 55 Kolhoff, Henry, 474 Kolliofe, John, 475 Kolhoff, Joseph, 476 Kummer, A., 311 Kurrie, Harry R., 732 Lacy, James, 331 Lacy, James W., 175 Ladies Fountain Park Improvement Association, 162 Lake township, 197, 202, 203 Lake village, 208, 345 Lamb, Virgil, 219 Land values, 78 Landon, H., 161 Langdon, Henry L., 652 Langdon, Herman R., 653 Lansing, Peter, 149 Law, Algie J., 341, 745 Lawler, John J., 716 INDEX Lawlessness, 172 Lawrence, Ida, 303 Lawrence, John F., 574 Lawton, E. W., 289 Learning, Cyrus, 256 Lear, Hugh, 152 Leatherman, James, 134 Leatherman, James N., 55, 146, 354 Lee, John H., 779 Lefler, John, 166 Lefler, Michael, 166 Legras, J. M. P., 58 Le Masters, L. "W., 237 Leopold, B., 318 Leopold, Bernhart, 317 Leopold, Moses, 143 Lewis, Frank B., 666 Lewis, Isaac M., 686 Lewis, John Q., 56 Lewis, Margaret J., 685 Lewis, "William E., 265 Light, Albert, 256, 265, 267 Light, Hugh M., 711 LiUey, E. F., 160 Lincoln township, 198, 202, 203 Little, Ziba F., 624 Littlejohn, William D., 743 Live stock, 7, 98 Lockwood, Jesse M., 199 Lockwood, Eufus' A., 64 Logansport & Peoria Eailroad, 194, 207, 293 Logan, Larkin C, 644 Logan, Will C, 298 , , , ^ Log Cabin's Center of Interest (view), 96 Long, Abram F., 373 Long, Samuel, 43, 373 LongVell, Fred H., 56, 200, 302 Lough, F. L., 155 Loughridge, James H., 410 Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Eailroad Company, 74 Lowe, David E., 319 Lowe, Greenberry G., 199 Lowe, Mrs. James, 256 Lowe, Mrs. J. Bennet, 317 Lowe, Mrs. John, 256, 261 Lucas, Eoss, 750 Luers, J., 150 Lund, Eric, 195 Lynch, Charles W., 266 Lynch, George W., 707 Lyons, Aaron, 42, 169, 305, 387 Lyons, Abel, 259 Lyons, Aunt Polly, 256 Lyons, Bennett, 304, 305 Lyons, Ella, 309 Lyons, Fred, 585 Lyons, J. B., 304, 334 Lyons! John, 169, 176, 191, 305, 322, 323, 331, 332 Lyons, John B., 193, 257, 264, 269, 390 Lyons, John, Jr., 303 Lyons, Laban, 773 Lyons, Lawrence E., 740 Lyons Memorial Tablet (view), 263 Lyons, Morris, 306, 309, 319, 322, 323 Lyons, Mrs. Aaron, 26 Lyons, Mrs. John B., 256, 261 Lyons, Mrs. Luther, 317 Lyons, Mrs. Samuel, 314 Lyons Soldiers' Memorial Tablet, 264 MacDonald, Julius L., 315, 316 Major, John F., 55 Majors, George, 159 Makeever, Daniel S., 494 Makeover, John, 134, 347 Makeever, Madison, 43 Malaria, 94 Mallatt, William, 42, 136, 165 Malone, Eichard, 345 Man from Mong, 216 Manual Training Exhibit of Today (view), 232 Marble, Henry W., 167, 538 Marble, Horace, 167 Marion, Francis E., 678 Marion, Lewis, 344 Marion Township, 77 Markets, 98 Marshall, George E., 148 Martin, A. L., 198 Martin, Charles, 169 Martin, Edgar L., 751 Martin, Mrs. Thomas, 314 Martin William, 723 Martin, WUliam D., 341, 764 Martin, William H., 192, 212 Martindale, John C, 53, 457 Martindale, Samuel, 198, 199 Martindale, Teresa B., 457 Maxwell, Theodore F., 266 Maxwell, W. T., 258 May, Charles G., 155 May, Charles V., 55, 482 May, Jacob A., 585 May, Eobert W., 481 Mayhew, Charles P., 56 Mayhew, Hopkins & Miller, 142 Mayhew, Horace A., 159 McCain, C, 290 McCain, Eichard C, 237, 556 McCarty, John, 147, 287, 319 McCarty, William T., 715 MeColly, Benjamin D., 56, 454 McColly, Clark, 454 McCoy, Alfred, 73, 82 McCoy, Thomas J., 142 McClellan township, 198, 202, 203 McCray, Elmer, 558 McCray, Eliza, 559 INDEX McCray, Greenberry W., 283, 284, 285, 383 MeCray-Morrison Elevator, 280, 284 MeCray, Mrs. W. T., 282 McCray, Warren T., 193, 282, 284, 285, 346, 381 MeCullough, John, 159 McCuUough, Samuel, 43, 170, 187, 198 McCuMough, W. I., 159, 161 MeCurry, Howard, 198 McDaniel, Asa, 149 McDermott, L. M., 342 McEwin, James W., 148 MeGowan, Thomas, 143 McHoUand, David A., 254, 257, 265, 267 MeHolland, Da-s-id H., 256 Mcintosh, James, 302 Mclutosh, Mrs. James, 318 MeJimsey, Joseph, 163 McKee, G. V., 160 McKenzie, W. E., 307 McKinley Park, 303 McMillen, William L., 551 McMullen, J. W. T., 308 McNary, J. B., 158 McReynolds, B. C, 306, 311 Meadal, Charles E., 594 Means, Samuel A., 726 Memorial Monument (view), 122 Merchant, George A., 710 Merchant, George F., 304, 715 Merchant, John H., 236 Merchant, Joseph, 302 Meredith, H. W., 312, 314 Merideth, Mary, 256 Merideth, Mrs. Henry, 261 Merkle, Jacob, 55 Messmann, Anthony, 299 Methodist Episcopal Church, Brook, 306 Methodist Episcopal Church, Kent- land, 289 Methodist Episcopal Church, Morocco, 342 Meyer, Frank B., 143 Meyers, George F., 143, 448 Meyers, William, 447 Meyers, William D., 468 Miami and Pottawattamie titles ex- tinguished, 29 Mianiis, 16, 18, 30 Miller, Daniel B., 56 Miller, David, 672 Miller, John, 56 Miller, Philip, 198 Miller, Samuel, 126 Milligan, Sanford F., 759 Mills, 98 Mills, C. H., 146 Mills, Charles E., 56, 143 Milroy, C. E., 120 Milroy, Donald, 120 Milroy, Harry C, 120 i Milroy Homestead, The Old (view), 120 Milroy Park, 120 Milroy, Robert, 120 MUroy, Robert H., 117, 119, 121, 123, 141 Milroy township, 51, 77 Milroy, V. A., 120 Mineral Sjjrings, 2 Mitchell, Robert C, 147 Mitten, William E., 237, 611 Modern Woodmen of America, 320 Monon Railroad, 208 Montgomery, John, 305, 322 Moody, Bessie, 343 Moody, Gideon C, 117, 123 Moore, John M., 642 Moore, Samuel, 270 Mooreman, Milton J., 266 Morgan, J. D., 265 Morlan, Charles, 143, 144 Morocco, 178, 192, 202, 203, 208, 335- 343 Morocco Courier, 341 Morocco High School (view), 336 Morocco Woman 's Club, 343 Morrison, J. L., 284 Mount Ayr, 74, 202, 203, 208, 343 Murphey, George H., 596 Murphy, John, 176, 335, 336, 337 Murray, George E., 414 Murray, Henry B., 55 Murray, Hugh, 295, 618 Myers, Alexander, 198 Myers, John, 176 Myers, Mrs. John, Sr., 314 Myers, W. H., 341 Naylor, Isaac, 63 Naylor, Isaac B., 169 Neisz, Benjamin F., 236 Neisz, William, 305 Nelson, James, 192 Nelson, James M., 236 Newell, Benjamin, 526 Newell, Mrs. B. F., 314 Newspapers, 147, 158 Newton, 52, 136; platted, 137; re- named Rensselaer, 139 Newtou county, 48, 49, 168; county seat fights, 189; courthouses, 194, 195; townships, 197; population, 201 ; real estate valuation, 203 ; personal property valuation, 203 ; taxable property, 203 ; finances, 203; roads, 204; railroads, 207; judges, 209; lawyers, 212; boards of education, 236; examiners, 236; school superintendents, 236; physi- cal features, 244 ; in the Civil war, 251; roll of honor, 272; newspa- pers, 286 INDEX Newton Couuty Chronotype, 286 Newton County Courthouse (view), 196 Newton County Democrat, 287 Newton County Enterprise, 286 Newton County, Gazette, 286 Newton County Poor Farm and Asy- lum, 196 Newton County Union, 286 Newton Lodge No. 361, F. & A. M., 291 Newton township, 77 New York Central System, 208 Nichols, John L., 434 Nichols, Samuel E., 55 Ninety-ninth Regiment, 270 Ninth Regiment, 117 Noble, Alice, 314 Noble, W. P., 314 Noland, William, 43 Nork, John D., 55 Norris, Bertha, 343 Northwest Territory of 1787, 23 Nowels, Daniel, 42 Nowels, David, 40, 134 Nowels, Ezra C, 55 Nowels, George, 133 Nowels, John, 40, 133 Nowels, Mrs. David, 42 O'Brien, E., 192 O'Brien, Edmund H., 213 O 'Connor, John, 56 Odell, Anthony, 266 Old Mills along the Iroquois River, (view), 138 Old Time Sawmill (view), 46 O 'Meara, Sylvester, 134 One Hundred and Fifty-first Indiana Volunteer Infantry, 272 One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Reg- iment, 271 Oosley, Joseph, 166 0 'Riley, Dennis, 460 Ormiston, George, 629 Osborne, John L., 686 Osborne, W. Frank, 56 Osborne & Pierce, 295 Oswald, J. W., 298 Overacker, C. F., 148 Overton, Robert, 166 Overton, William, 166 Owen, R. J., 167 Owen, Samuel H., 187, 190 Palmer, C, 290 Parcels, Edgar M., 143 Parke, Benjamin, 30 Parker, Francis M., 439 Parker, George, 510 Parker, Hugh, 199 Parker, Robert, 82, 160, 166, 167 Parker, Samuel, 134 Parker, Thomas R., 43 Parker, William A., i99 Parkinson, Addison, 42, 145 Parkinson, John G., 41 Parkinson, Joseph V., 42 Parkinson, Mrs. W. K., 42 Parkinson, Robert A., 55 Parkinson, William K., 42, 83 Parkison, George B., 358 Parkison, Harvey E., 476 Parkison, William H., 476 Parkison, William K., 476 Parr, 74 Parsons, Elisha, 199 Parsons, Henry, 199 Parsons, Samuel H., 58 Patrick, William A., 199 Patterson, J. P., 299 Patterson, Eev., 316 Patton, William, 159 Paul, Henry A., 299 Paulus, Bernhard, 702 Peacock, Harriet, 260 Peacock, John, 198, 254, 276 Peacock, Sarah A., 260 Peek, Charles H., 378 Peck, C. H., 161 Peck, Daniel W., 377 Peck Family, 376 Peck, Frank L., 380 Peek, Isaac L., 380 Peck, James I., 380 Peck, Mary E., 380 Peck, Maurice B., 380 Peck, William E., 379 Peek, William H., 266 Pence, D. S., 236 People's Press, 287 Pepper, Abel C, 31, 33 Perkins, Judson H., 55, 438 Perry, J. G., 192 Persail, Albert, 55 Peters, W. S., 314 Pettit, John, 63 Pfrimmer, D. A., 197, 198 Pfrimmer, William W., 236 Phegley, David, 42 Phegley, Jackson, 42, 479 Phelps, Aaron O., 774 Phelps, Isabelle B., 775 Phelps, John W., 592 Phelps, Oscar, 276 Phillips, John, 56 Phillips, John R., 56 Phillips, Simon, 43, 56, 134 Piankeshaws, 19 Pierce, F. C, 198 Pierson, Henry C, 394 Pilot Grove, 179 Pioneer schools in Jasper county, 90 Pioneer times at Brook, 321 Piatt, Charles, 55, 56 Pleasant Grove postoflSce, 165 INDEX Pleasant Eidge, 74 Plummer, WUliam, 178 Pokagon, Simon, 33 Polke, William, 32 Ponsler, Mrs. Joshua, 314 Poole, Warren E., 518 Population, 16 Porter, Asa, 423 Porter, Burdett, 584 Porter, John C, 143 Porter, John J., 530 Porter. Rice M., 423 Porter, Eobert B., 56 Porter, Walter V., 423 PostiU, Charles W., 579 Post, J. C, 82 Pottawattamies, 16, 29, 30, 31, 33 Pottawattamie village, 106 Potts, James, 768 Powell, Jacob, 32 Powell, John W., 56 Powell, J. Z., 31 Powers, G. C, 156 Powers, Simeon S., 211 Prairie fires, 3, 328 Pratt, Benjamin W., 297, 505 Presbyterian Church of Kentland, 290 Presher, Edgar L., 572 Presher, Melissa W., 572 Price, Charles H., 55 Price, D. M., 43 Price, John, 49 Price, Myrt B., 56 Probate court, 64 Profit, George, 31 Property valuation, 77 Prophet, The, 26 Protsman, David A., 171, 752 Public School, Kentland (view), 280 Puett, Austin M., 242 Pulver, David, 178, 179 Pumpkin sirup, 99 Puxdy, Arnet G., 766 Purkey, Alonzo, 199 Purkey, Alonzo E., 600 Railroads, 207 Rail, Harris P., 307 Ramsay, Thomas, 630 Randall, John W., 199, 286 Handle, James T., 41, 419 Handle, Edward J., 420 Raudle, E. J., 146 Handle Family, 418 Raudle, J. T., 42 Handle, Thomas, 41, 49, 72, 135, 163, 418 Rankin, J. J., 342 Hansford, Nettie, 318 Rapids of the Iroquois, 136 Rapids of the Rockwise, 34 Havenscroft, Sampson, 360 Hecher, L. S., 237 Reclaimed Swamp Lands (view), 81 Redding, Jefferson T., 266 Hedding, Joseph, 175 Reed, Anna, 303 Heed, Ethel, 303 Heed, Nathan J., 56 Held, John M., 289 Remington, 154-162; corporation, 156; churches, 159 Remington Journal, 158 Remington Press, 159 Remington public library, 156 Remington township, 76 Remington's Water Tower (view), 157 Rensselaer, 52, 74, 77, 133-153, 141; churches, 149 ; gets railway connec- tions, 74; schools, 144; waterworks, 144; societies, 152 Rensselaer Baptist Church, 149 Rensselaer City, 142 Rensselaer Evening Republican, 148 Rensselaer Gazette, 147 Rensselaer High School (view), 145 Rensselaer Post No. 84, Grand Army of the Republic, 153 Rensselaer Presbyterian Church, 149 Rensselaer Republican, 148 Rensselaer Union, 147, 148 Rensselaer 's Catholic History, 441 Retterath, Frank J., 613 Reynolds, Alfred W., 214 Reynolds, John, 254 Rhoades, Edwaid D., 420 Rice, Clair M., 703 Rice, Henry, 314 Rich Brothers, 295 Rich, Frank C, 198, 542 Rich, Jacob D., 303, 318, 590 Rich, Mrs. P. C, 314 Rider, George D., 193 Riley, James Whiteomb, 274 Risser, H. G., 284 Roadruck, Benjamin, 177 Roberts, Preston F., 708 Robinson, George M., 55, 56 Hobinson, Wallace, 143 Robinson, WUliam^ 134 Rockwell, Oscar B., 671 Rogers, E. E., 316 Rogers, James P., 760 Root, C, 287 Hoot, S., 277 Rose, William C, 212, 236, 287 Hoselawn, 208, 345 Ross, Charles E., 256 Hoss, WUliam, 254, 255, 276 Housh, Edward, 195 Roush, Mary, 155 Howen, Alexander, 43 Rural School of Today (view), 88 INDEX BusseU, William, 170, 187, 199 Eyan, John W., 598 Byan, Mrs. John W., 284 Sacred Heart School, 582 Sage, Charles E., 622 Sage, Kliezer W., 491 Sage, George W. T., 622 Sage, Warreu W., 623 Sager, Jacob H., 255, 266 Sailor, Jeremiah, 265 St. Ange, Louis, 20 St. Augustine 's Roman Catholic Church, 149 St. Clair, Arthur, 24, 58 St. Joseph's Catholic Church of Kent- land, 290 St. Joseph's College Main Building (view), 151 St. Joseph's College, Rensselaer, 150, 442 S. S. Peter and Paul's Church, 608 Salrin, Joseph N., 664 Saltillo, 163 Saltillo Bridge, 72 Sammons, Hume L., 237, 488 Sands, Charles M., 144 Sands, Martin V., 668 Sarver, John C, 763 Saunderson, James T., 192, 213 Sawyer, James, 311 Sawyer, Moses C, 199 Sayers, Lester A., 167 Sayers, L. W., 43 Sayler, Henry, 43 Sayler, Isaac, 134, 342 Sayler, Mieah, 134 Schanlaub, Sidney, 341 Schanlaub, WUliam O., 236, 237, 578 Sehmitz, John M., 581 School funds, 90 School lauds, 38, 85 School Savings Bank, Goodland, 239 Schraack, Frederick, 56 Schuette, Paul, 729 Schuh, Albert J., 198, Schuster, Godfrey F., 576 Scoonover, Albert, 214 Scott, George W., 56, 776 Scott, Washington, 776 Sears, Frank J., 56 Sego, Meddie, 722 Seifert, Augustine, 151 Sell, Edward W., 691 Sell, Ephraim, 193 Sell, John A., 494 Sellers, E. B., 214 Sergeant Jasper, 45 Sergeant Newton, 45 Service, William, 276 Seventeenth Infantry, 127 Shaefer, Joseph, 266 Shaefer, Mrs. Finley, 256, 261 Shaeffer, James, 699 Shafer, Fred, 236 Shafer, J. F., 265 Shafor, John W., 234 Shagley, J. P., 306, 307, 311 Shappley, G. D., 314 Sharp, Alexander, 170, 187, 199 Shaw, Mrs. William, 42 Shearer, MoUie, 158 Sheep, 14 Shepard, Otis, 199 Shideler, Adam, 187 Shideler, Adam W., 199 Shields & Dilley, 148 Shirer, Lewis P., 56 Shoekey, William P., 149 Shortridge, Lemuel, 43 Shriver, Elijah, 170, 187 Shriver, Elijah I., 199 Shriver, Noah E., 733 Shunk, Dominic, 167 Sickafoose, C. A., 313, 314 Sigler, John A., 661 Sigo, Moses, 589 Silver, J. A., 52 Simpson, Abram, 143 Sims, Carrie M., 120 Sink, John D., 56 Sizelove, Samuel R., 199, 544 Skinner, James, 507 Skinner, Jira, 199, 265 Skinner Lola, 508 Smart, Adonijah, 255, 266 Smart, Isaac, 198, 255, 256, 266 Smart, John, 206 Smart, John W., 761 Smith, Elem G., 291 Smith, George W., 266 Smith, Henry, 134 Smith, John B., 236, 290 Smith, John L., 308 Smith, Joseph, 47, 332 Smith, Joseph A., 665 Smith, W. H., 61 Snell, T. T., 298 Snip, Tunis, 662 Snyder, A. M., 304, 312, 313, 314 Snyder, David S., 128 Snyder, H. T., 318 Soldiers Aid Society, 260 Soldiers ' Aid Society, Rensselaer, 116 Sources of educational revenue, 90 Sparkling, Joseph W., 42 Sparkling, Mrs. Joseph, 42 Sparling, Henry A., 42 Sparling, Mrs. Samuel, 42 Sparling, Samuel, 42, 165 Sparling, Samuel L., 55 Spencer, James, 147 Spinney, Charles, 198 Spitler, Charles G., 143, 146, 453 Spitler, George W., 47, 51, 54, 55, 63, 90, 139, 144, 169, 175, 176 INDEX Spitler, Maliuda, 42 Spitler, Marion L., 42, 55, 83, 451 Spitler, Thomas J., 148 Spitler, Wesley, 56 Spitler, Zec-hariah, 170, 175, 184, 185, 186, 187, 191, 198 Spitler 's Heal Estate Gazette, 148 Spotswood, John B., 287, 288 Spottswood, James B., 212 Staekhbuse, Charles F., 478 ^^ Staekhouse, Clinton D., 478 Stage routes, 204 Stanforth, C. B., 311 Stanley, Amzi, 141 Starr, Charles C, 142 State Bank of Remington, 155 State Bank of Rensselaer, 146 State government founded, 28 State judicial system, 61 State militia, 114 State road, 71 State Supreme Court upholds Newton County, 185 State Trust and Savings Bank, 604 State Trust and Savings Bank, Good- land, 298 Staton, Jeptha B., 728 Stearman, Sadie, 318 Steinbaeh, Edward, 288 Stembel, Albert F., 543 Stembel, George O., 543 Stembel, Sarah E., 544 Stephan, Joseph, 150, 167 Stephens, Albert P., 628 Sterrett, Morgan L., 167 Steward, Edgar, 730 Stewart, Mrs. Ezra, 140 Stewart, Joseph, 677 Stewart, Sidney, 43 Stewart, William, 56 Stewart, William J., 615 Stockton, Almira M., 349 Stockton, William S., 348 Stoner, Henry, 199 Stoner, 0. F., 341 Stoutsberg, 74 Strawn, Abner, 294, 295 Streeh, William M., 266 Streight, A. D., 256 Strohm, H. A., 193 Strohm, Harry, 286 Strole, Asberry, 727 Stryker, Jonathan W., 197 Stump, John L., 49 Subscription schools, 86 Sullivan, J. W., 147 Surrey, 74 Swamp lands, 38, 170 Swamp lands scandal, Jasper county, 79 Swigget, Ralph, 197 Syraes, John C, 58 Talcott, William C, 209, 211 Tatman, C. H., 147 Taylor, John W., 573 Taxable property, 78 Tecumseh, 26 Terwilliger, Matthew, 63 Test, Charles E., 63 Test, Charles H., 209, 210 Thayer, 208 Thayer, E. M., 302, 345 The First Jasper County Court House (view), 50 Thomas, Greenip I., 539 Thomas, Mrs. Harve, 256, 261 Thomas, William, 266 Thompson, Delos, 146 Thompson, John, 192 Thompson, Mrs. Alfred, 121 Thompson, Roy D., 143 Thompson, Siinon P., 63, 66, 209, 214 Thompson, WiUiam 0., 744 Thornton, Adaline H., 429 Thornton, C. C, 43 Thornton, George L., 56 Thornton, George R., 427 Thornton, Greenleaf L., 428 Thornton, H. C, 43 Thornton, John H., 266 Thornton, Mrs. H. C, 42 Thrawls, James C, 56 Tliree I 's Railroad, 74 Tiffany, G. E., 265 Tilton, John W., 56 Timmons, Clement, 43 Timmons, James T., 63 Tineher, Henry, 757 Tipton, John, 32 Tivoli, 293 Todd, John, 22 Toledo, Logansport & Burlington Railroad Company, 74 Torbet, James M., 681 Town of Newton, 136, 137-141 Townsend, Claude B., 529 Townsend, Lowell, 530 Townsend, William, 527 Township schools, 86 Township schools, Newton county, 332 Townships formed,. 49 Trails, 204 Treadway, Ezra S., 266 Triplett, C. D., 172 Triplett, Charles E., Sr., 191, 258, 270, 421 Triplett, Charles E., Jr., 421 Troxell, Joseph R., 213 Truman, B. H., 299 Tuggle, J. M., 343 Turfler, Francis A., 430 Tucker, E. N., 316 Turkey Foot and Bull affray, 171 Turkey Foot Grove, 171 INDEX Turpie, David, 63 Turner, Daniel H., 649 Twelfth Cavalry, 130, 272 Twelfth Judicial Circuit, 210 Tyler, Felix, 195 Ulrey, John W. S., 199 Union township, 51, 77 United Brethren Church, Kentland, 288 United Brethren Church of the Brook Circuit, 312 United Brethren in Clirist of Morocco, 342 Urmston, E. Littell, 198, 212, 285, 291 Vail, W., 314 Vance, E. E., 302, 318 Vanderburgh, Henry, 58 Vander Voort, William S., 320 Van Eensselaer, James, 52, 137, 140 Varnum, James M., 58 .Veatch, John S., 199 View on State Street, Morocco, 341 Vincennes, 20, 22, 58 Vinton, David P., 209 Vinton, David W., 63 Vondersmith, Elkanah B., 156 Wainscott, Rev. 313 Walker, Isaac D., 684 Walker M. H., 56 Walker township, 51, 77 Wallace, David, 32 Wallace, James, 212 Ward, Artemas, 311 Ward, Peter E., 63 Ward, Peter H., 209, 213 Warner, Charles C, 433 Warner, Charles W., 55 Warner, Daniel G., 432 Warner, Norman, 56, 149, 431 Warner, Norman H., 433 Warren, Horace J., 255 Warren, Horace K., 199, 256, 261, 266 Warren, Isaac N., 463 Warren, John W., 463 Warren, Samuel, 463 Warren, Solomon, 197 Warriner, W. B., 159 Washburn, Angus D., 285, 568 Washburn, I. B., 55 Washburn, Ira M., 435 Washburn, James A., 161, 486 Washburn, Mary, 120 Washburn, Mary E., 568 Washburn, Perry, 566 Washington township, 197, 202, 203 Wasson, John M., 145, 146 Waterworks Plant at Kentland (view), 287 Watson, Charles M., 55 Waymire, Frederick E., 53 Waymire, Eev., 313 Weas, 19, 30 Weatherhogg, Charles B., 54 Weaver, Clifford S., 315 Weaver, Clifford T., 315 Weil, R. L., 298 Weiss, Charles B., 519 Welch, George, 587, Welsh, Mrs. Benjamin, 43 Wenrick, Catherine, 667 West, Nathaniel, 198, 228, 236 Western couuty opposed, 184 Weston, Henry, 142 Whaley, James A., 195, 579 Wharton, Chester W., 290 Wheat, 3, 13 Wheatfleld, 74, 77, 166 Wheatfield township, 77 Wheaton, Z. T., 198 White, Adda V., 282 White, Amos, 47 White, Charles, 725 White, Isaac, 28 White, Jacob A., 237 White, Mrs. Sherman, 314 White's Grove, 178 Whitney, E. B., 160 Wickwire, Chester, 199 Wigmore, Charles F., 288 Wildasin, John A., 199 Wild game, 92 Wild honey, 99 Wiley, J. H., 311 Wiley, Ulriek C, 63 Wiley, U. Z., 209, 214 Willard, Ashbel P., 187, 190 Willard, George L., 150 Williams, Cordelia M., 456 Williams Ditch, 221 Williams Ditch Triers, August, 1916 (view), 222 Williams, George A., 408 Williams, George W., 193 Williams, Jay W., 456 Williams, John A., 167 Williams, Joseph, 42 Williams, Thomas, 266 Williamson, Claud, 341 Willis, Levin, 133 Willits, William E., 687 Wilson, Aaron, 198 Wilson, Blake, 198 Wilson, Charles, 293 Wilson, Neely, 739 Wimsett, A., 313 Wishard, Mrs. W. W., 134 Wishard, William, 134 Wonder, Adolphus H., 257, 265 Wood, Charles A., 256, 709 Wood, Delos, 308 Wood, E. G., 149 Wood, Miles H., 289 Wood, Thomas J., 269 INDEX Wood, WiUiam L., 6J:0 Woodson, Mrs. T. P., 307 Woodson, Thomas P., 307, 311 Wright, Charles G., 41 Wright, Edward W., 149 Wright, Ezra, 55 Wright, J. A., 169 Wright, Jabez, 43 Wright, Joseph A., 63 Wright, Truitt P., 56 Wright, WilUs J., 54, 56 Wright, W. J., 43, 133, 136 Wyatt, H., 286 Wyatt, Nathaniel, 43 Yeoman, Allen J., 56 Yeoman, Daniel H., 41 Yeoman, David H., 83, 153, 449 Yeoman, Ira W., 43, 55, 73 Yeoman, James, 43 Yeoman, J. J., 140 Yeoman, Joseph, 40, 43, 133 Yeoman, L. D., 139 Yeoman, Samuel, 254, 255 Yeoman, Samuel E., 42, 56, 265 Zaring, Joseph, 311 Zick, Robert, 632 Zoborosky, Sarah, 772' Zook, Edwin D., 302 Zook, E. M., 314 Zook, S. C, 314 Zumbuelte, Mathias, 150 RURAL SCENES IN BOTH COUNTIES Kent's Pond, Kentland Scene near Remington Maple Walk, St. Joseph's College, Rensselaer Stewart's Lake, Goodland Fountain Park, Remington Jasper and Newton Counties CHAPTER I CO-OPERATION OF NATURE AND MAN The Kankakee and Iroquois — Surface Geology — Mineral Springs — Topography, Soil and Products — Moulding of Nature by Man — What the Fires Did to Drive Out Rank Forage — The Live Stock of Jasper County — Agriculture AND Live Stock Forty Years Ago. The watershed between the Lake Michigan region and the Valley of the Kankakee is about fifteen miles south of the great lake. If the territory now included in Jasper and Newton counties should be classified according to the arrangements of nature it would be placed in the great Illinois country. Its far northern sections are within a swamp area of the Kankakee Valley and in the earlier period of its political existence, or until the creation of Lake and Porter counties in 1836, it contained a large area of these lowlands north of the Kankakee. Some of its southern townships also extended into the Valley of the Wabash, but with the formation of Benton County in 1840 the territory to be covered by this history was embraced entirely within the Valley of the Illinois. The Kankakee and Iroquois The Kankakee, which is one of the leading tributaries of the Illi- nois, rises in St. Joseph County, Northern Indiana, flows south- west through Northwestern Indiana, receives the Iroquois in the first tier of Illinois counties, and, after a course of about 230 miles, enters the Illinois River above Morris. The Iroquois River, the chief tributary of the Kankakee, drains the central and southern portions of Jasper and Newton counties, flows southwest and west 2 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES into the State of Illinois, and then turns abruptly north to the Kan- kakee. So that Jasper and Newton counties are not only in the broad northern Valley of the Kankakee, with its torpid waters and marshes (many of which have been drained and converted into fer- tile, productive lands), but within the area of the rapid-flowing and stimulating Iroquois, along which sprung some of the first and most permanent settlements of the region. Surface Geology Jasper County lies just north of the basin of the Wabash. Its southwestern half is a gently rolling prairie of black, loamy soil, while its northern and northeastern portions are sandy, with oak openings and prairies, interspersed with sandy knolls and ridges. The country is underlaid with beds of bowlder drift, which vary in depth from twenty feet in the Valley of the Iroquois to nearly two hundred feet at some of the higher ridges. At Rensselaer the Iroquois flows over a bed of limestone con- taining interesting specimens of corals and fossils. The stone is rather cherty and not favorable to the production of lime, but a short distance below the city it is purer and has been burned for commercial purposes. Above Rensselaer, near the old mill dam, thin beds of limestone raise themselves above the low banks of the river constituting the only natural rocky exposure on the Iroquois in Jasper County. Southeast of town is a sandstone quarry which has been worked to some extent and a few miles north several gravel beds, which have supplied material for roads and buildings purposes. Mineral Springs A number of mineral springs are found near Rensselaer, the waters of which experience has determined to be highly medicinal. Among them are some white sulphur springs, which, in a malarious climate, are worthy of attention. Half a mile east of the county seat a well that was bored to the depth of 800 feet formerly dis- charged a large volume of sulphureted water. This well was sup- plied from a crevice about 180 feet below the surface. Another well in the corner of the courthouse yard that was bored with a "diamond drill," fumished a supply of water near the surface. Topography, Soil and Products The divide which separates the Kankakee and Iroquois rivers is a succession of low ridges of yellow or white sand, interspersed with JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 3 swampy valleys from lOO to 400 yards in width, indicating ancient river channels. These numerous river beds show the extent of the region traversed by the Kankakee and Iroquois rivers before finding a fixed channel, when old Lake Kankakee was first drained off. The soil in these valleys is peaty, of no great depth, and is underlaid by a deposit of white sand. A narrow strip of deep, rich alluvial soil from one to two miles in width along the southern margin of the Kankakee is well timbered and highly productive. Groves and skirts of timber are found along the water courses, the wood comprising hickory and white and burr oak. Wheat has not been a reliable crop, as the soil does not seem favorable to its continuous growth. A large part of the county, also, is nearly level, with great capacity for supporting water. What little snow falls does not rest quietly where it settles, but is blown about by the heavy, sweeping winds, by which the wheat plants are exposed to the alternate thawings and freezings of February and March. Of the fruits, grapes and apples seem to best flourish. As to really profitable crops, hay closely follows corn, and of live stock, both cattle and hogs are most extensively raised. Moulding of Nature by M.-vn The bold topographic lines are laid down by nature, as well as the general conditions of climate, soil and drainage, but in Jasper County, as elsewhere, man has done much to transform the face of nature. In that transformation fire, artificial drainage, scientific cultivation, the denuding of original tree growth and the introduction of new generations of plant and animal life, have made the country immeasurably more pleasant and healthful than it was in its primi- tive state. How these improvements on nature were accomplished in Jasper County calls for a general backward survey. Wh.'^t the Fires Did to Drive Out Rank Forage Cultivation has wrought marked changes in this country during the eighty years which the white man has possessed the land. What appeared to the early settlers a dead level expanse of prairie and swamp is now a pleasant rolling area of thrifty farms. This trans- formation has been brought about not by physical changes, but by the natural effects of the farmer's occupation. The open land was originally covered with a rank growth of prairie grass ; on the high lands the grass did not reach its normal height, while on the lower 4 JASPER AxND NEWTON COUNTIES lands its growth was of astonishing proportions, frequently reaching a height which would hide a man on horseback, and thus would tend to create the illusion of a perfectly level plain. In the timber lands the change has been still more marked. The dense forests of young growth, underbrush and saplings, did not exist fifty years ago. Then the timber, save along the rivers, was marked only by scattered oaks and hickories, which favoring localities preserved from the annual fires that swept the prairies. These were started by accident from the fires of hunters, or by the Indians, for the purpose of keeping the timber in check, and clearing the country of the rank grass stubble. These fires that kept the beautiful panorama of prairie unob- structed, although of permanent benefit, were the most to be dreaded of all the early contingencies with which settlers had to deal. From the time the grass would burn, which was soon after the first frost, usually about the first of October, till the surrounding prairie was all burnt over, or, if not all burnt, till the green grass in the spring had grown sufficient to prevent the rapid progress of the fire, the early settlers were continually on the watch, and as they usually expressed the idea, "slept with one eye open." When the ground was covered with snow, or during rainy weather, the apprehension was quieted, and both eyes could be safely closed. A statute law forbade setting the prairie on fire, and one doing so was subject to penalty, and liable to an action of trespass for the damage accruing; but convictions were seldom effected, as proof was difficult to obtain, though there were frequent fires. Those started on the leeward side of an improvement, while dangerous to property to the leeward, were not so to property to the windward, as fire progressing against the wind is easily extinguished, and the temptation to start one of these fires for some trivial purpose was often quite irresistible. Various means were resorted to for protection. A common one was to plow several furrows around a strip, several rods wide, out- side the improvements, and then burn out the inside of this strip, or to wait until the prairie was on fire and then set fire outside of this furrowing, reserving the inner strip for a late bum, i. e., until the following summer, and in July burn both old grass and new. The grass would start afresh immediately, and the cattle would feed it close in preference to the older grass, so that the fire would not pass over it in the following autumn. This process repeated would soon, or in a few years, run out the prairie grass, which in time would be replaced by blue-grass, which will not burn to any serious extent. But all this took time and labor, and the crowd of business JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 5 on the hands of a new settler, of which a novice has no conception, would prevent him doing what would now seem a small matter; and even when accomplished, all such precautions often proved futile. A prairie fire driven by a high wind would often leap such barriers and seem to put human eifort at defiance. A prairie fire when first started goes straight forward with a velocity proportioned to the force of the wind, widening as it goes, Food for Pr.mrie Fires but the center keeping ahead ; it spreads sideways, but burning laterally, it makes but comparatively slow progress, and if the wind is moderate and steady, this spreading fire is not difficult to manage, but if the wind veers a point or two, first one way and then the other, it sends this side fire beyond control. The head fire in dry grass and a head wind is a fearful thing, and pretty sure to have its own way unless there is some defensible point to 6 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES meet it. A contest with such a fire requires such skill and tact as can be learned only by experience, and a neighborhood of set- tlers called out by such an exigency at once put themselves under the direction of the oldest and most experienced of their number, and go to work with the alacrity and energy of men defending their homes and property from destruction. The usual way of meeting advancing tires was to begin the de- fense where the head of the fire would strike, which was calcu- lated by the smoke and ashes brought by the wind along in advance of fire. A road, cattle-path, or furrow is of great value at such a place; if there was no such, a strip of the grass was wetted down if water could be procured, which was, however, a rather scarce article at the time of the annual fire. On the side, nearest the com- ing fire, of such a road or path, the grass is set on fire, which burns slowly against the wind until it meets the coming conflagration, which latter stops, of course, for want of fuel, provided there has been sufficient time to burn over a strip that cannot be leaped by the head fire as it comes in. This is called "back-firing;" but in this method, great care must be exercised to prevent the fire getting over the furrow or path, or whatever is used as the base of opera- tions. If it gets in the rear of this and once under way, there is no remedy but to fall back to a more defensible position. The head of the fire successfully checked, the force of fire-fighters divide, part going to the right and part to the left, and the backfiring continues to meet the side fires as they come up. This must be continued until the fire is checked along the entire front of the premises endangered, and the sides secured. Various implements were used to put out a side or back fire, or even the head of a fire in a moderate wind. A fence board, four to six feet long, with one end shaved down for a handle, was very effective when struck flat upon the narrow strip of fire. A bundle of hazel brush, a spade or shovel was often used with efifect. The women frequently lent their aid, and dextrously wielded the mop, which, when thoroughly wet, proved a very efficient weapon, especially in extinguishing a fire in the fence. When the fire over- came all opposition, and seemed bound to sweep over the settle- ment, a fear of personal loss would paralyze, for the moment, every faculty, and as soon as the danger seemed imminent, united effort ceased, and each one hastened to defend his own as best he could. It is due to historical truth to say that actual losses were much less than might have been expected, though frequently quite severe. The physical efforts made in extinguishing a dangerous fire, and JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 7 protecting one's home from this devouring element, were of the most trying nature, not infrequently resulting fatally. The premises about the residence and- yards being trampled down by the family and domestic animals, after a year or two became tolerably safe from fire, but the fences, corn and stubble fields were often attacked. When the open land was all fenced and under cultivation, so that these fires were a thing of the past, the residents of the prairie were happily released from the constant apprehen- sion which for years had disturbed their peace by night and caused anxiety by day, though the early settlers still retain vivid recollec- tions of the grand illuminations nightly exhibited in dry weather, from early fall to late spring, by numberless prairie fires. The whole horizon would be lighted up around its entire circuit. A heavy fire six or seven miles away would aflford sufficient light in a dark night to enable one to read fine print. When a fire had passed through the prairie, leaving the long lines of side fires like two armies facing each other, the sight at night was sublime, and if one's premises were securely protected, and he could enjoy the exhibition without apprehension, it was a sight well worth going far to see. The Live Stock of Jasper County. From the first it was evident to the county's pioneers who had come into the country with any experience of live stock raising that the rich bottom lands of the Kankakee, when properly drained, as well as the more accessible sections along the Iroquois, in the south, were destined to become an admirable region for the breeding and care of cattle, horses and hogs. Its farmers, with very few excep- tions, have never striven to cultivate blooded stock, but have endeav- ored to produce those varieties which were most useful and profit- able for the home and as accessories to agricultural progress. It was years before any of the early settlers attempted to raise more cattle, horses or hogs than would be required for household con- sumption or the operation of the farm. But by the '50s consider- able progress had been made toward the raising of live stock in commercial quantities, as will be evident by reading the following article, originally published in the Rensselaer Gazette during 1858: "As a grazing country, we scarcely have an equal, and cannot be easily surpassed. Grass grows here in rich abundance, and truly, cattle are made to 'lie down in green pastures.' This fact is well known to many cattle raisers, who are in the habit of bringing their JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES %';*■'"■ •"'■■^^^INiM''^'"* Jasper County Li\i-: Siock JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 9 cattle two or three days' drive every spring, that they may kixuriate on our rich pasture, and drink of our cooHng streams. Some of the finest cattle that go from grass to market go from this county. "Beef cattle have commanded the attention and capital of farm- ers to a greater extent than any other stock in this branch of rural labor. Horses, swine, sheep and asses have each occupied more or less time, but more capital has been devoted to cattle than to any of the others. "Dairies, except with a very few farmers, have been a secondary object. Butter-making has not been made a serious branch of business. No attention has been paid to it, except by families for private use, or to supply the limited trade with the villages of the county, and even this has been very inconsiderable, because almost every villager keeps a cow during the summer season. "There has not yet been any general system of cattle-raising adopted from deliberate or scientific trial by farmers of this county. Each individual has acted upon the scheme suggested by his own judgment or fancy, or such as the state of improvement or the natural features of his own particular location has afforded, or his own particular case has dictated. "Numerotis breeds of cattle have been raised in this county. Herds have been purchased abroad and raised and fatted here. But little or no attention has been given to the fineness or firmness of the texture of the beef, the color of the flesh, or the odor or flavor of the meat, or the peculiar frame of the animal, but that breed would undoubtedly receive the preference which will attain the greatest weight of carcass in the shortest time, and with the least labor, and, what is of not less importance, they should be of a hardy variety, able to stand the greatest degree of cold and extreme exposure in winter on inferior food, without shelter. "In selling, the practice has been to sell for so much per hundred pounds, live weight. Drovers have been offered so much per hun- dred and raisers have accepted the bid, and driven their cattle from the grass onto the scales, or themselves taken them to market where the same or similar result was achieved. "A few only have packed the beef of their own raising or even of their own fattening, and where any have had it packed on their own account, it has generally been done at some larger towns out of the county, at Lafayette, Chicago, or some other city, the butcher furnishing barrels, salt, cutting the meat, and packing it, for the hide, head, shanks and tallow as payment. In this case the drover must of course, await the action of the market before he can realize. 10 JASPER AND XEWTON COUNTIES In some instances, advances are made by the consignees, but what- ever has been the final arrangement of drovers and packers, cattle have always commanded cash in hand to the growers and fatteners, though there has been but little competition among buyers, drovers generally giving their own prices. "The general practice in raising cattle has been either to keep breeding cows, and let the calves run with them on the open prairie in summer, throwing the herd a handful of salt once or twice a week, and taking care, either by an employed herdsman or by occa- sional supervision, that they do not wander too far from the proper range. This is the only expense during seven and a half months in the year, from the middle of April to December. "A very few, if any, calves are ever slaughtered in Jasper County for their veal. Those who do not wish to winter their calves find a market among their neighbors in the fall, at from $4 to $6 per head. After the grass of the prairies has been killed down by the frosts of autumn, the calves are generally separated from the larger cattle, and kept up in an inclosure, in some part of which is an open shed, built of logs or rails, and covered with a pile of straw or coat- ing of prairie hay. and there fed on prairie hay, with a small daily allowance of ears of Indian corn or meal. Some keep them on com fodder, which has been cut and shocked up in the fall, or turn them into stock-fields ; that is, fields where the ears of corn have been gathered, and the stalks left standing, or more recently, since tame grasses have been cultivated, feed them on timothy, blue-grass or clover, during a portion of the winter. "In some cases, calves are exposed throughout the winter to all changes of weather, with no shelter besides what is offered by a clump of brush or glade of timber. It is not surprising that with such neglect, many calves perish and die before the end of the first winter. Others that survive get on the 'lift,' or have the 'hollow- horn,' or 'wolf,' or some other disease, the result of starvation and exposures. Very few, if any, calves in this county are ever kept in a thriving condition, much less in a fat condition, during the first winter they are kept. But as soon as spring opens they are again turned out upon the prairies. Here, in a few weeks, the whole appearance is changed. The old hair falls off, and is replaced by a new and smooth coat. In a short time they become fat, and before the ensuing fall they usually attain the size of two-year-old stock that is raised on timber lands. In this condition they are brought to another winter, in which they fare no better than during the first. They are now kept without shelter, many of them without JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 11 grain, and fed on hay, which costs about $1.50 per ton in the stack. It is seldom that any of them die during the second winter, ahhough it would appear strange to a New England farmer that any of them should live through. Heifers with calf at this age — and most of them come in at two years old — need some grain to do well, especially when they come in early, but steers and other stock, if they have only enough coarse feed, get through without difficulty. Early in the succeeding summer and fall the two-year-olds are ready for market. "The average value of such cattle, during the last four or five years, has been from $15 to $17 a head in the spring and from $2.75 to $3 per cwt., live weight, in the summer and fall. Notwithstand- ing the loss of some calves and some older cattle, the last two hard winters, stock raising has been considered profitable, and some have realized handsome profits from it." From the same writer we take the following on the subject of horses: "With horses, as with everything else, the middling good, tolerably cheap, every-day-article, is of more general usefulness than any others. If they are very inferior, whether vicious, unsafe, balky or tender, their services will not pay for their keeping. If a horse is expensive or high-priced, few can afford to invest their capital in him. A large majority of people have all they can do to live comfortably from year to year. We cannot afford to try e.xperiments, or risk our means in uncertain enterprises. We know that the dearest horses are not the most useful to us ; that, in our cir- cumstances, fancy horses and fast horses are not what we most need. We have three purposes for which we want horses, i. e., for draught, for travel and for sale. "First. We want horses to assist in plowing our lands and raising produce ; to take our grain to mill and market ; to haul our wood, and to take our families to worship on Sunday. This is our common business. For this we do not need fast horses, but com- pact, well-built horses that possess the powers of endurance; horses that will keep in good working condition in winter on hay and a moderate share of grain, with indifferent shelter. "Second. We need horses for herding on the open prairies. Here we need an occasional test of speed, although not great nor long continued, for it does not demand a horse of extra dispatch or bottom to outrun a cow or ox. "Third, for sale. Several farmers have entered pretty extensively into this branch of grazing, and some have made money at the busi- ness. There has been a steady home market for common draught 12 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES horses at good prices, and a foreign market at great prices for horses of extra quahty. "Our colts are mostly bred from mares that are occasionally worked throughout the year, and pastured on the prairie in the sum- mer. On the approach of winter, the colts are weaned, fed some grain with straw or hay, and sheltered during the hardest weather, and have no other care. They usually look pretty thin and squalid toward spring. They are generally 'broken' in the second or third year, and by the fourth year are put to hard service. Good geldings then bring from $ioo to $125. A few horses of extra quality have sold for fancy prices. The care bestowed on colts is but little more than that devoted rearing calves, and at four years of age the ox may be worth $40, while a colt at the same age rates at $100. Why has not more capital been invested in this business? Not over one-half, probably not over one-third, annually, of the brood mares in the county have colts. Not half the farmers who keep mares ever raise a colt. "One reason is directed against the business itself, i. e., that the business opens the door to dissipation, and while it pays well, it is subject to many excitements and tempts to great risks. "Another reason is, men who have made a moderate income by raising a few common colts annually, have been too often led to try the fancy breed, by which they have changed the character of their associates, fallen under the influence of backlegs and sharpers, run into idleness, betting, racing and gambling, and in the end lost both their character and property. I\Ien judge that a business liable to such results is not safe, and shun it. "Another reason is, there is personal danger in it. Many care- ful men neither wish to break colts nor have they sons to do it. They therefore raise only just what is needed for their own serv- ices ; and as a span of horses will last for from seven to nine years, after they have come to a working age, their wants do not require continued attention to the business, and they decline it. "There is another objection that influences some. Horses, like other stock, are liable to die, and careful farmers do not care to risk so much value in a single animal. It is necessary to keep them in good condition throughout the year, to insure their profitable sale when the market favors their disposal, and this involves a consider- able expense generally overlooked in making a computation of the expenses of the business. "But the principal objection to breeding blooded stock of this description is that the business requires more capital than the ordi- JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 13 nary farmer is able to invest until the profits can be realized. To be successful, the breeder needs good stalls, tame pastures, good fences and plenty of help to give the stock all necessary care. With all these accessories, the event is at best uncertain. Not one colt in a hundred will bring an extraordinary price.- Horses noted for beauty, force or speed, have not always reproduced their like, and even when they do the owner of the colt, unless prepared to expend a costly school of training upon it, is likely to discover the fact only after it has passed from his possession. "We have in Jasper County the names of all the noted horses in the land, and the names of all the breeds; but we have neither the stock nor the means at present of producing it, and while we frequently find valuable horses, both imder the saddle and harnessed to the plow, we have never yet seen here a first-class horse." Agriculture and Live Stock Forty Years Ago Horace E. James, secretary of the agricultural society at Rens- selaer, reported as follows in 1879, twenty years after the preceding survey : Last winter was favorable to the growth of fall-sown wheat ; the spring helped its development; insects did not ravage it nor summer storms do it damage, and at harvest time a good, well- matured crop was found, which was saved in fine condition. Gen- erally, however, wheat has not been a reliable crop in this locality. Systematic draining, by means of open ditches and of tile, and liberal coatings of coarse manure, applied before the middle of February, may solve the problem of successful wheat culture upon light and loamy soils and flat surfaces, such as are to be seen with us. At least those farmers who have experimented in this direction are greatly encouraged by the results that have invariably followed such treatment. The wheat crop of Jasper County in 1879 is estimated at double that of any former year, being more than enough to supply the home demand. "Small fruits, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, are not extensively cultivated, although both soil and climate are favorable ; grapes do well with us, the commoner kinds being hardy and yield- ing sure crops of good fruit. Producers are only beginning to cultivate them as they merit. Vines bore abundantly this year. "Some varieties of pears may be grown with moderate returns only. Peaches and quinces winter-kill badly. Plums suffer too much from the ravages of the curculio ever to be popular. Apples do well usually. The exhibition of this fruit at our fair this season 14 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES was remarkably fine. The perfection of specimens equaled any that were shown at the State Fair. "Quite an interest has developed in Jasper County within a year or two in the breeding of poultry. An association has been organized, and several gentlemen lay claim to the title of fowl- fanciers. "Ours is emphatically a cattle and hog producing district, and probably more attention has been paid to the improvement of these classes of live stock than to any of the other branches of husbandry. The great desire has been to produce beef to the neglect of milkers, hence short-horn breeders have been favorites with cattle-raisers. Recently a few Jerseys have been introduced, but thus far have not been looked upon with that degree of favor which is calculated to increase the enthusiasm of those who have invested their money in them for the purpose of breeding. "Large herds (report of i8Si) of cattle are less frequently met than in earlier days. I do not mean that fewer cattle are bred and fed here, but they are scattered around more generally, not kept together in large bunches, as in the days before the county was so thickly inhabited, and before so much of the land was inclosed by fences. The breed has been greatly improved by sepa- ration, better care, better feed, and the introduction of improved blood. The improvement has, however, been altogether in the direc- tion of beef-making. There are few, if any, good milkers or butter producers to be found in our pastures. "In no former year was there so much good hay, both cultivated and wild, put into stock. Tons by the thousands were not even moistened by dew. It has commanded satisfactory prices. Next to corn and not much behind, either, is the hay in importance with us. Much of it is fed on the ground, but there is also an impor- tant industry in baling and shipping it, which has sprung up within a few years. "After cattle, hay and corn, come hogs in point of importance. Our breeds are Berkshire, Poland-China and Jersey Red, with a decided preference for the first named, either pure breed, crossed or common grade. "Sheep hold a modest position. No large flocks are kept, but many farmers own from a dozen to thirty or fifty. The long-wool breeds and their crosses with the natives are the favorites. There are occasional thoroughbred animals, but the object seems to be to grow mutton rather than wool. "Our horses are chiefly what may be called general-purpose JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 15 animals. The introduction of the Norman and the Clydesdale breeds has made the stock on many farms much more serviceable and marketable than previous to their advent. The quarter crosses of these large breeds upon scrubs are excellent horses for general purposes. There are, however, a few flyers owned in the county, some of which are known to the race courses of three or four States, and boast genealogies recorded in the stud book, but no breeding is done for the special object of speed. "A decided change for the better is perceivable each succeeding year in the method which farmers employ for the tiling of the soil and the cultivation of crops. The land is better and more sys- tematically worked than formerly. There is a manifest desire to learn and adopt improvements. There is a growing taste for litera- ture treating upon farm topics. In brief, there seems to be more mind-work combined with hand work. Several tile factories are finding employment in the solution of the problem of systematic draining. A butter factory or creamery of the capacity of i,000 pounds of butter daily has lately been built at the county seat, which is doing a good paying business, while opening up a new field to the vision of stock breeders. Orchards and vineyards are being planted, and, what is more to the purpose, are being cared for with a thought to their ultimate value as a source of revenue." CHAPTER II CONFLICTS OF WHITES AND REDS The Miamis Tamed by the Iroquois — Labors of French Mis- sionaries AND Traders — French Indiana- — Indiana Under British Rule — Uncertain French Titles to Lands — Ruled from Canada and Virginia — In the County of Illinois — Part of Northwest Territory — Indiana Territory — Gen- eral Harrison, Father of Indiana — Tecumseh and the Prophet — The Battle of Tippecanoe — Founding of the State Government — Miami and Pottawattamie Titles Ex- tinguished— Pottawattamie Villages in Jasper County — No Evidences of Permanent Prehistoric Settlements. The lowlands of the Kankakee, alive with water fowl and musk- rats, and teeming with fish, were favorite resorts both of the Indians and French and English trappers from the earliest times of which there are records. But the waters were difficult to navigate, no great land trails followed its courses, such as crossed the country nearer Lake Michigan or along the more navigable Valley of the Wabash to the south. Within the area of what is usually called Northwestern Indiana the main lines of travel both for Indians and whites, in the times of the French dominion, either crossed the immediate region of the great lakes or paralleled the water courses embraced in the Ohio River system. But although the Kan- kakee region was somewhat away from the greater routes of travel, by both land and water, it is believed that the great, tireless and almost ubiquitous La Salle explored it during the later period of his career. The Miamis Tamed by the Iroquois In the time of La Salle the country now embraced within the limits of the State of Indiana was inhabited by the Miami Confed- eration of Indians, of which the Pottawattamies were the most 16 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 17 powerful tribe northwest of the Wabash. The Iroquois, or Five Nations of the East, were their inveterate and hereditary enemies, and the river which bears their name in Jasper and Newton coun- ties, as well as the Illinois county just over the state line, are evi- dences of their fierce western incursion, which was finally stemmed by La Salle and the western tribes which he consolidated against them. But for twenty-five years after his assassination in 1687 until the early part of the eighteenth century the Ohio and lakes regions claimed by France were not safe from the invasions of the Five Nations, the allies of the English. As stated by Dr. William S. Haymond in his "History of Indiana :" "In 1670, and for many years previous, the fertile region of country now included within the boundaries of the state of Indiana vvas inhabited by the Miami Confederation of Indians. This league consisted of several Algonquin tribes, notably the Twightwees, Weas, Piankeshaws and Shockeys and was formed at an early period — probably in the early part of the seventeenth century — for the purpose of repelling the invasions of the Iroquois, or Five Nations, at whose hands they had suffered many severe defeats. By the frequent and unsuccessful wars in which they were com- pelled to engage in self-defense their numbers had been greatly reduced until, at the date mentioned, they could not muster more than fifteen hundred or two thousand warriors. They dwelt in small villages on the banks of the various rivers in Indiana and extended their dominion as far east as the Scioto, north to the Great Lakes and west to the country of the Illinois. Their principal settle- ments were scattered along the headwaters of the Great Miami, the banks of the Maumee, the St. Joseph of Lake Michigan, the Wabash and its tributaries. Although once important among the nations of the Lake Region they had become greatly demoralized by repeated defeats in war, and when first visited by the French their villages presented a very untidy appearance. They were living in constant terror of the Five Nations, practicing only sufficient indus- try to prevent starvation and indulging all their vicious passions to a vulgar extreme. Labors of French Missionaries and Traders "Almost immediately after the discovery and exploration of the Mississippi by La Salle in 1682, and a few years later by James Mar- quette, the government of France began to encourage the policy of connecting its possessions in North America by a chain of fortifica- 18 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES tions, trading posts and missionary stations, extending from New Orleans on the southwest to Quebec on the northwest. This under- taking was inaugurated by Lamotte Cadillac, who established Fort Pontchartrain on the Detroit river in 1701. "At this period the zealous Jesuit missionaries, the adventurous French fur traders with their coarse blue and red cloths, fine scarlet, guns, powder, balls, knives, ribbons, beads, vermilion, tobacco and rum; the careless rangers, or coureurs des bois, whose chief vocation was conducting the canoes of the traders among the lakes and rivers, made their appearance among the Indians of Indiana. The pious Jesuits held up the cross of Christ and unfolded the mysteries of the Catholic religion in broken Indian to the astonished savages, while the speculating trader offered them fire water and other articles of merchandise in exchange for their peltries, and the rangers, shaking loose every tie of blood and kindred, identified themselves with the savages and sank into utter barbarism." The Jesuit missionaries were always cordially received by the Miami tribes. These Indians would listen patiently to the theory of the Saviour and salvation, manifest a willing belief in all they heard, and then, as if to entertain their visitors in return, would tell them the story of their own simple faith in the Manitous, and stalk off with a groan of dissatisfaction because the missionaries would not accept their theory with equal courtesy. Missionary stations were established at an early day in all the principal villages and the work of instructing and converting the savages was begun in earnest. The order of religious exercises established at the missions among the Miamis was nearly the same as that among the other Indians. Early in the morning the missionaries would assemble the Indians at the church, or the hut used for the purpose, and after prayers the sav- ages were taught concerning the Catholic religion. These exercises were always followed by singing, at the conclusion of which the congregation was dismissed, the Christians only remaining to take part at mass. This service was generally followed by prayers. Dur- ing the forenoon the priests were generally engaged in visiting the sick and consoling those who were laboring under any affliction. After noon another sen-ice was held in the church, at which all the Indians were permitted to appear in their finery and where each, without regard to rank or age, answered the questions put by the missionary. This exercise was concluded by singing hymns, the words of which had been set to airs familiar to the savage ear. In the evening all assembled again at the church for instruction, to hear JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 19 prayers and to sing tlieir favorite hymns. The Aiiamis were always higniy pleased with the latter exercise. Aside from the character of the religious services which con- stituted a chief attraction in the Miami villages of Indiana while the early French missionaries were among them, the traveler's attention would first be engaged with the peculiarities of the fur trade, which during the first quarter of the eighteenth century was monopolized by the French. This traffic was not confined to those whose wealth enabled them to engage vessels, canoes and traders, for there were hundreds scattered through the various Indian villages of Indiana at almost any time during the first half of the eighteenth century, who carried their packs of merchandise and furs by means of leather straps suspended from their shoulders, or with the straps resting againt their foreheads. Rum and brandy were freely introduced by the traders and always found a ready sale among the Miami Indians. A Frenchman, writ- ing of the evils which resulted from the introduction of spirituous liquors among these savages, remarked : "The distribution of it is made in the usual way; that is to say, a certain number of persons have delivered to each of them a quantity sufficient to get drunk with, so that the whole have been drunk over eight days. They begin to drink in the villages as soon as the sun is down, and every night the fields echo with the most hideous howling." In those early days the Miami villages of the Maumee, those of the Weas about Ouiatenon on the Wabash, and those of the Pianke- shaws around Vincennes were the central points of the fur trade in Indiana, to which large contributions were made by the Indians and trappers of the Kankakee and Beaver Lake regions, in what are now Jasper and Newton counties. Trading posts were established at the Miami villages mentioned and at Fort Wayne, in 1719. although for twenty years previously the French traders and missionaries had frequently visited them. A permanent church or mission was es- tablished at the Piankeshaw village near Vincennes in 1749, and in the following year a small fort was erected there by order of the French government. It was in that year that another small fort was erected near the mouth of the Wabash River. These posts soon drew a large number of French traders around them, and in 1756 they had become quite important settlements, with a mixed popula- tion of French and Indian. At this date the English became competitors for the trade with the Indiana Indians and those of the surrounding country, and at the close of the old French war, in 1763, when Canada and its de- 20 JASPER AND XEWTOX COUNTIES pendencies fell into the hands of the British, this monopoly passed to the visitors. Notwithstanding this change in the government of the country, the French who had settled around the principal trading posts in Indiana, with a few exceptions, swore allegiance to the British government and were permitted to occupy their lands in peace and enjoy the slight improvements they had wrought. French Indi.\n.\ The post, or the old post — later known as Vincennes — was es- tablished in 1727, and until after the Revolutionary war was the only white settlement in Indiana, although French forts were estab- lished both at the head of the Maumee and at Ouiatenon — the latter on the Wabash, about eighteen miles below the mouth of the Tippe- canoe. The post at Ouiatenon is claimed to be the first of its kind in Indiana and dated from 1720. From its settlement until it was finally transferred to Great Britain, Vincennes was under the juris- diction of New Orleans, although its trade was largely with Canada. It was in command of a governor, Sieur de Vincennes holding that office from the founding of the post until his death in 1736. Dur- ing that period, therefore, Indiana was under the direct jurisdiction of Governor Vincennes, and indirectly, of New Orleans and Versailles. Indi.\x.\ Under British Rule Vincennes was killed in battle with the Indians at the mouth of the Ohio in 1736, and Louis St. Ange commanded Old Vin- cennes until 1764, or a short time before it was finally surrendered to the British. In May of that year, about six months previous to the proclamation of General Gage, the British commander-in-chief in North America, announcing the cession of the country of the Illinois to His Britannic Majesty, St. Ange appointed his successor to the command of the old post-and started for Fort Chartres to relieve the commandant at that post, who was on his way to New Orleans. For nearly thirty years he had led and governed the people of Old Vincennes. On the loth of October. 1765, St. Ange made a formal delivery of Fort Chartres to Captain Sterling, representing the British govern- ment. That military center of the Illinois country became the first semi-civil seat of government established northwest of the Ohio and included the territory constituting the present State of Indiana. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 21 Captain Sterling in turn received his orders from General Gage, whose headquarters were at New York, the British seat of colonial government in North America. Fort Chartres was a very unhealthful place and Captain Sterling lived only three months after taking possession. In September, 1768, Lieutenant-Colonel Reed, in command, set up a sort of civil govern- ment for the Illinois country. Its main feature consisted of seven judges, who constituted the first court west of the Alleghanies and retained authority until 1774, when the British Parliament restored civil law in full force. Uncertain French Titles to Lands The steps leading to the formal assumption of the civil adminis- tration of the territory embracing Indiana by the Canadian authori- ties, with Quebec as the seat of the dominion government, are thus described: "The arbitrary act of General Gage, in 1772, in ordering all the whites to immediately vacate the Indian country, aroused the settlers and they at once vigorovisly protested. They declared they held the title to their lands from officers of the French government, who had a right to convey such titles, and that when the French government transferred the territory to the English their rights were duly protected by the treaty of cession. Gage was autocratic and determined, and on the receipt of this remonstrance he ordered that all written titles to the possession of the lands should be forwarded to him at New York for examination. The inhabitants were a careless set and mainly ignorant, had failed to properly care for the written evidence of the grants made to them, and many of the papers had been left in the hands of the notary who had drawn them. They never dreamed of any question ever being raised as to their right to the lands they were occupying, and had been occupying for nearly half a century. So it was that this last order of Gage fell like a thunderbolt upon the poor inhabitants. Some deeds were found, but many more could not be found. An appeal was made to St. Ange at St. Louis. He responded by reciting that he had held com- mand of the post (Vincennes) from 1736 to 1764, and that during that time, by order of the governors, he had conceded many parcels of land to various inhabitants by written concessions, and had verbally permitted others to settle and cultivate lands, of which they had been in possession for many years. Other officers certified that many deeds had been carried away, others removed to the record office of the Illinois (at Fort Chartres), and still others had been 22 JASPER AND XEWTON COUNTIES lost or destroyed by rats. But the British government had already heard the muttering of discontent in the eastern colonies and did not want to add to the embarrassments at other points, and in 1774 the whole territory northwest of the Ohio was put under 'the domin- ion of Canada." Ruled from Canada and Virginia When the Illinois country, or the territory northwest of the Ohio, was transferred from France to Great Britain about a decade previously, the entire population did not exceed 600 families, or perhaps 4,000 people, and when it came under the dominion of Canada it was considerably less, as many of the inhabitants had gone to St. Louis, New Orleans and other points in Louisiana. The British took possession of Vincennes in May, 1777, but it was captured by the Americans in August of the following year by Gen. George Rogers Clark, and became forever a possession of the United States. During the Revolutionary war no British or American settle- ments were made within the limits of Indiana, although when General Clark was in authority at Vincennes a number of Ameri- cans were added to the post settlement, and the Indians ceded to the commandant himself 150,000 acres of land around the falls of the Ohio River, which grant was afterward confirmed by Vir- ginia and the National Congress. As an energetic Kentuckian, and an able, brave man of military genius, backed by the Old Dominion and the statesmanship of Patrick Henry, then governor of Virginia, General Clark was admirably fitted to be the conqueror of the Northwest, whether fighting against the British or the Indians. In the County of Illinois In 1778, when the news of Clark's capture of Vincennes and Kaskaskia reached Mrginia, its assembly passed a law organizing all the territory northwest of the Ohio into the County of Illinois and placing Col. John Todd in control as county lieutenant. Kas- kaskia was the seat of government, and Indiana again came under a new administration centering ultimately at Richmond, \'irginia. Todd arrived at his capital in May, 1779, and at once commenced his administration as county lieutenant, leaving Clark free to pursue his military enterprises ; but he himself was killed at the battle of Blue Licks in 1782. Although by statute the organization known JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 23 as the County of Illinois had expired in 1781, its civil officers con- tinued to exercise power and grant land concessions until the pas- sage of the ordinance of 1787. Part of the Northwest Territory We now approach the period of stable American Government, when the United States as a nation extended its jurisdiction to the The Northwest Territory of 1787 County of Illinois and the territory northwest of the Ohio River. That immense domain was claimed by Virginia by right of con- quest, but in January, 1783, the General Assembly of the Old 24 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Dominion, in the interests of the United States, ceded to the National Congress all its rights, titles and claims to that great land. The Virginia deed of cession was accepted by Congress in the spring of 1784, and in July, 1788, Gen. Arthur St. Clair, who had been elected by Congress governor of the Northwest Territory under the famous ordinance of the previous year, arrived at Marietta, Ohio, to take over the civil administration of the national domain now included within the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wiscon- sin. At that time, therefore, the future Hoosier .State was governed indirectly from Philadelphia and directly from Marietta, the terri- torial capital. Until Indiana was organized as a territory in 1800, there were few settlements within the limits of the present state. In 1798, under the provisions of the ordinance creating the Northwest Terri- tory, which provided for civil government when its population should number 5,000 free inhabitants, a popular assembly was elected to represent the Northwest, and in January, 1799, convened at Cincinnati, whither the seat of government had been moved from Marietta. Ten members of the upper house, or council, were then appointed by President Adams, upon recommendation of the elected assembly, and when the two bodies met at the new territorial capital in September, 1799, a near approach to popular government had been effected in the territory northwest of the Ohio River. Indiana Territory The Legislature selected as the territorial delegate to Congress, William Henry Harrison, who was filling the position of secretary of the Northwest Territory. The new government was hardly under way before the tremendous domain over which it had jurisdiction underwent its first carving under authority of the ordinance of 1787. By act of Congress, approved May 7, 1800, it was declared that "from and after the fourth of July next, all that part of the territory of the United States northwest of the Ohio river which lies to the westward of a line beginning at the Ohio opposite the mouth of the Kentucky river and running thence to Fort Recovery, and thence north until it shall intersect the territorial line between the United States and Canada, shall, for the purpose of temporary government, constitute a separate territory to be called the Indiana Territory." The seat of government was fixed at Vincennes and William Henry Harrison was appointed governor. He reached Vincennes in Jan- JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 25 uary, 1801, the gubernatorial duties having been performed since the preceding July by John Gibson, secretary of the territory. The judges and juries were soon in action, and in July, 1805, the first Legislature of the Territory of Indiana met at Vincennes. At that time, Indiana had been shorn of Michigan for about six months and in 1809 Illinois was carved away, leaving its territory as at present. Governor H-\rrison, Father of Indiana Governor and General Harrison is acknowledged to be the father of a settled and secure Indiana. Within five years from the time he assumed control of afifairs, both civil and military, he had perfected treaties with the Indians, securing cessions to 46,000 square miles of territory, including all the lands lying on the borders of the Ohio River, between the mouth of the Wabash River and the western boundary of the State of Ohio. At the same time, in co-operation with the Legislature, he guided the revision and improvement of the territorial statutes, and at his recommendation Congress estab- lished several land offices. In 1804 three were opened — at Detroit, Vincennes and Kaskaskia, respectively — and in 1807 a fourth, Jeffersonville, Clark County. But despite treaties and the protection of the National Govern- ment, personified by such a rugged character as Harrison, the origi- nal lords of the soil continued to show just causes for uneasiness and indignation. Even the governor, in his 1806 message to the Legislature, remarked that they were already making complaints, some of them far from groundless. While the laws of the territory provided for the same punishment for offenses committed against Indians as against white men, unhappily there was always a wide difference in the execution of those laws. The Indian was, in all cases, the sufferer. That partiality did not escape their observation. On the contrary, it afforded them an opportunity of making strong comparisons between their own observance of treaties and that of their boastful superiors. During the period from 1805 to 1810, especially, the Indians complained bitterly against the encroachments of the whites upon the lands which they had not ceded. Not only the invasion of their favorite hunting grounds, but the unjustifiable killing of many of their people, were frequent charges which they brought to the atten- tion of Harrison. An old chief, in laying the troubles of his people before the governor, said earnestly : "You call us your children ; why do you not make us as happy as our fathers, the French, did? 26 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES They never took from us our lands ; indeed, they were in common between us. They planted where they pleased; and they cut wood where they pleased; and so did we. But now, if a poor Indian attempts to take a litle bark from a tree to cover him from the rain, up comes a white man and threatens to shoot him, claiming the tree as his own." Tecumseh and the Prophet All such complaints found voice in Tecumseh and his brother, the Prophet ; the one playing upon the superstitions and passions of the Indians, and the other organizing them into a strong confederacy which was to control the disposition of lands, instead of allowing them to be ceded by separate and disunited tribes. Both in 1808 and 1809 the Prophet visited Harrison at Vincennes to assure him of his friendliness and to protest against the charge that he and Tecum- seh were in league with the British. In the later part of the year 1809 it was estimated that the total quantity of land ceded to the United States under treaties which had been effected by the governor exceeded 30,000,000 acres ; and all these cessions were accomplished in direct opposition to the influence of Tecumseh and the Prophet; but the break between these powerful leaders of the white and the red races was at hand. In July, 1810, Governor Harrison made an attempt to gain the friendship of the Prophet by sending him a letter offering to treat with him personally in the matter of his grievances, or to furnish means to send him, with three of his principal chiefs, to the Presi- dent at Washington. The bearer of this letter was coldly received by both Tecumseh and the Prophet, and the only answer he received was that Tecumseh, in a few days, would visit Vincennes and inter- view the governor; this he did, with seventy of his principal warriors, in the following month. For over a week conferences were carried on with the haughty Shawnee chief, who on the 20th of August de- livered an ultimatum to Harrison, to the effect that he should return their lands or fight. While the governor was replying to Tecumseh's speech, the In- dian chief angrily interrupted him to declare, that the United States Government, through General Harrison, had "cheated and imposed on the Indians." Whereupon, a number of the Indian warriors pres- ent sprang to their feet and brandished their clubs, tomahawks and spears. The governor's guards, who stood a short distance off, marched quickly up, and the red men quieted down, Tecumseh be- ing ordered to his camp. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 27 On the following day Tecumseh apologized and requested another interview. The council was thereupon reopened, but while the Shawnee leader addressed Harrison in a respectful manner, he did not recede from his former demand as to the restoration of the Indian lands. The governor then requested Tecumseh to state plainly whether or not the lands purchased at the Treaty of Fort Wayne in 1809 could be surveyed without molestation by the Indians, and whether or not the Kickapoos would receive their annuities in payment for such cession. The proposed grant was partly in Illinois. Tecumseh replied : "Brother, when you speak of annuities to me, I look at the land and pity the women and children. I am authorized to say that they will not receive them. Brother, we want to save that piece of land. We do not wish you to take it. It is small enough for our purpose. If you do take it, you must blame yourself as the cause of the trouble between us and the tribes who sold it to you. I want the present boundary line to continue. Should you cross it, I assure you it will be productive of bad consequences." This talk terminated the council. On the following day Governor Harrison, attended only by his interpreter, visited Tecumseh's camp and told him that the United States would not acknowledge his claims. "Well," replied the In- dian, "as the great chief is to determine the matter, I hope the Great Spirit will put sense enough into his head to induce him to direct you to give up this land. It is true, he is so far off he will not be injured by the war. He may sit still in his own town and drink his wine, while you and I will have to fight it out." Tecumseh's last visit to the governor previous to the battle of Tippecanoe, which crushed the red man's power in Indiana and the Northwest, was on July 27, 181 1. He brought with him a consider- able force of Indians, but that showing was offset by 750 well-armed militia whom Governor Harrison reviewed with some ostentation. The interview was conciliatory on the part of Tecumseh, who, how- ever, repeated that he hoped no attempts would be made to settle on the lands sold to the United States at Fort Wayne, as the Indians wished to keep them for hunting grounds. He then departed for the express purpose of inducing the Indians to join his confederacy. The B.vttle of Tipppecanoe While Tecumseh was absent on that mission, the battle of Tippe- canoe was fought under the leadership of the Prophet, and Indiana 28 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES became white man's land forever. After Governor Harrison had exhausted every means to maintain peace with the Indian leader he resorted to decisive military measures. His army moved from Vincennes in September, 1811; he built a new fort on the Wabash in the following month, resumed his march, and on the 6th of November, after an unsatisfactory conference with a representative of the Prophet, about half a mile from town, encamped on the battleground, six miles north of the present City of Lafayette. The selection of that location is said to have been at the suggestion of the Indians, who pronounced it a good place for a camp; the Prophet may therefore be said to have selected the ground on which his people met with such signal defeat. General Harrison's force consisted of about 250 regular troops, 600 Indiana militia and 150 volunteers from Kentucky. Just before daybreak of November 7th, the Indians made a sudden attack on that part of the camp guarded by the militia. They broke at the first on- slaught, but soon reformed, and the entire body of Americans pre- sented a determined front to the wily foe, but did not attempt an offensive until it was light, when several gallant charges were made by the troops and the Indians defeated. The Indians being familiar with the ground had been able to inflict severe losses on the Ameri- cans. Among the killed were Major Jo Daviess, the gifted and brave Kentuckian, and Col. Isaac White, the gallant Virginian, who fell side by side while leading a charge of dragoons. Long after- ward, both Indiana and Illinois were protid to bestow upon two of their counties the names of these heroes of the battle of Tippecanoe. Founding of the State Government Governor Harrison's prolonged absences from the seat of govern- ment on military duties made it necessary to place the civil adminis- tration in other hands. In 1812 and the first four months of 1813, these responsibilities devolved upon John Gibson, secretary of the territory. In February of the latter year President Madison nom- inated Thomas Posey, United States senator from Louisiana, for governor of Indiana, as General Harrison had been made commander- in-chief of the American forces in the West. Governor Posey arrived at Vincennes in May, 1813, and in December of that year the Legis- lature met at the new capital — Corydon, Harrison County. The State House at that place had been partially erected in 181 1, but was not entirely completed until 1815. In December of the latter year, the Territory of Indiana applied JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 29 to Congress for admission into the Union as a state, since more than 60,000 free white inhabitants then resided within its limits — to be exact, 63,897. Congress passed the enabhng act in May, 1816, and the delegates elected to frame a state constitution held a convention at Corydon, lasting from the loth to the 29th of June, of that year. Instead of deliberating in the stuffy little State House, they held most of their meetings under a huge elm tree on the banks of Big Indian Creek, several hundred feet northwest of the capitol. The grand old tree still stands, fifty feet in height with a spread of branches nearly 125 feet across. The first session of the Legislature of the State of Indiana opened at the Corydon State House on November 4, 1816. Corydon remained the state capital until 1825, although the site of Indianapolis had been selected by the commissioners appointed for that ptirpose by the Legislature in 1820. In 1819 Congress donated to the state four sections of land to be selected from any tract of the public domain then unsold, and in May of the following year the locating commissioners fixed upon a tract on the west fork of the White River near the geographical center of the state and platted the new capital as Indianapolis. The seat of government of the commonwealth was moved thither in 1825, as stated, and the first State House completed in 1836. As designated in the congressional grant, Indianapolis was fixed as the permanent capital of Indiana, and all its counties have since looked to that city as the seat of their government authority. Miami and Pottawattamie Titles Extinguished It is an unrelated coincidence that the completion of the State House at Indianapolis and the virtual ex,tinguishment of the Indian titles to the lands of Northwestern Indiana should both fall within the year 1836; it is, nevertheless, a happy coincidence for the pur- pose of continuing this narrative in a chronological and orderly manner. Without going into the intricacies of the general, or blanket trea- ties by which Great Britain and the United States secured their color of title from the Indians, it is sufficient to know that the specific treaties by which the primitive owners transferred the lands now within Jasper and Newton counties to the general Government were made in 1818, 1826 and 1832. On October 2 and 3, 18 18, the Pottawattamies, Weas and Dela- wares — all closely related in tribal afl^airs — ceded their several par- 30 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES eels of lands in the State of Indiana west of the Tippecanoe River, the last two tribes then relinquishing all claims to real estate within the limits of the young commonwealth. The Pottawattamie treaty of October 2d, which is the most important from a Jasper County standpoint, was concluded at St. Mary's, Ohio, between Governor Jonathan Jennings, Lewis Cass and Benjamin Parke, United States commissioners, and the principal chiefs and warriors of the Potta- wattamie Nation. The following tract was thus ceded to the Gov- ernment : Beginning at the mouth of the Tippecanoe River and run- ning up the same to a point twenty-five miles in a direct line from the Wabash River, thence on a line as nearly parallel to the general course of the Wabash River as is possible, thence down the Ver- million River to its mouth, and thence up the \\'abash River to the place of beginning. Within the following eight years the Miamis, the Pottawattamies and the Weas ceded various tracts in Central and Western Indiana, which did not effect any territory within the present Jasper of Newton. Both the Pottawattamies and Miamis ceded all their lands east of the Tippecanoe by the treaty of October 23, 1826, the tract being thus formally described in the paper : Beginning on the Tippecanoe River, where the northern boundary of the tract ceded by the Pottawattamies to the United States by the treaty of St. Mary's in the 3'ear 1818 intersects the same, thence in a direct line to a point on Eel River half way between the mouth of said river and the Parrish's village, thence up Eel River to Seek's vil- lage (now in Whitley County) near the head thereof, thence in a direct line to the mouth of a creek emptying into the St. Joseph's of the Miami (Maumee) near Metea's village, thence up the St. Joseph's to the boundary line between Ohio and Indiana, thence south to the Miami (Maumee), thence up the same to the reservation at Fort Wayne, thence with the lines of the said reservation to the boundary established by the treaty with the ^liamis in 1818, thence with the said line to the Wabash River, thence with the said river to the mouth of the Tippecanoe River, and thence with the Tip- pecanoe River to the place of beginning. By the treaty with the Pottawattamies of October 26, 1832, a tract of land in the northwestern portion of the state was ob- tained by the Government, which overlapped the Kickapoo cession in Illinois. On the following day the Pottawattamies of Indiana and Michigan also relinquished all claims to any remaining lands in those states, as well as in Illinois south of Grand River. By the four treaties mentioned the settlers of Northwestern JASPER AND XEWTOxN COUNTIES 31 Indiana, the pioneers of whom commenced to come into that sec- tion of the state at the time of these Pottawattamie cessions, were enabled to read their titles clear to their homesteads and mansions on earth. On the nth of February, 1836, the Government concluded the agreement with the Pottawattamies by which all former treaties were ratiiied, and a stipulation made that they would migrate, within two years, to their reservation beyond the Missouri River, the United States to pay the expenses of such removal and furnish them one year's subsistence. On April 23, 1836, there was introduced in the Twenty-fourth Congress a memorial from the Indiana Legislature asking Con- gress to extinguish the title of the Pottawattamie and Miami Indians to all lands in said state. This memorial recites that said matter is one of the greatest interest and importance and asks that their title be extinguished and the Indians removed from the state. It was referred to the committee on Indian affairs and ordered to be printed. Two years later the Indians were transported beyond the Mississippi River. The last tribal title to lands in Indiana was not extinguished until 1872, when Congress partitioned the ten-mile reserve originally granted in 1838 to the Metosinia band of Miamis (in Wabash County), comprising sixty-three of the descendants of the original chief. Migrations of the Pott.^w.^ttamies Dr. J. Z. Powell, in his history of Cass County, published by the company which issues this work, gives an authentic and condensed account of the various steps by which the Pottawattamies and Miamis were transferred to their reservations in the far West; the bands from the regions of the Kankakee and Iroquois rivers were tributary streams to the main bodies which moved down the Valley of the Wabash toward Illinois and the Mississippi River. "The first emigration of the Pottawattamies," says Doctor Powell, "took place in July, 1837, under the direction of Abel C. Pepper, United States commissioner, and George Profit conducted them to their western home. There were about one 'hundred taken in this band and Nas-wau-gee was their chief. Their village was located on the north bank of Lake Muck-sen-chuck-ee, where Culver Military Academy ("Marshall county) now stands. The old chief, Nas-wau- gee, was a mild-mannered man and on the morning- of their march 32 Jz\SPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES to their western home, as he stood on the banks of the lake and took a last, long view of his old home to which he was never to return, he was visibly affected and tears were seen to flow from his eyes. "The last and final removal of the Pottawattamies was made in the fall of 1838. They were unwilling to go, and Colonel Abel C. Pepper, then United States Indian agent stationed at Logansport, made a requisition on Governor David Wallace (father of General Lew Wallace) for a company of militia, and General John Tipton, of Logansport, was directed to enlist a company of one hundred men, which he speedily did. The recruits were mostly from Cass county. The names of the men composing this company of militia are not obtainable, but the writer's father, Jacob Powell, and Isaac Newton Clary, pioneers of Bethlehem and Harrison townships, were among the number. "Sixty wagons were provided to haul the women, children and those unable to march. There were eight hundred and fifty-nine Indians enrolled under the leadership of Chief Menominee. Their principal village was situated on Twin Lake, about seven miles southwest of Plymouth, in Marshall county, where the entire tribe assembled and bid farewell to their old homes. The village con- sisted of one hundred and twenty wigwams and cabins ; also a chapel in which many of them were converted to Christianity by Father Petit, a missionary in Indiana at that time. Many afiecting scenes occurred as these red men of the forest for the last time viewed their cabin homes and the graves of their loved ones who slept in a graveyard near their little log chapel. "On September 4, 1838, they began their sad and solemn march to the West. Their line of march was south on the ^lichigan road to Logansport, where they encamped just south of Honey creek on the east side of Michigan avenue, on the night of the 7th of Septem- ber, 1838; and that night two of the Indians died and were buried just north of Honey creek where the Vandalia Railroad crosses the stream and on the east side of Michigan avenue ; and their bones lie there to this day. "General Tipton conducted these Indians along the Wabash river through Lafayette and on to Danville, Illinois, where he turned them over to Judge William Polke, who took them to their reservation west of the Missouri river. Many of the whites had a great sym- pathy for this band of Indians and thought they were wrongfully treated in their forcible removal, although, by their chiefs, they had agreed to move West. "A few of the Pottawattamies moved to northern ^Michigan and JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 33 some remnants of this once powerful tribe lived there to recent times. Among their number was Simon Pokagon, who died January 27, 1899. Just prior to his death he wrote an article for an eastern maga- zine in which he said : 'As to the future of our race, it seems to me almost certain to lose its identity by amalgamation with the domi- nant race.' When Pokagon was asked if he thought that the white man and the Indian were originally one blood, he said: T do not know, but from the present outlook they will be.' "There were bands of Pottawattamie and Miami Indians in Cass and adjoining counties that moved to the West at different times; sometimes they went voluntarily; at other times, they were escorted. The last of the Miamis were conducted to their reserva- tion west of the Mississippi by Alex. Coquillard in 1847, and again in 1851." By the fall of 1838 there were few Pottawattamies left in their old encampments anywhere along the Tippecanoe. Another eye- witness to their greatest march toward the setting sun, that of Sep- tember in the year named, and toward which the Pottawattamies of the northwestern corner of the state contributed a considerable contingent, thus describes the enforced migration : "The regular migration of the Pottawattamies took place under Colonel Abel C. Pepper and General Tipton in the summer of 1838. Hearing that this strange emigration, which consisted of about one thousand of all ages and sexes, would pass within eight or ten miles of Lafayette, a few of us procured horses and rode over to see the retiring band as they reluctantly wended their way toward the setting sun. It was a mournful spectacle to witness these children of the forest slowly retiring from the homes of their childhood. As they cast sad glances backward toward the loved scenes that were fading in the distance, tears fell from the cheeks of the downcast warriors, old men trembled, matrons wept, the swarthy maiden's cheek turned pale, and sighs and half-suppressed sobs escaped from the motley groups as they passed along, some on foot, some on horseback and others in wagons — sad as a funeral procession. I saw several of the aged warriors casting glances toward the sky, as if they were im- ploring aid from the spirits of their departed heroes who were look- ing down upon them from the clouds, or from the Great Spirit who would ultimately redress the wrongs of the red man, whose broken bow had fallen from his hand and whose sad heart was bleeding within him. "Ever and anon one of the party would start out into the brush and break back to his old encampments on the Tippecanoe, declaring 34 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES he would rather die than be banished from his country. Thus scores ot discontented emigrants returned trom diiierent points on tlieir journey, and it was several years before they could be induced to join their countrymen west of the Mississippi." Pottawattamie \Tllages in Jasper County Although the tribes which made their homes in Jasper County exhibited no indication of having imbibed the religion of the Catho- lic priests, they were not less friendly to the early whites that found their way thither on trading and hunting expeditions, and even when the whites came to take possession of the land after the Logansport treaty. The Iroquois River has sustained its reputation as one of the best stocked rivers in the state, from the earliest knowledge of the whites to the present time. Long before any settlements were made rumors of its profusion of fine edible fish came to the frontiers through the Pottawattamies, to whom it was a favorite place of resort each fall and spring. Bass, bream, pike, salmon, mullet, suck- ers and other varieties were found in abundance. The Rapids of the Rockwise. as the Iroquois was early called, was a favorite resort of the Pottawattamie Indians in Jasper County, and every spring and fall during their stay in the state found large numbers of them gathered there to fish and hunt. The river swarmed with the largest fish, the prairie supplied innumerable deer and grouse, and the Kankakee aliforded some of the best trapping grounds in Indiana. Two or three tribes of the nation made their homes in Jasper County, whose principal villages were located near the line of sections 17 and 20, Newton Township, and just east of the Phegley farm. Their principal chiefs were Job, whose following numbered about 300 men; Jim, with a tribe of about no, and Wa- pakoneta, with a smaller band. Their corn fields were scattered all over the county. What was known as the Indian garden, on the Kankakee River in Wheatfield Township, was one of the largest of their com fields. Others were located a few miles west of the county seat on the site of the Benjamin farm; on the Mallatt place, further west, and on the site of Rensselaer. The corn is described as quite diflferent from that now in cultivation. It was of a blue and vvhite color, somewhat similar to our sweet com in texture, and never acquired that flinty hardness which is characteristic of the grain now in general cultivation. The sites chosen for corn fields were stich as could be the easiest JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 35 tilled with the rude implements at command, and where the rank prairie grass could be best held in control. The squaws performed the labor with the sanghoe, chopping off the sod and piling it up at one side. On the spot thus cleared the corn was planted and left to grow as it might. On the following year the spot on which the sod had been piled was found bare of grass, and there another hill was planted ; thus, in the second year, double the number of hills were planted. The ground thus brought under cultivation was worked each successive year, the corn being planted each time in the same spot, and the earth successively hoed up to the same spot formed little mounds to mark the site of each hill of corn. The stalk grew about 4^ to 5 feet high, from which the corn was stripped in the fall and hung up by the husks in the rude sheds provided for the purpose. Cured fish was an important part of the Indians' winter supplies. On what was afterward the Rhodes farm, about three-quarters of a mile southeast of Rensselaer, they had their pits for that purpose. These were rectangular, about 2 by 4 feet, sunk about three feet into the ground. They were filled with wood, which was ignited, and when it was reduced to a body of live coals short sticks were placed upon them, on which the fish were laid as drawn from the water. When sufficiently cooked the fish were taken from the fire, the skin removed and the flesh stripped from the bones. The shredded fish was then placed on pieces of sheet iron and again placed over the coals, the meat being turned, from time to time, and rubbed between the palms of the hands until the whole was reduced to rather fine powder. When the fire was exhausted, the fish powder was removed, packed closely in deer skin sewed up to receive it, and laid aside for the winter. A few handfuls of this powdered fish with pounded corn made a very acceptable dish. 1308665 No Evidences of Permanent Prehistoric Settlements The region of the Kankakee was wisely avoided by the Indians in their choice of sites for their villages, as they appeared to have had considerable regard for sanitary requirements. The same ap- plies to the location of habitations by their prehistoric forefathers. Even along the stretches of the Iroquois River there are few traces of more than temporary occupancy by the aborigines. A mound on the east side of that stream about four miles northeast of the county seat was the only relic of the Mound Builders to be found in Jasper County. It was nearly 10 feet high and about 40 feet in diameter, 36 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES and contained ashes, bones and shells. Spear and arrow heads of an unusual form and specimens of chert, seen naturally only in Tennessee, have been discovered at that locality. Vestiges of old com fields and trails have also been found, but not in such num- ber as to confute the conclusion that the region was never in the path of racial settlement, travel or migration. CHAPTER III PREPARATIONS FOR WHITE IMMIGRATION The American Survey System — Survey of Indiana Public Lands — When Statehood Came — Creation of the Counties — Conditions Unfavorable to Settlement — William Dona- hue, First Settler — The Yeoman and the Nowels Family —Charles G. Wright — Thomas Randle and George Gulp — The Blue Grass Settlement — The Benjamins — Settlers of 1832-45. Fifty years before the Indian titles to the lands in Jasper and Newton counties had been extinguished and the first white settlers commenced to arrive, the General Government had adopted its system of surveys, so that the potential land owner should be able to have his property plainly staked out in metes and bounds and recorded in the public archives, as his sole possession. The American Survey System For several years before the passage of the Ordinance of 1787 creating the territory northwest of the Ohio River, Congress was discussing the best methods of dividing the lands of the national domain. On May 18, 1784, an act was finally introduced to divide them into townships, each ten miles square ; in April of the follow- ing year another measure was brought before Congress proposing that each township should be seven miles square, and on the 20th of the following month that act was amended, making the congressional township six miles square, as at present. After the appointment of surveyors and geographers, the south line of the State of Pennsylvania extended west was fixed as the base line. The north and south meridian was also established. The sur- veyors were ordered to note "the variations of the magnetic needle at the time the lines were run," and when seven ranges, or forty-two miles had been surveyed, one-seventh of the same was to be set apart "for th^ use of the late Continental army." Then the section num- 37 38 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES bered i6 in each congressional district was set apart for the use of the public schools, the proceeds derived from the sale of the lands therein forming the basis ever thereafter of the American common school fund. Of course the title to all the lands within the counties of the state is derived from the United States Government, but at various times the Federal Government has granted to the State of Indiana over 3,500,000 acres, of which some 1,250,000 acres comprised the swamp lands. The swamp lands and those conveyed by the United States direct to the purchaser and known as Government land, in- cluded nearly all the area of Jasper and Newton counties. The former were the source of the greatest public scandals which have ever oyertaken the counties. More specifically, the congressional ordinance of May 20, 1785, stated that: "The first line running north and south as aforesaid, shall begin on the river Ohio, at a point which shall be found to be due north from the western terminus of a line which has been run as the southern boundary of the state of Pennsylvania; and the first line running east and west shall begin at the same point, and shall extend through the whole territory ; provided that nothing herein shall be construed as fixing the western boundary of the state of Pennsylvania. The geographer shall designate the townships, or fractional townships, by numbers, progressively, from south to north — always beginning each range with No. i ; and the ranges shall be distinguished by their progressive numbers to the westward, the first range extending from the Ohio to Lake Erie being marked No. I. The geographer shall personally attend to the ranning of the first east and west line and shall take the latitude of the extremes of the first north and south line and of the mouths of the principal rivers. "The lines shall be measured with a chain ; shall be plainly marked by chaps on the trees and exactly described on a plat ; whereon shall be noted by the surveyor at their proper distances, all mines, salt springs, salt licks and mill seats that shall come to his knoweldge, and all water courses, mountains and other remarkable and per- manent things over or near which such lines shall pass, and also the quality of the lands. "The plats of the townships, respectively, shall be marked by subdivisions into lots one mile square, or six hundred and forty acres, in the same direction as the external lines, and numbered from one to thirty-six — always beginning the succeeding range of the lot with the number next to that with which the preceding one concluded. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 39 And where, from the causes before mentioned, only a fractional part of a township shall be surveyed, the lots protracted thereon shall bear the same number as if the township had been entire. And the surveyors in running the external lines of the township shall, at the intervals of every mile, mark corners for the lots which are adjacent, always designating the same in a different manner from those of the township." Survey of Indiana Public Lands The "first principal meridian"' is a line running due north from the mouth of the Miami, and is, in fact, the east hne of the State of Indiana. The "second principal meridian" is a line running due north from the mouth of Little Blue River, eighty-nine miles west of the former. The only base line running through this state crosses it from east to west in latitude 38° 30', leaving the Ohio twenty-five miles above Louisville, and striking the Wabash four miles above the mouth of the White River. From this base line the Congres- sional townships of six miles square are numbered north and south, and from the second principal meridian all the ranges of townships are numbered east and west except the counties of Switzerland, Dearborn, and parts of Franklin, Union, Wayne and Randolph. This part of the state was surveyed in townships from a base line of fifteen miles north of the former, and in ranges west of the first principal meridian. The "Clark Grant" in Clark County and the old French lands in Knox County are also exceptions to the regularity of the general survey of the state. Townships are subdivided into thirty-six equal parts, or thirty-six square miles, containing 640 acres each, called sections. These sections are subdivided into halves, of 320 acres, and quarters, of 160 acres each, which last are again subdivided into halves, of eighty acres, and quarters, of forty acres each. "Fractions" are parts of sections intersected by streams, or confirmed claims or reservations, and are of various sizes. The sections of a township are designated by numbers, beginning with the northeast corner and following in regular order to the west side, the second tier of sections beginning on the west side of the town- ship and proceeding east. That portion of the state in the southeast corner, which was included in the Ohio survey, was disposed of at the Cincinnati land office. The rest of the public lands in Indiana were principally disposed of at offices established at Jeffersonville, Vincennes, Crawfordsville, Indianapolis, Fort W^ayne and Winamac. 40 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Conditions Unfavorable to Settlement Until the treaty of 1832, Jasper County was not open to white settlers, nor was there any considerable migration toward that locality. The incoming tide had risen principally from the East and South and flooded the southern parts of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois through the Valley of the Ohio and its tributaries. These sections afforded abundant opportunities for the selection of choice farms, even beyond the demand, and they lay within the radius of the natural source of supplies and the most complete lines of communi- cation of that period. Northwestern Indiana, below the Kankakee, was some distance from either. The character of the country also operated to discourage immigration, it being generally described as alternate swamps, sterile sand ridges and flat, wet prairies. Its name as a game center, however, induced the more adventuresome to seek out the region in quest of sport and profit, and the realization of both and the gleaning of the tnith, through the striking of a happy medium, eventually brought the first permanent settlers. William Donahue, First Settler The first in that class within the limits of Jasper County was William Donahue. Drawn by the good trapping and the trade pros- pects with the Indians, he located in what is now Gillam Township, as early as 1832. There he remained a number of years, improved a good farm and died, his descendants gradually leaving the local- ity. He was a justice of the peace before Jasper County was organized. The Yeoman and Nowels Families In the fall of 1834 Joseph Yeoman and John and David Nowels settled at the Falls of the Iroquois. Mr. Yeoman was a son-in-law of John Nowels, who had moved from Ohio to Fountain County, Indiana. While residing there Mr. Yeoman proposed to move into the new country opened by the recent Indian treaties. With John Nowels, the son David, and his own wife, Sarah, Mr. Yeoman therefore located in Illinois, on the Iroquois River, near the Indiana line at a place known as Bunkum. While living there the families learned of the Falls of the Iroquois, the locality so noted for its fine fishing and hunting, and in 1834 the men started for their new Indiana home. Attaching a yoke of oxen to the forward wheels of JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 41 a wagon and fixing a cart to carry what they would need while gone, the party followed the course of the river to the falls. There, much pleased with the prospect, Yeoman left the Nowels family, father and son, and returned to Bunkum to arrange matters for the removal of the household to the new site. This done, David Nowels returned to Bunkum with the oxen, and both families were settled at the Falls of the Iroquois by the fall of 1835. There were no neighbors to assist at the "raising" of their cabin, which was accomplished by the three men, Mrs. Yeoman and the oxen. It was here, on the old Yeoman homestead, that Daniel H. Yeo- man was born to Joseph Yeoman and his wife, Sarah, in the year 1841. Captain Yeoman, now a Civil war veteran and with James T. Randle the oldest continuous settler of the county, is the infant of seventy-five years ago and the owner of the homestead established in 1834 at the Falls of the Iroquois. Charles G. Wright The first addition to the settlement at the falls was in the per- son of Charles G. Wright, who became a resident of Indiana Terri- tory in 1807 and, after several changes of location, found himself living in White County. Soon after the founding of the Yeoman- Nowels settlement, he came to the locality as an Indian trader and built a hewn-log cabin on the subsequent site of the Baptist Church. Thomas Randle and George Culp Late in the year 1834 Thomas Randle and George Culp, recently from Virginia, started for the New Purchase, which had just been surveyed, and on their way thither met Mr. Morris returning from his work of laying out the ceded territory. He suggested a fine location, directing them to ascend the Monon River to a certain point, thence to strike over the prairie until they reached a grove of trees which "appeared to hang down." They had no trouble in fol- lowing these directions and, proceeding northward, made a selection' of land at the forks of the Pinkamink and Iroquois rivers, but not until they had examined the famed falls. In the following May they returned with their families and formed the settlement of the Forks. In 1835 it was reinforced by the arrival of Royal Hazelton, John G. Parkinson and Henry Barkley, Jr., with the heads of other families. Thomas Randle died in December, 1870, and his son, James T. Randle, who has lived at Rensselaer since 1883, is the oldest Hving 42 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES resident of the county and is the direct descendant of one of the first two settlers of Barkley Township. He has been prominent in livestock matters, being one of the pioneers in the raising of blooded stock. The Blue Grass Settlement The settlement near the site of the old Indian village in Newton Township, afterward known as Blue Grass, was also an early center. ^^^illiam Mallatt and his family were among the first to reach that locality. He came to the Falls of the Iroquois about 1835 ^"^ made a claim on the southwest side of the river, near Yeoman's house, but that improvement being floated by W. M. Kenton he moved to Blue Grass, where he resided until his death in 1859. The Benjamins Mrs. Jared Benjamin, two sons and a daughter, settled about the time that the Mallatts located, having purchased a claim of her brother, Gilbert Yeoman, who had previously bought of John Nowels. Erastus Smith and Alta Yeoman also settled in the neighborhood. Settlers of 1832-45 David Phegley, who made a claim near the springs east of Rens- selaer, and John Jordan, who migrated from Tipton County about 1836 and located in Carpenter's Grove, were also among the pioneers of Jasper County. Perhaps the most complete list of pioneers is that published by the Old Settlers' Society, which must be considered in connection with names already mentioned. 1832 — Aaron Lyons. 1834 — Daniel Nowels. 1835 — Jackson Phegley, Mrs. Malinda Spitler, J. T. Randle. 1836 — Samuel Sparling, Mrs. Samuel Sparling, Henry A. Sparl- ing, Marion L. Spitler. 1837 — William K. Parkinson, Addison Parkinson, Joseph V. Parkinson. 1838 — George H. Brown, Jared Benjamin. Joseph ^^'. Sparkling, Joseph Williams, ^Irs. David Nowels, Airs. W. K. Parkinson, Mrs. William Shaw, Miss Belle Barkley. 1839 — Samuel E. Yeoman, Stewart C. Hammond, Mrs. W^illiam Burns, Mrs. H. C. Thornton, Mrs. Joseph Sparkling. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 43 1840 — Nathaniel Wyatt, D. M. Price, W. J. Wright, Sidney Stew- art, Thomas R. Parker, Mrs. William Cockrill, Mrs. Benjamin Welsh. 1841 — Lemuel Hankie, Rial Benjamin, William Noland, Mrs. G. H. Brown. 1842 — Alexander Rowen, Samuel McCullough, Samuel Long, Joseph C. Henkle, John A. Henkle, John W. Duvall, Jabez Wright. 1843 — Andrew Farris, Henry Sayler, H. C. Thornton, C. C. Thornton. 1844 — Joseph Yeoman, James Yeoman, Wesley Downing, Madi- son Makeever, Ira W. Yeoman, Clement Timmons. 1845 — George Kesler, Lemuel Shortridge, Abram Freeland, John Daugherty, Daniel Daugherty, Lewis L. Daugherty, William H. Daugherty, Simon Phillips, L. W. Sayers. CHAPTER IV COUNTY AND TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION Erection of the Twin Counties — Named after Comrade Pa- triots— Jasper County of 1835 — County Seat Moved to Spitler's Cabin — Jasper and Newton Counties Consoli- dated— County Seat, the Falls of the Iroquois — Formation of Townships — The Spitler Courthouse — The Early Rens- selaer Courthouses — The Brick Courthouse of 1856 — Courthouse Burned — The Courthouse of 1898 — County Jails — County Officials. By glancing over the foregoing names, representing the leading pioneers of Jasper County who settled during the first decade of its social life, it will be seen that by 1835 there could not have been a very large colony of them. But the politicians were abroad even in that sparsely settled land, and the Legislature of 1834-35 formed out of the unorganized area of the Northwest Territory, the counties of Jasper, Newton, Pulaski, Starke, Marshall, Fulton, Adams, Wells, Whitney, DeKalb, Noble, Kosciusko, Steuben and Jay. Erection of the Twin Counties Those sections which have a bearing on this history are as fol- lows: "Section 12 — That all the territory within the following boundaries shall constitute a county by the name of Jasper: Begin- ning at the southeast comer of Section 33, Township 24, Range 6 west, thence west to the line of the state of Illinois, thence north with the state line thirty miles, thence east with the line dividing Townships 28 and 29 north, to the northeast corner of Section 4^ Township 28 north. Range 6 west, thence south with the section line thirty miles to the place of beginning. "Section 13 — That all territory within the following boundary shall constitute a county to be known by the name of Newton: Be- ginning at the southeast corner of Township 29 north. Range 5 west, thence west to the state line, thence north with the state line 44 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 45 thirty miles, thence east with the line dividing Townships 33 and 34 north, to the northeast corner of Township 2^, Range 5 west, thence south with the range thirty miles to the place of beginning." Named after Comrade Patriots The names of the twin counties, Jasper and Newton, originated with two of the Revolutionary heroes attached to Marion's historic band of South Carolina — Sergeants Jasper and Newton. They were inseparable comrades in arms and adventures. Marion, it will be remembered, commanded the American troops at Fort Moultrie when it was attacked by the British fleet. One of the English gun- ners, true to his racial traditions for good marksmanship, cut the flagstaff in two, which carried the American colors on the battle- ment of the fort, and Sergeant Jasper, also true to American tra- ditions, nailed them back again amid a storm of shot and shell. The British fleet afterward withdrew. It was considered that Jasper would make an appropriate godfather for the new county, and that his friend, Sergeant Newton, should honor the other. About the time the counties were created, a book had been pub- lished and freely circulated among the reading public of Indiana entitled "The Story of Marion's Men." The two sergeants were among its most interesting heroes and were greatly admired by the state legislators. One of the stories told of them is this: "Like many families of that time, Jasper's was divided on the great question. His elder brother took the side of the English, and served in their army. Out of affection to his brother, and a wish to examine into the strength and condition of the enemy, he resolved, with another patriot soldier. Sergeant Newton, to pay the British a visit. His brother's position enabled him to receive his two friends without any suspicion of their being spies, and they were entertained for two or three days with great hospitality. "While they were thus engaged, a small party of Americans were brought in prisoners, and, as they had deserted from the Brit- ish, and enlisted in the American ranks, their doom would have been death. This the brother of Jasper assured him was to be their fate. With them were the wife and child of one of the prisoners. Her distress at her husband's approaching fate touched the heart of Jasper. Confiding his purpose to his friend Newton, they bade adieu to Jasper's brother, and took their leave. They had no sooner got out of sight of the camp than they made a detour, and stretched 46 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES across the country, so as to elude all suspicion should they meet with any British soldiers. "It \yas the custom of the English to send all the prisoners taken in that quarter to Savannah for trial. At a little spring, two miles from Savannah, Jasper and Newton secreted themselves, awaiting the arrival of the British escort with their prisoners. It had occurred to Jasper that, as they must pass this spot, it was very probable they might rest here for a short time to refresh themselves, and the woody nature of the spot would favor a rescue. "After some hours' anxious suspense, they saw the escort, with Old-Time Sawmill their prisoners, approach ; the guard was ten in number, and armed. The Corporal with four men conducted their captives to the water, and told them to rest themselves for an hour, at the same time giving them provisions. The guard then stacked their arms, and seated themselves. The prisoners threw themselves upon the earth in hopeless despair. Near to the wretched man sat his wife and child. Two of the guards alone kept their arms as sentries. As the rest of the men were filling their canteens with water, Jasper and Newton came stealthily from their ambush, seized two of the muskets that were stacked, shot the two sentries, and rushing upon the others, stunned them with the butt of their weapons. Deprived of their weapons the others abandoned the conflict and fled." JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES il Jasper County of 1835 The boundary descriptions already given indicate that the Jasper County of 1835 included all of Benton County as we now know it, all of the present Carpenter and Jordan townships, and Marion and Newton south of the line dividing townships 28 and 29 north (Jasper County), as well as Grant, Iroquois, Jefferson and Washington townships, in the Newton County of today. In 1836 all territory north of the Kankakee River was cut away in the creation of Porter County. Two years later Jasper County, which had been attached to White for political and civil purposes, was organized as an inde- pendent body, the "attachments'' of Newton being divided between Jasper and White. County Seat Moved to Spitler's Cabin The county seat was fixed at Pine Township and the first board of commissioners, elected in 1837, met at the house of Robert Alex- ander of Parish Grove, in January, 1838. Its members were Amos White, Joseph Smith and Frederick Kenoyer, and at their first session it was ordered that "the Circuit Court, Probate Court and Commissioners Court be held hereafter at the house of George W. Spitler, provided a Majority of Pine township be in favor of it, which is to be known by Amos White taking a petition through said Pine township and getting every voter to sign a petition for or against removal." Sixteen signed in favor and eight against said removal. The explanation for this transfer of the county seat to a smaller settlement in the northern edge of the territory to be accommodated is that George W. Spitler, who had been elected clerk, refused to act unless the place of business was brought nearer to his residence. The commissioners made the desired concession, and in March, 1839, met at Mr. Spitler's house, about half a mile south of Lyon's mill, in the present Iroquois Township, Newton County. Jasper and Newton Counties Consolid.ated In the meantime, the legislative act had been passed which pro- vided for the consolidation of the counties of Jasper and Newton. It read as follows : "Section i — Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Indiana that George A. Spencer and Jacob Moyers, of White, and Solomon Hatfield, of Fountain, and Samuel H. Garrison, of Warren, and William Simms, of Tippecanoe counties, be and the same are hereby appointed commissioners agreeably to 'An act fixing 48 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES the seat of justice in all new counties hereafter laid ofif.' The com- missioners aforesaid shall meet at the house of Robert Alexander, of Jasper county, on the first Monday of June next and immediately proceed to discharge the duties hereafter assigned to them. "Section 2 — And it shall be the duty of the sheriif of Jasper county, either in person or writing, to inform said commissioners of their appointment on or before the first Monday of May next, and for such services shall be entitled to such compensation as the law requires. "Section 3 — It shall be the duty of the commissioners, in addition to the duties assigned them by the act to which this has reference, to examine the counties of Jasper and Newton with a view of their being consolidated and, if after examination, the commissioners are satisfied that the interests of the two counties would be promoted by the union of the same, they are hereby authorized to fix the seat of justice in said enlarged territory, taking into view the peculiar situa- tion of said territory in regard to prairie, timber, water-privileges and the known wishes of the citizens of dififerent parts of Jasper county attached to other counties ; and the seat of justice, if con- solidated, shall be called Newton. "Section 4 — If, after examination, the commissioners shall be of opinion that either county would be injured by the consolidation, they shall proceed to fix the county seat, as provided by law, in Jasper county, agreeable to its present boundaries. "Section 5 — If, after examination, they shall be of opinion that the interests of the two counties would be promoted by the union of the same, from henceforth the territory known by the name of Jasper and Newton counties, shall be known as Jasper county. This act to be in force from and after its passage. "Approved January 29, 1839." County Se.\t, the F.\lls of the Iroquois The commissioners thus appointed found the plan of consolidation advisable, and accordingly located the county seat at the Falls of the Iroquois River, with the name of Newton, thus striking the county of that name, for the time being, from the map of the state. In 1840 the County of Benton was formed, taking its territory from Jasper, the latter receiving, by way of compensation, thirty sections adjoin- ing the southeast angle and now principally contained in Milroy Township. In 1859, however, Newton County was revived, though shorn of much of its early area, leaving Jasper in its present form. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 49 Formation of Townships On the 26th of September, 1835, under order of the commissioners of White County, the first election within the present hmits of Jasper County was held at the house of William Donahue. Justices of the peace for the recently erected Marion Township were to be chosen, and as Thomas Randle and John L. Stump each received three votes for the office another election was called for the following May. The original six voters were Thomas Randle, John L. Stump, David Phegley, George Culp, George Phillips and William Donahue, and at the May election were added to the list, Herbert Owens, Harry Owens, Eli Haskins, John Nowels, John Price, Alexander Crockett, J. D. Yeoman and Silas Phillips. At the second election Thomas Randle was chosen justice of the peace and Alexander Crockett, con- stable, of Marion Township. In the summer of 1836 the commis- sioners designated the house of John Price as a more convenient place for holding elections than the Donahue cabin, and in September, 1837, ordered that "all of the territory attached to Porter county that is called Newton county shall constitute a township to be known by the name of Marion," and that an election should be held at Mr. Price's house for a justice of the peace thereof. At the October election William Donahue was elected to that office. On the organization of Jasper County in 1838, the old County of Newton was reattached to White County, and on the 3d of September of that year the territory which had been named Marion Township by the White County authorities and subsequently confirmed in the same title by the Porter County officials, was divided by the former authorities under whose jurisdiction it had again been placed. Their action of the date named created the Township of Barkley, in honor of Henry Barkley, Sr., from the territory of Newton County lying in the forks of the Pinkamink and "east from the bridge across the east branch of that creek and by a line due east from that bridge, and all on the north of that line." This territory was subsequently attached to Jasper County as originally formed, and the commis- sioners of the latter county, at their March meeting in 1839, divided it into Newton and Pinkamink townships, the latter containing all territory south and east of the Iroquois River. The voting precincts were established at the houses of Joseph D. Yeoman and William Donahue, and an election ordered for the April following. The destruction of the early records in the courthouse fire of 1864 throws doubt on the various changes in township organization during the decade 1839-49, commencing with the consolidation of Jasper and JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 51 Newton counties in the former year. In 1849, however, as the pre- served records show, the present territory of Jasper County was covered by the townships of Jordan, Marion, Newton, Barkley and Gillam. Jordan and Marion occupied the area south of the Iroquois River, the latter including the village of Rensselaer and a little ad- joining territory. The remainder of the county embraced the other three townships, each of which had the Kankakee River as its northern boundary. In March, 1851, Walker Township was organized with the follow- ing boundaries : Commencing at the bridge over Copperas Creek ; thence east to Moses Davidson's mill dam; thence to the mouth of Stump's slough; thence to the east line of the county and along said line to the Kankakee River; thence westerly along the river to a line of Beaver Township (now Newton County), and thence to place of beginning. This was probably intended to include all the present territory of Jasper north of Copperas Creek. In 1853 there was a general revision of township lines, and the boundaries of Walker were changed so as to include nearly one-half of the area of the present county. The lines of Gillam Township were arranged as now found on the map, except that the northwest corner was square. Hanging Grove Township was also erected substantially as at present. Barkley, Marion, Newton and Jordan were included in the balance of the territory not occupied by Walker. In the March session of 1856 the commissioners erected the Township of Kankakee, which included the present townships of Kankakee and Wheatfield. The latter, as it now stands, was created in June, 1858. Keener Township was erected in March, 1858, out of townships 31 and 32, range 7, "and so much of Township 30, of that range, as lies north of Newton." In March, 1862, Carpenter Township was carved out of Jordan; Milroy was erected in December, 1867, ^"d Union, the last of the townships, was created in December, 1868. In June, 1871, Union Township was restricted to its present limits. The minor changes in the township boundaries have not been men- tioned. The Spitler Courthouse When it was decided to move the county seat to the Brook Settlement, George W. Spitler, who was the first clerk and also dis- charged the clerical duties of all the offices save those of sheriff and treasurer, erected a log building about sixteen feet square for the 52 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES uses of the commissioners and the Circuit Court, at his place of residence. This served as a courthouse and a boarding house until the seat of justice was moved to the Falls or Rapids of the Iroquois in 1839. The Early Rensselaer Courthouse In the year named, Rensselaer was laid out as the town of New- ton and, in addition to the public square, the proprietor donated four blocks for the erection of public buildings. The first courthouse at the new county seat was a small structure erected on Cornelia Street between Front and Van Rensselaer. In 1845 James Van Rensselaer, the proprietor, also erected a courthouse at his own expense — a two- story frame building, 31 by 36 feet, on the lot nearly east of the square on Cullen Street. The court room was below and the county offices above, although, as a rule, the officials preferred to transact their light duties in their own residences which, especially in cold weather, were more comfortable than the quarters provided by the county. The Brick Courthouse of 1856 The Van Rensselaer building served as the official courthouse until 1856, when a brick structure was completed on the public square. It was a $10,000 building, 70 by 40 feet, with court room above and six offices below. The foundation of the courthouse was completed in 1853. and Benjamin Hinkle spent from May, 1854, to September, 1856, in completing the superstructure. Courthouse Burned The original specifications called for vaults for the county records, but they were subsequently modified to the great eventual loss of the pubHc and the detriment of historical research and accuracy. In 1864, late at night, fire broke out in the courthouse, and before it could be stayed many of the most valuable early records and papers had been destroyed. The vaults were of such inferior quality and construction as to be virtually of no protection. The whole interior and roof of the courthouse were burned. The fire is supposed to have been the work of an incendiary — a county official who was in- terested in the destruction of certain documentary evidence which might be used against him. J. A. Silver was the contractor for the repairs, to which was added the construction of sufficient vaults for the preservation of valuable papers and records. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 53 The Courthouse of 1898 Under Mr. Silver the re-built brick courthouse was completed in 1865 and served the people of the county for twenty-one years. It was razed in 1896 to make room for the massive and ornate structure of stone completed two years afterward. The original contract for the building was about $84,000; cost of furniture, $27,000; cement walks, coping, etc., $12,000; a separate heating plant, 200 feet from the building connected by a tunnel, $7,000 ; and various other items, such as plate glass windows, vault doors, shutters, and interior The Courthouse of 1865 decorations, brought the total cost of the courthouse and the ground improvements to $156,000. It is three stories in height, with a central clock tower of impressive and graceful architecture. The interior furnishings, and the lighting, heating and ventilating ar- rangements of the court rooms and county offices are in keeping with the exterior impressions. When work was commenced on the courthouse in 1896, the mem- bers of the board of commissioners were Benjamin R. Faris (presi- dent), John C. Martindale and Dexter R. Jones. A. Halleck suc- ceeded Mr. Faris as commissioner from the first district in November of that year, was elected president of the board soon afterward, and continued in that capacity until after the courthouse was completed. Frederick R. Waymire succeeded Mr. Jones as commissioner in November, 1897, and also continued as such until after the building 54 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES was finished. The architect's contract was first awarded to Alfred Grindle, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, who afterward associated himself with Charles R. Weatherhogg, who became the active member in charge of the work. Before its completion, Mr. Grindle dropped out, and Air. Weatherhogg completed the architectural part of the work. The general contractors were Heinzman Brothers of Noblesville, and the subcontractors, the Wabash Bridge and Iron Works (steel con- struction), Shellhouse & Company, of Indianapolis (plate glass), M. E. Humphreys & Company, of that city (roof construction), Henry Taylor Lumber Company, Lafayette (interior wood work and finish), and William G. Andrews, Clinton, Iowa (painting and dec- orating). It might be added, as bearing upon the ways and means provided for the construction of the courthouse, that the 43^ per cent bonds, which were issued by the county to raise money for its con- struction, were purchased by the Trowbridge-Niver Company, of Chicago. The Jasper County courthouse stands upon a solid rock foundation, the earth having been excavated down to the basic limestone, the surface of which was found to have the appearance of having been planed oft' and to have other marks of prehistoric glacial scourings. County Jails The first jail was built in 1847. George W. Spitler contracted to erect it, but the actual work was done by Willis J. Wright, a carpenter. It was built of hewn logs 12 inches square, about 20 by 26 feet in size, and comprised two rooms; one being the jail proper which was built of double timbers, with a small window guarded by strong iron bars. For this building Spitler received four blocks of the village plat, containing forty-eight lots which had been donated for public buildings. The jail of 1847 served its purpose until 1856. when it was torn down, after which, until 1883, the county obtained accommodations for its prisoners at Lafayette. Monticello and Fowler. At the De- cember session of the commissioners in 1881, the county entered into a contract with P. J. Pauley & Brother, of St. Louis, to erect the present brick building on the comer of Cullen and Harrison streets. The cost of its construction was over $12,000. County Asylum and Hospital Until 1870 the paupers of the county were farmed out to the lowest bidder, but in March of that year the county purchased 240 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 55 acres and a brick building on section 2^ and established a poor farm. About two years afterward a larger and better frame building was erected for the superintendent and such of the inmates as required his immediate supervision. To provide for patients dependent upon the county who need medical or surgical treatment, a hospital of modem construction and equipment was erected in 1916 just south of the jail. It cost about $20,000. The plans and specifications were drawn by Albin W. Coen. County Officials It is impossible to give a complete roster of the officials of Jasper County, owing to the destruction of so many records in the court- house fire of 1864. It is known, however, that George W. Spitler was county clerk and clerk of the Circuit Court from 1838 to 1856; Charles M. Watson, from 1856 to i860; David I. Jackson, i860 to 1868; Marion L. Spitler, 1868 to 1876; Charles H. Price, from 1876 until 1884; James F. Irwin from that year until far into the '80s; William H. Coover, from i8go (and perhaps before) until 1898; John F. Major was elected in November of that year and served until 1902; Charles W. Warner from the latter year until 1910; Jud- son H. Perkins, from 1910 to the present time. George W. Spitler was also auditor from 1838 to 1852; Lawson Bruce, his successor, served only a few months and died in ofifice; John D. Nork, appointed to fill the vacancy, served until the next general election in 1855; Turner Knox from that time until 1859; David T. Halstead, 1859-67; Ira W. Yeoman, 1867-71; Frank W. Babcock, 1871-75; Henry Barkley, 1875-79; Ezra C. Nowels, 1879 to about 1886; George M. Robinson until 1890; Henry B. Murray for a number of years ending 1898; William C. Babcock, 1899-1902; James N. Leatherman, 1903-10; Joseph P. Hammond, 191 1 to the present (1916). County treasurers : Albert Persail, the first incumbent, was suc- ceeded by Samuel L. Sparling, who served until 1852 ; Jacob Merkle, 1852-56; Ezra Wright, 1856-60; Samuel Alter, 1860-64; Thomas Boroughs, 1864-68; Charles Piatt, 1868-70; Lemuel Henkle, 1870- 72; Lemuel C. [ones, 1872-76; Henry I. Adams, 1876-80; Moses B. Alter, 1880-86; \V. H. Hoover, 1886-88: I. B. Washburn, 1888-90; Marcus H. Hemphill, elected in 1890, and succeeded by Jesse C. Givin, in 1894; Robert A. Parkinson, elected in 1898; Samuel R. Nichols, 1902; Jesse D. Allman, 1906; Alson A. Fell, 1910; Charles V. May, the present incumbent, 1914. 56 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Among the early sheriffs were Henry Barkley, Sr., in honor of whom Barkley Township was named; William Stewart, John Phil- lips, William Henderson and Willis J. Wright, who served from the organization of the county until 1858; Sheriff Wright was succeeded by Simon Phillips, 1858-62; Daniel F. Davies, elected in 1862, who died in office; John M. Austin, coroner, serving the unexpired term; Charles Piatt, 1864-68; Allen J. Yeoman, 1868-72; Lewis L. Daugh- erty, 1872-76; George M. Robinson, 1876-80; John W. Powell, 1880-86; Samuel E. Yeoman followed Mr. Powell; Philip Blue, elected in 1888, was succeeded by Charles Hanley in 1892; Nathan J. Reed was elected in 1896 and Abraham G. Hardy, in 1900; John O'Connor, 1904; Lewis P. Shirer, 1908; William L Hoover, 1910, and Benjamin D. McColly, 1914. Among the county surveyors who served previous to 1890 were Wesley Spitler, James Ballard, Frederick Schraack, J. D. Hopkins, John Miller, R. B. James, Joseph M. Hopkins, Charles P. Mayhew, Daniel B. Miller and Lewis S. Alter. James C. Thrawls was elected surveyor in November, 1884, and was succeeded by John E. Alter in 1892, who served until 1898, when Myrt B. Price was elected. W. Frank Osborne, chosen in 1908, was succeeded by Clifton J. Hobbs, in 1914, and he has since been replaced by ^Ir. Price. Among the early coroners were John M. Austin, Norman War- ner, Frank J. Sears and Philip Blue. Since 1888, with years of their election, the following have held office: Real P. Benjamin, 1888; Shelby Grant, 1892; Truitt P. Wright, 1896; Willis J. Wright, 1902; Cecil E. Johnson, 1914. Following are the prosecuting attorneys of Jasper County, with the years of their election, who have served since 1886: M. H. Walker, 1886; John T. Brown, 1890; Thurman C. Annabel, 1894; Albert E. Chizum, 1896; John D. Sink, 1900; Robert O. Graves, 1904; Fred H. Longwell, 1908; Reuben Hess, 1914. Thomas Antrim was elected recorder of the county in November, 1886 ; James F. Antrim, in 1888 ; Robert B. Porter, in 1896 ; John W. Tilton, 1904; and George W^. Scott, still in office, in 1912. The assessors since 1892 : Charles E. Mills, 1892; John R. Phillips, 1896; John O. Lewis, 1904; G. L. Thornton, 1914. CHAPTER V COURTS, JUDGES AND LAWYERS First Western American Courts — First Territorial Court — Federal vs. Territorial Jurisdiction — Judicial System un- der THE First State Constitution — Subsequent Legislation Affecting the Courts — Circuit Court, a Monopoly of Judi- cial Power — List of Circuit Judges, 1852-1916 — First Court Sessions in Jasper County — Noted Early Lawyers — Joseph A. Wright — Rufus A. Lockwood — ^.Edwin P. Hammond — Simon P. Thompson — Robert S. Dwiggins — Mordecai F. Chilcote. Until the middle period of the Revolutionary war, after General Claric had conquered the territory northwest of the Ohio for the patriot army, no earnest attempt was made by either France or Great Britain to establish civil or judicial administration over any part of the country west of the Alleghany Mountains ; and then it was too late for either mother country to do anything in that line. In other words, neither France nor Great Britain ever attempted to estab- lish other than a military rule over the Northwest. Under French rule the commandants of the posts decided most points at issue be- tween the civilians and the Indians, or which came up between the whites themselves ; when the cases seemed particularly involved or important, some of the most influential characters of the special locality which was disturbed would be called into consultation. But few cases of law suits could arise, as few of the settlements in In- diana consisted of more than fifty families; they were happy-go- lucky people who did not worry about definite titles to their lands so long as their neighbors did not object, and much of the land in the settlements was communal, each man usually cultivating only so much as would furnish him or his family with the necessities of life. When the common law of England was established over the ter- ritory no attempt was made to establish courts, as the newcomers discouraged settlement west of the mountains. Until 1777 they did 57 58 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES not think it worth their efforts to even take possession of \ incennes, the only real center of civihzation in the Northwest. First Western American Courts But when General Clark conquered the Territory of \'irginia and the Americans, and John Todd was appointed lieutenant for the County of Illinois, the authority of the courts commenced to be es- tablished. His headquarters were at Fort Chartres, but he sought also to establish a court of civil and criminal jurisdiction at Vincennes, of which the commandant of the post, Col. J. M. P. Legras, was presi- dent. A historian of those times says that "no record of an action by this court remains, except its assumption of the right to make grants of land, and it exercised that authority with royal liberality, most of the grants being made to the members of the Court.'' That was the first judicial tribunal which legally and theoretically exercised jurisdiction over what are now Indiana and Jasper County, although fifty years were to elapse before any white men came to that section of the state to look for civil or judicial protection. Under the ordinance of 1787, Samuel H. Parsons, James M. Varnum and John C. Symes were appointed judges of the Northwest Territory, who, with Governor St. Qair, were authorized to enforce such laws of the original states as might be applicable to the new territory. It appears that the judges who held their first session at Marietta exceeded their authority and tried to incorporate some original — very original — laws, which were repudiated by the Con- gress of the United States. In 1795 the governor and judges met at Cincinnati and enacted a number of laws which conformed to the authority of the organic ordinance ; the validity of the laws pro- mulgated at Marietta was questioned until 1799, when, to avoid complications, they were re-adopted, as a whole, by the Territorial Legislature. First Territori.al Court In January, 1801, William Clark, Henry \^anderburgh and John Griffin, who had been appointed the first judges of Indiana Territory, met Governor Harrison at Vincennes, the capital, for the purpose of passing a code of laws to supersede that enacted at Cincinnati for the government of the Northwest Territory. Among those passed as a part of the new code was one establishing courts of General Quarter JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 59 Sessions of the Peace in the counties of Knox, Randolph and St. Clair. The first session of the General Court was opened at ^'incennes on the 3d of March, 1801, all the judges present. The grand jury called, as will be seen by an examination of the names of its mem- bers, was largely of French extraction, consisting of Luke Defcker, Antoine Marshal, Joseph Baird, Patrick Simpson, Antoine Petit, Andr. Montplaiseur, John Ockiltree, Jonathan Marney, Jacob Teve- baugh, Alexander Vadney, Francois Turpin, Fr. Compagnoitte, Charles Languedoc, Louis Severe, Fr. Languedoc, George Catt, John St. Barios, Abraham Decker and Philip Catt. With a Court of Gen- eral Sessions and a grand jury in operation, the judiciary of Indiana may be said to have been fully established. Feder.\l vs. Territorial Jurisdiction In February, 1805, the first popular assembly of the territory met at Vincennes and split off Michigan from Indiana Territory, and four years later Illinois was carved out of it. In 1814 what is now Indiana was divided into five districts, each of which was to elect a member of the Territorial Council : this action originated in Con- gress. In the same year the General Assembly divided the territory into three judicial districts, but Judge Parke refused to act on the grounds stated in the following letter to Governor Posey: "By an act entitled 'An act reorganizing courts of justice,' passed at the late session of the Legislature, the Territory is divided into three districts, in each of which a circuit court is established — the court to consist of one of the judges appointed by the Government of the United States for the territory, as president, and three associates commissioned under the authority of the territory, and to have juris- diction in all cases at law and in equity. The first circuit, compris- ing the counties of Knox, Gibson and Warrick, is assigned to me. The Legislature is empowered to make laws in all cases for the good government of the territory not repugnant to the laws of the United States. In the delegation of power that which is not expressly given is reserved. Implications cannot be admitted further than to carry into effect the power given. The laws of the United States being paramount to the laws of the territory, if they are found in conflict, the latter must yield to the former. Congress has defined the juris- diction of the judges appointed by the General Government and made one judge, in the absence of the others, competent to hold 60 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES court. The judges are coordinate and their jurisdiction extends over the whole territory. They are judges in and over, and not a part of the territory. As the judges derive their jurisdiction and power from the Government of the United States, they cannot be controlled, in the exercise of their functions, by persons deriving their authority from the government of the territory. The judges appointed for the territory are limited, by the laws of the United States, to the exercise of a common-law jurisdiction. The act, there- fore, as it regards the organization and jurisdiction of the Circuit Court, is repugnant to the laws of the United States, and neither confers any powers, nor imposes any duty, on the judges appointed for the territory by the United States. The General Government has appointed for the territory three judges with common-law juris- diction ; but when, where or in what manner they are to hold a court, or rather exercise the jurisdiction with which they are invested, Congress has not provided. I consider it the duty of the Legislature to do it. To you, sir, it belongs to watch over the aflfairs of the territory and to see that the laws are faithfully executed and, on account of the relation in which I stand to the Territorial Govern- ment, I have thought it my duty to make this representation to you. The peculiarity of the case leaves me no other mode of stating my objections and the cause of my not conforming to the law. The Legislature has organized certain courts and assigned me to per- form certain duties ; but the law constituting the one, and directing the other, is unconstitutional, and as I can derive no authority from it, it imposes no obligation. I shall, therefore, not hold the courts for the circuit." This refusal of Judge Parke, with various appeals to the General Assembly to establish courts which should modify the one-man power of the Superior Court (one judge being competent to hold court), hastened the establishment of the Circuit Court which was alive when Jasper County was created. At the legislative session, which convened at Corydon in August, 1814, the territory was divided into three judicial districts, each of which was to be pre- sided over by a judge appointed by the governor. In selecting the presiding judges the chief executive was required to choose men "learned and experienced in the law," who were citizens of the United States and who had "regularly practiced in some of the courts of the United States, or in this territory, three years." The two associates of each county were to be residents of good standing, but not necessarily lawyers. Two judges were to constitute a quorum. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 61 Judicial System Under the First State Constitution The entire judicial system was virtually fixed and consolidated under the state constitution of 1816. Under its provisions, the judi- cial bodies were to consist of a State Supreme Court, Circuit courts, and such inferior courts as the General Assembly might establish. The highest body was to consist of three judges to be appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate, their term of office to be seven years. The Supreme Court was given jurisdiction in capital or chancery cases, where the president of the Circuit Court might be interested or prejudiced. The Circuit courts were to consist of a presiding judge and two associates. The president alone, or with one of the associates, or the two associates together, could hold court, although capital and chancery cases could not be tried in the absence of the presiding judge. The presidents of the Circuit courts were elected by the General Assembly in joint session and the associate judges were chosen by popular vote. The first state constitution also provided that the clerk of the Supreme Court was to be appointed by that body and that the clerks of the Circuit courts were to be elected by the people, but no clerk could qualify who had not obtained a certificate of competency from a judge either of the Supreme or Circuit Court. The constitution also provided for justices of the peace. Subsequent Legislation Affecting the Courts The constitution of 1851 made the supreme judgeship elective instead of appointive, and reduced the term of service from seven to six years. The choice of a clerk of the Supreme Court was also given to the people, and the associate judges of the Circuit courts were abolished. Further, the new constitution provided that no one elected to any judicial office should be eligible to any other office during the term of his service. "In creating inferior courts," says W. H. Smith, in his "History of Indiana," "the Legislature established what were known as Courts of Common Pleas. These courts were given exclusive juris- diction in probate matters and concurrent jurisdiction with the Cir- cuit courts in some other matters. This created great confusion. All the courts assumed to pass upon the constitutionality of laws enacted by the General Assembly, and the state witnessed the anomaly of having laws enforced in one county and declared uncon- 62 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES stitutional in another. When the Legislature enacted the prohibitory liquor law in 1855, some of the Circuit judges declared it constitu- tional and enforced it, while others declared it void. This lasted until the Supreme Court finally overthrew the law. The confusion grew worse after the Common Pleas Court was estabhshed, for then some counties were operating under two different laws at the same time, according as the opinions of the judges differed. This confusion could not last, and finally the General Assembly abolished the Courts of Common Pleas, and in counties where the business The Courthouse of the Present was too great to be transacted by the Circuit courts, Superior and Criminal courts have been established, with well defined juris- diction." Circuit Court, a Monopoly of Judicial Power From the consolidation of Jasper and Newton counties, and the establishment of the county seat at the Falls of the Iroquois River in 1839, to the adoption of the second state constitution in 1851, the immediate judicial affairs of that territory were under the juris- diction of the Circuit and Probate courts, with right of appeal to the State Supreme Court; in 1852 all probate matters were trans- ferred to the Common Pleas Court ; the Circuit Court continued its jurisdiction, with the abolishment of the two associate judges, and JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 63 in 1873 absorbed the Court of Common Pleas. So that, as far as Jasper County is concerned, the Circuit Court has had a monopoly of judicial power for sixty-four years. List of Circuit Judges, 1852-1916 The constitutional convention of 1851 provided that the Circuit Court should consist of one judge instead of three, and by legis- lative act of 1852 it was provided that there should be ten districts in the state. Jasper County became a part of the Eighth Judicial Circuit of Indiana, composed of Jasper, Parke, Vermilion, Mont- gomery, Boone, Fountain, Warren, Benton, Tippecanoe and Clin- ton counties. William P. Bryant was the circuit judge from 1852 to 1855. On January 21, 1853, Jasper County was attached to the Ninth Circuit, and on February 9, 1855, it was attached to the Twelfth Circuit, composed of Jasper, Benton, White and Tippecanoe counties. In 1855 John Pettit was circuit judge for a short time, and after him, David Turpie, who was formerly United States sen- ator from Indiana. From 1855-57 Andrew Ingram was the circuit judge and for a portion of the year 1857, Johri Pettit. From 1857-70 Charles E. Test was the judge; from 1870-73 David W. Vinton, who so continued service in Tippecanoe County until 1894. In 1873 the Thirtieth Judicial District was formed, composed of Jasper, Newton, Benton and Pulaski counties, and existed as such until March 5, 1875, when Pulaski County was attached and made a part of the Twenty-ninth District, with Carroll and White counties. In Feb- ruary, 1899, Benton County was dropped and made part of the Twenty-first District, with Warren and Fountain counties. Jasper and Newton counties have since composed the Thirtieth Judicial circuit. From 1873-83, E. P. Hammond was judge ; 1883-90, Peter E. Ward; William Darroch, four months in 1890, by appointment; 1890-92, E. P. Hammond; 1892-97, Ulrick C. Wiley; 1897-1902, Simon P. Thompson, and from 1902 to the present time, Charles W. Hanley. First Court Sessions in Jasper County The first session of the Circuit Court in Jasper County was held in 1839 at the residence of the county clerk, George W. Spitler, at the Brook settlement. It was attended by Isaac Naylor as judge, with Matthew Terwilliger and James T. Timmons as associates. Joseph A. Wright was the prosecuting attorney. His later career 64 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES as a member of Congress, twice governor of the state and United States minister to the German Empire at Berlin, marks him as one of the most prominent lawyers who ever resided in Jasper County. Rufus A. Lockwood, another lawyer in attendance, is chiefly remem- bered for his successful prosecution of General Fremont's claim to the Mariposa tract, for which he received a fee of $100,000, an exceptional amount for those days. The cases which appeared on the docket were : Hepsey ]\Iont- gomery, administrator, vs. Ed Boon, administrator — a civil action ; State vs. I. T. Timmons, a criminal case which strongly savored of the "practical joke" brand, as it was promptly nollied and disap- peared ; an assault and battery case against Jonathan Hunt, who was never found, and a petition for divorce made by Louisa Barr against Andrew Barr. The first session of the Circuit Court at Rensselaer was held in an old half-demolished cabin near the residence of Mr. Merkle in April, 1840. The grand jury consisted of W. Donahue, Hannaniah Hewitt, Wesley Spitler, Robert Mallatt, Lewis Elijah, William Gil- lam, William Doran, Joseph Woolsey, George Culp, Thomas Tim- mons, James Reed, James Brown. Andrew Richey, Joseph D. Yeoman and Samuel Benjamin. The fall term of the year at Rens- selaer was attended by Judge J. W. Wright, of Logansport. The Probate Court was first opened in 1839 at the courthouse in the Brook settlement, the Spitler house. David McConnell, judge, finding no business on the dpcket, adjourned court. At a subsequent session, the business consisted of granting letters of administration to Elias Clifton on the estate of John Wolf; setting ofif a dower to Mrs. Julia Lewis, widow of Benjamin Lewis, and the issuing of a marriage license to James Lacy and Matilda Blue, the ceremony being performed by John Lyons. Edwin P. Hammond Edwin P. Hammond, one of the broadest, strongest and most honored representatives of either bench or bar who ever graced the profession in Jasper County, was a native Hoosier, born in Franklin County, November 26, 1835. One of his brothers, Abram A. Ham- mond, was at one time governor of Indiana. The judge was of sub- stantial Maine stock, work upon the farm and years of out-door life adding to his natural ruggedness. Until he was nineteen his education was mainly obtained from the district schools of Brook- ville and the neighborhood, but in 1855 he entered a broader field of JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 65 experience and education by commencing business life in a wholesale drygoods house of Indianapolis. Soon afterward he assumed the study of law in the otfice of his half-brother, Hon. Abram A. Ham- mond, and Hon. Thomas H. Nelson, of Terre Haute. In the winter of 1856-57 he was admitted to the senior law class of what is now DePauw University and was graduated in the latter year. Immedi- ately afterward he located at Rensselaer. His practice was inter- rupted by his prompt enlistment for the three-months' service, at the outbreak of the Civil war. In April, 1861, he went to the front as second lieutenant of Company G, Ninth Indiana Infantry ; was after- ward commissioned first lieutenant, and served under Col. Robert H. Milroy. At the close of his military service in West Virginia, Mr. Hammond resumed his law practice at Rensselaer and in October, 1861, was elected without opposition to the lower house of the Legis- lature as a representative for the counties of Newton, Jasper and Pulaski. In August of the following year he assisted in recruiting Company A, Eighty-seventh Indiana Infantry, was commissioned its captain, and in 1863 was advanced to the ranks of major and lieutenant-colonel. When Col. Newell Gleason was placed at the head of the brigade, Mr. Hammond was advanced to the command of the Eighty-seventh and so continued in the campaigns from Chat- tanooga to Atlanta, and thence through the Carolinas to Washington. At the close of the war he was brevetted colonel "for gallant and meritorious service." Within a few years after the war Colonel Hammond had earned a high and substantial professional standing and a large practice, and in March, 1873, Governor Hendricks appointed him judge of the Thirtieth Judicial Circuit, to which office he was elected in the fall of the same year. Again, in 1878, he was elected without opposition for a term of six years. In May, 1883, Judge Hammond was ap- pointed by Governor Porter judge of the State Supreme Court from the Fifth District, succeeding William A. Woods who had become United States district judge. Judge Hammond retired from the bench of the State Supreme Court in January, 1885, with a judicial record and personal popularity which few have equaled. During the succeeding five years he practiced at Rensselaer, served again as circuit judge from iSgo to 1892, and then formed a partnership with Charles B. and William V. Stuart of Lafayette, under the firm name of Stuart Brothers & Hammond. At first the Rensselaer repre- sentative of the firm. Judge Hammond finally made his residence in Lafayette, of which he remained a citizen and a leading lawyer from 1894 until his death in 1915. In 1892 Wabash College conferred 66 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES upon him the degree Doctor of Laws, and no such honor was ever more worthily bestowed. Judge Hammond was a republican after the Civil war, but, in view of his years, had little to do with politics for a generation. He was an ardent admirer of General Grant, and in 1872 was sent as a delegate to the Republican National Convention at Philadelphia which nominated the silent commander for his sec- ond presidential term. Simon P. Thompson Simon P. Thompson also was elected to the circuit judgeship from Jasper County, having previously been an able member of the bar for thirty years. His father was a Virginian, transplanted as a boy to Ohio, and in Hancock County, of that state, was born the future judge, Simon Parr Thompson, on the 8th of jMay, 1838. The boy's schooling was all that could be expected of the frontier times in which he was reared, but, after teaching for a time, his ambition for a higher education than could be realized at home was partially satisfied by a year spent as a student at Otterbein University, Westerville, Ohio. He taught at intervals, while attending school, and it was not until 1859 that he was able to graduate at the North- western Normal School, Cincinnati. Three years later he was se- lected as the head of the school at Rensselaer, where he taught two years, and was then appointed school examiner of Jasper County. After studying law privately, he entered the law department of the Michigan State University, from which he was graduated in Jan- uary, 1866. He then formed a partnership with Robert S. Dwig- gins, which continued for three years, and subsequently associated himself with his brother, which connection was of nearly thirty years' duration. During that period the firm of Thompson & Brother was widely known in Northwestern Indiana and its senior member held the offices of prosecuting attorney, from 1872 to 1876, and state senator in 1886-90. In 1896 he was elected judge of the Thirtieth Circuit and served from 1897 to 1902. Judge Thompson has made his influence felt outside the legal field. As county school examiner he was one of the first to introduce and advocate normal methods of instruction. His enterprise has also been manifest in such public works as railroads, gravel roads, high- ways, ditches and public buildings. It was largely through his influ- ence that the milldams on the Iroquois River v^'ere removed, resulting in a great benefit to the public health. The judge has also done a good work in buying large tracts of land held by non-residents and JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 67 selling it to settlers who have improved it and thus benefitted the county. He reclaimed a large tract of swamp land in Union Town- ship by the construction of about fifteen miles of ditches, and divided it into small farms which have since gone into the hands of actual owners and been made attractive and productive. All of which marks the judge as a citizen of broad usefulness, ability and versatility. Robert S. Dwiggins There were few practitioners at the Jasper County bar of a stronger character, or greater diversity of talents than Robert S. Dwiggins. He was a leading lawyer, a prominent republican and state legislator, an earnest, moral man, and a deeply religious char- acter, being a regularly ordained minister of the Church of God, in which he stood as a national figure. He was a native of Ohio, but was only two years of age when the family moved to Grant County, Indiana, then (1836) a frontier country. The boy was educated in the common schools and at Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio, and except when he was away to school his life, until he reached his twenty-fourth year, was passed on a farm. In March, 1859, when he located at Rensselaer to study law in the office of Robert S. Milroy, the horizon of his life commenced at once to expand. In i860 Mr. Dwiggins was admitted to the bar and at once entered practice. But his progress was stayed for a time by the Civil war. The day after Lincoln's call for 75,000 men, he enlisted for three months in Captain Milroy's company of the Ninth Indiana and served through the West Virginia campaign. In 1862 he was com- missioned by Governor Morton as recruiting lieutenant and enlisted about 200 men for the Eighty-seventh Regiment. He also recruited a company for the Ninety-ninth Regiment, but on account of ill health he was unable to get the company into camp before the quota was full, and he did not again enter the service. Again he entered law practice, which he continued until 1879, when he and his brother Zimri organized the Citizens Bank of Rensselaer. Mr. Dwiggins cast his first vote for the republican party, which was organized soon after he attained his majority. In i860, soon after his admission to the bar, he was elected district prosecuting- attorney, which he resigned for service in the West Virginia cam- paign. In 1867 he became connected with the Federal service as inspector of snuff, tobacco and cigars ; was chosen presidential elector on the republican ticket in 1868, and two years later was elected to 68 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES the State Senate for the district comprising the counties of Jasper, Newton, Benton, White and Pulaski. For some years he had been an earnest opponent of the hquor traffic, and while a member of the Senate was chairman of the committee on temperance. It was largely through his efforts and the work of the committee which he headed, that the Baxter bill was passed, which was the first local-option law enacted in the State of Indiana. Although the prohibition party did not poll enough votes to bring its leaders public preferment, its mem- bers in Indiana showed their estimate of Mr. Dwiggins' services in behalf of the cause by nominating him for governor in 1884 and judge of the Supreme Court in 1886. As a figure in the Church of God, Mr. Dwiggins attained much eminence. He was widely known as a minister and exhorter and was twice president of the national conference. Mr. Dwiggins' activities were so varied, numerous, continuous and strenuous, that his physical system broke under the strain, and in 1886 he was obliged to retire from active life. His later years were spent in travel through the United States, Canada and Mexico, and in recording his impressions and deductions as a forceful, graphic and philosophical writer. MORDECAI F. ChILCOTE Mordecai F. Chilcote, the venerable lawyer of Rensselaer, has also been a leading soldier, republican and educator. By marriage he is identified with the best traditions of the bench and bar of Jasper County, his wife having been a sister of Judge E. P. Hammond. Mrs. Chilcote died in 1885. Mr. Chilcote, who is a native of Ohio, moved with the family to Eaton County, Michigan, in 1852. He was then twelve years of age and passed his boyhood and youth on the family farm and in school. From the time he was eighteen until he reached his twentieth year he was a student at Olivet (Mich.) College and then came to Jasper County to teach school. He had made little progress in that line when, in 1861, he enlisted in the Ninth Indiana Regiment for the three months' service, and re-enlisted in the Forty-eighth. Six months later he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant and soon afterward to a captaincy. He saw active service in the West Virginia cam- paigns, Department of the Tennessee, but upon his return to Rensselaer resumed his interrupted course as a teacher. At the same time Mr. Chilcote commenced the study of law in the office of Hammond & Spitler, and in April, 1868, graduated from the JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 69 law department of the University of Michigan. His practical ability was soon recognized, not only in the practice of his profession, but in public and political affairs. He obtained quite an extensive corpora- tion business and was for some years local attorney for the Monon Railway. For more than twenty years he was a member of the school board of Rensselaer and did much for the efficiency and expan- sion of the city's educational system. Since he became a voter he has been a republican and has gained prominence in the party, having served for ten years as chairman of the county central committee and (in 1892) as a delegate to the national republican convention from the Tenth Congressional District. His name therefore stands for not a few substantial and honorable things in Jasper County. CHAPTER VI LAND HIGHWAYS Indian Trails in Jasper County — The White Man's Trails and Early Roads — Bridges as Connecting Links — Thwarted At- tempts at Railroad Building — Indianapolis, Delphi & Chi- cago-Line, a Success — Rensselaer Gets Railway Connection Now IN the Monon System — The Big Four — The Three I's Railroad — The Chicago & Eastern Illinois. The highways of the land, from the Indian trail to the modern railroad, have always been laid down from the beginning of time by the bold features and provisions of nature. The trend of the courses of travel between region and region, settlement and settlement, town and city, state and state, country and country, is decided by great lakes, rugged mountain chains, broad and productive valleys, fertile plains, rank and repellant marshes, sources of food supply, means of shelter, and healthful and convenient sites for homes and communi- ties. Jasper County was rather outside of such basic influences as thus determine the courses of the great highways of travel and communication, and the paths which passed through its territory diverged into the grander highways determined by the lakes of the north and the splendid valleys of the south. Indian Trails in Jasper County When the white settlers first came into the county they found several pronounced Indian trails worn into the sod of the prairies eight or ten inches, and about eighteen inches in width. One of the best known of them led from Lake Michigan across the Kankakee near the Baum bridge, and took nearly a direct course to the Indian village in Newton Township. Another connected the village with the one in the eastern part of the county, crossed the Iroquois west of Rensselaer and recrossed it some distance east. From the latter point the trail extended to the Monon River and thence to the Wabash. Still another crossed the county through the Forks Settle- 70 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 71 ment toward La Porte. These were the principal trails in Jasper County which served as rude landways, or links, between the region around the southern shores of Lake Michigan and the valley of the Wabash, and paths between the several small Pottawattamie villages of what is now a white man's county.' A few white men also trod these Indian trails until the new landlords commenced to lay out another set of roads according to their own ideas of what they should be. The White Man's Trails and Early Roads Blazed and staked roads pioneered the way for those that were regularly laid out. The old Horse Head road was, perhaps, the link Familiar Object on the Early Roads between the two classes of roads. This was in the eastern part of the county and took its name from a horse skull which was placed upon a large bowlder and was a conspicuous landmark on the route. The State road was the first legally established highway, leading from Williamsport on the Wabash River and the head of early navi- gation, to Winamac, important in the pioneer period as the location of the land office. This road extended from the first named place, by the most available and direct route, to the Falls of the Iroquois; thence to the now-extinct Village of Saltillo, crossing the Iroquois ; again at the old ford above the farm of John Groom, and crossing the Pinkamink on the old bridge at Saltillo and thence, by way of 72 JASPER AND XEWTON COUNTIES White Post, to Winamac. The Saltillo Bridge was the first structure of the kind in the county, and the Indian trail-road which led from Rensselaer northward to the Kankakee River was probably the second thoroughfare. The latter crossed at Eaton's Ferry, or the old Baum Bridge, built at a later day. Bridges as Connecting Links Congress early granted a 3 per cent fund for the building of roads and bridges, and in 1835 Thomas Randle was appointed agent for its disbursement. Porter County was much interested in having a bridge put across the river at this point, but Randle refused to draw anything from the fund to aid the enterprise. He was accord- ingly displaced, and Joseph Schipp, who moved over the river from Porter, was appointed to succeed him. Under the new agent the bridge was commenced in December, 1837, but after the log piers had been built and the stringers placed for a completed structure three- quarters of a mile long, everything was swept away by fire. Subse- quently a bridge over 700 feet long was completed at that locality, Jasper County constructing the long and substantial grade at the southern end. Thwarted Attempts at Railroad Building But the necessity for passable routes and crossings was eventually solved, in large part, by the coming of the railroads, although relief was not practically realized in Jasper County until the late '70s, or less than forty years ago. The narrative of earnest and repeated attempts in that direction is not especially interesting reading, only as showing the determination and long-tried courage of the people. As early as 1852 a road was projected from New London, Ohio, to Chicago, which was designed to pass through Jasper County, but it was killed by the financial stringency of 1857. Jasper and Newton counties were mainly concerned in the course which the road would take from Fort Wayne, and there was a brisk competition between Kankakee and Rensselaer as to which should be selected as the prin- cipal station in Northwestern Indiana. Obviously, Rochester and Winamac were logical co-workers with Rensselaer in the matter, but neither side won, as the hard times of 1857, added to the heavy defalcation of the Ohio state treasurer, whose bondsmen were also leaders in the railroad enterprise, efifectually squelched the Fort Wayne project and the Rock Island air line. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 73 In the early '70s the railroad scheme was revived under the name of the Continental Railway Company, which was known in Indiana as the Fort Wayne & Western Railroad. Robert S. Dwiggins was president of this company. A branch from Rensselaer to Chicago was chartered, with the understanding that large railroad shops were to be located at the Indiana town, which was to be an important section point for the transfer of traffic between eastern and western sections.. Jasper County raised $50,000 by taxation, and about as much more by subscriptions, conditional upon the road being con- structed in two years ; but the subscriptions were never collected and the taxes were refunded, as all that was actually accomplished was the grading of fifteen miles of the road-bed east of Rensselaer. From New York to Council Bluffs, Iowa, more than 1,100 miles, the Continental Railway was projected as a first-class road at a cost of $150,000,000, but it was frost-bitten and blighted by the financial disasters of 1873. Indianapolis, Delphi & Chicago Line, a Success The Indianapolis, Delphi & Chicago Railroad, organized in May, 1869, under the Indiana state laws, survived and gave to Rensselaer and the populous parts of Jasper County their first connection by rail. It was reorganized in September, 1872, and projected a line from Indianapolis to Frankfort, Clinton County, Monticello, White County, Rensselaer, Jasper County, Lowell and Dyer, Lake County, and Chicago. Cook County. Not until 1877 were subscriptions for the building of the road through Jasper County actively solicited ; the amount asked was $50,000. Late in the year named, Alfred McCoy, R. S. Dwiggins and Ira W. Yeoman, took the lead in the movement, held meetings in the schoolhouses in the northern part of the county and at various places in Rensselaer, so that by October the entire amount had been pledged. On the 3d of October, 1877, the company contracted with Yeo- man, Hegler & Company for the construction of the road, the firm named to furnish all the material and engineers necessary to lay out and construct the grades. The road was to be three feet gauge ; road- bed eight feet wide on top and the rails to be not less than thirty-five pounds to the yard. The line was divided into eight divisions : The first, from Dyer to the south line of Lake County ; second, from the Lake County line to Rensselaer; third, from Rensselaer to Bradford; fourth, from Bradford to Monticello; fifth, from Monticello to Delphi ; sixth, from Delphi to Rossville ; seventh, from Rossville to Frankfort ; eighth, from Frankfort to Indianapolis. 74 JASPER AND XEWTON COUNTIES . . Rensselaer Gets Railway Connection Work was at once begun on the third division, and on Thursday, February 14, 1878, Rensselaer celebrated its completion by a barbe- cue, a free excursion on the road and an enthusiastic meeting. Mr. McCoy furnished the fatted ox of the occasion — 834 pounds net. Some 2,000 persons were present, and for the first time the inland county seat experienced the joys and advantages of railroad com- munication. The fourth division was completed from Bradford to Monticello in August, 1878, and on the 4th of September, 1879, the road was opened from Rensselaer to Delphi. Now IN THE MONON SYSTEM That was the extent of narrow gauge track that was constructed ; for soon afterward the road was absorbed by the Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railroad Company. The line from Rensselaer to Chicago was constructed as standard gauge ; the part already con- structed was widened to the new gauge. The road was opened from Delphi to Chicago in 1882 and from Delphi to Indianapolis in 1883. It is now part of the Monon System. It passes diagonally across the county, from southeast to northwest and its stations are Pleas- ant Ridge, Rensselaer, Surrey, Parr and Fair Oaks. The Big Four The Toledo, Logansport & Burlington Railroad Company com- menced laying its tracks at Reynolds, White County, the junction with the New Albany & Salem Railroad, in July, 1859, and had completed the line through the southern part of Jasper County by the end of the year. It passed through a rich agricultural and graz- ing country and was the means of founding Remington. The original road subsequently passed under the control of the Pittsburgh, Cin- cinnati & St. Louis Railroad Company and, eventually, of the Chi- cago. Cincinnati, Columbus & St. Louis (Big Four) Railroad. The Three I's Railroad What was long popularly known as the "Three I's" Railroad was built through the northern part of Jasper and the southern portion of Lake County, in the early '80s. It is now a portion of the New York Central System. Its stations are Dunnville, Wheatfield, Stoutsberg JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 75 and DeMotte. In 1883, when the hne through the thick of the swamp lands was nearing its completion," a local writer spoke of it in this way : "The Plymouth, Kankakee & Pacific Railroad is a line that has been agitated for some ten or twelve years. It is now known as the Indiana, Illinois & Iowa Railroad Company, and at the present writ- ing (1883) is building its track through the townships of Kankakee, Wheatfield and Keener. This line passes through a sparsely settled part of the county, and attracts but little interest in it. The locality through which it passes will undoubtedly be greatly benefited, but its general importance to the county is not great" The Chicago & Eastern Illinois The Chicago & Eastern Illinois, or the Chicago & Wabash Valley, known at its inception in 1879-80 as the Chicago & Great Southern or Indiana & Great Southern, furnishes Newton County with its chief transportation facilities, although from Mount Ayr it turns toward the northeast, eflfects a junction with the Monon Line at Fair Oaks, Jasper County, and with the Three I's at Wheatfield, thereby adding to the railway accommodations of the northwestern sections of Jasper. In Newton County the line has been incorporated by the New York Central System. CHAPTER VII GENERAL AND STATISTICAL Decvdal Population, 1840- 1910 — County Revenue and Taxable Property — Present Area and Value of Property — County Finances — The Swamp Lands Scandal — Draining and Im- provement OF the Lands — Jasper County Agricultural Society. Various details of the county's development have been set forth, such as the formation of its civil divisions, the establishment and progress of its courts, the building of its avenues of travel and communication, and the natural background of aboriginal exit and the entry of white pioneers. The rule is, with the readers of books the world over, to lightly pass over statistics ; but figures have their good uses, if applied in moderation, and they are mainly grouped in this chapter. Decadal Population, 1840-1910 In giving the national census for the years ending the past eight decades, an increase of population is shown for every such period except the last, and there is every probability that 1920 will decidedly reverse the slight decadence. The small increase shown by com- paring the figures of 1850 with those of i860 is explained by the fact that old Jasper County had been cut in two to form the revived County of Newton, the first census of which (i860) indicated a population of 2,360. In 1840 the population of Jasper County was 1,267; 1850, 3,540; i860, 4,291; 1870, 6,354; 1880, 9,464. The showing for the past three decadal years, by townships and incorporated towns, is as follows : 1910 1900 1890 Jasper County 13.044 14,292 11,185 Barkley Township 1.074 1,303 1,093 Carpenter Twp., including Remington Town . . i,C)68 2,198 2,058 Remington Town 982 1,120 940 76 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 77 Gillam Township 609 753 622 Hanging Grove Township 432 480 479 Jordan Township 637 771 631 Kankakee Township 406 472 413 Keener Township 711 764 492 Marion Township, inchiding Rensselaer City. . 3,692 3,484 2,568 Rensselaer City 2,393 2,255 i>455 Milroy Township 286 396 259 Newton Township 531 558 585 Union Township 1,281 1,319 747 Walker Township 655 909 687 Wheatfield Twp., including Wheatfield Town. 762 886 551 Wheatfield Town 357 366 County Revenue and Taxable Property The earliest available statistics relating to Jasper County were gathered for the 1840 census. Keeping in mind that its territory then embraced virtually what are now the counties of Newton, Ben- ton and Jasper, the statement will be appreciated that it then con- tained 138 polls and taxable property amounting to $20,347. In 1840 Jasper County embraced an area of about 1,300 square miles ; it was larger than the present State of Rhode Island. In 1844, the revenue of the county, Benton having been struck ofif, was $457.87. In 1850, the Indiana State Gazetteer publishes the following: "Jasper is the largest county in the state and contains about 975 square miles ; but Beaver Lake, the Kankakee Marshes and the Grand Prairie occupy so large a portion of it that its settlement and improvement have hitherto proceeded slowly. It is divided into eight townships, viz : Iroquois, Newton, Marion, Barkley, Jordan, Beaver, Jackson and Gillam." In 1856-57 the county revenue was over $9,000 and the taxable property was reported at $1,540,000. In 1882 the income of the county, shorn of what is now Newton since 1859, was $111,738. Present Area and Value of Property The assessors of the county collect much valuable and interesting information for those who understand its significance. Their latest available figures for 1916 indicate that the county has an area of over 354,000 acres, or nearly 555 square miles. It is divided, and assessed for purposes of taxation, as follows : 78 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Twps. and Corps. Acres Barkley Township 38,085.51 Carpenter Township 32,835.87 Gillam Township 24,174.74 Hanging Grove Township. 19,025.61 Jordan Township 23,869.62 Kankakee Township 16,612.02 Keener Township 30,125.28 Marion Township 31,928.82 Milroy Township 15,164.65 Newton Township 21,795.70 Union Township 35,579-23 Walker Township 37,333-78 Wheatfield Township 27,336.18 Rensselaer Corp 460.84 Remington Corp 190.27 Wheatfield Corp 234.76 Total 354,752.88 Value Lots and Twps. and Corps. Improvements Barkley Township $ 4,550 Carpenter Township Gillam Township 360 Hanging Grove Township . Jordan Township Kankakee Township 5,805 Keener Township 20,155 Marion Township 3-995 Milroy Township Newton Township 960 Union Township 37,3 15 Walker Township 2,995 Wheatfield Township 2,240 Rensselaer Corp 683,420 Remington Corp 233,680 Wheatfield Corp 37,955 Total $1,033,430 Value Lands and Number Improvements of Lots $ 1,034,095 95 1,567,165 650,350 58 537,040 745,465 327,810 152 535,425 195 1,528,525 202 290,095 710,330 52 894,260 533 563,710 27 496,530 785 165,135 2,173 82,145 582 15,27s 2>2^ $10,143,355 4.488 Value Total Value Personal Taxable Property Property $ 295,315 $ 1,333,960 288,835 1,856,000 154,105 804,815 112,310 649,350 202,555 948,020 105,365 438,980 87.480 643,060 282,840 1,815,360 76,845 366,940 197,595 908,885 254,455 1,186,030 143,595 710.300 91,140 589,910 563,070 1,411,625 152,655 468,480 98,715 151,945 $3,106,875 $14,283,660 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 79 County Finances From the report of the county auditor and the county treasurer it is evident how large a portion of the expenditures go toward the support of education, in various forms, and toward the maintenance of the highways of the county up to the standards of the day. The state school tax disbursed amounted to $18,644; local tuition tax, $36,211; special school tax, $36,690; common school, $22,366; and city and state vocational, $2,591. During the year there were ex- pended for gravel road repairs, $20,416; road taxes, $27,900; bridge construction and repairs, $28,741 ; other expenditures on roads, ditches, etc., $3,380. Including the balances of the different funds on hand January i, 191 5, the total receipts for the year were $876,004.86, and the dis- bursements, $665,262.16, leaving a balance in the treasury, Decem- ber 31, 1915, of $210,742.70. The Swamp Lands Scandal Jasper County, as will be realized by a comparison of the assessed valuation of lots, or town property, with that of township lands, or rural property, is overwhelmingly agricultural. Great progress has been made within the past twenty years in the draining both of its swamp lands and those which are on a higher level. It was many yeas before the settlers, as a whole, had free access to the choice bottom lands, in which ditch contractors, politicians, state and county officials speculated so outrageously and which they — at least, "mo- nopolized"— so dishonorably. These manipulations and scandals constituted one of the most serious drawbacks to legitimate settle- ment and improvement with which the reputable public has ever contended. A review of this disagreeable chapter in the history of Jasper County is therefore presented. By congressional act of September 20, 1850, the swamp lands belonging to the United States were granted to the State of Indiana, upon condition that they should be drained and made fit for agricul- tural purposes. A second act passed in March, 1855, added various tracts located by holders of military land warrants, making the total amount thus turned over to the state by the General Government, 1,252,000 acres. To carry out the provisions of the law the governor appointed various swamp land commissioners who had the handling of the funds to be expended for ditching and other improvements, but which, as subsequent transactions and investigations proved, 80 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES were diverted from their legitimate purposes into the pockets of such officials. In the report of the legislative committee appointed to investigate these frauds in 1859 appears the following regarding the peculations charged to Jasper County : "In the county of Jasper our investiga- tions have satisfied us that the officials of the county have not only aided others in the commission of great frauds upon the Swamp Land funds, but have also been participants in the profits arising therefrom. In this charge we make no reference to the present treas- urer and auditor of the county. The commissioner, at a letting of a large amount of ditching under a law of 1852, let almost the entire work to one man for the sum of twenty cents the cubic yard, although at this letting were other good and responsible bids for the same work at fourteen cents the cubic yard, and one as low as ten cents. The ditching contracted for at this letting has never been finished ac- cording to the plans and specifications, and some of the ditches are useless. The entire estimate of this work, amounting to $39,451, has been paid to the contractor. According to the testimony before us, this one transaction has resulted in great loss to the Swamp Land fund, and loss to the value of real estate in the vicinity of the work. "In the year 1856, without the color of law and in violation of all right, the then auditor of state, Hiram E. Talbot, directed the auditor of Jasper county to withdraw from sale a large amount of swamp lands designated by him. The committee are compelled to conclude that this order was prompted with a view to personal and private speculation. This, no doubt, was the commencement of a system of frauds unheard of heretofore. A spirit of speculation in these lands was engendered and in a short time there were formed four separate companies who selected, as they termed it, and actually obtained, by the complicity of the swamp land commissioners, deeds for about 124,000 acres of the best of the lands vacant in the county. The deeds to these lands were procured without the shadow of law from the officers of the state." The Swamp Land Act of March, 1857, required that- these fraudulent conveyances should be returned and cancelled when the work was not completed ; also provided that the contractors might file with the county auditor lists of the lands selected by them, to be taken for payment for ditching actually constructed. LTnder this law the swamp land commissioner of Jasper County confirmed all the old contracts at 20 cents per cubic yard, which had been originally let at from 12 to 18 cents, and the contractors were permitted to file unlimited lists of lands. Thus all the unsold swamp lands in Jasper JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 81 County, amounting to 175,000 acres (or half its total area), were ab- sorbed, and nearly all the contractors without paying out any actual money, by private arrangement with the treasurer of Jasper County, were able to obtain certificates of purchase and land patents. These amounted to $100,000, which should have been turned over by the .county treasurer to his successor. This was never done, for the very good reason that the money was never tvirned into the treasury. Upon the expiration of his term of office, the county treasurer was sued as a defaulter to the swamp land fund, compromised by giving his notes for $23,000, was appointed state swamp land commis- Reclaimed Swamp Lands sioner, and in that capacity, during 1859, was also sued for defalca- tion. In view of these facts, the investigating committee recom- mended to the governor that the defaulting official be removed from office. Draining and Improvement of the Lands The outcome of such speculations was so disastrous that it took many years for incoming settlers to venture into the swamp-land region, and as long as they remained under the direct control of the state few tracts were taken up and improved. But in March, 1873, an act was passed by the Legislature authorizing the formation of ditch and draining companies and giving them power to assess bene- 82 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES fits against all lands improved by their work. That act, although somewhat complicated, was a beginning and, as improved by subse- quent measures, finally gave both the county and private enterprise a certain confidence which has resulted in reclaiming most of the large areas of swamp lands to productive cultivation. It was some years, however, even after the passage of the 1873 act before more than two or three minor ditches had been constructed in Kankakee and Wheatfield townships. The building of the Illinois, Indiana & Iowa Railroad through the Kankakee marshes of Northern Jasper and Southern Lake, in the early '80s also had a good effect. Jasper County Agricultur.\l Society In the improvement of the farm lands of Jasper County, whether they lay in the lowlands of the Kankakee region or the more elevated tracts watered by the Iroquois River of the southern sections, the County Agricultural Society has been a constant and influential factor. Originally known as the Jasper County Agricultural and Mechanical Association, it was formed in December, 1858. Several small fairs had been held previously, but that organization pre- sented the first successful attempt at co-operation among the farm- ers and their wives and daughters. The first officers of the associa- tion were: Robert Parker, president; J. C. Post, vice president; Alfred McCoy, treasurer; S. Donaldson, secretary. Its first fair was held September 27-29, 1859, on the grounds of the association, which comprised seven acres about a mile down the river from Rensselaer and on the north shore. The report was that "although the occa- sion was somewhat marred by the wet weather, the exhibition was generally voted a success. Floral Hall was well filled and the ladies department was well represented. The show of agricultural products was good ; the show of live stock, not so good. There were some fine blooded animals, however, shown in the ring ; cattle, horses and hogs were represented, and, for the first exhibition, the display was encouraging. The society had purchased ground and fenced it, and considerable revenue was derived from the admissions." After the County Agricultural and Mechanical Association had struggled along for more than twenty years and become hopelessly entangled in debt, it was succeeded by the Jasper County Agricultural Society, organized July 18, 1879. The first fair of the new society, held October 7-10, 1879, is a fair index of the progress of agriculture in the county, and the statusj of such matters, at that time. The show of horses, cattle and hogs was excellent ; that of sheep and poultry, JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 83 passable ; of apples, remarkably fine ; of com and other cereals, Irish potatoes and produce of the garden, probably never surpassed for excellence in any exhibition. The society then owned twenty acres of ground and its officers were : William K. Parkinson, president ; Marion L. Spitler, vice president ; David H. Yeoman, superintendent. CHAPTER \'III GROUNDWORK OF AMERICAN GROWTH Basis of the American Public School — Territorial and Early State Legislation — First Township Schools — The Old- Time Subscription Concern — Created in Three Days — Founding a Regular System^ — Building Schoolhouses Un- der THE New Order — Deciding on Teacher's Qualifications — Pioneer Schools in Jasper County — The County's Sources of Educational Revenue. Nothing was ever done by either the French or British govern- ments to establish or encourage a system of pubhc schools among their scattered subjects in the western wilds, but with the first exten- sion of American paper rule over the Northwest, the cause was brought forward as one of the fundamentals of popular sovereignty. Basis of the American Public School As has been stated, a congressional ordinance of 1785 provided for the donation of section 16 in every township for the maintenance of public schools, and the more comprehensive and famous measure of 1787 declared that "religion, morality and knowledge being neces- sary to the government and happiness of mankind, schools and means of education shall be forever encouraged." In this matter the fathers of the Northwest sustained the founders of the United States, and its greatest supporters ever since, and proclaimed them- selves both idealists and practical men. They first provided the basis of a fund for the popular schools ; then pledged the future generations of America forever to encourage them. Forever is a large word, but America has always dealt in futures, and after 129 years have passed since that pledge was given, the generations of the present are en- couraging the cause of public education with greater zeal and im- measurably greater resources than their sponsors of 1787 ever dreamed of. 84 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 85 Territorial and Early State Legislation Indiana territory had the Indians to fight, as well as the wilder- ness to break, but her public men brought up the subject repeatedly, Governor Harrison, in' one of his messages, suggesting that military education be grafted into the public system. In 1807, after a sweeping preamble re-dedicating the people to the principle of pop- ular education, the Legislature incorporated the Vincennes Univer- sity "for the instruction of youth in the Latin, Greek, French and English languages, mathematics, natural philosophy, logic, rhetoric, and the laws of nature and nations." In the following year the Ter- ritorial Legislature authorized the judges of the Courts of Common Pleas to lease the school lands, and in 1810 they were authorized to appoint trustees for that purpose ; these agents, however, were forbidden to lease more than 160 acres to any one person, and the destruction of timber on the leased lands was forbidden. These acts concluded the actual performances in behalf of the cause, but, con- sidering how many other measures came before the territorial au- thorities and legislators in the nature of self-defense and self-preser- vation, it is remarkable that so much was accomplished. The first state constitution, adopted in 1816, provided that none of the school lands should be sold by the authority of the state previous to 1820, and that it should be the duty of the General As- sembly, as soon as possible, "to provide by law for a general sys- tem of education, ascending in a regular graduation from township schools to a state university, wherein tuition shall be gratis and equally open to all. And for the promotion of such salutary end, the money which shall be paid as an equipalent by persons exempt from military duty, except in times of war, shall be exclusively, and in equal proportion, applied to the support of county seminaries ; and all fines assessed for any breach of the penal laws shall be applied to said seminaries in the counties wherein they shall be assessed." The General Assembly of 1816 took up the work and made pro- vision for the appointment of superintendents of school sections, with power to lease the school lands for any term not to exceed seven years, and each lessee was required to set out annually on such lands twenty-five apple and twenty-five peach trees until 100 of each had been planted. Between 1816 and 1820 several academies, seminaries and literary societies were incorporated in the older and more populous counties. 86 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES First Township Schools The first measure which provided for any comprehensive system of public education was passed in 1824, the bill being the result of the labors of a special commission appointed by the Legislature sev- eral years before; the act, which became law, was "to incorporate congressional townships and provide for public schools therein." After providing for the election of three school trustees in each township, who should control section 16 and all other matters con- nected with public education, the law made provision for the erection of schoolhouses as follows : "Every able-bodied male person of the age of twenty-one years and upwards residing within the bounds of such school district, shall be liable to work one day in each week until such building may be completed, or pay the sum of thirty-seven and one-half cents for every day he may fail to work." The trustees might also receive lumber, nails, glass or other necessary building material, in lieu either of work or the daily wages. The Old-Time Subscription Concern The schoolhouse, according to the law of 1824, provided: "In all cases such schoolhouse shall be eight feet between the floors, and at least one foot from the surface of the ground to the first floor, and be furnished in a manner calculated to render comfortable the teacher and pupils." As no funds were provided for the pay of teachers or the erection of buildings, the schools were kept open as long as the subscriptions held out, and the comfort of the teacher and pupils depended on the character of the householders who sup- ported the school. Neither could the school trustees levy a tax except by special permission of the district, and even then the expenditure was limited to $50. In 1832 the Legislature ordered the sale of all county seminaries, the net proceeds to be added to the permanent school fund. Its action did not affect Jasper County, as that year marked the coming of its first permanent settler. In 1837, however, the county received its quota of the surplus disbursed from the United States Treasury to the various states during the preceding year. Indiana's share was $806,000, and of that sum the Legislature set aside $573,000 for the permanent use of the common schools of the state; but only the interest of the fund could be used by the counties. When Jasper County commenced its political existence in the late '30s, there were no public schools within her borders, and nearly JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 87 twenty years were to pass before anything like the prevaihng system of popular education was to be in force. The conditions prevailing in the pioneer period were these: "The man or woman who had a desire to become an instructor would get up a written agreement called a subscription paper, and pass it around among the people of a certain neighborhood for signatures. The agreement usually called for a certain number of pupils at a certain price per pupil, and when the required number was obtained the school would begin. The ruling price for a term of three months was two dollars per pupil, and the number of pupils to be taught was to be not less than twenty. The board and lodging for the teacher would be provided by the patrons of the school, each one, in turn, furnishing a share during the term, or, if the teacher preferred, which was nearly always the case, he or she might chose a boarding place and remain there during the term for a small compensation to the patron of the school whose home was selected. The board and lodging of the school teacher were regarded as small matters by the early settlers, and one dollar per week was taken as ample compensation for the trouble imposed by this arrangement. The first plan was designated as 'boarding among the scholars' and the second, as 'boarding himself or 'boarding herself.' Created in Three Days "The first matter of importance before the beginning of the school was to provide a building for the accommodation of the teacher and pupils ; but that was also an easy matter for the pioneers. ' The set- tlers of a neighborhood would get together on a specified day, say a Thursday, and begin the erection of a schoolhouse at some point as nearly central in the neighborhood as a site could be procured ; which was always easy to obtain, as land was worth one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, and a suitable site could be found where the owner of the land, if he had children of school age, was only too willing to donate an acre or half an acre of his land for the purpose. Beginning the building on Thursday, they would finish their work on or before Saturday night, so that it would be ready for occupancy on Monday morning." Founding a Regular System With the inauguration of the constitution of 185 1, much con- fusion and working at cross purposes were cleared away, and a work- 88 JASPER AND XEWTOX COUNTIES ing plan to develop a regular system of popular education was evolved. -By legislative act "to provide for a uniform system of Common Schools and School Libraries, and matters properly con- nected therewith," approved June 14, 1852, the way was made clear for the establishment of the public educational system which is still expanding and developing in its details. The free school system of Indiana became practically operative on the first Monday in April, 1853, when the township trustees for school purposes were elected. The new law gave them the manage- ment nf the school atiair>~ of the township, subject to the action of A Rural School of Today the voters. But it was a number of years before Jasper County was able to derive much practical benefit from the system, the quota of the common school fund derived from the state being small and increased slowly, as it was based upon the number of children of school age residing in the various districts. In the meantime most of the actual management of school matters was vested in the old- time school examiner. Building Schooliiouses Under the New Order In 1859 the board of three township trustees was abolished and school matters were placed in the keeping of one trustee, who was JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 89 enabled to work to greater advantage with the examiner than under the old system, but it was not until nearly twenty years later that the trustee assumed greater control of the schools within the township. As the interest of the common school fund was only available, under the constitution, it usually became necessary for the citizens of a district in pressing need of a schoolhouse to contribute a portion of the expense incurred in its erection, furnishing and maintenance. The law required the trustee to own the land upon which every school- house was erected, and a perfect title from the owner of the land to the trustee and his succesors in office must be procured before the building could be commenced. A word from the trustee express- ing the necessity for a new schoolhouse usually brought a dozen offers from property owners offering sites of half an acre to an acre, pro- vided the township would meet the expenses of executing and re- cording the deed. Land was much cheaper than money in those days; but the early settlers contributed of both, as well as of honest labor and necessary materials, for the erection of the building which was to house their children as pupils. Not infrequently the trustee erected a neat frame building beside the old log schoolhouse, that the entire township might compare the two with pride over the improvement. Deciding on Te.\cher^s Qualifications Having procured their certificates of qualification from the county examiner, the applicants for the position of teacher laid their cases before the trustee ; the primary selection rested with him, his choice being ratified by the patrons of the school. Sometimes, when there was a decided division of sentiment as to the merits of several can- didates, a meeting was held and the decision left to a majority vote. Good conduct determined the length of service, and the question of salary was left to the patrons of the school. The average salary for the male teacher of the earlier years was $20.00 a month and board, the female instructor drawing about half that amount. The farm hand was paid about the same wages, and the fairly-educated laborer was quite apt to prefer a cozy district schoolroom to outdoor work, especially in winter. So that there was seldom any dearth of district school teachers. As the standard of qualification was raised, the supply of male teachers decreased, which heralded a brighter day for the prospects of the school ma'am. 90 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Pioneer Schools in Jasper County The early settlers of Jasper were not behind the general senti- ment of the state in their appreciation of the advantages of schools, and long before the state could give the scattered communities aid, they had a number of subscription schools. Neighborhoods turned out and put up the cabin, and each patron paid the expense of the teacher's salary in proportion to numbjer of children sent. Money was scarce, but anything the settler had was valuable to the teacher, and by exchange the farmer's hog or cow was transformed into the children's education. In the Barkley settlement, the first school was held in the winter of 1838-39, and taught by a Mr. Webster; in the Blue Grass settlement, the first school was opened about 1840, by a Miss Price, and G. W. Spitler taught the first school at Rensse- laer in 1841. The growth of schools in Jasper County was sub- ject to all the hindrances of a sparsely-settled country and the limited means of the pioneers. The slow growth of the popula- tion deferred the improvement of these early schools, and in 1858 there were but eight schoolhouses in the combined territory of the present counties of Jasper and Newton. The County's Sources of Education.-\l Revenue In the early '70s, or twenty years after the establishment of the system of popular education, which has since been so greatly broadened through teachers' institutes and other agencies, the schools of the state, and therefore of Jasper County, had eleven sources of revenue, as follows : 1. The congressional township fund, consisting of the money arising from the sale of section 16 throughout the land. 2. The Saline fund comprising a portion of the salt springs properties (limited to thirty-six sections), which represented the second land grant made by Congress to the Territory of Indiana. 3. The surplus revenue fund, distributed among the different states in 1836 (as noted), of which Indiana's share was $573,000. 4. The bank tax fund, derived from an assessment of 12^/2 cents upon each share of stock held by individuals in the state bank. 5. The sinking fund, comprising the residue of money bor- rowed by the state to pay its subscription to the stock of the state bank and to assist individual stockholders. 6. All fines for a violation of the penal laws of the state which had been made a part of the permanent school fund. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 91 7. All recognizances of witnesses and persons indicted for crime, when forfeited. 8. All moneys arising from the estates of persons dying intestate. 9. The proceeds of the sale of swamp lands, when no special purpose was expressed in the grant, after deducting the expenses incurred in selecting and draining them. 10. Taxes on the property of corporations that were assessed by the General Assembly for common school purposes. 11. Rents and other profits derived from the unsold congres- sional school sections. These eleven sources of educational revenue were classified, in 1872, as productive (the first five), contingent (the second five) and unproductive (the last, which at that time virtually yielded no rev- enue). In 1872, the productive funds stood thus : Sinking fund, $4,767,000; congressional township, $2,281,076; surplus revenue, $573,502; saline, $85,000; bank tax, $80,000. The intestate fund amounted to $17,866, and the swamp lands fund was still very complicated, although, naturally, it never yielded what it should have produced. In the summer of 1882 the grand total of the fund upon which the state could draw for the support of its common schools was $9,207,411. In the summer of 1916, according to direct communication with Charles A. Greathouse, state superintendent of public instruction, Jasper County had in the congressional township fund, $58,669.35 ; in the common school fund, $49,716.46, and from the last semi- annual apportionment of state tuition revenue, made in June, 1916, the county received $9,715.86. CHAPTER IX SPECIAL PIONEER PICTURES First Sight of the Grand Prairie — Harbingers of jMalaria — Abundance of Wild Game and Fish — The Seasonings and Cultivated Meats, Rarities — Settling of the Emigrant — Breaking Ground — The Pioneer's Live Stock and Forage — Wild Honey and Pumpkin Sirup — Hoosier Hunt- ing Grounds — In the Kankakee Marshes — A Pottawat- tamie Village. There are certain institutions and features of western pioneer life, descriptions of which would apply to a score of states and territories as the frontier advanced to the Ohio, the Mississippi and far beyond. On the other hand there are pictures which can legitimately be drawn only of Indiana and Jasper County, and a selection of these distinctive etchings has been made for this chapter. Abundance of Wild Game The country which the earlier pioneers had selected was a hunter's paradise. The prairie, timber and waterways were crowded with game of all kinds, and without this it is doubtful if this region could have been settled until a score of years later. The early thoroughfares, obliged to deviate from a true course to avoid marshes and impassable rivers, left this region isolated, and the tide of population following these lines of travel naturally avoided this section. Thus cut off from the natural sources of supply, the pioneer was forced to depend upon the resources of the coun- try alone, which, even with the abundance of game, proved but a meager support for the family. Deer were found in unlimited numbers, and the first settlers found no trouble in killing more than the needs of the family required, right at his own door. Droves, reaching to the number of a hundred, were often seen, and settlers were in the habit of carrying their guns on almost all occasions, 92 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 93 and seldom returned from any expedition without an evidence of the abundance of these animals in the shape of a haunch or ham of venison. Wild hogs served also to vary the frontier fare. These were animals that had escaped from the older settlements, and subsisting upon the nuts and roots of the woodland, had gone , wild in the course of nature. They were of a long-legged, gaunt species, and kept the timber pretty closely. They were no particular damage or annoyance to the settlers, but furnished capital hunting sport, and gave a rehef to the monotonous recurrence of venison upon the table of the settler. Wolves were of the coyote species, and were found in the open prairie. These were of more annoy- ance to the settlements, attacking sheep, young pigs and sometimes cattle. They were miserable cowards, never attacking a person, and were hunted and killed as a nuisance. They were small and under- sized, making the night dismal with their howlings. and when over- taken by the dogs, would fall on their backs and fight much like a cat. On frozen ground, and when filled with a recent meal, they were run down with little difficulty on horseback, as they seemed to avoid the timber, and would risk capture rather than go into it. Pinnated and ruffed grouse, better known as prairie chickens and partridges, were everywhere found in inexhaustible numbers, and furnished a touch of delicacy to the early fare. Wild geese, cranes, herons, ducks of the mallard, pintail, blue-winged teal, wood and ring-necked varieties, were found by thousands, and are still found here in hardly diminished profusion, to the delight of hunters, who are attracted in large numbers to enjoy the hunting. The Iroquois River has sustained its reputation as one of the best stocked rivers in the state, from the earliest knowledge of the whites to the present. Long before any settlements were made here, rumors of its profusion of fine edible fish came to the frontiers through the Indians, to whom this was a favorite place of resort each fall and spring. Here bass, bream, pike, salmon, mullet, suckers and other varieties are found, some of these varieties having been caught over twenty-five pounds in weight. The Se.asonings and Cultivated Meats, Rarities With this abundance of what are even now considered luxuries, it would seem at a casual glance that the pioneer life was a life of ease rather than hardship, but when it is considered that these were the sum of their early luxuries, that what we deem the com- mon necessities and find so cheap as to pass almost unnoticed in 94 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES our estimate of family supplies and expenses were to the early settlers almost inaccessible and the most expensive, a great change is wrought in our estimate. Salt was more expensive than sugar, and more difficult to procure. Flour could not for a time be pro- cured at any price, and even meal, such as is provided today, was unknown on the frontier. And even the variety of game provided soon failed to answer the purposes of beef and pork. The system exposed to the ravages of disease, and subject to the trying experi- ence of early farm labor, demanded something more substantial than this. Nor could all give their attention to hunting. The prime reason for the presence of most of the pioneers in this country was to build up a home and lay the foundations for a future competence, and to accomplish this the larger part of the community centered here had only their hands with which to accomplish their mission. It was no uncommon occurrence to find men surrounded by this pro- fusion of game who never shot a deer, and occasionally one who never owned a gim. Harbingers of Malaria The pioneers who formed the early settlements in this county were generally familiar with the isolation, and inured to the hard- ships and privations, of frontier life, but with all this the open prairie presented difficulties to which they had hitherto been a stranger. From the standpoint of this later day, when the adapt- ability of the prairie has been so abundantly proven, it seems unfor- tunate that the early experiences of these pioneers led them to cling to the timbered portions of the country, where foul water and miasma aggravated the inevitable discomforts of frontier existence. Life in a new country is everywhere subjected to the misery of malarial diseases. The clearing-off of timber or the breaking-up of prairie sod, involving the rapid decay of large quantities of vege- table matter, gave rise to the inevitable miasma, which wrought its sure work upon the system. Such sickness was generally confined to the last of the summer and fall. There was but little sickness in winter, except a few lingering fall diseases that had become chronic ; there were but few cases after severe frosts, and the spring and early summer were perfectly healthy. It was commonly remarked that when the bloom of the resin weed and other yellow flowers appeared, it was time to look for the ague. The first spring flowers on the prairie were mostly pink and white, then followed purple and blue, and about the middle of JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 95 August' yellow predominated. High water in spring, flooding the bottoms and filHng the lagoons and low places along the streams, and they drying off with the hot sun of July and August, was a fruitful cause of disease, and in such localities it was often quite sickly, while the higher prairie was comparatively exempt. With these evils, the pioneer was generally forced to struggle alone. Phy- sicians were very few and often so far situated from the scattered settlements that it took a day's ride to reach them. But where they were found within practical distance, the urgent necessity for the practice of every economy led the settlers to depend upon their own skill. Boneset, Culver's physic (root), and a long list of teas and herb decoctions were to be found in every cabin, and most of the ailments incident to a frontier were generally made to yield to them. To have a severe case of malarial fever or several seasons' run of ague, was expected by each newcomer, and none were considered as having been fully inducted into all the mysteries of citizenship until they had had the regular malarial experience. For years, people who had hitherto possessed a fresh complexion and buoyant spirit, after coming here, wore the pale, sallow complexion of semi-invalids, and often the whole community would be so gen- erally attacked with the prevailing distemper as to leave none to attend upon those who were ill. It got to be very much the custom for each family to prepare for the inevitable attack, arranging mat- ters so that they could care for themselves, it being no infrequent thing for a whole family to be confined to the bed at the same time. Settling of the Emigrant The early settlers brought with them nothing but what the neces- sities of the situation demanded. One wagon generally sufficed to bring the family, household furniture, farming implements, and frequently two or three months' supplies. It requires no great amount of consideration to conclude that luxuries, or even comforts, could find no place in such an outfit, and so the pioneer, after con- structing a shelter for his family, found his skill and ingenuity taxed to their utmost to supply this deficiency. It was necessary to manu- facture tables, chairs, and bedsteads before they could be used, and some of the most striking incidents of frontier life are founded upon this universal dearth of ordinary comforts. Hand tools were always a part of the load when possessed by the emigrant, but in the absence of these the ax accomplished all that was necessary. A section of a good sized log, smoothed with an ax, and furnished 96 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES with a rough back, or often without a back of any sort, and legs, took the place of chairs. A rude bedstead was often constructed in the corner of the cabin with a single leg, the two sides of the structure supporting the rest of the bedstead which was framed in the logs. Upon this the bed cord, which could be easily brought, was arranged, or in its absence, deer hide thongs. This or simply a Log Caiun's Center of Interest pile of brush supported the "tick," which was brought with the family, and filled with leaves and dried grass until the lirst crop supplied a better substitute in the husks. The cabin itself displayed the ingenuity of the pioneer and the poverty of his resources. A log pen, with a single door and window, the latter closed with greased paper, and the door provided with a simple blanket, the fire-place constructed of such loose stones as could be found, and the chimney built up of sticks protected JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 97 with a covering of mud; the roof of "shakes" split from a straight- grained tree, and held in place b}' weight poles, completed the tout ensemble of the early homes. At first there was often no floor but the ground, but generally slabs split out from the unseasoned tim- ber were smoothed with the ax and made to do good service as a protection from the bare earth. When the door was constructed, these "puncheons" served as the material from which it was con- structed, wooden pins taking the place of nails, and wooden hinges, latch and bars serving the purposes of the modern builder's hard- ware. Breaking Ground These preliminaries accomplished, the most urgent necessity was to secure a crop. The plows were crude affairs, strong and serv- iceable, but requiring great team power and considerable mechani- cal skill in the plowman. The sod was found tough, not easily "tamed," and very uncertain in producing a first crop. So tenacious was the turf, that the furrow turned out one unbroken strip of earth, and occasionally, when not especially careful, the plowman had the disappointment of seeing yards of this leathery soil turn back to its natural position, necessitating the tedious operation of turning it all back again by hand. The expenditure of all this labor was generally well repaid the first year, if the sod became thor- oughly rotted, even though it produced but a small crop. Oftentimes the second and third plowing showed the soil stubborn and unkind. Few, even among farmers, know much of the labor involved in "breaking prairie," unless they have experienced its obstacles and overcome them. Corn was the only crop planted at first, and this furnished food for man and best. A few years later, it was a mark of unusual prosperity to be able to furnish wheat bread to especial guests. The first crop was generally planted by cutting a gash in the inverted sod with an ax, dropping in the corn and closing it bv another blow beside the first ; or it was dropped in every third furrow, and the sod turned on it; if the corn was so placed as to find space between the furrows, it would find dayhght; if not the result of the planting was extremely doubtful. Of course cultivation in this case was impossible, and if the squirrels and crows gave the crop an opportunity to mature, it generally proved a satisfactory return. Later, the culture of wheat was begun, and with the increase of markets had grown to larger proportions. 98 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES The Pioneer's Live Stock and Forage Most of the settlers brought in horses and cows, but the former pretty generally gave way to oxen for working purposes. Hogs were bought in the older settlements, and a little later sheep were introduced. All these animals were supported with little cost. The wide range of wild grass afforded excellent pasture and hay. With the range the early settlers had, their cattle would put on more flesh and in less time than on any other pasture. The sedge which grew along the sloughs was the first to start in the spring, and furnished the earliest pasture. The bent or blue-joint which was principally found along the sides of the sloughs, or, in the vernacular of the pioneer, "between the dry and wet land," was preferred by stock to all other varieties, especially when mixed with the wild pea-vine. This made the best hay, and as its yield was very large, was generally selected for this purpose. But the combined ravages of stock and scythe rapidly exterminated it, so that in many cases the ground where it grew became almost bare of vegetation. The stock and the farmer then resorted to upland grasses, but before the settlers multiplied so as to limit the range of the stock, the older and more experienced of the herd would go long distances to find their favorite pasture, often necessitating on the part of the pioneer a hunt of several days, as they could find plenty of wild grass and hay to feed upon. Horses raised upon the prairie were said never to be afflicted with the heaves, while horses brought here, suffering with this malady, were speedily cured by simply feeding on the native grasses. This advantage, however, was somewhat offset by the colic which this rank grass frequently produced in horses with fatal effect. The introduction of tame grasses has largely remedied this evil, and most farmers are now able to supply their stock with a mixture of the two kinds. But the wild grass of the present is not found in all its original purity, and the pea-vine is almost if not entirely extinct. Mills and Markets There is a beatitude not found in the usual list "Blessed be nothing, for ye shall want nothing," which finds abundant confirma- tion in every-day logic. Its converse, "The more we have, the more we want," is only another way of putting the same truth, and is suggested by the experience of the pioneers. No sooner was a crop secured than the lack of any proper means to reduce it to the necessities of the household was made painfully apparent. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 99 So long as the corn was soft, it was grated on rude graters, made by punching holes through a piece of tin. After it became hard, it was sometimes parched and ground in a coffee mill, and at other times pounded in a rudely constructed mortar. A stump was fol- lowed out by burning and scraping to serve as a mortar. Over this was suspended from a "sweep" a pestle, to the end of which was fixed an iron wedge, and with this rude machinery bushels of corn were broken sufficiently fine to use in the various ways common to pioneer days. The finest was used in "corn-pones" and dodgers, while the coarser part was used as hominy, the separation being effected by means of a sieve made of a perforated deer skin stretched tightly over a frame. "Corn-crackers" were put up in the various settlements at an early date, but these did but little better work than the mortar. They did the work quicker, and such a mill was kept running night and day, while the patrons coming from distances of fifteen or twenty miles would wait patiently for a day or two to get their "grist." But for flour, the only resort was to Lafayette, where an older settlement had secured the advantages of a "flouring mill." The demand for groceries was limited to the means of pur- chasing, which were generally of the most slender sort. There was but little to sell, and then the only market was at Chicago, where the settlers hauled hundreds of bushels of shelled corn to sell at thirty cents per bushel. Coon skins, however, were ahnost "landoffice" money. Fur buyers were an institution of the early times here, and many a quarter section was purchased with the price of these skins. Wild Honey and Pumpkin Sirup There were some luxuries, however, that could be secured with- out money. Bee trees were, in many parts of the country, found in great numbers, and no piece of timber was entirely devoid of them. It sometimes required an expert to find them, and some united pleasure and profit in this sort of hunting. An experienced hunter would go out in a bright, warm day in winter or late fall and burn some honey comb, which seldom failed to attract the game to the honey, which was provided for them. Loading up with this, the bee would rise, circling in the air, and then fly straight to its tree. It was then the hunter's business to follow the fleet-winged insect closely, and thus discover its secret. To do this required an expert, and there were few who were marked for their success. Some- times, a number of bees from a single tree, at no great distance. 100 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES were attracted. These do not rise in circles, but darting to and fro in a straight hne, make the course plain enough to be easily followed, but this is rare. In other cases, the best that can be done is to discover the direction of the bee's flight, and taking this — against the sun if possible — to stumble along with upturned gaze, scanning every tree for the tell-tale hole or crack. But when the tree was found, the battle was but half won. This must be felled, and the occupants dispossessed of their stores. When the hollow extended down to the point where the ax must penetrate it, the hunter was often obliged to decamp in hot haste as soon as the blows had aroused the swarm. The bee was easily domesticated, and many of the settlers cap- tured swarms, placed them in sections of hollow logs, and in a little while possessed a constant source of supply for the table and the market. In some cases, this was the principal source for the sweetening used in the culinary work of the cabin, and was the basis of a favorite drink. '"Alethegilin" was made of steeped honey comb, and honey fermented. It was counted an excellent drink, and much preferred to cider, and when strengthened by age became a powerful intoxicant. This, however, has passed away with many other of the homely joys of pioneer days. The ready tact of the pioneers' housewives, and the unpampered tastes of that early day, found a good substitute for fruit in the pumpkin. When frozen, they were prepared and stewed down to a sirup, which furnished a very acceptable substitute for sugar or molasses in the absence of honey, , and mixed with fresh, stewed pumpkin formed a desirable sweetmeat. They were planted in con- siderable numbers, and stored in a vault constructed underneath the ■ hay stacks to be fed to the cattle during the winter. Well may this "fruit loved of boyhood" be apostrophized by the poet, and be hon- orably placed in a state's coat of arms. HoosiER Hunting Grounds John E. Alter, an old resident of the county, published a book, in 1905, which contained a number of graphic pictures and well-told stories of scenes and events in Jasper and Newton counties. Two samples are selected, as a close to this chapter. In the K.\nkakee Marshes "We now call the reader's attention to a portion of the country in northwestern Indiana near the headwaters of the Iroquois river. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 101 a region now comprising Newton and Jasper counties, originally all called Jasper, in honor of Sergeant Jasper of Fort Moultrie fame. The Iroquois river takes its rise near the middle of Jasper, north and south, but near the western line of Township 29 north. Range 7 west from the Second principal meridian, in a small pond or slough ; running thence northward, bearing eastward in a circle or more nearly a spiral, thus making a complete circtiit of thirty-five miles and passing eastward at a point but three and a half miles south of the source. At the time in which the chief events of our story took place, there was no marked channel for the first eight miles of its course, but an artificial waterway has since been constructed. ''The network of marshes which feeds the Kankakee river on the north, the Iroquois on the south, the Pinkamink on the east and Beaver Lake (since drained away) on the west, is traversed by a series of sand hills, the general trend of which is east and west ; this line of low ridges is covered with a stunted growth of scrubby yel- low and black-oak timber and scanty growth of vegetation, and forms the principal watershed between the first two rivers. "In the year 1840, in the month of October, on the southern slope of Eaglesnest Ridge near the north shore of the Iroquois river, there stood a solitary man with a rifle in the hollow of his left arm and a belt full of muskrat skins around his body. He was dressed in the garb of a trapper, and had evidently just returned from a visit to his traps on the river below, or rather the marsh, for as has been stated there being no definite channel all seemed as marsh, and still plenty of water could be found in which to run a canoe, except in midsummer or early autumn. His well-worn jeans pants were jammed into the tops of a stout pair of cowhide boots, his hickory blouse was covered with grease and dirt, and a little rill of sweat was coursing its way from under his coonskin cap. along his temple and across his weather-beaten cheek. Dashing it away with his hand, he still continued to gaze down the marsh to the east- ward, as if expecting someone. After a searching glance more to the northward, he gave a grunt of uneasiness and, turning round, walked rapidly up the hill to the edge of a clump of black-oak bushes ; here he stopped and again turned and looked across the barrens to the eastward, but seeing nothing to his fancy he entered the thicket, stooping that he might the more easily press through among the branches of the young growth of bushes. "After a progress of three or four rods in this manner, he stopped before a rude door made of split saplings, having the inter- vening cracks calked or stuffed with marsh grass. The door had 102 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES been made with an ax and the parts bound together by oak withes. These withes are made by thoroughly twisting small bushes or limbs to make them pliable, and in this form they can be wrapped around pieces, or even tied in a knot, to fasten them together. Unbarring this, by removing a short pole, the heavy door swung back on its oaken hinges and the trapper walked into the side of the hill as it were, where all was total darkness but for the few rays of light which struggled through the narrow doorway from the gloomy thicket out- side. This gloom was soon dispelled, however, when he drew from his pocket a tinder box and flint. Striking the latter against the blade of his knife, the sparks flashed down into the little piece of leathery punk and ignited; this he placed against a few dry splints and a blaze was immediately produced. The blaze was next placed in contact with a lamp made by placing a twisted rag for a wick in a cup made of an oak knot, hollowed out and filled with coon oil. This made a brilliant light, which illuminated the whole apartment, the blaze, of course, flickering like a candle instead of giving off a steady light like a modern kerosene lamp. "The dugout, or camp, as we shall call it, contained many articles of usefulness for camp life. In one corner lay a pile of steel traps, in another was a rude bed of gunny-cloth filled with leaves ; a bolster, or long pillow, was made of the same material ; the covers consisted of wolf skins. A sort of shelf attached to the side of the room by means of stakes driven into the soft sand walls and the protruding ends covered with small sticks or poles, shaped smooth on the upper side, served as a table, shelf and general catch-all. The soft sand of the ceiling was prevented from falling in by means of split punch- eons, which were held in place by means of pole braces standing on the ground floor at irregular distances of five or six feet, all over the apartment. Suspended from this ceiling, or rather the punch- eons which sustained the sandy ceiling, were two or three bunches of dressed skins, mostly mink, muskrat and raccoon. "In two wooden hooks made from the forks of small limbs and fastened just above the door, the trapper now placed his rifle. Turn- ing around, he then made a thorough examination of everything in the room, as if to ascertain whether anything had been molested in his absence. At length assuming an air of satisfaction in regard to the state of the camp, he gathered a bundle of hickorj' sticks from near the foot of the bed, blew out the light and passed out of the cave-like dwelling with the cautious step peculiar to men who inhabit the wilds of any country. After securing the door, he walked to the border of the bushes and peered out before advancing. Seeing noth- JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 103 ing unusual, he stepped out and walked briskly to the foot of a tree" from which a large limb had fallen during some wind storm. Seating himself upon this limb he removed his belt and proceeded to stretch his rat-skins upon the hickory sticks, after bending them in the proper shape, then to brace them out at the open end until a neat stretch was obtained. After all were thus stretched, he proceeded to 'flesh' them, which is done by carefully cutting off all the fleshy strips and the film from the inside of the hide. The market value of all kinds of pelts depends much upon the care and labor employed in fleshing. The sticks were procured two or three miles down stream, as no hickory grew among these sand ridges. The trapper kept up a constant outlook while at his work by glancing over the marshes and through the woods at short intervals. Presently, his eye rested upon something through an oak opening, which held his attention for a full minute, after which he continued, his work with a contented look in his countenance. "Presently a man came in full view around a small quakeash grove and walked leisurely toward the ridge. He also carried a rifle and wore leather boots and fur cap, but unlike the trapper before introduced, he wore buckskin breeches and a hunting shirt made of the same material. A powder-horn and' bullet-pouch hung under his arm and a large knife stuck in a scabbard which was attached to his belt. He was followed by a large yellow hound, with long pendulous ears — a noble looking fellow, measuring fully six feet from tip to tip. " 'Well, Ben,' said the first man, looking up from his rat-hide, 'I was just beginning to be uneasy about you, lest you might have found trouble. Did you see any Red-skins ?' " 'None,' said Ben, as he threw down a pheasant with its head shot off, 'but I see their trail down at the sandy crossing a mile below here, where they have crossed the stream and gone south.' " 'They must be camped over near the Baty marsh,' said George, whose surname was Maiden. His friend's name was Ben Raymond. " 'Their wigwams are not far away, you may be sure,' said Ben, 'for I see the moccasin tracks every day along the marsh.' "It may be well to explain here that there were no hostile or savage tribes of Indians in Jasper County in 1840, but there were many Indians along the Iroquois and Pinkamink rivers; the rem- nant of a tribe who professed to be friendly, and were in the main ; yet they were easily angered and would, at the slightest provocation, seek secret revenge. Those in the immediate vicinity of the trap- 104 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES pers' camp considered the whites intruders upon their trapping grounds. "George had by this time finished his work and gathered up his green hides, carried them into the cave to keep them from the troublesome birds and coyotes, or prairie wolves. They would have cured much sooner in the sunshine, but George wished to be sure of their safety. The odor of musk given off by these skins would almost suffocate anyone not used to it, but these men had become so accustomed to the scent of muskrats, mink and even skunk, that they seemed to have no great dislike to it. "When the trapper returned from the cave he brought the tinder and splits and proceeded to make a fire with dry limbs and sticks picked up on the hillside, while Ben dressed the pheasant. An iron pot was hanging on a pole, supported by two forks driven in to the ground. The bird was soon cleaned and ready for the pot, and then Ben brought some water from a hole dug in the flat at the foot of the hill. This well or spring had no curb or covering of any kind, consequently two or three dozen frogs were swimming about or diving to the bottom. But this is the case with all open wells in a new country, and the water is swallowed with impunity. " 'By the way, Ben, let's have roast for supper in place of pheasant soup.' " 'How will you roast without an oven ? ' " 'You make the tea and I'll show you.' The tea was made from red-root leaves gathered from the hillside, where it grew m profusion. Dried in the sun, it made a very good substitute for the Chinese article. "George wrapped the bird in green leaves, and then covered it with a thick envelope of mud taken from the sides of the well and covering it with ashes and coals, allowed it to bake. When done it was served with tea, in wooden cups whittled out of the aspen which grew abundantly on the flats. Broken pieces of corn cake and some parched acorns were next set out, and a little salt was added to the bird, George having forgotten it before it was 'put to bake.' "The weather being fine, as it usually is in autumn in this lati- tude, supper was taken in the open air under a large tree. The hun- ters chatted freely and seemed to enjoy their frugal meal. The sun had slipped down behind the ridge and out of sight, although not yet sunset, properly speaking. Two or three bald eagles were sailing about just above the trees, giving an occasional scream, as if to inquire what was meant by intruding upon their haunts. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 105 ■■ "1 think I'll take a shot at that old eagle if she alights on one of these trees,' said George. " 'They are not likely to come so near us, except in brooding time, when they will even attack a man in defense of their nest or their young,' observed Ben. " 'These are the first bald eagles I have ever seen,' said George. 'What large, noble-looking birds they are. But are they really bald-headed, Ben? Their heads and neck appear as white as snow.' " 'No, they are not bald, but have been given this name from the appearance to baldness produced by the white feathers on the head and neck. They are also called the American eagle and adopted as the emblem of our country.' "At that moment one of the birds wheeled suddenly in its flight, arched its wings and darted to the ground like a_ meteor. The wild grass being of a luxuriant growth in the flat, partially broke the swoop of the bird. A momentary struggle, a sharp scream, and away it flew over the hill with a full-grown rabbit in its talons. " 'Well, the wicked robber !' cried George. 'Do you think he intends to eat it?' " 'Oh, yes; the bald eagle is a bird of prey and kills his own game for food when he can find it, although he will even resort to carrion when pressed by hunger.' " 'See what large sticks in that nest, almost as large as a man's leg.' "Yes, the nest is built large and strong, and then the same nest is used each year for many years in succession. The female lays two large white eggs about the first of February, and the young are hatched about the first of March.' "Supper over and the few cooking utensils put away, after the backwoods fashion, George lit his pipe and the following dialogue took place: 'George, I think you would do well to take up your traps for a few days, lest the Indians steel them. The fur will not be first-class yet for a couple of weeks anyway.' " 'You're right, Ben. But I'm anxious to be after 'em. Who can stand the sight of four hundred rat houses in one marsh and not get nervous? And such fine ones, too. They say if the rats build tall houses, it's a sign of high water.' " 'Such may be the fact,' said Ben, 'for all animals are endowed with special instinct for protection, in place of reason, which belongs to man alone.' " 'Well, if you think best I will take up the traps in the morning and we'll see what we can find with the rifles.' 106 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES "Darkness had now gathered around them, and, with a few part- ing wififs at his pipe, George started for the cave, followed by his companion. The hoot of an owl near by was answered by another half a mile away. Myriads of frogs in the surrounding marshes kept up a continual din, while a dozen brazen-throated bull-frogs in a deep pond near by did the bass for the other warblers of the night. A couple of wolves across the marsh set up such a babel of barks and howls as to sound like a pack of fifty curs. But our hunters were used to these things, and without giving them the least attention they lay down on their bed of leaves and slept the sleep of the weary." A Pottawattamie Village Also from Alter's "Hoosier Hunting Grounds :" "We will now follow Ben and leave the other two hunters to look after themselves for a while. Crossing the river at the sandy crossing, where a cloud of ducks arose from the water, with their deafen- ing roar of wings and their quack, quack, quack, he took a south- easterly direction through the woods, keeping his course by the sun, with its dusky, red face veiled by the smoke of Indian summer. There was no path to follow, but he knew the general direction he wished to go; therefore he had but little trouble in shaping his course. Bees still swarmed out in search of the few flowers that had not been nipped by the early frost of autumn. Frogs croaked, the mocking birds still sang their morning carols from the tops of the tallest trees, and robin red-breasts hopped about in quest of worms. Wild geese, cranes and brants passed constantly overhead or waded and paddled in the ponds at will. The geese darted their heads low in the water in quest of snails and bugs, while their feet paddled the thin water to maintain their equilibrium. "Ben enjoyed all these things, for he was not only a student, but a lover of nature. Just before leaving the timber and entering upon the broad prairie he seated himself upon the limb of a fallen tree to rest and watch the gambols of half a dozen squirrels that were chasing each other from limb to limb, now to the very top of a tall hickory tree, then away again and down, down to the leafy ground, here scuffing and rolling on a bed of moss. One of them in his haste slipped from a small log on which he was running into a pool of water, when, as if ashamed of his own awkward act, he dashed away with all speed, shaking the water from his hairy hide as he went and ran up an old snag and into a hole. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 107 "At this instant Ben was startled by the whisthng of an arrow, which buried itself beyond the dart in the log within three inches of where he sat. It came with such force that the trembling shaft hummed like a top. Springing to his feet he cocked his rifle and peered into the bushes from which the arrow seemed to have sped. Seeing no one he nimbly stepped behind a tree and watched for some move on the part of his unseen adversary. He had but a minute to wait, when a Pottawattamie Indian stepped from behind a tree, dropped his bow on the ground, raised both hands above his head in token of surrender, and walked slowly toward the hunter. "Ben, however, suspecting treachery, kept on his guard and watched the background for more enemies, as well as the advancing redskin. " 'Me no mad, me good friend. Me tink you sleep on log ; shoot arrow so you wake up.' "Ben, now being assured that the Indian was alone, took the proffered hand of friendship ; after which they seated themselves on the log and the following conversation took place : " 'Who are you and why did you shoot at me?' asked Ben. " "Me Pottawattamie, name Bird-eye. Hunt pheasant for pap- poose and sick squaw. Me no shoot at white man, shoot at log; no hit white man, hit log.' " 'I see you hit the log, but it came uncomfortably near to me.' " 'Ugh, me like see you jump.' "Ben knew the Indian had not tried to kill him, or he would have shot near his breast, as is customary with most savages at short range. " 'Where do you live ?' " 'Live in wigvvam on river, one hour away to sunrise.' " 'How many of your people live near you?' In answer to this question the Indian raised both hands, with fingers and thumbs extended, repeating the action. 'Twenty,' said Ben, half aloud. 'Do you raise any com ?' " 'Me got corn.' " 'Would you sell some of it ?' The Indian gnmted and gave a nod in the affirmative. "After a moment's pause Ben thought it would be better to buy corn of these savages than risk getting corn or meal at Newton, and besides carrying it from so much greater distance ; therefore he gave the savage to understand that he wished to accompany him home and purchase a little of his corn. Whereupon Bird-eye ad- justed his belt, which contained a brace of pheasants and a squirrel, 108 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES walked to a tree, picked up his bow, and without further comment led the way to a little Indian village on the right bank of the Iro- quois, three or four miles east of the place where they had first met in the woods. "The village consisted of about a dozen wigwams, placed in a row along the river bank, which at this point was ten or twelve feet above the marsh. The marsh was here about half a mile wide, through the middle of which slowly meandered the sluggish chan- nel. The whole marsh for miles, however, was nothing less than a deep lake, on the surface of which was forming a floating sod that, in places, would support the weight of a man ; gently sinking into the water, however, until a basinlike depression a rod wide was formed, into which the water would rise if the weight was not immediately removed ; while in other places the sod formation was so thin that it would 'mire a duck.' At the moment they entered the clearing in front of the huts a loud noise came from the tim- ber south and west — yelling of Indians, barking of dogs and crack- ing of brush. Nearer and nearer came the din. Bird-eye bounded across the clearing and into the woods. Ben followed slowly, not knowing what the chase might be. He had walked a distance of about fifty paces south of the last wigwam in the row, when four deer came bounding out of the thicket in full sight and ran through an open glade toward the river. When at full broadside he fired at the near- est, which was a large doe. When the gun cracked she fell in her tracks. The other three ran down the steep bank and steered around below the camp, when suddenly the squaws rushed from the wigwams brandishing splint brooms, baskets, coonskins and clubs, shouting and screaming like demons. This checked the deer in their flight, and this second fright caused them to wheel suddenly and back-track with great speed ; but when nearing the point where they had descended the bank, the Indians came yelling out of the bushes and commenced pouring the arrows into them. At the same time the squaws closed in from above, and Ben, bringing up the center, the deer were forced into the muck and the floating sod of the marsh. A few floundering jumps proved the uselessness of escape in that direction. "The largest, a five-pronged buck, who was in the lead, took in the difficulty, and turning around struggled back until he had placed himself between the other two and their pursuers. Shaking his head of horns and blowing the mud and water from his muzzle, with a snort of defiance he stood at bay, with green, angry eyes staring at the mottled group on the bank. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 109 "At this juncture Ben, who had reloaded, stepped forward and raised his rifle; but a grunt of disapproval from two or three, and Bird-eye waving him to desist, he lowered his gun, uncocked it, dropped the breech to the ground, and waited the will of the crowd. After quite a great deal of debating in their own language, and much gesticulating with hands and heads, they seemed to arrive at a deci- sion. Two young fellows, seemingly about seventeen years of age, threw off their hunting shirts, breeches and moccasins, leaving nothing but a shirt, or rather a short skirt of some cheap material reaching from the waist to just above the knees; grasping a knife in one hand and a tomahawk in the other, they commenced picking their way over the springing turf. The buck tossed his head wick- edly as they drew near. Separating, they came on to the attack, one from each side, and sprang upon him with all the boldness of their savage natures. As they struck, the buck maddened by the pain caused by two arrows still sticking in his side, together with the onslaught of his adversaries, gave a bleat of rage and thew his heavy horns, first backward and then to the right and left with so much force, as almost to blind the two young Indians, covering them with mud and water. The move was so unexpected that one missed the deer and lost his hatchet in the water, while the other, missing the head, struck a horn, knocking it off. They now beat a hasty retreat, scrambling back as best they could, while their friends cheered loudly to see the sport. "A second attack was made immediately, one making for the head again with his tomahawk, while the other actually leaped upon the animal's back and endeavored to cut his throat. The buck- paid but little attention to the one in the rear, as it was the other who had given him such a blow in the onset as to deprive him of one of his weapons. Keeping his eye on him he was ready for the attack, and rearing high as the youth came near he struck him with both front feet like a wild broncho. "The savage dropped his weapon and fell back wounded. The buck was quick to follow up his advantage and, with the other youth on his back, he lunged forward again and, with half a dozen thrusts of his powerful forelegs he shoved the Indian far under the muck and water to rise no more. Instantly changing tactics, he now pulled for the bank, making short but rapid jumps. "The greater portion of the Indians stood and watched him come out and run up the bank without making any resistance, being terrified by the scene of the drowning boy. Three or four, how- ever, had the presence of mind to shoot arrows into him as he passed. 110 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Nothing daunted, he rushed up the bank and away through the low jack-oak bushes at full speed, with the boy on his back, his arms around his neck. "The old doe and her fawn, almost grown, now came leaping out of the marsh as best they could; but the Indians had rallied by this time, and arrows pierced the side of the doe in great numbers. She was still holding on her way, though wounded, when one fellow fired a shot from an old musket loaded with ball. This took effect in the shoulder, and she leaped high in the air and fell dead on her side. The fawn was caught and pulled down by the dogs as soon as he reached the solid ground. "No time was lost in making search for the drowned boy, but though the search was continued for days the body was never found. It probably sank to the bottom of the deep lake after being stamped through the thin coat of sod which covered the water. [A foot-note here states that "the depth of water was tested in the Burk marsh on the Iroquois river in 1865, by L. A. Bostwick, C. E., and gas pipe was pushed through floating sod and muck to the depth of fifty feet."] "Several of the party were sent after the old buck and his daring rider. Dogs were placed upon the trail, but they followed little faster than the men, who, with their swinging trot, kept the trail as well as the dogs. Once they had sight of him as he passed an open place in the timber. Like Diana of old, he seemed to be giving chase, mounted on the fleetest beast of the woods, his scalp- lock unbraided and flying loose to the wind. It was only for a second, when he was dashed into the jungle and out of sight. "That night was one of mourning in the village. The squaws placed handfuls of sand on their heads, danced up and down, and groaned and screamed out like panthers. The men who were not engaged in the search for the body or in pursuit of the runaways, built three or four small fires along the foot of the ridge or river bank, and kept up a continuous trotting back and forth by the fires during the whole of that dark night, for the sky was overcast with clouds and the moon did not rise until near morning. "Ben described it as a night long to be remembered. The crack- ing, snapping fires echoing from the overhanging trees along the bank of the river; the long-drawn humming in both guttural and nasal tones by the watchers as they trotted to and fro, in that cease- less, rhythmic pat, pat, pat of moccasined feet on the crisp leaves of the forest ; the ever-changing wailing of the squaws in the wig- wams and the phantom-like forms, flitting here and there with JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 111 torches searching for the dead. All this was truly awe-inspiring in the pitchy darkness. "At intervals the baying of hounds gave proof that the chase was still on, whether the rider was or not. No sleep came to the eyes of our friend that night. At times his thoughts would revert to his friends back in the cave, then again to friends in other lands ; but they never strayed far till brought back to the ceaseless tread of feet on the dead march and the funeral dirge of the mourning savages. But at last, like all other nights, this one, so full of mel- ancholy scenes and sounds, passed away. "The sun rose clear, but was soon obscured by scudding clouds, which betokened rain. A few old Indians, including the father of the unfortunate boy, were still feeling for the body with poles; but most of the band were either preparing or partaking of the morning meal, which consisted of hominy, corn cakes and various wild meats. "Bird-eye now came up to Ben, where he was seated on a stump in the center of the enclosure, and invited him into his rude tent for the first time. Ben arose and followed without a word. On entering the narrow, circular apartment he was struck by the tidy ' appearance and the systematic arrangement of the various articles in so small a place. On the north side of the tent or wigwam was hung all manner of peltries. Immediately under them was a rifle well poised in wooden davits ; also a powder horn, bullet pouch, and two large knives in sheathes. Next below them rested three long bows, well wrapped and finished with deer sinews ; also, three quivers of arrows, smooth and straight, with feathered shafts and iron darts firmly fixed in the heads. On the eastern curve were the cooking utensils, few in number but tastefully arranged. "On either side of the doorway were bunches of steel-traps, grouped as to sizes ; a corn hoe, a dibble, and some other articles of minor importance. In the center of the apartment was a brisk little fire of dry fagots, from which the smoke ascended to the top of the wigwam, where it found egress through an opening at the junction of the tepee poles. On a hay bed covered with skins reclined an Indian squaw of about twenty-five years of age. Her emaciated form and pinched, haggard features, showed her to be sufifering from some lingering disease. Near her, on a buffalo hide, sat two other females. One was an old crone with white locks and the other an Indian maiden of rare beauty, whose glossy black hair shone like ebony. Her eyes were bright and piercing, yet soft and kind as those of a dove. 112 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES "Ben gave the girl a look of admiration; then turned to the af- flicted one with a glance of pity. Neither of the females spoke when the men entered the cabin. A skillet of meat was sitting near the fire, which the maid placed in a large oaken platter containing corn cakes and dried venison, while Bird-eye placed the only stool in the room at Ben's disposal. She then passed the food to the two men, who took pieces out with their fingers and 'did eat.' Water was next placed before them in a gourd, from which they quenched their thirst alternately. After the meal was finished, Bird-eye walked to the couch of the invalid and a low conversation took place in the Pot- tawattamie tongue. "The sky had become more and more threatening during the time passed in the hut, and the wind was rising. The Indian stepped to the door to note the aspect of the weather. 'Big storm,' he said, as he moved quietly outside and ran quickly to each tent, informing the inmates of the impending storm, which was now fast breaking upon ■ them. In a few minutes he returned and began making things secure by fastening the corners of the skins with thongs of deer-hide and bracing the tent with extra pole braces. A great yellow bank of curvetting cloud came rolling down the heavens, which seemed to be followed and pushed ahead by an uneasy power which roared and bellowed like ten thousand maddened bulls. It was something ter- rific. Ben described it as being equal to a tropical tornado, a real Caribbean cyclone and an African hurricane combined. The trees bowed their tops to the earth in humble subjection to the powers that be, and many were snapped in twain with reports like heavy artillery. Wilder and wilder raged the tempest. The driving rain came down in blinding sheets. A flood of water rushed through the wigwam a foot deep. "Ben and the Indian were using their utmost endeavors to hold the braces and thus keep the tent from going away with the blast. The maid sprang up and raised the sick woman to a sitting posture, so that her head might be out of the water; but the old crone still sat in the water almost to her waist, crooning sad strains of some sorrow song as she swayed her body back and forth, without paying the slightest attention to the warring of the elements. "The lodge poles were bent like reeds in the marsh and the rain dashed through the holes and crevices in the skins in great bucket- fuls. Vivid flashes of zigzag and sheet lightning almost blinded them, and peal upon peal of thunder seemed to rend the heavens in a million seams, whereby the pent-up waters dashed and fell on the JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 113 earth in oceans of waterspouts. One could not have stood on his feet a second out in the storm. "In the course of half an hour, which seemed almost an age to those who had to stem the storm, the din ceased, and this cloudy cauldron of wind, water and electricity, each struggling for the mas- tery, passed away as quickly as it had come. The trees lifted their heads, except those whose hearts had been broken, and the water dripped from their leaves and branches. The wind ceased, the sun burst forth from behind a cloud, and nature seemed to smile upon the wreck and desolation everywhere visible. Broad streams, rivulets and rills were still gurgling down the sloping woodland and over the river bank into the marsh lake, with a roar like a Liliputian cataract. "Everything and everybody were drenched ; not a dry thread could be found in the whole village. Three of the wigwams had been blown down, two pappooses were drowned in the flood, and one was killed by a falling tent pole. Pools were everywhere, and in the level oak openings to the southwest great ponds, and even lakes, spread out like mammoth mirrors in the sunshine. The whole river marsh was one vast lake as far as the eye could reach in the blue vista to the southeast. "After considerable difficulty a fire was Hghted and, others bor- rowing from it, soon each lodge possessed a blaze to dry out the contents. "Bird-eye made his squaw as comfortable as could be expected under the circumstances, which were bad enough at best. "At this juncture, a general shout proclaimed the approach of the search party who had followed the trail of the dauntless rider." This hero of the day had been found much battered, but not dead. After giving the Indian a wild ride of several miles through the woods the infuriated buck had finally thrown its rider, but not before the luckless beast had left one of his ears which the Potta- wattamie youth had slashed away in his efiforts to reach the throat of the still very lively piece of venison. The buck certainly deserved his life, after having sacrificed one horn and one ear in the fortunes of the chase. CHAPTER X JASPER COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR State Militia Previous to the Civil War — Jasper County in THE War of the Rebellion — The Ninth as a Three-Months' Regiment — General Robert H. Milroy, Leading Military Figure — Unveiling of Memorial at Milroy Park — Judge Hammond's Tribute to General Milroy — A Nursery of Military Renown — First Union Victim of the Battle- field— Company A, Fifteenth Indiana Infantry — The Sev- enteenth Infantry — The Forty-eighth Regiment — The Eighty-seventh — Twelfth Cavalry, Company K — Fourth Battery, Light Artillery. At the time of the Mexican war, Jasper County was so sparsely settled that no complete body of troops could be drawn from its pop- ulace, but at the outbreak of the Civil war, although still far from overburdened with people, it was one of the few counties of Indiana that had a military organization under the law of 1855. State Militia Previous to the Civil War From the formation of the state to 1830, the state militia was in high repute, and afforded the surest channel through which to achieve civil distinction. Four years later, the organization was entirely abandoned, and public sentiment seemed to react and render the later efforts to revive the system a failure. On the 14th of June, 1852, an act was passed for the organization of the militia by Con- gressional districts ; and on the 12th of February, 1855, an "Act concerning the organization of voluntary associations" was passed, providing for the formation of military companies by filing articles of association in like manner as provided for organizing, building, mining and manufacturing companies. These laws were practically of no value, merely without regulations sufficient to secure any suc- cessful result. Many commissions were issued, in most cases for the mere purpose of conferring honorary military titles upon the 114 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 115 recipients; but with the exception of probably a dozen companies (most of which had but a brief existence) formed in various parts of the state in 1859-60, aggregating about 500 men, no organizations were made. Such was the condition of the military force of the state when Fort Sumter surrendered on the 13th of April, 1861, and when on the iSth, Governor Morton telegraphed to President Lin- coln, the tender of 10,000 men, "for the defense of the Nation." On the same day, the President issued his proclamation calling forth the militia of the several states of the Union to the aggregate number of 7S,ooo men. The quota of Indiana was subsequently fixed at six regiments of infantry, comprising in rank and file 4,683 men, to serve for three months, if not sooner discharged. No militia existed in fact, and on the i6th inst. Governor Morton issued his proclamation, in which, after stating the cause, he called '"upon the loyal and patriotic men of this state, to the number of six regiments, to organize themselves into military companies, and forthwith report the same to the adjutant general," etc. The response from every part of the state was prompt and unanimous. The day after the call there were 500 men in camp ; on the 19th there were 2,400 men,. and in less than seven days more than 12,000 men had been tendered. Contests to secure the acceptance of companies were earnest and fre- quent, and all seemed anxious to discharge this perilous duty of citizenship. 1 he response from Jasper County to the governor's call was prompt and enthusiastic. A grand rally brought the citizens together from every township. R. H. Milroy took the lead, and called for volunteers, who crowded forward and filled the ranks of one of the earliest companies in the state. Jasper County in the War of the Rebellion In response to the seven calls for troops issued by President Lin- coln to crush the rebellion, which at first was supposed to be the matter of a three months' task, Jasper County furnished 935 soldiers ; which is a most creditable record, considering that during that period its average population was about 5,000 men, women and children. Little difficulty was experienced in obtaining volunteers during the first two years of the war, and no eflFort was made by the county to stipulate enlistments by ofifering bounties. In fact, the finances of the county would not warrant any such step. But the continu- ance of the terrible war finally overrode any considerations of financial caution. ' In August, 1862, an order was passed by the county commission- 116 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES ers to pay a bounty of $25, but was subsequently rescinded. On November 24, 1863, the subject was again brought forward, and an order passed to pay $60 to volunteers credited upon the quota of the county under the call of October 17, 1863, and this amount was in- creased in the following month to $100, which resulted in the pay- ment of $4,900 as bounties by the county. Various measures of relief for the families of soldiers were introduced, which were car- ried out at an expense of $4,641.77. The various townships, in their independent capacity, added to the general expenditure for both objects, as follows : Townships Bounty Relief Hanging Grove Township $ 2,700.00 $ 400.00 Gillam Township i,950-00 500.00 Walker Township 25.00 Barkley Township 5,900.00 300.00 Marion Township 5,050.00 200.00 Jordan Township 200.00 .... Newton Township 200.00 100.00 Keener Township 30.00 .... Kankakee Township 100.00 .... Wheatfield Township 323.00 .... Carpenter Township 600.00 .... County Commissioners 4,900.00 4,641.77 $21,978.00 $6,141.77 The ladies also formed a Soldiers' Aid Society at Rensselaer. This was not completely organized, or auxiliary to the city organ- ization, but patriotic ladies, with earnest hearts and willing hands, busied themselves in providing such articles as the hospitals and the boys in the field stood in greatest need. The society met at the resi- dence of its members, and worked up the material that some mem- ber, or the donation of some merchant, had provided. Donations of the usual kind were solicited in the country and town ; "boxes" were sent to volunteers of the county ; contributions to general hos- pitals were made, and whenever the demand seemed most urgent, the labor and contributions of these ladies were freely given. The amount thus expended cannot be estimated, but there is no doubt that it would compare very favorably with the amount of the "relief" fund expended by the county treasury. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 117 The Ninth as a Three Months' Regiment In the Mexican war, the state had five regiments, and to avoid historical confusion, the regiments raised for the War of the Re- bellion were designated by numbers, beginning with six. The Ninth was, therefore, the third regiment organized, for the War of 1861-65. This regiment was organized and mustered into the service for three months, at Indianapolis, on the 25th of April, 1861, with Robert H. Milroy as Colonel. In this regiment Jasper County was represented by a full company, the original officers of which were Robert H. Milroy, captain; Gideon C. Moody, first lieutenant, and Edward P. Hammond, second lieutenant. In the organization of the regiment, this company was ranked G ; the captain promoted to the colonelcy of the regiment, and the regular promotion of the lieutenants, plac- ing Albert G. Guthridge in commission as second lieutenant. Com- pany G may be said to be the nursery of Jasper County's military renown, as from its organization rose one general, three colonels and a number of line officers. The Ninth was the first regiment that left the state for Western Virginia, departing from Indianapolis on the 29th of May, and arriving at Grafton on the ist of June. From this point it marched toward Philippi, in the column cominanded by Colonel Kelley, and took part in the surprise of the rebel camp at that place on the morn- ing of the 3d of June. This march of twenty-two miles over muddy roads, in an intensely dark and stormy night, was the first introduc- tion of the regiment to the drudgery of army life. The affair at Philippi was but little more than a skirmish, the enemy, after a mo- mentary resistance, making a precipitate retreat. The expedition returned to Grafton, when the Ninth was assigned to General Morris' brigade. By July 4, 1861, the army at Grafton, under the immediate command of McClellan, numbered 30,000 troops, and operations were at once begun against the enemy, who had taken position at Laurel Hill. Here the rebels made a more vigorous resistance, but, greatly outnumbered, they gave way in a disorderly retreat, not, however, before inflicting a loss of some fifty killed and wounded upon the Union forces. Gen. Robert H. Milroy, Leading Military Figure Jasper County furnished several companies and a number of contingents for service in the Civil war, which were incorporated with the ninth, fifteenth, seventeenth, forty-eighth and eighty-seventh 118 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Indiana infantry regiments; with the twelfth cavahy, the fourth battery of Ught artillery and other organizations, in which it was less strongly represented. Its most eminent military figure was Gen. Robert H. Milroy, in whose honor the stately memorial at Rensselaer was dedicated fifty-five years after the conclusion of his Civil war career. Robert Houston Milroy was bom in Washington County, Indiana, June II, 1816. Unable in his youth to secure a collegiate education, he entered the military school at Norwich, Connecticut, at the age of twenty-four, and in three years took three degrees, master of arts, master of military science and master of civil engineering. Afterward he taught fencing for a few months, returned to Indiana, drifted to Texas, relocated in the Hoosier state, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1849, and completed a post-graduate course at Bloomington in 1850. He failed to get to the front in the Mexi- can war, although he enlisted early and received a captain's com- mission in the First Indiana Regiment. He was, however, a mem- ber of the convention which created the constitution of 1851, and soon after completing his service in that capacity was appointed judge of the Eighth Judicial Circuit. In 1854 he resigned from the bench and transferred his residence from Delphi to Rensselaer. Judge J\lilroy was in Indianapolis when the news of the firing on Fort Sumter reached Governor Morton, and, after traveling all night to reach Rensselaer, he at once raised a company of volun- teers. The officers chosen were Robert H. Milroy, captain ; Edwin P. Hammond, first lieutenant ; Gideon C. Moody, second lieutenant. The company became G, of the Ninth Regiment, of which Captain Milroy became colonel, April 25, 1861. The ninth was the first regiment to leave the state, and served in the West Virginia campaigns under McClellan and Morris, where Milroy and his command won the name of ever being ready for duty or a fight. When the three months' enlistment was com- pleted, the ninth promptly re-enlisted for three years. The Jasper County company retained its original position, but had Joshua Healey for captain. In September, 1861, for meritorious service, Milroy was made brigadier-general, and again assigned to duty in West Virginia. It was in the Cheat Mountain country that, mounted on "Jasper," he won the title of the Gray Eagle of the Army. Then it was that owing to his severe but efficacious orders in suppressing the mountain rangers, or guerrillas, the Confederate Congress offered a reward of $100,000 for him, dead or alive. In November, 1862. Milroy was made major-general of volun- JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 119 teers, and was in command at Winchester, in 1863, when Lee's massed forces started to invade Pennsylvania. Ordered to evacuate the place, he replied that he was able to hold it against any force the enemy could send against it. He did defend it for three days, or until both ammunition and food were virtually exhausted, when he cut his way out at night with heavy loss, thus materially retarding the progress of Lee's army as a whole toward Gettysburg. In 1864 he won a merited consolation for the Winchester disaster, General Robert H. Milroy The Gray Eagle of the Army in a sally from Murfreesboro, in which he decisively defeated Bates' infantry. His conduct at the former point was made the subject of military investigation, but, although exonerated, he resigned from the army in 1865. After the war General Milroy served in many positions of trust and responsibility, being a trustee of the Wabash & Erie Canal, superintendent of Indian affairs and Indian agent, with headquarters at Olympia, Washington. It was while in office at that point that he died, March 29, 1890, and was buried with the military honors and civic ceremonies befitting his record and his fame. 120 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Although surmounted by an imposing statue of that grand figure in life, known as the Gray Eagle, the memorial is also a tribute to the valor and faithfulness of Jasper County soldiers as a body and by individual names. Miss Mary Washburn, formerly of Rensselaer, was the sculptress of the heroic figure, and Miss Mildred Knight, of Delphi, a grandniece of the General, unveiled it. Unveiling of Memori.\l at Milroy Park Both Milroy Park and the soldiers' monument, of which it is the central feature, were largely the creation of Mrs. Alfred Thomp- The Old Milroy Homestead Located on the site of Milroy Park and torn down in 1902 son. The memorial was unveiled on July 4, 1910, in the presence of an assemblage estimated at eight or ten thousand people. The relatives of General ]\Iilroy who were present: V. A. Milroy, a son, of Olympia, Washington ; C. E. Milroy and wife, Chicago ; Mrs. Alice Keith and Miss Jennie Beck, Delphi ; Misses Dorothy and Mildred Knight and Harry C. Milroy, Delphi ; Robert Milroy, Battle Creek, Michigan; Donald Milroy, Chicago; Will Armitage, wife and daughter, Lafayette ; John Armitage, Delphi ; Dr. and Mrs. Ballard, Logansport, and Mrs. Carrie Milroy Sims, Delphi. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 121 Judge Hammond's Tribute to General Milroy The address opening the formal ceremonies of unveiHng was by Judge E. P. Hammond, who went out as a lieutenant of Company G, of Colonel Milroy's regiment, and reached the rank of lieutenant- colonel of the forty-eighth before the close of the war. He said, in part: "It is a great personal gratification to preside at the dedica- tion of the monument to this distinguished soldier, and especially on the anniversay of the birth of the Republic. While the nation at large is celebrating the day, we might well, in addition, rejoice in this event which more particularly concerns our own community and state. The monument is to the valor not only of General Mil- roy, but to those who were his comrades in arms. It is a memorial to the honor of all. Great praise is due to the generosity of our citizens in its erection. In particular is praise due to the work of Mrs. Alfred Thompson, who originated and executed the movement. "All the great generals of the Civil war are gone. General McGinnis being the last, having died a few weeks since. General Milroy has been dead twenty years. He may not have been great, in the ordinary sense of the term as applied to ancient and modern warriors. However, if the term great be limited to pure patriotism and bravery, then no general ever lived who was more entitled to the name than Milroy. He had no conception of fear. Of him Major Benham, of the regular army, remarked in action: "There goes Milroy. The rebels may kill, but cannot scare him.' "General Milroy always took the initiative in battle unless restrained by superior authority. He inherited fighting blood from both maternal and paternal ancestors. Through his ancestor, John McElroy, Earl of Annondale, he was descended from Robert Bruce, the Scottish king. The name, changed to Milroy on immigration here in colonial days, is identified with warfare from Indian times. His father. General Samuel Milroy, married Martha Houston, a near relative of General Sam Houston. "General Robert H. Milroy was born at Salem, Indiana, June II, 1816. Largely self-taught, he entered Norwich Military Uni- versity in 1840 and graduated as class valedictorian in 1843. ^^ experienced much hostility during the war from the prejudice of West Point graduates. He served as captain in Company C, First Regiinent Indiana Volunteers, in the Mexican war, afterward gradu- ating in law in the Indiana University, and locating in this city (then a village) in 1854. In 1858 Judge Hammond also located here, and from then until the Civil war was more or less intimately 122 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES associated with General Alilroy. A simply trust and faith in others was characteristic of General Milroy, but if anyone infringed on his honor, distance from the General added greatly to his safety. He was a good lawyer, but owing to haste in diction, was not equally good as an advocate. He was a splendid specimen of physical man- hood, being six feet two and one-half inches in height, with unusual The Memorial Monument and symmetrical development, and excelled as a boxer and swords- man. Through seconding a proposed duel, he became estranged from his church in 1861, but late in life renewed his church allegiance. "At the first news of the fall of Fort Sumter, he raised Company G, Ninth Indiana, of which Judge Hammond was lieutenant, and was soon commissioned colonel in the three months' service and passed through a number of engagements. The Ninth then re-en- JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 123 listed for three years with Mihoy as its colonel, and February 2, 1862, he was commissioned brigadier-general, serving under Sigel and Fremont, and in March, 1863, he was commissioned major- general. To check extreme outrages on loyal citizens by rebel neighbors in his district he ordered restitution in twenty-four hours, with the alternative of death. This induced the offer of $100,000 for his head by the rebels and complaint by the rebels to the Federal Government. On investigation, however, the order was not revoked. In the second battle of Bull Run he held that if his wing of the forces had been supported a great mistake would have been avoided and a different result would have been reached. "Carl Schurz says : 'General Milroy was extremely democratic in the treatment of his troops, discussing plans with and taking the views of his subordinates with the greatest freedom, and was re- spected and liked by all.' As evidence of the esteem in which he was held, he had three swords presented him — one, a gold-plated sword, by his officers ; the second, a $1,000 sword by the Twenty-fifth Ohio, and a third, by loyal citizens of Tennessee." A Nursery of Military Renown The above title has been justly applied to the Ninth Indiana Regiment, as witness the following facts relating to the military careers of those who were originally connected with that organi- zation. Capt. Robert H. Milroy became a major general. Lieut. Gideon C. Moody became colonel of the regiment and was afterward a United States senator from South Dakota. Lieut. E. P. Hammond became lieutenant colonel of the Forty- eighth Regiment and afterward a State Supreme Court judge of Indiana. Second Lieut. Albert G. Guthridge became a captain in the Forty-eighth. John M. Garrett became a captain in another regiment. Joshua Healey became a captain in the Ninth, a major in the 128th and colonel of the 151st. Joseph Brenton became first lieutenant in the Ninth, and W. H. Rhoades advanced to the same rank in the command named. Mordecai F. Chilcote became a captain in the Forty-eighth Regi- ment. Reuben H. James became a major and a quartermaster, and James H. Loughridge, a surgeon, in other regiments. 124 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES First Union \'ictim of the Battlefield At Laurel Hill one man of Company G was killed, and it is claimed that he was the first Union soldier to be slain in battle dur- in the Civil war. Dyson Boothroyd, of Company A, also died of wounds received at that engagement, six days afterward, and the claim was often made that he was the first Union soldier killed in the Civil war. During the Spanish-American war military mat- ters were uppermost in the public press and events in connection with the Civil war were often revived. It was soon after Manila had fallen that the old-time discussion again arose as to the first Union soldier killed on the battlefield during the War of the Rebellion, and Judge Hammond sent the following communication to the Lafayette (Ind.) Courier: "In an item in your paper of this date, in speaking of Dyson Boothroyd, you say: 'Boothroyd was a member of Company A, Ninth Indiana, and was killed at Laurel Hill, Virginia,' and also that he was 'the first Union soldier killed in the civil war." This is a mistake. I was in Company G, of the Ninth Indiana, in the three months' service. That company, on the arrival of the regiment at Laurel Hill, was sent in advance as skirmishers and attacked the enemy on Laurel Hill. This was in the forenoon of July 7, 1861. In that skirmish William T. Girard. a member of said Company G, was instantly killed by a musket ball fired by the enemy. In the afternoon of the same day Dyson Boothroyd, a member of Company A, of that regiment while on the skirmish line received a wound from which he died on July 13, 1861. This statement may be verified by reference to pages 38 and 45 of the fourth volume of Adjutant General Terrell's reports of Indiana. I was within a few feet of Girard when he fell. I am not able to verify the statement, but I have often heard it said that Girard was the first man killed on the Union side in the war of 1861-65. At all events, he was killed on the field of battle, receiv- ing the fatal shot a few hours before Boothroyd received the woimd from which he died, but not until six days after receiving it. Booth- royd and Girard were equally good, brave and patriotic soldiers. The particular time when either received his mortal wound is a matter of no importance so far as his bravery was concerned ; but if the event is referred to as a matter of history there should be accuracy as far as possible. "Sept. 21, 1898. "E. P. Hammond." JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 125 To make the record more complete, it may be added that although a member of Company G, Girard volunteered from Monon, White County. After the engagement at Laurel Hill, the Confederate force retreated across Cheat River, where it made a brief stand and was dislodged, being pursued by a part of the army under General Hill. This closed the campaign of the Ninth, under their three months' term of enlistment, and in the latter part of July the regi- ment was mustered out at Indianapolis. On its return, the regiment found the early idea that the war would be over in ninety days exploded, and promptly re-enlisted for three years. The new organization was completed at the x^endezvous, at Westville, LaPorte County, under command of Col. R. H. Milroy, and mustered into the service at LaPorte September 5, 1861. The Jasper County company retained its original position, promotions and reorganization, however, making considerable changes in its officers. The original officers under the reorganiza- tion were : Captain, Joshua Healey ; first lieutenant, William H. Rhoades, and second lieutenant, Benjamin R. Farris. Soon after its organization the regiment moved to Western Vir- ginia and afterward to Virginia, being transferred to Buell's army in February, 1862, and sent to Nashville, Tennessee. As a part of Nelson's division, it participated in the second day's fight at Shiloh. Subsequently it took part in the leading movements and battles of the middle-southwest, such as the pursuit of Bragg, and the engage- ments at Perryville, Stone River, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain and Mission Ridge. In December, 1863, the Ninth re-enlisted as a veteran organization, returned home on furlough and in February, 1864, again left for the front. It was absorbed into Sherman's grand army and participated in all its marches, campaigns and battles to and around Atlanta. It then was drawn into the fierce contests with Hood's army, including the battles of Franklin and Nashville, and was finally mustered out in September, 1865, as a part of Sheri- dan's army of occupation in Texas. Company A, Fifteenth Indiana Infantry In May, 1861, Governor Morton and the State Legislature offered six regiments for service in the Union army, and the question of entering the United States service for three years was at once sub- mitted to them. The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth and Seven- teenth regiments promptly accepted the proposition, except a few 126 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES. hundred who decHned to vohinteer for three years and were at once discharged. In the Fifteenth Regiment, Jasper County was represented by a full company, which was assigned the designating letter "A," its original officers being Samuel Miller, captain ; Horace K. Warren, first lieutenant ; Alex S. Burnett, second lieutenant. The regiment was mustered into the United States service at Lafayette, on June 14, 1861, with George D. Wagner as colonel. Soon after, it moved to Indianapolis; from whence it proceeded by rail on the 1st of July for Western Virginia, stopping at Cincinnati until the 4th of July. Proceeding by rail to Clarksburg, it marched thence to Rich Moun- tain, where it arrived on the nth, while the battle was in progress, and next day formed a part of the pursuing force, assisting in the capture of many prisoners. The regiment was afterward stationed in Elkwater Valley, where it remained until November 19th, taking an active part in the operations of General Reynolds that season, among which were the repulse of General Lee and battle of Green- brier. Soon afterward, as a part of Buell's army, it participated in the second day's battle at Shiloh and the close of Perryville. In November, 1862, the regiment marched to Nashville, where the army was reorganized under General Rosecrans, Colonel Wagner being appointed a brigadier general on the 29th of November, and Lieutenant Colonel Wood being commissioned his successor. In the march toward Murfreesboro, which followed, the regiment participated, and in the battle of Stone River, on December 31, 1862, and January i and 2, 1863, it bore a conspicuous part, losing 197 officers and men killed and wounded, out of 440 engaged. After this, the Fifteenth remained at Murfreesboro until June 24th, taking part in the various expeditions sent out from that place. It then marched to Tullahoma, where as part of Crittenden's corps, it aided in turning the rebel position on the left, compelling the evacuation of the place. The Fifteenth then remained in camp at Pelham, Tennessee, until August 17th, when the army advanced on Chatta- nooga, General Wagner's brigade, of which this regiment was a part, being the first to enter the city. Here the regiment performed post duty from September 9th until shortly before the battle of Mission Ridge, in which engagement it participated, suffering heavily. Its loss was 202 out of 334 engaged, being over 60 per cent. The day after the battle it marched, with other troops, to the relief of General Burnside, at Knoxville. There and at Chattanooga it performed severe garrison duty ; in February, 1864, a portion of the regiment JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 127 re-enlisted and the balance was mustered out of the service at the expiration of the three years' term in June. The Seventeenth Infantry A detachment of veterans and recruits was left behind at Chattanooga by the Fifteenth, when it returned to Indiana to be mustered out, and these were transferred by order of General Thomas to the Seventeenth (Mounted) Infantry. Of these, thirty were from Jasper County. The Seventeenth had re-enlisted in January, 1864, and while in Indiana on veteran furlough, the regiment was allowed to purchase horses, and from that time forward acted as mounted infantry. When reached by the Jasper County veterans, the Seventeenth was with General Sherman at Kenesaw Mountain. From this time forward the regiment was conspicuously engaged at Chattahoochee River (being the first troops to cross this stream), Stone Mountain, Flat Rock, New Hope Church, Rome, Coosaville, Leesburg and Goshen. On the ist of November, 1864, after turning over its horses to Kilpatrick's cavalry, the regi- ment left Rome, Georgia, for Louisville, Kentucky, where on the 24th, it was re-mounted. Moving from Louisville on the 28th of December it reached Nashville on the 8th of January, 1865, whence it marched to Gravelly Springs, Alabama, arriving there on the 2Sth. Here it remained until the 12th of March, when it marched with General Wilson's cavalry command into the interior of Alabama. On the 1st of April the commands of Roddy and Forrest were over- taken and attacked at Ebenezer Church, on Bogue's Creek, twenty- nine miles from Selma ; the Seventeenth participated and charged the rebels gallantly, capturing 100 prisoners and one gun, and losing eight killed, eleven wounded and five missing. On the 2d, it par- ticipated in the engagement at Selma, and in taking the rebel works surrounding the town ; the Seventeenth first drove the enemy into these forts and then out of them, and afterward drove them from the interior works and their position behind the railroad embank- ment into the town, taking all the forts from No. 18 to the river on the west side of town. Four pieces of artillery and about 300 pris- oners were captured. Out of 421 officers and men engaged, the regiment lost twelve killed and eighty wounded. After the battle, the regiment moved to Montgomery, and thence to Columbus, Georgia, from which point it marched to Macon, near which place it engaged the enemy on the 20th of April, and drove him into the city, saving two important bridges, which the rebels were in the 128 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES act of firing. By a ruse, the enemy were led to believe that the force was but the advance of two divisions of cavalry, and the city was surrendered. With the city fell to Union hands four generals, 3,000 troops, including officers of all grades, five stands of colors, sixty pieces of artillery, and 3,000 small arms. The Seventeenth had in action during the day 451 officers and men, of whom one was killed and two wounded. Camping near the city for a month, it moved into Macon on May 22d, where it did post duty until the 8th of August, 1865, when it was mustered out of the service. Leaving Macon soon after the regiment reached Indianapolis August i6th, with 675 men and twenty-five officers, and on the following day was accorded a public reception. A few days later it was discharged. The Forty-eighth Regiment In this regiment Jasper County was represented by Company K, which drew its full complement of officers and men from that county. Its original officers were David S. Snyder, captain ; Albert J. Guth- ridge, first lieutenant, and John Miller, second lieutenant. The Forty-eighth Regiment was organized at Goshen, on the 6th of December, 1861, with Norman Eddy as colonel, and left for Fort Donelson, via Cairo, on the ist of February, 1862, where it arrived the day after the surrender. It then moved to Paducah, where it remained until May, when it moved up the Tennessee River and engaged in the siege of Corinth. After the evacuation, it was assigned to the First Brigade, Second Division of the Army of the Mississippi, and took part in the marches and countermarches in pursuit of General Price. On the 19th of September, it participated in the battle of luka, losing 116 men in killed and wounded out of 420 men engaged. On the 3d and 4th of October, it was engaged in the second battle of Corinth (under Rosecrans), and lost twenty- six killed and wounded. The regiment next moved down the Mis- sissippi Central Railroad as far as Oxford, Mississippi, and on its return marched to Memphis, where, in January, 1863, it was assigned to the First Brigade, Seventh Division of the Seventeenth Army Corps. After remaining here two months, it was transported down the Mississippi, and, joining the army of General Grant, marched with it to the rear of Vicksburg. During this campaign, the regi- ment participated in the skirmish of Forty Hills on the 3d of May ; the battle of Raymond on the 13th, the battle of Jackson on the 14th, and the engagement at Champion Hills on the i6th of May, losing in the latter battle thirty-three killed and wounded. It was actively JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 129 engaged in the trenches during the long siege of A'icksburg, and took part in the assault on the 22d of May, losing thirty-eight in killed and wounded. After the expiration of its furlough, the Forty-eighth proceeded to Huntsville, Alabama, where it remained until June. It then moved to Cartersville, Georgia, and was kept on duty in that vicinity, look- ing after guerrillas, and protecting General Sherman's railroad com- munications during the campaign against Atlanta. It was continued on this duty until Hood's invasion, when it joined Sherman's army and marched with the First Brigade, Third Division of the Fifteenth Army Corps, in its campaign from Atlanta to Savannah. From Savannah it first moved to Beaufort, and then on the campaign through the Carolinas, going through Columbus, Fayetteville and Goldsboro to Raleigh. From this place it moved northward, after the surrender of Johnston's army, making the distance from Raleigh to Petersburg, 165 miles, in six days. From Petersburg, the Forty- eighth went to Washington, but soon after its arrival was transferred to Louisville, Kentucky, where it was mustered out of service on the isth of July, 1865. The Eighty-seventh Regiment The Eighty-seventh Regiment was organized at South Bend in August, 1862, and was composed of three companies from Fulton County, three from LaPorte, one from Miami and one from Jasper (Company A). It was sent immediately to Louisville to form part of the army under Buell designed to repel an apprehended attack on that city by Bragg. As a part of Steadman's brigade it was engaged in the battle of Perryville, in October, and afterward fol- lowed the more decisive and brilliant campaigns of Rosecrans' army. It participated in the flanking movement that drove Bragg from C'nattanooga, and bore a conspicuous part in the battle of Chicka- mauga on the igth and 20th of September, 1863. On the second day of the battle the Confederate commander endeavored to turn the left wing of Rosecrans' army interposed between it and Chattanooga and retake the city which he (Bragg) had evacuated. He did gain pos- session of the road and struck heavily on the left wing of the Union army, the tip of which was held by the eighty-seventh. The main credit has generally been given that regiment for repelling the fiercest onslaughts at this critical point and thwarting the flanking move- ment upon which was centered the main efforts of the Confederate army. Its gallant and impetuous charge by which it regained the 130 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Chattanooga road, and the determination with which it held it, marked the turn of Rosecrans' fortunes toward victory, and no regmient in his army suffered so severely as the Eighty-seventh Indiana. It went into the battle with twenty-two officers and 340 men. Of that number eight officers and thirty-two men were killed on the field and four officers and 138 privates were wounded, and eight missing — in all, 190, or more than half of the total engaged. The regiment was at Chattanooga during the siege of that place. In the reorganization of the army, it formed a part of the Second Brigade, Third Division, Fourteenth Army Corps. It was at the storming of Mission Ridge, advancing in the first line of battle, and was among the first that entered the rebel works — losing, in killed and wounded, sixteen men. It followed in pursuit of the enemy to Ringgold, Georgia. On the 22d of February, 1864, it engaged in the expedition against Dalton, and skirmished with the enemy in front of Buzzard's Roost ^fountain, near that place. It then went into camp at Ringgold, where it remained until the 7th of May, 1864. In the great campaign against Atlanta, under General Sherman, it was constantly at the front, skirmishing every day, and participat- ing in the battles of Resaca, Cassville, Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek, and before Atlanta. It charged and carried the outer works at Uttoy's creek, in front of Atlanta, on the 4th of August, 1864, losing, in killed and wounded, seventeen men. It was engaged in the battle of Jonesboro, on the ist of September, after which it moved into Atlanta, after 100 days of continuous fighting. Then followed the campaign against Hood, who was en- deavoring to get to the rear of Sherman's army, the march to the sea, and the sweep through the Carolinas, terminating with Rich- mond, Washington and the grand review of the army at the na- tional capital. The eighty-seventh was mustered out of the service June 10, 1865, and on the 226 was publicly welcomed home by Gov- ernor Morton, at a reception held in the capitol grounds. Its total casualties had been: Killed in action, 47; wounded, 198; died from wounds and disease, 214; total, 459. It was estimated that it had marched more than 3,500 miles. No regiment had a better record. Twelfth C.walrv, Company K Company K, of the Twelfth Cavalry, was composed principally of volunteers from Jasper, Newton and Pulaski counties, and was organized with the following officers : Captain, Daniel M. Graves ; first lieutenant, Henry H. Graves; second lieutenant, William Chit- JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 131 tenden. The regiment was first known as the 127th. It was organ- ized at Kendallville in March, 1864, and Edward Anderson, who had recruited eight of its companies in the Ninth Congresisonal Dis- trict, was made colonel. But six companies were mounted and the entire regiment, when ordered to proceed to Nashville in May, 1864, was armed as infantry. When the command arrived at Louisville the six mounted companies were supplied with cavalry arms and, with mounted portions of the Ninth and Tenth Cavalry regiments, started for Nashville under command of Colonel Anderson, and the dismounted portion proceeded to that point by rail under Lieut. -Col. Alfred Reed. For several months both the cavalry and the infantry were engaged in protecting a sixty-mile stretch of railroad, with head- quarters at Decatur and Huntsville, Alabama. Colonel Anderson was in general command. Later the cavalry of the regiment was in close and continuous contact with the famous bands of the Con- federate general, Forrest, especially along the Nashville & Chatta- nooga Railroad and in defense of Huntsville and Murfreesboro. In March, 1865, the regiment participated in the operations against the defenses of Alobile, and after the fall of that stronghold it was with Major General Grierson in the famous raid of 800 miles through Alabama and Georgia to Columbus, Mississippi, where it arrived in May, 1865. This concluded its active service. The regi- ment was afterward divided and was'mustered out at Vicksburg, in November, 1865. Fourth B.attery, Light Artillery The Fourth Battery, Light Artillery, was mostly recruited in La- Porte, Porter and Lake counties, although Jasper had a considerable representation in its ranks. It was mustered into the service in September, 1861, under Capt. Asabel K. Bush, and was attached, at first, to Buell's army during his operations in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Northern Alabama. It participated in the siege of Corinth, the battle of Chaplin Hills, and in the series of movements against the Confederate army of Bragg. The Union army had then been reor- ganized by Rosecrans. Captain Bush's battery was assigned im- portant work at Stone River in December, 1862, and made a most creditable showing, completely silencing a Confederate battery at the sacrifice of four of its men killed and three wounded. On the following day several of its guns were captured by the enemy, but not before all but four of the horses had been killed, making it 132 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES impossible to maneuver the pieces. At Hoover's Gap and Chick- amauga the battery was also engaged, and in September, 1864, the veterans and remaining recruits were transferred to the Seventh Battery. The non-veterans proceeded to Indianapolis, where they were mustered out of the service. In October, 1864, the reorganization of the Fourth Battery was authorized by the War Department, and it was perfected with Benjamin F. Johnson (one of the first lieutenants of the old bat- tery) as captain. A few days afterward it joined the Army of the Cumberland, at Nashville, and after the battle there was assigned to garrison duty at Fort Rosecrans, Murf reesboro, where it remained to be mustered out. It was finally discharged at Indianapolis, in August, 1865. Jasper County was represented in other organizations of the Union army, but its quotas were so small that no legitimate purpose of this history would be attained by noting them. CHAPTER XI RENSSELAER AND ITS INSTITUTIONS First Actual Settlers — The Yeomans — Willl\m Mallatt^— The Rapids Named Newton — Yeoman Floated Out by Van Rensselaer — Newton Platted in 1839 — Name Changed to Rensselaer — Death of Van Rensselaer — Corporation of Rensselaer, With Additions — Incorporated as a City — Municipal Officials — City of the Present — Municipal Departments — The Commercial State and First National Banks — State Bank of Rensselaer — Jasper Savings & Trust Company — The Local Press — Churches — St. Joseph's Col- lege— Societies. The planting of a settlement at the Forks of the Iroquois, or the Bold Rapids of the Rockwise, a locality long famous among hunters, trappers and fishermen, was a matter of much uncertainty for several of the early years of the '30s. Several explorers who desired to locate claims in a promising region went thither and departed for other localities ; they were all attracted by the wildness of the place and by its prodigality of fish and game, but those who passed it by considered that there was too much marsh land in the neighbor- hood to make either the raising of crops or settlements a promising outlook. First Actual Settlers Finally, in the fall of 1835, Joseph D. Yeoman and John and George Nowels, father and son, with young Mrs. Yeoman, raised the first cabin on the site of Rensselaer. Mr. and Mrs. Yeoman (John Nowels' daughter) had two young children. About four years before, Royal Hazelton, accompanied by Levin Willis and W. J. Wright, set out in search of the "bold rapids of the Rockwise." They struck the head of the stream, followed its 133 1-. !- = d- V P ° r- ^ ■ - o *- O oj rt H U ^ ^ H > ^ ^ ;r ? -7= 2 15 c^ o -tJ r- O t« -I •- t ^ ^' ^' 1 ^ J- ^ o o ."H -g O "]^ ^ CO u ? >^ >^ J^ — 1) u ^ c '-' '^ . rt S "S rt J;; to o -2 ti ."i rt § I u .li. > ^ J2 :i ;; ?3 fe ^' 3 j:: rt JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 135 course as closely as the state of its margin would allow, to a point which is now the site of the iron bridge east of the county seat, and there gave up the search and returned. Not satisfied with this boot- less errand, Hazelton, after failing to enlist the enthusiasm and com- pany of the others, started out alone in a second quest of the rapids. Providing himself with two large "corn-pones," a few cooking utensils and his lariat, and accompanied by his five dogs, he set out on horseback for the noted place. He struck the river about twenty- fi e miles south of the rapids, and then following up the stream came upon the rapids. The place did not meet his expectations. An impassable marsh bordered either side of the stream, and while it afforded all that the savage or hunter might desire, it presented a very discouraging site for the settling of a claim, and he returned after a seven days' absence without any desire to exchange Mootz Creek for the Iroquois. The Yeomans The solitude of the rapids seems to have remained undisturbed by the white man until 1834, when they were visited and rejected by Thomas Randle and George Culp, and later accepted by the Yeo- mans and the Nowels. In the following year the family came and pitched their tent about in the geographical position now known as Liberal Corner. On this spot the family remained while ^he per- manent home of logs was reared. Mrs. Yeoman chose the site for this structure which was placed on the site of the bridge which crosses the mill race on Washington Street. It was nearly winter when the last weightpole was placed on the top course of clapboards that formed the roof of the new cabin and the family found it neces- sary to take possession without waiting for the fireplace or door. A logheap in the middle of the room furnished the necessary warmth and light, while a few displaced clapboards allowed the smoke to escape. This served until further improvements could be added. The nearest resident in the county at that time was David Phegley, who then lived about five miles to the eastward of the county seat, on the Crockett farm. The family relied upon their own resources in raising the cabin, Mrs. Yeoman bravely doing her share in the heavy work. In the spring following, Mr. Yeoman was under necessity of going to the Wabash for provisions with an ox team. During his absence Mrs. Yeoman, with the two children, were left alone, and 136 ■ JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES while thus unprotected a party of fifty Indians came down to the rapids to fish. They camped about where the grist mill now stands, and caught wagonloads of fish. Their method was to throw the fish out with paddles, made for the purpose, with one hand, while hold- ing a torch in the other. None but dog-fish were preserved for their own use, however ; a bass or pickerel being brought to the cabin to exchange for bread. The savages were very docile, and offered her no discourtesy, though it may be imagined that the solitude was preferable to the presence of such visitors. Mr. Yeoman made a farm upon the site of Rensselaer, extending from the ravine which reaches the river at the mill on the south to the western grove on the north. Here he lived and improved his claim without near neighbors for three years. The family heard of the advent of the Forks settle- ment, but the impassable character of the stream between the two locations prevented any communication. WlLLI.\M MaLL.\TT The first accession to the little settlement thus begun, if the father, W. J. Wright, be excepted, was William Mallatt. He lo- cated his claim across the river from Yeoman, and broke ten acres of ground covering the site of Mr. Thompson's residence and others westward toward the bend of the river. He was not allowed to rest long in the possession of this site, as it was taken by a "float" owned by W. M. Kenton. This was a peculiar way the General Govern- ment had of disposing of its lands, and very often worked grave injustice, as in two cases, at least, at the rapids. To discharge certain obligations, the Government granted a warrant for a certain amount of land to be located at the option of the holder on any land belong- ing to the United States. Until 1837, lands could not be bought here, and settlers made claims with the intention of perfecting their title at the first opportunity. This was sometimes neglected, and while their "claim" was proof against any similar demand, it was powerless before a "float." In this case Mr. Mallatt was obliged to forsake his improvements, and removed to the Blue Grass settle- ment. The R.\pids Named Newton In the meantime, the county seat had been changed to the Rapids of the Iroquois, and the place named Newton. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 137 Yeoman Floated Out by Van Rensselaer Mr. Yeoman had determined in his own mind to lay out a village here, and was flattering himself upon the outlook, when he found himself "floated" out of his prospects by James Van Rensse- laer. The latter had been a merchant in Utica, New York, where he had failed in the panic of 1837, and becoming the owner of a "float" issued to some of the Indians, he came West, with this capital, to repair his fortunes. The site at the rapids seemed to offer the opportunity he sought, and he soon became the possessor of a good farm, considerably cultivated, and a portion of it well fenced. More than this, the site of a village was foreshadowed at this point, and for all these advantages there is no evidence that he allowed his predecessor a dollar for his improvements. It is said that there was a decided opinion entertained as to the equity of the proceeding, and it was marked as an instance of poetic justice that a certain well-fenced cornfield semed to be the especial prey of all the stock that grazed on the prairies. Donahue's cattle were frequently found to have strayed to this distant point, and superior to fences, were found rioting in the standing corn. Newton Platted in 1839 On June 12, 1839, the original plat of the Town of Newton was filed, the specifications accompanying the plat explain that "the town of Newton is situated at the Rapids of the Iroquois River in Jasper County, Indiana, on Section 30, Town 29 north. Range 6 west. The Blocks i, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are each three hundred feet; the remaining whole blocks are each three hundred feet square. Block 25 is 295 by 300 ; Block 26 is 295 by 300 feet. The lots are each 50 by 150 feet, except the middle lots in Blocks i, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6; they are each 45 by 150 feet. The lots in fractional blocks vary according to the shape of the blocks. There are twenty-six blocks besides the Public Square ; the Public Square is 300 feet square. The streets around the Public Square are each 75 feet wide ; Susan street is 63 feet wide; Mill street is 50 feet wide; the street immediately south of Blocks i, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, is 50 feet wide till its junction with Mill street, where it expands to 56 feet wide ; the rest of the streets are 66 feet wide. It is not intended that Front street should be laid out as a public street more than 50 feet wide, although it is believed it will always remain open to the river. From m Old Mills along the Iroquois River Upper view : Old saw mill erected near Washington Street bridge in 1855 ; torn down in 1880. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 139 the junction of Front and Angelica streets westward, it is 66 feet wide." The town thus laid out was divided, commencing on the river, by^Mill (short street, near the site of the old mill, near the foot of the rapids), Front, Van Rensselaer, Cullen and Weston streets, ana at right angles to these by Sudan, Angelica, Washington, Har- rison and Rutsen streets. This street was laid out in the name of Van Rensselaer's wife as his pecuniary liabilities would not permit him to hold property in his own name. A public sale of lots was held some time in this year, the first one being disposed of to J. D. Yeoman for a consideration of $ioo, and is described as Lot 6 in Block i. The location of the county seat here gave the growth of the town an impetus, bringing several families, among which was that of George W. Spitler. Name Cii.vnged to Rensselaer But the growth of the village was destined to be slow. The proprietor came from the old Dutch stock, once prominent in New^ York, and impressed with certain aristocratic notions and an exag- gerated idea of the natural advantages of the site, he refused to sell lots at what they were really worth, or at an approximate price. He labored also under the disadvantage of a lack of money to develop his property, and at the same time sought to monopolize every pos- sible avenue of trade. The result was that the little town stagnated, and for years made no progress. The mill-race was built in 1838-39, and a mill erected at the ravine near the foot of the rapids. This was a combined saw and grist mill, and was among the earliest of its kind in this part of the state. For various reasons, however, it was forced to lie idle much of the time, and other mills were erected. One about a mile further down the river was built by a A'Ir. Peck, to which Mr. Van Rensselaer took exceptions as infring- ing upon his right to monopolize the milling business and resulted in a series of lawsuits involving Peck in nominal damage and serious bills for costs, which finally put an end to his business. The "Alter Mill" in Union Township occasioned an ineffectual remonstrance from the proprietor of the county seat, as the dam there was sup- posed to interfere with the advantages of the mill at the rapids. 140 JASPER AND XEWTOX COUXTIES Death of Van Rensselaer Mr. Van Rensselaer, while conservative in his policy, and greatly circumscribed in his action by his lack of means, is remembered with respect by those who knew him. After his death, March 12, 1847, his family returned to the East; the only survivor of the family, now an old man, resides in the City of New York, and still holds considerable of the original place with all the tenacity of his deceased father. Among the families connected with the early history of the village, in addition to those mentioned, were the Stewarts, Irwins, Barrs, Sparlings, Clarks, etc. Dr. Josiah. Clark was the first physi- cian in the county, and settled in the village in 1839. The death of Mrs. Ezra Stewart was the first to occur here, though the first burial was that of Mrs. Irwin, some time later. The first birth was that of J. J. Yeoman ; the second that of Joseph Sparling. The first marriage is said to have been that of Edward Dryer to Mrs. Elizabeth Barr, which was celebrated in the house where the first court was held. By special act of the Legislature approved February 18, 1840, the name of the town was changed from Newton to Rensselaer. First Fourth of July The social dissipations of this period were confined to an occa- sional meeting, a quilting or a Fourth of July celebration. The first of the latter occasions was held in 1843, and combined the three classes of diversion in one. The programme was projected by Mrs. Spitler, and consisted of a two-story quilting party, to which the whole town was invited. The ladies divided their forces, and worked on two quilts, one upstairs and the other below. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the company repaired to a large oak that stood at the comer of Washington and Van Rensselaer streets and listened to a discourse by Reverend ]\Ir. Hopkins of the Christian Church. His topic was doubtless suited to the occasion; at all events, it did not seem unfitting to close the day with the round of games that were the usual finale of the quilting party. Thus "Far from the madding crowd. They kept the quiet tenor of their way." In 1850, the town contained "three stores, two physicians, one JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 141 lawyer and fifteen dwelling houses," the first of the stores being opened by Harper Hunt. New Town of Newton There seemed to be a settled opinion that the progress of the town was greatly retarded by the exorbitant prices asked for lots by Mr. Van Rensselaer, and as early as 1844, a new town of Newton was platted by William Ivers. This consisted of twenty-four blocks (four of half size) of eight blocks each, and a public square. Some lots were sold, but the prestige was in favor of the older town, and this did not solve the problem. It was subsequently sold to Mervin Clark and Amzi Stanley, who had the old plat recorded in June, 1851, just as it was originally surveyed. It is generally known now as "Newton's Addition," though it is incorrectly stated. The specifications of the plat set forth that "the town of Newton, Jasper County, Indiana, is situated on the northwest half of the northwest half of Section 30, in Township 29 north, in Range 6 west. The northeast corner of Block No. 9 is situated directly south (allow- ing for the variation of the needle) of the northeast corner of said lot of land, 5 poles, 14 links. The southeast corner of the town identifies with the corner of the forty acres on which it is situated. The town lies with the range and section lines, to-wit, north and south, east and west. The blocks are each 276 feet square. The lots are 66 feet wide; the alleys 12 feet wide." The streets which divide this plat running east and west are South, Jackson and Harri- son streets. The streets at right angles to these are Washington, Eliza and Jefiferson streets. The western addition to the original Town of Rensselaer was platted in June, 1850; Newton's, or Clark's addition in August, 1851 ; South addition in June, 1853, and Weston's addition, platted by Rosewell Weston, in January, 1858. CORPOR.\TION OF RENSSELAER, WITH ADDITIONS On the 8th of December, 1858, L. A. Cole, R. H. Milroy and fifty others signed a petition to the county commissioners for the incorporation of the town, with the following boundaries : "Com- mencing at the southwest corner 'of Section 30, Township 29 north, Range 6 west, thence north 32.34 rods ; thence east 85.55 rods ; thence north 2,300 feet; thence east 162 rods; thence south 2,300 feet; 142 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES thence east 80 rods; thence south 321.34 rods; thence west 325.55 rods to point of beginning." The area thus included comprised about 791 acres, and contained a population of 467. At an election held January 5, 1859, the question of incorporation was carried, and the commissioners declared the town incorporated as Rensselaer, on Tuesday, March 8, 1859. Weston's second addi- tion was platted by Henry Weston in August, 1872, embracing the territory covered by the original addition. Weston cemetery was laid out in July, 1873. Other additions located within the boundaries of the town as incorporated in 1859 were as follows: Leopold's, 1879; Dwiggin's subdivision of part of Weston's second addition, 1880; Thompson's, 1881 ; lands bordering on the Iroquois River owned by the Jasper County Draining Association, 1884; southeast addition, 1887; Kannal's subdivision, 1892. In March, 1893, '^'^^s platted Columbia addition, and a little later Benjamin & Magee's and Sunnyside additions. The board of trustees extended the boundaries of the town so as to include these additions. Riverside Park addition was platted in July, 1895, and in the following month the board of county commissioners extended the town boundaries so as to annex unplatted territory heretofore outside the corporation boundaries Subsequently Thompson's, Emmet's, Yeoman's and Harvey's addi- tions were platted. The survey and plat of the Town of Rensselaer as made by Mayhew, Hopkins & Miller in 1875, was legalized by legislative act of February 23, 1889. Incorporated as a City The town having grown to a population exceeding 2,000, a peti- tion of over one-third the legal voters of the town was presented to the board of trustees praying that a census be taken with a view to incorporation as a city. On March 23, 1896, the marshal was ordered to take a census, and his returns indicated a population of 2,142, exclusive of those who had become residents within forty days. An election was therefore ordered to be held April 10, 1896. As the result was a large majority in favor of municipal incorpora- tion, the return was filed with the clerk of the Circuit Court and the town of Rensselaer became a city April 13, 1896. Those voting for it numbered 283 ; against, 93. The first officers were as follows : Mayor, Thomas J. McCoy ; clerk, Schuyler C. Irwin; treasurer, Charles C. Starr; marshal. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 143 Thomas McGowan ; councilmen — First Ward, Moses B. Alter and Frank B. Meyer; Second Ward, Charles G. Spitler and John C. Porter ; Third Ward, Joseph R. Knight and Wallace Robinson ; city attorney, Charles E. Mills ; chief of the fire department, Edgar M. Parcels ; civil engineer, Lathrop A. Bostwick. Until 1905 the city marshal was elected ; since that year, he has been appointed by the Common Council. Municipal Officials In May, 1900, John Eger was elected mayor; S. C. Irwin, clerk; James H. Chapman, treasurer, and Abram Simpson, marshal. Bird's-Eye View of Rensselaer In 1902, James H. S. Ellis, mayor; Charles Morlan, clerk; J. H. Chapman, treasurer, and Melvin Abbott, marshal. Mr. Morlan has served as clerk continuously since that year. In May, 1904, the only change was in the election of treasurer, Moses Leopold. Since 1905 the election has been in November, and the officers for 1904 were continued. Since the former year, the municipal term of office has been four years. In 1909 George F. Meyers was elected mayor and Roy D. Thompson, treasurer. In November, 1913, Charles G. Spitler was elected mayor. 144 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Charles M. Sands, treasurer, and Charles Morlan, clerk, for another four years. City of the Present Rensselaer is now a substantial, clean and handsome city of about four thousand people, located on the Monon Railroad. Its resi- dence and business streets are well kept ; it has flour mills, tile and cement block manufactories, and the usual line of smaller industries, such as blacksmith shops and wagon shops ; a depot for the sale of agricultural implements; completely stocked dry goods, grocery and general stores, and other evidences of prosperity and growth. Three banks, two newspapers, numerous churches and societies, abundance of pure water and electric light, a thoroughly organized school system and other unclassified institutions and active agencies, are continuously developing Rensselaer into one of the best and most promising little cities of Northern Indiana. Municipal Departments Although originally established through private enterprise, the electric plant and water works have been under municipal owner- ship for a number of years. The water works were built about 1898, but were rebuilt, as well as the electric plant, when they became city property. The water supply is drawn from two deep flowing wells sunk through limestone rock to the water vein, to a depth of about 1,300 feet. It is forced through the mains by an electric centrifugal pump, affording both a bountiful supply for domestic and public purposes and for fire protection ; the pressure exerted is sixty-five pounds to the square inch. The regular fire department — in reality an auxiliary to the protection afforded by the water works system — comprises a hook and ladder, hose wagons, a chemi- cal tank, a Babcock fire extinguisher and minor appliances. Since George W. Spitler taught the first school at Rensselaer, in the early '40s, the people of the town and city have heartily supported the public schools and all movements, within their means, tending to develop them. The three buildings now occupied by the six hundred pupils enrolled within the system are grouped about three blocks north of the public square. The old high school building, now called the Grammar School, was erected in 1882; the Primary (new grade) building was completed in 1892, and the new High School building. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 145 in i8r2. The Primary and Grammar buildings cost $20,000 each, and the new High School, $30,000 ; total value of school property, $100,000. The Commercial State and First National Banks The Commercial State Bank, Rensselaer, was organized April 2, 1895, with a capital stock of $25,000. Addison Parkinson, George K. Hollingsworth, James T. Randle, Emmet L. Hollingsworth and John M. Wasson were elected its first directors. On ^Nlarch 26, 1895, Rensselaer High School the following first officers were elected : Addison Parkinson, presi- dent ; George K. Hollingsworth, vice president ; Emmet L. Hollings- worth, cashier. The first change in the affairs of the bank of importance, aside from a gradual growth, occurred on February 11, 1903, when at a meeting of the board of directors the bank decided by vote to change from a state to national bank, and to increase its capital stock to $30,000. At this time the officers were : Addison Parkinson, president; John M. Wasson, vice president, and E. L. Hollings- worth, cashier. On May 6, 1908, John M. Wasson was elected president to succeed Addison Parkinson whose death, after thirteen years services, was deplored in resolutions adopted by the board 146 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES of directors. The capital stock was increased to $60,000 on Decem- ber 26, 1907. Emmet L. Hollingsworth was elected on January i, 1913, to succeed John AI. \\'asson as president and at this time James N. Leatherman was elected cashier. R. A. Parkinson was elected presi- dent to succeed E. L. Hollingsworth on April i, 1913. The present paid-in capital stock of the First National Bank is $60,000; surplus and undivided profits, $45,000 and deposits nearly $320,000. Its total resources are over $480,000. State B.^nk of Renssel.aer In 1904 the State Bank of Rensselaer was organized with a capital stock of $25,000. It was organized under Indiana laws with officers as follows: John Eger, president; James H. Chapman, vice presi- dent, and Delos Thompson, cashier; M. A. Irwin, assistant cashier. With the exception of the last named, the officers have remained the same as when organized. The present assistant cashier is D. A. Beckman. In 1908 the capital was increased to $30,000. The sur- plus and undivided profits amount to $35,000; average deposits, $275,000. Jasper Savings & Trust Company The Jasper Savings & Trust Company was organized June 20, 1906, by Charles G. Spitler, Emmet L. Hollingsworth and others with a capitalization of $25,000. The first officers were Charles G. Spitler, president; James N. Leatherman, vice president, Judson J. Hunt, secretary-treasurer, and C. H. Mills, assistant secretary-treasurer. Owing to a confusion of the name "Jasper," some of the mail going to Jasper, Indiana, and elsewhere, the name was changed by an action of the Circuit Court, in 1908, to The Trust & Savings Bank. It was created under the laws of the state to do a general trust and banking business. The capital stock, and the officers, with the exception of E. J. Randle, who succeeded Mr. Leatherman as vice president, have remained unchanged since the organization. The Local Press The newspapers of Rensselaer represent the two great political parties, and have long been known as the Rensselaer Republican and the Jasper County Democrat. But the town had a newspaper nearly JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 147 twenty years before the predecessors of either of these pubHcations existed. The first of its newspapers, the Jasper Banner, was estab- lished in 1853, and was supported by both democrats and whigs. John McCarty was its first editor. Several years after the estab- lishment of the Banner the slavery question brought about such a sharp division between the parties that no paper could remain neutral and exist, and in the campaign of 1856 the republican party was fairly born. Then came the cleavage in local newspaperdom. The Banner openly espoused the cause of democracy, and on the 29th of April, 1857, the Rensselaer Gazette was established as the organ of the republican faction. There could be no mistaking its faith, as announced in its first issue : "The Gazette will be Repub- lican in politics, 'now and forever.' We will exert all the energy that is in us to advance the cause of freedom, whose standard was so nobly borne aloft last fall by John C. Fremont." The Jasper Banner ceased publication in 1861. The Rensselaer Gazette was founded by J. W. Sullivan and Daniel F. Davies. Mr. Davies soon afterwards became sole proprietor, and in 1859 or i860, being elected to office, sold the establishment to I. N. S. Alter and Thomas Boroughs. In 1861, James Spencer bought Mr. Borough's interest, and the firm became Alter & Spencer. In the following year, Robert C. Mitchell purchased Alter's interest, and the new firm was known as Mitchell & Spencer. The senior partner soon afterward retired, and Mr. Mitchell a little later sold the paper to C. H. Tatman. In the latter part of 1864, or early in 1865, Mr. Spencer again became proprietor, and in July or August of that year sold a half interest to A. H. Green. The name of the paper was then changed to the Jasper Signal. This continued only some two or three months, when the material was sold to R. B. James, who issued the first number of the Prairie Telegraph, Wednesday, October 18, 1865. It was a weekly, republican, six-column folio. The Iroquois Press was started in Rensselaer in the later months of 1867, by Joshua Healey and Jacob Keiser. It was a seven-column folio, weekly, republican paper. In the later part of the month of September, 1868, R. B. James sold the Prairie Telegraph to his son, Horace E. James. Colonel Healey became sole proprietor of the Iroquois Press, and the two offices were consolidated, the new paper bearing the name of the Rensselaer Union. This was a seven-column weekly, republican in politics. In 1874, it announced itself independent of political parties, and was enlarged to a six- column quarto. November 9, 1875, Colonel Healey retired, leaving Mr. James sole proprietor. 148 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Spitler's Real Estate Gazette was started at Rensselaer in July, 1872, and was continued a year. It was a four-column folio, issued monthly by Thomas J. Spitler, to advertise his real estate business, and was printed by James & Healey. On February i, 1876, H. E. James and C. JM. Johnson formed a partnership, united their respec- tive offices in one, and published a consolidated paper under the name of the Rensselaer Union and Jasper Republican. The first number appeared February 3, 1876, taking the volume and num- ber of the Union. It was a weekly, seven-column quarto, and republican in politics. Subsequently Johnson retired, and later M. O. Cissel became partner with ]\Ir. James, under the firm name of H. E. James & Company, the paper in the meanwhile being reduced to a folio. In May, 1879, Mr. Cissel retired, and the fol- lowing month started the Rensselaer Standard, a seven-column folio, republican weekly. Mr. James, in October, 1879, sold the Union to T, M. Bitters, who also bought the Standard in January, 1880, and merged it in the former paper. In the following July, Mr. Bitters sold the establishment to Calkins & Johnson, but the latter never took an active part in the business beyond the fact of the sale, and was succeeded in a few months by a brother of Mr. Calkins, and the firm became Calkins Brothers. On May i, 1881, ]\Iessrs. C. F. Overacker and G. E. Marshall purchased the office, and August I, 1882, Mr. Overacker retired, leaving George E. ^Marshall the sole proprietor. The name of the paper was changed in 1880, by Calkins & Johnson, to the Rensselaer Republican, a name it still retains. The first paper started at Rensselaer as a distinctive democratic paper was the Democratic Sentinel, which was first issued February 18, 1877, by James W. McEwin, who came from Monticello, Indiana, where he had conducted a similar paper for eighteen years. It con- tinued for several years. The Jasper County Democrat was established in April, 1898, by Shields & Dilley, and has been owned and edited since July of that year by G. M. Babcock. It is a semi-weekly. The Rensselaer Evening Republican was established in 1897. The weekly, or original paper as stated, was founded by Calkins & Johnson in 1880. The present publishers, Healey & Clark, issue a semi-weekly as well as a daily. Both are experienced and practical newspaper men still in early middle age. Leslie Clark, one of the partners, did his first editorial work on the old People's Pilot, at Rensselaer, in 1891. After spending several years in various other newspaper enterprises in Indiana and Ohio, he bought the Pilot in JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 149 1897, and changed its name to the Journal. In 1908 the Journal and Republican were consolidated under George H. Healey and Mr. Clark, the present firm. Mr. Healey, editor and one of the proprie- tors of the Republican, is the son of Joshua Healey, the Civil war veteran who became colonel of the One Hundred and Fifty-first Indiana Regiment and died in Goodland in 1880. The son is not only well known as a newspaper man and a citizen, but is also promi- nent in the military matters of his day, being now a major in the Indiana National Guard. Churches and Societies The Methodists, Presbyterians and Baptists were early organized at Rensselaer, and have maintained their organizations ever since. The Methodists of the place, who formed a church in 1834 under Rev. E. G. Wood, were tlie first organized religious body in the county. In 1836 the Independent, or Gillam M. E. Church, was organized at the cabin of John M. Gillam by Rev. H. Bradenburg, an itinerant preacher. Their first meeting house was built in 1849 near the site of what afterward became Independence Chapel. The present M. E. Church of Rensselaer is under the pastorate of Rev. Paul C. Curnick, and occupies one of the most elegant houses of worship in the city. The Presbyterian Church was organized February 10, 1847, by Rev. Edward W. Wright. Its original members were James and Susan Van Rensselaer, Susan C. Weston, Ezra and Martha Wright, Lucinda Mahafifee, Henry Barkley and Ira and Lois B. Allen. The founder of the town was buried in its churchyard. Rev. J. B. Fleming is pastor of the church at the present time. The Rensselaer Baptist Church (Missionary) was recognized by council in 185 1, its first pastor being Rev. Moses A. Kern. The Free Will Baptist Church was founded in 1853 by Rev. Peter Lansing. Rev. F. H. Beard has charge of the Baptist Church of today. The Church of God at Rensselaer was organized by Elder William P. Shockey in i860. Rev. Norman Warner is its present minister. The First Church of Christ, of which Rev. Asa McDaniel is pastor, occupies a handsome and modern building. The history of St. Augustine's Roman Catholic Church of Rensse- laer and of the Diocesan Orphan Asylum is uniform from 1865 until 1887, when the parish was established in that city. Until a church 150 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES building was completed in 1885, the Catholics of Rensselaer attended services at the orphanage. In 1887 the orphan asylum was moved to Lafayette and Fort Wayne. Having purchased the Spitler farm, about a mile south of Rensse- laer, Bishop J. Luers of the diocese of Fort Wayne, appointed Rev. Joseph Stephan as the first superior of the orphanage. Father Stephan's successors in that position were Rev. Henry Renson, Rev. Bernard Kroeger, Rev. P. Hartmann and Rev. Alathias Zumbuelte. Father Zumbuelte had commenced to build a brick church for the Catholics of Rensselaer and vicinity. It was dedicated in 1885. As stated, the parish was established at Rensselaer in 1887. Rev. M. Zumbuelte remained at its head, as well as superior of the orphanage, until March, 1888, and was succeeded by Rev. George L. Willard. Then, in succession, came Revs. Anthony Dick, Stanis- laus Neiberg, Francis Schalk, Bernard Dickmann, Edward Jacob, Charles Nothers, Thomas Meyer and Christian Daniel. In September, 1903, the parochial school connected with St. Augustine's Church was completed; in 1905 several lots with a resi- dence adjoining the church property were purchased, the house being remodeled for the sisters' home, and in 1909 the pastor's resi- dence was completed. A church to cost about S60.OOO is being planned (summer of 1916). At present St. Augustine's parish numbers about 155 families, or nearly 800 souls. Rev. Christian Daniel, of St. Augustine's Church, is also in charge of St. James Church, at Newland. He held the first services in the public school there, in June, 1914, and by Alay of the following year a small frame church building had been completed and occu- pied. It was largely due to Thomas Callahan, who donated the site and contributed liberally in other ways, that such progress was made. The charge now embraces about twenty families. St. Joseph's College About 1867 Bishop Luers of Fort Wayne organized St. Joseph's Catholic Church as an adjunct of St. Joseph's Orphan Asylum and Manual Training School. The asylum was conducted at Rensselaer for twenty years, when the orphans were transferred to Lafayette and Fort Wayne. Some 900 acres of land had been acquired about a mile from the county seat ; but the founding of St. Joseph's Col- lege was of a later day, and resulted from a different movement. In 1889 Bishop Dwenger, of Fort Wayne, offered Father Henry Drees, C. PP. S., the provincial of the Society of the Precious Blood, JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 151 a tract of land on the edge of the Big Slough swamps a mile south of Rensselaer, on condition that he and his associates would found an institution dedicated to the training of Catholic youth. He accepted the offer, and in the spring of 1889 articles of incorporation were filed in the state auditor's office. Stone was procured from the nearby quarry and brick burned on the grounds, the early work being superintended by Father Anthony Dick, first pastor of St. Augustine's parish. The cornerstone of the main building was laid in 1891, and the south wing was completed in the summer of that year by Father Augustine Seifert. In the fall of 1891 the college Main Building of St. Joseph's College was opened to fifty-four classical students, and in 1893 the new north wing was added, containing chapel, auditorium and drillroom for the military company. The faculty building, then known as the Minim Building, was built during the spring and summer of 1897, and opened to the junior students in the fall of the year. At that time the enrollment numbered about 100. In 1899 a beautiful college chapel was completed. In the summer of 1899 Rev. Augustine Seifert, who was called away to reorganize the seminary of the Precious Blood Society, was succeeded to the presidency of St. Joseph's College by Father Ben- edict Boebner, who had been an instructor in that institution. Father Augustine returned to the college, as its head, in the fall of 1902, and in the spring of 1905 a spacious gymnasium was completed which 152 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES also afforded accommodations for social, literary and musical enter- tainments. A large infirmary building, known as Dwenger Hall, was added to the group of college buildings in 1907, and in 1912 the man- agement completed power and electric light plants, a waterworks system, and an underground heating and wiring installation. In the spring of 1913, Rev. Augustine Seifert resigned as presi- dent of the college, and was succeeded by Rev. Hugh Lear, who had been a member of the faculty since 1899. Soon afterward extensive alterations were begun on the gymnasium building, and the work was nearly completed when, in the spring of 1914, the structure was destroyed by fire. The Society of the Precious Blood furnished the rebuilding funds, amounting to $120,000, and the new gymnasium building, twice the size of the old, was ready for occupancy at the beginning of the academic year 191 5. The gymnasium proper com- prises two rooms — one for basketball and other indoor games, and the other intended for permanent fixtures and apparatus. The college auditorium will accommodate 800 persons. The library has a capacity for 40,000 volumes, and there are reading, play and clubrooms and all other modern facilities for social inter- course and improvement. Outside the college buildings are nearly eighty acres of attractive grounds, laid out in gardens, parks, ball grounds, tennis courts, tracks, shady nooks and walks. A concrete- lined pool also affords the means for swimming and skating in season. The campus is especially attractive to the student body, as thousands of trees have been planted upon it by its members. Societies Rensselaer is strong as a society (lodge) town. The Masons (first organized as Jasper Lodge No. 125 ) were established as early as 1851, the Odd Fellows (Iroquois Lodge No. 143) in 1854, and the Knights of Pythias (Rensselaer Lodge No. 82) in 1878. They are still the most substantial of the secret and benevolent bodies. On the other hand, one of the youngest of the lodges is among the strongest; although organized as late as January, 1916, the Red Men of Rensselaer number over 190. The Order of the Eastern Star, Pythian Sisters and Reb^kahs, ladies' auxiliaries of the Masons, Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias, also have organizations. To the foregoing array is also to be added the Catholic Order of Forest- ers, Royal Neighbors, Knights and Ladies of the Maccabees, Poca- hontas lodge (Red Men's auxiliary). Daughters of the American Revolution, Grand Army of the Republic and Sons of \'eterans. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 153 Rensselaer Post No. 84, Grand Army of the Republic, was organ- ized July 12, 1882. Its successive commanders have been as follows : Horace E. James, E. L. Clark, James F. Irwin, Mordecai F. Chilcote, Nathan Bates, T. F. Clark, George Dexter, James A. Ramey, John M. Wasson, James A. Burnham, Ralph W. Marshall, Henry Grow and David H. Yeoman (present incumbent). When the new courthouse was built in 1896 the county commissioners set apart a room for the post, furnishing also light and heat, and dedicated Memorial Hall to the veterans of the Civil war. The membership is now less than thirty ; since the organization of the post it has carried 224 members on its rolls. CHAPTER XII REMINGTON Always a Grain and Livestock Center — Elevators — State Bank of Remington — Corporation Matters — Remington Public Library — The Newspapers — The Churches — Foun- tain Park Assembly. Remington is an incorporated town of about i,ioo people, in the southern part of Jasper County, situated on the Pennsylvania line and in the midst of a prosperous agricultural district. The original rail- road in that section, the Logansport & Peoria, was completed in De- cember, 1859, but was not thoroughly organized for business until March, i860. The railroad authorities had established a station at Carpenter's Creek, in the center of the fertile Grand Prairie, and soon afterward Jesse H. Fordice laid out the village of Carpenter. The name was subsequently changed to Remington, after one of its citizens who kept the second store in the place. Alw.\ys a Grain and Livestock Center From the first, Remington flourished as the market town and shipping center of Grand Prairie, with its bountiful crops of com, oats, barley and forage. Cattle, sheep, hogs and horses have also found an ideal country in that region, with its unfailing water and grass supplies. When the railroad came, all these natural advantages were developed into a large trade in grain and livestock, but it was nearly a decade before the bulk of shipments warranted the building of elevators. Elevators In 1870 Church & Hartley erected the first elevator, two years later Hathaway Brothers established the second, and in 1879 James Irvin built the third. At the present time, the local organizations which control the local grain trade and elevator business are the Kelley Grain Company and the Farmers Co-operative Company. 154 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES State Bank of Remington 155 For the past eight years Remington's standing as a convenient trading and shipping center has been strengthened by possessing local banking facilities. The State Bank of Remington was organized in November, 1908, with a capitalization of $25,000. The first direct- ors were : James H. Gilbert, J. H. Biddle, S. G. Hand, Christian Hensler, Emil Besser, Elias Julian and W. I. McCullough. The first officers : James H. Gilbert, president ; J. H. Biddle, vice president ; S. G. Hand, cashier; F. L. Lough, asistant cashier. This corpora- ^ ^fi^JBp M mfr- Ready T( •;d from Remington tion was composed almost wholly of men living in and around Rem- ington. They bought the furniture, fixtures and good-will of the First National Bank, which had gone out of business. The first important change in the aff^airs of the bank occurred on October 20, 1909, when Mr. Hand was succeeded as cashier by F. L. Lough, who has continued as such to the present. On January i, 1912, the capital stock was increased $5,000, making it $30,000. On January 9, 1912, J. H. Biddle was elected president and James H. Gilbert vice president, and on January 2, 1913, Mr. Hand was elected presi- dent and Charles G. May vice president. The present officers are: S. G. Hand, president ; Charles G. May, vice president, F. L. Lough, cashier, and Mary Roush, assistant cashier. The State Bank of Remington is the only bank in Remington, and has followed conservative banking methods from its inception. 156 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES It was started primarily as a safe place to transact banking, and it has become to the citizens not only a place for banking, but a place of accommodation and for wise counsel. On May i, 19 15, the state- ment of the bank disclosed the following: Capital stock paid in, $30,000; surplus and undivided profits, $15,000; demand deposits and certificates, $242,000. C0RP0R.\TI0N jMaTTERS The original plat of Remington was dated July 27, i860, and the town was incorporated September 6, 1869. The mayors, or presidents of the board of trustees, for the past thirty years have been Elkanah B. \'ondersmith, Charles T. Denham. Fred A. Hicks and S. G. Hand. Remington has enjoyed a copious supply of pure water since 1897, when the first of the three wells from which it is drawn was sunk. As they have been driven to a depth of from 540 to 740 feet and the supply is protected by an inclosed reservoir and tank, the drinking water is especially cool and pure. The water works have a capacity of about ninety gallons a minute. The water sys- tem is owned by the municipality. Since 1909 the electric light of the town has been supplied by the Inter-State Public Service Company, from the Monticello plant. Remington has a good school conducted under the superintend- ency of G. C. Powers, with an enrollment of about 275. The build- ing was erected in 1889 at a cost of about $25,000. and an addition to it will soon be built. Remington* Public Library The public library is another institution which has a distinctive educational value, and, in accord with the rule, it is largely a creation of the women of Remington. It was through the efforts of the Federation of Clubs, an association effected for civic improvement by five of the social and study clubs of the place, that the movement for a public library begun. A library committee appointed from the Federation to conduct the campaign planned each step in accord- ance with the State Library laws, with the guidance of the Public Library Commission. A canvass of the town yielded twice the number of subscrip- tions necessary and a donation paper circulated at the same time met with a generous response, both in books and money, making JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 157 maintenance of the library possible until it should come into the benefits of the justified levy. A library room was fitted up and a successful book shower held. The removal to the public library of a large per cent of the school library books was effected and the loan of several boxes of books was obtained from the State Traveling Library. Remington's Water Tower The management of the library was then transferred from the committee to the legally appointed library board. A librarian was chosen, and was aided by an organizer from the commission in the technical work of preparing the books for the shelves. The library was then opened to the public the first of June, 1914, for two afternoons, and one evening of each week. A library tax was levied by the town council in July, 1914, and the privileges of the public library were then offered by the library trustees, on the 158 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES legal conditions, to the township, and were accepted by the advisory- board in September, 1914. In February, 1915, the library board successfully sought the co-operation of the town council and township advisory board in the matter of securing a Carnegie Library. Through a site com- mittee appointed from the three boards a building lot was chosen, the Federation of Clubs contributing largely to the purchase fund. An architect was employed by the library trustees, plans were agreed upon, which were submitted to and accepted by the Carnegie corporation. Contracts for the building were let in September, 191 5, and it was completed and formally dedicated May 30, 1916. The successive librarians were Miss Louise Hartman, Mrs. Lillian Barnes and Miss ^lollie Shearer. There are 2,584 volumes at present, with a monthly circulation of 1,828. A large measure of the credit for the successful achieve- ment of the library is due Rev. J. B. McNary, a member of the original library committee and president of the library board from its inception to the date of completion of the Carnegie building. The Newspapers The newspaper history of Remington goes back to 1872, when the Journal was started by Messrs. O. E. DeForest and J. E. Dun- ham, but it was published less than two years, when. the material was moved to Rensselaer. In October of the same year (1874) Shortridge & Winegarden commenced the publication of a republican weekly called the Guard ; it proved a weak member of the guild and survived but a few months. Then A. J. Kitt and A. B. Clark came from Rochester, Indiana, and established the Record at Remington. In 1877 't suspended and soon afterward the Times was started by Charles Jouvenat, who continued its publication until the fall of 1878 when he moved the plant to Goodland. Charles Cox next launched the Reporter, in which O. W. Church became interested ; but in January, 1881, W. H. Coover assumed the management and changed the name to the News. The Remington Journal was started in Remington, July 3, 1872, by Messrs. O. E. DeForest and J. E. Dunham. It was a seven- column weekly folio, neutral in politics. Charles M. Johnson bought the office in March, 1873, and continued the publication of the Journal until September. 1874, when it ceased publication, and the material was moved to Rensselaer. The Jasper Republican appeared September 18, 1874, being printed on the types and presses of the JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 159 defunct Remington Journal. It was republican in politics, but otherwise unchanged in its general character from its predecessor. The Remington Press was established in 1878 and among its early editors and publishers were George Majors, John and W. I. McCullough, G. M. Babcock and Fred L. Griffin. Its present editor and proprietor, H. J. Bartoo, has been at the head of its affairs since August, 1912. The Churches There are four churches at Remington — the Methodist, organ- ized in 1859; the Presbyterian, established in 1865; the Christian, in 1867 and St. John's Catholic, founded in 1875. The first pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church was Rev. J. H. Hull, and for a number of years after his pastorate the records of the society are quite incomplete. The permanent and prosperous organization dates from the pastorate of Rev. H. A. Gobin, which covered the years 1870-73. When the present house of worship was erected in 1871, it was considered the most complete edifice of the kind in the county, but was so outgrown that it was remodeled in 1899, and a larger and more handsome church is now in process of erection. The society now numbers 340 members and a strong movement is being carried forward under Rev. W. B. Warriner, the present pastor, to erect a new and adequate edifice. Between the pastorates of Rev. H. A. Gobin and Rev. W. B. Warriner, in accord with the church polity, the Remington charge has been served by twenty-two ministers, as follows : Revs. T. A. Meredith, E. A. Andrew, G. A. Blackstock, C. S. Burgner, Thomas E. Webb, J. A. Clearwaters, C. C. Haskell, J. Boicourt, W. H. Vance, L. Nebeker, E. B. Woodson, F. M. Cones, J. L. Greenway, James W. Worrall, A. H. DeLong, David Handley, W. R. Mikels, W. A. Mathews, H. M. Middleton, Charles W. Postill, R. H. Crowder (the longest pastorate. 1906-11), and J. B. McNary. The First Presbyterian Church of Remington was organized April 29, 1865, by Rev. Horace A. Mayhew, J. C. Irwin and Elder Cornelius Hutton. who formed a committee appointed for the pur- pose by the Logansport Presbytery. The original membership was fifteen. The society erected a small frame church building in 1867, and in November of that year called to the charge its first regular pastor,. Rev. William Patton. He served until May, 1869, when he was succeeded by Rev. Levi Hughes, who was killed on the railroad in November of the following year. Those who have served the 160 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Remington charge since, are the following : Rev. William Campbell, May, 1871-June, 1872; Rev. J. B. Crowe, September, 1872-Septem- ber, 1873; Rev. R. L. i\dams, April, 1874-April, 1875; Rev. J. B. Crowe, September, 1875-September, 1888; Rev. William Kearns (supply), five months in 1889; Rev. J. L. Foster, May, 1890-May, 1891 ; Rev. John Crozier, June, 1 891 -December, 1891 (date of death); Rev. G. V. McKee, April, 1892-October, 1896; Rev. J. L. Griffes, November, 1896-March, 1901 ; Rev. J. Dyke, March, 1901- December, 1902; Rev. E. B. Whitney, July, 1903-May, 1908; Rev. Gibson Wilson, December, 1908-September, 1910; Rev. E. H. Bull, December, 1910-September, 191 5 ; Rev. E. F. Lilley, since December, 1915- The original church building was occupied twenty years, and was remodeled in 1887. As thus improved, it served its purposes for more than a quarter of a century. The cornerstone of the brick edifice now occupied was laid in 19 13 and it was dedicated in June, 1914. The First Presbyterian Church has a present membership of 170. Fountain Park Assembly Fountain Park, the headquarters of the Assembly or Chautauqua, is located about a mile northwest of Remington in a beautiful natural grove. The tract is included in the historical Carpenter's Grove, which covered an area of several hundred acres studded with oak, hickory, walnut and wild cherry trees. On all sides were expanses of prairie lands, which are now attractive and comfortable farms and homesteads. Carpenter's Creek, a tributary of the Iroquois River, flows between steep banks and meanders through a picturesque country. Robert Parker, a banker and enterprising citizen of Remington, owned a portion of Carpenter's Grove along the creek and from which sprung several pure, living springs. It seemed as if nature had designated the locality for some high purpose. In 1895 he therefore set aside about thirty acres of his land, built a tabernacle, provided other accommodations for visitors, and on August 13th of that year was held the first meeting of the Fountain Park Assembly for the purpose of discussing religious, scientific and literary sub- jects. The character of the meeting and the movement was essen- tially moral and religious. The dedicatory lecture was delivered by John J. Ingals, the famous senator, orator and literateur from Kansas, and his subject was "The Perils of the Republic.'' JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 161 Mr. Parker conducted the assembly as an individual enterprise for two years, when the project had outgrown his sole management, and an organization was formed, with regular constitution and by-laws, known as the Fountain Park Company. It was a stock concern, with Mr. Parker as president. In 1898 the company erected a large hotel, a cement dam was built across Carpenter's Creek for boating and bathing accommodations, and as required, other build- ings were added, especially for lodging and refreshing the large assemblies which gathered on the grounds. For these purposes the Pioneer Improvement Company was organized, of which J. H. Biddle has been president for a number of years. The first cottage on the assembly grounds was erected in 1897 ; Fountain Park now contains fifty well-built structures. Until 1902 the assembly had been operated exclusively as a Christian Church enterprise. During that year the stockholders voted to change the by-laws so as to admit others to share in the enterprise, and a mixed board of directors was elected, of whom a majority should belong to the Christian Church. In 1904 the company incorporated with a capital of $30,000 and is now conducted as a union Chautau- qua, in charge of the Christian Church. A morning sermon is de- livered by one of that sect, but the lecturers are of all denominations. Mr. Parker was president and superintendent until 1907, when he became financially embarrassed and resigned, his place being taken by W. I. McCullough, formerly vice president. Mr. McCul- lough still holds the presidency. The vice presidents have been W. I. McCullough, C. H. Peck, Walter L. Gum and J. H. Biddle ; the secretaries, Mrs. M. T. Didlake, Fred L. Griffin. C. H. Peck and Rev. J. D. Carson (Mr. Peck, present incumbent) ; treasurers, Dr. H. Landon and James A. Washburn. There are nine directors who serve for three years, three of whom are elected each year. Mr. Biddle was elected on the first mixed board in 1902 and is still serving. He is president of the Pioneer Improvement Company and Fountain Park Cottagers' organization, vice president of the Fountain Park Company and superintendent of the Sunday School department. In 1904 the company named leased the assembly grounds for twenty-five years, the sites for cottages being sub-leased to those who wish to build. The twenty-second annual session of Fountain Park Chautauqua was held August I2th-27th, and the programme was musical, literary, humorous, earnest, artistic and entertaining; in other words, was varied, liberal and up-to-date. The Knights of Pythias, Odd Fel- lows and veterans of the Grand Army also had special days set 162 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES apart for them. As usual the two weeks of the assembly consti- tuted a notable event for Jasper County. About four years ago was organized the Ladies Fountain Park Improvement Association, which has done fine work in the way of beautifying the grounds and the tabernacle and adding to the comfort and enjoyment of visitors. SIAION KKXTUX Compliments of the Parkison Family CHAPTER XIII MINOR CENTERS OF POPULATION Saltillo, the Pioneer Settlement — The Forks Settlement, Rensselaer's Early Rival — The Blue Grass Settlement — Carpenter's Grove — Davidsonville — Hanging Grove — Town OF Wheatfield. There were several settlements in Jasper County which promised well in the early days, but were blighted in the bud ; others overtook them, the railroads consequently did not reach out for them as sta- tions, and, with the extension of the rural delivery, they are not now even designated as postoffices. The best known of these "might- have-beens" were Saltillo, the Forks and Blue Grass settlements, Davidsonville and Carpenter's Grove. Saltillo, the Pioneer Settlement Saltillo, in what is now Gillam Township, was the earliest center of population to be formed in Jasper County. Before the organiza- tion of the county, in 1838, it became quite a political center, but afterward did not maintain its prestige. It was at Saltillo that Wil- liam Donahue held the office of justice of the peace for several years, which, for the time, made it the seat of justice. The families of John Gillam and Joseph Mcjimsey located there about 1836 and others soon afterward. As the state road from Williamsport to Winamac went through the settlement, quite an impetus was given it toward villagehood. Also, the weekly mail went through town, after leaving a small contribution for Saltillo. But, at best, a few houses and a postoffice limited its growth. The Forks Settlement, Rensselaer's Early Rival As already stated, the first to arrive at the site of the Forks Settlement, the junction of the Iroquois and the Pinkamink, were Thomas Randle and George Culp, Virginians, who came from White 163 164 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES County in 1834. They had secured a stack or two of prairie hay and prepared to make a claim there when a prairie fire destroyed the result of their labor, and they set out to see the Rapids, of which they had heard. But as before noted, they chose a site in the "forks" of the river, and were soon joined by others. In the sum- mer of 1836, Royal Hazelton returned to this section and joined this settlement, but soon afterward sold his claim to John G. Parkinson. The latter was a son-in-law of Simon Kenton, famous in the border wars of Kentucky and Ohio. The widow of Kenton came with her daughter to this settlement, where she died in 1856. Henry Barkley, Sr., came in soon afterward and gave his name to the township of Barkley. Others joined the settlement, as noted in preceding pages, and the community rapidly grew in importance. Here was one of the earliest points visited by itinerant ministers, Mr. Culp's house furnishing a place of worship. The first marriage was that of J. M. Iliflf to a daughter of Mr. Parkinson, and the first death was that of an infant son of Mr. Randle. In this settlement also was the first blacksmith shop, store and schoolhouse in the county. A. J. Guthridge opened the store here in a little cabin situated a half mile north of William Parkinson's place, on the farm of Mr. Casad. His stock was confined to the actual necessities, but which became almost impossible luxuries when only acquired by a long, tedious journey. His patronage, though not large, was drawn from the Kankakee to the Monon rivers. The blacksmith shop opened by Henr>' Freshaur, in 1839, was patronized from far and near, until that of Rial Benjamin and others south of the Iroquois and Pinkamink, divided his trade. In this settlement, also, was the first brick dwelling in Jasper County, which was erected by Thomas Randle. This was placed with the comers toward the northeast and southwest, as he feared the strength of the furious storms which swept over the country. It is related that the Indians were especially attracted to this dwelling, and often came on begging errands, much to the discomfiture of Mrs. Randle, who could never learn to bear their presence with equanimity. Her corn cakes were their especial admiration. It was their habit to wait their cooking, and take them warm from the griddle, showing their appreciation and approach to civilization, however, by laying down a quarter, and leaving in silence. The squaws were frequent visitors, and it was not an infrequent thing to see two or three papooses stood up against the outside of the house while the mothers were inside. But the Forks was early displaced by the Rapids and for many years before 1878. when Rensselaer obtained railroad connection. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 165 was simply known as Pleasant Grove Postoffice. It was a few miles north-by-east of the county seat. The Blue Grass Settlement When the pioneers of Jasper County first came to the Rapids, or Falls of the Iroquois, they found in what is now Newton Town- ship an Indian village. The Pottawatttamies, in the cultivation of their corn and vegetable fields, had burned the wild grass over quite an area, and blue grass had naturally taken its place. About 1836 Williarn Mallatt, whose claim at the Rapids had been jumped, or floated, selected land near the Indian village. He was soon joined by the Benjamins, Lewis Elijah, the Thomas family, Alvah Yeoman and others, who called their community the Blue Grass Settlement. A church and a school were soon organized, but no village was ever platted. So much corn was raised by the Indians and the white settlers that S. H. Benjamin erected one of the first corn-crackers in the county. His contrivance stood on two stumps about eight feet high, and the custom eventually came from a radius of ten or fifteen miles, or until better mills were established. The distinctive name of the settlement was maintained for many years, and even long afterward applied to the schoolhouse, estab- lished in the neighborhood. Carpenter's Grove The settlement of Jordan Township usually known as Carpen- ter's Grove, was rather an adjunct of Rensselaer than independent. Its principal members came in about 1836, and were, in addition to John Jordan, Samuel Sparling, his wife, father and mother and brother, Samuel Benson, wife and child, and John Franklin, wife and two children. These all came together in two wagons, from Allegany County, New York, drawn thither by the representations of Augustus Bingham, a brother-in-law of Sparling, who had set- tled in Newton County in 1835. Sparling settled near the Iroquois at the "cut off," to which point the river was reported as navigable at that time. Franklin settled four or five miles further down the river. Sparling subsequently moved to the county seat, and was one of the early families to locate there. Davidsonville Davidsonville was laid out by Moses E. and Lewis Davidson, the plat of which was recorded June 18, 1850. This village was 166 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES located a short distance up the stream from the crossing at SaUillo, and consisted of two blocks, one street and an alley. It attained the prominence of a mill, a grocery, a shop or two, and several dwellings. If the Continental Line Railroad had reached it, the village might still have retained a place in the geography of the county, but that enterprise was crushed in 1873 and the village site for years marked by the ruins of one old mill is now swept clean. A short-lived distillery threatened to change the name of the place, and it was once locally known as Haddox Mill Pond, or Haddoxville, from the proprietor of the still. Saltillo and Davidsonville, are still to be found marked on the old maps, though with so much variation in location as to satisfy the claims of any one ambitious to claim its vicinity. Hanging Grove The early community which settled within the present limits of Hanging Grove Township was closely allied to that of Gillam, from the necessity of their natural surroundings. The name of the township originated in a grove of oak, which by a freak of nature drooped their branches almost to the ground. Here the families of Robert Parker, Robert and William Overton, came in March of 1837. These families were natives of Pennsylvania, but came here from Rush County, in this state. In May following, John Lefler came here with a drove of cattle to graze, and sub- sequently came here to live. Donahue came to this section in July of this year, and in the latter part of the year, Joseph Oosley came here from Kentucky. Michael Lefler came in 1839, and the set- tlement gradually increased until it became independent under township organization. Town of Wheatfield Wheatfield, an incorporated town of about 400 people, is on the line of the Indiana, Illinois & Iowa Railroad Company, in the northern part of the county, and dates from the building of that road, under the name of the Plymouth, Kankakee & Pacific Railway, in the early '80s. With the draining and general improve- ment of the Kankakee region, the village has become the center of a productive and prosperous region, and is the banking and shipping town for much of the northern part of the county. Wheatfield is in the midst of a productive grain and vegetable district, and among its industries is a pickle factory conducted by JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 167 Claussen & Son. The tile factory is owned and operated by John A. Williams, and is the source of supply for means of drainage in most of the adjacent lands. A good bank also adds to its advan- tages as a trade center. The village has a good school under the superintendency of Mor- gan L. Sterrett, the building being erected in 1907. In that year R. J. Owen became the first superintendent ; P. R. Blue served in 1908-09; M. L. Sterrett in 1909-12; Lester A. Sayers, 1912-15, and Mr. Sterrett a second term since the latter year. Bank of Wheatfield was organized as a private institution in 1900 with a capital stock of $10,000. The first officers were : Robert Parker, president; J. P. Hammond, cashier. Mr. Parker sold his holdings in 1905, Mr. Hammond continuing as cashier until 1908. In 1905 Horace Marble became president and in 1906 the capital stock was increased to $13,000. In 1908 H. W. Marble succeeded Mr. Hammond as cashier. In 1910 Horace Marble, the president, died and was succeeded by his son, H. W. Marble, who has continued as president to the present. In 1910 A. L. Jensen became cashier and has since officiated as such. The capital of the bank is $13,000; surplus and undivided profits, $8,000; average deposits, $140,000. Neither are the religious wants and needs of the community neglected. There are Methodist, Christian and Catholic churches, the first named being the only organization of the kind with a settled pastor. Rev. G. A. Emerich is pastor of the Methodist Church. The Catholic Church of the Sorrowful Mother consists of about twenty-five families, in charge of Rev. H. Hoerstman, of St. Edward's parish, Lowell, Lake County. Early in the '70s there was a little German settlement on the old Indian ridge, or Potta- wattamie trail, through the Kankakee swamps, which were then commencing to be tiled and drained. Rev. Joseph Stephan, of San Pierre, Starke County, first celebrated mass among these Ger- man Catholics, generally in the log cabin of William Grube. Then some Franciscan fathers came from Lafayette, and for years after- ward the spiritual supply for the Wheatfield church was drawn from priests stationed at the so-called Indian School, near St. Joseph's College, Rensselaer. Father Hoerstman has been in charge since 1912. The church was organized at Wheatfield by Rev. Dominic Shunk in 1886, under whose direction a little log church was built and dedicated. This was afterward replaced by a larger frame meeting house, also erected under Father Shunk's ministry. Father Hoerstman has also charge of the congregation at New- land. CHAPTER XIV NEWTON COUNTY BEFORE IT WAS A POLITICAL BODY Daeroch's Review Previous to Civil Organization — No Indian History — The Period of Lawlessness — Early Adventurers — The Kenoyer Settlement — First Postoffice at Brook — John Murphy Founds Morocco — John Ade Locates There — Morocco and the Neighborhood in 1853 — Lands in the Goodland Region — Alexander J. Kent and Kentland. Much of the general historic matter already presented in this volume refers as logically to Newton as to Jasper County. The transfers of sovereignty from French to English and from Eng- lish to American hands, of the territory now included in North- western Indiana; the clearing of Indian titles from the lands, and the final departure of the Miamis and Pottawattamies from the soil, the forests and the streams over which they held uncertain ownership, and the story of the creation of the Twin counties previ- ous to the time when Newton acquired a well-defined body politic — all such topics as these have a legitimate bearing upon the history and development of the Newton County of the present. In suc- ceeding pages the main lines of historic expansion will diverge from the point in the late '50s when the movement commenced to form a new county out of Jasper, as then constituted. Daeroch's Review Previous to Civil Organization But considerable pioneering was accomplished as a necessary foundation for the civic superstructure which afterward arose. Quite a number of settlers came into the territory of the Newton County of 1916 when it was little more than a name and depended upon other more settled and organized communities for its political rights and legal protection. John Darroch, who did so much to organize the first distinctive government of the county, has left 168 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 169 on record a general survey of the foreground of men and events which leads up to Newton's actual birth in i860. "After the Black Hawk War of 1832," he says, "the Indians having all moved west of the Mississippi river, emigration from the older states of the Union became so great that the legislature of Indiana, through the efforts of John Wanten of Jennings County, chairman of the Committee on the Formation of New Counties, passed a bill in the year 1835 to lay off into counties the northwestern portion of Indiana. Following are the counties created : Jay, Adams, DeKalb, Steuben, Whitley, Kosciusco, Fulton, Marshall, Stark, Pulaski, Jasper and Newton. "Newton county, as then laid off, was bounded on the south by the line dividing Townships 28 and 29 north, and extended north to the lake and was attached to Warren for judicial purposes, but never had an organized existence. Lake County was soon after- ward organized out of the territory north of the Kankakee river, and in the year 1838, Jasper County — its territory then embracing the present counties of Jasper, Newton and Benton. The first Commissioners' Court was held at Parish's Grove, and an order was made by said court that all the courts should be held at the resi- dence of George W. Spitler on the south side of the Iroqtiois river below the cut-off. Isaac N. Naylor, of Crawfordsville, Ind., was the first judge; Hon. J. A. Wright, of Rockville — he who after- ward was member of Congress, governor of Indiana, United States Senator and minister to Berlin — was the first prosecutor; and George W. Spitler was the first clerk, also auditor and recorder, and held his office for a number of years. In 1840 the county seat was located at Rensselaer. "The first settlements in this county, like all other new settlements of those days, were made along the water-courses. There are evi- dences of settlements on the Iroquois river, when and by whom made I have been unable to ascertain. The chief monuments left by them to mark where their cabins stood are dilapidated fireplaces. In 1831 John Lyons, father of Aaron Lyons, lived one year south of the river on the farm now o\vned by Charles Martin. About this time, owing to the threatening attitude of the Sacs and Fox Indians, whose chief was Black Hawk, about 500 Kickapoo Indians left their homes in Illinois, and spent about one year on the Iroquois river hunting, trapping and fishing, and then returned to their homes. "In the year 1832, Aaron Lyons, above mentioned, was bom on the south side of the river near what is known by the first settlers as 170 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES the 'cut-off.' Aaron is the oldest man to the manor bom in Newton County. "Up to the year 1840 quite a number of settlers was added; of the arrival of whom I have no dates. Among them were the Spit- lers, Andersons, Roberts, Lyons, Kenoyers, Barkers, Dunns, Elijahs, Elliotts and others. I think that in the year 1850 we could poll the good round number of 100 votes in what is now Newton County. There were about 24 votes in Beaver Township when they all turned out. "It was not until about the year 1850 that much effort was made to farm or cultivate the prairie soil of this county. From the year 1854 to 1857, there was quite a speculative fever in the swamp lands of northern Jasper County. Some parties at Indianapolis being largely interested in the lands procured an act of the legislature forming new counties, and they proceeded in 1857 to carry their speculations into effect, marking out their county which was called Kankakee County. James Ballard, swamp land engineer, laid out their town near the center of the proposed county, and I believe they called it Cobbtown, and put their petition in circulation for the same. The citizens of the western part of the county, who had been thinking of a division of the county north and south, early in the summer of 1857 held a meeting at Morocco, and voted to present a petition for division to the Board of Commissioners at their Sep- tember term, which was done — said petition stating that the name of the new county should be known as Newton. "These who took an active part in this matter were Silas Johnson, John Ade and Thomas Barker — he who named the new county — John Andrews and many others of our best citizens. After inci- dents usual to all petitions — traveling the routines of the courts and some delays — the petition was granted, and the court appointed as commissioners to determine the boundaries of the new county, Zecha- riah Spitler, David Creek and John Darroch. In the spring of i860, Governor Willard appointed three commissioners to lay off the county seat, which was located about one mile east of Kentland — so said. In the spring of i860 the Governor appointed Thomas R. Barker organizing sheriff, who called an election to be held on the I ith day of April to fill the county offices. The following were New- ton County's first officials: Zechariah Spitler, clerk; Samuel Mc- Cullough, Treasurer; .Mexander Sharp, auditor; John Ade, recorder; Elijah Shriver, sheriff ; T. R. Barker, William Russell and Michael Coffelt, commissioners." JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 171 No Indian History As a county, Newton has really no Indian history which can be depicted in distinct lines ; for when the first whites commenced to arrive in the early '30s the one Pottawattamie village which is said to have existed a few miles north of what is now Morocco had been long abandoned. Corn fields were still found in a number of places, but what few Indians roamed through its marshes or along its streams to hunt and fish did not stay even long enough to reculti- vate them for a season ; for, like poor Jo in Dickens' London streets, they were bidden by the white men, in no uncertain tones, to "move on." Fatal Affray Between Two Indian Chiefs It was not far from the site of the Pottawattamie village — to be exact, on the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 30, known in later, but still early times, as Silas Johnson's Grove, or Turkey Foot Grove — that a feud between two Indian bands was fought out by their chiefs, and both the principals in the bloody fight were knived to death. The story, which has descended from Thomas Barker, the pioneer who was a youth of sixteen at the time of the occurrence, is told by D. A. Protsman, who purchased Turkey Foot Grove (named after one of the Indian chiefs who was killed) about seventeen years ago. He received the narrative direct from Mr. Barker's son, S. C. Barker; also from a son of- Joseph Dunn. Although the seniors. Barker and Dunn, were not witnesses to the fight, they were in the neighborhood hunting at the time, discovered the bodies of the chiefs after they had been prepared for burial by the Indians, and obtained the facts of the fatal affray from those who had witnessed it. The story, as told by Mr. Protsman, is substantially as follows : In November, 1829, Turkey Foot and Bull, chiefs of two tribes who had had some disagreement, appointed a meeting at the locality named in an endeavor to arrange their differences without a resort to hostilities. Each was accompanied by about twenty-five of his followers, but, as it was discovered that some of them were armed, the leaders agreed to have their sons-in-law collect and hide all the weapons brought to what was planned to be a council of peace. The collectors hid the weapons in the neighboring marshes — all except two knives, one of which was retained by each son-in-law unknown to the other. They then returned to the parley to await the outcome. 172 JASPER AND XEWTOX COUNTIES The chiefs finally got into a dispute, which ended in such a fierce fight that they rolled on the ground like wild animals. As the climax, Bull had Turkey Foot under him and was chewing off his nose, when the son-in-law of the under chief stabbed Bull to death. Then the son-in-law of the dead chief plunged his knife into Turkey Foot, killing him instantly. The feud being thus settled, the Indians roped the two chiefs in their blankets, leaving their faces bare, laid them side by side on the ground, and built a pen of poles around their bodies to protect them from wild beasts. A few days afterward, Messrs. Barker and Dunn, young men hunting in the neighborhood, discovered the bodies of the dead chiefs in their pen. About six weeks later they returned and found them still undisturbed, although the faces had become somewhat dried and "mummyfied." The hunters were standing at one side of the inclosure looking at the corpses, when one of the bodies com- menced to move up and down. They were certainly awed and startled until they discovered that there was a hole under the pen into which one of the hunting dogs had squeezed itself and from which it was in a good position to gnaw and pull at the blanket of the dead chief. Afterward the bodies of Bull and Turkey Foot were burned. The bones came into possession of Dr. C. E. Triplett, when he located at Morocco, and were subsequently burned in the fire which destroyed his residence. The Period of Lawlessness In its early history, Jasper County bore an unsavory reputation. The impenetrable character of the swamp lands along the Kankakee River afforded a safe retreat for a class of criminals who were early known as the "Bandits of the Prairie," and while their depre- dations were not committed so much upon the people here, they made this region a resort to evade the pursuit from other quarters, and gained for the county the reputation of being a community of thieves. This class infested the Northwest as early as 1837, and while they scrupled at the commission of no form of crime, they were especially annoying in their principal business of horse-stealing and counterfeiting. Their plan of operation was to take the lighter horses of Illinois to Indiana and sell them, making their return trip with heavy draft horses which were disposed of in Iowa and Mich- igan. For a time these depredations were carried on with impunity. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 173 The population, scattered at considerable distances apart, was prin- cipally confined to the edge of the timber, leaving the prairie a broad highway for these bandits to pass from one end of the country to the other undiscovered. The early settlers did not submit to this state of affairs without some effort to bring these persons to justice and to recover their property, but singly the pioneers proved poor trappers of this game. The bandits were known to be desperate characters, adepts in the use of weapons, and in traveling the open prairie, and it often happened that when a party got close upon the thieves, discretion seemed the better part of valor, and the chase was given up. Their success emboldened these robbers, and the early land and stock buyers learned to seldom travel alone, and never unarmed. A good horse caused many persons to be waylaid and killed, and a large amount of money in the possession of an unprotected person, almost inevitably brought him into trouble. Burglary soon followed success on the road. Farmers became more cautious and evaded these footpads. In this case the cabin was entered, and the money taken, while the family was kept discreetly quiet by a threatening pistol. The open-handed hospitality of a new country made the settlers an easy prey to those who lacked even the traditional respect of the Beduoin freebooter. It was impossible to discriminate be- tween the worthy stranger and the bandit, and the stranger taken in was more likely to prove a robber than an angel in disguise. Civil authority seemed hopelessly incapable of remedying the evil. Occa- sionally a desperado would be apprehended. Legal quibbles would follow and the rascals get free, or justice would be delayed until a jail-delivery would set him loose to prey upon the public again. This occurred with such monotonous regularity and unvarying suc- cess, that the scattered pioneers began to lose confidence in each other, and anarchy seemed about to be ushered in. Counterfeiting was an evil which was carried on to a considerable extent within the limits of this county, and caused a great deal of indignation among the honest settlers here. The two classes of out- laws were united and had their sympathizers everywhere among the early settlers. Indeed, the latter class became so bold in their operations as to take little pains to conceal their work, and so skilled as to deceive the officials of the land office. It is said that a neighbor came upon a blacksmith of this county one rainy day, and found him busily engaged in coining bogus money. He made no attempt to conceal his dies, but said, in a matter-of-fact way, that he had just finished making enough to enter another quarter section 174 JASPER AXD NEWTON COUNTIES of land, and proposed to stop the business. This he did, destroying his dies and showing them to his neighbor, but he secured the land, and no official scrutiny was ever directed toward his manner of getting his property. This was not an isolated case, and both men were respected as men of high social character and probity, but the theory seemed to exist that so long as the evil was not directed against the home community, it was not a venial crime. Such looseness in the public morals, however, had its inevitable reaction, and the reputation and peace of the community began to suffer. Horse-thieving, petty larceny of all kinds, malicious destruc- tion of property, murderous assaults and counterfeit money became prevalent right here, and finally aroused the people to the necessity of a detemiined prosecution of these offenses. Accordingly, in February, 1858, a company was organized in this county under "an act authorizing the formation of companies for the detection and apprehension of horse-thieves and other felons, and defining their powers.'' It was composed of two men from each township under the direction of a captain, and each man was constituted a detective to arrest or cause the arrest of any suspicious character. The effect of this company's work was prompt and salutary. Before the or- ganization was two weeks old, it secured the apprehension of a noted horse-thief, and a week later had him safely incarcerated in the penetentiary under sentence of a five years' term. The honest resi- dents of the county cordially aided the company, which in a year or two rid the country of the gang which infested the county. On one occasion, a new wagon of a settler was found mutilated and essen- tially ruined. Suspicion pointed to a man and his four sons, one of whom was apprehended and examined. Nothing could be elicited, and it was determined to try more forcible means. A rope was procured and the victim pulled up to a tree in the courthouse yard. After suspending him as long as they dared, he was lowered. But he still remained firm in his denial of any knowledge of the affair. He was again strung up and would probably have died had not one of the Rangers cut him down. Once brought to his senses, he "gave the whole gang away." This organization subsequently got upon the track of the counterfeiters' organization, found and destroyed dies of these operators in Union Township, McClellan, Bogus Island, and west of these places. These places were evidently the work- shops of the gang, and contained guns, saddles and bridles, counter- feit coin, dies, provisions, etc. There was no serious encounter, though armed men appeared to dispute the party's advance. Finding a determined show of force would not turn the Rangers from their JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 175 course, they made a hurried retreat. With the growth of settle- ments and the drainage of these swamp lands, this species of out- lawry has long since ceased, and Jasper County bears a reputation for a law-abiding, thrifty population second to none in the state. Its courts have had no cases of remarkable importance, save perhaps the action of the county commissioners against a treasurer of the county, and the controversy in relation to the formation of Newton County. These were both settled in the Supreme Court. Early Adventurers During the period of wandering Pottawattamies, trappers, squat- ters and criminals, there is little definite information to be gathered regarding old Newton County. Immigration of the desirables and their settlement, with the avowed object of founding homes and planting families, were directed to Rensselaer, the county seat, and the more promising localities farther to the east. The development of the western part of Jasper County up to about 1854 was almost at a stand-still. Yet those who ventured, and their work, are entitled to record and praise ; an inkling of which has already been given in the words of John Darroch, the father of Judge William Darroch. The Kenoyer Settlement Josiah Dunn and John Elliott are known to have been in the county, on the Iroquois, as early as 1832 ; among the very oldest settlers was an old man, Joseph Redding, who came from Ohio, and settled near the Iroquois River, in the western part of the county. He subsequently moved further west. About the close of the year 1832, the Brook settlement was formed by James W. Lacy, G. W. Spitler, Squire Lyons, T. R. Barker and Samuel Benjamin. The latter first settled on the river in the western part of the county, but left on the breaking-out of the Black Hawk disturbance, returning, however, and settling on the eastern side of the county. About this time came James Cuppy, Jacob Troup, John Meyers, Reece Dunn and Matthias Redding. About 1836, Jacob Kenoyer came from Southeastern Indiana, to near Spitler's Creek, and about 1845 erected the first sawmill and corncracker in the county. It was run by a dam thrown across Spitler's Creek, and stood near the brick residence erected by Zechariah Spitler and now owned by George W. Spitler, his son. 176 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Samuel and Frederick Kenoyer came in soon afterward, and Amos Clark and Charles Anderson. These families formed the nucleus for the entire settlement which gathered in the middle-western part of the county. This colony was further reinforced at an early date by Amos White, Michael Haney and Philip Earl. First Postoffice at Brook The Brook settlement was the first collection of houses and people to take on the semblance of a village in what is now Newton County, and on August 23, 1837, the fact of its growing importance was recognized by the Government in the establishment there of a postoffice, with the appointment of George W. Spitler as master of it. As it was seventeen years before another postoffice was estab- lished in Newton County, the Brook concern had nearly a generation the start of the other settlements. Mr. Spitler served as its post- master from August, 1837, to April, 1840, and Samuel H. Benjamin from that time until August, 1853. John Murphy Founds Morocco In the following year this monopoly of postal conveniences was broken by the opening of a postoffice at Morocco. John Murphy had laid out that place as a regular town — the first to be platted in the county — on the 28th of January, 185 1. In 1838, Mr. Murphy came to this region and settled north of the Kenoyer settlement on Beaver Creek. He was a native of Virginia and moved to Ohio in 1808. In 1825, he removed to Indiana, choosing a site on the Tippecanoe River, opposite the site of the City of Lafayette, which was then a wilderness. In 1838, he came to the territory which is now Newton County. At that time, there were but about twelve families in the county, among whom were those of Bridgeman, Cuppy, Smith and himself in the edge of the Beaver timber, while on the Iroquois there were but a few families — John Lyons, Job Hunt, Frederick Kenoyer, John Myers, and a few others. The rest of the county was an unbroken solitude. The first time he went to Chicago was in June, 1822, when he assisted in driving cattle from Ohio to Green Bay, for the United States garrison located there. It took two months and two days to make the trip. From Piqua, Ohio, to Green Bay was an unbroken wilderness, except a small settlement at Fort Wayne and the garri- son at Chicago. Just after the Town of Lafayette was laid out, JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 177 Taylor and Linton opened a store, and Mr. Murphy engaged to take an ox team and find a road to Chicago for them, by which goods could be brought at less expense than to haul them from the east. In company with two other teams, he proceeded through Parish Grove, to Bunkum, Illinois, and thence to West French trad- ing post about a mile up the Iroquois River, on the north side. From this point, he had to make his own road, there being no trace to Chicago. The latter place had increased since his first visit to some twenty-five dwellings, but land was still very cheap. Mr. Murphy was offered lots, near where the Tribune Building stands, at $io each, the payment to be made in potatoes or oats at 50 cents per Mr. and Mrs. John Ade bushel. Murphy was subsequently joined on the Beaver Creek by James Elijah, John Darroch, David Kessler, Daniel Deardurfif, Benjamin Roadruck, Silas Johnson and others. John Ade Locates There Two years afterward, and a few months before the postoffice was established at Brook, John Ade came on from Cheviot, the Cincinnati suburb, where he had been a toll keeper and a farmer, to take charge of a branch store opened at Morocco by Ayres & Company, of Bunkum, Illinois. They were old friends of his and naturally had confidence in his abihty to make the enterprise pay. Bunkum, which was in reality the popular name for two towns on either side of the Iroquois River just over the Illinois line, was then the center of a large country trade. It had four large general stores, the. bulk of the business being controlled by Ayres & Company. 178 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Mr. Ade remained there for six weeks with his wife and baby, obviously for the purpose of famiHarizing himself with the business, and on April 25, 1853, arrived at Morocco. Morocco and the Neighborhood in 1853 In 191 1, when he was eighty-three years old, Mr. Ade wrote as follows of his recollections of Morocco and vicinity, as he found the country in 1853 : "At that time the town was about two years old and had some six or seven houses. On the road from Bunkum to Morocco, after passing the Dunning farm, about half a mile from Bunkum, until we reached the Robert Archibald farm, a dis- tance of ten miles, all was open prairie, with the exception of an improvement just commenced by William Plummer, which was about half way between these two points. Of those living in Morocco at that time, David Pulver and A. W. Bebout are the only ones left among the living. Mrs. Pulver passed away since I began writing these recollections. "At that time Morocco was the only town in the territory now comprising Newton county. The nearest postoffice was Bunkum on the west, twelve miles, and Rensselaer on the east, eighteen miles. There was a postoffice at the residence of Amos Clark, called White's Grove, established September 27, 1853. This house stood about a half mile southeast of what is now known as the Pleasant Grove meeting house, near the Iroquois river, in Jefferson township. On April 27, 1854, it was moved to the residence of Zechariah Spitler, and again on June 20, 1861, to the residence of Elijah Kenoyer, where it remained until October 15, 1861, when it was discontinued. "There was also a postoffice called Brook, several miles farther up the river, both supplied by mail carried on horseback once a week. The first office was about two miles southwest of the present town of the same name. "The Brook postoffice was by far the oldest in the county. Morocco had no mail connections with Brook or White's Grove. We communicated with the outside world through Bunkum, Illinois (the postoffice was Concord), and Rensselaer, Indiana. "In 1854 we succeeded in getting a postoffice at Morocco on condition that the citizens would agree to carry the mail once a week to Rensselaer and back, also keep the postoffice for the proceeds of the office, so that it should be no expense to the government. "As this was the best arrangement that could be made, the condi- tions were accepted. John Ade was appointed postmaster and David JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 179 Pulver appointed mail carrier. A few months later an office was established in Jackson township, called Pilot Grove, and Stephen Elliott was appointed postmaster. This condition of things existed for some three years, when John Ade was removed for offensive partisanship. There was no civil service in those days but, as a prominent state politician put the case : 'The times now require that every government official must be a firm supporter of the adminis- tration.' "At the time above spoken of, envelopes and postage stamps were unknown. When a letter was written, it was folded and fastened either with a wafer or sealing wax. The rate of postage depended upon the distance the letter had to be carried, and the money could be received from the sender or collected at the destina- tion. This necessitated making out a way-bill with each package of letters sent to the different offices, showing the amount paid and the amount to be collected on each package. Few of our institu- tions have shown a more decided change than the mail service." Lands in the Goodland Region The rich, undulating prairie in the southeastern part of the present County of Newton did not attract attention as early as it should, on account of the swamp lands scandal which made emigrants cautious in their investments throughout all the region. In 1859, after the building of the Logansport & Peoria Railroad, the land upon which Goodland is located, with several adjoining sections on the east, was bought, mostly by speculators, at marshal's sale, for about $3.50 per acre. The town was not platted until about seven years later, when permanent settlers in that section of the county had commenced to improve their farms and develop the country as a productive and thrifty region of grain and live stock. Alexander J. Kent and Kentland In the meantime Alexander J. Kent, the founder of Kentland and one of the strongest and most honored men concerned in the advancement of the county, had acquired thousands of acres of lands in the southern part of the county and was throwing his weight in favor of the districts along and south of the Iroquois River. For nearly a quarter of a century he directed a veritable industrial cam- paign from his home Town of Kentland, both by force of his intel- lectual character and the warmth and nobility of his heart. 180 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES ]\Ir. Kent was born in Oneida County, New York, August 30, 1815, and was one of the California '49-ers. In that year he equipped John AlHson, W. R. Fowler, Daniel Shaw, James Izzard and J. B. Chesebrough with goods and furnished them transporta- tion to Sacramento City, where they were to furnish supplies to the miners. In 1851 he went on himself and joined the firm of W. R. Fowler & Company, the name of which was changed to Kent, Fowler & Company. The firm carried on a successful wholesale grocery business for some time. It was interrupted by a destructive fire, but resumed on a larger scale and continued for ten years. The partners then sold out and purchased the Anna Welsh, a vessel Alexander J. Kent and Wife engaged in trade between San Francisco and China. That venture was also a financial success. On her return trip the Anna Welsh brought to America the first Chinese colony, and after making three trips was sold to a Chinese mandarin, its owners returning to New York. Soon after his arrival at the metropolis, Mr. Kent's brother, Hon. P. M. Kent, of Indiana, called on him and induced him to invest in wild lands in Northwestern Indiana, and in 1853 he visited that state and invested largely. In 1855 he moved to New Albany, Indiana, and engaged in the wholesale grocery trade, having one of the largest establishments in the state. He frequently went to Northwestern Indiana and each time invested in land, until his real estate amounted to more than 25,000 acres. In 1859 he took up his residence in what is now Newton County. About this time many JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 181 bought farms from him, with Httle prospect of paying for them, and had Mr. Kent pressed them for payment when it was due many who were afterward prosperous farmers would have been obHged to surrender their lands and become poor men. But Mr. Kent seldom refused to help deserving persons or worthy enterprises, and to the people suffering from the drought in Kansas in 1861 his donations were most generous. On one occasion he replied to a solicitor for corn : "Go to my crib and take out what you think I ought to con- tribute, as I don't know exactly how to deal out to the worthy unfortunate sufferers." As a result, 500 bushels of corn were taken and the keen edges of hard times were turned. At a later date, $400 worth of clothing went to Nebraska for the sufferers from grass- hoppers as an evidence of Mr. Kent's free hand and good will. It is said that he had from $50 to $300 invested in every church in Washington Township. In 1861 came the Civil war, and untold distress was the result in thousands of households. Money was close, but Mr. Kent proved himself to be the man for the times, doing much to relieve the families of soldiers, and receiving the blessings of the widows and orphans whom his generosity had placed beyond the pale of want. On one occasion, as a company composed of his neighbors was marching to the depot on its way to the scenes of war, Mr. Kent came upon the scene and asked Capt. Daniel Ash to order "open ranks." When the order was obeyed, Mr. Kent passed through the lines and gave each man a $5 bill. "That came in good time," said one of the soldiers, "for many of us were leaving home and family without a dollar, and knew not when or where the next dollar was to come from." It is such instances as these that endeared Mr. Kent to all who knew him. He was always a' busy man and was seldom seen on the street except on urgent business. Mr. Kent was twice married, the last time to Miss Rosamond C. Chesebrough, daughter of Noyers P. and Clara (Moore) Chese- brough, the latter a niece of Thomas Moore, the poet. The death of Alexander J. Kent occurred May 7, 1882, his wife passing away December 24, 1886. They had six children : Clara, the wife of Dr. D. R. Burrell, of Canadaigua, New York ; May L., who married Dr. L. T. Desey, of Kentland ; John A., deceased ; Levanche E., wife of J. L. Morrison, of Kentland ; Carroll C, now the prominent banker and citizen of Kentland; and one child, who died in infancy. Mr. Kent's parents, Carroll C. and Pheba Kent, were born on the same day, October 17, 1777, in Connecticut. Mrs. Kent was a daughtei of Colonel Dymock, who served in the English army. 182 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Mr. Kent owned land at Oriskany, New York, on which was fought the battle of Oriskany, under General Herkimer, during the Revolu- tionary war. The land was afterward owned by his son, Alexander J. He died at Whitesboro, New York, aged eighty-three years. Mrs. Kent died August 21, 1827, aged fifty years. The platting of the county seat by Alexander J. Kent on April 23, i860, was accomplished two days after the first meeting of the commissioners occurred to perfect the civil organization of Newton County; the two events mark the commencement of a well-defined and a well-ordered epoch in its histor)'. CHAPTER XV MATTERS VITAL TO THE COUNTY Opposition to a Western County — State Supreme Court Up- holds Newton County — The County First Publicly Recog- nized— First Officials Elected and Sworn In — John Ade and Family — Kentland Still the County Seat — Seat Located Before Town Was Platted — Proposed Change to Beaver City — Other Attempted Removals — The Old Court- house— The New Courthouse — The Poor Farm and Asylum — Organization of the Townships — Roster of County Offi- cials— The County's Golden Anniversary- — Increase in Population — Population in i860, 1870 and 1880 — Popula- tion IN 1890, 1900 and 1910 — Assessed Valuation of Prop- erty, 1916 — Other Statistics for 1915-16 — Improved Roads IN the County — In the Days of the Trails and Stage Routes — ^Projection and Building of Its Railroads. In the year 1857 it became known that a bill had been lobbied through the Legislature proposing to erect a new county out of the north part of Jasper, with the county seat on the Kankakee River. It became evident to the citizens of the western portion of Jasper County that if they allowed the scheme to be carried out their prospects for a new county would be forever hopeless, and although the matter was considered to be somewhat premature, they at once went to work and called a public meeting of the citizens living west of the line dividing ranges 7 and 8, to be held at the Town of Morocco, at which time it was resolved to at once proceed to get petitions to the commissioners of Jasper County, asking to be set off in a new county, to be called by the name of Beaver; after- ward, but at the same meeting, on motion of Thomas R. Barker, the name was changed from Beaver to Newton, carrying down to history the friendship of Jasper and Newton, as related by Weems in his "Life of Marion." 183 184 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Opposition to a Western County The petition was signed by nearly every voter in the territory, and in September, 1857, was presented to the commissioners of Jasper County for their action. The petition was very naturally opposed by the citizens of the other portion of the county, and after about two days' skirmishing the petition was dismissed on the ground that a part of the names were attached before the taking effect of the law. The matter was decided on Tuesday afternoon. The same night petitions were written out and the next day circulated, and on Thursday morning sent to Rensselaer for presentation. The court had adjourned the evening previous to meet the next morning at 9 o'clock, but by some means the commissioners got wind of what was coming, and two of the commissioners never came back again during the term. There was no remedy left but to watch the court until the week expired and then go home and wait until the next term. At the December term, certain parties had prepared another peti- tion striking off the territory along the Kankakee River into a new county, and had filed their petition first, intending to hold that as a preventive against any action in favor of striking off the new County of Newton. The first day of the term all parties were on hand ; the County of Newton was represented by Silas Johnson, John Andrews, Zechariah Spitler, John Ade and a few others. The oppo- sition was led by Judge Milroy and L. A. Cole, and after a short time spent in consultation the case v\'as continued until Thursday. On consultation of the friends of Newton County, it was determined, as the best line of procedure, to go into the territory asking to be set off as a new county along the Kankakee, and if possible get signa- tures to remonstrances against being set oft' as a new county. This was so far successful that quite a large majority of all the voters signed the remonstrances. This strategy was kept as quiet as pos- sible, and on Thursday afternoon, when the case was called up, the opposition had not got wind of it. Judge Milroy presented his petition, following it by a few remarks, after which some two hours were spent in hearing objections and arguments in favor of it, until finally Silas Johnson, to whom had been assigned that part of the program, stated to the court he thought there had been fatal objec- tions to the petition presented, but that he had another argument against it which he wished to lay before the court, at the same time pulling out of his pocket the remonstrances duly sworn to, which he read and then sat down. There was silence for about two min- JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 185 utes, after which, with but Httle further discussion, the petition was dismissed. Thereupon the petition for Newton County was called up. This petition was presented December 7, 1857, and was opposed by a remonstrance signed by upward of 300 voters of the middle and eastern end of the county. The remonstrance was rejected, however, by the commissioners, who held that those residing outside of the territory proposed to be cut off had no voice in the matter, and granted the prayer of the petitioners, appointing Messrs. Z. Spitler, John Darroch and David Creek a committee to run the boundaries of the proposed county. An appeal was taken from this decision to the Circuit Court, which overruled the decision of the commissioners and granted an injunction restraining them from entering the order upon their records. An appeal thereupon was taken to the Supreme Court by the defeated party. State Supreme Court Upholds Newton County In the meanwhile, the persons engaged in the legal struggle had secured the passage of a new law by the Legislature in the session of 1858-59, and in the following June a new petition and a new remonstrance were brought before the commissioners, who rejected both on the ground that the case could not be heard at the same time in two courts, the question having been taken to the Supreme Court on an appeal. In November, 1859, that body decided against the Circuit Court, reversing its action, and on the 8th of the following month the board of commissioners made the following order, which is self-explanatory : "Whereas, The action of this court was heretofore so restrained by an order of the Jasper Circuit as to preclude the entry of the following order, and "Whereas, The Supreme Court of the State, on an appeal from said Circuit Court reversed the action of said Circuit Court in said case ; it is, therefore, now ordered by this court that the following report, the entry of which was heretofore restrained by said Circuit Court, be spread upon the order book, to-wit: To the Honorable Board of County Commissioners of Jasper County, Indiana : We, the undersigned committee, appointed by your honorable body at the December term, A. D.1857, ^o^ the purpose of establishing and laying off the boundaries of Newton County, Indiana, make the following report : Commencing at a point on the State line between Indiana and Illinois, at the southwest corner of Town 27 north. Range 10 west, at the corner of Benton and Jasper Counties ; thence 186 JASPER AND XEWTON COUNTIES east along the line of said counties of Jasper and Benton, between Townships 26 and z"] north, to Range line between Range 7 and 8 west ; thence north along said range line of 7 and 8 to the Kankakee river, thence west along the channel of said river to State line between Indiana and Illinois ; thence south along said line to place of beginning; and hereby establish the above as the boundaries of the aforesaid County of Newton, Ind. ; all which we respectfully submit to your honors. "David Creek, president, Zecha Spitler, and John Darroch, members of committee "February 2"], 1858." The County First Publicly Recognized John Ade, the young Englishman, who had spent his boyhood and youth near Cincinnati, who had become a resident of Morocco in 1853 and was living there in i860, when the county was formed and he was elected its first recorder, has this to say of the civil birth of Nev^rton County: "The first public recognition of the existence of Newton county took place at the February term of the Jasper County Circuit Court. I had been selected to act as a juror at this term of the court, and, on the morning of the second day of the term, I was present with other jurors. We were told to stand up and be sworn. I then stated to the court. Judge Charles H. Test, that before taking the oath I wanted to make the statement that I did not think I was qualified to act as a juror. The judge asked my reason for making the statement, and I replied I did not think I was a resident of Jasper county. The judge then inquired where I lived, and I told him I lived in Morocco. He replied : " 'Is that not a part of Jasper county?' "I said to him, T think not.' "He then asked me to give my reasons for making .such a state- ment. I said : 'It is my understanding that the supreme court has rendered its decision by which the western part of Jasper county, in which the town of Morocco is situated, has been stricken off from Jasper county, thus forming a new county.' "The judge then asked the clerk if there was any such decision on file in his office and if so to go and get it, which the clerk did. After a little time spent by the judge in reading the decision of the supreme court, he said : ']\Ir. Ade, you may stand aside. And if JASPER AND NEVv'TON COUNTIES 187 there are any other jurors from the part of Jasper county which has been stricken off, they also may consider themselves discharged.' First Officials Elected and Sworn In "In March, i860, Thomas R. Barker was appointed by Governor Willard as organizing sheriff for the new county, and as such organ- izing sheriff he issued a call for the election of officers for the new county. In accordance with said call, about the loth of April, i860, the following persons were declared duly elected to the several offices, as follows : "Zechariah Spitler, clerk ; Alexander Sharp, auditor ; Samuel McCullough, treasurer; John Ade, recorder; Adam. Shideler, sur- veyor; Elijah Shriver, sheriff; William Russell, Alichael Coff'elt and Thomas R. Barker, commissioners. "On April 21, i860, the officers elected to the several offices in Newton county met in the town of Kent, which had been selected as the county seat by the three commissioners appointed by Gover- nor Ashbel P. Willard for that purpose. These commissioners were Livingston Dunlap, Joseph Allen and Samuel H. Owen. After performing the duties assigned them, they made their report to the governor on March 15, i860. "On April 21, i860, the formal proceedings were as follows: Thomas R. Barker, organizing sheriff, then and there administered the oath of office to William Russell and Michael Coffelt, as com- missioners of said county. The said Thomas R. Barker then de- clared the board of commissioners duly qualified to act as commis- sioners of said county, and called them together for the purpose of doing such business as might be brought before them. The said board, being now in session, approved the bond of Zechariah Spitler as clerk of the circuit court in and for said county. Thomas R. Barker, as organizing sheriff, then administered the oath of office to Zechariah Spitler and declared the office of clerk of the circuit court duly established. "The commissioners then approved the bond of Alexander Sharp as auditor of said county, who received the oath of office by the clerk of the circuit court. The said office of auditor was then declared by said sheriff to be duly established. "The commissioners then approved the bond of Samuel ]\IcCul- lough as treasurer of said county : also of John Ade as recorder of said county ; also of Adam W. Shideler as surveyor of said county ; also of Elijah Shriver as sheriff of said county. The clerk of the 188 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES circuit court then administered the oath to said Samuel McCullough, John Ade, Adam W. Shideler and Ehjah Shriver. The said Thomas R. Barker then declared that the said officers being duly qualified, the said offices were duly established for said county of Newton. "Thomas R. Barker, having resigned the office of organizing sheriff and his successor having qualified, then took the oath of office as a commissioner of said Newton county. "The commissioners then adjourned to meet the following Mon- day morning at their first regular term, at which time the routine business of the county was taken up." To make the foregoing account of the civil organization com- plete it should be added that Sheriff Barker had issued his call for the special election to be held April 2, i860, and that there were six voting precincts — one each in Beaver, Jackson, Iroquois and Lake townships and two in Washington. The total number of votes cast was 492. John Ade and Family When Mr. Ade was elected recorder of the new county he moved from Morocco to Kentland, and, at the conclusion of his four years' term in that office was chosen county auditor. He already had a family of five children — one born in Ohio, two in Morocco and two in Kentland — and the sixth and most famous, George Ade, was born in February, 1866, while the father was serving as county auditor. The family occupied a rambling wooden house opposite the courthouse square and George attended the village school, where he early developed a taste for scribbling and cutting-up. It is said that he preferred to write in. his own way and chose his own sub- jects, and that one of his first literary efforts to appear in print was "A Basket of Potatoes," which he composed while being kept after school to write an essay on some more dignified subject. As George did not seem to take to farming, or banking, or the grain and land business, after getting what he could out of Kentland he went to Purdue University, from which he graduated in 1887. There he met John McCutcheon, the cartoonist. After graduating from Purdue, Ade was a reporter on the Lafayette Call for a time, after- ward joined McCutcheon on the Chicago Record, and started the pace as a newspaper man and playwright which has made him famous and wealthy. He has invested his large earnings in farms and livestock, mainly in Newton and Jasper counties, and to the success of these ventures he has always given large credit to his JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 189 elder brother, William H., who still resides at Kentland, where he has held public office and is prosperous and honored. George has testified to his reliance on the good judgment and brotherly interest of William, both in private and in public, in the latter class being an article which the author contributed to the Country Gentleman, several years ago, entitled "Keeping Up With Brother Bill," in which was exposed the frantic literary rush of the writer of "The College Widow" and other plays to coin his brains into money, in order to appease the demands of William for profitable investments in lands, cattle and horses. He strongly intimated that it was hard to keep up with Brother Bill. Kentland Still the County Seat Newton County has had even more than the average amount of contention over the location of its seat of justice. As the prime contention for the necessity of striking off the new county from Jasper was that Rensselaer was so remote from the citizens of the western sections as to be almost inaccessible, it was expected that the ne\ir seat of justice would be fixed at some central point. It was originally fixed at Kentland, in the southern part of the county, but then its only railroad town, and, although the more central localities, represented by Morocco, Brook and Beaver City, after- ward contended for the honor and advantage, Kentland has retained its early advantage, despite the extension of railroad conveniences into the more northern districts. On the other hand, the inconvenience to taxpayers has been growing less with the later development of the county, and the expansion of Kentland, Goodland, Brook and Southern Newton County in general ; whereas, when the county seat was located in i860 probably go per cent of the population of the county was north of the Iroquois River, for some years the bulk of the people has been confined to three of the southernmost town- ships. The reason the central contestants made no better progress, while they had the preponderance of population in their favor, was that there were too many of them, and each was pulling against the other. Seat Located Before Town Was Platted On the formation of the county, A. P. Willard promptly ap- pointed Livingston Dunlap, of Marion County, John B. Winstand- ley, of Floyd County, and Joseph Allen, of Montgomery County, to fix upon the location. The event clearly showed that the Governor 190 JASPER AXD XEWTOX COUNTIES was actuated by personal motives in the appointment of this com- mittee and was present on the ground when the Legislative Com- mission came to view the situation. Samuel H. Owen was subse- quently substituted for Mr. Winstandley, and on March 15, i860, the commissions thus constituted submitted the following report : "To the Hon. A. P. Willard, Governor : The undersigned Com- missioners, appointed by the Governor of the State of Indiana to locate the county seat of the county of Newton, in said State, after a full and faithful consideration of the subject, and view of the various sites proposed by the inhabitants of said county of Newton, and after having given an opportunity for the making of donations and having duly considered the same, report that they by a majority of said board do locate said county seat of Newton County at the proposed and platted town of Kent, on part of Section 22, in Towti- ship 27 north, and Range 9 west, of the lands in said county ; and we return herewith the original proposition of donations to said county for said location, to wit: Cash, A. J. Kent, $500; subscription of sundry persons, $245 ; one hundred and sixty acres of land, being the southeast quarter of Section 23, Township 28 north. Range 8 west, as described in patent, 196 lots of 30 by 150 feet each, as per proposition, court house square, 350 by 250 feet, to be selected by the County Commissioners. "Respectively submitted this isth day of March, A. D. i860. "L. DUNLAP, Joseph Allen, Sam'l. H. Owen." It is needless to say that this decision gave rise to the liveliest dissatisfaction. Charges of bribery and every unworthy motive were freely made, and the facts in the case certainly gave very good grounds for suspicions. A little east of the point selected lay a considerable tract of land, the title of which rested in the nam.e of the governor's wife; the governor, by his presence here during the visit of the commissioners, gave color to the report that he did not care to trust even his own henchmen out of his sight, and his own intimate relations with Mr. Kent formed a combination of circum- stances that might well give circulation to such charges, even among a people less willing to believe them. Proposed Change to Beaver City An effort was at once made to change the location thus decided upon, and, under the mistaken supposition that if a courthouse was JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 191 erected near the center of the county the court would decide to remove the county seat to that point, a small town was accordingly projected in the southeast corner of Beaver Township, a courthouse erected, and on the 4th of September, i860, a petition was presented to the new board of county commissioners, by John Darroch, John Coflfelt, F. W. Harney, Andrew Hess, Silas Johnson, and James Archibald, for the removal of the county seat, and for its re-location at and on the south half of the northwest quarter of section 36, township 29 north, range 9 west, averring that the petition contained the signatures of two-thirds of the legal voters in the county and by affidavits proving that the petitioners were legal voters of the county, and that their signatures were genuine, and also at the same time filed a deed for a site for county buildings, at and on the point above named, containing 3^4 acres and upward; also, at the same time deposited $50, as provided by the statute, to employ an architect, etc., all of which was laid before the board by the auditor. The building erected in Beaver Township by Messrs. Darroch, Cofifet, Ham, Hess, Johnson and Archibald was the duplicate of the court- house at Kentland, and stood for many years as the Beaver City Courthouse, although never the county center of justice. Other Attempted Remgv.vls The petition for removal was immediately met by a remonstrance headed by A. J. Kent, and after several days the commissioners reported that as the petition contained 342 names and the remon- strance 202, and there were 544 legal voters in the county, the requi- site two-thirds vote had not been obtained; which was necessary for the relocation of the county seat under the act of 1855. On June 3, 1861, C. E. Triplett, Z. Spitler, E. Bridgeman. John Lyons, Andrew Hess and others presented another petition "for the removal and relocation of the county seat," the site designated this time being "near the town of Brook, to-wit: On the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 19, Township 28 north, Range 8 west." Ten petitions, said to contain 390 signatures, a deed conveying five acres for public buildings, a bond conveying a tract of land not less than 160 acres for the use of the county, a further donation of every third lot in the proposed plat of the town, and a bond for the payment of $1,000 in lawful money, were the inducements offered at this time. This movement was also met by a counter movement, executed by A. J. Kent and others, but fate seemed kind to the beleaguered minority, and a flaw in the 192 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES money-bond threw the petitioners' case out of court. The com- missioners had previously thrown out the names of all those who had joined the army as they were no longer legal voters in Newton County. At a special term of the Commissioners' Court, held May 17, 1869, James Nelson filed a petition in behalf of 685 citizens asking that the county seat be relocated at Beaver City. He also filed a deed for land as a courthouse site for courthouse and jail and paid $250 to cover fees for architect and commissioners. A. J. Kent, according to custom, filed a protest, and two days later the peti- tioners withdrew their case, with all papers previously filed. On the loth of March, 1870, another "petition for the removal and relocation of the county seat," signed by Daniel Ash and 609 others, was brought before the board of commissioners by Messrs. Hammond & Spitler, attorneys for the petitioners. The object at this time was to move the seat of justice to Morocco. The usual remonstrance was filed, but the case was summarily withdrawn by the petitioners without a hearing of the case. It afterward trans- pired that they had been made the victims of misplaced confidence, some of the important papers pertaining to the case having been stolen. Again on December 24, 1872, John W. Daveer, John Thompson and 952 others petitioned for the removal of the county seat to Brook. This was opposed by a remonstrance signed by C. B. Cone, A. J. Kent and 580 others. This remonstrance was at first excluded for insufficiency, but was subsequently amended and filed, where- upon the petition was summarily withdrawn. On June 19, 1876, an attempt to remove the county seat was made by Daniel Ash, et al., in favor of IMorocco. The petitions retained Hon. J. R. Cofifroth, Hon. R. S. Dwiggins, Carmichael and Darroch. The remonstrance, headed by J. G. Perry and Patrick Keefe, was supported by Col. R. P. DeHart, E. O'Brien, W. H. Martin and J. T. Saunderson. In this case the petitioners made the fatal error of neglecting to deposit with the auditor the money required by law to hire an architect and pay expense of assessing damages. A tender of this money was made at the time of hear- ing, but the board of commissioners refused to accept it, and an appeal was taken to the Circuit Court. A change of venue was taken to Jasper County, and subsequently to Tippecanoe County. Here the case was finally dismissed, upon motion, on the ground that the Commissioners' Court had original and final jurisdiction. Thus ended the sixth attempt to wrest the county seat from JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 193 Kentland, under the law of 1855, by petition. Then came a rest of nearly a quarter of a century, and the three efforts in the same line made since 1876 have been made by means of special elections held under the law of March 2, 1899, entitled "An act to relocate the county seat of Newton county." Under its provisions such election can be held on petition of 400 legal voters of the county, who are required to file a bond of $3,000 to pay its expenses. The commissioners, to whom the petition is presented, fix the day of election, which is to be from sixty to ninety days from the date of granting the petition. At least 65 per cent of the vote cast is required for relocation. Under the law of 1899. Frank Davis and others up to the legal requirement of 400 presented a petition to the Commissioners' Court, on the 2d of April, 1900, for the transfer of the county seat to Morocco. The demurrer was filed by Carroll C. Kent, Patrick Keefe, George D. Rider, W. T. McCray, H. A. Strohm and J. V. Dodson. The election, however, was held June 19, 1900, resulting in a vote of 1,515 for relocation and 1,415 against. Evi- dently, the yeas failed to carry 65 per cent of the total vote. On July 3, 1900, John B. Lyons and others to the legal number^ petitioned the board of commissioners to locate the county seat at Brook. The election, held on the 25th of September, resulted in the casting of 1.337 votes in favor of the petition and 1,208 against it. The ninth attempt was made in behalf of Goodland and, after all legal requirements had been complied with, the commissioners ordered an election to be held January 30, 1901. Carroll C. Kent, W. H. Ade, W. T. McCray, Ephraim Sell, George D. Rider and J. V. Dodson appealed successively to the Circuit and Supreme courts to have the action of the commissioners set aside, but they were sustained and an election was ordered for June 7, 1902. At that election 1,834 votes were cast for relocation and 697 against. As stated in John Ade's history : "The commissioners met in June, 1902, and certified that the petitioners had received more than the 65 per cent necessary. On August 12, 1902, the commis- sioners appointed by the governor to appraise the public buildings at Kentland met and reported the same to be of the value of $1,000. Said report was signed by Albert M. Burns, Anthony A. Anheir and George W. Williams. "Afterward, on August 27, 1902, John R. Davis commenced action in the Circuit Court to restrain the county commissioners from letting contracts for the erection of county buildings at the town 194 JASPER AND XEWTON COUNTIES of Goodland, and the court did, on the ist day of September, 1902, refuse to grant the order prayed for. "On January 29, 1903, Elmer R. Brigham commenced suit in the Newton Circuit Court, asking that a writ of mandate be granted, commanding the commissioners of Newton county to let a contract for the building of a courthouse at Goodland. "On February 4, 1903, a change of venue was taken to White county. "Afterward the writ of mandate was granted by the judge of the White County Circuit Court. An appeal was taken to the Supreme Court of the state of Indiana, which court did, at its November term. 1903 (reported in volume 161, page 616, of the reports of the Supreme Court), decide that the act of March 2, 1899, on which act this case was based, was unconstitutional, and that all proceedings under it were void. "The decision of the Supreme Court practically ended the long struggle for the removal of the county seat from Kentland. The projection of a new north and south railroad through Kentland, con- necting with the northern points of the county, and the building of a new court house, both operated to make the removal less advisable." The Old Courthouse Kentland was laid out by Alexander J. Kent in April, i860; dur- ing the month following, the Logansport & Peoria Railroad was opened for business, and on June 18th the county commissioners proceeded to select the site for the courthouse to be occupied by the new set of officials who had been sworn in about two months before. After viewing the different tracts they selected block 16 containing thirty lots. It was also ordered by the Commissioners' Court that Reuben White be appointed agent to receive the donations for the county seat from A. J. Kent, according to the proposition made by him. "This arrangement continued until 1867," says John Ade (who was auditor at the time), "when the small building, located north of the courthouse, was erected, containing two rooms. When first built, it was the intention to use these rooms as jury rooms. How- ever, objections were raised on account of their being on the ground floor. Being abandoned for that purpose, the clerk soon after appropriated the west room, the recorder taking the east one. The auditor's office was then enlarged by taking in all the south side JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 195 of the courthouse on the first floor. The sheriff then took pos- session of the room deserted by the recorder, this being the first time he had been able to secure a separate office. "This arrangement continued until August, 1906, when the new and present courthouse was completed. The old building was aban- doned after a continuous use of forty-five years and was, on Novem- ber 5, 1906, sold to John Simmons for the sum of one hundred and seventy dollars. The original cost of the building had been one thousand dollars. Deducting the amount for which it sold, made the real cost to the county only $830 for forty-five years' service, or an annual rental of $18.50 a year. I doubt if any other county in the state can show such an illustration of economy." The New Courthouse The new courthouse is a handsome structure of brick and stone, two stories and basement in height, with large and convenient county offices and accommodations for the judiciary, the lawyers and the public. It was completed in 1906, at a cost of over $30,000. At the commencement of the work, in the spring of 1905, the com- missioners were David Hess, Elmer Skinner and James A. Whaley ; the county council comprised James Chancellor, John R. Hershman, Charles Hartley, George M. Herriman, R. L. Ewan, Felix Tyler and Edward Roush. At the term of the Commissioners' Court, held April 3, 1905, its members made a contract with Eric Lund, of Hammond, Indiana, to furnish all the material and complete a courthouse on the public square at Kentland for $26,195, according to the plans furnished by Joseph T. Hutton, architect and superintendent of construction. Previous to the letting of the contract to Mr. Lund, proceedings were instituted in the Circuit Court to enjoin the commissioners and councilmen from taking such action. In April, 1905, the case came up for trial and went against the plaintiffs, who were ordered to pay the costs of the trial. On appeal to the State Supreme Court, the Newton County Circuit Court was overruled, on the ground that the county council, in making the appropriation to build the courthouse, had done so by motion and not by ordinance, as required by law. During the pendency of the case, Mr. Lund had constructed the foundation and side walls of the courthouse up to the top of the first story, for which he had been paid $12,000, guaranteed by an indemnifying bond signed by various citizens of Jefferson Township. 196 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES The decision of the Supreme Court brought the work upon the courthouse to a standstill, and the owners of the bonds which had been issued to meet the cost of its construction brought suit to recover their value from the county. The county council then met and made an appropriation for the completion of the courthouse, by ordinance instead of by motion, and in September, 1905, the com- missioners placed upon record the report of that body authorizing them to issue bonds and borrow $24,500 for completing and furnish- ing the courthouse and to meet the legal expenses incurred by the county. In the following month, the commissioners appropriated The Newton County Courthouse $28,500 to meet the judgment obtained by the bondholders. In January, 1906, new bonds were issued amounting to $23,000 to complete the courthouse, Mr. Lund's bid for his work ($18,525) being accepted. The building was completed in August, 1906, and all books, records and available furniture were moved from the old to the new courthouse. The final cost of the courthouse was repre- sented by the liquidation of the two Lund contracts, $12,000 and $18,525, respectively. The Poor Farm .\nd Asylum The poor farm of Newton County comprises about 300 acres about four miles north of Kentland, in section 23' Washington JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 197 Township, on the northern banks of the Iroquois River. Two tracts in other localities were bought and sold before the commissioners made the original purchase of the present poor farm. At the time of the location of the county seat at Kentland, A. J. Kent donated i6o acres of land to the county, which was designed for a poor farm, being the southeast quarter of section 23, town 28, range 8 west. That tract was never used for the purpose indicated, and in August, 1872, was sold to Jonathan W. Stryker. In September, 1868, the board had bought 200 acres from Solo- mon Warren in section 13, and also sold that farm in 1872, the purchaser being John Sell. On January 24, 1878, in settling with D. A. Pfrimmer, a former treasurer, over 100 acres of the present poor farm was taken, in part settlement of his indebtedness to the county. For some time the county used an ordinary farm dwelling to care for its few in- mates, but in 1891 contracted with George D. Rider to erect a large frame building for that purpose at a cost of over $4,000. This was burned in January, 1910, and in the following May the commis- sioners contracted with Fred Friedline & Company to erect a brick building for nearly $23,000, according to plans furnished by John Bruck, architect. The cornerstone of the structure now in use was laid by the Masonic Lodge of Kentland in August, 1910, and the building was completed before the close of the year. At present ten inmates are charges of the county. The farm is more than self- supporting. Org.'\niz.\tion of the Townships When the first Board of Commissioners of Newton County met, April 23, i860, there were five townships within their jurisdiction — Beaver, Jackson, Lake, Iroquois and Washington, and the first busi- ness which came before that body was the proposition to form another township from that portion of Washington lying south of the Iroquois River. The petition to that effect, which was granted, was signed by Ralph Swigget and others, and thus Jefi^erson Town- ship was created. On June 7, i860, the commissioners ordered that Civil Township No. I, Iroquois Township, should consist of towns 27 and 28, range 8; No. 2, Jackson Township, of towns 29, 30, 31 and 32, range 8; No. 3, Lake Township, town 31, ranges ,9 and 10; No. 4, Beaver Township, towns 29 and 30, ranges 9 and 10; No. 5, Washington Township, town 28, ranges 9 and 10, lying on the north side of the 198 JASPER AND XEWTOX COUNTIES Iroquois River; and No. 6, Jefferson Township, town 27, ranges 9 and 10, lying south of the river. On December 2, 1862, the petition headed by Z. T. W'heaton to set off McClellan from Beaver Township was granted, its territory to comprise town 30, ranges 9 and 10. Grant Township was organized December 6, 1865, by striking from Iroquois Township all of town 27, range 8. The petitioners were R. C. Currens, Blake Wilson, F. C. Pierce and thirty others, and the commissioners appointed A. L. Martin to act as trustee of the new township until regular officials should be elected. On March 9, 1871, Philip Miller and others presented a petition asking for the erection of a township out of the territory lying in towns 30, 31 and fractional 32, range 8, to be called Colfax. It was granted; and thus Grant and Colfax, who were then in the middle of their term as President and vice president of the United States, were embalmed in Newton County history. On September 2, 1872, the board of commissioners granted the petition of M. D. Kay and fourteen others that Colfax Township be divided, and on this petition town 31 and town 32 south of the Kankakee River in range 8. was erected into Lincoln Township. It was also ordered that Aaron Wilson be appointed its trustee. The foregoing accounts for the formation of the ten townships into which Newton County is now divided. Roster of County Officials Zechariah Spitler was the first clerk of the Circuit Court of Newton County, serving from i860 to 1864. The successive in- cumbents of that position have been as follows: E. L. Urmston, 1864-68; Nathaniel West, 1868-70; Andrew Hall, 1870-76; W. W. Gilman, 1876-80; John G. Davis, 1880-88; W. H. Kenoyer, 188S-96; Ira Drake. 1896-1904; Reuben Hess, 1904-10; Howard :\IcCurry, 1910-15 (died in office) ; Charles M. Daniel, present incumbent, appointed to succeed Mr. McCurrj'. County treasurers: Samuel McCullough, 1860-64; Samuel Bramble, 1864-68; Alexander Myers, 1868-72; Daniel A. Pfrimmer, 1872-76; John F. Johnson, 1876-80; George G. Jenkins, 1880-84; Isaac Smart, 1884-88; Samuel Martindale, 1888-92; Alfred Jenkins, 1892-96; William H. Ade, 1896-1900; Frank Coovert, 1900-04; Charles Spinney, 1904-09; Albert J. Schuh. 1909-14: Frank C. Rich, in office (1916). Recorders: John Ade, 1860-64; John Peacock, 1864-72; Ezra JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 199 B. Jones, 1872-80; George M. Bridgeman, 1880-84; Elisha Parsons, 1884-87; Henry Parsons, 1887-88; John Higgins, 1888-96; Albert M. Boyle, 1896-1901 ; W. H. Boyle, 1901-10; W. H. Burton, in office (1916). Auditors : Alexander Sharp, 1860-64 ; John Ade, 1864-68 ; Alex- ander Ekey, 1868-72; John S. Veatch, 1872-76; John Z. Johnston, 1876-80; Alexander Sharp, 1880-83 (died in office) ; John Z. John- ston (by appointment and election), 1883-88; Marion C. Coover, 1888-96; Schuyler C. Jones, 1896-1905; Alonzo Purkey, 1905-09; Elmer R. Brigham, 1909-13; S. R. Sizelove, since January i, 1913. Sheriffs : Elijah I. Shriver, 1860-64 ; Horace K. Warren, 1864-66 ; Charles Frankenberger, 1866-68; Horace K. Warren, 1868-72; Wil- liam A. Patrick (resigned), 1872-73; Jira Skinner (by appointment and re-election), 1873-78; Hugh Parker, 1878-80; John W. S. Ulrey, 1880-84; Samuel Alartindale, 1884-88; John W. Randall, 1888-92; Lawrence Graves, 1892-96; Chester Wickwire, 1896-1900; Jasper J. Collins, 1900 (six months) ; John A. Wildasin, 1900-04; Henry Stoner, 1904-08; Moses C. Sawyer, 1908-12; William Dow- ling, 1912-14; E. S. Hess, since 1914. Surveyors: Adam W. Shideler; Barnett Hawkins, 1864-70; Joseph Chambers, 1872-74; Milton Cook, 1874-76; Benjamin Harris, 1876-78; Otis Shepard, 1878-82; N. F. Jenkins, 1882-84; Robert Hamilton, 1884-90; Jesse M. Lockwood, 1890-94; Barnett Hawkins, 1894-1900; Edward H. Hamilton, 1900-07; John J. Alter, 1907-09; Greenberry G. Lowe, 1909-12; William A. Parker, 1912-14, by appointment, John A. Bruck failing to qualify ; J. R. Deardurff, in office since the latter year. The County's Golden Anniversary On the 2ist of April, i860, Thomas R. Barker, organizing sheriff of the new County of Newton, met the two county commissioners, William Russell and Michael Coffelt, at the Town of Kent, which had just been selected as the county seat, and, after administering the oath of office to them, declared them qualified to transact any business which should come before them. The board then approved the bond of the clerk of the Circuit Court; the sheriff swore that official into office, and, through the official acts of the commissioners, the clerk of the court and the sheriff", as has already been described in detail, the complete civil machinery of the new county was set in motion on that day (April 21, i860). Fifty years afterward, the event was commemorated by a public 200 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES celebration at Kentland, which had maintained its position as the county seat ; but, with one exception, all of the officials who had thus been present at the civil birth of Newton County had been called away to a state of being where politics are presumably unknown. The exception was the venerable John Ade, the first recorder and auditor of the county, and to him the author is also indebted for the following account of the celebration: "Thursday, April 21, 1910, was a great day for Kentland and Newton County, for on that day was celebrated the golden anniversary of the organization of Newton County. About a week previous to that time a public meeting had been called by the citizens for the purpose of making arrangements to celebrate the event. Committees were appointed to make the necessary arrangements, and well did the several committees per- form their respective duties. The day opened beautifully, so far as weather was concerned. This was the more remarkable from the fact that it was the only fine day we had for a long time, both be- fore and after this date. There was nothing doing in the afternoon, except the meeting of old friends and acquaintances, the talking over of old-time incidents and the comparing of conditions existing fifty years before with those of the present day. "The afternoon program began with an automobile parade of school children, each waving an American flag. There were about forty autos in the parade, conveying not less than 350 school chil- dren. All were singing songs and waving flags, showing that they were happy, and all who witnessed this unusual parade were happy with them. This parade was followed by a meeting in the court- house, the courtroom being filled to the last inch, and scarcely one- third of those desiring admittance could get in. "John Ade, the only surviving member of the roster of county officials, who were installed fifty years before, on April 21, i860, called the meeting to order. He was immediately presented, by Shennan White, of Brook, with a gavel made from a part of the chinking between the logs of the building in which the first term of court was held, after the organization of Jasper county, in 1838. The venerable C. McCain then offered up a prayer of thankfulness to the Author of all good for the many blessings enjoyed and asked that the same might long be continued to us. "This was followed by a short talk by the presiding officer. William Darroch then reviewed the history of the courts of the county. He embellished his narrative with some good stories and also gave a history of some of the noted trials in the county. Fred H. Long^vell then made a most interesting address, after which the JASPER AND XEWTON COUNTIES 201 meeting adjourned to the courthouse yard. Here the crowd was treated to a very fine display of Japanese day fireworks, something entirely new to many and a source of great pleasure to all. Then came a game of soft baseball between the business men of Brook and Kentland, followed by more fireworks and adjournment until 7:30 P. M. "At the night meeting, held in the courthouse, the presiding officer read letters from Judge S. P. Thompson, Judge Peter H. Ward, John B. Conner, J. C. Alartin and Daniel Dearduff. He then introduced Judge U. Z. Wiley, of Indianapolis, formerly judge of Newton circuit court. Judge Wiley is a pleasing speaker upon any occasion, but especially so when the line of talk is reminiscent. "Judge Edwin P. Hammond was then introduced by the chair, and in his quiet, dignified manner, talked for nearly an hour. His association with Newton county, he stated, extended back to the days of the famous Bank of America, at Morocco, in the early fifties. Judge Hammond is a grand old man and Newton county is proud of the claim she has upon him." L\"CRE.\SE IN Population Although the population of Newton County has steadily in- creased since its first census was taken in i860, the most noteworthy growth has been in the southern portion, which contains the in- corporated towns, the best railway facilities and the most improved highways. The most marked increase is exhibited by Iroquois Township, which is largely attributable to the expansion of the Town of Brook. Jefferson Township, including Kentland, and Grant Township, including Goodland, have also increased in population within the past twenty years, although not so rapidly as Iroquois. These three southern townships now contain nearly 60 per cent of the population of the county. The cause of this is largely due to the fact that, with drainage and scientific farming, the productive area of the lands has been increased, while the number of required cultivators has been lessened ; many of the older residents have moved to the towns, where they have invested their capital or gone into business, with the result that the centers of population have expanded at the expense of the country districts. Population, i860, 1870, 1880 Keeping in mind the years when the different townships were organized, the following tabular statement of the county's population by townships will be understood : 1870 1880 637 898 766 795 6i9 818 [,606 1,964 378 593 983 1,105 699 1.508 141 155 150 202 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Townships i860 Beaver 501 Jackson 412 Iroquois 434 Jefferson 304 Lake 173 Washington- 536 Grant McClellan Colfax Lincoln 181 Totals 2,360 5-829 8,167 The first census of the towns taken by the national enumerators was as follows : Kentland, 1870, 802 ; Goodland, 1880, 620 ; Morocco, 1890, 397; Brook, 1900, 677; Mt. Ayr, 1910, 231. Population, 1890, 1900, 19 10 The Federal census for the years 1890, 1900 and 1910, by town- ships and towns, presents the following figures : 1910 Newton County 10,504 Beaver Township, including Morocco Town. . 1,524 Morocco Town 927 Colfax Township 297 Grant Township, including Goodland Town. . 1.762 Goodland Town 1,105 Ward I 465 Ward 2 228 Ward 3 412 Iroquois Township, including Brook Town.. 1.828 Brook Town 1.067 Jackson Township, including Mount Ayrtown 834 Movmt Ayr 231 Jefferson Township, including Kentland Town 1,954 Kentland Town 1,209 Lake Township 489 Lincoln Township 701 McClellan Township 227 Washington Township 888 1900 1890 [ 0.448 8.803 1,600 1,052 920 397 271 128 I.7I6 1,624 1.205 8S9 1,590 1,003 677 913 947 1.816 1,875 1,006 918 489 462 760 518 299 178 994 1,016 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 203 Assessed Valuation of Property, 1916 While in the field of statistics, it may be as well to close the topic with the last figures gleaned from the assessors' reports in the spring of 1916. From them the following facts appear, showing the value of taxables in Newton County and the amount of taxes raised from them : Value of Persona Townships and Total Value of and Corporation Towns Real Estate Property Net \'alue of Tax ables (Mortgage exemp tions deducted) Total Taxes Iroquois Twp. . $1,195,830 $ 244,940 $ 1.508,353 $ 29,550.98 Jackson Twp. . . 767,270 177,660 968,880 25.571-92 Lake Twp 390.910 81,660 629,213 16,880.41 Beaver Twp. . . 791,270 168,230 1. 1 67.943 21,061.39 Washington Twp . 1,248,850 298,470 1,745,868 37.625-92 Jefferson Twp. . 1,667,330 261.280 2,248,744 42,761.91 McClellan Twp. 414.040 37.980 631,551 14,979.88 Grant Twp 1,251,920 207,780 1.592,179 32.756.19 Colfax Twp. . . . 314,820 95.290 . 430.234 I 1. 445.41 Lincoln Twp. . . 445.940 135.740 800,566 24.740.74 Kentland Town. 395.020 353.720 785.370 28,536.10 Goodland Town 277.350 287,910 584.879 25.093-33 Morocco Town. 240,080 197.760 433.651 17.395-99 Brook Town. . . 306,630 272,570 576,222 18,901.57 Mt. Ayr Town. 28,250 49.580 $2,870,570 79,606 2,667.88 Totals $9,735,510 $14,183,259 $349,969.62 Other St.\ttstics for 1915-16 The last report of the county auditor conveys a variety of inter- esting information. It indicates that on January i, 1916, there was a balance of over $109,000 in the treasury, and that during the pre- ceding year $548,638 had been received from all sources and $439,142 disbursed. For the support and development of the public school system over $124,000 had been received from the various funds and $123,000 expended; the receipts to be applied to macadam and gravel roads amounted to $169,000, of which $154,000 was expended. Over $36,000 was expended on the item of ditch con- struction and bonds. The most important ditches under construc- tion are the Templeton and Salisbury. 204 JASPER AND XEWTOX COUNTIES Improved Roads in the County It appears that the townships which were most enterprising in the issuing of bonds for the extension of good roads were Jefferson, Washington, Iroquois and Grant, in the order named, and that the greatest expenditures were upon the Kessler, Simons, Donohue Sil- vers, MuUigan and Rainford roads. The good roads movement commenced in Newton County about fifteen years ago and, aUhough there are now nearly 400 miles of substantial macadam and gravel highways within its limits, there are still large tracts in the northern and central portions of the county in which such improvements are badly needed. But decided progress has been made, and more is to come. In 1910, according to John Ade, the number of miles of good, finished stone roads in Newton County, was as follows : Jefferson Township, 36; Grant, 33; Iroquois, 28; Beaver, 23; Lincoln, 14; Lake, 8; IMcClellan, 8. Total, 150. Since that year great improve- ments have been made both in the quality of the roadbeds and the extent of the highways. Yet Mr. Ade cannot forbear to revert to the good old prairie roads, thus: "The old prairie roads in the fall of the year were, however, the model roads, and we will never have anything again to equal them for easy traveling. There was a yielding of the sod, so that a horse would not tire as he does on a hard road. Horses brought here in a lame condition, or with tender feet, would get entirely sound again in time." Of course, the all- around object of the good roads movement is to have the highways in such shape that they will be in good condition at all seasons of the year. In the D.\ys of the Tr.mls .\nd St.\ge Routes The tendency in the early period of the settlement of Newton County was to conform to the main routes of the Indian trails, which either closely followed the Valley of the Iroquois in Newton County eastward toward the Grand Prairie, especially the Blue Grass \'illage, and thence on to LaPorte, or to strike off boldly on a tangent toward Lake Michigan and the Chicago District, via the Morocco Region. The first lines of land travel followed by the pioneers were along these trails until they became sure enough of their surroundings to locate lines independent of them. An early if not the first road through Newton County was from Buncum, Illinois, to Rensselaer. Another was from Morocco to Rensselaer; JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 205 a third was one direct to Lafayette, and another to Momence, Illi- nois, and thence on to Chicago. A mail route was early established between Logansport, Rensselaer and Buncum, Illinois, with an office at White Post, the residence of Zachariah Spitler. This was main- tained between the two latter places until 1864. In the fall of 1854, as stated, a postoffice was established at the Town of Morocco, and a mail route allowed from there to Rensselaer on condition that it was to be sustained entirely by the citizens along the route. At the same time, or shortly after, a postoffice was established at Pilot Grove. This state of things existed until about 1859, when the Government adopted the route and placed it under the same rules and provisions governing other mail routes. These lines of communication served the demand of the early community until the thicker settlements and the conflicting claims of the various farm owners demanded a more complete system of roads, when the numerous local trails from one neighbor to another were made to give way to regularly established Ijighways. The marshy character of the streams and the unfortunate character of the gen- eral conformation of the land have made roads and bridges an im- portant and difficult subject. The character of the streams has changed from the rather sluggish current and pretty constant stage of water to a rapid rise and fall of water. This change, with the unfavorable character of the banks, has made bridging expensive, and a spirit of short-sighted economy has kept public improvements in this particular in a rather backward state. Three iron bridges have been constructed at a cost of upward of $20,000; four wooden bridges made up the seven which spanned the waterways of the county; but all of these latter structures were swept away by the high water of the winter of 1882-83 ^"d were replaced by more sub- stantial structures. Lafayette was the point at which the early mer- chants got their goods, and these were brought on wagons over the forty odd miles of tedious road that intervened. "Prior to the year 1853," says John Ade, "at which time the railroad between Indianapolis and Lafayette was completed, and the Illinois Central began to run trains between Chicago and Kankakee, there would be in the fall of each year an immense amount of travel on the roads between Lafayette and Chicago, mostly farmers' teams hauling wheat to Chicago or coming back loaded with salt and groceries of all kinds, either for their own use or for the merchants who had purchased stocks of goods east and shipped the same to Chicago by way of the lakes. To accommodate this travel, camping places and in several instances 'taverns,' as they were then called, had 206 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES been established a few miles apart all the way between Lafayette and Chicago. "After leaving Lafayette the first would be Oxford, at that time the county seat of Benton county. Parish Grove was the next point ; then Sumner's Grove, between Mud Pine and Sugar Creek ; then Bunkum, at which point there were two taverns, one on each side of the Iroquois river. The next was the Buck Horn tavern, located near where the present town of Donovan, Illinois, stands. This was kept for many years by the father of John Donovan, the latter now living at Watseka, Illinois, and one of its most prominent citizens. The next tavern was at the crossing of Beaver Creek, and the next was known as the Big Spring, about half way between Beaver Creek and Momence. Then, on to Momence, at the crossing of the Kanka- kee river. The next general stopping place was called Yellow Head Point, said to be named after an Indian who lived there, by the name of Yellow Head. The next point on the road was Blue Island, and then came Chicago, a distance of about one hundred and thirty miles from Lafayette and taking six to eight days to make the trip. "I think it was in February, 1858, that John Darroch, John Smart, Daniel Ash, Elias Atkinson, myself, and possibly one or two others, each with a wagon loaded with twenty-five or thirty bushels of shelled corn in sacks, started from Morocco for Kankakee to dispose of the grain and bring back merchandise. The roads had been frozen enough to bear up our loads, but the weather had turned warm and the roads thawed quite rapidly during the day. When we reached the Kankakee river at Aroma (now Waldron) we could not cross below the dam. Above the dam the river was frozen over, but it was doubtful if the ice would bear up the team and load together. So we led the teams over and pulled the loads across by hand, and arrived at Kankakee some time after dark, putting up there for the night. "The next morning we disposed of our corn at twenty-four cents per bushel, laid in our supplies, and in the afternoon started for home. Owing to the fact that the warm weather had continued and it was considered unsafe to cross the Kankakee on the ice, we returned by way of Momence, where there was a bridge across the river. We spent our second night there. The next morning after breakfast we struck out for home. Elias Atkinson, however, had got up early and started out a couple of hours ahead of the rest of us. We had made but a few miles, however, when we caught up with him. He had started across a slough and had stopped on a big cake of ice — was afraid to go ahead and could not turn around to come back. So JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 207 there he stood, waiting for the rest of the company to come up and reheve him, which we did, and he remained with the crowd the rest of the day. "We stopped to feed and eat our mid-day meal at what was known then as the outlet of Beaver Lake. In a wet time, Beaver Lake would overflow and the water run down through the willow prairie, emptying into Beaver Creek near the state line. "After dinner (I cannot say just what it consisted of, but I have it stored away in my memory as one of the best meals I had tasted for a long time) we started for home, reaching there about night of the third day. At that time it was not thought the trip was any- thing strange or remarkable, but it is a fair illustration of the con- ditions under which this county began its history." Projection and Building of Its R.-wlrgads The first railroad projects which interested the people of New- ton County proposed to build lines toward Rock Island and Chicago, Illinois, north instead of south of the Iroquois River. In 1854 a line was projected from New London, Ohio, to Chicago, but it was killed by the hard times of 1857. The air line from Fort Wayne to Rock Island met with the same fate from the same cause. Rensse- laer and Kankakee were competitors for the junction, the line to pass through Newton County, and considerable grading was actually done in Jackson and Beaver townships. As projected, the air line was to pass about three miles north of Morocco, but not only did the general hard times of 1857 descend upon the scheme, but the defalcation of the Ohio state treasurer, whose bond had been signed by some of the men most prominent in the railroad project, was a specially crushing blow which tended to completely blot out the pro- posed air line. The Logansport & Peoria Railroad was built through the south- ern part of Newton County in 1859, the first train passing over the road on Christmas day of that year, and it was entirely opened for business in March, i860. At that time there were few settlers along the line from Reynolds to the state line. Kentland was not platted until the following month. It has long been a part of the Penn- sylvania system, and both Kentland and Goodland are stations. What is known as the Big Four Railroad, which cuts off a small southwestern corner of the county, was built in 1871. It was a revival of the old 1854 scheme, and was known as the Continental 208 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Railway, being mentioned more in detail in the history of Jasper County. The Monon Railroad cuts through Lincoln Township, in the northeastern part of the county. It was at first a narrow-gauge, built in 1878 as the Plymouth, Kankakee & Pacific Railroad, but a few years afterward was changed to standard and became known as the Indiana, Illinois & Iowa Railroad Company. Roselawn and Thayer are stations on the road. In 1882 was completed the Chicago & Eastern Illinois, with sta- tions at Goodland, Foresman, Julian and Mount Ayr,- and in 1888 a branch was built through Brook, Beaver City and Morocco. The Three I's road, a part of the New York Central system, was built through the northeastern tip of the county for less than two miles in 1883. The Chicago, Indiana & Southern Railroad was completed straight through the western tier of townships in December, 1905, and — also as part of the New York Central, running from Danville, Illinois, to Indiana Harbor, on Lake Michigan — accommodates Kent- land, Ade, Morocco, Enos, Conrad and Lake village. The line crosses the center of the old bed of Beaver Lake. CHAPTER XVI COURTS, JUDGES AND LAWYERS Circuit Judges Presiding in Newton County — Judges of the Court of Common Pleas — First Term of Circuit Court — First Term of Common Pleas Court — Albert G. Brown and Other Pioneer Lawyers — "Reputation Is Not Character" — Reputation of the Beaver Lake Region — The Man from Mono — Convening of Court, an Event — A Degenerate Son — Legal Matters Connected with Kankakee Improve- ments— Beaver Lake Land Litigations — The Brandon Trial — Justifiable Larceny. By William Darroch The Bench and Bar of Newton County, as a topic, is closely in- volved in the history of the legal profession and the courts as related to Jasper County. All the general lines of the judiciary, as founded and remodeled by territorial and state laws, have been laid down in this work, and the chapter which is now under way will be definitely confined to a consideration of the subject in its bearings on Newton County as organized in i860. Circuit Judges Presiding in Newton County Judges of the Circuit Court: Charles H. Test, 1860-70; David P. Vinton, 1870-73; Edwin P. Hammond, 1873-83; Peter H. Ward 1883-90; Edwin P. Hammond, 1890-92; U. Z. Wiley, 1892-96; Wil- liam Darroch, 1896, by appointment to fill term of Judge Wiley, who resigned; Simon P. Thompson, 1897-1902; Charles W. Hanley since 1902. Judges of the Court of Common Pleas The judges of the Court of Common Pleas who served Newton County until the office was abolished in 1873, were : William C. Tal- cott, 1860-68; H. A. Gillett, 1868-73. Vol. 1—14 209 210 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES First Term of Circuit Court When Newton County was organized, Hon. Charles H. Test was judge of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit, which composed the counties of Benton, Jasper, Tippecanoe and White. Having jurisdiction, therefore, over the territory of Newton County when it was estab- lished, he had by virtue of the statute authorizing the formation of new counties, jurisdiction to hold court in such new county at such times as he should appoint, and accordingly a term of said court was called to convene on Monday, August 27, i860. Notice thereof was given by the clerk, by publication of the court's order, in the Rens- selaer Gazette, a newspaper of general circulation printed and pub- lished in the town of Rensselaer, Jasper County, Indiana, being the nearest paper to Newton County. At this term of court occurred one of the comparatively few trials for murder in this county — the trial of Samuel Brandon for the killing of David Handly, an account of which appears in this chapter, and leaves it necessary here to say only that the indict- ment was returned and the defendant was arraigned on Wednesday, tried and convicted on the following day, and sentenced to the peni^ tentiary for life. The case of Brandon was appealed, was affirmed, and is reported in the Sixteenth Indiana Supreme Court reports at the May term, 1861, so that with the eight admirable reports of Judge Blackford, and the sixteen Supreme Court reports, it would appear that during the first forty-five years of the existence of the state but twenty-four Supreme Court reports were written ; whereas, in the last fifty-five years, 160 additional Supreme Court reports have been written, besides sixty volumes of reports of the Appellate Court since created, have been written and published. Two orders were entered at that first term of court of passing interest, and read as follows: "Ordered by the Court that P. D. Gallagher be allowed ten dollars for the rent of room to hold court: in." "Ordered by the court that H. Remington be allowed fifty-six cents for two candlesticks and one pound of candles." On March 11, 1861, the General Assembly of the state amended the law for holding court in the Twelfth Judicial Circuit. Newton County was included in this circuit. Three terms of court in each year was provided for each county; of one week each in the counties of Benton and Newton, two weeks in the counties of White and Jasper, and of indefinite length in Tippecanoe. Now we have four terms each year of four weeks each. The Common Pleas Court, since abolished, included in one dis- JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 211 trict the counties of Lake, Porter, Starke, Pulaski, Jasper and New- ton, one judge serving all the counties, Newton County having three terms per year of one week each. First Term of Common Pleas Court The first term of the Common Pleas Court held in this county convened June lo, 1861. William C. Talcott was judge, and the local lawyers registered in the county at that time were James Bissell, Simeon S. Powers and Albert G. Brown. Mr. Powers could not have remained long in the practice here, as I have no recollection of him. Mr. Bissell and Mr. Brown both enlisted in the army of the Rebellion as volunteers from this county, and neither ever returned here to practice law. Albert G. Brown and Other Pioneer Lawyers Albert G. Brown is remembered more as a school-teacher than a lawyer. He taught our district school and was a fair sample of the pedagogue of that day. He had a song with which to entertain and edify his pupils, and occasionally would sing it at social gather- ings. So much of it as I now recall ran like this : "When Mr. A. or B. is sick. Run for the doctor and be quick ; The doctor comes with post and mail. And gives him a dose of calomel. Ta rol rol rol rol rol rol rol Ta rol rol rol rol rol rol rol The doctor comes with post and mail And gives him a dose of calomel." "The man in death begins to groan ; The fatal job for him is done. He dies, alas 'tis sad to tell — An over-dose of calomel. Ta rol," etc. Parenthetically, this was an appropriate song as a crusade against the excessive use of calomel, because at that time we had malaria, and chills and fever came generally with each recurring season. Ague, commonly called "ager," was prevalent and we took as a specific calomel followed by a dose of quinine and prussiate of iron ; 212 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES the calomel, not in small pillet form with soda as prescribed now, but in old-fashioned copious doses of brown colored powder and of villainous flavor, and which on account of the size of the dose was usually administered in a tablespoon. If after one course of this treatment the patient escaped salivation or death outright, he usually recovered as a matter of self-protection against a second like treatment. In addition to those already mentioned, the list of resident attorneys who engaged in active practice here and who have since passed ^away, as I now recall them, and somewhat in the chro- nological order of their appearance, is as follows : William C. Rose, Oliver P. Hervey, James B. Spottswood, William H. Martin, E. Littell Urmston, James Wallace, James T. Saunderson, Edmund H. O'Brien, William H. H. Graham, Peter H. Ward, Joseph R. Trox- ell, John H. Ash, William Cummings and Frank A. Comparet. There may have been, and perhaps the records do show others, but the period of their active work was transitory. William C. Rose was a man of excellent manner and appearance ; of scholarly attainments and a fine sense of integrity ; but unfor- tunately passed away before reaching nearly the full measure of his possibilities. O. P. Hervey, in like manner, was a man of good attainments, and promised well as a successful lawypr when claimed by death. James B. Spottswood was of the old Virginia family of Spotts- woods, well educated, never even a fair lawyer and soon abandoned it for the newspaper business ; but a fluent, forceful writer. It was often remarked that many of his editorials would reflect credit on any metropolitan paper. William H. Martin was a son of Dr. Martin, of Rensselaer, and was the first prosecuting attorney of local residence. He possessed a fine legal mind ; his papers were always well prepared and rarely rewritten. He removed from this county comparatively early in life ; located at Greenfield in Hancock County, where soon afterwards he was elected circuit judge, which position he filled with credit for many years. E. Littell Urmston was not a trial lawyer, but did mainly a com- mercial and probate business. He was a successful business man, always courteous and dignified in manner, careful and painstaking in what he did, a good citizen and a safe counsellor. James Wallace was well on in years when he located at Kentland. He remained a resident only a few years, and is remembered only JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 213 as a kind-hearted, portly gentleman, always interested in the welfare of others. James T. Saunderson was a soldier in the war of the Rebellion, located here as a lawyer soon after the war closed, and was in the active practice in this county continuously until about the year 1896, when he went to Oklahoma, afterwards to Everett, Washington, and not liking the climate there returned to Fowler, Indiana, where later he was elected circuit judge, which position he filled with dignity and credit, and died at Fowler during the summer of 1916. Mr. Saun- derson as a lawyer, because of his acknowledged ability, his pleasing personality and splendid integrity, commanded a lucrative practice while a resident of this county, and when he departed left behind him a host of friends. Edmund H. O'Brien was a Virginian and a captain in the army of the Southern Confederacy, a man of unusual natural ability, most genial personality; but, broken in health from the hardships of war, he, too, passed away at a time when he should have begun to feel the real possibilities of a strong mind. William H. H. Graham was an office man, a counsellor, abstractor and a dealer in real estate. While a resident of Newton County he amassed a fortune, but lost it afterwards in mercantile ventures at Crawfordsville, Indiana. He was at one time consul of the United States at Winnipeg, a substantial man and a good friend. Peter H. Ward, who served as circuit judge from 1883 to 1890, was appointed by Governor A. G. Porter to succeed Hon. E. P. Hammond, who had been elevated to the Supreme bench of the Thirtieth Circuit. Judge Ward was a native of Columbiana County, Ohio, born in 1835. After obtaining a higher education in several interior establishments of Ohio, he completed a course at the Indian- apolis Law School, from which he graduated in 1868. In that year he was admitted to the bar, located at Kentland in 1870, and prac- ticed in the county and before the State Supreme Court, at Indianap- olis, until he was appointed circuit judge in 1883. He completed Judge Hammond's term and served another by election, and made a good record both for judicial soundness and professional considera- tion. Joseph R. Troxell came here late in life, and was the senior member of the firm of Troxell, Ward & Graham. He was a lawyer of the old school, ripe in the learning of the law. John H. Ash was an ex-soldier and was known as Captain Ash. He came here from Zanesville, Ohio, later migrated to Wichita, Kansas, where he died some years ago. 214 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES William Cummings was also a soldier in the war of the Rebellion, came from Grundy County, Illinois, located on a farm northeast of Kentland, and later engaged in the practice of the law, in which profession he continued with success until his demise in November, 1907. Mr. Cummings was not only a good lawyer, but a good busi- ness man as well, and in the details of office work he was most excellent. Frank A. Comparet, if not born in Kentland, was educated here. He studied law with James T. Saunderson, afterwards in partner- ship with him, and when Mr. Saunderson left Kentland Comparet succeeded the firm. While in the practice he enjoyed a fair clientage, but better by far, he enjoyed the confidence and esteem of all who knew him; for he was always the perfect gentleman in all that the word implies. Of excellent mind, but frail of body, we lost him early in life. David L. Bishop practiced law here for some years ; not par- ticularly apt on a question of law, David was strong on facts, and had a most happy faculty of convincing a jury that his view of the facts was the correct one, and often won his case without any merit of law. He went from here to the city of Anderson, Indiana, and later to Oklahoma, in which state he now resides. Albert Scoonover practiced here some years as a partner to Mr. Comparet, went from here to California, where at this time he is the United States District Attorney for the southern, or lower, dis- trict of that state, which of itself is sufficient to say of his ability as a lawyer and his virtues as a man. There were and are yet other lawyers, although not residents of this county, present in court here so frequently and their partici- pation in legal affairs of the county so general that any history, how- ever brief, would be incomplete which did not recall Hon. E. P. Hammond, Hon. R. S. Dwiggins, and Hon. S. P. Thompson of Rensselaer; Hon. E. B. Sellers, and Hon. Alfred W. Reynolds of Monticello; Hon. U. Z. Wiley and Daniel Frazer of Fowler. "REruT.\TioN Is Not Character" A circumstance in which one of these lawyers figured may be of passing interest here and it may illustrate a ,fact, establish or dispel a delusion. In earlier times we were taught to write by fur- nished copy ; one of these copies ran like this : "Reputation is not character;" and in such a beautiful Spencerian style! And so we humped over our home-made desks, with home-made ink, indifferent JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 215 pen and penholder and in most indifferent scrawl we wrote line after line, "Reputation is not character." We may not have bene- fited much in penmanship by that copy, but it was a splendid copy. Reputation of the Beaver Lake Region The Beaver Lake and Kankakee region had a widely known reputation ; so general was this reputation and so positive ! Fifty miles from that locality on any point of the compass, to hale from there made each person in hearing instinctively put his hand on his watch or pocket-book, take on a confused manner and expression indicating that some dread calamity was about to happen. In the fall of 1873, when on my way home after having delivered the cattle we had grazed that season, and quite depressed because in some instances I could not collect the herd bill, and other instances only in part — it was the week following black Friday — I stopped to lodge over night with a farmer in Livingston County, Illinois. I was put upstairs to sleep, the stairway was a closed one and the door at the bottom of it opened out. When I came down stairs next morning I upset all the chairs in the room below. I had inad- vertently told my host the night before that L was from Beaver Lake and after I retired the chairs had been stacked in front of the door. My appearance at the time may have influenced the man some. I never knew, and I do not know now, what particular cause contributed most to that reputation. Was it that counterfeiters were located on Bogus Island as early as 1839? They were not residents, and when located by resi- dents were promptly arrested. Was it because an alleged horse thief was shot on the banks of the Beaver Lake ditch in an effort to escape the pursuit of men from near Milford, Illinois? The alleged thief was unknown in the locality where he was killed. No proof that he was a horse thief was ever reviewed in any court by a jury, and neither was the manner of killing him enquired about. Was it because John Shaffer lived in that territory and late in life was shot in the back at his own home by a cowardly assassin? No court ever convicted John Shaffer of any crime, and no person ever connected him with any crime by credible proof or circum- stance. He was obviously an eccentric, secretive man, of some natural force of mind, who chose to live in the wilds and alone, and that is the most that could be said of him with absolute verity. Was it that in later years two or three men, absolute strangers in the localitv, brought cattle there to graze and in breach of faith 216 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES disposed of part of their herds and fled to avoid the pursuit insti- tuted by disinterested residents who sought to have them appre- hended and prosecuted; or was the bad reputation from which that region suffered long, the result of a coloring given by the men who went there fall, winter and spring, to hunt and fish and view what they saw and when they saw from that temporary moral lapse and innocent spirit of vandalism so oftentimes evident? Men of all casts and stations in life made regular trips into that country in season, to hunt and fish, and it was always diflicult to judge what they were at home by their conduct on one of these trips. Parties on those periodical trips, when they entered the Beaver woods, would sometimes load their horses down with green cordwood already cut and corded up by the owner of the land, haul it four or five miles over sand roads to use in their campfire at places where dry fallen timber was abundant, and much better for their purpose and otherwise valueless. One man is recalled who was reputed to be a class leader in church at home, who when he recov- ered from the excess of spirits which his companions brought with them, and which the spirit of the occasion induced him to imbibe, implored his comrades to put him out of the way, as he was utterly unfit to return home. The Man From Mong Similar incidents could be multiplied, but the simple incident in mind may in itself be entertaining and sufficiently illustrative as well: Dan Frazer and I were some years ago associated together in the trial of a suit in court. The jury was called, and Mr. Frazer ran his eye over the jury while I was examining them. When I returned to the table he says, "That man over there with the whiskers. We don't want him. That's the man from Mong." This was Greek to me and I replied, "That man is all right ; that is Fred Mashino from the west side of Lake Township." "That's the very man," said Mr. Eraser, "he is a man from Mong, and you put him off." I expostulated. I did not wish to lose a good juror or oft'end Mr. Mashino. "Well," Dan says, "you ask him if he knows me. Maybe he don't remember." "Mr. Mashino. do you know my associate counsel, Mr. Frazer?" And he replied: "I wouldn't want to say that I know him. I sold him a pig once.'' "Then I was not only astonished but confused. The mvstery was growing on me, but when I turned to Mr. Frazer, promptly he JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 217 said: "He is all right. Leave him on. He's a dead game sport, he is." When court adjourned for the day, all the way from the court house to the office Mr. Frazer would mumble half to himself: "He is the Man from Mong; haven't seen him before in fifteen years." And when we reached the office it all came out like this : "There was a bunch of us going up to the Kankakee to fish and hunt and we went by Mashino's house up there in the woods. I can remember it all jtist like yesterday. It looked like a good place to get some good water and we stopped and all went in, but there was no one at home. Coming back out to the wagon, some way one of the boys fell down, and when he got up out of the grass there was a nice fat hen sticking to him. Two of the other boys wanted to stretch their legs a little, and started to walk ahead down the fence, when presently one of them stumbled in the grass and fell down on a pig. When we got down to the river only about three miles ahead we skinned the pig, all but the head, cut the head ofi, wrapped it in the hide and chucked it in the hollow of an old stump. In the course of half an hour this man rode up on horseback and com- menced inquiring about his pig, whether we had seen anything of it, and he described every spot on that pig and even the ear marks. I thought I was the best man in the party to handle a diplomatic case of that character so I says: 'No sir. We have not seen your pig, sir. Very sorry to hear it has strayed away. We will be wandering around here some, and if we see that pig, mister, we will report to you, sir.' "Now I had at that time a beautiful greyhound, and had brought him with me, and about this time that infernal hound came walking up to me with the head of that pig in his mouth and trailing the hide along in the grass. Promptly I spoke up and I says, 'Mister, what was that pig worth ?' "Oh, I knew him the moment I set eyes on him. He is the Man from Mong all right." What men in the disturbed and exaggerated state of mind, as these men usually were while on these trips, might imagine and choose to tell and elaborate on their return home, in no small degree helped to make the reputation which the Beaver Lake region once had, and hence the wisdom of the copy "Reputation is not Character." Convening of Court, an Event In the earlier times the convening of court was an event, and many of the more prominent men of the county attended whether 218 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES they had business in court or not; some would stay a day or two while others of them would remain during the entire session. It was about the only diversion from the everyday life which the time and locality afforded. Thomas R. Barker was of the latter class and in Jasper County, and for some years after this county was formed, he was a regular attendant at court, though I question if the records of either county disclose his name as a litigant. He was a man of unusual natural powers, physical and mental, and, although a man of no book education, was always the center of attrac- tion in an evening group of men about the hotel lobby because of his personal attractiveness and entertaining conversational ability. On this account he was widely known by all the people of the two counties and well known and admired by all the pioneer judges and lawyers. Later he was called as a juror, and court was being held by a young lawyer by the name of Rhodes from Lafayette, who was acting as a special judge. The jury was empaneled in the forenoon and the trial was under way. When court adjourned for the noon hour A. J. Kent came by and took Mr. Barker home with him for dinner. Naturally the two old pioneers lingered. Court met, Mr. Barker was not in his seat. Twenty-five minutes went by; an attachment was issued and placed in the hands of the sheriff who was directed to bring Mr. Barker in to answer for a contempt. The sheriff met him on the way to court, but was too wise to even suggest the possession of a writ. When Mr. Barker came into court he was reprimanded for delinquency, but at the suggestion of the clerk, previously made, as to the dangerous impropriety of it, no fine was imposed, nor would the clerk or sheriff accept any fees. A Degener.\te Son At that time we had the old frame barn-like Court House located on the east side of the square, with a wooden board walk, or cause- way, leading to it from the west across the center of the block on a direct line. It was obvious during the afternoon that Mr. Barker was not in a pleasant frame of mind toward the young judge. On the following morning Mr. Barker was standing alone on the little portico on the west side of the Court House, when young Rhodes observing him there walked over the long causeway to engage him in conversation, hoping to get on pleasant terms with him, and the following colloquy took place : Rhodes — "Good morningf, Mr. Barker." JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 219 Barker (gruffly) — "Good morning, sir." Rhodes — "They tell me that you are a pioneer of this county." Barker — "Yes sir, I have been here some time." Rhodes — "I expect you used to know my father in earlier times. He used to come out to Rensselaer to practice law." Barker — "Quite likely I did, sir. I knew all the lawyers that practiced law at Rensselaer." Rhodes — "David Rhodes, did you know him?" Barker (with emphasis) — "David Rhodes ! David Rhodes! Are you a son of David Rhodes ? Great God, how men do degenerate !" Then promptly turned his back and walked away. Legal Matters Connected with Kankakee Improvements The straightening and deepening of the Kankakee River for drainage purposes has for many years not only occupied the atten- tion of the landowners affected, but the state and national govern- ment as well. The first overt effort in that direction now recalled was the action of the Kankakee Valley Draining Company. This company was organized in the year 1869 as a corporation. After its organization it proceeded to locate the main line of drainage, and mentioned laterals and drains and all without any previous technical information as to the practicability of such an improve- ment. This enterprise was regarded generally by landowners likely to be afifected as a private undertaking for profit, and was unfavor- ably regarded. On September 22, 1869, a complaint was filed in the Newton Circuit Court by one James O'Reiley against said company. The plaintifif was represented by James Bradley and the defendant company was represented by Leonidas A. Cole, both of LaPorte. On the date the complaint was filed the defendant appeared by his attorney voluntarily and without process and filed an answer. Imme- diately it was concluded by those locally interested that the suit was collusive, and that the purpose of Mr. O'Reiley was not to enjoin the assessment of his land, but was to give the defendant the benefit of a decree of court in favor of the validity of its proceeding. The pioneer settler and landowner was jealous of his rights, was equally bold in asserting them in court or out of court. So on the following day, September 23d, Algy Dean, John Darroch, Virgil Lamb and John Jenkins asked to intervene, and were permitted to file their joint complaint in the same proceeding and were made parties plaintiff to said suit. The case in the Circuit Court was determined on the pleadings, the complaint being held insufficient. 220 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES and the plaintiffs appealed. James O'Reiley was not known by any person in this county. He never appeared personally in this case ; nor did his attorney make more than the one appearance, and that was at- the time of the filing of his complaint. The local land- owners who intervened carried on the litigation thereafter. William C. Wilson of Lafayette and the noted firm of Hendricks, Hoard & Hendricks, of Indianapolis, were employed by the local plaintiff's. The case on appeal is reported in the 32 Indiana Report, commencing on page 169. The case was reversed with instructions to the lower court to overrule the demur to the complaint and on September 5, 1871, an order to that effect was entered by the court below, the defendant was called and defaulted and an order entered enjoining the Kankakee Valley Draining Company from proceeding further in the premises. The opinion of the Supreme Court in that case contains a learned review of the law of drainage, and the power of the Legislature in respect to drainage, and no doubt the information condensed in this case helped to shape the future legis- lation of Indiana on the subject of drainage. No further acts towards the improvement of the Kankakee are recalled until in 1881, when the General Assembly of the State authorized the governor to make a survey. This survey was made. Prof. John L. Campbell, of Crawfordsville, Indiana, was chief engineer and an elaborate report of that survey was afterwards made and established the fact, which was theretofore generally believed, that the removal of the rock ledge at Momence, Illinois, was the key to the drainage of the Valley of the Kankakee. Thereafter in 1889 and also in 1893, two separate appropriations were made by the State, aggregating $65,000, which sum was applied towards the removal of the rock ledge, but was not sufficient to accomplish any practical result. Commencing in 1905, the gov- ernment made a general survey of the Kankakee which is called the Downey survey, N. H. Downey being the chief engineer and agent of the government in making it. In the meantime, however, local interests put in action various drainage undertakings commencing at the head of the Kankakee in St. Joseph County, the result of which straightened and to some extent deepened the channel of the Kankakee to the east line of Jasper County, and numerous large lateral dredge ditches were constructed emptying into the river along the improved line. In a proceeding brought in the Jasper Circuit Court called the Marble Ditch, the river was by said court ordered straightened and deep- ened from the east line of Jasper County to a point in section i, JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 221 township 31 north, range 9 west, in Newton County. The con- tract for the construction of this work was let and it is now in process of being constructed. The dimensions of the Marble Ditch at its terminus and for some miles up stream is bottom width 100 feet, with side slopes of bank one to one, and the grade of the fall of the Marble Ditch is one foot per mile. After the contract was let for the construction of the Marble Ditch a petition was filed in the Newton Circuit Court to straighten and deepen the Kankakee River from the terminus of the Marble Ditch to the west line of the state. This proceeding is known as the Williams Ditch and is now pending. Two reports have already been made and the second report was on August 7th, of the present year, set aside, other commissioners appointed and ordered to make a new report. The trial of this case commenced July 6th. During the progress of this trial a number of expert engineers were called as witnesses, including N. H. Downey, and on their evidence it was developed that the area, which has a run-off at Momence through the Kankakee River, comprises about 1,500,000 acres, and that a like run-off through the river at the state line between the states of Indiana and Illinois, drains from an acreage in Indiana of 1,181,- 737 acres ; and that the acreage in Lake County which has a run-off into the Kankakee River is about 55,000; that commencing about 1903, and continuing the improvement thereafter until about 1908, a continuous dike has been constructed commencing at the high lands north of the river and near the east line of Lake County and extend- ing thence southwestwardly towards the river and thence following the north bank of the river down stream to a point about one mile into Illinois; that this dike and the ditch caused by the construc- tion thereof practically prevents the flood waters of the Kankakee River from flowing onto the area protected by the dike, and within that area in Lake County a number of large dredge ditches have been constructed which have a common outlet into the river below the Illinois state line ; that in this improvement including the dikes the landowners in Lake County have expended about $300,000. It is also shown, and so appears in the record, that the surface elevation where the proposed Williams Ditch commences is 632.20; and the elevation of the grade line is 622 ; at the railroad river bridge at Schneider the elevation of the surface is 629.40, and the elevation of the grade line 619.48; and at the state line the elevation of the surface is 617.23 and the elevation of the grade line is 617.30. These last two measurements show the elevation of the bottom of the river and hence are practically the same. 222 JASPER AXD XEWTOX COUNTIES It was also shown that there is a rock moraine across the river about two miles west of the state line, the crest of which is the same elevation as the bottom of the river at the state line. It must be kept in mind that elevations are assumed, and com- parative with each other, and sometimes compared with other recog- nized elevations. The differential elevations given by one witness were termed sea levels, and the elevations of the several points mentioned below are elevations of these points above sea level. At the railroad bridge at Schneider, where these elevations were taken, The Willi-\ms Ditch Triers, August, 1916 the surface of the water was 630.94; the surface of the water in the dike ditch directly north of the railroad bridge was 630.97 and the ground elevation was 630.89; while at the state line the water surface in the river was 625.26, the ground surface 626.13; the water surface in the dike ditch immediately north 623, and the water surface in the Singleton Ditch, the main outlet for the Lake County drainage above mentioned crossing the state line about a mile north of the river, was 622.68. Eight hundred feet west of Baums Bridge on July 14. 1916, the sea level water surface was 653.30 and the sea level ground surface was 653.30, but at the time this elevation was taken the dredge was working in the r'ner about a mile and a half below the bridge, and JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 223 operated to obstruct the flow of water at the point where the meas- urements were made. As a logical conclusion from the testimony of all these expert witnesses, the consensus of opinion is that effective drainage of the Kankakee Valley above the Illinois State line can and will be accom- plished only by the extension of the work through the Indian town, Moraine, and the rock ledge at Momence. This in time will be done, possibly in the Williams Ditch proceeding, and when effectively accomplished, will redeem, for agricultural purposes, an extensive area of land which is highly productive. The Counterfeiters of Bogus Island "Any account of Beaver Lake," he says, "would be incomplete without reference to the counterfeiters who had their retreat on an island in the lake, and whose discovery there by the early settlers gave it the name of Bogus Island. Immediately prior to the year of 1839 the movements of strange men in strange ways about and in the direction of Beaver Lake, and the presence of counterfeit coins among the settlers created the suspicion that there was a band of counterfeiters located somewhere about the lake. In the year 1839 a party was formed at Buncum, now the town of Iroquois, Illinois, to discover and capture these ofTenders. The party was headed by a man named Aaron M. Goodnow. They approached the lake from the northwest, making their way in with team and wagon as far as they could ; they converted their wagon box into a boat and con- tinued their journey to the island by water and captured three men, with a complete outfit for making counterfeit coins. These men, with their equipment for counterfeiting packed in two trunks, were taken to the home of Jacob Troup, near Iroquois river and just above the Indiana State line. They were there tried by Wesley Spitler, then a Justice of the Peace, and bound over to Court, which was then held at Williamsport.. One of the men, named Crane, made his escape the second night after his capture ; the other two, one of whom was named Fisher, were taken away by the Sheriiif's posse, but none of them were ever brought to justice." Beaver Lake Land Litigations "Perhaps the most interesting part of Beaver Lake history is an account of the title to the land covered by the waters of the lake. When the meander line of the Government survey was made, it 224 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES necessarily created a number of fractional, irregular pieces of land that abutted on the margin of the lake. "Early in the '50s, Michael G. Bright, then a prominent lawyer and politician of this state, bought and became the owner of all the fractional lots of land abutting on the margin of the lake, so that he owned a narrow strip of land extending entirely around and next to the lake. In the year 1857, he made a plat of these marginal lands and of the entire lake. In this plat he assumed to extend into the lake the outward lines of the Government survey, east and west and north and south, so, as he asserted they would, by due inter- section sub-divide the entire area into lots of forty acres each, which lots he numbered on this plat from i to 427. Attached to this plat he made a written statement, which after reciting his purchase and ownership of all the marginal tracts of land, contains this declar- ation of ownership: " 'And whereas, in virtue of being riparian proprietor of all of said lots and tracts of lands, I am, by operation of law, the owner and proprietor of the bed of said lake, and of all the islands covered by the waters thereof." This plat, with the declaration attached, was by him executed and recorded in the office of the recorder of Jasper County, afterwards transferred and recorded in this county, and Mr. Bright's claim that in virtue of purchasing about 2,500 acres of land he became the owner of more than 16,000 acres, then became a matter of public record.' "Soon after this he brought a suit in ejectment against one Wil- liam C. Blake, charging in his complaint that Blake was in possession of one of the islands in the lake. While it is believed that this suit was collusive, and brought only to give to Bright's title the respect- ability of a judicial decree, yet attorneys appeared on both sides and elaborate briefs were filed. But Bright won, and poor Blake, who doubtless never saw Bogus Island, was ousted from it. "About the year 1859, John P. Dunn, then being auditor of the state, deposited some of the trust funds of the state in the Metro- politan Bank of Cincinnati. This bank failed and Dunn thereby became a defaulter. Michael G. Bright was one of Dunn's bonds- men, and he came forward and generously offered to settle the deficit by turning over to the state enough of his Beaver Lake land to pay it. The matter was referred to a legislative committee. This com- mittee, of which the late Norman Eddy was a member, examined the land and examined the title, and the whole matter in printed form was reported back to the Legislature, and Acquilla Jones, then treasurer of state, was bv the Legislature authorized and directed to JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 225 take the conveyance from Bright in trust for the state, and to convey the lands to the State of Indiana. This was done, and Bright was reHeved as a bondsman to Dunn. In making this conveyance Bright did not convey all the land, nor did he convey any large body of it, but conveyed each alternate forty-acre tract. In other words, he con- veyed to the state the even numbered lots and retained the odd num- ber lots, so that after this conveyance was made, the plat was like a checkerboard, the state owning the white squares and Bright the black ones. Matters rested thus until at the special session of the Legislature in 1865 an act was passed providing for the sale of lands in Newton County acquired by conveyance of Michael G. Bright and wife of Acquilla Jones, and by Jones to the state. When the state thus brought her land into market. Bright also placed the land retained by him on the market, and from 1865 to 1870 these lands were all bought, and the work of occupation and improvement was commenced. "The purchasers of these lands never questioned the validity of a title so boldly declared by Bright and so openly dealt in by the State, with full knowledge of its character brought to the minds of the State officers and legislators, and this title was unquestioned until in the year 1871, when the waters had receded, much of the land had become apparently dry, and when the inhabitants of Beaver Lake felt that the dawn of prosperity had arrived, they awoke one morning to find small board houses on almost every quarter section of the lake bed then dry enough to be occupied and each of these houses had an occupant. A party of raiders, headed by the late Amzi B. Condit, and Parker Dresser, came from Chicago, and upon the theory that this was government land, they proceeded in the right to take possession and preempt it. Suffice it to say that the Beaver Lake settler of that day was not easily disturbed by a small demon- stration. The raiders were all arrested, some of them barely escaped being shot, and their board houses were taken and used for barns and cattle sheds. "But this raised the question of the validity of Bright's title, and the matter was taken to Congress, and an effort was made to have Congress authorize a conveyance direct to the owners of the Bright title. After an exhaustive debate in Congress, this proposition was rejected, but Congress passed an act in 1873 wherein it was provided that the State of Indiana and her assignees, having drained and reclaimed what is known as the bed of Beaver Lake, in Newton County, Indiana, the same is hereby released and quit-claimed to 226 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES the State of Indiana. This settled the right of preemption, and as the owners believed, settled the title; but in this they were badly disappointed. In about the year 1879, Jacob B. Julian, then an attorney at Indianapolis, conceived the idea that under the Act of Congress of 1873, the State became the owner of all the lots of land in the bed of Beaver Lake that had not theretofore been conveyed by the State under the Act of 1865. Acting on this belief, he ob- tained permission from the attorney general to bring and did bring suit against the owners of these lands. One of these cases was tried, appealed and decided by the Supreme Court of the State against the holders of the Bright title. "As soon as this decision was rendered, the owners of the land appealed to the legislature of the State, and in 1889 the legislature recognizing the strong equities of the then owners of the Bright title, by act of the General Assembly permitted them to re-enter the land of the State at the nominal price of 37 cents per acre. Thus it was that those who undertook to reclaim the waste of water and worthless land were forced to fight through all sorts of adverse conditions until they, like the title they acquired, became time-tried and fire-tested. "Of the early settlers of Beaver Lake and that vicinity, becoming modesty forbids that I should say too much. If they were not, at all times, as good as their more fortunately located neighbors, it was not on account of a lack of good society, for during portions of the year they had for their companions preachers, lawyers, doctors, judges, mayors of cities, governors of States, politicians and statesmen. I will not say, however, that these gentlemen were always on their best behavior when they came to Beaver Lake to hunt and fish. In fact the conduct of the best of them was often so peculiar that it became proverbial with us that when a man, no matter how good, crossed Beaver Creek on his way to Beaver Lake to fish or hunt, he left much of his respectability there and took it up on his return, if at the time sober enough to do so. Nevertheless, under the influence of these splendid associations, I am satisfied that some progress was made by the early settlers of Beaver Lake region in the virtues of civilization, for as early as 1873, when the late Judge S. P. Thomp- son of Rensselaer was prosecuting attorney, and the late Charles H. Test was then presiding judge of the Newton Circuit court, it was then solemnly and judicially determined that the man who resided in the vicinity of Beaver Lake had a fair, average reputation for hon- esty and integrity, if he had never been caught stealing." JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 227 The Brandon Trial From John Ade's History of Newton County : "One day in the summer of i860 I heard that a murder had been committed in Jack- son township and that the prisoner had been brought to Kent, he having been bound over by the examining justice. At that time the county officers were in temporary quarters in a store building front- ing the railroad, near the present site of the Fletcher blacksmith shop. I went from my office to the room in which the prisoner was said to be under guard, and there I found three of my old neighbors and friends — Elijah Shriver, Calvin Hough and Samuel Brandon. From my knowledge of the men, I could not believe it possible that any one of them would be guilty of the crime charged, and I was so much surprised that I believe I left the room without speaking to any of them. "Shortly afterward I learned that Samuel Brandon was the one charged with the crime. He was taken to Lafayette and confined in jail to await the action of the grand jury. On Monday, August 27, i860, agreeable to an order issued by Charles H. Test, judge of the I2th judicial circuit, the court met for the first time in Newton county, at Kent — Charles H. Test, judge; Zechariah Spitler, clerk; Elijah Schriver, sheriff; John L. Miller, prosecutor. After attending to some preliminary business the following named parties were ad- mitted as attorneys to practice in this court : William D. Lee, Albert G. Brown, George W. Spitler and Robert H. Milroy. "It was ordered by the court that Elijah Shriver, sheriiY, go to Lafayette and obtain the person of Samuel Brandon from the jailor of Tippecanoe county and bring him before the court now in ses- sion. The following persons were sworn to serve as grand jurors for the term: Ransom Elijah, William Harriett, Allen Park, Henry Rider, Young Thompson, Martin Crawn, George Stoner, Samuel Bard, John Smith, Nathaniel Ford and James Cowgill, who, after due deliberation, did on the 29th day of August, i860, return an indictment against Samuel Brandon for murder; "Following is from the record : 'Thursday, August 30, i860 — Court met pursuant to adjournment. Comes now John L. Miller, prosecuting the pleas of the .state. Comes also the defendant in person and by Mace, Lee & Spitler, his attorneys. Comes also a jury, to wit : Nathaniel West, John Padgett, James W. Dodson. John Smith, Josiah Howenstine, Amaziah Board, Hugh Warren, Thomas J. Smith, George Herriman, Joseph Louthain, Charles Prue and Peter Shaub.' 228 JASPER AND XEWTON COUNTIES "The facts brought out at the trial were substantially these: Samuel Brandon and David Handley were neighbors, hving in Jack- son township. Handley had a corn field near the residence of Bran- don, and one of Brandon's hogs got into the com. In driving the hog out, Handley threw a stone at the animal and broke its leg. This irritated Brandon, who came running out to where Handley was, and, after a few words, demanded that Handley get on his knees and beg his pardon. Handley refused and Brandon shot him, causing almost instant death. "The jury, after hearing the evidence, argument of counsel and charge of the court, returned its verdict into court as follows : 'We, the jury, find the defendant, Samuel Brandon, not guilty as to the first and third counts of the indictment and guilty as to the second; and that he be imprisoned at hard labor in the state's prison for life. Nathaniel West, Foreman.' ''\\'hereupon the court did, on the following day, pronounce judg- ment against Brandon in accordance with the verdict of the jury and sentenced him to punishment at hard labor in the state's prison during his life. "Brandon was not what you might call a bad man, but was pos- sessed of an ungovernable temper which brought sorrow and death to an innocent family and long years of confinement and remorse to himself. In his case was proven the truthfulness of the statement, 'He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty ; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.' "During the progress of the trial Brandon seemed to be perfectly indifferent as to the result, exhibiting no regret or sorrow for his deed. All those present at the trial remarked on this phase of his character. However, one evening during the progress of the trial, after the proceedings for the day were closed, he and I were by ourselves in a corner of the room, no others within hearing distance. He seemed to unburden himself. He told me he would give any- thing he had if he could only shed a tear, that he seemed to be burn- ing up inside and there was no way by which he could get relief. This satisfied me that we often misjudge others by seeing only that which is visible from the outside, not knowing what is going on within their consciences. "In accordance with the sentence of the court, Brandon was taken to the state's prison at Michigan City, where he remained some fourteen years, when he was pardoned by the governor and returned to his old home. Here he died several years later." JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 229 Justifiable Larceny "I recall an interesting trial held at Morocco. James Moore had missed several hogs, and he suspected one of his neighbors of having stolen them. On searching the premises of the suspected party, evidence w^as discovered which satisfied Mr. Moore that his sus- picions were well founded. He then went to the justice of the peace, James Murphy, and swore out a warrant for the arrest of the sus- pected party. This warrant was placed in the hands of the constable, Thomas Starkey, who came to my house and asked me to go with him to assist in making the arrest. When we reached the home of the party we were to arrest we learned that he had gone away. Expect- ing to catch up with him in a short time, we rode on after him. We kept hearing of his passing certain houses along the road, so we kept on for some forty miles until we reached the town of Bradford. Here we caught up with him and arrested him just as he was getting on the train to go south. We stayed in Bradford over night and the next morning started for home. We went through Rensselaer, where we stopped for dinner, and at this point the man under arrest made arrangements with David Snyder, a prominent attorney of that town, to go down with us to Morocco and defend him at the trial. "We reached Morocco after having been away two days, although we had not expected to be gone more than that number of hours. The court was soon in session and ready to dispose of the case. A jury was demanded and soon collected and accepted by the parties. Witnesses gave their testimony showing that the body of the miss- ing hog had been found in the house of the accused and fully identified. It looked as though nothing could be said or done to prevent the speedy conviction of the prisoner. David Snyder com- menced his plea to the jury by saying that in all new countries there were certain conditions and practices that every one recognized and accepted, the same being entirely different from the conditions existing in older settled portions of the country; that customs long practiced in a community became of higher authority in determining certain cases than the mere letter of the law, instancing the estab- lished custom of going to the woods and taking the timber freely from lands owned by non-residents, placing under the same rule the right of every person to take a hog wherever found running at large. He said that custom made law and from time immemorial it had been the custom in this country to consider hogs as public property, and before a man could rightfully be punished for this ofifense there 230 JASPER AND XEWTON COUNTIES must be a public meeting of the citizens of the community to then and there declare that, from and after a certain date, hog stealing in that community would constitute and be considered a crime. "Strange as it may seem to us now, the jury took the same view of the case that Mr. Snyder did, and the prisoner was discharged. "About the year 1850 there was a great rush to buy up the timber lands of this part of the state. The idea then was that as soon as immigrants commenced the settlement of the prairie, the timber lands would become valuable and a source of great profit to those owning the same. With that idea in view, a great many non-residents rushed in and bought up large tracts of timber land, thereby, to some extent, at least, establishing a hindrance to the settlement of the country. Consequently it was not long until, by a law acted upon almost universally, residents had the right to go upon what was called 'speculators' lands' and take the necessary timber to improve their farms and erect their buildings, quieting the conscience by saying, 'Others do it, and why not I ?' ' "About the time the timber lands were bought up, quite a large number of Swedes settled about seven miles west of Morocco, across the state line in Illinois. I want to say they proved to be a very valuable class of citizens — honest, industrious and truthful. Although they had a hard time to make a living for the first three or four years after they settled there, it was not long until they had good farms and improvements, surrounded by many of the comforts of life, amply repaying them for the privations of the first few years. When the nation needed their help, no community, according to their num- ber, furnished more or better soldiers during the Civil War, many of them serving in Indiana regiments. "A few years after they located and the struggle for a livelihood became easier, they concluded they needed a church building, as they were a very religious people. So one winter when there was snow on the ground and sledding was good, about twenty or more started for the woods with teams and sleds to cut logs and haul them to Morocco, where there was a saw-mill. There they could have the logs sawed up into lumber, to be used in building the church. "That same afternoon James Archibald went out to get some timber for his own use, and on arriving at a piece of timber land owned by him, north of Beaver Creek, he found some of these same Swedes busily felling trees. On reaching the point where they were at work he asked them what they were doing. They told him they were cutting logs and hauling them to the mill, as they were getting ready to build a church. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 231 "He said to them : 'Do you know whose land this is that you're cutting on?' "They replied that they did not. " 'Well,' Archibald went on, 'this is my land and I don't want you to be cutting my timber.' "They immediately stopped work and called to their preacher, who was assisting them in the work. When he came up, one of the men told him what Mr. Archibald had said. "The preacher replied, 'Well, men, you must stop cutting here at once.' "Then turning to Mr. Archibald, he said, 'We are very sorry, indeed, Mr. Archibald, to have disturbed your land, as we don't want a stick of stolen timber put in our church, but we really thought this was "speculators' land." ' " CHAPTER XVII COUNTY EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM Pioneer Schools of the County — Prominent Ex-Pupils of a District School — The County Examiners (1861-73)^ — ■ County Superintendents (1873-1916) — The System of the Present — Play, as Well as Work — The School Savings Bank — The Boys' County Corn Club. The public school system of Newton County was organized under the provisions of the State Constitution of 1851. For several previous years the settlers had established and patronized subscrip- tion schools, but it was not until 1854 that the first schoolhouse in the county was built from the public funds. In that year a small frame building was erected for educational purposes in the only town which had been platted, Morocco. It stood about a block north of the present site of the Farmers Bank and cost $300. Pioneer Schools of the County "In the early part of 1853," says John Ade, who became a resident of the county at that time, "there was not a single public school building in the district now forming the county of Newton. There were several buildings used for school and meeting-house pur- poses, but they were all built by private enterprise. Some of them were built by single individuals, and all were log buildings. There was one at Morocco ; one about a mile and a half west, known as the Kessler schoolhouse ; one on the river, built by the Myers and Kenoyer families ; one in Jackson township, near the Jabez Wright residence. There may have been one southeast of the present town of Brook. In most of these, school was taught for a short term in each year, persons in the neighborhood uniting to employ a teacher, he boarding around among the pupils, in many cases, as part pay for the services rendered. These buildings did not have a nail or any other article of iron in their composition. The floors, benches and doors were made of puncheons ; wooden hinges for the doors, 233 234 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES and for a light, a log would be sawed out of the side of the build- ing, and when they did not have glass, greased paper was used in place of it. The roof was made by using clapboards, about three feet long, split out of logs and held down in place by logs called 'weight poles.' When meetings were held at night, and spelling schools, it was expected that each family would bring a candle or a saucer of grease with a rag in it to furnish light for the occasion. Rude and unsatisfactory as these conditions may seem to have been, many of our prominent men got their first elements of an education in these very schools. "The school district immediately south of Morocco was first provided with a schoolhouse of log, puncheon floor, puncheon benches and clap-board-roof variety; but in about the year 1859 a new frame house was built in this district, with board seats, sealed inside with pine lumber and provided with a shingle roof. The first Democratic County Convention was held in this school- house in the spring of i860. It was then located in the south- east corner of section 28, but its present location is in the northeast corner of section 33. In earlier times it was called the Whitson Schoolhouse, Elijah Whitson and his family residing very near, but later and until now it is called the Darroch Schoolhouse." Prominent Ex-Pupils of a District School If proof of some of the things said by Mr. Ade is required this list of pupils is taken from the roster of this district school- house, with an intimation of their later records : Charles M. Atkin- son, police lieutenant of the City of Chicago, now acting captain, with a record of twenty years service. George W. Atkinson, mechanical and electrical engineer, and at this time and for several years in the Government service at Washington. Walter Atkinson, successful farmer and a graduate of Purdue University. James B. Chizum, proprietor of the Western Publishing Company, of Chicago. Albert E. Chizum, lawyer and prosecuting attorney of the Thirtieth Judicial Circuit of Indiana. Joe M. Chizum, successful farmer and banker. Austin M. Darroch, soldier, farmer and a member of the Indiana State Legislature. Daniel C. Darroch, soldier, successful physician, and twice elected a member of the Texas State Legisla- ture. William Darroch, lawyer, judge of the Newton Circuit Court, and twice a candidate for Congress. John M. Darroch, proprietor of an extensive sheep and cattle ranch in Montana and a member of the Montana State Senate. John W^alter Shafor 236 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES physician and at this time one of the leading practitioners of the City of Lafayette, Indiana. Fred Shafer, civil engineer, graduate of Purdue University, at this time and for several years in the Gov- ernment service. The County Examiners, 1861-73 For thirteen years after the organization of Newton County, the head of its school system was the county examiner; since 1873 it has been in charge of a county superintendent. Until 1873 the exam- iners were appointed by the commissioners ; since that time the county superintendents have been elected by the united board of township trustees. The roster of county examiners is as follows: Nathaniel West, June 8, 1861, to June, 1864; William C. Rose, June, 1864-June, 1865; James M. Nelson, June, 1865-June, 1868; O. P. Hervey, June, 1868- December, 1870 ; D. M. Graves, December, 1870-June, 1871 ; John B. Smith, June, 1871-June, 1873. County Superintendents, 1873-1916 The first superintendent was John H. Merchant, who served from June, 1873, until June, 1875 ; succeeded by Benjamin F. Neisz, June, 1875-March, 1877; D. S. Pence, March, 1877-June, 1878; Pierce Archibald, May- June, 1879; William H. Hershman, June, 1879-June, 1889; William W. Pfrimmer, June, 1889-June, 1899; William L. Killenberger, June, 1899-December, 1907; William O. Schanlaub, since the latter date. County Bo.\rd of Educ.\tion What may be denominated the County Board of Education comprises the township trustees, the school boards of the incor- porated towns and the county superintendent. Township trustees : William Martin, Jefferson Township, resi- dence, Kentland; James Bell, Grant Township, Goodland; Frank Brewer, Washington Township, Brook ; John R. Hershman, Iro- quois Township, Brook; Charles W. Timmons, Beaver Township, Morocco ; George A. Hopkins, Jackson Township, Mount Ayr ; Ora Sellers, McClellan Township, Morocco; F. C. Tolin, Colfax Town- ship, Fair Oaks ; B. F. Davis, Lake Township, Lake Village ; C. M. Rice, Lincoln Township, Roselawn. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 237 The presidents of the town boards are: H. L. Sammons, Kent- land; W. E. Mitten, Goodland; L. W. LeMasters, township member; Marcus Foreman, Brook; L. S. Recher, Morocco. The county health officer is Dr. R. C. McCain and the county attendance officer, Jacob A. White. The System of the Present In 1916 there was a total enrollment of 2,616 of school population in Newton County, distributed as follows : First grade, 387 ; second grade, 347; third grade, 324; fourth grade, 304; fifth grade, 294; sixth grade, 224; seventh grade, 231; eighth grade, 169; High School, 336. There were 106 teachers employed in the county, who were paid over $57,000; for all other purposes the total amount expended was $61,775.22, which brought the cost of the schools (including two new brick schoolhouses) up to $118,991.94. The estimated value of all school property in the county was $176,000. As to the libraries connected with the system, those connected with the township schools embraced 10,362 volumes and those identified with the town schools, 5,480 volumes. It was learned, in the summer of 1916, through the courtesy of Hon. Charles A. Greathouse, superintendent of public instruction, that Newton County has $48,593 in the Congressional Township fund and $35,754 in the Common School fund, while its last semi- annual apportionment of the state tuition revenue amounts to $7,087. Under the direct superintendency of W. O. Schanlaub, the county schools are conducted according to modern and progressive methods. In the particular lining up the scholars, keeping them to their knitting, or, in other words, rounding them up and seeing that the shirkers do not evade the compulsory law without very substantial excuses, J. A. White, the county attendance officer for a number of years, is an invaluable captain under General Schanlaub. At Kentland, Brook and Goodland, as well as in several of the town- ship schools, manual training and domestic science have made notice- able advances in the past few years. The subject of playgrounds has also received general attention, and in Newton County the move- ment has spread into the country as well as the towns. Play as Well as Work As remarked by Mr. Schanlaub : "In the country, wholesome play is as necessary as it is in the towns. Too many people have JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 239 the erroneous idea that plenty of work with a change is all that a boy or girl needs for exercise. This is all well and good, if the young person enjoys to do the work. If he does not, it is not a recreation to him." The School Savings Bank In the early part of 19 14- 15 the Goodland School established a bank for the purpose of teaching pupils the advantages of forming habits of thrift — of saving a portion of their earnings by some systematic plan. Regular banking days were established, each depos- itor had a pass-book, investments were made in such institutions as the Building and Loan Association, and all financial transactions were conducted according to business methods. All of which was designed not only to form the habit of saving, but to practically demonstrate numerous financial and business transactions which, in the natural order of events, would prove useful information and training for the future. The school bank idea is spreading. The Boys^ County Corn Club Since the first one was organized in the spring of 1914, the Boys' County Corn Club has caused general interest among the rising generation of farmers who are headed for careful and scientific methods of cultivation. It is peculiarly an Indiana institution. New- ton County is divided into three districts, by townships, and the prizes are given on the following points : Greatest yield per acre ; best exhibit of ten ears ; best written account of crop, and best showing of profit on investment. All corn must be checked at a height of three feet six inches. The winner of the first prize gets a free trip to Lafayette to attend the corn show, and a gold watch donated by George Ade. As an illustration of the practical nature of the Corn Club eight of the rules governing the contestants are presented : 1. All contestants shall be between 10 and 18 years of age. 2. Each contestant shall agree to make a special study of scor- ing, selecting, planting, cultivating and harvesting of corn. 3. Each contestant shall grow an acre or more of corn each year. 4. Each boy shall plant, cultivate, and harvest his own corn. However, if necessary, he may have assistance in breaking and bed- ding his land, and in harvesting his crop. 240 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 5. Each contestant shall keep a record of the details concerning his plot, work done, and the number of bushels harvested. 6. Each contestant shall write an account of not over four hun- dred words of how he made his crop. 7. Each boy shall select ten ears on his plot and exhibit them at the annual corn show of the club. 8. In estimating profits, $5.00 per acre shall be charged as rent of land. The work of each boy shall be estimated at 10 cents per hour, and the work of each horse at 5 cents per hour. Manure shall be charged at the rate of $1.00 for each one-horse wagon load of five bushels, and $2.00 for each two-horse wagon load of ten bushels. There could not be a better illustration of the progress made in communities outside the metropolitan centers of the country than the popular system of education in vogue throughout Newton County. CHAPTER XVIII NATURE AND HER CULTIVATION Transformation of the Beaver Lake Region — Natural Drain- age AND Topography — Prehistoric Mounds — Soil and Prod- ucts— George Ade on Agricultural Changes of Twenty Years — Jump from $50 to $200 per Acre — Scientific Farming, the Explanation — Change in Popular Opinion. Newton County, which embraces an area of 401.2 square miles, or 256,720 acres, is a portion of the comparatively level country which lies just north of the basin of the great Wabash system of waterways and within the upper meshes of such large tributaries of the Illinois as the Kankakee and the Iroquois rivers. The ridge dividing the waters which flow into the Wabash system from the Iroquois is close to the southern boundary of the county, and an- other watershed, not so well defined, divides the Iroquois from the Kankakee. These ridges afford natural facilities for the drainage of the northern and central districts of the county. Artificial drainage, which has been progressing, with numerous drawbacks, for the past fifty years, has so strengthened the natural advantages that large areas of lowlands have been reclaimed and transformed into pro- ductive and attractive farms. Transformation of the Beaver Lake Region Beaver Lake, which at one time covered most of McClellan Township, and Little and Mud lakes, smaller bodies of water south and east of the former, in Colfax Township, have been virtually brought to a complete and high state of cultivation. In the early times Beaver Lake was one of the most noted resorts for hunters, trappers and fishermen, red and white, in the state, and, although efforts to drain it and convert the land into productive soil were made over sixty years ago, as late as 1885 it was one of the most popular resorts for the hunter and the sportsman to be found in 242 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES the Middle West. The fur-bearing animals had been almost eradi- cated, but the game of the feathered tribe was still abundant. About 1853 the first effort was made to drain the lake by cutting a ditch from the northwest part of the lake to the Kankakee River. The contract for the work was taken by Austin M. Puett, grand- father of Judge William Darroch. This pioneer ditch carried off enough water to cause the shore line to recede about a hundred yards, and, as it was enlarged and tributaries opened, the old bed of standing water gradually disappeared. Beaver Lake is now a mem- ory, its waters, at one time alive with beaver, muskrats, otter, ducks, geese and every species of fish known to the interior streams of the region, have been replaced by fields of grain and vegetables, orchards and stretches of greensward, herds and droves of livestock and modern farms in all the other details. A prosperous and settled state of the Beaver Lake region was not achieved without years of litigation in the courts, as well as a long period of drainage and cul- tivation. As the entire subject has been threshed over historically and legally by Judge William Darroch, grandson of the man who commenced the actual draining of the lake district, the following material is presented as the result of his investigation concerning the physical transformation of the region growing out of the artificial drainage of the lake : "Beaver Lake survives only in the memory of the old settler; something which is still a happy dream to the pioneer hunter and trapper, and the delightful memory of the more modern sportsman. It was located almost wholly within the limits of Mc- Clellan township, in Newton County, Indiana, being township 30 north, range 9 west of the 2d P. M. "The Government commenced the survey of this township in the month of February, 1834, continued it during that month, recom- menced it during the month of February, 1835, and completed it in that month. It is safe to say now that those months in the year 1834 and 1835 were close winter weather, for no mention is made in the record of any of the party having been drowned while this survey was being made. The record does disclose this notation at the con- clusion of the field notes of this survey. 'This township is all a lake or deep marsh and morass, except a little in the southwest cor- ner. Marsh four or five feet deep. No outlet to lake as I can discover.' "When this survey was made, the lake was not included in the survey. A meander line was run around the margin of the lake, and it was thrown out as water; was not then and never since has been surveyed by the government. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 243 "As shown by the meander Hne of the Government survey, and as the lake existed before being materially reduced by drainage, it was the largest body of water in the State of Indiana. Its greatest width from north to south was about four and one-half miles, and its greatest length from east to west was about seven and one-fourth miles. It covered an area of about 25 square miles, or about 16,000 acres of land. "The banks of the lake were very low and the adjacent lands on the east, south and west were low, wet marsh lands, so that in many places it was difficult to detennine where the marsh ended and the lake began ; and although the meander line of the government survey was intended to define the limit of land and the commencement of water, yet as a rule it was all water. In earlier times the water in the main body of the lake was perhaps six to ten feet deep, and abounded in fish of all varieties usually found in streams and lakes in this locality, and was especially remarkable for the number of buffalo fish that abounded in its waters. So numerous were these fish that for many years, and until the lake was practically drained, the farmers for many miles away made annual and semi-annual fish- ing trips to Beaver Lake as regularly as the seasons came and went. "For many years, and until about the year 1885, Beaver Lake was a popular resort for the hunter and sportsman. The wild ducks, brants and geese, and swans, were found there in season and were usually so abundant as to warrant the belief by many that no other such resort for these birds could be found elsewhere in the United States. "While perhaps it was true that there was no well-defined outlet to this lake, yet it is true that the overflow in time of high water was to the west and southwest into Beaver Creek, thence into the Iroquois river, so that Beaver Lake never was a part of the Kankakee valley, but was a part of the valley of the Iroquois. "However, the elevation of the lake was about thirty-five feet above the Kankakee river, and its nearest point only four and one- half miles distant from the river, and under an alleged system of swamp land drainage then in vogue in this state, the State was drained of the title to its land, the treasury of the State drained of its money and the lands usually left wet and undrained. "In about the year 1852 a ditch was cut through the dividing ridge and from the northwest margin of the lake, into the Kankakee river. Contrary to the usual experience with these swamp land ditches the water flowed down this ditch instead of up it, and it continued to drain the water from the lake, but with little apparent 244 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES effect until the year 1869, when the heavy and incessant floods of that year washed out and enlarged the ditch, and thereafter it emptied the water from the main body of the lake so that in the year 1871, for the first time, fully three-fourths of the bed of the lake was relieved of surface water. Thereafter its drainage was carried on from year to year until now it is an accomplished fact. "These are some of the recollections of Beaver Lake that occurred to me might be of passing interest. The geography of a locality and its historical incidents are important only as they effect the develop- ment of the place and its people. Beaver Lake is now a thing of the past. If those who hunted and fished there in days gone by should return to the scene now and start in from the locality of Goose Island, they would cross over not in a boat as they did before, but in an automobile over the meadow to Buffalo cove, and on the way would witness some of the finest agricultural land in Northwestern Indiana, standing as a monument to commemorate the energy, the trials, the perseverance and triumphs of some of the inhabitants of Beaver Lake." Drainage and Topography As to the general physical features of the county : In the north is the broad, low valley of the Kankakee, fringed with timber and its lands now largely brought into productiveness. Then comes the old lake region, slightly more elevated and more carefully culti- vated, between Beaver Creek and the Kankakee River. The south- ern part of the county is traversed by the Iroquois Valley in a gen- erally westerly direction, and south of its belt of timber lands is the Grand Prairie of Illinois, the most fertile part of the county. Of the smaller streams, Beaver Creek runs through the western half of the center of the county and flows directly into Illinois. Curtis Creek flows in a southeasterly direction near the east-central part of the county, joining the Iroquois in Jasper County. Prehistoric Mounds About the only points of interest for the archaeologist are also in the Beaver Lake district. Before the lake was drained and the adjacent lands given over to cultivation there was an elevated sandy ridge east of the southern shores, along which were several clusters of prehistoric mounds. One of the groups contained seven distinct JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 245 mounds from 2 to 12 feet in height and from 20 to 80 feet in diam- eter, in which were found bones, pottery and various implements. Soil and Products It has been estimated that about 60 per cent of the lands in Newton County may be classified as prairie, the soil of which is generally of a loamy nature. Groves of timber are scattered through the central parts between the valley of the Iroquois and the low lands of the Kankakee region, that area being also interspersed with ridges of sand. There is quite a variety of soil, altogether, so that vegetables, grains, large fruits and berries flourish in different sec- tions of the county, although the raising of corn, cattle and hogs still constitute the main sources of revenue for the farming com- munities, and Kentland, Brook and Goodland owe much of their advancement to that fact. George Ade on Agricultural Changes of Twenty Years The wave of progress in all farming operations has washed over Newton County and it is well up in the methods of scientific farming. The bulk of the best lands have been drained and the active genera- tion is intelligent and broad-minded. If these assertions are doubted, perhaps conviction may come by reading this portion of an article contributed to the Country Gentleman by a son of Newton County not unknown to contemporaneous letters, George Ade, the author- farmer. He is speaking of Newton County, especially of his home stamping grounds at and around Kentland, and he pictures some of the changes of twenty years : " 'Twenty years later' sounds like a long jump of time in a play or novel, but it is a brief span looking backward. Twenty years ago this summer we were planning to attend the World's Fair at Chi- cago. That doesn't seem very long ago, does it ? Yet twenty years ago the young farmer with a new wife and a span of horses could buy good land on credit for $50 an acre, the mortgage drawing seven or possibly eight per cent. Wtih two or three crops to boost him along he could count on reducing the principal so the interest would not devour him. Those who bought at $50 an acre and used ordinary diligence in farming paid out long ago and now are inde- pendent landed proprietors. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 247 Jump from $50 to $200 per Acre "The young farmer of today, who has a few hundred dollars and a team of horses, is distinctly up against it if he wants to get a farm of his own. The same land that was freely offered at $50 is now $200 an acre. It is better drained and has a stone road along one edge, but it is no more productive than it was twenty years ago, and the grain produced from it may not command much higher prices at the elevator. The mortgage rate has been reduced from seven or eight to five or six per cent, but five per cent on $200 is an awful leap from eight per cent on $50. "Land at $200 an acre will change us, all at once, from a new and shifting community to an old and settled community. Those who have are going to hold. Transfers of land are becoming infre- quent. The tenant farmer on 160 acres hasn't the courage to assume a debt of $32,000 and pay $1600 interest on the mortgage when he can get the farm for about $1300 a year in grain rent. "Our country lanes are punctuated with the trim white houses and the bulky red barns of men who landed out here in the seven- ties and eighties from Ireland or Sweden or the Teutonic region of Pennsylvania and went to work as farm hands at $20 a month. They saved up to get their teams and implements and marriage licenses; then they bought land on time, and today they are independent and wealthy, with the boys attending Purdue and a motor car standing under every clump of maples. "It is the fashion of each generation to say that the day of opportunity has passed, but it certainly does seem, right in our neighborhood, that the farm hand who wishes to transform himself into a country gentleman has not the chance that fell into the way of young men thirty years ago. "We have capitalized so heavily that the man with a few dollars is afraid to get into the game. Like some of the trusts that we denounce so willingly, we have quadrupled the valuation without increasing the size or output of the plant. We know that land has gone sailing to $200 an acre, but we don't know why. Scientific Farming, the Explanation "The fact is that out in the Mississippi valley we are trying to live up to a sudden inheritance. We have come face to face with a new and bewildering set of conditions. We find ourselves the cus- todians of great hunks and wads and bundles and bales of unexpected 248 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES and undesen'ed wealth. Even the most benumbed and unambitious slave of the old-time routine has been jarred by the revolution. He is compelled to give some heed to a new contraption called 'scientific farming.' "When I attended Purdue University in the eighties the course in agriculture was a joke. The lowly 'ag' student was a logical campus goat. The Hoosier farmer merely snickered at the sugges- tion of sending a boy to college so he could learn to plant fields and feed cattle. "Today the agricultural course is the most popular one at Purdue. Fifty broad-shouldered huskies completed the four-year course in June. These boys are not going to head for the cities, to get desk jobs or slowly starve within the overcrowded battlements of the learned professions. They are going back to the farms to raise more corn and wheat and oats per acre than ever were raised before ; to feed the broad and buxom steer so as to top the market ; to live civilized and useful and happy lives in comfortable homes, sur- rounded by all of the conveniences and most of the luxuries. "The motor car and the stone road have eliminated distance. The morning paper is poked into the R. F. D. box before noon every day. The baseball scores are on tap at central. The shower baths are just as satisfactory as those at the biggest New York hotel. If the poor peasant farmer chooses to sit down in the cool of the evening and listen to the Sextette from Lucia, who shall deny him his humble joy? "More than 600 students come to Purdue every year for instruc- tion in agriculture, horticulture, dairying and animal husbandry. This total does not include the hundreds who come in January for the week of lectures and demonstrations. A whole army descends upon the college town. The men come to learn about fertilizers and the economy of silos and the principles of stock feeding; how to get their hog-cholera serum, how to judge seed corn, how to spray fruit trees, how to measure butter-fat in milk. The women come to learn household management, the relative food values of stuff sold at grocery stores, and how to make bread and cook meats. "The indifference and contempt of thirty years ago have given way to an almost rabid eagerness to learn the new methods — to utilize at once on the farm every important truth demonstrated by the investigators at Purdue. "The special cars sent into every part of the state are billed in advance like a country circus. When one of these decorated cars pulls into a way station there is a crowd waiting to look at the JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 249 exhibits and to listen, with relaxed lower jaw, to the new gospel of farming with the head instead of the back muscles. Lately the legislature has provided for an agricultural guide, counselor and friend in every blessed county — these local experts to work under the direction of a chief at the University. "The yield must be increased and the fertility conserved. The old endless routine of corn one year and then oats with clover next year, hauling out the manure when it gets piled up too much round the stable, seemed to be regular farming when land was $50 an acre. But now some of our neighbors are shaming us. We hear that over the state line, near the town of Gilman in Illinois, a real farmer, named Frank Mann, is getting 80 bushels of oats to the acre, when we have to be satisfied with 45. He is shucking 100 bushels of corn to the acre, thereby proving that 60 bushels is not a full yield. Both our greed and our pride have been roused by the reports from our more advanced neighbors. "For instance there is a quiet and calculating young farmer over near our neighboring town of Morocco. He owns 160 acres of land and makes every square inch of it serve his purpose. He prepares his ground carefully, makes sure that his seed is clean and of first quality, has tested various commercial fertilizers and applies them persistently. He has some good cows, some good brood mares, some good hogs and a few feeding steers. He reaches out in many directions for revenue and there is no doubt that he clears $5000 a year. The tenant farmer on a quarter section calls it a good year if he shows a gross total of $3000. "The answer is that the farmer who cannot take $5000 from a quarter section every year will have to transfer his activities to some profession less exacting. "Our neighbors are learning how to judge and test seed corn. They have decided that weeds and puny seeds should not be planted with the good oats. The silos are sprouting in numerous barnyards. The theory of fifteen years ago, that the man who tried to feed fancy stuff for the Chicago market would go broke, has been suc- ceeded by a belief that the man with a feed yard full of steers and shoats will make a hatful of money and not impoverish his soil. "You can't keep stock on $200 land. That learned dictum is about to pass into history. The new declaration is that a man can't afford to keep poor stock on $200 land. We have some Belgian mares and a good lot of colts, a bunch of likely white-faced yearlings, an interesting colony of Durocs, a flock of well-wooled Shropshires and 250 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES a few good Holsteins, and I am sure they will fit into the landscape even when the land sells for $400 an acre. "The fertilizer problem has got us guessing. We no longer con- tend that land as black as your hat will hold up if you slap on a little manure now and then. Frank Mann and others of his pro- gressive breed most certainly have induced us to sit up and take notice. We are willing to fertilize to a fare-ye-well if we are assured of a net profit in the long run. "One trouble is that our advisers at the colleges do not agree among themselves. The automobile salesman who tells you that the other man's car is a 'pile of junk' is no more set and positive in his opinions than the average advocate of a commercial fertilizer. Over in Illinois the rock-phosphate men have made a real showing of results, under the leadership of Dr. Hopkins. The crop reports made by them seem to be convincing, yet the soil experts in the states adjoining Illinois do not join in any unqualified indorsement of the rock. They prefer a mixture in which the acid phosphate will be available at once. "As for some of the Chicago companies sending out blood and bone from the stockyards, they rave against the rock phosphate. Recently they contended that the powdered rock would form a cement with the moisture in the soil, so that a farmer who kept on applying rock phosphate wovild finally cement his field into a hard and unyielding concrete pavement. Doubtless they are mistaken. Rock phosphate is a big help, even if the results are somewhat delayed. But the farmer who puts anywhere from $4 to Sio an acre into a single application of fertilizer wants to be sure that he is getting the very best for that particular field. "The hieroglyphs of chemistry are a terrifying mystery to the layman, so it is not surprising that many farmers who are eager to build up their land have been puzzled and frightened by these claims and counterclaims of the fertilizer companies. Even the soil experts from the colleges cannot always tell just what application will be most effective. They frankly advise every farmer to stake off a few experimental plats and keep careful records and find out in two or three seasons the exact monev value of several kinds of fertilizer." CHAPTER XIX NEWTON COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR (i86r-i86s) The "Boys" of '6i — The County at the Outbreak of the War — First War Meeting — Summer and Fall of '6i — Organi- zation OF Company B — Off for the Front — Dark Days in Newton County — Enrollment in the County — "The Home Guard" — John Ade — Brook Soldiers' Monument and Tablet — Newton County's Roll of Honor — Gave Their Lives in the Service — "Out of Reach." By John Higgins ■ In writing history, the task must necessarily depend on records made at the time the events transpired, and from the memory of those living and more or less actively interested in the vital events of the period. It may be well to note briefly in connection with this subject, the condition, or rather, to use the prevailing phrase at this writing (1916), the preparedness or unpreparedness as the reader may conclude, of the State of Indiana, at the breaking out of the Civil war. At the outbreak of the war, the state had less than 500 stand of small arms, of the flint lock and percussion-cap muskets, 8 can- non> the most of which were scattered among the counties and in hands of individuals formerly members of militia companies. Lender an act of the General Assembly approved March 5, 1861, Governor Morton had taken steps to secure the return of all arms, which, on inspection, were found to be only fit for "guard mounting" and drill practice. The report of the treasurer of state for the year 1861 shows that there were on hand on the nth day of February, 1861, only the sum of $10,368.58 in actual cash, and this sum was made up prin- cipally of "trust funds" which could not be touched for general military purposes. About the middle of March, 1861, Governor 251 252 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Morton, in view of the impending rebellion, endeavored to procure from the General Government a supply of arms for the state troops. The national armories, under the maneuvers of Floyd, formerly secretary of state, were almost empty. Five thousand muskets were obtained. Before these were forwarded, however, actual hostili- ties had begun and Indiana was called upon to do her part in the defense of the nation and the suppression of the rebellion. With no militia force or system; almost destitute of arms and munitions, the public treasury depleted to almost emptiness, the work of prep- aration for the vigorous performance of her part in the Civil war was undertaken. As heretofore noted in this volume, Newton County was erected out of a portion of Jasper County, under provisions of an act of the General Assembly of the State of Indiana, approved March 7, 1857, and act amendatory thereof, approved March 5, 1859, and record of the board of commissioners of Jasper County December 8, 1859. On April 21, i860, the new County of Newton became a separate jurisdiction and its several county officers entered upon the duties thereof. The "Boys" of '61 Surprise is often expressed that there are so many veterans of the Civil war still living. The fact is that out of the total enlistments of 2,823,935, in the Union army, the war was fought at least on the Union side by boys, and the phrase "Boys of '61" is a literal expression of the truth. As a historical fact in connection with this subject, is here stated the official figures of the age of enlistments in the Civil war as appear from the official war records at Wash- ington, D. C, compiled as follows : Those of 10 years and under 25 Those of II years and under 38 Those of 12 years and under 225 Those of 13 years and under 300 Those of 14 years and under I-523 Those of 15 years and under 104,987 Those of 16 years and under 231,051 Those of 17 years and under 844,981 Those of 18 years and under 1,151,438 Those of 21 years and under 1,007,360 Those of 22 years and over 818,511 Those of 25 years and over 46,626 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 253 The first nine classes and the last three classes, aggregating 2,823,935 men and boys. The County at the Outbreak of the War Newton County was not yet one year old, when on April 12, 1861, the batteries at Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, struck down the flag of the Union. The premeditated design, with so many days anxious waiting for the end that did not come until nearly five years later, excluded every other subject from the minds of the people of the young County of Newton. The loyal hearts of its small population stood still, as it were, but the shock was only tem- porary. The field of argument was abandoned. Intense indignation greeted the first blast from the guns of the South. The North answered the summons, and mustered for the war. Newton County stood ready to do her part and active preparations for the conflict were immediately begun. The people of the county had been called to meet to express their sentiments, their indignation and their loyalty to the flag, thus struck down by the misguided hands of the South in the vain hope of perpetuating a false principle of liberty. In those days of heart-throbbing fear and anxiety, Kentland had but eighteen buildings, including the frame courthouse just completed. Its religious services and schools were held in the half second story of a building used for a tinshop below. The week-day confusion of ideas above and below can better be imagined than described. Brook had but nine buildings, including the old school- house where now stands its handsome memorial library. Morocco had but twelve buildings and the Town of Goodland had just been placed on the map of the county under the name of Trivoli. Following the fall of the flag at Fort Sumter small squads of men of all ages might be seen each evening at the Town of Kentland, marching and drilling as for war, with serious faces, keeping step to the vigorous taps on a dish pan made by a small lad of twelve years of age at their head. On April 15, 1861, President Lincoln issued his first call for 75,000 volunteers to serve three months to put down the rebellion. The dear old martyr ! How little his great heart and mind realized the enormous task before him and that it would be necessary to make his second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh calls, and sacrifice millions of men — yea, even his own grand life — before the struggle ended ! More than half of the men drilling and marching in these early days of the conflict answered this first call. 254 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES First War Meeting The first war meeting held in the county was at Kentland, in the first week in May, 1861. The drummer boy, John Higgins, had been presented with a real army drum by Dr. E. B. Collins and Samuel Bramble, in lieu of the dish pan used for the marchers. John Rey- nolds and Samuel Yeoman were the fifers, and the way they pro- duced the martial strains of "Yankee Doodle" and "the Campbells are Coming" at this meeting and others following, and later in field and camp at the front, was enough to put down the whole Con- federacy. But it did not, nor was it accomplished, until after more than four years of battles, hardships and privations, more than 500,000 lives on both sides had been sacrificed, and inexpressible suffering had been experienced in camp and vacant firesides. Dr. E. B. Collins presided at this first war meeting. A solemn stillness seemed to prevail over the whole house and the awful seriousness of the challenge from Charleston Harbor struck every loyal heart with horror at the thought of what this war might mean. Nearly the entire population of the young Town of Kentland and the surrounding neighborhood filled the courthouse. Doctor Fitch, from Logansport, had been invited to address the people. He was followed by Dr. E. B. Collins, John Ade, D. A. McHolland, John Peacock and William Ross. It was finally decided to organize a full company of volunteers in response to President Lincoln's second call for 82,000 additional volunteers on May 3, 1861 ; but the com- pany was finally mustered under the third call of July 5, 1861, for 400,000 volunteers for three years ; and so the preparation for the long and mighty struggle was begun so far as Newton County was concerned, and well did she perform her part. Out of the 208,367 men which the State of Indiana sent to the war, Newton County has the proud record of contributing her full quota, with but a single draft ; and that would have been unnecessary if the boys in their eagerness to fire the first shot had been more careful in being credited to their home county. After the speaking, the meeting proceeded to raise a full com- pany and called for volunteers. Dr. E. B. Collins and D. A. Mc- Holland took charge of the enlistments. John Ade, the Morton of Newton County, took charge of the enrolling table this first night, with words of encouragement and hope for their safe return, as the boys came forward to sign the roll midst the silent weeping of mothers, wives, sisters and friends. It is not known how many enlisted at this meeting, but it fomied the nucleus of what afterwards JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 255 became Company B, of the Fifty-first Regiment Indiana Volunteers, the first full company of volunteers from Newton County. The work of enlisting a full company was too slow for some fifty or sixty impatient patriots, who hurried away to join other companies nearly ready for action, at Logansport, Lafayette, and other cities. Summer and Fall of '6i At this time, in the summer of '6i, the county had but 539 voters, representing a population of about the size of Jefferson Township as it now is, but the work of enlistment went on. War meetings were held in every schoolhouse in the county. One was held at "Collins" schoolhouse on the border of Beaver Lake. The music of the fife and drum mingled with the rippling waters of the lake, and the loud calls of thousands of wild ducks and geese hovering about, seemed to applaud and endorse the cause for which the people were assembled and bid its young recruits God-speed; but the lake and its wild ducks, like many of those who attended this meeting, have long since departed from view. Edward and John Sherman, brothers, were enlisted at this meeting. Wherever these meetings were held they were largely attended, William Ross, J. A. Hatch, John Ade and E. B. Collins were speak- ers ; Samuel Yeoman, fifer, and John Higgins, the drummer, sup- plied the martial music wherever held. During the summer months of '61 the work of organizing Company B went on. The Seventh to the Fortieth regiments, rendezvoused at different cities in the state, were nearly ready for active service. Many of the Newton County boys could not, or would not wait for the home company, and left to join some one of the above regiments. Among them were Thomas M. Clark, John Deardruiif, Adonjah Smart, Isaac Smart, Jacob H. Sager, David Sager, Horace K. Warren, John Blue, and some others whose names can not be recalled, but they all appear in the tabulated list in connection with this history. In the early fall of 1861, Company B having nearly reached its full complement of lOO men and boys — they were mostly boys, averaging in age about iSyi years, according to official enrollment — - met at the old schoolhouse in the Town of Brook, on October 12, 1861, for final organization and election of officers and preparation for departure for the front. Several new names were added to the roll at this meeting. The women and girls of Brook and vicinity had provided a huge dinner for the boys and, needless to say, they proved themselves as good soldiers at the table as they did after- 256 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES wards at the front, when "hard tack" (army biscuit) was the only item of fare for several meals. But few of those present at this feast now survive, and of the ladies who helped to cook and serve the dinner of 1861, fifty-five years ago at this writing (August, 1916), only Aunt Polly Lyons, Mrs. John B. Lyons, Mrs. John Lowe, Mrs. Ann Hawkins, Mrs. Finley Shaefer, Mrs. Mary Meri- deth, Mrs. Harve Thomas, Mrs. James Lowe, Mrs. Ephraim Ham, and Mrs. Aaron Lyons, survive. Organization of Com.pany B At this meeting David H. McHolland was elected captain; Albert Light, first lieutenant; Adolphus H. Wonder, second lieu- tenant; Jeremiah Sailor, orderly sergeant; William R. Lewis, Jira Skinner, Robert Barr, and E. R. Arnold, sergeants ; J. F. Shaefer, Aaron Kenoyer, J. D. Morgan, G. E. Tiffiny, J. S. Hurst, William Dewees, Alvin Arnold, and Daniel Doty, corporals ; John Higgins, drummer; Samuel Yeoman, fifer; Kin Ferguson, teamster. Later, in the month of October, Col. A. D. Streight, who was organizing the Fifty-first Regiment Indiana Volunteers, at Indianapolis, came out and made the boys a ringing war speech, offering them the posi- tion of left-flanking company in his command and promising that Dr. Erasmus B. Collins should be the surgeon of the regiment. This just suited the boys and they voted for the Fifty-first; and this is how the first organized company of volunteers from Newton County became known as Company B in the Civil war. Others who had taken much interest in recruiting this company had previously enlisted in other commands, among them Charles E. Ross in the Eighth Illinois Cavalry ; Dr. J. A. Hatch, surgeon, Thirty- sixth Illinois Infantry; Dr. C. E. Triplett, Sr., surgeon, Eighty- seventh Indiana ; Daniel Ash, captain, Ninety-ninth Indiana ; C. A. Wood, Ninety-ninth Indiana; Daniel Graves, captain, Twelfth Cav- alry; Cyrus Leaming, Fifth Cavalry; James Bissell, captain. One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Indiana ; Isaac Smart, Ninth Indiana ; Morris A. Jones, Eighty-seventh Indiana ; H. K. W^arren, captain, and David and Jacob H. Sager, in the Fifteenth Indiana. It will be seen that the county was not only represented in men, but officers and surgeons as well; and so the inhabitants of the county sought to serve their countr}' in various ways as became loyal citizens. Just before leaving for the front, A. J. Kent gave the boys a big dinner and dance at his hotel in Kentland. Samuel Bramble officiated as chief barber on that occasion, cutting their hair free of charge. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 257 Off for the Front On November 5, 1861, the company departed to join their regi- ment, taking the afternoon train at Kentland. It seemed that every man, woman and child was at the depot to see them off, and it was no merry leave-taking. Second Lieut. A. H. Wonder was assigned the duty of drilling the company. He was a young German, with a military education, and enforced strict discipline. He was imme- diately dubbed, "Stubin Swist." ' Capt. D. A. McHolland took rank as "Old He" and John B. Lyons, after his promotion to hospital steward, was known as "Old Jersey," notwithstanding he was only eighteen years old. The total enrollment of Company B was iz^.; killed in battle, 5 ; wounded, 20 ; died from disease, 22 ; discharged for disability, 29 ; missing, 22 ; mustered out at San Antonio, Texas, December 13, 1865. Dark Days in Newton County But the loyalty of old Newton was not altogether unanimous, and while the veil of charitable forgiveness has long since been drawn over the ill-advised acts of some of its citizens, in common with others throughout the state, yet the lamentable fact is part of the historical events of the times. The frequent calls of the President were hindered and delayed by sympathizers with the rebellion, dis- couraging enlistments and otherwise rendering such aid to the Con- federacy as they could, covertly. But this only served to fire the patriotism of the loyal citizens of Newton to greater effort, and united them more firmly in the determination to do their part in putting down the rebellion. The frequent calls of the President, the appeals of Governor Morton, the reverses of the Union arms all through 1862 and the first part of 1863, brought forth the active energy of every loyal man and woman in the county. These were the darkest days of the war in Newton County. Dispatches from the front were read with feverish eagerness. The long list of killed and wounded was anxiously scanned for some familiar loved name. The passer-by, along the highways, was met at the gate by some mother or wife with eager, questioning look, asking for news from the seat of war. The towns of Brook, Morocco and Kentland had but few able bodied men left. Goodland, in those days, had only just been placed on the map of the county, and its few inhabitants were under the care of William Foster and David Creek. The latter had four sons in the Union ranks, one of whom Vol. 1—17 258 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES was killed in battle before Richmond, Virginia. William Foster was personally represented at his own expense. Beginning of the Bounty System War meetings came thick and fast now. The principal one of 'this period was held August 9, 1862, and was presided over by Dr. W. T. Maxwell. Hon. Edwin P. Hammond, of Rensselaer, after- wards colonel of the Eighty-seventh Regiment, made the principal speech and was followed by S. S. Powers. After the speaking was over, N. West, of Kentland, offered a resolution asking the county commissioners to donate $200 to volunteers and a committee of two from each township was appointed to raise $800 more. The com- mittee consisted of John Darroch, John Smart, W. T. Maxwell, Felix French, Solomon Warren, William Russell, James E. Smith, Thomas Harris, N. West, and J. W. Dodson. Under this call, the third, the quota for Newton County was thirty-three. N. West, W. T. Maxwell and A. Sharp, each gave $25 for volunteers ; this was the beginning of the bounty system in Newton County. Dr. C. E. Triplett, Sr., Capt. Daniel Ash and James Bissell, were especially active about this time, and succeeded in raising about eighty men. Enrollment in the County The county had up to this time but six townships. Lake Town- ship, comprising the whole of Lake, Lincoln, Colfax and McClellan; and Iroquois, the whole of Iroquois and Grant townships. The official enrollment at this time, shows the following between the ages of eighteen and forty years : Townships Able Bodied Disabled Enlisted Lake 33 5 21 Beaver 45 15 57 Washington 74 23 52 Jackson 64 11 36 Iroquois 60 14 42 Jefferson 84 26 67 Total 360 94 275 The second enrollment (October 9, 1862) of males between eight- een and forty-five years shows: Able bodied, 401; disabled, 95; JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 259 volunteered, 298 ; conscientiously opposed to bearing arms, 2. Total, 796. Subject to draft, 304. The third enrollment is not obtainable. James Bissell, Abel Lyons and Joseph Blessing now became active in organizing another company of volunteers ; and it would seem that after so many had gone that Newton County had done her part — but not so. More men were needed and they went. This company joined the One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Regiment, with James Bissell as captain, Captain Ash having previously gone with the Ninety-ninth Regiment. And still more were needed and more went, about twenty-five joining the One Hundred and Fifty-first Regiment. The total number of enlistments up to the close of the war to the credit of Newton County was 402 — nearly half its population — and according to official reports only one man credited to the county was drafted; a proud record. All manner of inducements were offered and every effort made to fill up the quota. Whole neighbor- hoods were depleted of their able bodied men. In many instances the women and girls were obliged to harvest the crops, two or three families joining together for mutual care and support and fighting the battles of life, while husbands, fathers and brothers were offer- ing their lives that this nation might live ; and, by the grace of God and the heroic sacrifice of the mothers and daughters of the North, does live in the unity of the states cemented by the common blood poured forth by the contending forces, marshaled and generaled by a mightier arm than either of the contending armies. An official exhibit showing amount paid for bounties and relief by the county and townships is a part of the history of the times. Newton County at Large Bounties $25,900 Iroquois Township Bounties 2,200 Jackson Township Bounties 2,200 Beaver Township Bounties i.Soo Washington Township Bounties 2,000 Jefferson Township Bounties 3,000 The relief fund amounted to $3,288. The "Home Guard" And there were other soldiers — God bless them! — composed of both men and women ; the Home Guard, in fact. They could not bear arms, but they bore the brunt and burden of the trials and 260 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES hardships at home. They were known as the Soldiers Aid Society. This society was organized in April, 1863.' Mrs. A. J. Kent was the first president; Mrs. Amanda Bramble, vice president; Sarah A. Peacock, secretary; Mrs. John Ade, treasurer; Mrs. Jane Bissell, Miss Agnes Kent and Miss Harriet Peacock, executive committee. Kentland, by reason of being the only railroad town of the county, was designated the general headquarters and depot of supplies. Auxiliary committees were active in all parts of the county, caring for the sick and destitute families of the soldiers in the field and in collecting and forwarding to the front needed articles not on the Government ration list, such as potatoes, onions, kraut, pickles, lint bandages, reading matter, cordials and medicines. These needy supplies did much to bring back the spark of life almost gone from some poor soldier. They had frequent meetings, spending whole days in providing lints and bandages and ways and means for re- lieving suffering. It is remembered that Mary Ann Root proposed to knit a pair of stockings for every soldier from Newton County, her only condition being that the yarn furnished her should be smooth and soft. Mrs. J. W. Bartholomew, of Morocco, gave a lot of onions. It was all she had to give at the time, but was donated wilHngly and did the soldiers more good than a bushel of pies. In- stances of this kind are too numerous to mention, but these many acts of kindness went far to prove the worth and self-denial of these grand women of Civil war times in Newton County, and while their names are recorded in the book of eternal life, yet for the benefit of future generations, they should be recorded here. As nearly as can be ascertained from incomplete records, this society was ably sup- ported and its membership was as follows : E. L. Urmston, S. A. Bramble, William Ross, Oscar Phelps, John Whitaker, A. J. Kent, Andrew Hess, Sarah Hess, Frances C. and Sarah Lowe, John Pea- cock, Rebecca Dodson, William Perry and wife, C. Rittinger, Matilda Tones, George Herriman, Bluford Light and wife, Mrs. Hosier, Eph Bridgman, G. W. McCray, Ezra B. Jones, David Hess, Betsey Hess, Mary Ann Root, John Lyons, Catherine Lyons, Samuel and Mar- garet Lyons, Morris Lyons, John Davis, Dempsey Johnson, John F. Johnson, William Littlejohn, John Martin, Joshua Ponsler, Mrs. Beabout, Mrs. Thompson, Alonzo Skinner, Philip Earl, Edgar Hawkins, Jane Archibald, J. B. West, Eliza Griffith, Jacob Kenoyer, Joshua Timmons, Joseph Timmons, Ezekiel Whiteman and their wives, Sally Deardruff, John Murphy, William Coovert, Josiah and Hannah Smith, David Creek, William Foster, Madison Collins, Blake and Amanda Wilson, Levi Bridgeman, Daniel Deardruff, W'il- JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 261 liam Sailor, W. T. Maxwell, J. T. Bartholomew, Silas Johnson and wife, Thomas Peck and wife, William Archibald and wife, Nancy Murphy, James Kay and wife, Doctor Caldwell, Sarah Gleason, David Pulver, George White, Amos White, Asher Wilcox, Mary A. Wishard, Carry Hopkins; and numerous young girls who were un- married, but deserving of mention in Newton County history, among whom are these, now known as Mrs. John B. Lyons, Mrs. John Lowe, Mrs. Ann Hawkins, Mrs. Finley Shaefer, Mrs. Henry Meri- deth, and Mrs. Harve Thomas, who helped to cook and serve the famous dinner of 1861 to the boys of "Company B" in '61 at Brook, just previous to departure for the front. Some idea of the enormous amount of work that this society per- formed, will be gained from the fact that the official reports show the number of beneficiaries in the county was put down at 542, and the amount apportioned by the state to Newton County, under the Act of the Legislature approved March 9, 1865, was $4,387.44 for relief. Official exhibit of the relief fund for the county and by town- ships, as follows : Newton County at Large $1,288.50 Iroquois Township 400.00 Jackson Township 300.00 Beaver Township 500.00 Washington Township 200.00 Jefferson Township 600.00 Miscellaneous 800.00 Total $4,088.50 From 1863 on, the enlistments became more scattering. Details from the companies in the field came home for recruits and a num- ber of the boys returned with them, and in the summer of 1863, when it seemed that no more men could be spared, in response to Governor Morton's call for troops to repel the invasion of the rebel General Morgan, who had crossed the Ohio River from Kentucky to the State of Indiana, Newton County, in less than twenty-four hours, had mustered nearly 100 men for the defense of the state. John Ade rode all night on July 9th of that year, like Paul Revere of Revolutionary fame, and on the nth the company departed for Indianapolis. Capt. H. K. Warren, a returiTed veteran, was in command, and John Ade, first lieutenant. The company, however, 262 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES never was sworn into service. Missing connection at Reynolds, they proceeded to Logansport, where they remained all night. The next day they received word from Indianapolis that no more troops were required for the present, but to return home and maintain their organization. This company was composed of business men and farmers all past the military age. They kept up their organiza- tion until after the close of the war, as Home Guards. The roll of this company was not preserved. In the last days of 1864, twenty-six other Newton boys enlisted and became a part of Company H, One Hundred and Fifty-first Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry. John Ade No military history of Newton County can be complete without mention of the valuable services of John Ade, rendered to Newton County's soldier boys while they were offering their lives for the unity of the states ; because of his many acts of humanity in visiting the sick soldiers in the field and hospital, supplying them with com- forts from home and bringing back the dead for home burial when- ever possible, he was the Morton of Newton County, in the Civil war. His trips to the South with Governor Morton's pass was often perilous, yet he never faltered. Wherever the boys could be reached he went when necessary. He was held in honored esteem by the soldier boys of Newton and in recognition of his services and comforting sympathy, he was elected an honorary member of McHolland Post, Grand Army of the Republic, No. 102, at Kent- land, on May 6, 1889 — a distinction seldom conferred and which he appreciated up to the day of his death. Brook Soldiers' Monument and Tablet No particular locality in Newton County can claim more credit than any other in recruiting or furnishing men for the war, but each inhabitant in all sections strove to do his whole duty as best he could, considering his' environments. But after the strife of war was ended, and while many of those who had returned were yet living, the Town of Brook can claim the distinction of being the only locality in the county, at this writing (1916). where the names of its "boys in blue" are kept green. In the beautiful little park of that town, near the spot where the first company of volunteers from the county assembled to organize for the war, can be seen a granite 264 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES monument of modest dimensions and design, bearing the names of those who enlisted from its home township, Iroquois. This monu- ment was dedicated September 15, 1909, and is more particularly described in the chapter devoted to the Town of Brook. On October 12, 191 5, there was installed in the public library of the Town of Brook, a bronzed memorial tablet, upon which is in- scribed in the same durable metal, the names of the original members mustered October 12, 1861, as Company B, Fifty-first Regiment Indiana Volunteers, in the old schoolhouse where now stands the public library, a fitting receptacle for such a memorial. The tablet was designed and dedicated to the public library by John Bennett Lyons, one of the original members of Company B, as a free-gift offering to perpetuate the memory of his comrades and the time and place of the original muster for the war. The tablet is greatly appreciated by his few comrades living and the friends and relatives of those who have died, as well as the public generally, as an act of unselfish patriotism on the part of Mr. Lyons. The tablet was dedicated to its use by suitable and impressive ceremonies on October 12, 1915. It reads as follows: IN MEMORIAM PRESENTED TO THE BROOK PUBLIC LIBRARY BY JOHN BENNETT LYONS, BROOK, INDIANA, THIS EIGHTEENTH DAY OF SEPTEMBER, I915 This tablet is dedicated to the memory of the original members of Company B, 51st Indiana Veteran Volunteer Infantry, it being the first company enrolled in Newton County, for the war of the rebellion from 1861 to 1865. The original members of this company met at Brook, Indiana, on the twelfth day of October, one thousand eight hundred sixty-one, and organized their company by electing their company officers. The school house where they met stood on the plot of ground where this Library building now stands. This school house was built during the summer of one thousand eight hundred fifty-four, being the first school house built in Iroquois township with public funds. Iroquois township at that time embraced the territory that is now included in Washington, Jeflferson, Grand and Iroquois townships. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 265 E. B. Collins, Regimental Surgeon ROSTER OF COMPANY OFFICERS David A. McHolland, Captain Albert Light, ist Lieutenant Adolphus H. Wonder, 2nd Lieu- tenant Jeremiah Sailor, Orderly Sergt. William R. Lewis, Sergeant Jira Skinner, Sergeant Robert Barr, Sergeant E. R. Arnold, Sergeant J. F. Shafer, Corporal Aaron Kenoyer, Corporal J. D. Morgan, Corporal G. E. Tiffany, Corporal J. S. Hurst, Corporal William Deweese, Corporal Alvin Arnold, Corporal Daniel Doty, Corporal Samuel E. Yoeman, Fifer John Higgins, Drummer Kin Ferguson, Teamster Burk, John Bridgeman, John Barkhurst, Robert Bush, Isaac N. Betchel, Samuel Bigger, John Branson, Jonathan Board, William Cornelius, Abraham Clark, Samuel Collins, William Cashow, John Crawn, Thomas Denney, Reese Dawson, Simley Darroch, Daniel C. Davis, Bartholomew Ennis, James Evans, Thomas Ekey, Alexander Feeley, John Griffin, Patrick Greer, John Haney, George W. Haney, William ROSTER OF PRIVATES Hawkins, Walter Hershman, George W. Hosier, Jacob Harrington, James H. Handley, Ezra C. Howery, Henry Helms, James Hatfield, James Harris, John T. Ham, Ephraim G. Johnson, Lemuel J. Johnson, Isaac Jackson, Eli Kenoyer, James Kelley, Leroy W. H. Karnes, John Lyons, Samuel Lyons, Abel Lyons, John Bennett Lowthain, Cyrus Lowe, John Love, Robert McKee, John Mcintosh, Wm. J. Mcintosh, Perry C. Morris, Dennis Meredith, Henry W. Myers, Alexander. Mallatt, Charles Manly, Martin V. Nottingham, James Olmstead, Starke Pruett, Jonathan Perigo, William Reeves, William H. Smytherman, Alfred Smith, George W. Smith, David G. Smith, Benjamin J. Staton, Jonathan Scott, Thomas Sherman, Edward Shemian, John Troup, Harry Thomas, Harvey J. Wilcox, William E. West, Barden B. Yeoman, Ira 266 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES It may be, as the years go by, that Newton County will erect to the memory of its soldier boys of the Civil war generally, a suitable monument at some point in the county, that future generations may keep alive the memory and noble sacrifices of the fathers ; that love of country and loyalty to that glorious red-white-and-blue emblem, with its starry field of blue, as it waves over hill and dale as a beacon light and hope of the future peace of the world. Newton County's Roll of Honor The following is a complete list of Newton County's soldier boys who served in the Civil war, together with the names of those killed in battle, or vv'ho died of wounds or disease while in service : In the Ninth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry : Bloomer, J. M., and Bartholomew. Fred. Clark. Thomas M. ; Catt. Edmund, and Cashaw. Thomas J. Deardrufif, John S.. wounded. Earl, William H.. and Enfield, Christian. Fry, Daniel. Goddard, John D. Hawkins. Geo. C. Lynch. Charles W. Maxwell. Theodore F., and Mooreman, Milton J. Odell, Anthony. Peck, William H. Redding, Jefferson T. Shaefer. Joseph; Smart. Adonijah; Smart, Isaac; Smith. Geo. W. ; Strech. William M.. and Sager, Jacob H. Thornton. John H. ; Treadway. Ezra S., and Thomas, William. Williams, Thomas, killed at Shiloh. The Ninth Indiana Regiment was the first to leave the state for the front and participated in numerous campaigns ; in the battles of Green Brier, Virginia, Shiloh, siege of Corinth, Perryville, Stone River, Lookout Mountain, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge. Atlanta, Nashville and many others. It was one of the hard-fighting regi- ments of the war. In the Fifteenth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry : War- ren, Horace K., captain Company H; Burton, James; Burton, Will- iam ; Burton. Josiah PI. ; Benjamin. Jerod S. ; Bartholomew, Luther H. ; Baker. Ira W. ; Blue. John, and Bartholomew. A. J. Deardrufif. Geo. W. Grant. lohn H.. and Graves. William L. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 267 Hardesty, Geo. D. ; Hardesty, Joseph T. ; Hawkins, Warren T., and Hundershell, C. Isaacson, John A. Jones, Henry C. ; Jones, Moses A., and JungHng, John. Kelley, Samuel ; Kerney, Thomas, and Kennedy, William. Lake, John R. ; Lafoon, Daniel K. ; Linton, John R., and Lansing, Peter. Marshall. Francis ; Madeon, Patrick ; Mulligan, John, and Mer- shon, Chas. Nothingham, Jacob, and Mulligan, John. Powers, William E. ; Pugh, Isaac, and Plummer, Jackson. Reed, Aaron ; Risley, William F., and Ruthledge, William V. Scott, Madison C. ; Steele, Ira; Smith, Thomas; Stout, John; Spear, Chas. G., and Sager, David F. Williams, Samuel; Wishon, Henry; Welch, George, and Warren, Horace K, captain Company H. The Fifteen Regiment participated in the Green Brier, Virginia, Shiloh, Perryville, Stone River, Missionary Ridge, Chattanooga, Nashville, and many other battles. Company B, Fifty-first Indiana Volunteer Infantry Officers: Collins, Erasmus B., regimental surgeon; McHolland, David A., captain, promoted major, promoted lieutenant-colonel; Light, Albert, first lieutenant, died, Nashville; Wonder, Adolphus H., second lieutenant, promoted first lieutenant, promoted captain, died prisoner of war. Charleston, South Carolina. Sergeants : Sailor, Jeremiah, orderly, promoted second lieuten- ant, died Nashville ; Lewis, Wm. R., promoted second lieutenant, promoted captain ; Sinner, Jira ; Arnold, Edwin, promoted first lieutenant ; Barr, Robert. Corporals : Shaefer, John F. ; Kenoyer, Aaron ; Morgan, John D., promoted first lieutenant, promoted captain; Tiffiny, Geo. C, killed, Columbia, Tennessee ; Alvin, Arnold ; Doty, Daniel ; Hurst, Jeremiah S., killed, Columbia, Tennessee ; Deweese, Wm., wounded, died. Musicians: Higgins, John, drummer; Yeoman, Samuel, fifer; Ferguson, Kin, wagoner. Privates : Burk, John ; Bridgeman, John ; Branson, John ; Bark- hurst, Robert, died ; Bush, Isaac N. ; Board, William, died Bowling Green, Kentucky ; Bigger, John ; Bishop, Henry, wounded ; Betchel, Samuel, died; Bailey. Lewis L. ; Bennett. Sylvester; Black, John S. ; 268 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Bennett, Thos. J., wounded, Nashville; Clark, Samuel; Coshaw, John, killed. Days Gap; Collins, Wm., wounded, Stone River; Cor- nelius, Abraham ; Crawn, Thos. ; Corn, James ; Christopher, John S. ; Clifton, Chas. W. ; Cutsinger, Geo. ; Denney, Isaac ; Denney, Reacc A., wounded ; Dawson, Smiley, died ; Darroch, Daniel C. ; Davis, Bartholomew ; Dodson, Jesse ; Davis, Chas. B. ; Ennis, James ; Evans, Thos., died. Bowling Green, Kentucky; Eakey, Alexander: Edgings, Moses ; Esterling, Amos ; Feeley, John ; Fogarty, Jerry ; Griffin, Patrick, wounded, Corinth and Stone River; Greer, John, wounded, Nashville ; Gwinn, John A. ; Haney, Geo. W. ; Haney, William ; Hawkins, Walter; Hershman, Geo. W., died, Shiloh, Tennessee; Hosier, Jacob, wounded ; Harrington, Jas. R. ; Handley, Ezra G. ; Howery, Henry, died, Bardston, Kentucky; Helms, James; Hatfield, James ; Harris, John T. ; Ham, Ephraim, died, Nashville, Tennesee ; Horn, John T. ; Haney, Ephraim; Humphrey, Robert F., wounded, Nashville, Tennessee; Howenstein, Geo. W^; Haney, Levi, died; Hayton, Geo. W. ; Hamilton, James ; Johnson, Lemuel J. ; Johnson Isaac P. ; Jackson, Eli, died ; Johnston, Robert ; Jones, Francis, died ; Kennoyer, James ; Kelley, Leroy H. W. ; Karns, John, died, Nash- ville; Keenan, James; Kilgore, Samuel D. ; Lyons, Samuel; Lyons, John Bennett; Lyons, Abel; Lowtain, Cyrus, wounded. Days Gap; Lowe, John ; Love, Robert, killed. Stone River ; Lynch, Chas. W. ; Long, Elijah, wounded, Nashville ; Landrum, Thos. F. ; Lunday, David A. ; Mcintosh, Wm. G., died, Nashville ; McKee, John ; Mc- intosh, Perry C. ; McClain, Hiram G. ; McClintock, Edmond : ^lor- ris, Dennis P. ; Merrideth, Henry W. ; Myers, Alex A., wounded, Nashville ; Mallett, Chas. ; Maney, Martin V. ; Munson, John, wounded, Nashville ; Myers, Albert ; Marsh, W'arren ; Maxwell, John N. ; Mesersmith, John D. ; Nothingham, James, died. Nashville ; Olmstead, Stark, wounded, Nashville ; Owens, James M., wounded, Nashville ; Perrigo, William ; Pruett, Jonathan ; Quarterman, John ; Reeves, Wm. H. ; Roney, Nonan, wounded, Nashville, Tennessee ; Ryan, Michael; Robinson, John; Reed, Geo. W. ; Smith, Geo. W. ; Smytherman, Alfred, died ; Smith, David G., died on march, Ala- bama ; Staton, Jonathan ; Scott, Thomas ; Sherman, Edward ; Sher- man, John; Smith, Benjamin Y. ; Staford, Tyler; Staford, Henry; Troup, Harry, killed, Nashville ; Thomas Harvey J. ; Throughaman, Wm. W., wounded ; Tyler, Joseph ; Tegart, James ; West, Barden ; Wilcox, Wm. J. ; Wheeler, H. P. ; Yeoman, Ira, killed, Nashville. The Fifty-first Regiment participated in the battles of Shiloh, siege of Corinth, Stone River, Perryville, Blunt's farm. Days Gap, Alabama. Made prisoners of war May 3, 1863, near Rome, Georgia, JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 269 as the result of failure of "Streight's Raid" into Alabama. All officers sent to Libby Prison, the rank and file paroled. Exchanged in November, 1863 ; re-entered active service without commissioned officers. Lieut.-Col. John M. Comparet from the Fifteenth Regiment placed in command; thereafter participated in the battles of Mission Ridge, Franklin, Columbia and Nashville. Their colonel, A. D. Streight, having escaped from Libby Prison, joined his regi- ment during the battle of Nashville and was assigned to the com- mand of a brigade. In this connection the farewell address of Maj.-Gen. Thomas J. Wood to the regiment which he organized at Indianapolis, in November, 1861, and commanded until August, 1865, is reproduced. One of the original leaflets has been jealously preserved by John B. Lyons. It reads as follows : "Head Quarters 3RD Division, 4TH Army Corps "Green Lake, Texas, August 24TH, 1865. "Soldiers : An order assigning me to duty in another depart- ment dissolves our official relations. It is therefore necessary that I take leave of you. Had it been consistent with the views and orders of the government I should have greatly preferred conducting you to a rendezvous near to your homes, there to have seen you mus- tered out of the service, and bidden you a final adieu. It is ordered otherwise, and, as good soldiers, we must submit cheerfully and perform with alacrity whatever duty is imposed on us. "Your military career has been glorious. You can retrospect the history of your participation in the war for the suppression of the atrocious rebellion with the proudest satisfaction ; unalloyed by any feeling of regret or sorrow, save that which you feel for the brave comrades who fell on the battle field, or who have been disabled or maimed for life. To the bereaved and afflicted I am sure you will ever extend the cordial sympathy of gallant soldiers. "As a right fairly won you can blazen on your banner a long roll of the proudest historic names — names that symbolize some of the hardest fought fields and grandest victories of the war. Your fair fame as soldiers will be the richest legacy you can bequeath to your posterity. It will be a priceless inheritance. "Soldiers ! Remember that as you have been the preservers of our nationality in the great and terrible war, you must consider your- selves the custodians of our national honor and dignity and rights, and be ready to do battle for these great interests whenever they 270 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES may be imperiled, whether by a domestic or foreign foe. Having asserted the principle of free government, in the suppression of the rebellion, you must maintain it against all enemies. "It is highly probable that I may chance in the future to meet many of you in civil life, and I now request that if such should be the case none of you will hesitate to make yourselves known to, me. I make this request for the reason that the change produced in your appearance by doffing the uniform of the soldier and donning the attire of the citizen will prevent me from recognizing many of you. It will afford me pleasure to greet any soldier who has served under my command. Participation in common dangers, privations and hardships, and the sharing of common triumphs have warmly attached me to all of you and cause me to feel a deep interest in your future prosperity. I can wish you no better fortune than that in the peaceful vocations of civil life your career may be as prosperous, successful and happy as your military career has been brilliant, honorable and useful. To each one of you I bid a friendly good-by, with the assurance that from my inmost heart goes forth a sincere invocation for God's blessing on you. Soldiers, farewell ! "Th. J. Wood, "Maj. General Vols." In the Eighty-seventh Regiment Indiana \'olunteer Infantry: Charles E. Triplett, Sr., ]\I. D., regimental surgeon; Broderick, John; Brown, George; Baker, David; Babcock, Robert; Evans, Benjamin F. ; Fuller, John D. ; Jones, Morris A. ; Hough, William I. ; and Hough, Calvin R., privates. The Eighty-seventh Regiment participated in the battles Mission Ridge, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek, Resecca, Georgia, Franklin, Nashville, Atlanta campaigns, and Sherman's march to the sea. In the Ninety-ninth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry : Ash, Daniel, captain Company E. ; Moore, Samuel, first lieutenant ; Shanner, Elias ]M., second lieutenant. Graves, James W. ; Bebout, Abraham T., and Smith, George W., sergeants. Karnes, Stephen D. ; Shidler, Carroll L. ; Darroch, Austin M. ; Wood, Clark A. ; Pumph- rey, George O. ; Barker, John, and Rinker, William, corporals. Ash, Soloman ; Atkinson, James ; Alexander, William H. ; Anderson, Gustavus J. ; Anderson, James, and Airhart, William. Bartholo- mew, George C. ; Bartholomew, Charles ; Bartholomew, Abner ; Board, Sylvester ; Board, Amasiah ; Brown, John ; Brown. William ; Bumes, James, and Brunton, Cyrus. Ernfield, Chris, and Ernfield, JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 271 John. Grant, Swan, and Griffiths, James. Houscheldt, Jacob; HolHway, John ; Holliway, WilHam ; Hooks, Joseph ; Hosier, Abner C. ; Hornet, Jonas N., and Humphries, Evan L. Johnston, John, and Jones,' Frances, E. Kennedy, Joseph; Kelley, Hiram W., and Kramer, Henry S. Laforce, Paul; Laforce, Joseph, and Lane, David L. Martin, Benjamin ; Moore, Thomas C. ; Murphy, Andrew, and Moore, John W. Patrick, WilHam A. Reynolds, John, and Roadruck, Benjamin F. Saunderson, Andrew J. ; Shidler, Elmore J. ; Shriver, Solomon ; Sheaf er, Joseph ; Skuggs, Sanford H. ; Scuggs, Newton ; Sarver, John C. ; Starkey, John, and Starkey, Thomas (color bearer). Thornton, Thomas L. ; Thomas, Morris; Thompson, Young, and Thomas, M. L. Vannatta, George O., and Vannatta, William T. Wyatt, John D. ; White, Levi ; Wilson, Wil- liam ; Webber, Jacob ; Webster, Daniel A., and Webster, Glessner. Young, Andrew S., and Yeoman, Asa. The Ninety-ninth Regiment was active in many campaig^is, par- ticipating in the siege of Vick.sburg, and Atlanta campaigns, and the battles of Kenesaw Mountain, Decatur, Fort McAHister, Jackson, Mississippi, and Chattanooga, and marched with General Sherman to the sea. In the One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Regiment Indiana Vol- unteer Infantry: Officers Company A: Bissell, James, captain, killed ; Blessing, Joseph, second lieutenant ; Haskell, Gardner K., pro- moted second lieutenant ; Hawkins, George C, and Branson, Jere- miah, re-enlisted, sergeants. Sherwood, William ; Myers, Basett A. ; Scott, Anthony L. D. ; Smith, Leonard W. ; Lyons, Abel ; Collyer, Wilson; Scott, Anderson W., and Ham, Martin L., corporals. Bishop, Daniel ; Board, William T. ; Burns, William ; Boyd, George ; Brooks, John W. ; Bell, Jonathan ; Beard, William ; Brensholts, D. P.; Bridgemen, George M. ; Brensholts, Orlando; Bridgman, Joseph O. ; Bradfield, Theodore; Carmichael, N. W. ; Crane, J. B. ; Chillers, Harvey B. ; Corn, John T. ; Clark, Warren ; Crawford, Samuel ; Drake, Joseph N. ; Dexter, David ; Dewey, Joseph ; Frank- enberger, Charles ; Glaspy, John ; Green, Stephen ; Garrison, George ; Glaze, John; Holt, Nicklos; Hoffman, George; Harrington, Alonzo; Hand, Richard ; Ham, Martin ; Harrington, Daniel ; Headley, Silas ; Johnson, Lemuel J. ; Kessler, Ephriam J. ; Kight, John W. ; Kessler, Alonzo ; Lyons, Abel ; Lamb, James J. ; Louthain, Joe H. ; Lowe, James H. ; Line, Felix M. ; Maxey, John W. ; Murphy, James M. ; Metts, Thomas ; Musson, Charles ; Morse, James \V. ; Malonay, James A. ; Odle, William ; Ottenwalter, Michael ; Odle, John ; Pat- terson, Joseph M.; Percell, C. B.; Pagett, James; Reynolds, Jack- 272 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES son ; Smith, Joseph A. ; Stroup, Lewis ; Scrambhn, George ; Story, George R. ; Smith, William T. ; Sherwood, William ; Scott, Ander- son ; Scott, A. L. V. ; Stevens, Peabody ; Veatch, William L. ; Van- fosson, James C.; Vaughn, John; Williams, Phillip; Yeoman, Ira, and Yeoman, Alva, privates. The One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Regiment participated in the battles of Resaca, Lost Mountain, Georgia, Jonesboro, Georgia, Kenesaw Mountain, Dallas, Georgia, Franklin, Nashville, and many others. In the One Hundred and Fifty-first Indiana Volunteer Infantry: Archibald, George W. ; Arnedt, Christian ; Baker, George W. ; Bart- man, Soloman; Crisler, Qiarles L. ; Covert, James W. ; Goodale, Joseph F. ; Garrard, Henry; Harris, Jordan; Holliday, William P.; Holliday, John C. ; Harrington, John ; Holliday, Charles B. ; Jar- rard, H. H. ; Kenoyer, Elijah; Luster, Stanton; Myers, Benjamin E. ; Myers, John F. ; Myers, James G. ; Ransey, James A. ; Runion, Freeland S. ; Smith, John W. ; Stanlet, Jesse, and Whaley, John F., privates. The One Hundred and Fifty-first Regiment participated in the campaigns in Tennessee (1864-5) ! battles not mentioned. Scattering names of Newton County boys in other regiments : Fifth Cavalry : Clark, G. W. ; Learning, Cyrus ; Howenstein, Josiah ; Harrington, Alvin ; Kercher, Henry. Twelfth Cavalry: Ash, Henry; Fleming, William; Graves, Daniel M., captain Company K ; Graves, Albert S. ; Graves, E. L. ; Fell, Mahlon ; Mashino, Fred ; Seaton, Thomas ; Strohm, John ; Starndrige, Elijah; Ade, Joseph, Sixth Ohio; Hatch, Jethro A., surgeon. Thirty-sixth Illinois; Burton, Thomas W., One Hundred and Thirty-seventh Indiana ; Creek, Albert, Twentieth Indiana ; Creek, William, Tenth Indiana; Creek, Calvin, Tenth Indiana; Ross, Charles E., Eighth Illinois Cavalry; Odel, Eliash, Nineteenth Cav- alry; Schofield, J. S., Fifty-seventh Indiana; Pierce, Samuel, Sev- enty-sixth Illinois ; Vayett, John, Fourth Illinois Cavalry ; Waling, Charles, Sixty-fourth Illinois ; Evans, Jonathan, Tenth Indiana ; Wilson, William, Tenth Indiana; Staton, Joseph, Seventy-sixth Illinois ; Zobroski, Joseph, Forty-eighth Indiana. Gave Their Lives in the Service Names of Newton County boys who were killed or died of wounds or from disease, while in the service, 1861 to 1865 (regiment given in preceding pages) : Arehart. ^^^illiam, died; Burton, Josiah, JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 273 died, Nashville, Tennessee ; Blue, John, died, Huntsville, Alahama ; Bartholomew, A. J., died, Nashville; Barkhurst, died, Nashville; Board, William, died, Lebanon, Tennessee ; Bloomer, John M., died, Cheat Mountain; Brown, William, died, Memphis, Tennessee; Bartholomew, G. C., killed, Atlanta, Georgia ; Bartholomew, Abner, died, St. Louis; Bissell, James, captain, killed, Franklin, Tennessee; Branson, Jeremiah, killed, Atlanta, Georgia ; Bartholomew, George, killed, Atlanta, Georgia ; Bechtel, Samuel, wounded, died, Nashville, Tennessee; Bartholomew, Addison J., died, Huttonville, Virginia; Cashow, John, killed. Days Gap; Catt, Edmund, died. Mound City; Clark, Thomas M., died, Readyville; Creek, Albert, killed before Richmond, Virginia; Dawson, Smiley, wounded, died. Stone River; Dunham, David, died. Black River; Earl, William H., died, Cheat Mountain, Virginia; Evans, Thomas, died. Bowling Green, Ken- tucky ; Griffith, James, died. La Grange ; Griffin, Patrick, died from wounds, Corinth and Stone River; Hershman, George W., died, Shiloh, Tennessee ; Howery, Henry, died, Bardston, Kentucky, first soldier in Fifty-first; Ham Ephriam, died, Nashville, Tennessee; Haney, Levi, died, Madison ; Horner, Jonas L., died, Mosco, Ten- nessee; Holliway, William, died, Mosco, Tennessee; Horner, James, died, Mosco, Tennessee ; Hurst, Jeremiah S., killed, Columbia. Ten- nessee; Hough, Alfred, died, Stone River; Jackson, Eli, died, Louis- ville, Kentucky; Jangling, John, died, Stone River; Jones, Francis, died, Jeftersonville ; Kearney, Thomas, killed on march ; Kessler, Ephriam, died, Nashville; Karnes, John, wounded, died Nashville; Light, Albert, first lieutenant, died, Lebanon, Tennessee ; Lansing, Peter, killed. Mission Ridge; Laforce, Daniel K., killed. Mission Ridge ; Love, Robert, wounded, died. Stone -River ; Kelley, Hiram W., killed, Atlanta ; Laforce, Joseph, died. Camp Sherman ; Lauthain, Cyrus, wounded. Days Gap, died ; Maddon, Patrick, killed. Stone River; Moore, John W., died. La Grange, Tennessee; Murphy, Andrew, died, Nashville; Mcintosh, Wm. G., died, Nashville; Nothingham, James, died Nashville ; Nulligan. John, killed, Bradys Gap; Reed, Aaron, died, Stone River; Redding, Thomas, killed, Shiloh ; Rinker, William, died, Rome, Georgia ; Sailor, Jeremiah, second lieutenant, died, Nashville, Tennessee ; Starkey, John, died, La Grange, Tennessee; Strench, Wm. M., killed, Shiloh; Smart, Adonijah, killed, Chickamauga ; Scott, Madison, killed. Mission Ridge; Shaefer, Joseph, died; Sniith, David G., died on march; Saunderson. Andrew, died ; Troup, Harry, killed, Nashville ; Tread- way, E. S., killed, Mound City; Tiffiny, George E., killed, Columbia, Tennessee; Thompson, Young, died, St. Louis; Thomas, William, 274 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES killed, Shiloh ; Wonder, Adolphus H., captain, killed, Charleston, South Carolina, as prisoner war; Wishon, Henry, killed. Mission Ridge; White, Levi, killed, Memphis, Tennessee; Wyatt, John, killed, Memphis, Tennessee; Webber, J., died; Yeoman, Ira, killed Nashville, Tennessee. "Out of Reach" Newton County's "Roll of Honor" may be appropriately con- cluded with the following unpublished poem, ("Out of Reach") written by James Whitcomb Riley and found among his manuscripts after his recent death. "They — 'Out of Reach', our loyal dead? They have forged on, but I deny Your Out of Reach — be comforted — Nor can they be so far ahead — It is not far to die. "Only the memory of their smiles In their last charge, each cheering each, By their last rapturous look and speech They wait for us, thousands of miles This side of 'Out of Reach.' " CHAPTER XX KENTLAND, THE COUNTY SEAT The Original Frontier Town — Struggles for a Distinctive Name — Improvements in 1865-70 — Great Fire of December, 1870 — A Series of Destructive Fires — Ultimate Result, Substantial Town Improvement — Public School Burned — Destruction of McCray-Morrison Elevator — Water and Electric Light Supply — Public School System — The Car- negie Public Library^ Kentland Woman's Club — Warren T. McCray-^Kentland's Material Standing — Discount and Deposit State Bank — Kent State Bank — Kentland's First Newspapers — Newton County Enterprise — Newton County Democrat — Early Kentland Churches — United Brethren IN Christ — The M. E. Church — St. Joseph's Catholic Church — The Presbyterian and Christian Churches — Secret and Benevolent Bodies. Kentland, the judicial and political headquarters of Newton County, is a fine, well-built town of some 1,400 people, located in the rich and beautiful Grand Prairie country south of the Iroquois River. Its streets are compact, clean and broad and its transporta- tion conveniences, through the Pennsylvania and the New York Central systems, are all that could be desired, whether considered from standpoints of passenger or freight traffic. Abundance of good water under municipal control, electric light and power readily obtained through a private corporation, up-to- date schools, a public library, two banks, two newspapers, and churches and societies to meet every intellectual, moral and spiritual requirement, make Kentland a most desirable place of residence. The homes of not a few of its citizens are elegant in their archi- tectural effects and landscape surroundings, and would be creditable to metropolitan communities much larger than Kentland. 275 276 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES The Original Frontier Town The founding of the county seat by Alexander J. Kent, who platted it in April, i860, has been described. The original town comprised eighteen blocks, the northern boundary of which was marked by Dunlap Street. Proceeding south, the east-and-west streets were Graham, Seymour, Goss, .Allen and Owen. Struggles for a Distinctive Name The original name of the town was Kent, but as there was another village by that name in the state considerable annoyance was experienced in receiving mail, and the name was subsequently changed to Kent Station. This did not prove satisfactory to the postoffice department and in December, 1863, the postoffice was called Adriance. For several years the postoffice and the town bore different names, which also was the cause of much confusion, and when the village was incorporated in 1868 it was proposed to christen it as Kentville. Even that name was not generally considered dis- tinctive enough and, through the local press, proposals were invited for something better. Among those who responded was Hon. Schuyler Colfax, who had represented the county in Congress and was then a candidate for the vice presidency on the republican ticket, with Grant ; he proposed Kentland, and thus it has been ever since. Slow Growth as an Infant When Kentland was chosen as the county seat the railroad hands were the sole occupants of the village site. William Service and Michael Coffert erected the first shanties, and Mr. Kent and J. B. Chesebrough, his old California partner, lived near. Early in the year i860 William Ross came and erected the first building, save the shanties alluded to;' he was soon joined by John Peacock, Oscar Phelps and Isaac Beyea, who occupied Mr. Ross' store as a residence. There was no boarding house, hotel, nor even women to take charge of the culinary department, and the gentlemen maintained bachelor's hall while pioneering the way for the future city. During this spring Mr. Kent erected a store and a hotel building, in the latter of which Sylvester Root opened a much-needed boajding house and hotel. Orris King put up a building and -opened a store here in the same spring. A building was erected by Joel Anderson, also for a store, but was occupied the first six months bv the court officers. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 277 The village at this time gathered about Seymour Street, which passes through the village along the north side of the railroad, and presented the appearance of a frontier town of today. The railroad had been completed through the village the preceding December. There was no station there as yet, and not a lantern at command, and it is said that one individual who wished to board the train gath- ered a quantity of prairie grass and fireid it to attract the attention of the engineer. One of the evidences of the growing importance of the town was the appointment of an agent and the regular stopping of the trains. People called to Kentland by election to county office, or by the opportunities for business, made a spirited demand for houses, and business of all sorts manifested considerable activity. In the following year, the courthouse and the United Brethren Church were added, and thenceforward to 1865 the growth was steady and of a substantial character. The number of business houses was not large, but each had a satisfactory patronage. Mr. Kent was the animating spirit of the business activity, and gradually enlarged the scope of his operations. Improvements in 1865-70 From 1865 to 1870 the growth of the village was characterized principally by the improved character of the buildings, which in new structures began to take on the appearance of permanent, sub- stantial edifices, the display of taste bespeaking the prosperous con- dition of the builder. In 1866 McCullough's addition to the town was made, and Kent's northern addition, which added 123 lots to the town. In 1868 the village was incorporated, with A. J. Kent, S. Root and G. W. Arnout as trustees ; J- Z. Johnston, assessor and clerk ; Joseph Blessing, marshal and treasurer. Great Fire of December, 1870 In 1870, according to Kentland's first census, the population of the thriving village was 802, but on the 13th of December of that year it was visited with a destructive fire that blotted out most of the business buildings. The Gazette, issued on the 24th, gives this account of the calamity: "The fire originated in the upper story of Mr. Kent's building and is believed to be the work of an incendiary. Our neighbor of the Democrat thinks, and with some reason, that the criminals whom Constable Mike Cofifert let run away from Jus- tice did the work. However this may be, there is much reason for 278 JASPER AXD NEWTON COUNTIES believing that the building was purposely set on fire, as the flames were first seen as much as fifteen feet from any chimney or flue, and burned through the east side of the house before it was seen in the roof. The Masonic Lodge was in session in the same building on the same floor, and just north of where the fire originated. The lamp, which was kept burning on meeting nights half way up the stairs, was blown out by some one, the incendiary, doubtless, who entered the building up the same stairway, and did this to conceal himself from easy observation. "The fire was discovered at half past 8 o'clock at night, and by II o'clock it had swept away more than a dozen business houses. A smart west wind aided the flames, and they leaped and hissed to the end without hindrance.'' The whole loss was estimated at $100,000, in individual sums of $200 to $30,000. Qne loss of $2,300 was by Doctor Tichenor, who had received it by express too late to place it in any safe. He had, therefore, put it in his trousers pocket, and piled wood upon them in his office to secure it against the possi- bility of a thief. In the excitement of the fire, while succeeding in saving all his office furniture, he forgot his greenbacks until they were gone beyond recovery. Most of the business men replaced their buildings at once, E. G. Smith, the druggist, putting up a new building and doing business on the old spot in thirty hours after the fire." The fire, while causing a heavy loss of property, there being no insurance, effected an advantageous change in the character of the town. Business gradually went to Third Street, from Seymour to Dunlap, and with renewed vigor began to replace the losses occa- sioned by the fire. Two or three years after the fire, some good brick business blocks were erected, and in 1880 the town had not only recovered its loss, but had doubled the amount of business transacted. Its population was then 982, and within the decade which had passed since the fire another addition had been made to the town, Kent's Block 22. The rich farming country which surrounded the village had attracted buyers, and the village had grown into a valuable shipping point, which gave business to three extensive elevators. Public improvements had not been neglected; a system of good sidewalks was found reaching to every part of the village, and coal-oil street lamps on every corner served to mark the crossings on a dark night. After the serious experience of 1870, there was considerable agitation on the subject of securing some apparatus with which to fight a widespread fire. Many of the business men procured "ex- JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 279 tinguishers," which served a valuable purpose on several occasions, and the town finally procured a hook and ladder apparatus. There was no regularly organized company, however, and lulled into a false feeling of security, the ladders became scattered, and the wagon rotted down in its tracks or was spirited away. A hand fire engine was actually brought to the village and tested, but it did not give satisfaction, and it was returned to the owners. A Series of Destructive Fires The second large fire was that of April 5, 1883, and as more than twenty buildings were destroyed, including most of the business houses, the Grand Army of the Republic and Masonic halls, and the printing office of the Newton County News, it was a sweeping calamity to the town. The money loss was over $80,000, on which there was only partial insurance. In December, of the following year, the east side of Third Street was again swept away by the flames, and in July, 1888, the property at and around the Pennsylvania Depot, which heretofore had escaped, was destroyed by fire. This destruction included the depot and about twenty freight cars and the Brown and Bringham elevators. The Smith and Kent Block, on the present postoffice comer, was burned in February, 1889; a year afterward a number of stores were burned and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows lodge rooms destroyed; in x-\ugust, 1890, the Farmers Alliance Elevator, south of the railroad tracks, was entirely burned, and in 1893 Williams & Company's machine shop, with minor buildings, was destroyed. Naturally, such a fire record was rather discouraging to the terri- torial expansion of Kentland ; so that for more than twenty years only one addition was platted — the Graves addition of March, 1894. In May, of that year, several business houses were destroyed by fire, including the Harnish Building, the upper floor of which was occupied by the Knights of Pythias. Cummings' addition to the town site was platted in October, 1895. Ultimate Result, Subst.\ntial Town Improvement Such fires as those mentioned seemed, at the time of their occur- rence, as events little short of calamities, but the citizens of Kent- land believed so firmly in the advantages of the town's location, in the substantial wealth of the surrounding country, and in their fine 280 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES railroad advantages, that they rebuilt on a more substantial scale than before the fires had leveled their properties. The ultimate result was a newer, cleaner and more attractive place, and the establishment of a waterworks system, which, with subsequent im- provements and extensions, has greatly added to the town's ability to protect itself against fire. Public School Burned But even with its waterworks and improved apparatus connected with the regular fire department, neither Kentland nor any other Public School, Kentland town has been immune from that menace. In January, 1902, the Kentland Public School, which had been erected in 1871 at a cost of $23,000, was burned to the ground, but a better and more modern structure soon replaced it. Destruction of McCrav-Morrison Elev.\tor Then, in April, 1910, the grain elevator owned by McCray, Morrison & Company, south of the Pennsylvania track and east of Third Street, was totally destroyed, with its contents, some 57,000 bushels of grain. The entire property wiped out was valued at about $75,000, upon which there was an insurance of $55,000. In JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 281 money value, it was the most destructive fire which Kentland ever experienced, and, although confined to the elevator property, it threatened to be more widespread. Blazing firebrands were driven over the entire business and residence districts by a southeast gale, but the plentiful supply of water then available, with the work of the fire company and volunteers, prevented the spread of the flames. Since 1900 the town site of Kentland has been increased by the Fair Ground addition, May 7, 1902. Water and Electric Light Supply The first pipes for the conveyance of water, both for domestic and public purposes, were laid in 1896 and the present standpipe or elevated tank was erected at the same time. In October, 1910, the present municipal system was established. The main water supply was originally obtained from a well more than 1,300 feet in depth; but at present is supplied by two wells only 85 feet in depth. A substantial power house has been erected; adequate pumps and other machinery installed; an underground reservoir of 17,000 gal- lons capacity constructed, and a pretty little park laid out around the plant. One of its features is a glass-domed pavilion, in which plays a cascade of water drawn from the wells and discharged into the reservoir beneath. At the present time the capacity of the Kentland waterworks is 432,000 gallons every twenty-four hours. The distributing system includes three miles of mains. The plant at the Waterworks Park includes i 70-horsepower boiler, i horizontal compound pressure pump, 2 deep well pumps, 2 lo-inch wells 85 feet deep, i underground storage reservoir with a capacity of 17,000 gallons, and standpipe elevation 85 feet above ground, 105 feet to top of tank, with capacity of 47,000 gallons. The total value of the waterworks, including power house and equipment, real estate and the distributing pipes, is $30,000. Since 1910 the plant has been self-sustaining, and in addition thereto affords to the municipality some revenue. The electric light and power, used so generously in Kentland, is supplied by the Interstate Public Service plant. Public School System As stated, the Kentland Public School building now occupied, was completed in 1902, the old structure having been destroyed by fire during the same year. The total enrollment in 1916 was 300 — 282 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 88 in the high school and 212 in the grammar and primary grades. Nine teachers are on the staff, of whom C. E. Vinzant is superin- tendent of schools and D. K. Frush, principal. H. L. Sammons is president of the board of education; A. D. Washburn, secretary, and T. H. Dixon, treasurer. Mr. Vinzant has been superintendent for seven years, and was preceded by J. C. Dickerson for three years. The Carnegie Public Library Kentland has an attractive public library, erected under the usual Carnegie plan. The enterprise originated with the Woman's Club, in January, 1910. That old, useful and elevating organiza- tion collected a number of books and first established them in the lodge rooms of the Knights of Pythias ; afterward the collection was moved to the courthouse basement. For about two years, the club maintained this small library, opening it to the public once a week. In this preliminary work, Warren T. McCray was most prom- inent, and through him the Woman's Club obtained the gift of $10,000 from Carnegie. The tasteful building, which now houses a library of about 2,400 volumes, was dedicated January 25, 1912. It was completed at a cost of over $11,000, and since its dedication the librarian has been Miss Delia Kirkpatrick. The Kentland Woman's Club The mention of the Kentland Woman's Club, as the founder of the public library, calls for a more extended notice of that body of earnest women who have done so much for their home town. It was organized in March, 1896, as a literary club, with a membership limited to twenty-five which, a few years afterward, was raised to thirty. Soon after performing the gratifying work in the founding of the library, the Woman's Club advanced the limit of its member- ship to seventy and greatly enlarged the scope of its activities. Its work was divided into the departments of literature, civics and music, and, under those heads, it has proved a strong and constant uplifting force in the community. The Woman's Club celebrated its twentieth birthday, in March, 1916, at the home of Mrs. W. T. McCray. Mrs. Carrie Kirkpatrick, who was its first president, was chairman of the committee on arrangements for the birthday party. Its present officers are : Mrs. James W. (Adda V.) White, president; Miss Ardis Ade, vice presi- The Carnegie Library Building 284 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES dent ; Miss Ruth Higgins, secretary ; Miss Adah E. Bush, correspond- ing secretary; Mrs. John W. Ryan, treasurer; Mrs. John G. Davis, parliamentarian. Warren T. McCr.\y Of late years, Warren T. McCray has, in a way, taken the place of A. J. Kent as a public spirited citizen of broad and varied busi- ness interests. Mr. Kent died in 1882, Mr. McCray being then a young bookkeeper in the Discount and Deposit Bank, of which his father, Greenberry McCray, was president. In 1889, after having been in the grocery business for several years, he established a grain trade in partnership with R. G. Risser, of Kankakee, Illinois, which extended to several other points. In 1893 J. L. Morrison bought Mr. Risser's interest, and the firm of McCray & Morrison, with elevators at Kentland, Remington, Morocco, Beaver City and other points, became widely known in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and else- where in the corn and oats trade of the middle west. It alone gave Kentland a standing as a leading grain center and the extensive busi- ness controlled by the firm has also been behind the growth of the Discount and Deposit State Bank, of which he has been president since the death of his father in 1913. In 1895 he assisted in the organization of the National Grain Dealers' Association and was chosen its president in 1897. By marriage the members of the firm of McCray & Morrison are identified with two of the county's leading pioneers, as Mr. McCray married a daughter of John Ade and Mr. Morrison, a daughter of A. J. Kent. Aside from his prominence as a grain dealer and a banker, he has done much for the civic and public advancement of Kentland. While he was a member of the village board, and largely through his initiative, the electric-light system was installed, the streets were macadamized, stone crossings were constructed and other public improvements made which marked the commencement of an advanced municipal corporation. Kentland's Material Standing Kentland's standing in trade and commerce is told by such signs as the prosperous appearance of its stores, its large elevators oper- ated by the Kentland and the McCray grain companies, and its two banks. DISCoL'XT AXi) DEPOSIT STATE BANK KENT STATE BANK JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 285 The Discount and Deposit State Bank The oldest of the financial institutions is the Discount and Deposit State Bank, which was organized as a private institution (with the State omitted from the title) in 1873, by C. B. Cones. In December, 1875, Greenberry W. McCray, who had become a well-to-do farmer of Iroquois Township and a prosperous business man of Kentland, during his residence of a dozen years in Newton County; John Ade, who had resided at Kentland since i860 as a county official, a farmer, a dealer in farm lands and a partner of Mr. Cones in the grain business, as well as his cashier in the bank — these two solid and influential men, with E. Littell Urmston, pur- chased the Discount and Deposit Bank of Mr. Cones, which they conducted under the firm name of Ade, McCray & Company until it was organized as a state institution in 1908. Mr. Ade served as its cashier until 1905. When the bank was purchased in 1875 Greenberry McCray was made its president. The institution owned large tracts of real estate arid for many years Mr. McCray gave most of his attention to the management and increase of its landed interests, at the same time dealing in livestock and lands, personally. Thus both the bank and its president prospered. Greenberry McCray remained at its head until his death in 1913, when he was succeeded by his son, Warren T., who had had a training in the bank as bookkeeper and afterward, as noted, became prominent as a merchant, a grain dealer and a land owner. Mr. McCray is still president. J. V. Dodson is vice president, and Clyde Hurt, cashier. The bank be- came a state institution in 1908 and has since been conducted under its present title. The tasteful building occupied by the manage- ment was completed in 1912. The capital stock of the Discount and Deposit State Bank is $70,000; surplus, $30,000, and average de- posits, $300,000. Kent State Bank Kent State Bank was founded December 14, 1910, with Carroll C. Kent, a son of Alexander J., as president ; Angus D. Washburn, vice president; Arthur A. Bishopp, cashier, and Robert Coughlin, assistant cashier. Besides Messrs. Kent, Washburn and Bishopp, its original stockholders were Hume L. Sammons, John W. Ryan, Otto P. Keesler, John Tally, Ephraim Sell, Perry Washburn, Clara C. Burrell, Tames R. Chancellor, Mrs. Oscar Phelps, Mrs. L. K. 286 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Morrison, and Mrs. Mary L. Kent. Kent State Bank opened for business December 27, 1910, with the officers mentioned, and there has been no change in management since. The capital stock of the bank is $50,CXD0; surphis, $25,000, and average deposits, $230,000. Kentland's First Newspapers The local press of Kentland is represented by the Newton County Enterprise and the Newton County Democrat. The former is the successor of a number of other publications, the record of which extended over a period of thirty years before the newspaper adopted its present name, the Newton County Enterprise. The first number of the Newton County Chronotype, the pioneer newspaper of the series, was issued September 26, 1861, five months after the organization of the county. V. B. Cowen was its editor and Cowen & Schoonover, proprietors. In April, 1863, Bissell, Ade & Ross bought the office, changed the name of the paper to the Nevrton County Union, and until the following December conducted it as a republican organ. Then H. Wyatt became editor and con- tinued to act as such until March, 1864, when the paper suspended. In February, 1865, Streight & Watson bought the office and until the following May conducted the paper under the name of the Newton County Gazette. It was then sold to J. H. Horrell & Com- pany, w^ho gave it another name, the Citizen. As there seemed to be no special luck attending a new name, when H. O. Bowden pur- chased the office and good will in February, 1866, he resumed the title, Newton County Gazette, and thus it continued under successive proprietors and editors for nearly twenty-five years. That period of comparative stability was covered by McKernan & Horrell, O. P. Hervey, D. S. McKernan, John B. Conner, J. M. Amout, S. P. Conner, John French, Edwin Graham, French & Conner, and French & Bramble. During most of its existence the paper, under its various names, had been republican, and has been consistently so since 1867. In 1870 and 1883, while being published as the Gazette, its office was burned. The Newton County Enterprise On April 30, 1891, John G. Davis and John W. Randall pur- chased the Gazette from French & Bramble and changed its name to the Newton County Enterprise. In the following year Mr. Randall sold his interest to Harry Strohm, and for a few months the firm JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 287 name was Davis & Strohm. Shortly afterward, John G. Davis sold his interest to Dodson Brothers, and the paper was published by Strohm & Dodson until January i, 1908, when Charles M. Davis became one of the proprietors. On that date the firm incorporated under the title of the Enterprise Printing Company, under which name and under the editorship of Charles M. Davis it is still con- ducted (August, 1916). The Newton County Democrat The first issue of the Newton County Democrat is dated August 6, 1862, and bears the name of W. C. Rose as editor. John McCarty Water-works Plant at Kentland became its editor and proprietor in the spring of 1863, and con- tinued as such until its temporary suspension in the fall of 1865. In August, 1867, it resumed publication under W. C. Rose, its first editor. In November, 1867, John B. Spotswood became editor and owner, and in March, 1873, C. Root and Edwin Graham purchased the newspaper and conducted it together for several months. Mr. Root retired in June and Mr. Spotswood again assumed the editor- ship. The Democrat suspended in July, 1873, and in August, 1874, came forth as the People's Press, with John B. Spotswood and W. L. Dempster as editors and publishers. In the following month 288 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Mr. Spotswood became sole editor and proprietor, but the fire of 1883 destroyed the plant and no effort was made to restore the Press. The Newton County News, a democratic paper, started in 1881, was also destroyed beyond hope of revival by the same con- flagration. But on the 12th of September, 1884, the Democrat was resusci- tated, with A. J. Kitt as publisher and editor. On February 13, 1885, John B. Spotswood, so long connected with the old Newton County Democrat and the People's Press, became editor of the Kentland Democrat, and retained control of the paper until his death, October 11, 1893. From that date until June, 1894, the paper was conducted by the administrator of the Spotswood estate, with Edward Steinbach as editor. It was then sold to Charles F. Wigmore, who conducted it until November 17th of that year, when it was purchased by its present editor and publisher, Edward Steinbach. Early Kentland Churches It is said that the first religious service in the Town of Kent was held in the loft over the storeroom of Ross & Peacock, which stood facing the railroad. A Baptist minister preached in that "meeting house" a few times during the year i860. After the Kent Hotel was completed, the United Brethren, under Jacob Kenoyer, held services in the waiting room until their church building was completed, and it was occasionally used by other de- nominations, including the Methodists. Services were also held in the courthouse, during the early '60s, by both Protestants and CathoHcs. The United Brethren in Christ The first denomination to organize a church and erect a meeting house in Newton County was that known as the United Brethren. In 1836 Jacob Kenoyer came from Southeastern Indiana and settled near Spitler's Creek, a northern tributary of the Iroquois. He was then but a youth. His father, Frederick, and other members of the family, arrived soon afterward and, with others, formed what for years was called the Kenoyer Settlement. While Jacob Kenoyer was still a young man he erected the pioneer sawmill and corn- cracker in the county, as has been noted. But the religious con- victions of both father and son were stronger than their business JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 289 instincts and they became widely known in Northwestern Indiana and Northeastern lUinois as preachers and exhorters of the United Brethren Church. The younger man became especially prominent, and his death in 1870, in his forty-ninth year, was much deplored by numerous settlers outside the church. The first church of the United Brethren was built on the farm of Frederick Kenoyer, probably in the late '30s, and soon after Kentland was laid out he contributed to the organization of a society and the erection of a building at the county seat. His son, Jacob Kenoyer, was then at the height of his local fame and often preached to the Kentland organization. George Myers and Robert Edmondson, residents of the colony, across the Iroquois River from the Kenoyer Settlement known as the Myers Settlement, were also preachers of that denomination and gave Kentland the benefit of their exhortations in the early period of the church there. But the United Brethren gradually lost ground at the county seat, their virtual dissolution being marked by the purchase of their building by the Christian Church in 1876. The Methodist Episcopal Church In 1861, the year after the platting of the town, the Methodists organized a class under Rev. D. S. Dunham, a circuit preacher. Rev. Miles H. Wood also ministered to their wants, as a temporary supply, and in 1864 Rev. E. W. Lawton located in town, preaching to the congregation Sundays and working in Rettinger's shoeshop during six days of the week. Rev. Isaac Sailor had charge in 1865, although he was not located at Kentland ; then followed Revs. H. C. Woodhams, Miles H. Wood, J. M. Blye and Charles W. Tarr. It was during the pastorate of the last named, in 1870, that the society erected its first house of worship. It was dedicated July 19th of that year by John M. Reid, D. D., about $3,000 being raised on that day on the church indebtedness of $4,000. The building then dedicated, with subsequent improvements and additional accommodations, was occupied by the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Kentland until 191 1, when the handsome edifice of the present was completed at a cost of $15,000. From 1872 to 1900 the church was served by Revs. G. W. Bower, Wilson Beckner, Joseph Foxworthv, tl. N. Ogden, C. B. Mock, Wilson Beckner (second term), W. G. Vessels, W. B. Slutz, G. R. Streeter, J. H. Siddall Samuel Godfrey, R. D. Utter, W. F. Clark, S. P. Edmond- son J J Claypool, Samuel W. Goss, A. T. Briggs, W. A. Matthews 290 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES and W. R. Alickels. Since the year 1900 the following have been in charge: Rev. J. C. Alartin, Rev. C. A. Stockbarger and Rev. R. O. Kimberlin. St. Joseph's Catholic Church St. Joseph's Catholic Church of Kentland originated in the mission established at that place under Rev. J. A. Stephan, in 1864. The Catholic families living in town and in the neighborhood of Kentland had been visited, before that time, by Father George A. Hamilton, of Logansport, but Father Stephan was the first settled priest of St. Joseph's mission and the founder of the local church. In 1864 the congregation erected a little wooden church, 24 by 40 feet. Father Stephan was succeeded by Rev. Anthony Messmann in 1870, and he added thirty feet to the church building to accom- modate the increasing attendance. Father Messmann's pastorate continued until 1881, during which a brick parsonage and school- house were erected. Rev. F. X. Baumgartner, who was in charge from 1881 to 1883, added a sacristy, a belfry and a bell. Father W. C. Miller served the church from 1883 to 1891, and under his ministry, in 1888, the present brick church was completed at a cost of $8,000. The old church building was transformed into a school- house and the old school and sacristy were made into a teachers' dwelling. Rev. Charles A. Ganzer was pastor of St. Joseph's from 1891 to 1903, and since that year Rev. Charles V. Stetter has been in charge. The present membership of the church is about 580. The PREsr.YTERi.\N Church The Presbyterian Church of Kentland was organized in 1867 by Rev. C. Palmer, of Watseka, Illinois, ten members forming the original society. Rev. A. Jones preached for about two years, services being held in the old courthouse, in Kent's Tavern and else- where. In October, 1870, Rev. J. B. Smith was called to the pastorate and really founded the church. A small frame meeting house was built at a cost of about $1,000 and during the following two years of Mr. Smith's service the church membership increased. In 1872 Rev. R. E. Hawley was placed in charge, continuing as pastor until 1875, and Rev. C. McCain served from 1875 to 1883; Rev. Joseph McHatton. 1883-92 ; Rev. R. Hooke, 1892-95 ; Rev. W. E. Price, 1895-98; Rev. James Cooper, 1898-1904; Rev. Howard Billman and Rev. Chester W. Wharton, since 1904. The handsome JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 291 edifice now occupied, a brick structure, was completed in 1896 at a cost of about $11,000. The Christian Church Previous to the organization of a regular society those who sub- scribed to the faith of the Christian Church were obliged to be content with transient preaching by Silas Johnson, S. M. Conner, L. L. Carpenter and others. In March, 1876, the first Christian Church of Kentland was organized and in the following May W. H. Graham, Ezra B. Jones and John Ade were elected its trustees. As such, they purchased the United Brethren meeting house, adapted it to the wants of their society and occupied it until 1907. On December 15th of that year the new and handsome building was completed which has since been used. A parsonage was built in 1910. Under the pastorate of Rev. Elvin Daniels the membership of the church is now about 260. In the early existence of the church the pulpit was filled tem- porarily by A. M. Atkinson, S. Rohrer, J. P. Davis and others. Among those who have served as regular pastors may be mentioned Rev. J. H. Edwards, Rev. John Ellis, Rev. L. M. McDermott, Mr. and Mrs. Crank, Rev. Lewis Hotaling, Rev. H. A. Wingard, Rev. J. L. Brady (1902-09), Rev. J. N. Cloe, Rev. J. Bennett, Rev. A. L. West, and the present incumbent. Rev. Elvin Daniels, who has been minister since January, 1914. Secret and Benevolent Bodies Kentland was without a lodge for seven years after it was founded but on the 13th of May, 1867, a charter was granted by the Grand Lodge of the State of Indiana, on the petition of eighteen Master Masons of the Town of Adriance (as Kentland was then called) for the organization of Newton Lodge No. 361, Free and Accepted Masons. The first master of the lodge was Alfred Bre- count ; E. Littell Urmston, senior warden ; Elem G. Smith, junior warden. Three duplicate charters have been issued by the lodge, made necessary by the destruction of all its records and property by fire, as follows : December 13, 1870, April 5, 1883, and December 28, 1884. Since the fire of 1884, nothing has materially interfered with the progress of the lodge, which has a present membership of eighty-five. The worshipful masters of Newton Lodge No. 361 have been Alfred L. Brecount, George N. Stewart, E. Littell Urmston, 292 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES William Perry (five terms), John Peacock, John Ade (five terms), Frank M. Oswalt, John Z. Johnston, Robert F. Seal, J. A. Hatch, John Higgins, Ephraim Sell (seven terms), C. C. Kent, White S. Harbison, Charles W. McClain, Clermont Rider, Levi S. Rehard and Egbert S. Hess. Kentland Chapter No. 89, Royal Arch Masons, was organized in January, 1873. The Odd Fellows organized in May, 1872, by forming Kentland Lodge No. 390, and the Knights of Pythias, in November, 1876, by instituting Damon Lodge No. 72. The Red Men and Knights of Columbus also have strong and growing organizations. CHAPTER XXI GOODLAND Originally Tivoli, a Railway Flag Station — First Business Men and Additions — Grain Warehouses and Elevators — Extensive Grain and Produce Trade — Increase in Popula- tion AND Area — Abundant Supply of Water and Light — . The Public Schools — Goodland's Two Banks — The Good- land Herald — The Churches — The Lodges. Goodland, a village of some 1,200 people at the junction of the Pennsylvania and Chicago & Eastern Illinois lines, in the south- eastern part of Newton County, is an index of the large area of beautiful and productive country of which it is the trading and financial center. It is a pretty, clean, substantial place, with good water and light to conserve health and cheerfulness, and its public park, a short distance from the business district and fronting its large public school, is being nicely improved ; it is a reminder of the several vigorous attempts made by the people of Goodland to snatch county-seat honors from Kentland and have the courthouse planted therein. Originally Tivoli, a Railway Flag Station Goodland and Kentland were founded as towns at about the same time. When the Logansport & Peoria Railroad was opened for traffic in the early spring of i860, a shanty was built near the present Pennsylvania Depot for the section hands. This was made a flag station and called Tivoli. First Business Men and Additions David Creek, his sons Moses and John, Blake Wilson, and John and Charles Wilson, were living upon farms in the neighborhood at that time. In the fall of i860, William Foster bought some 800 acres of land and built a store and warehouse on the north side of 293 294 JASPER AXD NEWTON COUNTIES the railroad, in which his brother Timothy opened up the first busi- ness house at this point. It served also as station house, postoffice and rallying point for this section generally. In 1 86 1, Timothy Foster laid out the Village of Goodland, which consisted of forty-seven lots, with Jasper and an unnamed street along the railroad, and Union streets, passing east and west, and Newton and Benton streets crossing these at right angles. The town made rather slow progress for five or six years, the surround- ing lands finding little sale, and several crop failures adding to the general depression. Good lands within two miles of the station Business Street of the Present Goodland could be bought at from $5 to $8 per acre that are now worth from $25 to $50 per acre. In 1868, Abner Strawn, of Ottawa, Illinois, commenced the purchase and sale of land, and brought a large num- ber of buyers from his own and other sections of Illinois. These attracted others, and lands advanced in price and sold rapidly ; the country filled up and improved more in three years than it had in the six years preceding. The village felt the new impulse, and in 1869, three additions were made to the original town site — the Harris. Currens and Teay & Woods. Gr.mn W.-\rehouses and Elevators The class of farmers attracted to the surrounding lands were men who had tried Illinois prairies, but attracted by these rich lands JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 295 adjacent to a good market, have been ambitious to improve their property, the effect of which is seen in the fine farm property which lays on every side of the village. Their preference for grain culture built up a lively market in the village with mutual benefits. In 1870, Osborne & Pierce erected a large warehouse, and a year later doubled its capacity and added steam power and elevator machinery. Abner Strawn, in the same year, erected a large corn elevator. Mr. Foster added steam and improved machinery to his warehouse, and these three elevators handled the bulk of the grain of southeastern New- ton County for many years. Mr. Foster sold his pioneer store to O. W. Church, who, in 1866, received C. W. Hartley as a partner. Church & Hartley became a familiar name to all the business men of Goodland and its vicinity. For several years he had a monopoly of the grain trade. But a number of his elevators burned, and eventually he sold his interests to the Goodland Grain Company. Extensive Grain and Produce Trade The grain trade is still the mainstay of Goodland, its two large elevators being at present controlled by Rich Brothers and Hugh Murray. During the period of its development, which covers more than forty-five years, the facilities for handling the large crop of the surroimding district have improved continuously until now the village stands high in that regard with the farmers, shippers and business men of a large adjacent territory. That well known ' fact has added greatly to its growth and standing as a trade center. Goodland is not only a leading grain center of the state, but re- ceives and ships large quantities of poultry, butter, eggs and wool, and, though it makes no claims to industrial prominence, it takes pride in the H. & D. plant, which manufactures automobile shock absorbers. Its trade mark is "Aitchandee," the significance of which a little study will fathom. Increase in Population and Area In 1868 Goodland was still only a small hamlet and railroad station, with perhaps a score of buildings and less than 100 people. About 1870 a substantial class of farmers from the Illinois prairies commenced to settle at and around Goodland, attracted thither by the fertility of the country, the reasonable prices of land and the 296 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES facilities for storing and shipping grain. The village received such an accession of this immigration that by 1880, when its first regular census was taken, it had a population of 620. It was 1,105 i'l 1910. and within the past six years there has been considerable of an increase over those figures. For the past forty-five years Goodland's municipal site has been increased by the following additions: Foster's West addition, and Crider's addition, April, 1872; Port Wilson addition. May, 1872; John Wilson addition, August, 1872; Perry's addition, March, 1888; Sapp's addition, April, 1889; Griggs & Babcock addition. May, 1892. Abundant Supply of Water and Light Perhaps the most noticeable public improvement of recent years is the installation of a good system of waterworks. The work was commenced in July, 1915, and the town has now an adequate supply of water for all purposes. It is drawn from three wells in the southeastern part of the village, sunk to a depth of forty-five feet, and stored in a large reservoir in that locality. The waterworks are operated under what is known as the compression system and, with power house and four miles of mains, cost about $22,000. Electric light and power are furnished by the Interstate Public Service Com- pany, which also supplies Fowler, Monticello and other points in Northwestern Indiana. In the establishment of the waterworks, as well as in the realiza- tion of other public improvements, Goodland owes much to the efforts of its Commercial Association. The Public Schools The first public school building at Goodland was erected in the early '60s. It stood upon the site of the present three-story structure, contained one room and faced north and south. About seventy-five pupils were in attendance when it opened, some of them drawn from a distance of several miles. In 1871 a small room was added to the northeast, and in 1875 two additional rooms made it a sizable school. In 1887, with the growth of the village, it was found necessary to build a larger and more modern brick building. It was erected on the site of the old one, a two-story brick, with four rooms on the first floor and three, besides the superintendent's office, on the second. It was a year and a half before the schoolhouse was completed and the community was proud of it, as it was one of the most up-to-date JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 297 buildings of the kind in the county. In 1894 the Goodland institu- tion was commissioned, the high school having been incorporated as a part of a regular four years' course. On January 21, 1908, the second Goodland schoolhouse was entirely destroyed by fire, and while it was being replaced by the present structure the scholars pursued their courses in temporary rooms in the center of town. The new building, erected on the foundation of the old, was completed in January, 1909. It is of brick, three stories and basement in height, with four rooms on the first floor, five on the second and one on the third; rooms for Goodland's Public School athletics, manual training and toilet accommodations in the base- ment. It is a handsome, massive building, and a credit to Goodland. Nearly 300 pupils are trained within its walls under the general superintendency of George N. Porter, who has been at the head of the local public school system for the past eight years. Goodland's Two Banks The financial transactions of Goodland are conducted through the First National and the State Trust and Savings banks. The First National Bank was organized in August, 1905, with Dr. B. W. Pratt as president and Alort Kilgore as cashier. Doctor Pratt served as such until April, 1913, when he was succeeded by 298 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES J. W. Oswald, who is still president. There has been no change in the cashiership since the organization of the bank. George H. Smith is its vice president. The total resources of the First National amount to about $317,000. It has a capital of $50,000 surplus, $10,000; average deposits, about $180,000. The State Trust and Savings Bank was chartered in December, 19 1 2, and opened for business in the following January, with A. G. Jakway as president ; T. T. Snell, vice president ; C. Oliver Holmes, secretary and treasurer, and R. L. Weil, cashier. Present manage- ment : James Bell, president ; J. T. Hamerton, vice president ; H. J. Brook, cashier. The capital of the bank is $25,000 ; surplus, $2,250, and average deposits, $100,000. The Goodland Herald The first newspaper published in Goodland was the Saturday Herald, which was founded in 1877 by Ingraham & Keyes. It was published for several months and then suspended. William C. Cop- pock started another paper in 1878, and when his plant burned out in September of that year A. J. Kitt, who had been employed on the Coppock publication, founded what is now known as the Good- land Herald. In December, 1882, the office was again swept by fire, but in a few weeks the Herald was going forth as usual. There have been several owners, but Mr. Kitt was connected with the paper until 1908. In the spring of 1902, Henderson & Shepard launched the Newton County Star, but in 1903 it was consolidated with the Herald. On August i, 1908, the Herald was purchased by Will C. Logan, the present owner, who now occupies the ground floor of the Masonic Building. The operating power of the plant is furnished by electricity. The Churches The churches of Goodland, mentioned in the order of their founding, are the Methodist Episcopal, the Presbyterian, the Bap- tist, the Lutheran and the Catholic. The earliest records of the Methodist Church of Goodland bear date of 1852, when the society was called Cherry Grove Class. In i860 it was known as the Tivoli Class, and in 1863 when the name of the railroad station was changed to Goodland the church became known accordingly. Rev. George E. Deuel is now pastor of the church, and has been in charge for a number of years. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 299 The Presbyterian Church was organized in November, 1866, under the ministry of Rev. J. P. Patterson. In 1897 the brick structure in present use was erected through the contribution of members and friends. Rev. C. B. Johnson is the pastor now in ■service. The Baptist Church was organized in July, 1867, under Rev. L. Cool, its first services being held in the old schoolhouse. The first house of worship was built in 1895 ; was burned and rebuilt the same year. Rev. B. H. Truman is now pastor. The Lutheran Church at Goodland was founded in 1875 by Rev. Schlesselmann, who first preached in the houses of some of the members. Three years afterward the present meeting house was erected. Rev. Henry A. Paul is in charge. In the year 1880 the nucleus of the Catholic Church at Good- land, known as SS. Peter and Paul's, was formed by Father Anthony Messmann. Services were first held in Brigham's Hall once a month for a year. Then a small wooden church was built, which served for twenty years. In November, 1902, was completed the large brick building now occupied. The church is in charge of Father Hen- neberger. The Lodges With the exception of the Moose lodge, which is less than two years old, the secret orders represented at Goodland are of long standing. Goodland Lodge No. 445, Free and Accepted Masons, was instituted in 1869; Goodland Lodge No. 346, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in 1870 ; Western Encampment No. 126, of the same order, in 1874, and Harmony Degree Lodge No. 108, in the same year. CHAPTER XXII THE TOWN OF BROOK Public Schools — The Brook Public Library — McKinley Park AND THE Soldiers' Monument — The Pioneer Methodists — Miss Ella Lyons' Story — First Church and School at the Lyons House — Changes in Circuits — List of Pastors — United Brethren Church of the Brook Circuit — The Christian Church — The Welfare Club — History of Brook Masonry — Knights of Pythias — The Independent Order OF Odd Fellows — Modern Woodmen of America — The Bank of Brook — The Brook Reporter — Pioneer Times in Town and Township — Early Mills and Their Owners — Seven Good Strong Men — Samuel H. Benjamin — Morris Lyons — John Lyons — Old-Time History by John Hershman and Morris Jones — Brook in 1856 — Mr. Hershman's Address — Stove Without a Fireplace — Other Home Improvements — Early Schools and Teachers — A Little Judicial and Civil History — More About the Township Schools. The Town of Brook, Iroquois Township, has now about 1,100 people, and is one of the most promising centers of trade and social life in the county. Its actual accomplishments are also great, as will be evident by the facts stated in this chapter. It has a substan- tial bank (the Bank of Brook), a good newspaper (the Brook Re- porter, Rich & Forsman, proprietors), three well-organized churches and a creditable school ; the last-named, which enrolls 326 pupils, under the superintendency of Fred Longwell. Its secret, social, reformatory and benevolent societies, some of which are about as old as the town, are also features of its life, which make it desirable as a place of residence and all-around development. No citizen of Brook is better qualified to write both of the pres- ent and past of the town than John R. Hershman, who has con- tributed the following to its history. 300 JASPER AXD NEWTON COUNTIES 301 Public Schools "The history of Brook's school houses dates back to 1853 when a small frame building eighteen by twenty-four feet was erected on the site now occupied by the library building. It served as a school house until 1865, when it was sold to John L. Bicknell who used it for a dwelling about fifteen years when it was torn down and moved away. In 1865 a school house twenty-four by thirty-six was built on the ground where the monument now stands. In 1889 a second story was added to this structure by W. P. Griggs, the Township Trustee. The Brook school now had two teachers, and an enrollment of eighty pupils. Brook High School Building "The rapid growth of the town and increased population soon made it necessary to have more school room. The town was incor- porated in 1894, and in 1895 erected a four-room brick building on the ground where the present school building now stands. In 1898 the township purchased a one third interest in this building and the grounds, thus forming a joint graded school which is still in opera- tion. "It soon became necessary to rent an extra room to accommodate the increased population of the town. In 1903 and 1904 the school board and the township trustee jointly erected the present school building. The members of the school board vv^ere John P. Fox, 302 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Joseph Merchant and Edwin D. Zook; trustee, Edward Hess. The building has a large assembly or high school room with two recitation rooms and two grade rooms, superintendent's office and corridor on the upper floor. The first floor has four grade rooms and corri- dors. The basement has manual training room, domestic science room, chemistry room, furnace and fuel rooms, toilet rooms and corridors. It is steam heated and electric lighted and has a good water supply. It also has an iron stairway fire escape. "The manual training department is well equipped with benches and tools. The domestic science room is furnished with good steel range, eight electric hot plates, work tables, cooking utensils, cup- boards, sink, a kitchen cabinet, dishes, chairs, two sewing machines and a cutting table. The school received its commission as a high school in 1906 under the superintendency of E. E. Vance. A class of nineteen graduated in the school year 1915-16. Eleven teachers are employed — three in the high school, six in the grades, one in domestic science, and one in music and art. One more will be added the coming year for the manual training department. The enroll- ment the past year was, in the high school, seventy-three ; in the grades, two hundred forty-seven ; total, three hundred and twenty. The present superintendent is Fred H. Longwell who is serving in his sixth year. Members of the school board are M. Foresman, president ; Dr. T. E. Collier, secretary ; E. M. Thayer, treasurer, and John R. Hershman, township trustee." To the foregoing may be added facts obtained directly from Superintendent Longwell, who fixes the approximate cost of the 1904 building at $26,000. E. E. Vance, the first superintendent of the Brook schools, held that position four years; was followed by James Mcintosh, who was superintendent for two years, and Mr. Mcintosh was succeeded by Fred Longwell, the present incumbent, in 1911. The Brook Public Library "Brook Public Library was erected in 1914; architects, Brookie and McGinnis, of Indianapolis, and Cory and Lathrop, of Brook, contractors; building committee, E. E. Hess, R. E. Hershman and Frank Davis; cost of building, $7,000 and of grounds, $1,500; total, $8,500. The grounds were paid for by individual subscription and the building, from the Carnegie Library Building fund. The build- ing is a substantial one made of shale-brick and roofed with slating; is fifty-two feet long by thirty-two wide; has a basement with fur- JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 303 nace and fuel room, an assembly room that will seat two hundred and fifty, and a room in the southwest corner in which the town- ship trustee has his office. The main floor consists of the library or reading room thirty-two by thirty-six, and a ladies parlor or rest room, a toilet and a librarian's office. It has the hot-water system of heating, is electrically lighted and uses the town system for water supply. The building stands on historic ground, as it occu- pies the site where the first schoolhouse stood that was built in Iroquois township with public funds in 1853 — this schoolhouse being also memorable as the place where the first company of soldiers was organized that went from Newton County to the Civil War. This was Company B of the Fifty-first Regiment Indiana Volunteers, with David A. McHolland as captain. "The library is financed by the town and township jointly from a special tax levy. Under the management of a librarian the doors are open to the public from one to six week days and, in addition to this, the library is open on Wednesday and Saturday evenings of each week. Under a card system books may be taken from the library by any resident of the town or township and retained for two weeks. To persons living outside the township who desire to take out books a membership fee of one dollar per year is charged. A good set of reference books is available at all times, when the library is open, to be used in the reading room only. There are now in the library 2,026 volumes, besides periodicals and newspapers. During the year 1915, 8,856 books were circulated. "The library is controlled by a board of nine members com- prising E. E. Hess, R. E. Hershman, Frank Davis, John Lyons, Jr., Mrs. Anna Reed, Mrs. Ida Lawrence, Mrs. T. E. Collier, Mrs. John Foresman, Jr., and Mrs. Harry Bruner. The librarian is Miss Ethel Reed. McKiNLEY Park and the Soldiers' Monument "In 1895 when it became necessary to erect a larger school build- ing, a more desirable site was found necessary. This Messrs. Lyons and Esson, who were platting the Lyons & Esson addition to the town of Brook, offered to donate, provided that the old school ground should be made into a public park. The terms were ac- cepted. The old frame schoolhouse, which had done service since 1865 as schoolhouse, church, public hall and election room, was sold, and moved onto the property of J. D. Rich on North street, where it is now doing service as a barn. 304 JASPER AXD NEWTON COUNTIES "The ground was planted to trees, graded, sown to grass and walks of crushed stone made. A concrete archway stands at the southwest entrance capped by a horizontal beam on which in raised letters appears the name of the park given to it in honor of the then newly elected president of the United States, William McKinley, in 1896. "A concrete bandstand or pavilion stands near the center of the park, which makes a fine speaker's stand and, as it is lighted by electricity, it is used on Sunday evenings by the churches of the town in the summer seasons for union services. Near the southwest corner of the park facing the main entrance stands a fine granite monument erected in honor and to the memory of the men and boys who enlisted for soldiers in the war of 1861-65, who were living in Iroquois Township at the time of enlistment; also soldiers of the Civil War who have lived and died in this township and soldiers of the same war who were living in this township at the time of the erection of the monument. The names of all of the above and the number of their regiments and name of State from which they en- listed are engraved on the monument. Near the monument stands a mounted cannon which was loaned to the monument committee, through the influence and efforts of J. B. Lyons, by the war depart- ment; also, two pyramids of cannon balls, to be used as park orna- ments and souvenirs of war. The erection of this monument came about from a suggestion of John Hershman to Bennett Lyons on the day following Decoration Day, 1909, to the effect that a tablet or monument be placed in the cemetery with the names engraved on it of all soldiers who had enlisted from Iroquois Township that were killed in battle, or died during the war, and were buried in the south, that their names should not be forgotten. The suggestion appealed at once to Mr. Lyons' veneration for the fallen soldiers, and he pro- posed that a larger monument than the one suggested be erected in McKinley park, and that the names of all the soldiers of the Civil War be engraved on it who had enlisted from Iroquois township, or are buried in the Brook cemetery, and that he should contribute $100 toward it himself. An informal meeting was called and the plan suggested by Mr. Lyons adopted. There were present at this meeting Thorp Beagley, Morris Jones, G. F. Merchant, A. M. Snyder, J. B. Lyons, John Hershman and some others whose names are not recalled. A monument committee was appointed consisting of Thorp Beagley, A. M. Snyder and John Hershman, with instruc- tions to raise a fund by subscriptions and secure plans for the monu- ment. Donations were liberal and sufficient money was soon raised JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 305 and plans adopted, as Bennett Lyons and George Ade each donated $150. "The Cunningham Brothers of Brook secured the contract for the concrete base at $125. The contract for the monument was le: to Knox, Lynch & Company of Danville, Illinois, for $800. The work was completed in due time, and the monument unveiled ar a reunion of the Soldiers of Newton County held at Brook, September 15, 1909. The Hon. E. D. Crumpacker, then member of congress from the Tenth district, delivered the address. Near the monu- ment stands an iron flag pole one hundred feet high, from the top of which Old Glory may be seen floating on all patriotic occasions. The Pioneer Methodists "The Methodist Episcopal Church was perhaps the first religious society to effect an organization in the neighborhood of what is now the town of Brook. "The first religious services recorded in the territory of what is now Iroquois Township was held in the camp of a tribe of friendly Indians who had a temporary home on the banks of the Iroquois River. John Lyons, one of the earliest white settlers, who located here in 1831, said that he had frequently attended these meetings. It is not known to what sect they belonged, if to any. "The late Aaron Lyons has been heard to say that he remembered meetings that were held at his father's home by a Methodist Preacher when he was only four years old, and as he was born in the year 1832 that would bring the date of the meeting back to 1836. So it is a safe conclusion to say that from that time on, for several years, the faithful circuit rider made his rounds as regular as health and weather would permit, using the cabins of the settlers as places of meeting, with an occasional basket meeting in the grove in summer. The camp meeting was quite popular in those days, a favorite camp ground being on the north side of the river at the bend, now cut ofif by the dredge ditch crossing the land of Perry Gains south of town and just south of the railroad bridge. Some of the pioneer fam- ilies who helped sustain this early society were John Lyons, John Montgomery, Abraham Dewees, Edgar Hawkins, Samuel Bard, Cor- nelius Jones and William Neisz. "In 1853 Brook and the district south of the river known as the Iroquois district each had a new schoolhouse and the following year Salem schoolhouse was built. All of these places were used more or less for places of preaching. Especially is this true of the Brook 306 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES schoolhouse where they had a regularly organized society and a few years later built their first parsonage and had a resident pastor. The church continued to use the first frame schoolhouse built in 1853 in Brook for a place of preaching until 1865, when a new and larger building was erected on the ground where the soldiers' monu- ment now stands in McKinley Park. The church people of the community agreed with Morris Lyons, the trustee of the township, to pay $370 by individual subscription toward the cost of the build- ing for the purpose of making it large enough for church services. This schoolhouse was used for religious services about twenty-one years. "In the year 1885, under the pastorate of Rev. Bond, plans were adopted for two church buildings, one at Brook and the other at Foresman, which was at this time the head of the circuit, on account of being a railroad station. The plans for the two churches were the same, both being frame structures. The one at Foresman is still in good condition and doing sen'ice as a church. In the fol- lowing year (1886), under the pastorate of the Rev. B. C. Mc- Reynolds, both houses were completed and dedicated. In 1888 the Indiana branch of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad ran a line from Percy Junction through Brook to Momence, Illinois, connect- ing with the main line at that place ; thus Brook at once became a live town and was again made the head of the circuit. "In 1891 the church had become too small to accommodate the congregation and an addition was made to it by adding to its length. It is said that this improvement was brought about by the Ladies Aid of the church. In 1899, under the pastorate of Rev. J. P. Shagley, the frame church was torn down and sold to Thomas Martin who converted the material into a stock and hay-barn on his farm south of town where it still stands. And the first brick church was built on the ground which had been occupied by the old structure. It was erected at a time when material and labor were very cheap and, although money was not plentiful, subscriptions were liberal and all the necessary money was raised to pay the cost of the construction, so that on dedication day, the 31st of December, not a dollar was asked for. The total cost was nearly $8,000. Dr. H. A. Gobin preached the dedication sermon. "It was thought at the time that the church would be ample for many years to come, but owing to the large increase in the Sunday school attendance and the advanced methods of teaching, the size and arrangement were found to be entirely inadequate for the requirements. In 191 3, under the pastorate of the Rev. T. T. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 307 Everett, an architect was employed and plans submitted for remodel- ing the church. These plans, however, not meeting with the approval of a majority of the church board, were rejected and the matter laid over till the next year (1914), when it was again taken up, with Rev. T. P. Woodson as pastor. Plans were adopted and sufficient money was raised to begin work,' which was carried to completion in 191 5. The church was dedicated on the fifth day of December, the Rev. Dr. Harris F. Rail preaching the sermon and District Superintendent W. E. McKenzie assisting with the services. "The improvements cost about $13,000. The church now has thirteen class rooms and is ample for the need of the Sunday School and church services, and is modern in its construction, hav- ing an up-to-date kitchen, shower bath, and toilet rooms, a fine gym- nasium, steam heat, and a hot and cold-water system. It also has a large church parlor, with a fireplace at each end, which makes it a splendid room for church receptions and socials. 'In giving praise it should be given where praise is due.' The Rev. Bond was an EngHshman, possessed of a great amount of the missionary spirit. As a missionary he had traveled over the Rocky Mountains, preach- ing to the miners. He came to the Foresman circuit, as it was then called, and found the people still meeting in the schoolhouses for worship. He began at once to arouse them to the necessity of hav- ing churches, showing them that all that was needed was earnest efifort, some sacrifice on their part, and the churches would be an accomplished fact. "Again in building the first brick church at Brook Rev. J- P- Shagley's untiring devotion to its accomplishment is well worthy of comment. But perhaps to no one in the building of this church is there so much praise due as to the late John Esson. He was a member of the church, one of its trustees, a member of the building committee and chief solicitor for subscriptions, and naturally felt great pride in the fact that the money was all raised before the day for dedication. "Rev. and Mrs. T. P. Woodson, the present pastor and his wife, are entitled to much praise for the consummation of the later modern improvements and for the advancement of the church's efficiency in general. Mr. Woodson is not only a loyal worker for his church, but for the whole community as well. "It may be a matter of interest to know that Brook and jMorocco circuits were for some time joined together as one circuit, a part of the time known as the Brook circuit and at other times as the Morocco circuit. It then embraced a large territory including West 308 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Union, Russell Chapel, Morris Chapel, North Star, Beaver Ridge and perhaps a few others. Dating from the years 1858-82 the pas- tors who served this large circuit were John McMahan, Rev. Dun- ham, D. A. Grimes, Miles Wood, Aaron Conor, William Cox, George Guild, H. N. Ogden, Rev. Right, Rev. Talbot, A. W. Wood, Lanty Armstrong, Rev. Campbell, Robert Calvert and John Sebring. In this year 1882 the circuit was divided, giving Brook the south half of the territory. From 1882 the pastors who have served the Brook Circuit have been John Sebring, John Harmon, Joseph Hogan, Rev. Bond, B. C. McReynolds, J. L. Greenway, Rev. Day, A. L. Clark, Jesse W'iley, Rev. Jessie, A. Ward, Albert G. Deitch, James Sawyer, J. P. Shagley, Joseph Zaring, Alfred Kummer, T. E. Ballard, T. J. Everett and T. P. Woodson. In 1903 the Rev. Joseph Zaring, a young man of great ability, died in the third year of his pastorate at Brook, in the twenty-seventh year of his age. "Owing to the improved roads of stone and gravel and the advent of the automobile, the circuit has been reduced to the one appointment at Brook, where two services are held every Sabbath. The church at Brook has a membership of three hundred and seventy. The Sunday school has an enrollment of three hundred and twenty-five. The Auxiliaries of the church are the Ladies Aid, with fifty members ; the Social Service Club, with a membership of sixty ; the Knights of St. Paul, twenty-five members ; the Busy Men's Brotherhood, one hundred and fifty members; a good orches- tra, consisting of piano, two saxophones, two violins, one cornet, one clarionet, one flute, and drum ; the Boy Scouts, eighteen members ; Epworth League, a Womans Home Missionary Society, a Queen Esther Circle, Standard Bearers and Kings Heralds. "Some presiding elders who were distinguished in their day for oratory and spiritual power who have held conferences for this society were John H. Hull, J. W. T. McMullen, John H. Cissel, Richard Hargrave, James H. Claypool, John L. Smith, Samuel God- frey, and Delos Wood. Some of the old-time earnest workers and supporters of this church, who are remembered by the older citizens, are Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Dewees, Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Hawkins, Mr. and Mrs. John Jones, Mr. and Mrs. Francis Lowe, Alexander Lowe, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Merchant, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Hersh- man, Mr. and Mrs. William Sunderland, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson Montgomery, Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Dewees, Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Lyons, Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Warr and Mr. and Mrs. O. P. Merrifield ; the last five of whom still live and take a lively interest in current events." JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 309 Miss Ella Lyons' Story To Mr. Hershman's account of the growth of local Methodism is added the following article written by Miss Ella Lyons for the memorial service held in the Brook Church on January 17, 1915: "I am indebted to my parents," she writes, "for much of the material found in this article. Instead of Aaron being the mouthpiece of another, it is quite the reverse, and I am the mouthpiece of Aaron. "The first religious services in this locality were held by a friendly tribe of Indians about five hundred in number, who located on the Iroquois river during the Black Hawk war. Grandpa Lyons attended some of these services. One of the few incidents my father tells of these Indians is that at one time when Grandpa had gone to one of these services a chief came to him and begged him to take several large twists of tobacco in payment for some bacon which an Indian squaw had gotten for her sick chief. First Church and School at the Lyons Home "The first M. E. Church services were held in the log cabin belonging to Grandpa Lyons. This cabin was' one of three which stood about half a mile northwest of Isaiah Lyons' home. The three cabins stood in line from north to south, with sheds connect- ing them. The middle one was the living room in which church was held for about five or six years, from about 1836 tO' 1842. The third cabin was the latest addition to the house, and was used for the schoolhouse for much of the time. Grandpa Smith, the grand- father of Bennett Lyons, was father's third teacher in this room. So in these log cabins, the home of Grandfather Lyons, practically began the first school and the first church services in this locality. About 1842 a schoolhouse was built near the present Griggs road, and in this, church was held for two or three years. "The first church services held in Brook were in a little school- house built where the library now stands. In this schoolhouse, about eighteen feet square, Methodists, Baptists, United Brethren and Christians all held services. Then, about 1865, when Uncle Morris Lyons was trustee, a new and larger schoolhouse was built in what is now McKinley Park. The church people gave three or four hundred dollars to this building in order to use it for church services. This schoolhouse had a rostrum and a big seat around the front. These corners were the 'amen' corners, and where the shouters Usually sat. The seats were the old-fashioned double kind. If 310 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES someone went to sleep, it was very easy to tumble out — I believe some member of our family has that pleasant recollection of tumbling out on the floor. "Then, about 1888, the frame church was built where our church now stands, and in 1891 the newly organized Ladies Aid remodelled the building. In 1899 the present church was built, and was dedi- cated on the last day of the nineteenth century. After fifteen years the growth in the various church departments necessitated larger quarters ; therefore the church was remodeled and is now nearing completion. "As to the ministers and their work, it would be too tedious to give a routine of names and to say something of the work of each, so I will just give a few details and incidents. "One interesting fact is that as the church grew in numbers and power the territory, or scope of the minister, decreased. The first M. E. circuit, vi'hen church was held in the log cabin, extended from east of Rensselaer to about ten miles west of here. The services were held about once in two weeks. The minister preached every day of the week. He would go on horseback from one point to the next, hold services in the forenoon, and spend the rest of the day visiting. When he came to the log cabin here, they usually went hunting in the afternoon. "The next change in the circuit, was when Morocco and Brook were thrown into one, with Morocco as the head of the circuit. The territory was smaller and there were about six preaching points. During this time the interesting periods of the year were the quarterly meeting and the revival services. The quarterly meeting was a great event, and people from miles around planned to attend. Mr. Wood, our present district superintendent, held one of the most successful revival services and in his sermon, two weeks ago, told of the efforts made on the part of the people to attend these meetings. Ch.\nges in Circuits "At this time Brook was still a part of the Morocco circuit, but the work became too heavy for one man and an assistant pastor was secured. About 1881 Mr. Sebring was assistant for Mr. Cal- vert, and after about a year of his assistant pastorate the circuit was divided, and this became the Brook circuit, with a smaller territory but additional points — Morris Chapel, Pleasant Grove, Iroquois, Salem, Foresman and Brook. According to the records JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 311 for that time, the minister's salary and the presiding elder's allow- ance were $408.80, the pastor receiving $365.48, notwithstanding the fact that he had a family of five to support. No wonder that it was necessary to originate the donation party, even though a large number of the things given were useless. The record also shows an average attendance of the Sunday School to have been 33%. "Mr. Bond first put the movement on foot to construct a church. The membership numbered about 85. The church was built and dedicated under the next minister, Mr. McReynolds, in 1888. Then followed a period of rest under Revs. Greenway and Day, but the Ladies Aid could rest quietly no longer; so, while Mr. Wiley was pastor, they engineered a remodeling of the church. About this time a parsonage was built. Then followed Revs. Clark, Jessie, Ward and Sawyer. Under the last named the parsonage was rebuilt. "During Mr. Shagley's pastorate the present church was built, in 1899. During the pastorate of these men just named, three of the circuit points, Morris Chapel, Pleasant Grove and Salem, were either dropped or added to other points. "Next came Rev. Zaring, followed by Rev. Ballard. At this time the Forseman point was added to Mount Ayr, and under Mr. Everett the Iroquois point was dropped. This left Brook out of the relationship with the interesting name of the circuit rider, and left it a station with two services on the Sabbath. The history of the church during the work of the last named ministers, and from that time to this, is within the memory of most of the congregation." List of Pastors The records of the Brook Methodist Episcopal Church do not antedate 1882. Since, and including that year, its successive pastors have been as follows: Revs. John Sebring, 1882-84; G. M. Glick, 1884; G. A. Bond, 1885; J. W. Hogan, 1886; B. C. McReynolds, 1887; J. Greenway, 1888-90; Edward Day, 1890; J. H. Wiley, 1891 ; A. L. Clark, 1892; C. A. Jessie, 1893-94; Artemas Ward, 1894-95; James Sawyer, 1895-97; Albert G. Deitch, 1897; J. P. Shagley, 1898-1900; Joseph Zaring, A. Kummer, 1900-03; C. B. Stanforth, 1903-06; T. E. Ballard, 1906-09; T. J. Everett, 1909-13; Thomas P. Woodson, since 1913. The records also indicate a membership of 370. The years when the different church buildings were completed were 1884, 1899 and 1915- 312 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES United Brethren Church of the Brook Circuit Continuing Mr. Hershman's history : "It is not known exactly when the first society of this church was organized at Brook. It is known that preachers of this denomination held services here before the Civil war, and sometime in the early '60s the church owned a parsonage in the village of Brook, and had a resident preacher. The circuit then embraced a large territory and was called the Iroquois circuit. The preachers made long rounds on horseback, often preaching day and night every day in the week, covering the circuit about once in three weeks. Some of those old- time preachers who came onto the scene a little later are remem- bered well — Reverend Waymire, Reverend Wainscott and the Rev- erend Garrison. ' The last named was a man of very blunt speech, who generally spoke right out and called things by their right names, calling a spade a spade. He said on one occasion that he was born like the cow, with the rough side of his tongue up. There was another man who perhaps, though he never traveled this territory as a circuit rider, often preached in this community as a presiding elder of the conference. The man referred to was Jacob Kenoyer, late of this county. Although he died in the prime of life he had a wide repu- tation for eloquence and power in preaching. He was also a noted soloist, nearly always preluding his sermon with a song so beautiful in sentiment and execution that the audience would be brought into perfect spiritual harmony with the mind of the singer, and thus be prepared to receive the great gospel message he would deliver. The society at Brook passed through the usual fluctuations common to nearly all societies of that day. sometimes down and sometimes up. During one of the downs its parsonage was sold and, for some years after, there was no resident preacher in Brook, though it was still retained as a preaching point, except perhaps during short intervals in the '60s and '70s. The history of the present society dates back to 1882 and 1883, when, under the pastorate of the Rev- erend Jones, the Dr. G. B. Smith property was bought to be used as a parsonage. In 1891 Rev. H. W. Meredith had the parsonage remodeled. The Iroquois Circuit at that time consisting of Brook, Mount Zion. River Chapel, North Timber, No. 7 School House and Foresman. In 1893 Rev. A. M. Snyder was assigned to the charge and at once went to work forming plans for building a church at Brook, for until about 1886 the Brook United Brethren Society had held services in the schoolhouse. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 313 "After the dedication of the Methodist Church of Brook, in 1886, they were invited by the sister church to bring to it their services, which they did, occupying it on alternate Sunday evenings, until the erection and dedication of their first new church in 1894. "At this time the name of the charge was changed to Brook cir- cuit. A few years later the charge was divided, Morocco circuit tak- ing Mt. Zion and River Chapel and North Timber, leaving Brook, Foresman and No. 7 in the Brook circuit. In the same year the society at No. 7 built a frame church and dedicated it as Otterbein Chapel, on the 3rd Sunday of September, 1894. The Brook Church was dedicated the 2nd Sunday of October, 1894, the venerable Bishop Weaver preaching the dedication sermon. The building of this church is due in a great measure to the energy and untiring efforts of the Rev. A. M. Snyder who saw the opportunities of the church in Brook, and left no stone unturned to place his society on an equal basis with any other church, making it a power for good in the community. From this time on the church and Sunday school made such growth that by 1910 the building was considered entirely too small for its requirements and was torn down and the present fine structure was erected under the pastorate of Rev. W. P. and Alice Noble at a cost of about $14,000. This beautiful church edifice is of modern architecture and is large enough for its needs. It has a seating capacity of about seven hundred, including a gallery that will accommodate about one hundred sevent3'-five. It has ten class rooms and well arranged basement with kitchen, dining room and water system. Brook charge has now no outside appointments, as the Otterbein Chapel was destroyed by a tornado and the point transferred to the Brook Church which now has a membership of five hundred and seven ; a Sunday school enrollment of 465, and a fine parsonage erected in 191 5 at a cost of nearly $3,500. "The auxiliaries of the church are the Ladies Aid, with a mem- bership of thirty-five; the Sisters of Ruth, with a membership of fifty-five ; the Mens Brotherhood, who number one hundred twenty- five and the Endeavor society, with an enrollment of seventy-five. The church is progressive and prosperous. C. A. Sickafoose, the pastor at the present time, is a man with strong personality; is aggressive, a forceful speaker and popular with his congregation. The Sunday school also has an orchestra consisting of piano, one clarionet, two cornets, one bass, two violins, one horn, one trombone,, one saxophone and trap drum ; Dr. C. A. Wood, leader. The pas- tors who have served Iroquois circuit and Brook charge have been : A. Wimsett, Rev. Waymire, Joseph Coffman, Rev. Wainscott, J. 314 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Garrison, G. D. Shappley, W. S. Peters, Henry Rice, W. N. Coff- man, W. H. Jones, M. ]\I. Branson, W. Vail, S. C. Zook, A. M. Snyder, H. W. Meredith, R. M. Zook, J. S. Cooper, W. P. and Alice Noble, T. H. Harmon and C. A. Sickafoose. "Some old-time supporters of this church are still living and others are venerated in memory, and yet live in the example of their lives and the good work so well begun in their day. There comes to mind the names of Mr. and Mrs. John Myers, Sr., who lived long lives of usefulness and died beloved by all who knew them ; Mr. and Mrs. David Hess, the latter known as Aunt Betty, who but recently passed away at the age of ninety-five. All her life a veritable bundle of loving kindness, she reaped, as she has sown, a harvest of love and tender care in her declining years. Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Ponsler, another old couple, have long since gone to their reward, but will live in the memory of those who knew them best. And Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Lyons, who in their quiet way completed their lives of sterling honesty and charity, which lay like an open book as a guide for those around them. Of those who are still living, but have passed the three-score-and-ten mark, Mr. and Mrs. William Corbin, Isaac Sell, Mrs. James Kendall and Mrs. Hannah Dickson, are the connecting links that bind the past with the present." It may be added that the present church membership is 504. The Christi.vn Church "The Church of Christ of Brook, or the Christian Church, as it is usually called, had its inception in the minds of Mrs. Sherman White, Mrs. B. F. Newell and Mrs. F. C. Rich, who organized a society in which they were joined by Mrs. W. P. Griggs and Mrs. Thomas Martin. This society held its first formal meeting in the old schoolhouse in 1895. "Dr. and :\Irs. G. B. Smith, Jacob D. Rich and Mrs. C. A. Von- dersmith, who had been temporarily affiliating with the Methodist church, now joined the society and the Rev. Mrs. Crank took charge as pastor. The Warner Hall was secured as a place for public services and the Christian church society became a permanent organization in the town of Brook. Sherman White, Jacob D. Rich. B. F. Newell, G. B. Smith and F. C. Rich were elected trustees, and plans begun at once for the erection of a church building. "A building fund was started by serving an ice cream festival on the lawn of Mrs. Sherman White. This fund was added to in various ways but chiefly by donations and subscriptions solicited by JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 315 a committee. The society was small but energetic, and the people were generous, even members of other denominations furnishing substantial aid. The committee also extended its solicitations to other towns and received help ; notably, from Kentland and Morocco and from the society at Pleasant Grove. Enough money was soon raised to justify the beginning of work and the new church was begun in the spring of 1897. The building was completed and the church dedicated in the fall of the same year by the Rev. J. V. Coombs. The original cost of this church was about $4,500. When taken into consideration the fact that at the time of its construction building material and labor were very cheap, it can be more easily seen how such a splendid church could be built at such small cost. The same church at this time would probably cost $10,000. Addi- tions have since been made to the church in the way of improve- ments, notably of the tower and basement. The church is well equipped for the needs of the congregation ; has a seating capacity of about 425 ; six Sunday school class rooms ; is furnace heated ; has a serviceable kitchen and dining room in the basement and a bap- tistry beneath the rostrum, and is well lighted and commodious. The society has a membership of two hundred and sixteen, with a Sun- day school enrollment of about one hundred seventy-iive. The auxiliaries of the church are the Ladies Aid, eight members ; Kings Daughters, thirty members ; Endeavor Society, twelve ; and Mis- sionary society, twelve. "The first pastor, after the Rev. Mrs. Crank, to serve the church, was the Rev. Clifford S. Weaver, a young man very popular in the community, who resigned after the second year to go to Japan as a missionary, remaining there seven years. Other pastors have been Rev. Kelley, Rev. Collins, Rev. Beckelheimer, Rev. Gehres, Rev. Mrs. Goodacre, Rev. Tucker and Rev. J. L. MacDonald, the present pastor, who is now serving his fourth year. Mr. MacDonald is a broad minded. Christian gentleman, charitable toward those who differ with him in opinion and has done much toward church har- mony and good fellowship in the town." To the foregoing may be added information secured directly from Mr. MacDonald and the records of the church. Mrs. S. M. Crank assumed charge of the society July i, 1896, the church mem- bership then being twenty-two. Meetings were held in Dobbins Hall, Mrs. Crank preaching for the organization an indefinite time. Following her Rev. Clifford T. Weaver preached alternate Sun- days until the new church was dedicated. October 24, 1897. He also supplied the pulpit for some time after. During 1898 Rev. 316 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES G. W. Kelley preached. He was succeeded by Rev. G. D. Collins; E. E. Rogers came in 1902; Reverends Patterson and Ballard within the following two years ; Rev. I. Bekelheimer, in 1905 ; Rev. A. W. Gehres, 1906-09; Rev. Isabelle Goodacre, 1910-11; Rev. E. N. Tucker, 1912-13, and Rev. Julius L. MacDonald, since 1913. The Christian Church in Brook has a present membership, resident and non-resident, of 211. The Welfare Club "The Brook Welfare Club," continues Mr. Hershman, "was organized in 1912, with Mrs. John Haynes as president and Mrs. The Carnegie Library Building Lillian Foresman as secretary. It joined the State Federation of Clubs in 1914. The aim of the club is the mutual improvement of the individual and the community. The departments are civics, music, literature and art, and philanthropy. "The organization did much toward creating a demand for a public library and presented the rest room of the new building with a fine leather upholstered couch. It also lighted the assembly, reci- tation rooms and corridors of the public school building with elec- tricity, assisted in developing the domestic science department in the school and presented it with a new sewing machine and kitchen cabinet. It inaugurated a sentiment against undue extravagance JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 317 at commencement time by ofifering prizes to the graduate who should appear in the neatest and most economical dress of her own making. It has done much for the cleanliness of the town by urging the habit of 'clean-up day' and encouraging the campaign against the flies. In 191 5 this club arranged an art exhibit and May Festival which was attended by a large number of people of the home and neighbor- ing towns, who pronounced both enterprises decidedly successful. It was instrumental in securing from the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad permission to convert the waste ground near the depot into a park, which was planted to shrubbery in the spring of 1916. In June of the same year the Welfare Club entertained the conven- tion of the Tenth District of the Indiana Federation of Clubs. It has arranged for a splendid lecture course for the town for the coming winter, and on the whole is a strong force for good in the community. "Much praise is due for the accomplishments of the club, to the persistent and untiring efforts of Mrs. Luther Lyons and Mrs. J. Bennet Lowe, who have served the club as president and secretary for the past three years. They have been ably supported by the ladies in general of the club and the results of the work of this organization are greatly appreciated by the community. The club has a membership of seventy-five. History of Brook Masonry "The history of Masonry in Brook dates back to some time in the 70's when a lodge of the order was instituted and maintained for a few years, when it surrendered its charter and became defunct. "In June of the year 1906 the following Free Masons, John B. Foresman, Benhart Leopold, Bernard B. Gragg, Theodore E. Col- lier, John H. Haynes, John G. Boyer, Charles H. Adamson and Willis A. Gridley, petitioned the Grand Lodge of Indiana for a dis- pensation to organize a lodge of Free and Accepted Masons in the town of Brook. After investigation by the grand master the peti- tion was granted, and on August 20th of the same year Deputy Past Master Dinwiddle of Fowler Lodge constituted a lodge under dispensation with Bernard B. Gragg, W. M. ; Benhart Leopold, S. W. ; Willis A. Gridley, J. W. ; John B. Foresman, Treasurer ; Theodore E. Collier, Secretary. "The charter was granted by Grand Master Lincoln V. Cravens and was presented to the lodge by the D. G. M., Edward H. Wolfe, June 16, 1908, the lodge to be known as Brook Lodge No. 670, 318 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES F. & A. M. The masters of the lodge have been: B. B. Gragg, 1906 to 1909; B. Leopold, 1909 to 191 1; H. T. Snyder, 191 1 to 1913; J. D. Rich, 1913 to 1914; H. T. Snyder again from 1914 to 1916; B. Leopold now presiding as Master, 1916. "Secretaries of the lodge: T. E. Collier, 1906 to 1907; Elias E. Vance, 1907 to 1909; J. R. Hershman, 1909 to 1913; T. L. Davis, 191 3 to 1914; W. S. Cunningham, 1914 to date, 1916. "The present membership numbers fifty-five Master Masons and four Fellow Craft members. Stated communications are held on the 2nd and 4th Friday evenings of each month in the Warner Hall, Brook. The lodge hall is neatly furnished and fairly well equipped with lodge paraphernalia. Since the organization of the lodge' it has lost three members by death — the first being John H. Haynes, who died in 191 1 ; Samuel Hargrove in 1914, and Elias E. Vance in 1915- "Brook Chapter No. 372 of the Order of the Eastern Star was constituted in the year 191 1 by Nettie Ransford, Grand Matron, assisted by the Morocco Chapter; Mrs. James Mcintosh, W. M.; Elsie Gragg, secretary. Organized with twenty-two charter mem- bers, it has now a membership of thirty-two. The chapter has lost two members by death — Etta Gridley and E. E. Vance. Meetings are held in the Masonic Hall of Brook on the first and third Friday evenings of each month. Present W. M., Miss Etta Hess ; Secretary, Mrs. Sadie Stearman. Knights of Pythias "Brook Lodge No. 277, Knights of Pythias, was instituted Octo- ber 3, 1890, Kentland and Goodland lodges officiating. The follow- ing names appeared as charter members : W. P. Griggs, G. A. Conn, S. C. Jones, M. M. Adair, L. H. Blankenbaker, J. H. Holder, Robert Hunter, E. D. Zook, L. E. Lyons, J. P. Hunter, G. B. Smith, J. F. Conn, W. Pruett, A. W. Cleaver, E. E. Hess, S. U. Cline, L. E. Conn, George Light, Rees Hill, F. T. Hawkins, William Ray, Bert Dickson, Amos Agate, E. E. Thompson, John Schofield, G. Barker, Thomas Lowe, and G. W. Strole. First officers elected were : W. P. Griggs, P. C. ; G. A. Conn, C. C. ; E. E. Hess, V. C. ; L. H. Blanken- baker, Prelate; M. M. Adair, M. of E. ; S. C. Jones, M. of F. ; L. E. Lyons, K. of R. & S. ; L. E. Conn, M. A. ; Robert Hunter, I. G. ; S. U. Cline, O. G. "In 1892 the lodge organized a building association among its members and erected the hall it now occupies over the Denham & JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 319 Cline hardware store. The lodge is out of debt and has a good surplus on hand to be used for the relief of sick members, burying the dead and aiding their widows and orphans. The lodge was instituted with twenty-eight members on the roster. It now has one hundred and fifty-nine. Thirty-six of this number have passed the chair of C. C. "Since its organization death has claimed fourteen of its mem- bers, namely: W. Pruett, N. J. Tyler, A. M. Strole, Joe McCabe, B. W. Pumphrey, B. G. Turner, John Esson, W. H. Reed, J. F. Conn, Geo. Karr, Ed Lowe, John Ulrey, E. E. Vance and Jacob Fox. "Its regular sessions are held in Castle Hall on Monday evenings of each week, and a cordial invitation is extended to any member of the order who may be stopping in town to attend. The lodge has a fine equipment, including a beautiful silk flag, which is always saluted by the members present before opening lodge. It also has a splendid orchestra composed of the following players and their instruments ; F. H. Longwell, the piano ; G. A. Conn, Alvin Thayer, Chas. Stearman, and Wm. Shindler, violins ; C. A. Wood and Arthur Weishaar, clarionets, Arthur Lyons and John Smith, comets ; R. E. Hershman and C. A. Warr, saxophones ; Walter Hess, flute, and T. E. Merideth, trap drum. The Brook K. of P. band is also com- posed entirely of the members of the lodge and consists of nine- teen pieces, with Dr. C. A. Wood as leader. The I. O. O. F. ■ "Brook Lodge No. 427 I. O. O. F. was instituted about the year 1872. The chair of N. G. of this lodge was filled in succession by John W. Deaver, Andrew Hess, Morris Lyons, John McCarty, John Hershman and David E. Lowe. Morris Lyons died in office in 1875. The membership of this lodge was small in the beginning and after losing several by death and removal it surrendered its charter in 1877. In 1895 a petition for reinstatement was filed with the grand master of the Grand Lodge of Indiana. The grand master, after carefully considering the situation, granted a new charter September 23, 1895, giving the name and number of the lodge as Brook Lodge No. 717 I. O. O. F. The charter members were D. P. Smith, F. C. Rich, M. L. Deniston, Jerry Schofield, W. H. Roberts, Robert Wilson, Philip Stonehill, C. A. Vondersmith, Wil- liam Wilson, George M. Light, Byron C. Park, Joseph S. Taylor and David E. Lowe. The lodge now has a membership of eighty-five. 320 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Eight members have died since its organization. In 1905 the lodge members formed a building association and erected a very com- modious hall over the Stonehill building. It has a fine official and membership regalia and a beautiful silk flag which is always dis- played when the lodge is in session. Present N. G., Arthur May- hew ; Secretary, Homer Taylor. The regular meetings are on Tues- day evenings of each week. "The Rebekah branch of the order was organized with nine charter members October 5, 1897, under the name of Brook Rebekah Lodge No. 552 ; present membership, fifty-five. Meeting nights are Thursday evenings of each week in I. O. O. F. Hall ; present N. G., Mamie Lowe; secretary, Alta Light. "The I. O. O. F. order also has an encampment, which meets in the same hall, the first and third Wednesday evenings of each month. It is called Newton Encampment No. 341. Modern Woodmen of America. "Modern Woodmen of America was granted charter and organ- ized June 8, 1895, with a membership of sixteen. It now has a membership of seventy-eight. Since its organization two of its number have died and their insurance policies paid in full without question. Regular meeting nights are the second and fourth Wednes- day evenings of each month in the I. O. O. F. Hall of Brook. The charter members of this camp were G. A. Conn, J. D. Rich, J. C. Franklin, Herbert Cox, A. C. Rosenberg, Nathaniel Light, R. E. Cunningham, W. S. Cunningham, William A Strole, L. A. Sunder- land, F. D. Michener, Wm. A. Evans, Sherman White, J. A. McCabe, W. D. Foresman and Edwin D. Zook. The head officials at this time are : Horace Elliott, Venerable Consul ; Wm. S. VanderVoort, Clerk. "The Royal Neighbors, an auxiliary branch of the Woodman camp, have a membership of over forty and hold their meetings in the K. of P. Hall on the first and third Friday evenings of each month." The Brook Reporter The Brook Reporter of Brook, Indiana, is successor to the Up- To-Date, first published on May 3, 1895. The Up-To-Date was the product of one William H. Robertson and an old Army press. It consisted of eight pages, on four of which the young editor attempted to live up to the name inscribed at the head of the front page. On the fatal 23d issue he gave up the struggle and the title of ownership to Jacob D. Rich, of Brook, who immediately changed the name to the Brook Reporter, and the old Army press. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 321 which printed one page at a time, to a Washington press printing four pages and issued the first number October ii, 1896. Mr. Rich sat at the wheel and F. H. Robertson, father of the founder, acted as mechanician until March 6, 1896, when the latter leased the paper and conducted it until September 18, 1896, when Mr. Rich again assumed control, which he retained until December 4, 1896, when the entire plant was sold to O. B. Stonehill, of Brook, who conducted the paper for over sixteen years. During his man- agement a power-driven cylinder press was installed and, with new equipment and editorial skill, he placed the paper in the front rank of the papers of this section. In 191 3 the plant was sold to Jacob D. Rich and Marcus Fores- man, who published their first issue on June 6th, with Rich & Foresman as publishers and Marcus Foresman, editor. In January, 1914, they installed the first Standard Mergenthaler linotype machine ever used in the county. New equipment has been added until it is one of the best printing offices in the county, and since the installation of the linotype it has been issued as an all-home- print. It was first run as an independent paper in politics, then republi- can under the management of O. B. Stonehill, and is again inde- pendent under its present management. It has always stood for the moral up-lift of the community and, under Mr. Stonehill, conducted the fight which eliminated the saloons from Brook, and this policy along moral and civic lines con- tinues under its present management. The Bank of Brook ■ The Bank of Brook had its origin in the private bank established by John B. Lyons, John Esson and George Turner in October, 1892. Its presidents and cashiers have been as follows : Presidents, George Turner and John F. Lawrence ; cashier, from date of organization, John B. Lyons. The Bank of Brook has resources which total more than $41 1,000. Its capital stock is $54,000 ; surplus and undivided profits, $19,800; deposits, $342,600. PioxHER Times ix Town and Township In partial fulfillment of the promise that the "first shall be last," the author has reserved a series of pioneer pictures and the delinea- tion of a number of prominent pioneers of the town and the town- ship for the conclusion of this chapter. "To close the history of Brook," says Mr. Hershman, "with its public buildings, churches. 322 JASPER AND XEWTON COUNTIES lodges and schools, and not make some mention of the part played by the early pioneers who blazed the way that led up to this modern civilization would be an injustice and show a lack of appreciation not to be thought of. "It would be impossible at this day to describe or even imagine all the hardships encountered by those stout-hearted early settlers. They had come from older settlements, bringing their young wives and babies into this wild and malaria-infested country' to make for themselves homes. "Many of the obstacles with which they contended have long since been conquered by the skill and energy of man. The prairies, though teeming with the native grasses in summer, was a vast and dangerous desert in winter when covered with snow. Even in summer it held its dangers. It was creeping with rattlesnakes. The grass swarmed with horseflies that made it almost impossible to drive across the country in day time. The ponds and sloughs, and there were hundreds of them, were the breeding places of the mosquito and the deadly malaria. A strip of heavy timber, half a mile to a mile in width, ran through this county from a northeasterly to a southwesterly direction. The timber was filled with vines and undergrowth so as to make it almost impenetrable before road- ways were cut. Down the middle of this strip of timber flowed the Iroquois River, unfordable except in the dry part of the season or when frozen over. Sickness naturally prevailed. The ague with its chills and fevers, flux, typhoid and winter fevers, were so prevalent that only the strongest seemed to survive. "But these determined people did not give up, but kept on until their ideals were more than realized. They bridged the streams, made roads, drained the sloughs, at least partly and built school- houses. The wonder is now how they did so well. Early Mills and Their Owners "A sawmill and a grist mill were early brought into use, as they were very essential in the improvement of the country. The first sawmill was brought here by John Lyons and John Montgomery about 1845 ^-■'d located on the river just north of the railroad bridge. This mill was run by waterpower, a primitive dam of logs having been constructed across the river. The old mill race is still in evidence as one of the ancient landmarks. Some years later a mill company was formed and steam power was used. This steam mill was located on the grounds now a part of McKinley park and stood near the site of the monument. In i860 this mil! was again JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 323 moved back to the river and was run in connection with the grist mill which had been built with a new dam, discharging the water through a flume upon a turbine water wheel which furnished the power to run the mill. A company was formed known as the Brook Mill Company. Seven Good Strong Men "The members of this firm were John Lyons, Morris Lyons, Edgar Hawkins, Andrew Hess and Samuel Benjamin. It is safe to say that these five men, to which should be added David Hess and Samuel Lyons, had more to do with the early development of this section of the county than perhaps any others of their day. They were men who were wideawake to the needs of the com- munity, and were ready to help with any enterprise which had for its purpose the making of the community better and more prosperous. They not only looked after the civil affairs of the township with judgment and economy that is amazing when their environments are considered, but the moral and religious affairs as well. They were not all members of any church, but they were men with high moral development and religious convictions and they lived up to them; in fact, they were righteous men. Their influence was such that men who grew up in this community have been heard to say that in their boyhood days an oath was seldom heard in conversa- tion, and although game was plenty and a gun was kept in almost every house, they could not remember ever hearing a gfun fired on Sunday, and although it took an immense amount of wood to keep the fires going in cold weather, it had to all be provided on Saturday so there would be no chopping on Sunday. S.\MUEL H. Benjamin "Especial mention should be made here of Samuel H. Benjamin. He was quite an able preacher of the Baptist faith and, although the society was never very strong in the Brook neighborhood, he was always ready to help with his talent the other religious societies, and as he lived in the community, and often there was no other resident minister, his services were in frequent demand, to marry a couple, preach a sermon or give spiritual consolation at the bedside of the dying. Morris Lyons "Perhaps no man had more to do with the civil affairs of the township than Morris Lyons. He was township trustee continuously 324 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES about fourteen years. He was a man of good judgment and scru- pulously honest. John Lyons "But to John Lyons is due more for the early progress in the community than to any other man. He located here in 1831 when there were but few white men here. He always kept open house and was noted for sociability and liberality. Travelers made his house a stopping place, for he never turned any one away. A story has been told of him which illustrates his character and also that of the Indian, a member of the tribe whose village was five or six miles up the rivei- toward where Rensselaer now stands. On a very stormy evening late in the fall or the beginning of winter, it was snowing hard, and while Mr. Lyons was feeding his stock at the close of the day he saw an Indian passing with his blanket around him and his head bent to meet the storm. He hailed him, and inquired where he was going at that time of day, and in such a storm. The Indian replied that he was on his way to the trading post at Bunkum, for powder and lead, as he was entirely out. Mr. Lyons, in the kindness of his heart, could not see even an Indian so expose himself, if indeed he did not perish before he could reach his destination. So he invited him to stay all night. His invitation was accepted. It turned very cold during the night and in the morning, as Mr. Lyons had a good supply of powder and lead on hand, he divided with the Indian, who received it with a grunt of satisfaction and went back to his tribe. The next year, in the fall, Mr. Lyons had a mare and her colt stray away, and as he had brought her from Ohio the year before he suspected that she had become homesick and had started back to her old home near Chillicothe. Sometime in the afternoon he found her trail wandering eastward and followed it till near evening, but failed to overtake the runaway. But he met an Indian. Recognition was mutual, as it was the same Indian whom he had befriended the year before. He explained to him the situation, that he was afraid the mare had started back to Ohio and that he did not know what to do, as he would have to return home, his wife and children being alone. After getting a fair understanding of the situation and being shown the tracks of the mare and colt, he said to Mr. Lyons : 'You go home ; me hunt em boss.' There was nothing else to do, so Mr. Lyons returned home. In about three days after this, the Indian came up, leading the mare. He had caught up with her somewhere near the site of the present city of Logansport. Mr. Lyons was greatly pleased at the return of his mare, and offered to pay the Indian for his JASPER AND NEWTOX COUNTIES 325 trouble, but he gave him to understand that the debt was already paid by his kindness of the year before. "Mr. Lyons not only opened his house for public preaching but for school purposes, using one end of the double log cabin for a school room and, no doubt, paying the largest portion of the teacher's salary. After a few years of these schools in his home, he built a log schoolhouse himself and furnished it with a stove that the people might have the benefit of a public school. He took a great interest in the civil affairs of the county, serving as county com- missioner before the division of Newton and Jasper counties. He also served several years as justice of the peace in his township and was at one time candidate for the Legislature, but his party was in the minority and he was defeated at the polls by Thomas Barker, late of Newton county." Old-Time History by John R. Hershman and Morris Jones The Welfare Club, of Brook, arranged an historical program for one of its meetings in June, 1916. John B. Lyons, Morris Jones and John R. Hershman were to have spoken on the early history of Brook and vicinity, and George Ade, on the Indiana centennial work. A violent storm prevented the attendance of Messrs. Ade and Lyons, but Messrs. Hershman and Jones were on hand and furnished a treat to the old-timers of the town and township and their descendants. Brook in 1856. Through the eyes of Morris Jones the following picture of Brook and its neighborhood was drawn, as it would appear in the fall of 1856: "I have been asked to give you some of the early history of Brook," he said. "When I first knew it there was so little of it that it would not take long to tell it; so will include the whole of Iroquois township. "We left Ross county, Ohio, the first day of October, 1856, and landed the 21st of that month. Pretty wild looking country. The town consisted of two blocks. On the north side of the street a small schoolhouse stood where we now have our fine library. Lot i. Block I. West on Lot 3 a Mr. Stacy had a little store. The next house west on Lot 5 was that of Dr. Moorman. Where the post- office and meat market are now a small house was occupied by John Tate. Across the street, west on Block 2, Aaron Lyons had a store, with living rooms in the back. West on Lot 3, later known as the Lilwall House, was Walter Hawkins' house. These were the only 326 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES buildings in the town of Brook excepting the saw-mill which stood where we now have our nice McKinley Park. The saw-mill was the busiest place in town, with plenty of timber all along the river. The settlers would cut and haul in logs during the winter, generally on sleds, as we had plenty of snow those times; in fact, too much at times. I have seen the road running north, with snow over the top of the fence, sp that teams would drive over it after the drift got frozen. Those logs were sawed into lumber of all kinds for the settlers to improve their farms ; everything with which to build a house except the shingles, even the lath to plaster, were sawed here. A tough log was sawed half an inch thick, then hacked all over, so as to make the plaster stick. The shingles had to be split and shaved down. "As I remember it, Aaron Lyons kept a general store. Money was not as plentiful as it is today. He would trade you goods for produce, butter and eggs. Mostly in winter, there would be some fur and game, mostly prairie chickens. These he would haul to Lafayette or Kankakee and ship to Chicago, and bring back more goods. I have sold eggs to him at three cents a dozen, and butter, at five cents a pound. Pretty cheap living then. You would have thought so if you had been here. Corn bread and sorghum molasses most every day except Sunday, when we sometimes got white bread. No fruit, except wild crab apples and wild plums. But everybody seemed happy ; all in the same class. "West of town, where William Mayhew lives, was Samuel Ben- jamin, farmer and preacher. Where the Terra Cotta stands, was a Mr. Rofi Price. The Ed Sell place was occupied by Jarrad Yeoman, father of Sam Yeoman, whom many of you knew. South of the river, at the Griggs farm, was Samuel Bards. East at Bowers farm, was a Mr. Spitler, where at an earlier day, when Jasper county was organized, court was held. East and north was Mr. Dewees' farm, father of our townsman, Abe Dewees. East, near the cross-road, was William Niece. He and his wife both died here, and are buried on the hill at the cross-roads. North, where William Stath lives, was the Iroquois schoolhouse. On the road east and south of Paul Weishaar was Henry Marsh. Then John Treadway, and at the Riley Stair "farm was a Mr. Pierce. South, at the Corbett farm, was a Mr. Smith. South and east, no other house until you came to the Creek farm just north of Goodland ; no town there then. Back to the river and east, just east of the railroad, was Squire John Lyons, father of Aaron Lyons. Where Fred Hammacker lives, was Phillip Earl. Back to town, then east to where the U. B. parsonage JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 327 stands, was Mr. Board's place. Where J. Shindler lives, was Nat Smith. The Ulyat place was occupied by Samuel Lyons, father of J. B. Lyons, who lived and did blacksmithing for the whole neighborhood. On the east of the Laban Lyons farm was David Weirbaugh. East to the Foresman farm and north, was Mr. Wind- bigler. South of the road where Sant Kemper lives was Matt Karr. North of the river and west of where Brunner lives, was Jabez Wright. East, near the Foresman railroad, was Granny Howard. A schoolhouse stood near here ; it was afterward moved to Hickory Branch. North to the Julian road, the first house was a log cabin owned by John Catt. The next was Dr. Maxwell's, the only house left of the town of Julian, now owned by J. D. Rich. John Catt lived at what is known as the Ulrey farm. Next was the Salem school- house. Next east, at the Tom Lowe farm, was a Mr. Lewis. At the Ben Harris farm was a Mr. Mead. North of the schoolhouse, first place, was Calvin Hough. Next, on the east side of the road, was Mr. Pumphrey. On the west side was Abe Lester. Back to Brook and north, where John Pence lives, was Morris Lyons ; north, on the west side of the road, was Andrew Hess ; the last house north until you got to the Beaver timber, and none in sight, and no fences to bother you until you got near Morocco. Not over thirty-five houses in the whole township. "You can readily see there has been a great change in the past sixty years. Will there be as much in the next? "I have gotten this together hurriedly ; may have left something out that would interest you and said some things that would be better not said. "An incident happened on the way out here that has clung to me these sixty years. During that fall occurred the first Republican campaign. I had learned some of the campaign songs, as I have since, and was sitting in the feed-box when an old mossback drove up and, with loud words and big oaths, ordered me to stop my singing. My two older brothers heard the racket and jumped out of the wagon, when the old Dem. took the back track. One verse of the song ran this way : 'Old Bullion had a daughter fair, and Jessie was her name. A Rocky Mountain hunter, a courting her, he came. He wooed her, and he won her, and will ma,ke her, by the fates, the lady of the President of these United States.' "The chorus : 'Then come along, make no delay ; come from every nation, and come from every way. Our land is broad enough, so don't be alarmed ; for Uncle Sam is rich enough to give us all a farm.' " 328 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Mr. Hershman's Address Although largely personal, Mr. Hershman's address was some- what broader in its scope than that made by Mr. Jones. He said : "I was born in Benton county, in the latter part of the year 1848, and grew to manhood on the prairie side of White county near the present town of Wolcott. "I take for granted that what would be true in one of those Grand prairie communities would be similarly true in the others. My earliest recollections are of the log cabin. My first visit to a newly erected frame house made a lasting impression on my, child mind. The smell of fresh paint, the new rag carpet on the floor, the big bureau with glass knobs and ornamented with a big ripe tomato on top (for you will remember that tomatoes were once grown for ornaments), made a picture so different from anything that I had ever seen that I have never forgotten it. Fighting a Prairie Fire Scientifically "There is one other scene that left an indelible impression on my youthful mind. It was a prairie fire at night. It had been seen all the afternoon coming from toward the west; at first, perhaps ten or fifteen miles away. It was a calm day and at first only smoke could be seen, which was anxiously watched by the settlers, but as evening came on and darkness set in, the flames began to loom up and assume a fearful aspect, as their long lines came steadily on, destroying everything in the way of their onward sweep. By this time the men and boys were aroused and organized into a fire- fighting squad. "They knew how to fight prairie fires, for they were accustomed to it, and had reduced the system to a science. They did not attempt to beat out the fire by helter-skelter pounding of the leaping mass of flames, by which they would have soon exhausted their strength and accomplished nothing. They met it with a counter fire. That is, they went onto the highest grounds ahead of it, where the grass was short, and started a new fire; one stringing out the fire and others following up, beating it out on the leeward side as soon as started and allowing the windward side to burn back toward the oncoming flames. In this way the fire was headed off and disaster averted. 'T was too small to go out with the men to fight the fire, but I remember standing out in the yard watching the flames as they approached to within less than a mile, lighting up the night and making quite an imposing scene. We could see the men as they JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 329 ran back and forth before it, silhouetting their forms on the back- ground of flame and smoke, like giants of the night engaged in a great battle with the destroying demon to save their homes. And they succeeded. Stove, without a Fireplace "I began noticing passing events during a period of great evolu- tion in economics. Our mothers were just emerging from the old system of cooking on the fireplace to the more up-to-date method of the new-fangled stove, though no one as yet had thought possible to do without the fireplace as a means of warming the house in cold weather. I think I remember the first stove introduced into our neighborhood. A man had built a new frame house and had ignored the fireplace, to the utter astonishment of the neighbors. But when the house was finished he bought a box-heating stove, with a drum attachment on the top of it to make extra heat. Of course every- one burned wood at that time, and to the people who were accustomed to sitting close to the fire and scorching their faces, while the cold chills raced up and down their backs, the result was marvelous. 'Why,' they said, 'when you enter the house the heat strikes you like the blast from a furnace.' So it was not long until all who could afiford it put in stoves for heating, as well as for cooking, and the old fireplace became a thing of the past. Other Home Improvements ''The use of cotton in factory stuff, as it was called, was becom- ing common, which made the cultivation of flax for its lint non- profitable ; also the establishment of woolen mills at Lafayette, Monticello, Yountsville, and other places over the state, did away with much of the hard work with wool. Though I can remember that my mother had a loom and a spinning wheel, I do not remem- ber ever seeing her use them very much. A great many women, however, were still making linsey-woolsey for children's dresses, a kind of stufif made from linen and wool, which was very durable. All the sewing was done by hand, as the sewing machine had not been invented. "The farmer was laying aside forever the reap-hook and had adopted the more speedy implement of the cradling scythe to cut his grain, and had about quit the use of the flail and horse-threshing floors for the more modern system — a ground-hog threshing machine, which was run by a tread-mill power, and threshed two or three 330 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES hundred bushels a day, running the grain and chaff out together, which had to be separated with a fanning mill. Early Schools and Teachers "A public school system had been adopted and every com- munity of any size had a schoolhouse and received from the State money sufficient for about two months' school. If we had more, it was paid for by private subscription. The teacher boarded around to make the money go further. Methods of instruction were different then. The evolution in education had hardly begun. Spelling, writ- ing and arithmetic, were about all that much attention was given to, and it seemed to me that it was mostly spelling for about three years, as I could spell any word in the speller. That is, when I was looking at it, before I was allowed to have a reader. Books were scarce and high priced ; so my first reading book was a McGuffy Second Reader, which had been outgrown by my older brother. I had not much trouble in reading it, for I had already read it through at home. "As a bunch of boys is in many ways much like a bunch of monkeys, if not kept busy getting their lessons their fertile brains will be busy suggesting pranks to play on their mates, keeping one eye on the teacher to avoid discovery. The teacher, in self-defense, had to bring into requisition the proverbial birch to keep down the spirit of mischief, so that a reasonably good lesson might be learned. I never experienced its application but once, and I have always regretted that I did not ask the teacher what it was for, as I never knew exactly just which of my misdemeanors he considered worthy of the honor. Perhaps it was on general principles. In my first lessons with the pen, I was given a copy of straight marks, and told to make marks just like the pattern. I was kept at it for days and days. I never knew why so long, but it must have been because I couldn't get them straight. I was then given a copy of pothooks, as they were called by the boys. After practicing on them for several days I was given a copy of loops, after which I was permitted to make the letters of the alphabet. "In the winter of '60 and "61, our school was taught by a Mr. Mitchell. I thought then that he was the smartest man I had ever seen. His school was not graded, although he had all grades, from the beginning to young men and women trying to finish the com- mon branches. To many of them it was a finish, for before another JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 331 winter had come about half a dozen of them were in the army. Some never returned, and of those who did, I think none ever entered school again. He had dozens of classes in other branches, but none in arithmetic. In this branch everyone worked for himself trying to do all the sums that he could, and those he could not do, he called on the teacher for help ; which kept that personage pretty busy, so much so that he did not have much time to spend on the small boys. I was twelve years old, but this was my first winter in arith- metic, and I was given Ray's Third Part to begin on. I had very little instruction, and though I tried hard to master its mysteries, I made about as much progress as I would now, if I should try to learn the Kaiser's favorite language. "The winter of '6i and '62 I spent in Newton county with my aunt, who lived in the Roberts neighborhood and whose husband was in the army. Owing to the scarcity of teachers on account of the war, as most of the men had enlisted for soldiers and there were not enough lady teachers then to supply the schools, we had none, and I missed that year. A Little Judicial and Civil History "I will go back now beyond my time and relate some things that I have only from tradition or the early records of Newton county. In 1839, when Newton county was part of Jasper, we have an account of the first Probate Court held in the county near Brook, on the Bowers farm. The record says : 'No business appearing, court adjourned.' In the same year, however, court was again called in the same place. This time two cases came up, both for adjustments of estates ; also marriage license granted to James Lacy and Matilda Blue, and the ceremony was performed by Esq. John Lyons. "In 1853 the commissioners of Jasper county organized the territory of what is now Iroquois, Grant, Jetiferson and Washing- ton townships, into a township under the name of Iroquois, and ordered an election of township officers. Three trustees were elected, as the law required at that time. The following year the township was divided in the middle, north and south, the west township taking the name of Washington. Iroquois township retained that organi- zation until 1865, when it was again divided through the middle, east and west, and Grant township was organized. A strip a mile wide on the west of Iroquois township was transferred to Wash- ington. 332 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES More About the Township Schools "The first school of which I have any account that was taught in what is now Iroquois township, was opened in one end of a double log cabin belonging to John Lyons, which stood a little south- east of the railroad crossing on what is now the Hoag farm, but then belonging to John Lyons. The teacher was Joseph Smith, who, a little later, was known as Grandpap Smith. He is supposed to have received his pay from private subscription. "The first schoolhouse built in this township was made of logs and was erected by John Lyons on his farm on the south side of the river. The year is not definitely known, but was about 1849 o*" '50. I think Barnett Hawkins was the first teacher at a salary of eighteen dollars per month. "In 1853 contracts were let for the erection of two frame school buildings, 18 by 24 feet in size. They were to have windows with panes 8 by 10 inches, to be lathed and plastered, and to be completed within one year from the date of letting the contract. One of these houses was erected on the ground now occupied by the public library, the other was located on the south side of the river in the original first district. The following year another contract was let for a schoolhouse, which was afterward known as the Salem school. In 1859 the Hickory Branch schoolhouse was built. "These four schoolhouses were all the township had until 1869 and '70, when the DuiTy and Griggs schoolhouses were built. In 1873 th^ Foresman schoolhouse was erected. "In 1858 we find E. B. Jones teaching a term for $61.50; M. S. Mead, for $85 ; Barnett Hawkins, $75 ; Delilah Shoenfelt, $50. In June, 1859. the trustee reports funds on hand of $175.40, which he disbursed to the four districts as follows: No. i, $33.65; No. 2, $65.15; No. 3, $44.05; No. 4, $32.55. This distribution must have been based on the enumeration. This year the township had two months and seventeen days of school. Average wages of male teachers, $24 per month. Average wages of female teachers, $13 per month. Pupils enrolled, loi. Average attendance, 60. The private subscriptions amounted to $85. In i860 the average wages of the teachers had risen to $25; the enrollment to 125; average attendance, 70; amount spent in instruction, $218.19. In 1869 teachers' wages had increased to $30 and $35 per month, with no discrimination against female teachers. Since then the wages have been steadily on the increase. "Up to the year 1877, we had not more than five months of JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 333 school in any one year taught with public money, though it was quite common to have two or three months of select or subscription school, as it was called, taught by girls usually of the neighbor- hood. During the administration of Uncle John Foresman as trustee he raised the tuition tax levy enough to enable him to have seven months' terms. Since that time the township has never had less than seven months, and for the past few years we have had eight months, as well as a joint interest in the Brook public school, including the high school, in which nine months is taught. "Teachers of the township last year received wages ranging from the beginners at $45, to the highest grade teacher who received $66.40 per month. The grade teacher in the town school received from $70 to $80 per month. We have jumped from the first year of record of $54 for public instruction to $3,800 for all expenses of the township schools, and $9,000 for the town schools, with $600 additional for permanent improvement, which makes a grand total of $13,400. "I have been more or less interested in the public school of this county since 1869, as I began teaching that year, which I continued in the winter's session of three or four months for seven years, when I decided that I could not give it the attention it should have and quit. Since then I have served fifteen years as township trustee and ten years on the school board of Brook and am still a member of the school board. "I remember very distinctly my first examination for a teacher's license. Mr. O. P. Hervey was school examiner. He was a lawyer and an invalid, sufl'ering with tuberculosis. I went over to the county seat on examination day, found Mr. Hervey in his office, and told him my business. He told me to come in after dinner and he would give me an examination, as there would be others on the same errand. After dinner I went in for the ordeal and found twelve other young fellows ready to join me. I only remember positively one of them, a Mr. C. W. Clifton. He examined us orally. Having one of us stand up at a time he would question us somewhat after the manner of examining a witness, as to our knowledge of subjects, till we got to a point where we did not know anything, when he would allow us to take our seats and recuperate while he took another through a similar grilling. This was the last Saturday in November and darkness came pretty early. He saw that he would have to shorten up somewhere, so after asking one of us a list of questions, he would ask the others how their knowledge of the subject compared with the answer just given. We generally 334 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES said about the same, so he graded us accordingly. I remember in one instance he had examined some one in United States history. The answers had not been as clear as they might have been, but when asked the usual question we all said about the same; glad to get off so easy, except Mr. Clifton, who had been a sergeant or lieutenant in the army and was, we thought, a little conceited. He said that he considered himself perfect in United States history. I think that the examiner gave hirn a lOO per cent grade, as he was the only one who got a first class license. There were thirteen of us and I don't know about the luck in odd numbers, but all of us got our licenses but one. Another incident of the day is worth men- tioning here. Our friend, J. B. Lyons, had contracted to teach a school to begin the first Monday in December, and he also wanted a license. True to his nature to economize his time as much as possible and kill two birds with one stone, he loaded his wagon with something, had bad luck on the way, a break down or some- thing of the kind, and didn't get in till the examination was over, but he fared just as well, for Mr. Hervey said that as he had examined him the year before he would grant him a license on the previous examination.'' CHAPTER XXIII MOROCCO AND OTHER TOWNS Drawn to the Rich Fur Country — Murphy Lays Out Morocco — Slow Growth — Invisible Branch Bank of America — Struggles to Become County Seat — Final Expansion — The Present Morocco — The Morocco Courier — The Methodist, Christian, United Brethren and Baptist Churches — The Morocco Woman's Club — The Lodges — Mount Ayr — First Called Mount Airy — Other Railroad Towns. One of the four flourishing and growing incorporated towns in Newton County, Morocco is at the junction of the Chicago & East- ern IlHnois and the Chicago, Indiana & Southern (New York Central) railroads, about two miles west of the geographical center of the county. It is also nearly in the center of Beaver Township and, although it is now surrounded by some of the finest farming land in that portion of the state, at the time of its first settlement it was in the midst of some of the most prolific trapping grounds in the country. The beaver furs sent to that point and sold to the agents of the Northwestern Fur Company for shipment to Detroit were considered as valuable as any collected in the Northwest. Drawn to the Rich Eur Country' John Day, of South Bend, Indiana, was in the employ of that company for many years and was well known to all the hunters and trappers of the Beaver Lake and Kankakee River regions which yielded so much of the fur supply brought to the locality afterward laid out as Morocco. John Murphy, a Virginian and a typical pio- neer of Ohio and Indiana, appeared in that region in 1838, took up land and cultivated it, brought supplies for the trappers from Chicago and otherwise made himself useful. When he located a few miles south of Beaver Lake there were only about a dozen families in what is now Newton County, most of them on the Iroquois River a short distance south of him. The Kenoyer and Myers settlements 335 336 JASPER AND XEWTON COUNTIES had just been commenced, on the northern and southern banks of that stream. After several years, during which the region south of Beaver Lake continued to more than hold its own as a center of trade, there was much talk of railroad connections from the east which should pass through the west-central portions of what was then Jasper County, traverse the rich prairies of Illinois and reach the main trunk of the Mississippi Valley. Murphy Lavs Out Morocco John Murphy shared in all the general expectations of benefits to be thus deri^•ed, in a special and personal manner. On January The Morocco High School i8, 1851, he therefore laid out the town of Morocco on a portion of his farm, in section 21, town 29, range 9. Several years afterward there was a probability that the so-called Continental Railroad would, at least, pass quite near Morocco; but, as events proved, the town was to wait for nearly forty years before it was favored with rail connections. The Grand Prairie region south of the Iroquois, with Kentland and Goodland, was to be developed by railroad advantages for a generation before the territory north of it was thus favored. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 337 Slow Growth As a town, Morocco grew slowly. Its first merchant was Elijah Whitson and in April, 1853, when John Ade came from Buncum, Illinois, to establish a branch store for Ayers & Company, of that place, Morocco proper had less than a dozen buildings on its site. In the following year the Continental Railroad was projected a few miles north of Morocco along the shores of Beaver Lake, but it never progressed beyond a little grading in Jackson and Beaver townships. Invisible Branch Bank of America In the fall of 1854 a branch of the Bank of America was also established at Morocco, in a very figurative sense ; and it was a wild-cat concern to the limit. All that was required by law was to deposit with the secretary of state bonds of any state in the Union to secure the circulation, and then the speculator was at liberty to launch out upon the world. The object of the projectors of this bank was to locate as far from the centers of business as possible, so as to reduce the necessity for redeeming its circulation to the lowest possible amount. The first intimation the citizens of the little burg had of the distinction thus thrust upon them, was the sight of a large bill issued by the bank in question. John Ade was temporarily in Cin- cinnati, Ohio, at that time, and saw the bill. On his return by way of Rensselaer, he learned, on inquiring, that such a bank had been established, and the proprietor tried to persuade Mr. Ade to act as cashier. Mr. Murphy was finally prevailed upon to attend to the redemption of any bills that found their way to this neck of the woods, but could be induced only to accept the guardianship of $100 in gold at a time. A great many stories in regard to this bank have circulated in the papers, which are simple fabrications or wide exaggerations, but Mr. Ade furnishes one which has the merit of being true, and exhibits a part of the capital on which the bank did business: "In the summer of 1854, during the existence of the noted free-banking laws of Indiana, in what was then the county of Jasper, which embraced at that time all the territory now included in the counties of Jasper and Newton, three banks were organized, two of which were located in Rensselaer, the county seat, and one in, Morocco, at a point some twenty miles from Rensselaer, almost due west. The country between the two points being very sparsely 338 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES settled at that time, and, although it has since become one of the finest farming regions in the State, at that time it was almost unknown, except what reputation it had acquired in the adjoining counties by reason of the breaking-up of a gang of counterfeiters on Bogus Island, a short time previous, and which was not cal- culated to invite timid strangers to spend their time in looking for its good qualities. "At that time, Bradford, a station on the New Albany & Salem Railroad, was the nearest railroad point to Rensselaer, and then the two points were connected by a stage route which made daily trips and which ran so far as to connect with the trains, which at that time went north late in the afternoon, so the trip from Bradford to Rensselaer had nearly all of it to be made after night, and to a person acquainted with the country at that time, was not very invit- ing, to say the least. "One afternoon, late in the fall, five men got off the train at Bradford, made their way to the hotel, called for supper, and engaged passage in the hack for Rensselaer. Two of them were attorneys from La Fayette, going over to Rensselaer to attend to some legal matters; two of the others were citizens of Rensselaer, one an attorney and the other a doctor. These four were well known to each other ; in fact, old acquaintances, and were 'hail fellows well met' with each other. The other was a stranger, and although he ate supper at the same table, he seemed to keep as far away from the others as possible, and it was noticed that he kept a small satchel which he had, on his lap all the time while he was eating his supper; this and a few remarks to the landlord in regard to the location of Morocco and the manner of getting there, satisfied one of the parties at least that his objective point was the Bank of America, at Morocco, and he communicated his suspicions to the rest of the company. After supper, the hack drove up and all got in ; but a mile or two had been traveled, when, by a preconcerted arrange- ment, the two La Fayette gentlemen commenced an attack on the two citizens of Rensselaer for the great and terrible system of out- lawry allowed to exist in their county, in the neighborhood of Morocco, instancing many cases of murder, horse-stealing and the gangs of counterfeiters said to exist in that neighborhood. The Rensselaer gentlemen defended themselves as best they could from these charges, claiming that they were no more responsible for violations of law in their county, than the gentlemen from La Fay- ette were for crimes committed in Tippecanoe County. These charges and countercharges were kept up until late at night, when JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 339 Rensselaer was reached and all retired to bed. Early the next morning the livery stable keeper was posted by one of the passen- gers of the night previous, and who, on being met by our friend with the black satchel, refused to take him to Morocco for less than $30 and take a guard of four men ; and also, that he would be responsible for all loss or damage to team and wagon. About this time one of his fellow-passengers of the night before called him off privately and told him that he supposed that his business at Morocco must be of the greatest importance, and as a friend would advise him how to go there. In the first place, it would never do for him to go in the clothes he had on. for he would be almost certain to be murdered if he did. And he proposed letting him have an old suit of clothes and a rifle, and, that in the disguise of a hunter, he might on foot make his way to Alorocco and back with at least some promise of safety. Our friend thanked him for his kindness, went back to his hotel and in a short time the hack for Bradford drove up, and he secured passage for that point, and the Bank of Morocco was saved, at least, one demand for specie at its counter had it been found." Under such circumstances, it is not surprising that the "run" on the bank was very light. Mr. Murphy deposited his bag of gold in the bottom of a barrel of potatoes and redeemed an occa- sional note until the amount was gone, and then, having entire confidence in the proprietor, he redeemed other notes as they were presented by his neighbors, out of his own pocket to the extent of another $100. About this time, he happened to be in Rensselaer and proposed to turn over the redeemed notes for $100 that he had expended, but was informed that the bank had changed hands, and there was no one to speak for the further action of the institution. There was no clew to the proprietors, and Mr. Murphy had $200 of the paper of the "Bank of America,"' without any assurance that he would realize anything for his money expended. It is safe to say he did no further banking business ; but when the affair was eventually wound up by the secretary of state, he made a reasonable salary besides the return of his money, as the issue was all redeemed at eighty cents upon the dollar. Struggles to Become County Seat Although Morocco did not acquire railroad connections until 1888, when a branch of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois was extended from Goodland to Momence. Illinois, the town made two efforts to become the county seat previous to that consummation of her hopes 340 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES — the first time in 1870 and the second, in 1876. In 1900 a third unsuccessful attempt was made, for, although Morocco had the advantage of geographical position, Kentland had become nearer the center of population. Final Expansion In the meantime, Morocco had been growing, despite her com- parative isolation, and the original town plat was increased by Veatch's addition, in 1872, Ash's addition, in 1873, ^"d Ash's sec- ond addition in 1S76. This expansion was far more evident when the town became a railroad station, for during the two months of May and June, 1888, four additions were recorded — Kessler's, Hope's, Doty's and Kennedy's. Edmondson's addition was made in January, 1889, and in the March following, Kessler's second addi- tion. The town's area was increased in May, 1890, by Hope's second addition, at which time the population within its limits was 397. Within the succeeding decade it had reached 920, and is now in the neighborhood of 1,100. This growth is largely attributable to the securing of a direct connection south with the county seat and the rich Grand Prairie section of Indiana and Illinois, and north, with the Kankakee and Lake Michigan districts. Morocco secured these advantages through the completion of the Chicago, Indiana & Southern Railroad in December, 1905. Since 1890 the additions to the town have been: Fair Ground addition, 1893: Hope's third addition, 1895: Peck's first and second additions, and Xichol's addition, 1896; Corbin's addition, 1897; Corbin's second addition, Camblin's addition and Nichol's second addition, 1898; Kennedy's second addition and Chizum & Camb- lin's addition, 1900; Kessler & McConnahey's addition, 1902; Carpenter's addition, 1906; Hammond's addition. 1907. The Present [Morocco Morocco has a good water supply, with a pumping station, a supply well and tank in the northern part of town ; a neat public library and rest room, a new town hall, a large and well organized public school, two state banks, a newspaper and four churches, and several strong lodges and social organizations. Its streets are noticeably well cared for, its main thoroughfare for half a mile being paved with a fine macadam. Morocco is the center of a large grain trade and has two good-sized elevators — those owned by the JASPER AND XEWTON COUNTIES 341 Farmers State Bank and by Michael Duffy. It has also a pickle- salting plant, and is the shipping point for large quantities of hogs, sheep, horses and poultry. It is, in fact, the trading and banking center of a large area in the central part of Newton County. The Farmers State and the Citizens State banks are the financial institu- tions of the place. The latter was founded in 1910 by William D. Martin, who is still its president. O. F. Stoner is vice president and A. J. Law, cashier. It has a capital of $26,000, surplus of $14,500 and its average deposits amount to $118,000. Much of the town's late progress is due to the efforts of the View on State Street, Morocco Commercial Club, of which Claud Williamson is president and which includes the solid citizens of the place. The Morocco Courier The Morocco Courier has also contributed its full share to its development. It was established by Dr. M. L. Humston, now of Goodland. It suspended in 1880 and Edward Graham was its editor and proprietor from 1882 to 1888. Fred Davis, Sidney Schanlaub, uncle of the present superintendent of schools, and H. J. Bartoo, now of the Remington Press, were later owners. L. P. Builta owned and edited it from 1809 to April, 191 5, when he was succeeded by W. H. Myers, the present proprietor and editor. 342 JASPER AND XEWTON COUNTIES The M. E. Church of Morocco After the churches which were built by the United Brethren on Frederick Kenoyer's farm, just nortli of the Iroquois River, prob- ably the first meeting house to be erected by any organized religious body was that built by the Methodists of Morocco in 1856. Mr. Ada says that "it was a good, comfortable building having two front doors, as all church buildings had in those days — one entrance for the men and the other for the women. At that time it was not thought to be proper for a man and his wife to sit together on the same seat in church.'' The Methodist Episcopal Church at Morocco was organized previous to 1850 and among its early preachers were Rev. James Farris, father of Congressman George Farris, of Terre Haute, and Rev. Isaac Sayler, who then resided near Rensselaer. They were both local preachers' and came to Morocco to conduct services at irregular intervals. At that time the General Conference of the church recognized the Morocco mission as covering all of what is now Newton County. In 1871 Kentland Circuit was organized by A. E. Anderson, presiding elder, and in 1872 both Goodland and Beaver Lake circuits were formed. The present Methodist Church at Morocco is in charge of Rev. J. J. Rankin. The Christian Church The first Christian Church was organized in January. 1887, with D. M. Johnson as elder, and comprised sixty-five members. Pre- viously, there had been preaching by L. M. McDermott, J. H. Edwards and D. M. Johnson. In February, 1888, a frame church building was dedicated by Elder L. L. Carpenter, of Wabash, Indi- ana. Among the pastors who have served since have been Rev. D. M. Honn, Rev. A. L. Ferguson, Rev. S. Moot, Rev. W. L. Stein, Rev. George W. Watkins, Rev. C. G. Brelas (under whom the present church building was completed, being dedicated in Septem- ber, 1903), Rev. Frank C. Higgins, Rev. George IMusson, Rev. E. C. Boynton, Rev. George B. Stewart, Rev. Everett Gates, Rev. E. P. Builta, and Rev. Everett Gates, of the Chicago University, who again occupies the pulpit. The United Brethren In 1897 the United Brethren in Christ of Morocco organized a church, and in the following year completed a house of worship. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 343 The first quarterly meeting of the Morocco Circuit met in the Morocco Church on January 6, igcx). The settled pastors of the local society have been as follows: Rev. J. M. Tuggle, 1899-1903; Rev. O. P. Cooper, 1903-04; Rev. M. F. Sherrill, 1904-06; Rev. H. C. McConaughy, 1907-08; Rev. W. B. Taylor, 1909-12; Rev. E. T. Aldrich, since 19 15. The present membership is about 130. The Baptist Church The First Baptist Church was organized in 1898 and the follow- ing pastors have served it, in succession : Revs. P. H. Faulk, I. W. Bailey, W. T. Carpenter, J. M. Cauldwell, F. A. Morrow, D. A. Cauldwell (another term), and J. M. Kendall. The church build- ing at present in use was completed in 1901. The society numbers nearly one hundred members. The Morocco Woman's Club The Morocco Woman's Club, which was organized and feder- ated in 1913, has a membership of nearly fifty, and the following officers : President, Mrs. Daisy Kay ; vice president, Mrs. Tennis Deardurff; secretary, Mrs. Bessie Moody; treasurer. Miss Bertha Norris. The objects of the association, as stated in its by-laws, are intellectual and moral development, social enjoyment and united effort for the welfare of the community. The Lodges The Masons, Knights of Pythias and Modern Woodmen of America are the strongest of the secret orders represented in Morocco. Morocco Lodge Xo. 372, Free and Accepted Masons, which was instituted in 1865, is the oldest organization in the county. There is also an Order of the Eastern Star Lodge. Morocco Lodge No. 492, Knights of Pythias, was organized in September, 1901. The first commander was H. E. Gragg, and the present head of the lodge, which numbers 108 members, P. J. Biesicker. Mount Ayr When the Chicago & Great Southern Railroad, now known as the Chicago & Eastern Illinois, was constructed through the eastern 344 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES part of Newton County, in 1882, a number of towns were platteo along its route. From the first Mount Ayr, which is now one of the five incorporated towns in the county, seemed to be marked for preference. It was laid out by Lewis Marion, on October 18, 1882, being located on the northeast quarter of section twenty-three, town- ship twenty-nine north, range eight west. First Called Mount Airy It was originally called Mount Airy, and when very young was thus exploited by the Goodland Herald: "Mt. Airy is situated on the railway about fourteen miles north of Goodland, and near the center north and south, in Jackson Township. It is certainly a beautiful location for a town, being situated on a very elevated tract of land owned by Lewis Marion, one of the most substantial and influential farmers of Jackson Township, who has, we are informed, made liberal donations to the public of a suitable and fine tract of land for a public square, and has also been quite liberal with the C. & G. S. R. R. "We have been informed by the railway engineer that the loca- tion of Mount Airy is over one hundred feet higher than Goodland. The town is situated three miles south of the timber land on the north, and about one and a half miles west of the east belt of timber, and is in the midst of as beautiful and productive prairie land as any persons could wish to find. Among the largest land owners are Lewis Marion, Henry O. Harris, Dr. Caldwell, Samuel Long, Mr. Crisler, Harris heirs and Joseph Yeoman, and it is perhaps the wealthiest portion of Newton county. "We found the citizens of the town to be wide awake and ener- getic, attending strictly to their interests. Among them we found J. M. Hufty, who is engaged in general merchandise ; John Brenner, drug store; S. B. Coen, grain and lumber; S. Royster, lumber; Mrs. Ashley, blacksmith ; George Hufty, boarding house ; Fred Nichols, general hardware ; Sayler & Yeoman, groceries and hardware. "Air. Alexander Lardner has built quite a fine business building, two stories high, twenty-five feet wide and seventy-five feet deep, which will be occupied next week as a general merchandise store room by Messrs. Willey & Sigler, of Rensselaer, and ^Ir. Wishard, of Mount Airy. It is a building that would be a credit to any town. There is also a steam grist mill, owned by J. M. Hufty, which has a capacity of about 100 bushels per day, and does good work The village has also th'e advantages of a good school, and the Methodist JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 345 Episcopal Church congregation contemplate building a fine church edifice in the near future. Viewing Mounty Airy from all the dif- ferent standpoints, we think it a desirable place for any person seeking a location to engage in business pursuits, and we predict for the town a bright and prosperous future. We have no hesitation in saying that it is our candid opinion that Mount Airy is destined to be the leading town in Newton County at no distant day. Building is now progressing rapidly, and the town has already assumed a position of no mean importance. "We found the construction train on the railway busily engaged in building a commodious side track at the station, which we pre- sume is completed ere now. The Chicago & Great Southern Rail- way Company has now forty miles of main track in successful operation between Oxford, in Benton County, and Fair Oaks, in Jasper County, and is doing a great deal to improve and develop as fine a country between those points as you could wish to see." One addition was made to the original town of Mount Ayr — Marion's addition, platted in July, 1884. The town of today is a village of about 300 people. Other Railroad Towns Two more towns were platted along the road when it was first built. They were both in Iroquois Township, almost midway between Goodland and Mount Ayr — Julian, laid out by Martha and J. B. Julian, in sections two and eleven, and Foresman, by J. B. Foresman, in section fourteen. Rose Lawn and Thayer, in the northeastern part of the county, on the Monon Railroad, were also laid out in 1882, although the line on which they were stations was completed four years pre- viously. Rose Lawn was laid out by Craig & Rose in January, 1882, and three additions were made to it during the following year: Long's, Guilford's and Goodwin's. In December, 1899, Keller, Craig & Company also platted an addition. Lake Village, in the Kankakee region of the north, Lake Town- ship, was the fifth town to be platted in Newton .County. It was laid out by Richard Malone in January, 1876, but little attempt was made to develop it until 1905, when the Chicago, Indiana & Southern Railroad was put through the western part of the county from Dan- ville, Illinois, to Indiana Harbor, Lake Michigan. In November of that year, the month before trains commenced to run over the line, Bryant's and Hess' additions were made to the original site ; in 346 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES March, 1906, A\'illiams' addition was platted and in March, 1908, that of John and Charles Hess. Also, on the same line of the New York Central System were platted the following : Ade, laid out by Warren T. McCray, in May, 1906; Enos, by R- &• L. Bartlett, in June, 1907, and Conrad, by Jennie M. Conrad, in December, 1908. ^^1-^^-i^n.^i^ ^i/i.ju2yiAMA^ John Makeever. True worth always commands respect and usually meets with a fuller reward in material prosperity. A con- spicuous example of this truth may be found in the career of the late John Makeever, who was born in Green County, Pennsylvania, December i, 1819, and died in Rensselaer, Jasper County, Indiana, January 3, 1910. He was a son of Patrick and Isabel (Sweeney) Makeever, and came of good stock on both sides of the family. The father, Patrick Makeever, was a native of County Donegal, Ireland, and the younger son of an Irish nobleman. As a younger son he had scant expectations of succeeding to the ancestral estate, and, accord- ingly, with the desire of bettering his prospects and making a home and name for himself, he came when a young man to America, cross- ing the ocean in a sailing vessel. He located first in Pennsylvania, where he married, subsequently, with his wife and family, removing to Morrow County, Ohio. From there he later moved to Jasper County, Indiana, to live with his children, and died here in 1856 at the remarkable age of one hundred and four years. John Makeever was one of ten children. He accompanied his parents to Morrow County, Ohio, when ten years old and was there reared to man's estate, his boyhood days being passed on the farm, after the manner of the boys of that pioneer period. Later he re- turned to Pennsylvania and in 1842 was there married to Mary Ann Sharp. Taking up his residence again in Morrow County, Ohio, he engaged in agriculture, and was thus occupied in that locality until 1845, "'' which year he came with his family to Jasper County, locating on government land which he entered three and one-half miles west of Rensselaer, in Newton Township. He cut the logs and built his cabin and there lived until 1856, afterwards erected a frame house, which was his residence until 1881. Prior to the latter date he had built the Makeever Hotel in Rensselaer, and in this he lived for the remainder of his life. A man of enter- prise and far-sighted, he became an extensive holder of Jasper County realty and was also largely engaged in the stock business. Together with his other activities, he also conducted a private bank, or, more properly, a private office, where he transacted banking in a small way. In 1883 he and his son-in-law, Jay W. Williams, estab- lished the Farmers Bank in Rensselaer, and this they conducted until 347 348 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 1899, when the banking business was discontinued owing to the faihng health of Mr. Williams. Mr. Makeever was a charter member of the Masonic fraternity at Rensselaer and in politics was a Jacksonian democrat. He began life's battle on his own re- sponsibility, with no material aid from friends or relations, and became wealthy through his own exertions by reason of indomitable energy and his splendid business foresight. From his seventeenth year he was one of the active leaders of the Alethodist Episcopal Church, whjch he served as trustee, class leader and Sunday School superintendent. He and his wife had three children : Almira, who resides in Rensselaer, the widow of William Sims Stockton, and the mother of three children : Clay and May, who died in infancy, and Jay W., who lives on the old Makeever homestead in Newton Town- ship, Jasj>er County ; Cordelia, the widow of Jay W. Williams, appropriate mention of whom is made in this work, her daughter Mary Jane being the wife of Charles H. Porter of Rensselaer; and John Napoleon, who died in infancy. Mr. Makeever's second marriage was with Mrs. Lewis Macy and was celebrated February 8, 1886. There were no children of this union. Mrs. Makeever first married Lewis Macy and was the mother of two sons : George Julian Macy, a resident of Columbus and an expert accountant, who married Miss Abbie Patterson ; and John Sherman Macy, a resident of Indianapolis, Indiana, and en- gaged in the wholesale millinery business, who married Miss Elma Sowerwine, and they have a daughter named Margaret. Mrs. John Makeever is a resident of Rensselaer, a noble woman of Christian charity, and honored and revered by all who know her. She is a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Rensselaer. William Sims Stockton. Alen of business acumen and busi- ness foresight are the levers of all commercialism, and the subject of this sketch, William Sims Stockton, was one of the men of Indiana who did not fall short in the scale of business ability. Mr. Stockton was a native of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, bom April 19, 1835, and died January 9, 1911. He received a good practical education, being first a student in the local schools and then at Wabash College. He was an agriculturist and stockman and then engaged in mercantile life and finally in the real estate btisiness in West Lafayette. Indiana. Politically he was a democrat and fraternally he was a Mason, being a member of the chapter at Lafayette. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Stockton v^'as a gentleman of pleasing personality and address and of strict business principles. He died in the City of Chicago. His first marriage was to Miss Nancy Whitsel and was cele- brated in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, October 13, 1859. She died July 26, 1866, and her remains are interred in the Hebron Cemetery in Tippecanoe County. Five children were born to this union, four sons and one daughter, only two of them now living: Edward, a WILLIAM SLMS STOCKTON JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 349 resident of Chicago and engaged in commercial life, received a good education and was a student at Purdue University ; Frank, a resi- dent of the State of Washington at Greenacre, where he has a fine fruit ranch, is married and has one daughter. Mr. Stockton married for his second wife Miss Almira Makeever on October 15, 1867. Three children, two sons and one daughter, were born, and the only one now living is the son, Jay William Makeever Stockton, a resident of Newton Township, Jasper County, an agriculturist, and living on the old Makeever homestead. He was educated in the common schools and took a business course in a com- mercial college at Lafayette. He married Miss Stella Perkins, and they have four living children : John Judson, in the seventh grade and taking a short course at Purdue University ; Stella Almira, also in the seventh grade; Julia Cordelia, in the fifth grade; and Jay Perkins, deceased ; and William Sims, the youngest. Jay Makeever Stockton is a democrat politically. Both he and his wife are mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Rensselaer, and his chil- dren are also identified with that church. He formerly served as steward on the ofiicial board. Mrs. Stockton is a native of Morrow County, Ohio, born Sep- tember 13, 1843, ^nd 's a daughter of the well known citizen John Makeever whose full review is given in this publication. She was only a child when she became a resident of Jasper County, and was educated in the schools of this county and is a graduate of the Methodist College' at Valparaiso, Indiana, with the class of 1864. She taught school in Marion, Ohio. She is a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Rensselaer and has been president, treasurer and secretary of the Ladies Foreign Missionary Society of the church and was delegate to the branch meeting of this organiza- tion, including representatives from four states, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin. Mrs. Stockton is a lady of pleasing per- sonality and address and comes from one of the old and stanch pioneer families of the county. Judge Charles W.vlker Hanley. As judge of the Thirtieth Judicial Circuit, comprising the counties of Jasper and Newton, Judge Hanley has for the past thirteen years given the people of this circuit the benefit of disinterested service, of long and thorough experience in public life, and a broad knowledge of men and affairs. He is a native son of Jasper County and is an able lawyer. Pos- sessed of scrupulous honesty and a fine sense of justice, his friends and practically all the people of his district unite in declaring him one of the most competent men who has ever sat on the Circuit Court bench in this district. Judge Hanley's family has been one of more than ordinary use- fulness and distinction in Jasper county since the decade of the 'Sos. His father, William Hanley, was born at Fort Wayne, Indi- ana, August 6, 1838, of Irish parentage. Grandfather Thomas 350 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Hanley was born in Limerick, Ireland, and there married Mary Hare. Thomas Hanley was a schoolmaster in the old country and also after coming to America. He and his wife came to this country by sailing vessel about the year 1826. William Hanley, who was the youngest of thirteen children, grew up in Fort Wayne, but was left motherless at the age of six years, and from that time until early manhood was reared under the care of an older sister. He received his primary education in the public and parochial schools, and this was supplemented by a course at some Catholic institution of higher learning. It was in the early '50s that William Hanley came to Jasper County, Indiana, and was first known to the people as a farm hand, one who commended himself by his industry and faithful- ness. After the discovery of gold in Colorado he joined an emi- grant train and went out to that territory, where he lived for some time and his name finds a place in early territorial annals. He was one of the first territorial delegates at the first territorial con- vention, representing the Boulder Camp. In that convention the delegates adopted the criminal laws of the State of Kansas and the civil laws of the State of Nebraska, by resolution, as the laws of Colorado Territory. After several years of this life in the far west William Hanley returned east and stopped in Iowa long enough to marry Elizabeth Peregrine, who was born December i, 1844, in Scott County, Indiana, and was the daughter of a Christian minister. From Iowa he brought his bride to Indiana, and during a brief residence at Lafayette was employed as clerk in a grocery store. He then came to Gillam Township in Jasper County, and became identified with farming. Not long after the outbreak of the Civil war he enlisted in the Union army as a private in the 38th Indiana Volunteer Infantry. With the expiration of his term of enlistment he returned to Jasper County, resumed farming in Gillam Township until 1888, and then moved to Kniman in Walker Township, which continued to be his home until his death on Febru- ary 25, 1908. His wife survived until July 21, 1913, her death occurring at Chicago. Of their five children four are now living. The late William Hanley was of Catholic parentage but severed his allegiance with the parent church and became identified with the Methodist Episcopal denomination. Some of the qualities of his character deserve mention as a part of his individual record and for the benefit of his descendants. He was a man much above the average in point of intellect and general information, and a great reader. He kept abreast of the times, and was not only well informed as to the current topics of the day but was somewhat of a philosophic student of events as well. Along with powers of keen observation he had the faculty of being able to describe in language what he saw and his discourse was of rare interest. He had the happy faculty of always being in good humor, and was generous to a fault, perhaps for this reason never having been JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 351 accounted among the wealthy men of Jasper County. He was well grounded in music and a great lover of harmony, and one of his great pleasures was in either playing or singing music. He enjoyed the highest esteem of his neighbors and commanded the respect of all who knew him. Two of his children are now living in Jasper County : Ella, the wife of Lester A. Sayers at Wheat- field ; and Charles W., of Rensselaer. Charles W. Hanley, whose career as a lawyer and judge has added to the worthy distinctions associated with the family name, was born in Jasper county July 5, 1865. His primary education came from the public schools of this county, and for one year he was a student in the State Normal School at Terre Haute. The first important vocation of his life was teaching school in Jasper County for four years. With the exception of two years spent in the West, his home has always been in Jasper County. Quite early in life he became interested in local politics, and in 1892 was the successful nominee of the republican party for the ofifice of county sheriff. He served two terms in that position and his service of four years gave him a strong hold upon popular con- fidence. In the meantime he had taken up the study of law prior to his election as sheriff, and continued his studies as opportunity offered and soon after the expiration of his second term of office he was admitted to the bar and began practice at Rensselaer in partnership with Judson J. Hunt. This was a partnership of mutual profit and advantage for six years. It was dissolved when Mr. Hanley was elected judge of the Thirtieth Judicial Circuit, comprising the counties of Jasper and Newton, in 1902. In igoB his re-election came without opposition, his name being the choice of all political parties. In 1914 he was re-elected for the third term. Beyond the practically unanimous verdict which has kept Judge Hanley in office for so many consecutive years there is no need for any detailed expressions of his qualifications and effici- ency for the judicial ofifice. Judge Hanley is affiliated with the Masonic Order Lodge No. 125 ; the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge No. 143 ; and the Knights of Pythias Castle Hall No. 82. His first wife was Josephine Farris, daughter of George W. Farris of Gillam Town- ship. After the death of Mrs. Hanley he was married in Septem- ber, 1893, to Hattie L. Hopkins, of Rensselaer. Judge Hanley has two sons : Cope J. and Emil W. Cope J. is a junior in the law course of the University of Colorado at Boulder City, Colo. He is a graduate of the Rensselaer High School. Emil W. is a freshman in Miami College at Oxford, Ohio, and he is also a graduate of the Rensselaer High School. Stewart C. Hammond and Joseph P. Hammond. One of the few remaining pioneers of Jasper County is Stewart C. Hammond of Rensselaer. His has been a life of quiet effectiveness, marked 352 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES by a record of many duties well done and many responsibilities faithfully fulfilled. He is one of the men who developed and made Jasper County what it is. While never in the conspicuous activities of abnormal events, in the round of commonplace accomplishment and in the faithful and intelligent performance of every task allotted to him during his long life, he has a record that may well be envied and admired by the present and future generations. Stewart C. Hammond was bom October 24, 1827. \\'hen a child his parents moved to Vermillion County, Indiana, and thence to Vermillion County, Illinois. They had hardly located in the latter county when an epidemic of milk sickness caused them to reload their ox wagons and return to Indiana. They remained at Monticello in White County for a time, and in 1837 moved to Jasper County, where they entered a tract of land from the Govern- ment located about five miles southeast of the present site of the City of Rensselaer in Marion Township. Theirs was one of the early log cabin homes to be erected and to stand as a mark of advancing civilization in this section. Following this came the heavy work of clearing and improving, and thenceforward to the present for a period of more than eight decades the name Hammond has been one of significance in Jasper County. When the family first located there the Indians had been only "officially" removed, and were in fact as numerous as the whites. If the country was not one that flowed with milk and honey, it did furnish many oppor- tunities for the simple livelihood of the pioneer, who could secure wild game in abundance and by his own ingenuity he fashioned nearly all the simple furniture and conveniences necessary for living. On that old homestead in Marion Township Stewart C. Ham- mond grew to manhood. His education came less from books than from practical contact with the woods and prairies and he became an expert in all the arts required for existence in the early days. On December 13, 1856, he married Rebecca Pillars. About that time they moved to a place about three miles southwest of Rens- selaer, and he subsequently bought the land and developed it as a homestead farm, which he occupied until 1891. Mr. Hammond then removed to Rensselaer and has since lived quietly retired. His wife died November i, 1899. Their seven children are men- tioned briefly as follows : William ; Emma, Mrs. Marion I. Adams ; Joseph P. ; Rose, Mrs. Clarence V. Harold ; May, now deceased, who was the wife of Daniel Waymire ; Charles G. ; and Bertha, Mrs. Clinton Brown. Stewart C. Hammond has thus lived nearly all his life in Jasper County. His occupation has been that of a farmer. No unusual events have occurred in his career, but he bore his part in the period that brought Jasper County from its primitive condition to one of high civilization. He has been a witness and factor in the many events which are recorded in the progress of this community JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 353 since its first settlement. When he was in young manhood the cradle was considered a great improvement over the old primitive sickle, and then later in his experience came the reaper, and that was finally replaced by the modern harvesting machine. He was doing the work of a man before the first railroad came to this part of Indiana, and the dirt highways furnished the only means of transportation with wagons drawn by oxen or horses. The swamps under his vision have been reclaimed and converted into productive farms and happy homes. His life in its personal features has been a clean one, and the niche allotted unto him has been creditably filled. The satisfaction of having lived a well spent life, of having lived to the best of his ability, and of having practiced the precepts of the Golden Rule, of having the confidence and esteem of his fellowmen, are his in a retrospective view at life's evening. He is a member of the Free Will Baptist Church. While a strong repub- lican in politics, he has never sought nor wanted public ofiice. Of his children special mention is given in this article to Joseph P. Hammond, who has for many years been a factor in Jasper County life and is now giving conscientious and efficient service as county auditor. Joseph P. Hammond was born on the old homestead in Jasper County June 2, 1863. His primary education came from the public schools, and he also had the advantage of a course of training in the Eastman Business College at Poughkeepsie, New York. Many people who recall his earlier activities know him best as a teacher. For twelve years he was engaged in educational work in Jasper County, and of that period three years were spent at Fair Oaks and three years at DeMotte. In 1897 Mr. Hammond was elected county truant officer, and in connection with the duties of that posi- tion handled an insurance business at Rensselaer. In 1900 he moved to Wheatfield to become cashier of the Bank of Wheatfield, in which office he continued until 1908. He then went to Reming- ton as vice president of the First National Bank and remained until the affairs of the institution were liquidated. Returning to Rens- selaer, Mr. Hammond was assistant cashier of the First National Bank of the county seat until January i, 1912. At that date he assumed the duties of county auditor, to which office he had been elected in the fall of 1910. He was re-elected auditor in 1914, and is now in the fourth year of his service in that important public position. Mr. Hammond is a republican, a member of the Masonic Order, Prairie Lodge, No. 125, and the Knights of Pythias, Castle Hall, No. 82. He was a charter member of the Wheatfield Lodge. He belongs to the Methodist Church. On June 20, 1892, he married Miss Elizabeth Stackhouse. She died in 1900, and of her three children one died in infancy and the other two are Herbert C. and Bernice, both graduates of the Rensselaer High School. Herbert is associated with his father in the office and will be deputy auditor. 354 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Bernice wedded Leo L. Calvert, a resident of Joliet, Illinois, and one of the Public Service Company. On January 28, 1902, Mr. Hammond married Marie Jensen. By this union there is one son, Maurice. James N. Le.\therman. A resident of Jasper County for more than a quarter of a century, Mr. Leatherman has been engaged in some form of useful service all this time, and was for eight years county auditor. He is now one of the county's most popular bankers, and his broad experience as a county official and his large acquaintance with the people of Jasper County have done much to increase his efficiency and value as cashier of the First National Bank of Rensselaer. James N. Leatherman is a native of White County, Indiana, where he was born December i, 1862. His birthplace was Prince- ton Township of that county. James and Elizabeth (Hollenback) Leatherman, his parents, were natives of West Virginia and came to White County in the fall of 1850, being among the early settlers. About 1893 they removed to Rensselaer, where the father died in March, 1912, and the mother in 1898. Seven of their eleven chil- dren are still living. James N. Leatherman was reared and educated in White County, and a number of his youthful years were spent as a teacher. That calling he pursued principally in the winter months, and spent the summer seasons in farming. On November 18, 1888, he married Miss Juliaetta Randle. In September, 1889, about a year after his marriage, he removed to Jasper County, and in this county con- tinued his work as an educator and was also employed in the county surveyor's office. From 1893 to 1904 he was in the grain office now managed by the firm of Babcock & Hopkins. Mr. Leatherman has always been a citizen of public spirit and has taken much interest in local aff'airs, and in 1902 was elected county auditor of Jasper County, assuming the duties of that office in 1904. By reelection he served eight years all told. Following his retirement from the office he spent one year as assistant cashier and in 1913 was elected cashier of the First National Bank of Rensselaer. Mr. Leatherman is a republican and is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias, Castle Hall, No. 82, at Rensselaer and he and his wife are both church members. Their two children are : Bethel, de- ceased ; and Helen. Alex.^nder J. Kent. Those individuals who gave their energy, skill, ambitious vigor, enthusiasm, faith and means, to the building up of a community are benefactors of humanity, and their names cannot be held in too high esteem. In every undertaking there must be a logical beginning, and the man who lays the foundation for what afterwards may become a flourishing city must have the cour- ^- anji'j^Cs^slSrrJiS'S X^ S^manyCssipMl anrJisrs K T ".£ ruji Lu JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 355 age of his convictions and unlimited confidence in the future of the location which he selects as the scene of his endeavors. Few towns in Indiana have their names more worthily bestowed as a permanent tribute to their founders than Kentland. The credit for its estab- lishment belongs to the late Alexander J. Kent, and it was through his planning, liberality and public spirited labors that this has become not only one of the flourishing towns of Northwest Indiana, but it was also due to his leadership in a large degree that community around it prospered and successively endured the many trials and privations which are inseparable from the settlement and develop- ment of a wild and new country. It is a part of the history of Newton County as well as an appro- priate tribute to the career of the founder of Kentland that some concise account should be contained in this publication of his life. He was born August 30, 181 5, in Oneida County, New York, and died at his home in the suburbs of Kentland May 7, 1882. Be- tween those dates he accomplished a great deal more than the man of average abilities can expect to achieve. He belonged to an old New England family. His parents Carroll C. and Phoebe (Dimock) Kent, both natives of Connecticut, were born in the same year, same month and same day, October 17, 1777, while the war for inde- pendence was being waged against the mother country- by the American colonies. Phoebe Dimock was a daughter of Colonel Dimock who attained that rank in the English army. One of the battles of the Revolution made familiar to every American schoolboy was that fought at Oriskany, New York, in which the American leader, the gallant General Herkimer, defeated the nine tribes of Indians. The scene of the battle was land owned by Carroll C. Kent, and afterwards owned by Alexander J. Kent. Carroll C. Kent died at Whitesboro, New York, at the age of eighty-three, while his wife passed away August 21, 1827, aged fifty. While Alexander J. Kent came of a very substantial family according to the standards of wealth in that time, he built his for- tune largely throvigh his individual talents and wisely directed labors. He had only a common school education, such as nearly all the boys of his generation received. He lived in New York State for a number of years and was first drawn to the West after the discovery of gold in California. In 1849 he equipped a party of five men and furnished them with transportation to Sacramento, California. Not long afterwards he went out himself to the Pacific Coast, and in 185 1 became head of the firm of Kent, Fowler & Com- pany at Sacramento. They had a flourishing wholesale grocery business in the California capital, and in spite of the destruction of their plant by fire, they quickly re-established themselves and carried on business even more extensively than before. The part- ners after selling their mercantile enterprise bought a vessel and went into the importing business between San Francisco and China. It is worthy to be recalled that their vessel, the Anna Welsh, on 356 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES its first trip brought to America the first colony of Chinese. After three very profitable voyages the partners sold the vessel, and Mr. Kent then returned to New York. In the meantime his brother, the late P. M. Kent, had become extensively interested in Indiana and soon induced Alexander to invest in some of the wild land then hardly settled at all in North- western Indiana. During 1853-54 Alexander J. Kent traveled all over the undeveloped sections of Northwestern Indiana, and began the investment which eventually gave him control of more than 25,- 000 acres. In 1855 he engaged in the wholesale grocery trade at New Albany, Indiana, with his brother Bela C. Kent, and in those early days conducted one of the largest establishments of its kind in the state. It was in 1859 that he moved his family from New Albany to what is now Newton County. He owned large tracts of the best land in this county, and did much to encourage settlement and de- velopment. Many pioneers came to the county about that time, bought farms around Kentland and proceeded to undertake the heavy task of development. There were not wanting many cases in which honest industry met with discouragement and misfor- tune. It is said that but for the liberality of Mr. Kent many farmers who later became prosperous would have given up their farms and left the county. He was always patient and considerate in awaiting the settlement of his just claims, and it is doubtful if there was ever a case of deserving need which he did not satisfy. He contributed of his time and means to all deserving people and worthy enterprises. He not only granted liberal extensions of time to his debtors, but went even further with an unostentatious liberality and charity to those who needed money, food or cloth- ing. It is said that he had from $50 to $300 invested in every church in Washington Township. He gave liberally when call came in times of famine from other communities and states. He sent hundreds of bushels of corn out to the suffering people of Kansas during the early '60s, and contributed liberally to the donation taken up for the Nebraska pioneers whose crops were devastated by the grasshopper plague. What he did during the Civil war in his own community should not pass without notice. The outbreak of the war brought distress upon many households, and many who gladly volunteered to serve the cause of the Union had to leave their families almost unprovided. It is related that on one occa- sion when a company, made up of his neighbors and neighbors' boys, were about to leave for the South and were marching to the depot, Mr. Kent came on the scene and directed the captain to give the order to "open rank." The order was obeyed, Mr, Kent passed through from one end of the company to the other and gave to each man a $5 bill. Seldom was a gift more appropriate and timely, since a number of those volunteers had left their families practically in trust to the community. Those who remember this splendid old citizen recall his more JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 357 intimate characteristics. He was always busy, and industry was the keystone of his entire career. It is seldom that he appeared on the street except when called there by urgent business. He was conservative in temper and opinion, and while he exacted so much from himself he was none the less liberal in his sympathy for distress and his tolerance of the good and bad in others. In politics he was one of the pioneer democrats of Newton County. His first wife was Mary Anna Chesebrough, who died Novem- ber 26, 1856. In 1857 at Whitesboro, New York, he married Miss Rosamond C. Chesebrough. Her parents were Noyes P. and Clara (Moore) Chesebrough, her mother being a niece of the poet, Tom Moore. Mrs. Kent survived her husband several years and passed away December 24, 1886. Both are laid to rest in the Kentland cemetery. John Alexander Kent. A life marked by splendid purpose, forceful energy, and an integrity of character which has been synonymous with the name during its long and honorable identifi- cation with Newton County, was that of the late John Alexander Kent. Mr. Kent was a son of Alexander J. and Rosamond C. Kent, who established their home in Kentland in 1859. The career of Alexander J. Kent, which figures so largely in the history of these counties, has been sketched on other pages. John Alexander Kent was born at New Albany, Indiana, October 17, 1858, and was therefore an infant when brought to Kentland. He grew up in that community, gained his education in the local schools, and from an early age began to share the responsibilities of his father's business, especially in looking after the extensive farm and cattle interests of his honored father. In 1878 at the age of twenty he was given charge of the book- keeping in his father's business. Later he took the management of the large cattle industry of the Kent family and in the early days he accompanied and sold many trainloads of stock in New York. From early years he manifested a soberness and seriousness under responsibilities that made him universally trusted. With his father's death in 1882 he took charge of and settled up the estate, the largest ever probated in Newton County. Thereafter he man- aged the business afifairs for his mother and other members of the family until his mother died in 1886. With the division of the estate John A. Kent acquired a 10,000- acre ranch in Newton and Jasper counties and 400 acres of land near Kentland. From that time forward he was actively identified with the livestock business, employing Mr. A. D. Washburn as manager, until his death which occurred at Phoenix, Arizona, Feb- ruary 12, 1897. Thus his career came to an untimely close before he was forty years of age. Mr. Kent should be remembered because of his great executive 358 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES ability, his dynamic energy and his able leadership in all affairs which required power and judgment of a vigorous self-sustaining manhood. Needless to say he possessed a prompt decision, and though a man of inmost courtesy and kindliness of heart and man- ner was exceedingly forceful in all he undertook. All in all he was one of Newton County's foremost business men and citizens. Carroll Carey Kent, a son of the late Alexander James Kent, founder of Kentland, and Rosamond (Chesebrough) Kent, was bom in Newton County June 23, 1864. He is named for his paternal grandfather, reference to whom as well as to his honored father, Alexander J. Kent, is made on other pages. Mr. C. C. Kent was educated in the Kentland public schools and in the preparatory school of Shobinger and Grant in Chicago, where he finished in 1882. On the death of his father on May 7, 1882, he returned to Kentland, and soon afterwards took charge with his brother, John Alexander, of the large landed interests of the family in Newton County. Mr. Kent has never married, but has none the less been closely identified with the business and civic life of his home town, and is well known in business circles in many of the larger cities of the country. He has never aspired to political office, though for one term he was president of the board of education. Politically he is an independent democrat. He has filled chairs in both the Masonic and Knights of Pythias lodges in Kentland, and is a member of the Chicago Athletic Club and of the Lambs Club of New York. Mr. Kent regards with much satisfaction the development of athletics and outdoor recreation as an important feature of American life, and he himself participates in these sports, his favorites being fish- ing, hunting and golf. In a business way much of his time and attention for a number of years have been taken up in the management of the landed interests, most of which were left in the estate of his father, Alex- ander J. Kent. He is also a member of the mercantile firm of J. W. Ryan & Company and is president of the Kent State Bank. This institution was founded in 1910, and is housed in one of the handsomest bank buildings in the State of Indiana. It is a solid and prosperous institution, and has made rapid progress under the management of Mr. Kent. In fact he has used his influence and means in many ways for the upbuilding of Kentland. He has contributed to every worthy charity, and public enterprises with- out number might associate his name with substantial gifts and influence in the course of their progress. George B. Parkison. Elsewhere in these pages will be found a number of references to members of the Parkison family, who have been identified with Jasper County since its early settlement. The pioneer of the family was John G. Parkison, whose grandson JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 359 is George B. Parkison, who for many years has been closely identi- fied with the agricultural interests of Marion Township. The latter's father was the late William K. Parkison. The lives of these two old settlers and the story of their accomplishments are told on other pages. Few of the first residents of Jasper County have a more intimate knowledge based on practical experience with the successive changes in agricultural industry that have occurred in Jasper County during the last fifty years than George B. Parkison. He was born on his father's homestead in Barkley Township in Jasper County May 5, 1850. As a boy he had his first experience in farm management in directing the course of a single shovel corn cultivator across the fields of his father's farm. From that instrument he graduated to the double-shovel plow, and later to the two horse single row culti- vator. Similarly he handled those primitive implements of the harvest field, the old fashioned cradle and scythe and has since introduced into his harvest field at successive periods some of the earlier types of the mowing and reaping machines, and still later the powerful and efficient self-binders, and the various other equip- ments which have lightened the labors of the farm. While farm- ing as conducted thirty or forty years ago meant almost constant toil not only in the fields of growing crops but also in the necessary work of improvement, Mr. Parkison as a young man enjoyed an average amount of the recreations which the young people had in those days, chiefly in hunting, fishing and other sports. The train- ing which comes from books and schools was not held in such high regard during his youth as it is in modern times, and perhaps was not so important a requisite in preparation for the stern duties to which boys were called when they reached manhood. However, Mr. Parkison attended the old district schools with more or less regularity, and when his services were required at home as his years and strength increased he gave his school attendance only the brief winter terms. Mr. Parkison lived at home and was in partnership with his father in farming and stock raising until the latter's death. In the meantime, on August 13, 1879, he married Miss Ida A. Gwin, who died June 18, 1898. By their marriage there were three children, Clifford A., Mary Belle, now Mrs. James Monroe Yeoman, and one that died unnamed. On April 4, 1900, Mr. Parkison married Elizabeth Shook, who was born in Jasper County May 11, 1876, the seventh in a family of eight children, three sons and five daughters of William and Margaret J. (Dalton) Shook. All of the children are living, and reside principally in Indiana. Mr. Shook was born in Virginia, was an agriculturist, and was a staunch democrat in his political affiliations. Mrs. Shook was bom in Jasper County, and both are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Parkison are the parents of one son, Allen H. Farming and stockraising has been his vocation since early man- 360 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES hood. Prior to his father's death considerable attention was paid to the raising of thoroughbred Shorthorn cattle, but of late years Mr. Parkison has followed general diversified farming. He has one of the fine farms of Marion Township, comprising 285 acres, with an attractive home and all the facilities and conveniences that make country life comfortable. He is a republican in politics, though never a seeker for public office. Fraternally he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and has been affiliated with that order for more than twenty-five years. Sampson Ravenscroft. Few people have continuously witnessed and participated in the development and change that have occurred in Carpenter Township during the past six decades. It is the distinction of Sampson Ravenscroft and of his venerable mother, now a nonogenarian, to have lived on one farm, only a few miles from the Village of Remington, ever since the fall of 1855. Sampson Ravenscroft at that time was only a child, but he has a keen recollection of many items in the pioneer experience and has himself done not a little toward the breaking up of wild virgin soil, the felling of timber, the clearing up of ground and planting it for the first time in grain and making it over to the uses and benefits of civilization. His father was the late Edward Ravenscroft, a son of John Ravenscroft, who was of German descent. Edward was bom in Virginia, November 25, 181 1, and for a number of years lived in Hampshire County in that part of old Virginia subsequently detached and made into the new state of West Virginia. From Hampshire County he brought his little family in the fall of 1855 out to Carpenter Township, Section 17, Range 6, West, and located on the very farm where his son Sampson and his venerable widow now reside. Edward Ravenscroft was a farmer nearly all his life, voted the republican ticket after the organization of that party, but aside from casting his ballot as intelligently as possible took no part in politics. He and his wife were members of the United Brethren Church. Edward Ravenscroft died May 26, 1900, when well upwards of ninety years of age, and was laid to rest in the Reming- ton Cemetery. On August II, 1842, in Hampshire County, Virginia, Edward Ravenscroft and Sarah Flick were united in marriage. She is also of part German descent, and a daughter of Henry and Nancy (Spencer) Flick. To their union were born eight children: Mary J. married J. F. Irwin, and they live in Rensselaer ; David married Sophia Cross, and they live in Gray, Oklahoma ; Sampson was the third in order of birth; Sarah A. is the wife of J. F. Rank, and living in Chicago; Nancy C. married A. M. Horner, and they live at Kingman, Kansas ; Henry K. lives in Bentonville, Arkansas, and married Hattie Cross ; Jasper B. is now deceased ; Isabella M. is the wife of G. L. Parks and lives in Milroy Township. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 361 There is no person now living in Carpenter Township who surpasses in length of years Mrs. Edward Ravenscroft, who was born April 27, 1822, and is now in her ninety-fourth year. James Monroe was President of the United States when she was bom, and in the span of her life the American frontier has been extended from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Coast, and all the great inventions and improvements which have transformed the world have taken place. Sampson Ravenscroft, who still occupies the old farm and lives with his mother, in deference to whose wishes he has never married, was born in Hampshire County, Virginia, December 5, 1848. Farming has been his chosen vocation, and he has been known as an upright, industrious and capable citizen, as a boy he remembers the old time wagons with their linchpin and recalls the introduction of practically every improved device for cultivating the land and harvesting the crops, from the cradle and the wooden moldboard plow down to the modern self-binder and the gasoline tractor. He and his mother have a fine farm of eighty acres situated 2j^ miles northeast of Remington. When they came to this com- munity sixty years ago there was only one close neighbor, a Mr. Kennard and family. Mr. Ravenscroft is a republican, but never sought office, and has no membership in secret orders or church. Lewis S. Alter. By his character and achievement this well known citizen of Jasper County has upheld and advanced the prestige of a family name that has been significantly prominent and influential in connection with civic and industrial development and progress in this favored section of Indiana, and that has been worthily linked with American annals since the Colonial era of our national history. He whose name initiates this paragraph resides on the old homestead farm which was the place of his birth, in Section 21, Range 7 West, Carpenter Township, Jasper County, and he not only owns and gives supervision to one of the valuable landed estates of his native county, but has also held for many years distinct precedence as one of the representative surveyors and civil engineers of Northern Indiana, his services in his profession having extended greatly beyond the limitations of his native county. Both as an honored and influential citizen and as a scion of one of the sterling pioneer families of Jasper County is he specially entitled to recognition in this publication, and it may further be said that he has shown deep interest in his family genealogy, has devoted much time and attention to tracing and recording interesting ancestral data, and is at the present time historian of the Alter family organization, the annual reunions of which have become occasions of more than ordinary historic interest. Mr. Altar has at the present time the distinction of being the oldest native-born resident of Carpenter Township. He was born on the 22d of June, 185 1, and is a son of John and Mary Ann (Chamberlin) Alter. 362 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES The original American projenitors of the Alter family came from Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, and they were George Heinrich Alter, who was bom in or near Hesse-Darmstadt, and his two sons, Johan Jacob and George Friedrich. George Heinrich Alter was born about the year 1720, as nearly as can be determined by records extant, and in 1753 he came with his two sons to America, the voyage hav- ing been initiated when they embarked at Rotterdam, Holland, on the sailing vessel that bore the name of "Beulah," and that was commanded by Captain Rickey. On page 380 of Volume XHI, Pennsylvania Archives, it is recorded that Johan Jacob and George Friedrich Alter were qualified as citizens, at Philadelphia, September 10, 1753. Johan Jacob Alter took the oath of allegiance at Euphrata, as of Cocallico Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in 1788, as shown on page 46 of the same volume of the Pennsylvania Archives; and in Volume X, page 414, Second Series of the Penn- sylvania Archives, it is shown that he was enrolled in the Army of the Revolution, in the Second Battalion, Pennsylvania Line, United States Infantry. Johan Jacob Alter seems to have eliminated his first personal name and the greater part of the official records per- taining to him designate him simply as Jacob Alter. From the report of the committee on history of the Alter family presented at the family reunion of 1900, and subsequently issued in pamphlet form, are taken the following pertinent statements : "In the Third Series of the Pennsylvania Archives, Volume II, page 608, in the list of 'Soldiers Entitled to Donation Lands,' for military services, we find 'Jacob Alter, private Second Infantry, 200 acres.' We have not been able to find any record at Harrisburg showing that this land was ever taken, and we may assume that our ancestor did not care to be compensated for serving his country." Between the years 1760 and 1767 Jacob Alter married Margaret Landis, daughter of Henry and Veronica (Graafe) Landis, and of the ten children of this union John, the second in order of birth, was the grandfather of him whose name initiates this article. John Alter was born September 13, 1771, and he married Helenor Sheets. Concerning the children of Jacob and Margaret (Landis) Alter the following authentic data are entitled to preservation in this connection: Veronica, born October 9, 1769, married Lawrence La Fever; John, born September 13, 1771, married Helenor Sheets; Jacob, born January i, 1773, married Elizabeth Foutz ; David, born February 7, 1775, married Elizabeth Mell; Esther, born February 28, 1777, married Michael Baer; Samuel, b&rn March 17, 1779, died young; Susanna, born October 30, 1780, married Joseph Ritner; Henry, born October 25, 1784, married Maria Elizabeth Reinhard ; Abraham, bom March 13, 1787, died unmarried; and Margaret, born March 23, 1790, became the wife of a Mr. McCullough. Margaret (Landis) Alter, mother of the above named children, was a daughter of Henry and Veronica (Graafe) Landis. Henry Landis was a son of Benjamin Landis, who came from Switzerland JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 363 and settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, prior to the year 1720, and who took up 800 acres of land; he was a preacher of the Mennonite denomination. The wife of Henry Landis was a daughter of Hans Graafe, who came from Switzerland in 1696, first locating in Philadelphia, and eventually becoming an extensive landholder and influential citizen of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Jacob Alter disposed of his holding in Lancaster County, Penn- sylvania, in 1779, when he removed with his family to Cumberland County, where he established a mill and acquired large tracts of land, a portion of which is still in the possession of his descendants. Within the first decade of the nineteenth century Jacob Alter removed to Washington County, where he purchased property and where he died prior to August, 1815. He represented Cumberland County in seven consecutive sessions of the Pennsylvania Legisla- ture, 1799-1805. It may be noted that his son-in-law, Joseph Ritner, was elected governor of Pennsylvania in 1835, and served until 1839. His name, it has been said, "will be classed by Pennsylvania among the noblest on her long list, for his well-timed and determined sup- port of the free school." In his annual message of 1836 he discussed the slavery question in a manner that caused the poet Whittier to write a stirring lyric of appreciation and addressed to Governor Ritner. John Alter, Jr., son of John, who was a son of Jacob mentioned in the foregoing paragraphs, was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, on the ist of July, 1801. He was reared and edu- cated in the old Keystone State, where he continued his residence until 1836, when he came to Indiana and numbered himself among the pioneer settlers of Greenfield Township, Hancock County. He and his family removed to Howard County about 1840, and he himself, with the other members of his family, settled in Carpenter Township, Jasper County, in 1858. But his two sons, John and David, came to Jasper County in 1846, and they were the first to settle on the Grand Prairie and at some distance from the timbered sections of the county. John Alter (II) first married Miss Charity Van Ausdall, and they became the parents of eight children, concerning whom the following brief data are available : Helen M. was the first ordained female minister of the Methodist Protestant Church in the United States, and continued her active service as a minister for nearly thirty years prior to her death ; John W., Isaac V. and David are deceased ; Mrs. Esther Smith is a resident of the State of Colorado ; and Hannah, Jacob and Benjamin are deceased. After the death of his first wife John Alter (II) wedded Lucinda J. Black, daughter of Samuel Black of Howard County, and they became the parents of two children, Isabel J., who is now deceased, and Nancy J., who died in infancy. The second wife did not survive many years, and on the 4th of January, 1749, John Alter was united in marriage to Miss Mary Ann Chamberlin, daughter of Joseph 364 JASPER AND NEWTOxN COUNTIES and Margaret Chamberlin, of Tippecanoe County, her father having been the first hotel-keeper at Bradford, now the City of Monon, White County. Of the eight children of this marriage the first- born, Joseph L., died in infancy; Lewis S. is the immediate subject of this review; Catherine L., Margaret L. and Martha D. are deceased ; James L. is a member of the family circle of his brother Lewis S. ; Lacy E. is a resident of the City of Boise, Idaho ; and Mrs. Mary C. Tolles maintains her home at Lansing, the capital of the State of Michigan. John Alter (II) was a man of strong and vigorous mentality and his life was ordered upon the highest plane of integrity and honor. He had served zealously as a preacher of the Alethodist Protestant Church, was an implacable adversary of the liquor traffic, and in the climacteric period leading up to the Civil war he was an ardent abolitionist. This honored pioneer of Jasper County died on his old homestead farm, in Carpenter Township, on the 15th of October, 1876, and his mortal remains rest in the old family graveyard, on the homestead place. It may consistently be noted that his brother. Dr. David Alter, with the assistance of his niece. Miss Helenor Alter, invented and placed in operation successfully, in Greenfield, Hancock County, Indiana, in 1837, an electric tele- graph system, this being six years before Morse obtained his patent for similar instruments. At a later date Doctor Alter made import- ant discoveries in spectral analysis, and he published a treatise on the same, though Professor Wykhofif. of Germany, received credit for the discoveries, notwithstanding that his experiments and research were made several years later. Dr. Simon Alter, a younger brother, became a prominent physician and representative citizen of Rensselaer, Indiana. Prior to her marriage Mrs. Mary Ann (Chamberlin) Alter, a woman of most gracious personality and of excellent intellectual attainments, had the distinction of being the teacher of the first school established south of Renssalaer in Jasper County. This was a subscription school and its dignified sessions were held in a primi- tive log house about three miles northeast of the present \^illage of Remington, in the year 1848. The first definite school house erected for the purpose south of Rensselaer was a log building situated at the crossroads in Section 13, Range 7 West, Carpenter Town- ship, where Moses Sigo now has his substantial farm residence. In 1858, 1859 and i860 ]\Irs. Mary Ann Alter taught school in her own home, and in the summer of i860 she presided over the classes in a public school maintained for two months in the bam on the Alter farm. Her death occurred March 22, 1889, and her remains rest beside those of her husband in the old family cemetery in Carpenter Township. It was the privilege of Lewis S. Alter to be reared in a home of distinctive intellectual atmosphere and marked refinement, and in addition to profiting duly from the lessons received at the hands JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 365 of his devoted mother he availed himself fully of the advantages of the schools of his native county, besides which his studies in higher and technical lines gave him his ultimate facility and prestige as a surveyor and civil engineer, the work of his profession having re- ceived his attention for fully thirty-five years. He served six years as county surveyor of Jasper County; for four years he had virtual charge of the office of county surveyor of St. Joseph County, in the City of South Bend, vi'here he served simultaneously as assistant city engineer ; and for three years he held, under the administration of Edward Hamilton and the latter's son, John J., a similar position in the office of the county surveyor of Newton County, besides which he has been retained as an authority and expert in practical engineer- ing in several other Indiana counties, his work having thus covered a Targe field and much of it having been of important order. In 1882 Mr. Alter was the dominating figure in effecting the organization of the Indiana Engineering Society, whose membership comprises the various county surveyors and other civil engineers of the state, and this has the distinction of being one of the oldest and most vigorous in the United States. He was elected the first vice president of the society and thereafter served several years as its secretary. He is now a retired honorary member of this organization. Mr. Alter is historian of the Alter family, and is at the present time engaged in compiling a comprehensive and authoritative genealogical record of the various branches of the family. He has been a close and appreciative student from his early years to the present time, and his private library is the largest and most select to be found in Carpenter Township. It may be noted that his cousin, Hon. George E. Alter, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is serv- ing as speaker of the House of Representatives of the Pennsylvania Legislature in 19 15 and that his name is being prominently brought forward in connection with the republican nomination for governor of the old Keystone State. John E. Alter, a nephew of the subject of this review, is possessed of much literary ability and is the author of several volumes, written under the nom de plume of "Bill Bat." For seven years prior to engaging in the work of his profession as a civil engineer Mr. Alter was a successful and popular teacher in the public schools, having taught one year in the State of Iowa, and the remaining six years in the district schools of his native county. He has been in the most significant sense the artificer of his own fortune, for he received by inheritance from the family estate only $125. He is now the owner of a valuable landed estate of 280 acres in Jasper County, and this includes the old homestead of eighty acres which his father purchased from the Government at the rate of $1.25 an acre and which constitutes his present place of residence, on Rural Mail Route No. i, from the Village of Good- land. The present stone house occupied by him was completed in 1861, and was the first stone dwelling erected in the county. It is known for its hospitality. As a citizen Mr. Alter has been insist- 366 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES ently progressive and public-spirited, and his co-operation has been given in support of measures and enterprises advanced for the gen- eral good of the community, his political allegiance being given to the republican party. He has long been an influential and zealous member of the Mount Hope Church, Methodist Protestant, of which he is a trustee, and his devoted wife likewise was an earnest member of the same for many years prior to her death, which occurred June 21, 1913, the mortal remains of this gentle and loved woman being interred in the family- cemetery of which mention has been made in preceding paragraphs. Mr. Alter is affiliated with both the lodge and encampment bodies of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Remington, and has passed the various official chairs in the same. On the 17th of February, 1879, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Alter to Miss Sarah Ellen Nash, a daughter of James and Minerva J. (Keesling) Nash, of Gillam Township, Jasper County. Of the ten children of this union all survive the devoted mother with the exception of the ninth child, Jesse. The names of the others are here entered in resj>ective order of birth : John J., Mary B., Charles B., Minnie D., Christmas E., Lewis F., Myrtle E., Lacy H., and Lester D. Mary B. is the wife of Robert H. Stanley, and they reside at LaCrosse, LaPorte County; Lewis F., who resides in the vicinity of Burge, Nebraska; Minnie D. is a trained nurse by profession and resides in the City of LaFayette, Indiana. Mr. Alter wedded for his second wife Mrs. Cynthia A. (Musgrove) Price, February 17, 1916. She is a native of Howard County, Indiana. Her first marriage was with Mr. E. Price, and two living children, both daughters, were born. The eldest is I\Iarie, the wife of Walter Baugher, of Kokomo, Indiana, a plumber. They have one son, Ray- mond. Dorothy resides with her mother. J\Irs. Alter is a member of the Holiness Church. William Darroch. As a mark of their appreciation for his services as supervising editor for Newton County in the prepara- tion of this publication, the publishers desire to present, among many other sketches, the following outline of the career of William Darroch, who has been identified with local citizenship the greater part of his life and whose place and standing in the community are too well known to require comment. He was bom December 31, 1848, at Rockville, Parke County, Indiana, a son of John Darroch and a grandson of Daniel Darroch. His grandfather came from North Carolina and his ancestors were from the North of Scotland. John Darroch, who was born at Paola, Orange County, Indiana, in 1820, located in Newton County in 185 1. Though a graduate of the Indiana Law School at Bloom- ington, he spent his active career as a farmer and stockman. He became the father of nineteen children, sixteen of whom grew to maturity and twelve of whom are still living. These were by two wives, six by the first and thirteen by the second. William Darroch's ^H H 1 11 ■1 ^H r^^ fl ^H "^■^1 1 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 367 mother was Caroline Puett, of Rockville, Indiana, and a daughter of Austin M. Puett, a pioneer from North Carolina. William Darroch grew up on his father's farm in Newton County, and received a thorough practical training in the industry of cattle raising. He was too young for service in the Civil war, though two of his older brothers went into the Union army, and their absence from home threw upon his young shoulders at the age of fourteen the duties and responsibilities of a grown man. Many years later when the country fought its next war with Spain, Mr. Darroch was too old for service. From 1871 to 1874 Mr. Darroch was a student in old Asbury, now DePauw University at Greencastle, Indiana, and was graduated with the class of 1874 Bachelor of Science. In connection with other studies he took the law course, and his career ever since he began practice in the spring of 1875 has been primarily devoted to this great profession. How- ever, he followed the business to which he was trained as a boy, that of a cattle raiser, in connection with farming interests, until 1892. The distinctive feature of Mr. Darroch's career as a lawyer has been its uninterrupted activity for a period of more than forty years. He has the record of not having missed a single term of court in Newton County since he started practice, and of having pioneered the work of all public improvement in the county authorized by statute. He has been engaged in many important cases, and of special note was his work from 1887 to 1889 in securing, through an act of the Indiana Legislature, the title to about 16,000 acres of land in Newton County, known as the bed of Beaver Lake. This litigation involved some very interesting history on the subject of land titles. He has also been fairly successful in a business way, though this success has been more of an incident to than a purpose of his life. He now owns three good farms, comprising 634 acres, has been a director in the Discount and Deposit State Bank since its organiza- tion in 1908, and is a director of the Newton County Stone Company, having become interested in 191 3 in the development of its stone quarry near Kentland, which has already become a successful insti- tution and has furnished some fine road material for public high- ways and is contributing to the development of Newton County, already noted for its excellent highways. The only public office to which Mr. Darroch was ever elected was that of township trustee of Beaver Township. He held that office two successive terms. It was a case where the voters laid aside their politics for the purpose of having the affairs of the township, which had become embarrassed, rendered financially sound. It required four years to accomplish this. At the outset of his term the debts of the special school fund exceeded the value of all the school property real and personal in the township. At the end of four years Mr. Darroch turned over to his successor a township free from debt and with a fair working balance in all the funds. 368 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES That was accomplished without any excessive taxation. In 1890 he was appointed by Governor Mathews judge of the Thirtieth Judicial Circuit of the state, but served only four months, being defeated at the next regular election. Mr. Darroch is a democrat, and the fact that his locality has been strongly republican accounts for the brevity of his political record. He has always been inter- ested in poHtics, believing it a civic duty to do so, and has usually accepted such nomination as has been conferred by his party, though without expectation of success. He was candidate for Congress from the Tenth Congressional District in 1906 and again in 1908, and though failing of election he had the satisfaction of reducing the normal majority of his opponent much below that given in previous years. He was a delegate to the National, Democratic Convention from the Tenth Congressional District of Indiana in 191 6. Mr. Dar- roch never had but one fraternal affiliation, and that was with the Knights of Pythias. While not a member he has been a con- tributor to religious organizations, and he is a working member of the Hazel Den Golf Club, the golf club maintained by George Ade on his farm in Newton County. On July 23, 1878, Mr. Darroch married Emma V. Sammons, who was bom at Wellandport, Canada. To their marriage have been born two daughters, Ethel M. and Laura V. Ethel is married and has two sons, William and Robert. Edgar L. Bruce. Here is a name that has been identified with Jasper County more than sixty years. It has become honored and respected through long years of successive industry, business integ- rity and moral character. Few families of the county have been longer established, and none have borne their part in community affairs with greater credit to themselves and with more practical usefulness to the community than the Bruces. The late Henry C. Bruce was an early settler, a thrifty farmer and stock man, develop- ing a large tract of land and becoming known all over this part of Indiana for his ability in handling stock, and he left a fine family to honor his memory and to continue the good work begun by him in the early days. Two of his brothers, Lawrence and Charles Bruce, accompanied him to Lafayette, Indiana. Lawrence Bruce died in Rensselaer in 1852, at the age of about forty- five years, and he had served as county recorder. Charles Bruce died in Lawrence, Kansas, about 1855. He had been a very successful lumber merchant there for about forty years. Henry Bruce was a well educated man, and taught school for five years in or near Lafayette. From there he came to Delphi, where he followed mercantile pursuits for four years, and then took up his residence in Jasper County, Indiana. One of his sons whose life has been spent in the same honorable activity in Jasper County is Edgar L. Bnice. The latter was born June 14, 185 1. and his birthplace is in easy view of his present residence in Marion Town- JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 369 ship of Jasper County. He is one of the six living children in a family of eight born to Henry C. and Harriet E. (Babcock) Bruce, his father having been born near Rutland, Vermont, and his mother near Rochester, New York. The names of their children were : El- bert J., who died at the age of twenty-two ; Edgar L. ; Annette, who is now Mrs. Warren B. Rowley and lives in South Dakota; Ruby, Mrs. George Barcus of Wabash, Indiana; Adaline, Mrs. B. E. Comer of Union Township, Jasper County; Charles P., who married Anna Wilson and lives in California ; George, who mar- ried Edna Watson of Stuttgart, Arkansas ; and Harry, who died when three years of age. All but the last of these children grew to useful manhood and womanhood, and they were all school teachers at some time in their lives. Henry C. Bruce, who was reared as a farmer with New England antecedents, came west to Indiana in the late '30s or early '40s, and for a time was engaged in teaching in the public schools of Lafayette. Subsequently he was in the mer- cantile business at Delphi. In the latter part of the '40s he removed to Jasper County, which though it had been organized in 1837 still had a population to the square mile hardly as great as will now be found in the semi-arid districts of the Far West. Thus he came upon the stage of pioneer life in Jasper County, and was able to secure 640 acres of land direct from the government at the regula- tion price of a dollar and a quarter per acre. His land was in Sections 4 and 5 in Marion Township, southeast of Rensselaer, a part of which family estate is now owned by his son Edgar L. Bruce. Henry C. Bruce on securing this land built from rough lumber a house of limited comforts and conveniences, and started the heavy task of clearing and improving his land. His lot was that of the early pioneer, with all its hardships and privations, and he was a factor in the many changes that occurred during the last half of the nineteenth century, spent his later years in prosperity and comfort and died in April, 1900. He was a man above the average even of the hardy pioneers. He possessed a collegiate education, and was always well informed on the subject of current interests. He joined the Baptist Church at Lafayette about 1848, and after removing to Jasper County became one of the organizers of the Missionary Baptist Church at Rensselaer, in which church he held office and active membership to the day of his death. While living on and occupying the large farm, he was essentially a stock man. He raised large herds of cattle and sheep, and proved un- usually skillful and successful in handling stock. Physically he was a large man, stood six feet in his stockings, had a corresponding vigor and vitality, and his many sterling qualities commanded the respect of an entire community. In the early days, like his neigh- bors, the latchstring of his home was always on the outside for the wayfarer, and it is said that no one ever left his home hungry. Though a strong republican, he was never an aspirant for public office. He died at Rensselaer at the home of a married daughter. 370 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES With the example of his father before him, Edgar L. Bruce has spent all his life in Jasper County, and is a product of its early institutions and environment. His education came from the neighboring district schools, and like the other children he qualified himself for the duties of a teacher. He started out for himself at the age of twenty-one, though still making his home with his parents. On March i, 1877, he was married to Miss Kansas Lefler, a daughter of Michael and Jane (Overton) Lefler, who were Jasper County farmers. To their marriage were born three children : Lora L., wife of John G. Culp; Harley, who lives near Crawfords- ville, Indiana ; and Lawson L., whose home is in Rensselaer. The attractive farm home of Mr. Bruce comprises 200 acres of land and practically his entire life has been spent in the immediate neighborhood of his birth. He is a republican of the stalwart kind, while he and his wife are members of the Baptist Church of Rensselaer. George Culp. Of those names which are identified with the very earliest settlement of Jasper County that of Culp is one that claims attention, and on other pages various references are made to the Gulps in Barkley Township. The founder of the family was George Culp, who was born in West Virginia, or as it was then western Virginia, March 8, 1800. He grew up in his home state, and on December 7, 1827, married Mary Burton. His brother-in-law was Samuel Randle, another of the most prominent pioneers of Jasper County, whose sketch will be found on other pages. Culp and Randle both emigrated from the East to Indiana in 1832, and in the fall of 1834, leaving their families in Tippecanoe County, they came into what is now Bark- ley Township of Jasper County and spent several months in cutting hay and building log cabins, to which they removed their families in the following year. George Culp and wife had the following children : Harriett Ann, William G., James, Elizabeth J., Maria, John T., Matilda R, Nancy R., Rachel J. and Walter. Of these Rachel J., Walter and John T. are still living. George Culp the pioneer died April 18, 1847, survived by his widow until October 22, 1871. Both were Methodist Church people and were among the first members of that society in Jasper County. Of the children of George Culp and wife, John T. Culp was born December 2, 1836, and is one of the oldest native sons of Jasper County, having been born in Barkley Township before the formal organization of Jasper County. He is a man of many interesting recollections, and recalls some of his early experiences with farming methods long since obsolete. In the early days he watched the men thresh the wheat by driving horses around over the unthreshed straw, trampling out the grain with their feet. He has also seen the work so familiar among the pioneers of hackling JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 371 flax. He grew up in Barkley Township and for seventy-three years lived on the place where he was bom, a substantial farm of ninety- eight acres. The last six years he has spent retired in Rensselaer. John T. Gulp married Mrs. Victoria (Wade) Tennehill. Their two children were: Ursula, who died in early childhood; and John G., who is a farmer of Marion Township. John G. Gulp was born May 20, 1874. He was married April 10, 1912, to Lora L. Bruce, daughter of Edgar L. Bruce. Mr. and Mrs. John G. Gulp have one daughter, Mary Kathryn, born Decem- ber 6, 1913. B. Fr.\nk Alter. The Alter family has been identified with Jasper County since the period of early settlement and develop- ment. The members in the different generations have been known as successful farmers, as men of enterprise in an industrial direc- tion, and always as citizens of irreproachable character and effec- tive public spirit. One of the well known residents of Rensselaer is B. Frank Alter, who was born in Clinton County, Indiana, February 28. 1865. His father, Benjamin F. Alter was born in Pennsylvania Febru- ary 8, 1835, a son of John Alter. The Alters came to this part of Northwestern Indiana in pioneer times, John Alter locating in Carpenter Township, where he did some effective work in clearing up a tract of land and spent many years as a farmer in that local- ity. A son, Benjamin F. Alter, was a machinist by trade, and this genius for mechanics has been an important factor in the various moves and activities of the family. In early days Benjamin F. Alter operated a sawmill, finally removed to Clinton County, con- ducted a tile factory there, and returning to Jasper County was for three years at the head of the tile factory which for many years has been located as an institution two miles north of Rensselaer. Benjamin F. Alter gave some service as a soldier during the clos- ing months of the Civil war, enlisting in the 154th Indiana Volun- teer Infantry in Company E. He married Louisa V. Sims, and of their eight children two are now deceased. When Benjamin F. Alter died in Ointon County on December 4, 1914, he left a record which may properly be prized by his descendants. As a boy he had limited advantages in the way of schools, but was almost a con- stant reader and from this source and by a faculty of keen observa- tion he gained a somewhat unusual knowledge of men and affairs and of passing events. He was hard working, and that quality was the foundation of his success, and in his lifetime he had accumulated property to the value of about $40,000, a very comfortable fortune. Fraternally he was affiliated with the Masonic Order and was a member of the Baptist Church. B. Frank Alter spent his early life on the farm, and gained 372 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES his education in the pubHc schools and at FrankHn College. Possess- ing good native business ability, he has applied himself successfully to a varied line of enterprises. For a time he operated a sawmill in North Carolina and for eight years had the management of the tile factory located two miles north of Rensselaer. For several years his home has been in Rensselaer and his somewhat extensive interests in farming and other affairs give him ample occupation for his time and energies. He is the owner of eighty acres of land in Jasper County and also has some property in Clinton County. In politics Mr. Alter is a democrat. He was married December 24, 1905, to Miss Maude Hemphill, daughter of Marcus H. and Matilda J. (Baker) Hemphill of Rensselaer, and Mrs. Alter is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Moses F. French. While not a native son of Jasper County, Moses F. French has for fully forty years been identified with its agricultural activities and its material improvements, and having endured nearly all the hardships which went with pioneer farm- ing in this section of Indiana, he is well entitled to the rewards of peaceful retirement, which he now enjoys in the village of Reming- ton. His own labor has been the measure of his success, and his has been a steady upward progress since he left home during his youth. His is one of the old American families. His grandfather, Aaron French, was born September 8, 1739, nearly half a century before the American colonies were united under the constitution as a Union of States. He died August 31, 1805, at Amity, Penn- sylvania. The father of the Remington octogenarian was Asa French, who was the seventh child by Aaron French's marriage to Mary Clark. Asa was born July 8, 1780, in Essex County, New Jersey, and died August 9, 1845, in Miami County, Ohio. He moved from Greene County, Pennsylvania, to Miami County, Ohio, in 181 1, and was one of the very early settlers in that part of the Buckeye State. In 1801 he married for his first wife Sarah Jackson who was born April 24, 1780, and died March 26, 1820. She became the mother of eleven children. Asa French married for his second wife Hannah Davis, who was born February 19, 1800, near Lex- ington, Kentucky, and died near Troy, Ohio, March 5, 1883. The oldest living child of Asa French is Mrs. Sarah French Ripley, who is now living at Brookston and is probably the oldest person in White County. She was bom June 25, 1825. By his second marriage Asa French had twelve children, and altogether was the father of twenty-three. He followed farming as his occupation, was an energetic and hard working citizen, and came of the strong, long lived stock that is characteristic of this family. The seventh of his mother's twelve children, Moses Frazer French was born February 21, 1832, near Troy, Miami County, JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 373 Ohio. His lifetime covers a period of more than fourscore years, and his birth occurred while Andrew Jackson was still president of the United States. As a boy he had limited schooling in such institutions as were maintained on the subscription plan in his native section of Ohio, and most of his discipline came by hard work on the home farm until he was twenty-four years of age. In 1856 Mr. French came to Indiana and located in Prairie Township of White County, where he engaged in farming until erysipelas crippled him for that work and he then returned to Miami County. From i860 to 1865 he employed his time in teaching school in his native county, and then returned to Prairie Township, White County. On March 6, 1866, Mr. French married Martha Catherine Jordan. Her father, William Jordan was one of the very early settlers in White County. Mrs. French died October 7, 1878, and is buried in the Gilboa Cemetery in Benton County. There is only one child by her marriage, Independence, now the wife of Harry Bal- this, a paymaster in the United States navy, and their home is at Washington. Mr. and Mrs. Balthis have three children, Madge M., Edith and Herbert. On August 2, 1888, Mr. French married for his second wife Sarah Belle Pitts. Her family were also among the early settlers of White County. After his first marriage Mr. French engaged in the lumber busi- ness for one year at Brookston, then conducted a general store there for more than three years, and from town moved on to a farm in West Point Township of White County. That was his home until the fall of 1875, when he came to Carpenter Township in Jasper County, locating just outside the city limits of Remington. That has been his home ever since, and out of his hard work and thrifty management of farm and other business matters he has effected a competence. Mr. French still owns about seventy acres of land and has considerable town property in Remington. Though not a politician, Mr. French has long been identified with the republican party, practically ever since its organization, filled a place on the town board of Brookston and was one of the school trustees there. For years he has steadily exerted all his influence in behalf of better roads, the construction of ditches for drainage, and every improvement that would make this a better district. Though past eighty years of age, Mr. French is a wonderfully well preserved man, is large and strong and has a heart as big as his body. S.XMUEL Long and Abr.\m F. Long. Very few people now living can recall the time when the site of Rensselaer was covered by only a few houses and its importance as a trading community meas- ured by the possession of one store. Such was the condition in 1848 when Samuel Long,. one of the pioneers of Jasper County, first 374 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES located there. Continuously since that date, a period of more than sixty-five years, some member of the Long family has been actively identified with the life and enterprise of Jasper and Newton Counties. One of the oldest and best known business men of Rens- selaer is Abram F. Long, son of the pioneer just mentioned. The first settler, Samuel Long, was bom in the State of Mary- land in 1824 and there grew to manhood and served an apprentice- ship at the tailor's trade, though he never followed that as a voca- tion. In early manhood he made a journey through the West, and was EO attracted by the appearance of the country around Rens- selaer that he decided to locate there permanently. In a short time he left Rensselaer and moved to Newton Township in Jasper County and began fanning on rented land. His steady industry finally brought him landed possessions of his own, and some years later he moved to Newton County, and for many years was one of the solid farmers of this section. His first marriage was with a Miss Stewart, who became the mother of a son and a daughter, both of them now deceased. After her death Samuel Long married Sarah Ann Freeland, whose parents were early settlers in Jasper County. To their marriage were born five children, and the three that reached maturity were Abram F., Edward and Addie, the last being the wife of W. W. Miller of Mount Ayr. The late Samuel Long had a characteristic which he probably inherited from his Southern environment when a youth and which made his home one of pleasant associations for many people out- side his own family, and that was hospitality. He stood high in the community as a neighbor and a citizen, and although a demo- crat living in a normal republican community, his personal char- acter elevated him above the ordinary party prejudices so that he was frequently elected to township offices. He was affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and in religion was a be- liever in the doctrines of the Hard Shell Baptists. His rigid hon- esty and scrupulous integrity were pronounced, and for this reason his career is one most satisfying to contemplate, though he never acquired great wealth. He was a man of clean habits and moral ideals, and left behind him a stainless name. He died March 13, 1895, and his widow survived him until February 8, 1910. His son Abram F. Long has for many years been proprietor of the leading drug store at Rensselaer. He was born November 7, 1862, on the old homestead in Newton Township of Jasper County, and was reared there and in Newton County, whither his parents removed when he was a boy. His early education came from the public schools, and when about eighteen he acquired his first ex- perience in the business which has subsequently become his per- manent vocation by hiring out as a clerk in a drug store at Rens- selaer. A year later he returned to the home farm and assisted in its cultivation until he was twenty-two. In 1883 he again came ~^^^^'^^53;^^'^^^ni^:83^^ ^ JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 375 to Rensselaer as a drug clerk, followed that employment three years, and then with an eye to the future took a short course in the Chi- cago School of Pharmacy. This was followed by another experi- ence as a clerk, and in 1886 he returned to the Chicago College of Pharmacy from which he was graduated with his diploma in the spring of 1887. As a registered, pharmacist he had some experi- ence in the city of Chicago, and from there returned to Rensselaer and became a partner in a local drug store. In 1890 he bought out his partner, and since that time the drug store of A. F. Long has been one of the business fixtures of Rensselaer, and its continuous standing of a quarter of a century makes it one of the oldest con- cerns in the city. About 1907 Mr. Long bought the ground and erected the home of his present business. On September 25, 1889, Air. Long married Elizabeth Purcupile, a daughter of Archibald and Elizabeth (Howe) Purcupile. They have one of the comfortable homes of Rensselaer and their marriage has been blessed by the birth of two children: George A. and Martha. The son, George A. Long, after graduating from the Rensselaer High School spent two years in the University of Illi- nois at Champaign. He later graduated from the College of Pharmacy in Chicago, and is now associated with his father in the drug business at Rensselaer. He married Miss Nell Moody, a daughter of Granville Moody, of Rensselaer, and they have two daughters, Elizabeth Jane and Eleanor Martin. Martha, the only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Long, graduated from the Rensselaer High School and then spent two years in the Women's College at Oxford, Ohio. She is now the wife of Russell E. Strawbridge, of Niagara Falls, New York, where he is an electrician. Mr. Long is a popular member of the community, is affiliated with the Masonic Lodge and the Knights of Pythias, in politics is a republican, and he and his family are members of the Presbyterian church. Louis H. Hamilton has filled a useful and honorable place in Jasper County for many years. The record of his life is one that affords lessons of incentive to young men who start out without influential family connections and with no means beyond their individual ability to make a mark in the world. At the age of two years Louis Hayes Hamilton was left an orphan in Indianapolis, and spent the next six years in an orphan home. He was then placed with a farmer, John G. Gulp, in Barkley Township of Jasper County, and remained in his home until he was fourteen, when he ran away, and has since been the sole guide of his individual destiny. Plard manual labor was naturally an important part of his early experience, but while working in a tile factory he lost his right arm at the age of fifteen and had to turn his energies in another direction. He soueht an education, and 376 JASPER AXD XEWTON COUNTIES in 1891 graduated from the Rensselaer High School, and subse- quently attended the Valparaiso University and the Indiana State Normal School at Terre Haute. A great many people in Jasper and other counties of the state know Mr. Hamilton best through his long associations with educa- tional affairs. He holds a Hfe state teacher's license. He taught many terms of school in the various districts of Jasper County, and from 1897 to 1907 administered the entire school system of the county as county superintendent. During that time he was presi- dent of the County Superintendents' State Association and was also vice president of the Indiana State Teachers' Association. Since 1908 Mr. Hamilton has been engaged in business affairs at Rensselaer, and he has also read law and has been admitted to the Indiana bar. All this is an encouraging record when the handicaps and difficulties of his early life are taken into consideration. Mr. Hamilton is a director in the Trust and Savings Bank of Rensselaer, is a trustee of the public library and a trustee of the County Hospital. Politically he is a republican. He is a past chancellor of the Knights of Pythias Lodge, is a past noble grand of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and has held the post of inner guard in the Grand Lodge, and is past chief patriarch of the Encampment. He is also a member of the Columbia Club of Indianapolis. Mr. Hamilton is elder and president of the board of the Christian Church at Rensselaer. On September 24, 1894, in Hanging Grove Township of Jasper County, he married Mary Robinson, daughter of George and Rebecca Robinson. They have two children: Fred H. Hamilton, who is twenty-one years of age, and is connected with the Daily Courier-News at Fargo, North Dakota ; and Marie Hamilton, aged eighteen, and a student in Butler University. The Peck Family. For the past forty years this family has been one of prominence and influence in Jasper County, and its representatives have been primarily identified with the civic and business activities of the thriving village of Remington. Daniel W. Peck, who figures as the founder of the family in Jasper County, and who established his residence at Remington in ■the year 1875, traced his genealogy in a direct way back to Joseph Peck, who, in company with a brother. Rev. Robert Peck, was prompted in large measure by religious persecution to leave his native England and seek the greater liberties of conscience and of thought and action that were to be had in new and far distant colonies of America. The two brothers thus came to this country in the year 1638. and they established a home in the Massachusetts colony, the family name having been one of prominence in New JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 377 England annals as one generation has followed another on to the stage of life's activities, and numerous representatives of the name having gone forth to uphold the prestige of an honored patronymic in various other states of the Union. Daniel W. Peck was born at Salem, Washington County, Indiana, on the 29th of July, 1839, a date that indicates beyond all peradventure that his parents were numbered among the early pioneers of the Hoosier commonwealth. He was a son of Oliver Peck and a grandson of Samuel Peck. In the county of his nativity he was reared to manhood and there, on the nth of November, 1862, was solemnized his marriage to Miss Elizabeth Lockwood. He initiated his business career as clerk in a store at Salem and later engaged in the mercantile business in an independent way, in his native county. At the time, within the period of the Civil war, that General Morgan, the intrepid Confederate commander, made his famous raids into Indiana and Ohio he made one of his dis- tinctively unpopular visitations to the town of Salem, where he laid heavy tribute on all who professed sympathy with the Union cause. It was but natural that his depredations should touch with special vigor Daniel W. Peck, who was then engaged in business at that place, and who was not only ardent and fearless in his loyal work and labors in behalf of the Union but who also had brothers in active service as soldiers in the Federal ranks. The goods of Mr. Peck's store were virtually confiscated by General Morgan and his band of raiders, and such articles of the stock as they could not carry away and utilize they effectually destroyed. Mr. Peck was not discouraged in that he had thus to bear his quota of the hard- ships of the war, but he replenished his store and again developed a substantial business, only to meet heavy losses at later periods, through burglary and fire. In 1875, s^s previously intimated. Air. Peck removed with his family to Jasper County and established his home at Remington, where he engaged in the general merchandise business. Adverse conditions faced him in the new field of endeavor, for it is a matter of well known local history that the years 1875, 1876 and 1877 were marked by extreme financial depression and attendant panic and distress in Jasper County. Crops were practical failures and credit was an imperative element in the carrying on of retail mercantile enterprises. Hundreds of families removed from this section of Indiana to Kansas and other sections of the Union, virtually flee- ing in consternation and with little preparation, besides which many of them failed to make good their financial obligations in the old homes prior to their hurried departure. The capitalistic resources of Mr. Peck were limited and his widely extended credits made it impossible to overcome the adverse forces when he was unable to realize to an appreciable degree on these credits. Steadfast and true in all of the relations of life, he again faced financial disaster with fortitude, but while he measurably retrieved his fortunes there 378 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES can be little doubt that his successive encounters with the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" did much to break down his physical powers and to cause his death while in the prime of his useful manhood. He passed away in November, 1885, and his devoted wife survived him by nearly a score of years, she having been summoned to eternal rest on the 29th of June, 1905, and hav- ing continued to maintain her home at Remington until her demise. All of the seven children were reared to maturity at Remington, and individual mention of them is made in the appending para- graphs. Charles H. Peck, eldest of the children, was born at Salem, Washington County, on the 2d of October, 1863, and thus was a lad of twelve years at the time of the family removal to Remington, where he continued his studies in the public schools and where he began his business career as a youthful clerk in a local mercantile establishment. In September, 1895, he initiated in a modest way his independent activities as a merchant in Remington, and by fair and honorable dealings, careful and effective service to patrons, and progressive policies he developed within a comparatively brief period a substantial business. In 1906 his establishment was con- verted into a general department store, and in the conducting of the large and representative business three rooms on the street level are utilized, besides which the upper floor and basement of the buildings are also demanded for the accommodation of the varied stock and the proper service in the various departments. An idea of the comprehensiveness of this admirably conducted business is conveyed when it is stated that the valuation of the stock carried may be conservatively placed at about $30,000 and that in the well- appointed establishment, employment is given to a corps of seven assistants. Mr. Peck holds secure prestige as one of the representa- tive business men and loyal and public-spirited citizens of Jasper County, and it may be said with all of consistency that he is at the present time the leading merchant of Remington. He is affiliated with the local organizations of the Masonic fraternity Remington Lodge No. 351 and the Knights of Pythias Castle Hall No. 58. Mr. Peck wedded Miss Alice Allman. In writing of her death a local publication used the following well chosen words : "Alice A. Allman, daughter of Josiah H. and Mary C. Allman, was born at Navarre, Ohio, March 8, 1858, and passed away at her late home in Remington, Ind., April 3, 1916. "She was united in marriage to Charles H. Peck, June 13, 1886. To this union was born three children, Mrs. H. H. Bow- man, of Monticello, and Fred Peck and Miss Laura Peck, of Rem- ington. "She leaves to mourn her loss, her husband, Charles H. Peck, the two daughters and one son just mentioned, her mother, Mrs. Mary C. Allman, of Remington, her brother, Jesse Allman, of Rensselaer, an only sister, Mrs. Ida Coover, of Denver, Colorado, JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 379 and two grandchildren, besides a large number of other relatives. Her circle of friends was bounded only by her acquaintances, and her untimely taking away will cause sorrow and regret in the hearts of all who knew her. "Mrs. Peck was a Christian woman of the highest character and of more than usual ability. For many years she was a faithful and consecrated member of the Remington Christian Church and she came to her death with unwavering faith in God. Her Chris- tian life may well be an example to all Christians everywhere. She not only measured up to the standards of Christian service, but as a neighbor and friend she was ever steadfast and faithful. Her quiet manner of suggesting sane advice on important questions, will always be remembered by her friends. She will be missed by the community at large and her place will not soon be filled. In the home circle where she was loved most dearly, she will be missed most sadly. "Her going from this world was by way of the most excruci- ating suffering, but we have a right to believe that she is now in a land of eternal joy and sunshine. A perfect bower of flowers such as one seldom sees on such an occasion, testified in a most beauti- ful way of the esteem in which she was held. "On Thursday, April 6th, a large concourse of friends gathered at the late home to pay the last public tribute of love and respect to her memory. The funeral sermon was preached by H. Randal Lookabill, of Crawfordsville, who is a close friend of the family, and for several years was Mrs. Peck's pastor. He was assisted by Rev. Konkel, the present pastor of the Remington Christian Church. The interment took place at the Remington Cemetery." William E. Peck, the second son in this representative family of Jasper County, became one of the most prominent and influential citizens of the southern part of the county. For some time he held the position of engineer for A. Wolcott & Son, engaged in the grain business, and later he was associated with the business of the firm of Hartley Brothers. Under the first administrative term of Presi- dent McKinley Mr. Peck was appointed postmaster of Reming- ton, and through successive reappointments he continued the in- cumbent of this office for sixteen years. He was a man of large physique, was genial, kindly, courteous and considerate, and his circle of friends was coextensive with that of his acquaintances. He was specially active in the Masonic fraternity and the Knights of Pythias, and, like his father and brothers, was a stalwart advo- cate of the cause of the republican party. In September, 1914, he removed with his family to beautiful Chautauqua County, New York, where he had purchased a fine farm of 200 acres, but he was not long permitted to enjoy the new home, for he died on the 12th of January, 191 5, — the forty-ninth anniversary of his birth. His wife, whose maiden name was Lottie E. Coover, survives him, as do also their five children. 380 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Frank L. Peck was born in Washington County, this state, on the 9th of October, 1874, and in the following year his parents re- moved to Remington, where he has since maintained his home and where his early educational advantages were those of the excellent public schools. At the age of thirteen years he became a clerical assistant in the drug store of E. H. Briggs, with whom he remained about three years, after which he continued his services in the same store, after the organization of the firm of Briggs & Larsh, until 1895, when he engaged in the same line of business in an individual way, his drug store being now one of the best in the village, both in appointments and facilities, as well as in all departments of its service. He is affiliated with the Masonic frater- nity Remington Lodge No. 351 and the Knights of Pythias Castle Hall No. 58 and both he and his wife hold membership in the Presbyterian Church. On the loth of October, 1895, ^^- Peck married Miss May Tedford, and they have one son, Bruce. Isaac L. Peck was born at Remington, Indiana, on the 13th of February, 1876, and after availing himself duly of the advantages of the public schools he was for a time employed in a clerical capacity. For the past several years he has conducted a successful business as a contractor in the construction of stone roads, and after the death of his brother William E., in 1915, he 'went to Chautauqua County, New York, to assist in the supervision and administration of the latter's estate. He is the only one of the children of the late Daniel W. Peck who is not married. James I. Peck, who is associated with his brother Frank L. in the drug business at Remington, was born in this village on the 1st of September, 1877, and as a youth he followed various occu- pations, including service as a carrier on one of the rural mail routes emanating from Remington. He has been associated with his brother in the drug store since 1903, and like his brothers is a republican and identified with the Masonic fraternity Remington Lodge No. 351 and the Knights of Pythias, Castle Hall No. 58. On the 20th of February, 1908, was solemnized his marriage to Miss Katharine Meehan. Mary E. Peck, the only daughter, was born and reared at Rem- ington, and here was solemnized her marriage to Max T. Price. They now reside at Charleston, Virginia, and have one son, Charles H. Maurice B. Peck, the youngest of the children, has been a resi- dent of Remington from the time of his birth, which here occurred on the 17th of February, 1884, — about one year and nine months prior to the death of his father. From his youth he has been associated with the mercantile business conducted by his eldest brother. On the 20th of February, 1907, he wedded Miss June Bowman, and they have one daughter, Maxine. He has followed the family rule in his political and fraternal associations, and thus is a republican, a Mason and a member of the Knights of Pythias. yloyiyie.^^. cJ, ^^^<^^ona^^^ JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 381 The Peck family as a whole is one of prominence in the repre- sentative social activities of Remington and its various members in Jasper County have fully merited the unalloyed popular esteem accorded them. Warren T. McCray. Widely known as he is, as the "Hereford Cattle King," Warren T. McCray, one of Newton County's most prominent men, is almost as well known in other connections of great importance all over the State of Indiana. Mr. McCray is the greatest breeder of Hereford cattle in the world, his famous cattle farm of i,6cxD acres in Newton County, producing animals that have commanded a selling price as high as $10,000 each. At his eighth annual sale, held on May 17, 1916, he sold at public auction seventy-five head of his surplus cattle, most of which were of his own breeding, for the sum of $96,525, or an average of $1,287, thus establishing a world's record. Warren T. McCray was born on the old family homestead in Newton County, Indiana, February 4, 1865, being the second child and only son of Greenberry Ward and Martha J. (Galey) McCray. Since 1862 Newton County has been the family home. Reared in a democratic way, his education was secured in the public schools, and after being graduated from the Kentland High School, he en- tered the service of the Discount & Deposit State Bank at Kent- land, of which his father was president for forty years. At the age of twenty-one, Mr. McCray decided to embark in business for himself, and purchasing an interest in a grocery store and developing it into the leading establishment of the kind in North- western Indiana, he foreshadowed the great achievements that his sagacity, shrewdness and ingenuity subsequently brought about. In 1889 he bought an interest in a grain business, and again his business faculties brought him an added measure of success, and in many sections of the state he was looked upon as the "Grain King," owning a string of elevators along the railroads of Northern Indiana and becoming president of the National Association of Grain Dealers. He was honored by being elected to this high posi- tion for three terms. From grain it was a natural step into the cattle business, and here again did his sure financial sense lead to prosperity. He has become the recognized Hereford King, not of the United States alone but of all the world. His herds are famous and his model farm in Newton County is a Mecca attracting visitors from all over the country. The family still owns the land that his father secured over a half century ago. All his agricultural operations are con- ducted along modern lines, and his farms are notably productive, as they are carefully and scientifically cultivated. In all his under- takings, Mr. McCray has shown foresight and general enterprise, and a progressiveness that is indicative of great mental alertness. In no uncertain way has Mr. McCray been a supporter of the 382 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES policies of the republican party, and this party has indicated a desire to bestow upon him the greatest honor in the state. Popular with all classes and often previously urged to enter a personal political campaign which he invariably declined, he found the call so urgent in July, 1915, that he became a candidate of his party for the office of governor. He felt that a great opportunity was presented for the furthering of vital moments in which he has been interested for a lifetime. On the occasion of a great gathering of Newton, Jasper and Benton counties and Tenth District republicans, all his per- sonal and political friends, Mr. McCray was so impressed by the warmth and sincerity of the demonstration that he changed his policy of non-acceptance and, in a remarkable speech, consented to be his party's candidate for the exalted office of chief state executive. His closing remarks were : "No matter what honors may come to me hereafter, there can be none that will stand out in my memory more clearly than this honor you have shown me today. And it will be my constant prayer and benediction that no act of mine will ever cause you to regret the confidence you have this day reposed in me. May God bless and keep you all, and may the sunshine of His favor be upon us and give us wisdom, uprightness and victory." He made an active canvass for the nomination at the primaries, and his campaign was characterized by the clean, high-minded man- ner in which it was conducted. He made many true and lasting friends, but was defeated by Mr. Goodrich, who had the advan- tage of an extended political acquaintance of long standing. On June 15, 1892, Mr. McCray was united in marriage with Ella M. Ade, the youngest child of John and Adaline (Bush) Ade and a sister of George Ade, distinguished author and playwright. To them were born four children, Lucile Ade, born October 30. 1893; Gilbert, born October 14, 1896, deceased in infancy; Marian, born April 23, 1900; and George Warren, born September 7, 1902. Mr. McCray and family are active members of the Presbyterian Church. The great business interests that have been paramount in the career of Warren T. McCray have connected him with the leading men of the day in every sphere and circle, and on them he has left his impress as a man of great business ability, with a personality honest, sincere and agreeable. He has had a busy life, with little leisure to devote to organizations of a merely social character, but is identified with such fraternal orders as the Masons, and Knights of Pythias. At present he is the head of his father's old banking house, maintaining its well-known prestige along modern lines. In addition to being identified as already mentioned, Mr. McCray is president of the Indiana State Board of Agriculture; ex-president of the American Hereford Association and former president of the Indiana Livestock Breeders' Association. On many occasions he has been called upon to serve on honorary boards in the public MT/>. OM-^^rvi^ JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 387 plishes so much in the way of charity. Mr. Hess is a Royal Arch Mason and is connected with the Eastern Star of that order, and is also a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Pythian Sisters. A.\RON Lyons. In the venerable and honored citizen who died at his home in Brook February 28, 1915, that community possessed not only one of its oldest residents, but also a man who represented in his long career the prominent social and civic elements which compose the citizenship of this community throughout its growth from a frontier settlement. The late Aaron Lyons was a remarkable man. Eighty-three years of age at the time of his death, he was distinguished as being the first white child born within the limits of the present Newton and Jasper counties, and with the exception of two years spent in Benton County was a resident there all his life. He was both a witness and actor in the changing development in this long time. While a substantial degree of material prosperity rewarded his industrious efforts, the honor paid to his memory is more specially due to his fine independence of character, his active influence in the social and political movements experienced at dif- ferent times during the last century, and altogether he was a pioneer, a broad-minded vigorous citizen, and a Christian who lived his faith in his daily walk. He was born February 5, 1832, in the pioneer cabin of his parents which stood on what is known as the Jerome Franklin farm and its site is now in an orchard on that place. This farm is in what is now Washington Township of Newton County. His parents, John and Anna (Jones) Lyons were natives of Ross County, Ohio, and they came to Newton County in 1831, and spent the rest of their days in Iroquois, about ij^ miles south of Brook, Indiana. John W. Lyons combined hunting with farming, and died in 1863. He was laid to rest in the Brook Cemetery, where more than half a century later his son Aaron was also laid to rest. John W. Lyons served as a justice of the peace in early days, when that official was appointed by the governor, and he was also a county commissioner. In politics he was a whig and later a republican, and an active supporter of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The year 1832 was notable in the history of the Middle West on account of the Black Hawk war. This Indian uprising caused alarm to all the settlements in Northern Indiana, and a few months after Aaron Lyons was born his parents took refuge at Sugar Grove on Pine Creek until the danger had passed. Thus Aaron Lyons grew to manhood in a typical frontier settlement, and as a boy he fre- quently played with Indians as comrades. While he had only moder- ate advantages in the way of schooling, he was a great reader and acquired a vast amount of information. He developed the traits of personal courage, honor and straightforwardness, and self reliance 388 JASPER AXD XEWTON COUNTIES by actual contact with the rugged conditions and environment of his youth. Most of his career was spent as a farmer. However, in 1855, he established the first store ever conducted in Brook, and that store was located on the lot where at the present time the structure known as the Airdome stands. He was in business as a merchant for six years, and he also served as postrnaster at Brook from 1856 to 1862. In 1862 he resumed farming, at first on the farm now occupied by Samuel Conn, and then moved to the old homestead south of Brook. On this homestead stood in the early days a log cabin of three rooms, in which were conducted the first religious services Mr. Lyons attended as a boy, and he also attended school there. Still later Mr. Lyons moved to his own farm north of Brook which he continued to own until his death. In 1876 he and others established a Grange store at Brook. Bad crops, with inability to make collections, in- volved this concern, and Mr. Lyons and Andrew Hess shouldered the responsibilities and paid off the debts. In that time it was not un- common for business men to fail and to settle at a small per cent on the dollar, and this fact accentuates the sterling honesty of Mr. Lyons and Mr. Hess. In 1899 ^^- Lyons moved into Brook and lived retired until his death. In the way of public service he was township trustee for about four years, and he made a hard fight to get the county seat located at Brook. It is recalled that he was a very able debater, and on many occasions he proved his ability in this respect. He was also a worker for reform and a temperance leader, and when about twenty years of age he united with the IMethodist Church and was always one of its most loyal supporters, serving for years as church steward and trustee. He also became a class leader at the age of twenty- eight. In the early days he opened his home to the preaching of the gospel and maintained the family altar of worship until within the last few weeks of his death. He was a great lover of the bible and also was fond of some of the old fashioned hymns and he would usually open the day with singing some of the old tunes. His life was really a benediction to the community in which he lived and it is proper to quote some portions of an editorial tribute which appeared in the Brook Reporter at the time of his death : "The church, the schools, temperance, good government, right thinking and right living as we see them in this community owe much to Mr. Lyons and the men like him who have stood out often alone in the battle for the moral uplift of the community, and he lived to see the things he worked for and prayed earnestly for come into being. Today as we stand shoulder to shoulder in the cause of temperance, the individual is lost sight of, but looking back through the vista of years, we see a small group of men, of which Mr. Lyons formed a part, fighting the great battle alone. How much we owe to them, how much we owe to him, we can never know, nor does it matter to him, as he now sleeps, for he took his JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 389 stand on these questions not for the applause of men but because he believed them to be right. He was a pioneer in all things. He discovered the 'promised land' and sought to bring his world to it. His was an intelligent Christian home. What he believed he lived in his daily life, he taught his children and with courtesy impressed on his friends and neighbors. They testified their regard for him by gathering at the Methodist church at Tuesday afternoon March 2, 191 5, to pay tribute to his life." In 1854 Mr. Lyons married Sarah Smith, who died December II, 1856. Both their children died in infancy. On April 12, i860, he married Solinda Edmondson, who lived and grew with him into ripe old age. She was born in Hamilton County, Indiana, a daugh- ter of Thomas and Nancy (Box) Edmondson, who were natives of Tennessee and moved to Hamilton County at a very early day. The Edmondsons were of Irish stock. After the death of her hus- band Mrs. Edmondson moved to White County, Indiana, and in 1856 established her home at Morocco, but she died in Brook in 1867. Mr. and Mrs. Lyons had eight children, but two died in infancy. All of the children received^ a common school training, and some college or normal training, and all were teachers in the public schools and active workers in the Methodist Episcopal Church. Annie N. Lyons married, in 1884, Hudson Reed, who had also been a teacher. They moved to a farm about 4J/2 miles southeast of Brook, where they continued to live until the death of Mr. Reed. He was a member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge and a man highly respected in his community. After the death of her husband Mrs. Reed with her three children moved to Brook. Ethel, the eldest of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Reed, is a graduate of DePauw Univer- sity, of Greencastle, Indiana, and holds the position of librarian of the Brook Public Library ; Glenn is a student in Purdue University ; and Grace is attending DePauw University. Ella M. Lyons, the second child of Mr. and Mrs. Lyons, is a graduate of the State Normal at Terre Haute, and supplemented this training with at- tendance at the Indiana State University and the University of Chicago, after which she taught for several years in the graded schools and the high school. In 1904 she accepted the chair of English in the Elkhart High School, resigning that position after nine years of service to take care of her aged parents. With her sister Grace she traveled quite extensively in Continental Europe in the year of 1908. Grace Lyons, after attending the Indiana State Normal, taught in Newton County, but, preferring a business life, entered a business college in St. Louis, Missouri, where she grad- uated, and afterward took additional work and training in a busi- ness college of Indianapolis. She has since been in the employ of the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York and located at Indianapolis. Luther C. Lyons after a common school training pur- sued a business course in the Bryant & Stratton Business College of 390 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Chicago, and is now senior member of the firm of Lyons & Hersh- man, hardware merchants of Brook. He married Miss Etta Bur- ford, who studied in Frankhn College and was a teacher in the Brook schools at the time of her marriage. They have three chil- dren, Burford W., in the eighth grade of school, Ruth F., in the seventh, and Everett A. Flora Lyons taught a few years in the Newton County schools, and subsequently completed a teachers' course of music in Chicago and still later graduated in the College of Musical Arts in Indianapolis. She is now a teacher in her Alma Mater. Arthur H. Lyons fitted himself for a business life in the State Normal at Terre Haute, and is now engaged in the lumber and coal business at Brook and is one of the successful men of his town. He is a lover of music, and has been a member of the orches- tra and band of Brook. He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge. He married Miss Nellie Zuck, a daughter of the Rev. R. N. Zuck, former pastor of the United Brethren Church at Brook. Mrs. Lyons was a teacher in the Brook schools at the time of her marriage, and both she and her husband are Methodists. Their three children are Virginia L., in the fourth grade of school, Alford, in the second grade, and Eleanor. Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Lyons also took into their home when six years of age a little boy, Marion Hoke, whom they reared and educated, and who became a farmer. He married in the State of Washington and became a great worker in the Methodist Episcopal Church and a student of the Bible, and has frequently preached funeral services in his local- ity. He is a Prohibitionist and a strong advocate of temperance. [OHN Bennett Lyons. The Lyons family has been a resident of Newton County more than three quarters of a century. It is probable that as many of the substantial activities in and about the Village of Brook revolve about this name as that of any other of the old families. As pioneers they helped to clear up the wilder- ness and develop the succession of woodland and swamp into fertile tracts of agricultural and grazing land. Their individual enterprise has also extended to those movements instituted for community benefit. The name Lyons is traceable to the Holland Dutch, and at one time it was spelled Leab and Lieb. Since the organization of the Bank of Brook, the only banking institution of the village, John Bennett Lyons has been very promi- nent in its management and operation. Mr. Lyons made his success as a farmer and stockman, and has spent all his life in Newton County. He was born February 23, 1845, on section 22 of what is now Iroquois Township of Newton County. When he was a boy his parents removed to section 17 of the same township and the old homestead is now located just outside the limits of the Village of Brook. His parents were Samuel and Margaret (Smith) Lyons. About 1840 they moved from the country south of Chillicothe in ^^ /^ Id^tyi^ JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 391 Ross County, Ohio, to Iroquois Township of Newton County. John B. Lyons' great-grandfather came from Holland and was a colonial settler. The name as stated was originally spelled Leab or Leib, and what reason prompted the change to Lyons is not recalled. Samuel Lyons' mother was of Welsh descent. Margaret Smith was born near Hoboken, New Jersey, of Dutch stock, and her parents, Joseph and Mary (Earl) Smith, moved from New Jersey and located first near Crawfordsville, Indiana, on Coles Creek during the decade of the '20s, and about 1832 or 1833 moved to Iroquois Township and were among the first pioneers to invade the wilderness of Newton County. They settled just across the branch from the old Spitler residence, and were close to the location of the first courthouse in Jasper County in section 29. Samuel Lyons died June 5, 1905, at the age of ninety-two. As a young man he learned and practiced the trade of blacksmith, but after coming to Newton County was a practical farmer. He was a whig, abolitionist and republican, but never sought office. John Bennett Lyons had a taste of pioneer life while growing to manhood. He attended one of the pioneer schools and his first teacher was Samantha McQueary. He was still a boy less than seventeen years of age when on November 5, 1861, he was mustered into service in Company B of the noted Fifty-first Regiment of Indiana Infantry. With the excep- tion of a portion of the year 1863 he was continuously in service with this command, and was honorably discharged as hospital steward of the Fifty-first Regiment at San Antonio, Texas, Decem- ber 13, 1865. He is one of the honored members of the Grand Army Post at Brook. Mr. Lyons was among the first to respond to his country's call for troops, and when the beautiful Carnegie Library was erected in Brook he had placed at his own expense a beautiful metal tablet giving the names of the original volunteers in Company B of the First Indiana Veteran Volunteer Infantry, it being his company and the first enrolled in Newton County. This is a tribute paid to the boys of blue of 1861-65 which will ever hold the name of John Bennett Lyon dear to the citizens of Brook and Newton County. On returning home from the war he took up farming, and on May 8, 1868, married Mary C. Hess, a member of the prominent Hess family of Newton County, and a daughter of Andrew and Sarah (Holman) Hess. Her family was of Holland stock, and the Hesses moved from Ross County, Ohio, to Brook in 1855. Much is said about the Hess family on other pages of this publication. Mr. and Mrs. Lyons have a family of nine children, and it testi- fies to the strong and vigorous stock that all the children and grand- children born into the family circle are still living. Lawrence E., the oldest, is a resident at Brook, and by his marriage to Catherine Robertson has a child named Lawrence E. Oliver M. is also a resident of Brook, and married Lilly Sterner, and their children are 392 JASPER AND XEWTON COUNTIES William S., Dorothy and Lucile. Fred, of Brook, married Larra B. Esson, and they have five children, Pauline, Gladys, William, Fielder and Fred. Elsie married B. B. Gragg of Brook, and they are the parents of three children, Bernard B., Gaylord and Phyllis. James G., a farmer in Jackson Township, married Miss Frances Hays. Lou is the wife of Fred B. Snyder of Brook. John B., Jr., is now assistant cashier of the Bank of Brook, and married Sue C. Esson. Charles H. and Verna are both at home with their parents. While John B. Lyons has gained his prosperity chiefly by farm- ing, stock feeding, and the buying and shipping of stock on an extensive scale, he has also acquired other important interests. He is one of the directors and is treasurer of the Brook Terra Cotta Tile & Brick Company. On October i, 1892, associated with John Esson and George Turner, he established the private bank now the Bank of Brook. Since that date he has had the practical manage- ment of the affairs of ' this prosperous institution, and now owns most of the stock. The Bank of Brook has a paid up capital of $54,000 with $10,000 surplus fund, and the integrity of the institu- tion and its stockholders have always been above question. The officers are: John F. Lawrence, president; John B. Lyons, cashier; John B. Lyons, Jr., and Fred Spangler, assistant cashiers. While an active republican Mr. Lyons has performed his best service to the community as a leading business man and banker. For six years during the decade of the '80s he served as county com- missioner, has been township trustee, and in 1892-93 was a member of the State Legislature. He is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias Lodge at Brook. Is.\.\c Vanosdol Alter. One of the very earliest families to settle in Carpenter Township, Jasper County, Indiana, was one bearing the name of Alter, a name that for over sixty years has been representative of good citizenship. Additionally it has been one that is linked with much of the development of this section, possess- ing energy and enterprise, foresight and ambition. The Alters are supposed to have originated as a family, in Hesse Darmstadt, Germany. From there, in 1752, they started for the American colonies, setting sail from Rotterdam, Holland, and in the following year are registered as residents of Philadelphia, Penn- sylvania. The name appears in the list of Revolutionary patriots and its bearer was a direct ancestor of Isaac \'anosdol Alter, of Jas- per County, Indiana, to which section the Alters came in 1848, although as early as 1836 they came to the state from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, sojourning in the meanwhile in Henry and Hancock counties. Isaac Vanosdol Alter, with two brothers, David and John Alter, came from Henry County, Indiana, and settled in Carpenter Town- ship when Jasper County was practically a wilderness. Isaac V. was a farmer and in following out his agricultural operations. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 393 ploughed up the virgin soil, with an ox-team, the present sites of Kentland and Goodland. Like many of the early pioneers he was fond of hunting and gained a local reputation as a trapper, there being at that time an abundance of game in this section. He also had note as a bee hunter, one of those, who, in a forest, through instinct and keen eyesight, could locate the stores of honey that were so welcome additions to the plain fare of the frontiersmen. After his marriage to Eliza Willet, Mr. Alter moved to Wis- consin, where he lived for five years, at the end of which time he returned to Indiana and took up his residence in the village of Rensselaer, for about one year afterward operating a grist and sawmill, by steam power, on Curtis Creek. In 1862 he came to Union Township and here acquired the valuable land on which his descendants now live. He was a man of unusual enterprise and business view and soon after coming to Union Township bought an interest in a sawmill; of which he eventually became sole owner, subsequently adding a gristmill and operating both mills by water power. As other settlers along the stream were incommoded by the damming of the waters, they naturally objected, and, as Mr. Alter was a man of peace, he installed steam machinery and con- tinued his milling industries. Although possessed of but limited education, Isaac Alter was a man of quick intelligence and had little real need for the instruction that would have been given him in textbooks. He carried on his private business profitably and served with efficiency as a township trustee and with honesty that was proverbial. The father of Isaac V. Alter, Rev. John Alter, was a pioneer preacher and exhorter and as a circuit-rider traveled all over this section. Thus Isaac was reared in a religious atmosphere but during the earlier part of his life united with no church. During the last thirty years, however, he was a very active religious worker and was a member of the ^lethodist Protestant Church. He died Sep- tember 18, 1904, leaving a large estate and at one time had owned 500 acres of land. As stated, he married Eliza Willet, who was of French extraction. She died May i, 1883, the mother of six chil- dren: John E., George W., Amos H., David S., Isaac F. and Eliza. Isaac resides in Clinton County, Indiana, and Eliza died in childhood. George W., after marriage, moved to Kansas and died in that state, but the other brothers live on adjoining farms in Union Township. John E. Alter. Although the Alter family has largely been an agricultural one, some of its members have also achieved much in the trades and professions, diversity of gifts belonging to the entire kindred. John E. Alter, one of the best known members of this family in this section of the state, was born in Jasper County, Indi- ana, February 14, 1853, and is a son of Isaac V. and Eliza (Willet) Alter, both deceased. After completing his district school training, John E. Alter kept 394 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES his mind active by turning his attention, to some extent, to the study of the principles of civil engineering, in the meanwhile spending his winters in teaching school, lOO winter months being usefully passed in this way. That his engineering studies were of practical value was proved when he was called on to serve as county surveyor, for a long time being deputy surveyor prior to this, and serving three terms in the office, during his last term, when the gravel road ques- tion came up, through his scientific knowledge being able to be instrumental in getting this public improvement well started. At present he is one of the board of engineers employed by the trustees of Union, Newton, Barkley and Marion townships to plan for the improvement of the ditches in the section covered. Although engaged as above stated, Mr. Alter has never neglected his farm industries and owns 200 acres in Union Township on which he lives and additionally, forty acres lying north of Virgie, Indiana. John E. Alter was united in marriage with Miss Hattie McColly, who is a daughter of Clark McColly, and they have four children : John Cecil, a brilliant young man, is now in the weather bureau service of the Government and chief of the Cheyenne agency ; Iva L. is the wife of Joseph Pullin ; Leslie manages his father's estate and also his own estate of 100 acres. He married Miss Lottie Willet and their two children are Cecil E. and Gerald. Fern is the wife of Arthur McAuly, who is an electrical engineer at Chicago Heights. The grandchildren of Mr. and Mrs. John E. Alter are as follows: John Winston, Edward Irving and Marion I., the children of John Cecil Alter, and Max and Donald, children of Mr. and Mrs. Pullin. Mr. Alter and family belong to the Methodist Protestant Church. In politics he is a republican. In addition to the many other interests which have made Mr. Alter well and favorably known to his fellow citizens, he belongs to that distinguished body known all over the land, the Indiana Literary Guild, which, if organized, might insist on his membership because of a very valuable contribution he has made to the authentic history of this section. Reference is made to his romantic story entitled "The Hoosier Hunting Ground, or the Beaver Lake Trail." Although told in very interesting story form, the base is of fact and authentic in every degree. Mr. Alter passes some of the most enjoyable hours of his life in the companionship of his books. Henry C. Pierson. He whose name initiates this paragraph may consistently be designated a representative of one of the sterling and honored pioneer families of Jasper County, where his parents established their home when he was a lad of nine years. Within the period of his adult life he has passed a number of years in other Indiana counties, but he finally returned to Jasper County, where he is numbered among the representative citizens and substantial farmers of Union Township. Mr. Pierson was bom in Butler County, Ohio, on the 27th of JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 395 December, 1847, and is one of the three surviving children of Caleb E. and Emily (Meader) Pierson, both likewise natives of the old Buckeye State, where the respective families were founded in the pioneer era of its history. The Pierson family has been identi- fied with the annals of American history since the colonial period, and Moses Pierson, grandfather of the subject of this review, was a native of New Jersey, whence he removed in an early day to Ohio, where he passed the residue of his life. Caleb E. Pierson was reared to manhood in Ohio, where his educational advantages were those afforded in the pioneer schools, and where in his youth he learned the trade of carpenter, though he had been reared on the homestead farm of his father and thus gained an intimate and practical knowledge of the agricultural in- dustry. He was identified with farming operations and the work of his trade in Ohio until 1853, when he removed with his family to Indiana and settled at Greensburg, Decatur County. In 1856 he came from that place to Jasper County and purchased a farm of eighty acres in Marion Township, east of Rensselaer. On this pioneer homestead, which had been but slightly improved, he in- stalled his family in a little house of two rooms, and this original domicile continued to be the family home until he was able to make better provision by the erection of a more commodious farm dwell- ing. Here Mr. Pierson continued his active association with agri- cultural pursuits during the remainder of his earnest and worthy life. He supplemented the somewhat meager education of his youth by broad and well ordered reading and study in later years, and he not only kept well informed on the questions and issues of the day but became a man of well fortified convictions and mature judg- ment, so that he was recognized as a person of more than average intellectual ken. He was reared in the faith of the democratic party, but was never lacking in the courage of his honest convic- tions, and thus he identified himself with the republican party at the time of its organization and gave his support to its first presi- dential candidate. Gen. John C. Fremont. Thereafter he was un- faltering in his allegiance to the republican party during the remain- der of his long and useful life, and he was specially zealous in doing all in his power to uphold the Union and the policies of President Lincoln during the climacteric period of the Civil war. While he devoted the major part of his time and attention to agricultural pursuits after coming to Jasper County, he found also a demand for his services as a carpenter, and builder, in which connection it is specially interesting to note that he erected in Rensselaer an edifice for the Church of God, and that this building is still in excellent preservation and still used for religious worship. Caleb E. Pierson was a man whose entire life was guided and governed by the highest principles of integrity and honor, and thus he ever commanded the unqualified confidence and good will of his fellowmen. He was never known to indulge in a single expression of blasphemy during 396 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES his entire life and his influence was fruitful in incentive and lesson to those who came within its compass. In early life he held mem- bership in the Unitarian Church, but he finally united with the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which both he and his wife were zealous members for many years prior to their death. He passed away at the age of about seventy years, and his wife's demise occurred in 1858, the names of both meriting enduring place on the roll of the honored pioneers of Jasper County. As previously stated, Henry C. Pierson was nine years old at the time when the family home was established in Jasper County, and here he was reared to adult age under the sturdy and invig- orating discipline of the home farm, the while he made good use of the advantages of the schools of the locality and period. His entire independent career has been marked by close and effective identification with the great fundamental industries of agriculture and stock-growing, and aside from his activities as a farmer in Jasper County he passed four years in White County, two years in Tippecanoe County, and one year in Benton County. There- after he was again in Jasper County for a time, and he then removed to a farm in Iroquois Township, Newton County, where he con- tinued his successful operations as an agriculturist for a period of fifteen years, at the expiration of which, in 1910, he returned to Jasper County and established his home on his present farm of fifty acres in Union Township. He is one of the careful, industrious and successful farmers of Jasper County, and as a loyal and public- spirited citizen of sterling character, he has the respect and con- fidence of the people of the county in which the days of his boyhood and youth were passed. Mr. Pierson is found aligned as a stanch supporter of the cause of the republican party, though he has never manifested aught of ambition for political ofiice, and both he and his wife hold member- ship in the United Brethren Church. In 1870 Mr. Pierson wedded Miss Harriet Carson, and she was summoned to the life eternal on the 4th of February, 1889. Five children were born of this union: Jesse Bruce, Emily Grace (de- ceased), William Harvey, Lacey (deceased), and Marion. On the 28th of April, 1891, was solemnized the marriage of ]\Ir. Pierson to Mrs. Anna L. (Wood) Knight, daughter of the late Moses Wood and widow of Albert Knight. No children have been born to this union. WiLLi.\M H. Ade. Of the Ade family of Newton County it is hardly necessary to speak by way of introduction, though it is neces- sary to meet the expectation of everyone who uses this work for reference to include some of the biographical details in the careers of those representatives of the name who have been most conspicu- ously identified with the development of the countrj' since pioneer times. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 397 First attention must be given to the veteran John Ade, who since Newton County was first formed as a distinct civil jurisdiction in Indiana has been prominent in its affairs and business activities. John Ade was born September 21, 1828, in Sussex County, England, the oldest in a family of six children bom to John and Esther (Wood) Ade. In 1840 the family came to America, settling near Cincinnati, where Mr. John Ade, who was twelve years of age at the time of the immigration, had some further school advantages and then learned the blacksmith's trade, which was his regular occu- pation for several years. While living in Cincinnati he kept a toll gate near that city from 1849 to 1851. / John Ade became identified with this section of Indiana more than sixty years ago. Coming from Iroquois County, Illinois, where he had spent only a few weeks of residence, he settled in Morocco, Indiana, in 1853, and was a resident of that town until i860. That year Newton County was formed, and at the first election of officers he was chosen recorder and then took up his residence at Kentland, the new county seat. When his term as recorder expired in 1864 he was elected auditor, and held that office until 1868. Not long afterwards he became identified with the banking business, with which his name was most prominently associated for many years in Newton County. In the newly organized Discount and Deposit Bank of Kentland he accepted the position of cashier, and in 1875 acquired a partnership in the institution, but for many years con- tinued to hold the post of cashier. More than any other individual he was responsible for the growth and influence of the oldest bank- ing house of Kentland. He retired from active business affairs a number of years ago. In politics he has been a republican since the organization of the party, has been officially identified with the Christian Church, and became one of the first members of Kentland Lodge of Masons. In 185 1, two or three years before settling in Newton County, he mar- ried Miss Adaline Bush of Cheviot, Ohio. To their marriage were born seven children : Anna, who married John W. Randall on May 18, 1871 ; William; AHce, who became the wife of John G. Davis of Newton County ; Joseph ; Emma, who died in 1865 at the age of five years ; George, whose name and reputation as an author and playwright have attained world wide fame ; and Ella. Of these children particular mention is made at this point of William H. Ade, who for years has been one of the strong and vigorous factors in the life of his community, and is well known by his attainments outside of Newton County. He was born in !Mo- rocco, Indiana, August 3, 1859, and with the exception of two years, 1882-83, spent in Dakota, has ahvays lived in Newton County. He was about six months of age when his parents removed to Kentland, after the establishment of Newton County, and he grew to manhood in that little country village of Northwest Indiana. He attended the public schools, but at the age of seventeen took up his regular 398 JASPER AND XEWTON COUNTIES career and vocation as a farmer. It is as a farmer that William H. Ade still prefers to be classed, though he has extensive interests in other lines of activity. For a number of years he has been very successful as an importer of Belgian horses, and has done much to make the livestock industry profitable in his section of Indiana. From 1896 to 1900 Mr. Ade was treasurer of Newton County. At that time he was a republican, the political faith to which he had been reared, and he continued to support that party until the national convention of 1912, after which he aligned himself with the pro- gressive cause. In 1914 he was the unsuccessful candidate of his party for congress. He has done much to advocate such progressive measures as the initiative and referendum, the cause of universal suffrage, and has been a strong advocate of temperance. It is only stating the estimate and judgment of others to say that William H. Ade is one of the foremost citizens of Northwest Indiana, and is a big man both mentally and morally. At the present time his prop- erty interests in Newton County comprise 1,015 acres of partly developed farm lands. On January 12, 1887, he married Miss Katie Shepard, daughter of Otis Shepard of Kentland. There are four children : Nellie, Mrs. J. D. Rathbun, Ardis, John O. and Charles R. WiLLi.\M P. Bennett. Hard work and intelligent manage- ment as a farmer and a public spirited relationship to all matters of community concern, have made William P. Bennett one of the best known citizens of Jasper County, which has been his home for nearly half a century. He is now living virtually retired, and has a beautiful country home in Section 26 of Marion Township on Rural Route No. 3 out of Rensselaer. His present farm comprises forty acres, but for many years he directed operations on a much larger area. He was born near Cincinnati. Ohio, October 22, 1855, a son of Knicley and Louisa (Baxter) Bennett, his father of German and English and his mother of English descent. The parents were married in Ohio, and of their eight children five are still living. The father was also a farmer and in 1868 brought his family to Jasper County, locating near Pleasant Ridge, where for mdny years he conducted his farm. His first wife and the mother of his children died in 1882, and he subsequently married Emilj' Nicholson. They were both killed while driving across the railway tracks at Maple Grove Crossing, being struck and killed by a passenger train. This was in the fall of 1892. They were laid to rest in the Smith Ceme- tery, while the first wife was buried at the Prayter Cemetery. The father was a successful farmer and stockraiser and accumulated an estate of 120 acres. He was a stanch democrat, though originally he had supported the whig ticket. Though greatly interested in public affairs he never cared to hold office. In later years he took much interest and part in church work, and was a member and JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 399 deacon of the Christian Church. The land whicli he secured in Jasper County in the early days he improved from a wilderness con- dition, and by his work and character enjoyed the thorough esteem of all who knew him. William P. Bennett was about thirteen years of age when the family came to Jasper County, and thereafter he attended for a time the common schools in Barkley Township. His time and efforts were given to his father until he was nineteen years old, and he then worked out as a farm hand and contributed his wages to the house- hold exchequer until he was twenty-two. At that time he made his first purchase and started life independently, acquiring forty acres in Barkley Township. To that he subsequently added eighty acres more, and his prosperous career as a hard working farmer con- tinued until about eight years ago. He not only cultivated his land but engaged on an extensive scale in the raising of stock, being associated in that business with Robert Randle and R. B. Harris. About eight years ago Mr. Bennett left Barkley and moved to his present home in Marion Township. He put up a comfortable home for his declining years, also built barns and other strtictures, and has since pursued a somewhat leisurely career. On September 14, 1877, he married Miss Ellen Moore, daughter of Benjamin and Elizabeth Moore. Mrs. Bennett died in 1879, and on September 8, 1881, he married Ella Fielder, daughter of Richard and Eliza (Faulkner) Fielder. Her mother was born near Lincoln, England, and came to the United States when twelve years of age. Her father was born in Logan County, Ohio, and he and his wife were married there. Mr. Fielder came to Jasper County in 1865, locating in Barkley Township, followed farm- ing and stock raising, but about 1880 he and his wife went to Mason County, Illinois, where they are still living. Of their eight chil- dren, only one is deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett are members of the Christian Church at Rensselaer. Mr. Bennett is a democrat in politics, and is one of the many zealous admirers of President Wilson. Their farmstead is known as The Riverview Farm, and is a credit to the county. George Kannal. Since the earliest dawn of history the trend of civilization has been ever westward. The face of the pioneer is turned toward the setting sun. The Central States of the Amer- ican Union have been settled by men from the Atlantic States and by immigrants from Europe, whose combined etiforts have turned the old Northwest Territory into a number of great and flourishing commonwealths, among which is the State of Indiana. To Jasper County, in 1865, came George Kannal, who located in what is now a part of Rensselaer, south of the Iroquois River. He was accom- panied by his wife Mary and two children : Elizabeth, who later became the wife of Thomas Hollingsworth, and Emmet. Mr. Kan- nal was a native of Columbiana County, Ohio, born March 13, 1813, 400 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES and there passed his earher life. He^came to Indiana to go into the banking business with A. McCoy and A. Thompson at Rensse- laer, and as time went on he became a large land owner. In all probability he was one of the best judges of human character that ever lived here. Often he would make loans when the security was insufficient, and when other lenders would refuse; but he rarely, if ever, lost, so accurate was his judgment of men. He died June lo; 1885. Emmet Kannal, son of George Kannal, was born June 10, 1849, and died July 31, 189 1, at the untimely age of forty -two years. His adult life was passed in this county and it was here that his life's interest was centered. He was a graduate from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, and his thesis at the time of his graduation received the highest and most honorable mention, being one of three especially mentioned by the state board. He embarked in the drug business in Rensselaer, in which he afterward continued until his death, and was undoubtedly the best analytical chemist in this section of the country. A man of advanced and original ideas, he was particularly strong in his advocacy of public improvements, streets, parks, fire protection and schools, at a time when the public generally was not in sympathy with such measures. At the time of his death he was serving as a member of the town board. In September, 1872, he married Mary E. Duck, who died in 1912, leav- ing three children: Harvey J., Romaine Irma (Mrs. Harry F. Parker) and Juno Ida (Mrs. C. W. Eger). Mrs. Kannal was a daughter of Jesse Duck, who was sheriff of Columbiana County, Ohio, at the time William McKinley, then a struggling young lawyer, was prosecuting attorney for that judicial district. Mr. Duck later became internal revenue collector and was otherwise prominent. Harvey J. Kannal, the only son of Emmet Kannal, and the only male representative of his grandfather, George Kannal, in Jasper County, was born in Rensselaer, June 15, 1874. He was here reared and primarily educated, and for a number of years was a student of veterinary science. In 1890 he matriculated at the Chi- cago Veterinary College, was graduated therefrom four years later, and during this time was a student of special subjects in the North- western Medical College. He began the practice of his profession at Delphi, Indiana, in 1894, but, beginning in 1895, he has been established in Rensselaer, his native city. Doctor Kannal has been particularly honored in his profession. He is the present secretary of the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, having been chosen to this position without his knowledge or solicitation over scores of applicants for the place. He is also consulting veterinary of the United States Department of Agriculture and is assistant state veterinarian. In politics he is a Republican and has served in various local official positions Socially he is a member of Iro- quois Lodge, Xo. 143, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 403 with much of the important htigation in the county. He is the present attorney for the Marble- Powers Ditch, (Cause No. 89), which has in hand the straightening of the Kankakee River for twenty-eight miles. This involves the construction of what will be the largest ditch in the State of Indiana. Some years ago Mr. Halleck established a telephone line connecting DeiMotte, Kinman and Wheatfield, which was the first telephone line constructed in Jasper County. Though at first but a small private affair, it eventually developed into the Halleck Telephone Company, operat- ing 150 miles of wire. In politics Mr. Halleck is a republican and in 1896 was elected county commissioner, during the nine years he served as such acting as president of the board. It was during this time that the new court house was erected. In 1908 he was elected state senator for White, Jasper, Newton and Starke Counties. While in the Senate he was chairman of the drainage committee. He also introduced the bill making it possible for each county to establish a tuberculosis hospital, and it passed both House and Senate, but did not become a law, as the governor failed to give it his signature. Mr. Halleck was married June i, 1888, to Lura I. Luce, and they have had born to them five children : Mildred E. ( Mrs. William G. Richardson), Hester (Mrs. Harry Milner), Lura, Charles and Harold. An active and public spirited citizen, ever ready to lend his aid to any project for advancing the general good of the community, Mr. Halleck has won and enjoys in a high degree the respect and confidence of the people of his own and the neighboring counties, which he represented in the Senate. As he is still in the prime of life, no doubt many opportunities for usefulness are still before him. MiCAH B. Halstead. There were probably few persons in Jasper County who did not know the late Micah B. Halstead, who died at his home in Newton Township on April 27, 1902. He was one of the earliest and one of the best and most known citizens. Those who knew him admired and loved him, and there was a great deal in his rugged character to command esteem and respect. It is sufficient to invest his memory with some of the qualities of romantic adventure when it is recalled that he spent several years in the Far West and Northwest during the exciting period of the early '50s. A native of Ohio, he was born in Crawford County May 3. 1832, a son of Samuel and Susanna (Webster) Halstead. His parents were farmers, and lived in several different states and localities. Micah B. Halstead spent his youthful days in helping with the work of the home farm and in attending the neighboring schools. When he was a very small child his people removed to Illinois, and his mother died there in 1838. In the fall of that year he and the 404 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES other children went to LaPorte County, Indiana, where IMicah B. was reared by an uncle Asaph Webster. There were exceedingly few people living in Jasper County when Micah B. Halstead first identified himself with that locality in 1851. He was accompanied by his brother David T. Halstead, of whom as another pioneer settler appropriate mention is made elsewhere. During the winter of 1852 Micah B. Halstead taught a district school in Jasper County, and the following year went to lUinois. From there as an assistant to John C. Davenport he helped to drive a herd of stock to Oregon. This was a most eventful trip, filled with dangers and adventures, and took him into the midst of condi- tions which will always be considered among the most romantic in the pioneer era of the Far West. For three years Micah B. Halstead lived in Oregon and in California, finally returning to the States in 1856 by way of the Nicaragua route. He had a varied experience on the Pacific Coast, and part of the time was engaged in mining. On his return east Mr. Halstead settled permanently in Jasper County, and from that time forward was one of the most vigorous citizens in the clearing and developing of agricultural lands in this county, and in carrying on an extensive business as a stock raiser. His work and influence left an indelible impress upon the com- munity. On August 30, 1857, not long after returning from the West he married Virginia U. Harris, daughter of Benjamin and Betsy (Faulk) Harris, who were also old settlers of Jasper County. To this marriage were born eight sons : Orpheus C, David L., Edwin M., William, Sanford S., Everett R., M. Rankin and Chester H. Of these, Orpheus C, Everett R. and Chester H. have homes of their own and all reside in Newton Township ; David L. and William live with their aged mother on the old homestead ; Sanford S. is in the State of Wyoming and M. Rankin is in Mississippi. Edwin M. was killed while engaged in teaching school in Dakota Territory. The late Micah B. Halstead was a man of unusual strength of character. Possessed of an alert, retentive mind, he was excej>- tionally well informed and was an entertaining companion. Moral, upright, honest to the penny, he commanded respect wherever he went. No one stood higher in Jasper County in the estimation of his fellow men. Orpheus C. H.\l.ste.\d. A representative citizen and substan- tial farmer of Jasper County, Indiana, is found in Orpheus C. Halstead, who owns a large amount of valuable farm land in Newton Township. He belongs to an old family of this section, was born in Newton County, November 6, 1858, and is a son of Micah B. and Virginia U. (Harris) Halstead. Orpheus C. Halstead was reared in Jasper County and for some years attended the public schools, but the larger part of his educa- tion has been secured through personal study, reading and obsen^a- Great-grandmother, Mary Ann Livingstone, has ten children, twenty-one grandchildren and eighteen great- grandchildren, all living at present. This represents four generations. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 405 tion. Farming has been his life occupation and the principles of this great industry he understands well. During the father's life- time all the sons farmed together, but after the father's death the estate was divided. Since February, 1901, Mr. Halstead has resided on his home place in Newton Township, where he has 240 acres, and he owns also 100 acres of the old homestead. On January 28, 1891, Mr. Halstead was united in marriage with Miss Laura C. Yeoman, who is a daughter of John and Abigail (Sayler) Yeoman. They have one son, Roscoe Vernon, who was born December i, 1891. He grew up on the home farm and married May Kelley and they have one son, Ralph Kelley Halstead. Mr. Halstead and his son are republicans in politics. Everett Reeve H.'\lstead. While his interests are mainly iden- tified with the management and cultivation of a fine farm in Section 18 of Newton Township, Everett R. Halstead has for a number of years made himself a factor in affairs of Jasper County, and belongs to that fine old family which has helped make history in • this locality of Indiana since the early pioneer times. He is the sixth in the family of children of Micah B. and Virginia U. (Harris) Halstead, whose careers are sketched on other pages. As a boy Everett Reeve Halstead had the usual experiences and routine of discipline and work common to all Indiana youth. After completing the course of the district schools, he entered the Val- paraiso Normal and was graduated in June, 1889, and subsequently spent two years in the Normal College at Columbus, Indiana. Mr. Halstead began his career as a teacher, taught two years very suc- cessfully in Jasper County, and is still remembered gratefully by many of his old pupils. He was also for two years in educational work in Eastern Oregon. Since returning home he has applied himself with systematic enterprise and much success to his profession as a farmer. From the fall of 191 1 for two years his services were almost entirely engaged in government work. On September 6, 191 1, Mr. Halstead married Loe Cornelia Pan- coast, daughter of Abner Cicero and Elizabeth (Livingstone) Pancoast. She traces her lineage to the great African explorer, Doctor Livingstone, and she also is a descendant of Chancellor Liv- ingstone, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and who also administered the presidential oath to Gen. George Washington when the latter became the President of the United States. On the pater- nal side she is of English descent, and the proper orthography of the name is Pankhurst, and the same lineage includes the well known suffragist leader, Mrs. Pankhurst. Mrs. Halstead was born in New- ton Township, Jasper County, March 29, 1883, and has been liberally educated, supplementing her common school training by a course in the Rensselaer High School and at De Pauw University. She after- ward became a successful teacher in both Jasper and Newton coun- ties, and in the schools of Columbia City, where she taught history. 406 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES She has also studied both vocal and instrumental music. She is a member of the Presbyterian Church, which she joined when she was but a small child. Mrs. Halstead is the elder of her parents' two children, and her sister. Oka May, who was educated in the common schools and the Rensselaer High School, is teaching school in Barkley Township. She is also a member of the Presbyterian Church. Abner C. Pancoast, the father, was bom in Ohio, in 1855, attended the A'alparaiso University, and is a farmer. He votes with the republican party and is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mrs. Pancoast was born in Lake County, Indiana, in 1857, and after completing her educational training in the common and high schools she taught in the schools of her native state. She, too, is a member of the Presbyterian Church and with her husband she resides in Newton Township. Mr. and Mrs. Halstead have a happy little family comprising three children, John Sheridan, born May 30, 1912; Oka Jane, bom September 16, 1913; and Virginia Elizabeth, bom August 29, 1915. These children have been rocked in a cradle which was also their grandfather's, and it was made about sixty-four years ago, from walnut grown on the farm of Shreve Pancoast, their great-great- grandfather. In politics Mr. Halstead is a republican. He is a member of the Church of God, and his wife is a Presbyterian. At the outbreak of the Spanish- American war Mr. Halstead took a prominent part in organizing and drilling a company of cavalry which was the third company in the First Regiment of Indiana Volunteers. After a brief service this company came home, and on July 4, 1898, it took the conspicuous part in a sham battle which was staged in the streets of Rensselaer and which drew one of the largest crowds ever assem- bled in that city. Chester H. Halste.ad. Another representative of the promi- nent and well known Halstead family of Jasper County is Chester H., who though still in his early thirties has much to show for his enterprise and labors in his fine farm in section 7 of Newton Town- ship, where he is proprietor and manager of 245 acres. Born in Jasper County January 26, 1882, he is a son of Micah B. and Virginia U. (Harris) Halstead. He grew up in this section of Indiana, attended the district schools near the old home and fin- ished with two years in the Valparaiso Normal University. From college he returned home to take up farming and stock raising, and in that has found contentment and all the success which the average man expects from any line of business or profession. It was in March, 1909, that he moved to his present farm in section 7, and out of 245 acres he has it all under cultivation with the exception of eighty acres in timber and pasture. In six years' time he has done a great deal to improve the buildings, has subdrained much of his MRS. ELIZA ASKEW AND HER GRANDCHILDREN \Mlliam H. Halstead, age four years ; Flora V., age fifteen months; Grandmother, aee seventy-two rears. J 4' JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 407 cultivated area by the liberal use of tile, and now has a farm which is capable of producing good revenues every season. On December 15, 1908, at Kiowa, Kansas, he married Miss Emily D. Askew, who was born in Tazewell County, Virginia, February 11, 1886, a daughter of Abraham and Eliza (Lester) Askew, and on the paternal side is of French ancestry. She is a graduate of the Cedar Bluff High School, also attended the normal school at Tazewell, Vir- ginia, and was a successful teacher in her native state for two years. Abraham Askew, her father, was born in Russell County, Virginia, in 1833, and he died in that state October 9, 1908. He was an agri- culturist, and was a great reader, especially of the Bible. He accum- ulated 360 acres of land in Virginia, was well known for his honor and integrity, was a strong advocate of the cause of temperance, was a republican in his political affiliations, and his church was the Mis- sionary Baptist. Mrs. Askew was born in Tazewell County, Vir- ginia, July 12, 1841, a daughter of Isaac and Nancy (Williams) Lester, and she was reared and educated in the old Dominion State of Virginia. There were eleven children in the Askew family, seven sons and four daughters, and six are living, namely : William H., a business man of Wichita, Kansas, and he is married and has eight children ; Floyd H., a merchant at Cedar Bluff, Virginia, has two children ; Thomas, a farmer in Tazewell County, Virginia, has two children ; Lawrence, a farmer at Liberty, Ohio, has two children ; Rebecca Ann, who resides with her mother in Rensselaer; and Mrs. Chester Halstead, who is mentioned in the biography of her husband elsewhere in this work. Rebecca Ann Askew received a liberal education, supplementing her common school course by attendance at the Women's Female College at Marion, Virginia, and she has studied both instrumental and vocal music. She is a member of the Methodist Church, also of the Ladies Foreign Missionary Society and the Ladies Industrial Society of Rensselaer. Mrs. Askew, the mother, is a charming southern woman, and, as did her husband, she holds membership in the Missionary Baptist Church. Mr. and Mrs. Halstead are the parents of two children : William Henry, born January 2, 1910; and Flora Virginia, born April 13, 1914. Mr. Halstead is a republican in politics, is interested in every- thing tiiat will better his home community, but has no desire for the ordinary political office. David Thorpe H.\lste.\d. It is as one of the vigorous and splendid pioneers of Jasper County that the late David Thorpe Hal- stead should be remembered. There are some men who not only perform their individual share of life's duty, but also carry with them the destinies of many others and leave their impress upon an entire community. That was true of the late David T. Halstead. Born in Ohio May 23, 1826, he was one of the six children of Samuel and Susanna (Webster) Halstead, and was a brother of 408 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES the late Micah B. Halstead, with whom he came as a pioneer to Jasper County. David T. Halstead's Hfe is closely interwoven with the religious development of this section of Indiana. Though for two terms he served as auditor of Jasper County, his real work was in connection with the Church of God, of which he was an elder for sixty years. David Halstead came to Jasper County in 1851. He married Teressa Reeve, and of their five children Joanna, Eva and Charles reached maturity. His second wife was Patience Reed Sharp. David T. Halstead was a man of pronounced views, generous to a fault, giving much to charity, and not only possessed but exer- cised a deep and abiding love for all mankind. Patriarchal in ap- pearance during his latter days, he was indeed a father to the youth needing wise counsel. His piety was of the highest order of Christianity. His death occurred June 22, 1914. and he went to his final rest followed by the benedictions of a host of friends and admirers. George A. Williams. During his career on nearly fifteen years as a member of the Jasper County bar, Mr. Williams has exempli- fied all the success of the able lawyer and the general public service which is usually associated with that profession. He has been honored on a number of occasions with positions of responsibility and trust and in many ways has impressed his life on the modern prosperity of Rensselaer. He is the type of lawyer who began life without special advantages and has risen from comparative poverty to a high rank in his profession. He was born on a farm in Allen County, Ohio, July 24, 1873, the oldest of nine living children in a family of eleven, whose parents were James M. and Hannah H. (Custer) \\'illiams. Both his parents were of Ohio birth and were respectively of Welsh and English ancestry, and they are still living in Ohio. George A. Williams spent his early years at work on the home farm and in attending district schools. His education came not from consecutive attendance at school, but was interrupted by many demands upon his time and energy from the necessity of self- support. He spent two years in the Northwestern Normal School, now the Northern Ohio University at Ada, and one year at Mount Morris College in Mount Morris, Illinois. For ten years he was a successful educator in his native state, and a part of that time was principal of the schools at Big Springs. In the meantime he had begun the study of law with the serious purpose which has characterized his every undertaking, and in 1899 he entered the law department of what was then the Northern Indiana Normal College at Valparaiso. In June, 1901, he received his diploma from the institution, and in August of the same year located for practice at Rensselaer. That has been his home now for nearly fifteen years and in that time he has been identified with much of the important JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 409 litigation in Jasper County. Perhaps his most notable work as a lawyer was his retention as the sole attorney for the petitioners in the improvement of the Bonitrager Ditch and the improvement of the lower Iroquois River. Mr. Williams has been much in public aiifairs of an official nature. He served a number of years as city attorney of Rensselaer and is now Jasper County attorney. He is also a member and secretary of the present school board of Rensselaer, and during his membership on the school board the present modern high school building was erected. He is a republican in politics, and fraternally is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias, Castle Hall No. 82, of Rensselaer. On July 20, 1905, Mr. Williams married Miss Margaret David- son, a daughter of James M. and Susan C. (Springer) Davidson of Carthage, Illinois. John A. Dunlap. Among the men who are now maintaining the dignity and reputation of the Rensselaer bar, John A. Dunlap is easily one of the first both in sound knowledge of the law, in breadth of experience and in his high standing as a man and citizen. Mr. Dunlap started out in life with a determined purpose to make him- self useful in a profession, and though his means were severely limited he accepted every opportunity for advancement and by teaching, by working on farms, and at other occupations paid his way while digging through the wall of learning that encloses this ^ field of human knowledge. He has the distinction of being a native of one of the counties incltided in this historical survey. John A. Dunlap was bom in Newton County August i, 1878, a son of John and Henrietta (Cris- ler) Dunlap. Of the six children of these parents four are still living. The parents were also natives of Indiana, and John Dunlap was a farmer and to some extent was identified with merchandising during his brief career. When a young man he located in Newton County, and died at Julian at the early age of thirty-five in 1885. His widow survived until 1899. Seven years of age when his father died John A. Dunlap owes much to the love and diligence of his good mother, who kept her little family together until she married James Dunlap, a brother of her first husband. By her second marriage she became the mother of two children, one of them still living. These facts suggest that John A. Dunlap did not grow up in a home of luxury, and he early reahzed that he must make his own opportunities in life. At the age of sixteen he may he said to have started his practical career, working as a farm hand during the summer months and attending school in winter. In this way he was able to complete what is now considered the ■ equivalent of a high school course, attending the schools at Morocco, and later took a course in the Northern Indiana Normal School at Valparaiso. Securing a teacher's license, he 410 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES taught intermittently and also pursued his studies of law in me oiflce of Davis & Graves at Morocco, and was later a student in the office of Graves & Sutclifi' at Warsaw. In 1900 Mr. Dunlap was admitted to the bar and at once started private practice at Syracuse, Indiana. He later went West, was located at Independence, Kansas, for a time, and for two and a half years had considerable experience as a lawyer in Los Angeles, California. Returning to his native state in 1910, he located at Rensselaer, and in the past five years has built up an excellent practice in the law. Mr. Dunlap is a republican, and has affiliations with the Masonic Order, Lodge No. 125, and the Knights of Pythias, Castle Hall No. 82. On September 20, 1905, he married Miss Helen Johnson of Chicago. To their marriage has been born one daughter, Dorothy Anna. James H. Loughridge, ;\I. D. Well may this publication pay a special tribute of honor to that noble man and pioneer physician whose name initiates this paragraph and whose life was one of lofty ideals and aspirations and of able, zealous and unselfish service to his fellow men. The name of no pioneer of Jasper County is held in more reverent memory than that of Dr. Loughridge, who in the early days of his practice endured the most arduous of labors, encountered the most trying conditions and subordinated personal comfort in his earnest ministration to those in suffering and dis- tress, his practice having extended over a wide area of country. He continued in the active work of his profession until virtually the time of his death, which occurred at Rensselaer, the judicial center of Jasper County, on the i6th of August, 1895, his age at that time having been sixty-seven years and four months. Dr. James Hervey Loughridge was bom in Greene County, Pennsylvania, of Scotch-Irish ancestry, and the date of his nativity was December 27, 1828. He was a son of William and Mary (Ket- tler) Loughridge, both of whom passed their entire lives in the old Keystone State, where his father was a farmer by occupation. Dr. Loughridge was reared to the invigorating discipline of the home farm and as a lad his alert and receptive mentality caused him to profit fully by the advantages offered in the common schools of the locality and period. Thus early was quickened his ambition for higher education, and his ambition was ever one of action. He finally entered Washington & Jefferson College — now known as Washington College, at Washington, Pennsylvania, and in this institution he" was graduated when about eighteen years of age. Under excellent preceptorship he thereafter pursued the study of medicine, and as a young physician and surgeon he came to Indiana. He resided at Terre Haute for a short period, then removed to Battle Ground, Tippecanoe County, and in 1852 he established his permanent home at Rensselaer, the county seat of Jasper County. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 411 He was one of the early physicians of this now thriving and attrac- tive little city, and his practice extended over a wide scope of country, and that at a period when there but few roads and \\+ien these highways were of primitive order. He pursued his huinane mission under many material difficulties, often making his way on horseback along mere cow-paths, many times at night and always without regard to the inclemency of weather. Through winter snows and icy blasts he plowed his way, and in the spring of the year the roads were practically bottomless oozes of mud. The zeal and devotion of this pioneer physician knew no bounds, and he lived to view and aid in the march of development and progress and to see the development of this section of Indiana into a well improved country of splendid attractions and unequivocal prosperity. He never wavered in his allegiance to his exacting and responsible profession and continued one of its leading repre- sentatives in Jasper County until the hour of his death, which was looked upon by the entire community with a feeling of personal loss and bereavement. Doctor Loughridge never permitted himself to fall below the highest standard of efficiency both as a physician and surgeon, and his constant study and research kept him abreast of the advances made in both departments of his profession. He gained specially high reputation as a surgeon, and was a leader in the ranks of his profession in this part of the state. He was a charter member of the Jasper County Medical Society, was actively identi- fied with the Indiana State Medical Society and held membership also in the American Medical Association. Buoyant and optimistic, genial, generous and kindly, his very presence was like a ray of sunshine and a harbinger of good cheer, and he took deep interest in his fellow men, with an abiding desire to aid and uplift all who came withtin the sphere of his benign influence. He was affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in the teachings and fraternal activities of which he took much pleasure. In politics Doctor Loughridge gave unwavering allegiance to the democratic party and he was a stalwart supporter of its principles as exemplified by Jefferson and Jackson. He was a man of pro- found intellectuality, and the alertness of his mind was shown by his graduation in college when he was but eighteen years of age. He was keen and anylatical in his reasoning, was well fortified in his convictions, and was an ardent lover of nature, with rare appreciation of "communion with her visible forms." The "prim- rose by the river's brim," had more of significance to him than a mere yellow primrose; the wild flowers of the uplands and the marshes ever challenged his admiring attention, and all of nature's animate creations he looked upon with the attitude of a friend. It may well be understood that to a man of such noble character- istics and pervasive patriotism would not fail to espouse his country's cause when its integrity was menaced by armed rebellion. 412 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES When President Lincoln issued his first call for volunteers Doctor Loughridge promptly enlisted and became a surgeon in the Ninth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and later he served as a company surgeon in the Forty-eighth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Few of the old-time citizens of Jasper County had a wider acquaintanceship and no man in Jasper County held more secure vantage-place in popular Confidence and esteem. He accumulated a competency, the just reward for his effective and long continued services in his profession, through the medium of which he gained almost in its entirety his material prosperity. As a young man Doctor Loughridge took unto himself a wife, in the person of Miss Candace Powers, daughter of Francis Powers, who came to Jasper County in the spring of 1845 ^"^ who was one of the prominent and honbred pioneers of this county. Mrs. Loughridge survived her husband by nearly a score of years, and was summoned to the life eternal on the i8th of May, 1912, at the venerable age of seventy-eight years, her memory being revered by all who came within the compass of her gentle and gracious influence and her name being held in lasting honor in the community that represented her home for many years. Of their three children the first bom was Victor, who became a skilled physician and surgeon and who was engaged in the practice of his profession at Rensselaer at the time of his death, in March, i8g6, about one year after the death of his father ; Virgil died in infancy ; and the youngest of the children, Blanche L., remains as the only surviving representative of the immediate family. She is the wife of James L. Chapman, of Rensselaer, and is a leading factor in the representative social activities of her native city. William M. Hoover. For more than fifty years William M. Hoover has been helping to make history in Jasper County, where he has led a decidedly active life, beginning with his valued service to the country as a soldier of the Union army. For half a century he has been a prominent farmer in Marion Township and has con- tributed to the growth and development of that locality. Though a resident of Indiana since infancy, William M. Hoover was born in Ross County, Ohio, August 27, 1844, a son of Alford and Margaret (Rozelle) Hoover, his father a native of Harper's Ferry, Virginia, and his mother of Ohio. In 1846 the family moved from Ohio to Warren County, Indiana, and in 1854 joined the early pioneer settlers of Jasper County, locating on a tract of wild land in section 12 of Marion Township. It was in that locality that Alford Hoover spent his declining years. He was a cooper by trade, but followed farming after his removal to Indiana. The mother of William M. Hoover died Februarj' 6, 1904, in very advanced age. Eighteen months of age when brought to Indiana, William M. Hoover was reared partly in Warren and partly in Jasper County, attended such common schools as were in existence at that time, and JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 413 had reached the age of seventeen when he responded to the call for volunteers at one of the critical times of the Civil war. He enlisted August II, 1862, in Company A of the Eighty-seventh Indiana Vol- u eer Infantry. This regiment was organized and rendezvoused at South Bend, was mustered in at Indianapolis, and departed for the front in August, 1862. The regiment went to Louisville, Ken- tucky, and Mr. Hoover was first under fire at Crab Orchard. He was a participant in practically all the campaigns throughout Ten- nessee, Kentucky, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia until the strength of the Confederacy in those states was broken. He fought at Tunnel Hill, Benders Prairie, Gallatin. Tulla- homa and at Chickamauga, where more than half of his regiment was wounded or killed and he received a painful wound through the knee. After recovering he was at Rossville, and then sent with his com- mand back to Chattanooga and joining Sherman's forces participated in the practically continuous fighting during the hundred days of advance from Chattanooga up on Atlanta, including the siege and fall of that city. During the Atlanta campaign he was wounded twice in the face, but not sufficiently to keep him out of service for any length of time. After the fall of Atlanta he went on with Sherman to the sea, thence up through the Carolinas, and finally at the close of the war marched in Sherman's victorious hosts up Penn- sylvania Avenue during the Grand Review at Washington. He came out of the army with the rank of corporal, his discharge being dated June 26, 1865, at Indianapolis. He had also served under General Thomas. Since the close of his military career Mr. Hoover has been con- tinuously identified with farming activities in Marion Township. He has been prospered as he merited through his exceptional industry and good judgment, and is the owner of a fine estate of 480 acres in Marion Tov^^nship, and still continues farming and also is a buyer and shipper of live stock. Mr. Hoover married, on the 14th of February, 1867, Miss Nancy J. Adams, who was bom in Miami County, Indiana, August 4, 1848, a daughter of Isaac and Anne (Iddings) Adams, and she was reared and educated in her native county. She is a true wife and mother, and a lady of the most pleasing personality. Three sons have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hoover. Alford A., a resident of Marion Township, where he is engaged in agricultural pursuits, was liberally educated. He has fraternal affiliations with the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows at Rensselaer, and both he and his wife are members of the Presbyterian Church. He married Miss Evaline Jackson. William I., a resident of Rensselaer, is mentioned elsewhere in this work. Frank L. resides with his parents on the farm. He graduated in the Rensselaer High School, and then matriculated in the state university at Bloomington. He married Miss Leo Knox, and they are'members of the Christian Church. The name of William M. Hoover is well known throughout 414 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Jasper County both as a private citizen and as one who has been honored with pubhc office. He was elected county treasurer in 1884 and served two years in that office. In pohtics he is a demo- crat, is a member of the Grand Army Post and is affiHated with the lodge and encampment of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. and Airs. Hoover are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Rensselaer. George E. Murray. The persistent application to one line of effort that usually results in business success, has had its effective- ness demonstrated in the case of George E. Murray, one of the prominent citizens of Rensselaer, Indiana, who, from the beginning of his business career has been continuously connected with mercan- tile interests. Mr. Murray is president of the G. E. Murray Com- pany, Inc., an amply financed and important mercantile interest^ of this section, and also is vice president of the First National Bank of Rensselaer. Still further, he is identified with additional finan- cial concerns and with other enterprises, his aggregated interests covering a wide business field. George E. Murray was born at Leesburg, Ohio, April 13. 1857, and is a son of Gilbert E. and Henrietta (Sweney) Murray. On the paternal side the ancestry is Scotch and on the maternal is Irish, a combination that has notably resulted in sturdy characteris- tics in descendants. The father of Mr. Murray died when he was six years old and his burial was at Leesburg. After this bereave- ment the mother of Mr. Murray removed with him to Kokomo, Indiana, and there he attended school and spent his boyhood. By the time he was seventeen years of age, however, this period of irresponsibility was over and he started out to make his own way in the world, his success depending entirely upon his own efforts. Endowed by nature with a business sense, Mr. Murray early decided that the mercantile field would offer favorable opportunities for business advancement, and prior to 1881 he served as a clerk in mercantile houses at Kokomo, acquiring business details and the knowledge that is so necessary in the mercantile line. With this knowledge, in 1881, Mr. Murray came to Rensselaer, Indiana, and in partnership with J. H. S. ElHs, established a store and conducted the same under the firm name of Ellis & Murray until 1903, when he bought his partner's interest and continued alone until 1906. By this time Mr. Murray had a firmer grasp on business con- ditions, through his mercantile and other interests, and in the above year (1906), he greatly enlarged the scope of his concern and incorporated, with a capitalization of $8,000, under the style of the G. E. Murray Company, Inc., with the following officers : George E. Murray, president ; Charles E. Simpson, vice president ; and Fred Arnott, secretary and treasurer. The stock carried includes general merchandise and groceries, a superior quality only being handled, and sterling business methods dominating- the entire house. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 415 Mr. Murray, as indicated above, is also a very important factor in the financial field, being connected with two banks and being vice president of one, and additionally is concerned as a large stock- holder in a local lumber company. His responsibilities have all been assumed and his undertakings carried on with the marked integrity which has won him the universal confidence he enjoys at home and abroad, and his enterprises all reflect credit upon him and the city in which they are located. In June, 1889, Mr. Murray was united in marriage with Miss Charlotte O. Hester, who is a daughter of Francis A. and Rebecca (Slack) Hester, residents of Charlestown, Indiana, and they have two children : Helen F. and Gerald E. Mrs. Murray is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, while Mr. Murray was reared in the Presbyterian faith. In politics he is a republican but not active except in voicing his approval and casting his vote for his party's candidates. For many years he has been identified fraternally with the Masons Lodge and the Knights of Pythias Lodge No. 82. He has always been liberal in his contributions to benevolent movements and cheerfully assists when unusual demands, as very often occur, are made upon those charitably inclined. Fire, flood and war have presented claims to almost every city in the land in recent years, and Mr. Murray has always been ready to co- operate in sensible, substantial methods of relief when appeals have been made in his city. JoH.AN Hansson, D. V. S. The marvelous advance made in all branches of medical science in the period covered only by the life of those still in existence, has been particularly marked in what is known as the veterinary art. By no means is this a new science, veterinary skill having been exercised probably from earliest times, and even the great Hippocrates wrote a treatise on the curative treat- ment of horses. While this branch of practice concerns the treat- ment and cure of the disorders that particularly pertain to the animal world, its scope has grown so wide and its value has become so vitally appreciated, that governments call for aid through the science, skill and experience of its professors. At the present time they alone can achieve the great feat of completely stamping out maladies that, in afflicting the herds and stock that supply necessary food to a large proportion of the entire human race, jeopardize the well being and perhaps the existence • of the race itself. The United States has not been as forward in the establish- ing of great schools for training in this essential profession as some other countries, nevertheless there are such schools that have become of national reputation and their graduates are qualified for scientific work either as government experts or as private practitioners. In this connection may be mentioned Dr. Johan Hansson, whose suc- cess in the field of veterinary medicine and surgery has made his 416 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES name favorably known not only throughout Jasper County but in many other sections as well. Johan Hansson, veterinary surgeon, Renssalaer, Indiana, has been a resident of the United States for twenty-six years and of Jasper County five years. He was born in Sweden, July 13, 1870. His father, Hans Martinson, spent his entire life in Sweden, dying there in 1879. His mother, Anna (Erlandson) Martinson, still sur- vives and lives in Sweden, being now aged eighty years. Her family was not large but all survive : Martin, the eldest, is a farmer in Sweden, unmarried ; Arlland, who conducts the home farm at Cimbris, Sweden, is married but has no children ; Johan was the third born ; and Annetta, the youngest, resides with the aged mother. The paternal grandfather, Martin Martinson, served as an officer in Sweden's army. An intelligent youth as was Johan Hansson can not spend fifteen years of life on a farm without learning many things. One that early aroused his sympathetic interest was the prevalence of dis- orders among the stock and cattle and the consequent financial loss, and in his boyish desire to bring about better conditions arose the determination to study veterinary science. In his home neighbor- hood he had comparatively little opportunity for advancing in any direction, hence, believing the stories others told of great opportuni- ties for young men in America, he decided to emigrate and in 1889 came to the United States. Although Mr. Hansson kept on cherishing his ambition to be- come a veterinary surgeon, he found it desirable to accumulate some capital whereby he could sufficiently finance himself while devoting his time to study. Therefore he worked for a time at first as a machinist at St. Paul, Minnesota, continuing in the same line at Pullman, Illinois, and still later at Big Stone Gap, Virginia. After another season of work at Chicago, and still another at Monon, Indiana, he returned to Sweden and in 1892 he was graduated from Alnarpes Veterinary Institute. In the year of graduation, Doctor Hansson returned to the United States and in the same year became a naturalized citizen. He established himself at Monon, Indiana, where he had previously made many friends, for the practice of his profession and for doing scientific horseshoeing. He found many patrons and had all been as honest as himself, he would soon have secured substantial stand- ing, but, when he found that it would be to his advantage to take a post graduate course in the well known McKillip Veterinary College, Chicago, his capital then available would not cover the expense. Nevertheless he was enabled to take the course in that great institution and was most creditably graduated from the same in 1899. In 19 10 Doctor Hansson came to Rensselaer, Indiana, and has here built up a practice of large proportions, from which he has been able to afiford himself and family all the comforts and many of the JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 417 luxuries of life. Since coming here he has purchased a fine farm of 105 acres, situated in Newton township, and owns also a finely equipped establishment in the town for professional purposes. It was a source of expressed gratification to him when, recently, he had the coveted privilege of entertaining in his beautiful home, one whom he regards with feelings of deepest esteem, Dr. L. A. Merrilat, dean of McKillip Veterinary College. He was able to show Dr. Merrilat that his benefactions and extreme kindness in connection with the former's course in that college had not been unworthily bestowed and the visit was mutually agreeable. In 1882 Doctor Hansson was united in marriage with Miss Catherine Reed, and they have two children : Greveleus and Annetta. Dr. Hansson is a member of the Lutheran Church, having been confirmed in the same when fifteen years old. In politics he is a republican and he is esteemed one of the substantial, pro- gressive men of his community. Henry Franklin King. Success in life is seldom or never the result of accident, but depends upon long and continuous effort, backed by natural or trained ability in one's chosen occupation. Among the successful men of Jasper County is Henry Franklin King, of Rensselaer, who has been a resident of this county since early boyhood. William H. King, the father of this sketch, was a native of Hancock County, Indiana, where he was reared. He there married Anna Hall, and in 1882 came to Jasper County, locat- ing on a farm one mile north of Rensselaer. For the greater part of his life he followed farming, his death occurring in 1909. His widow survives him. Their family numbered seven children, of whom six are yet living. Henry Franklin King, who was the youngest son but one of William H. and Anna (Hall) King, was bom in Hancock County, Indiana, May 17, 1874. He was eight years old when he accom- panied his parents to Jasper County where he has since made his home. Reared on the farm, he was educated in the public schools of Rensselaer and began industrial life as a laborer, at five dollars a week, when fifteen years old. Having an economical disposition, he saved his means and in 1900 at twenty-six years of age, was in a small way enabled to go into the hitch barn business, in which he continued for about two years. His success in this enterprise showed for the first time his remarkable aptitude for buying things that had become practical failures and building them up to profitable proper- ties. He then engaged in the livery business with Daniel Waymire and was identified with it for about eighteen months. During this time they bought the blacksmith and repair shop now owned by Mr. King, and eventually the combined business was divided, Mr. King securing for his equity the shop and other consideration. Although he knew practically nothing as a tradesman or mechanic, he realized that the shop was in a run-down condition. He at once 418 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES remedied this state of things, put in a proper equipment, engaged first class workmen, and soon had it on a profitable paying basis. This industry he has continued to operate ever since. During the time that he was engaged in these enterprises he became interested in Jasper County realty, and from time to time added to his original purchase until he now owns 140 acres of land, forty acres in Marion and 100 acres in Newton Township. A republican politically, he takes an active and beneficial interest in public affairs and is now serving as a member of the present city council. Fraternally he belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and to the Modem Woodmen. As a successful business man and public spirited citizen he is widely known all over the county. Mr. King was married, November 20, 1898, to America M. Cripps, and they have four children : Walter C, Elizabeth, Kather- ine and Robert. Mrs. King is a member of the Christian Church. R.\NDLE Family. The histor\' of the pioneers of Jasper County must take up the Randle family almost at the beginning. Whether considered from the standpoint of priority of residence or from their notable activities as home makers in the wilderness and in the community affairs of the early times, the Randies are among the most conspicuous names in Jasper County. From Barkley Town- ship, where they were the first settlers, their influence as land owners and citizens has been woven into the warp and woof of county history in many interesting ways. This record must first concern Thomas Randle. Born in Hamp- shire County in what is now the State of West Virginia, but was then \'irginia, January 9, 1798, a son of James and Mary ( Shields) Randle, who came originally from New Jersey, he grew up on a farm in Western Virginia and among his early experiences learned to operate his father's flouring mill on Patterson's Creek. While living in Hampshire County he married Nancy Culp. Then in 1832 he and his brother-in-law, George Culp, with their families, came to Indiana. Their mode of conveyance was a four-horse wagon, which not only served to transport the women and children but also a supply of household goods, implements and other necessities for existence on the frontier to which they were bound. After twenty-seven days of travel over rough ways, through forests and swamps, much of the time over new made roads and blazed trails, the families located about four miles south of the present site of Delphi in the Wabash River Valley. The family lived there until about 1835, but in 1834 Mr. Randle and Mr. Culp came to what is now Jasper County and secured lands in sections 4 and 5 of what is now Barkley Township. Here they worked industriously for several days, erecting round log cabins, covered with clapboard roofs, puncheon floors and with stick and mud chimneys. They also harvested a crop of wild hay, which then grew plentifully on the prairies. In the spring of 1835 Mr. Randle and Mr. Culp moved their families to their newly ^^;^i^i^nnjiJ> J /t ^?L^»-^^/^ JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 419 chosen home, and that must be accepted as the record of the estab- Hshment of the first two famihes in what is now Barkley Township. Thomas Randle, though of but ordinary education, was a man of more than average intelhgence. He stood long as a stalwart figure in the early community, served as one of the early commissioners of Jasper County and for years administered justice through the office of justice of the peace. He and his good wife became the parents of four sons and four daughters. Three of these sons are still living. Many of their descendants are still found in Jasper County, and this substantial family stock has also supplied citizens to other counties and states. Thomas Randle died in Jasper County December ii, 1870, having survived his wife several years. Both were Methodists in religion and became identified with the first church organization in their township. Of their children James T. and Nelson are the sons still living, and all have their homes in Rensselaer. The other children were John, Mary, Isabel, Nancy Virginia and Savina. The distinction of being the oldest living resident of Jasper County belongs to James T. Randle, a son of Thomas and now spending the evening of his lifetime at Rensselaer. He was born in Hampshire County, West Virginia, October 10, 1831, and was an infant when brought to Indiana in the old wagon conveyance above mentioned. His home has been within the limits of Jasper County for fully eighty years, and no other resident has a fund of recollections dating back to an earlier time than he. The years of his developing youth were spent in assisting with the planting and harvesting, and he has used every type of farm tool that has been in vogue during the changing epochs of farming industry. As a young man he swung the old fashioned cradle for reaping grain and also the flail for beating out the kernels from the straw and chaff, plowed with the old wooden moldboard, was fully grown when the first railroad came through Jasper County, and was past middle age when the wonderful inventions of electricity were introduced to civilization. Such education as he obtained was acquired in the Pleasant Grove school in a building built of logs, with slab seats and the window openings covered by greased paper. In that school the teaching was rigidly limited to the three R's. On June 20, 1854, James T. Randle married Mary E. Overton, whose parents, James and Emeline (Parker) Overton, were among the early settlers of Hanging Grove Township. Shortly after his marriage James T. Randle settled on a place of his own adjoining the old homestead. He lived there and on the old home place, which he had acquired by purchase, until 1883, when he moved to Rensselaer, which has ever since been his home. Through his own exertions he became one of the most prosperous land holders of Jasper County, and at one time was the owner of 1,800 acres of land, most of which has subsequently been divided among his chil- dren. The stock interests of Jasper County have special reason to 420 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES appreciate the work of James T. Randle, since he was one of the first men in the county to appreciate the value of blooded stock and acting on this belief introduced some of the first blooded animals onto the farms of Jasper County. He and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. She died August 14, 1877, leaving five children as follows : Robert, Thomas, John A., Emehne, wife of D. S. Makeever, and Edward J. On November 24, 1878, Mr. Randle married Ruth A. Harris, daughter of Rial B. Benjamin and the widow of William Harris. The second Mrs. Randle died January 24, 1898. On May 25, 1899, he married for his third wife Mrs. Julia Enslen, who died May 14, 1910. Of Mr. Randle's chil- dren two sons live in Kansas and one in Oklahoma. The only two still living in Jasper County are Edward J. and Mrs. Makeever. The responsibilities of the third generation of this family now rest upon the shoulders of Edward J. Randle, whose name is well known throughout Jasper County as a farmer and stock man. He was born here August 19, 1872, and has spent his life so far within the limits of his native county. He attended the common and high schools at Rensselaer, and has been identified with farming and stock raising for over twenty years. Mr. Randle is a democrat in politics, and is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias. On September 3, 1896, he married Lura Yeoman, a daughter of Andrew K. and Elizabeth (Bram) Yeoman. Mrs. Randle died August 29, 1910, leaving one son, Walter. On December 30, 1913, he married Alice E. Shedd, daughter of S. S. and Emma (Porter) Shedd. Edward D. Rho.xdes. Fifty-eight years a resident of Jasper County, the name of Edward D. Rhoades has been associated with mercantile life at Rensselaer for more than a generation. He is of that solid and substantial type of citizen whose work and career are prosecuted along practically one line of endeavor and the success and influence that have rewarded him have been largely due to these stable and persistent qualities. When he was hardly more than twelve years of age he had his first experience in serving the public as a store clerk and his position in the community, while easily, defined, has long been one of the most substantial integrity. Born April 11, 1854, at Winslow, Maine, Edward D. Rhoades was brought to Jasper County when three years of age. He is one of four living children in a family of seven whose parents were Charles and Mary (Duran) Rhoades. They were likewise natives of Maine, were reared and married in the old Pine Tree State, and during his youth Charles Rhoades had learned the harness maker's trade. When he came West to Jasper County in 1857 and located in Rensselaer he made himself known to the community through his trade, was known as a hard working and intelligent citizen, and he and his wife lived at Rensselaer until taken away by death several years ago. Their family made a conspicuous record during the JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 421 Civil war, in which three of their sons saw active service. WiUiam H. was a member of the old Ninth Indiana Volunteer Infantry in Company G under General Milroy and rose to the rank of first lieutenant in his company. The son Charles G. of the same com- pany and regiment, was killed while on scout duty. The other son, Marshall D., served in the 48th Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Edward D. Rhoades grew to manhood in Rensselaer, and secured his education in the local public schools. When twelve years of age he began clerking in a local store, and after a number of years of employment with others embarked on his own account as a mer- chant and for the past sixteen years has had one of the leading retail hardware stores of Jasper County. His work has also been important from a civic point of view. He assisted in organizing the first volunteer fire department of Rensselaer. President Benjamin Harrison appointed him post- master of the town, and for four years that office was under his capable administration. He has also served as city treasurer and city councilman, and has long been one of the local leaders in the republican party. He is a charter member of Rensselaer Lodge No. 82, of the Knights of Pythias and also is affiliated with the Indepen- dent Order of Odd Fellows No. 143. He and his wife are active members of the Presbyterian Church. On September 6, 1879, Mr. Rhoades married Miss Lora H. Hop- kins, a daughter of Raphael J. Hopkins of Rensselaer. To their marriage have been born two children : Leonard C. is now associated with his father in the hardware business at Rensselaer, while Lil- lian is the wife of Charles Radcliff of Louisville, Kentucky. This is one of the most highly esteemed families of Jasper County. When it first located at Rensselaer there was hardly any town to speak of and for more than half a century members of the family have sup- plied some of those important services which go to give a town distinction as a trading point and center of population. C. E. Tripplet, M. D. There are two men still living in Newton County who have the name of C. E. Tripplet. Both are physicians, though the older is now retitred from active practice, and the burdens of the profession are carried on by his son. For fully sixty years Doctor Tripplet, father and son, have carried their professional services into the homes of Newton County people. The older doctor was one of the pioneers of the profes- sion in this section of Northwestern Indiana. He practiced at a time when there were practically no roads, when in the absence of drug stores the physician carried most of his medicines in his saddle bags, and when attendance upon patients involved long and trying journeys and the exercise of tremendous physical fortitude and endurance as well as professional skill. Doctor Tripplet, Sr., was a native of Kentucky and is of English ancestry. He was left an orphan and grew up with his" grand- 422 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES father until he was thirteen years of age. This grandfather was also a prominent physician and surgeon, was at one time connected with the Louisville Medical College, and it was from him that Doctor Tripplet, Sr., received his thorough training for the prac- tice of medicine. In 1856 Doctor Tripplet, Sr., came to Newton County. That was then an almost unbroken wilderness, and his advent proved a great boon to the pioneers. He located in Morocco and from that point for many years carried on the work of his profession over a wide territory. He continued in active practice until 1900. He has been not only a successful physician, but equally suc- cessful in the management of his business affairs. He became largely identified with farming and stock raising in Newton County, and still owns 800 acres of land. At one time he owned 6,000 acres in Newton County. He has never neglected the public wel- fare, and has been a liberal contributor to every enterprise in his community. He is a prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is now eighty-three years of age and is enjoying the comforts of retirement at Morocco, and an object of special esteem because the oldest living representative of the medical profession in the county. He has two children. Doctor Tripplet, Jr., and a daughter. Dr. C. E. Tripplet, Jr., was born at Morocco, July 5, 1863, and acquired a liberal education. He had some experience at farming, and his early tutor in medicine was his father. In 1895 he gradu- ated M. D. from Rush Medical College of Chicago, and since September, 1897, has been one of the hard working and skillful doctors of Morocco. He ranks as one of the able physicians not only of Newton County but of Northern Indiana. He is con- nected with the various medical societies and also with the Masonic Lodge and Morocco Lodge No. 273, Knights of Pythias. Politi- cally he is a democrat. ©44 FJ. J m?m&m^s^ . '' ■ - ^ - >& .. -^»^ .*<^.Ai^ ..^ «tS^, *C^ >?y «>r _