ENTERPRISE IN ELM RIVER
By L. S. Harrington
Transcribed by Laurie Selpien
An old report gives Jacob Dopler credit for being the first settler at Enterprise, and the first man to carry on any sort of commercial business in the neighborhood. That was shipping goods and produce on the Little Wabash river to Graysville, which was quite the thriving market in that day. The exact date of this first settlement and business is not known. It is also known that this man’s wife was the first person buried in the community. As nothing more concerning this family and the activity of Mr. Dopler is known, and there are soon more definite reports of other settlers, we may conclude with considerable plausibility, that he did not remain or carry on business long after his wife’s death. Our lack of knowledge of where he came from and where he went, and the transient period he was in the community, are all too meager to give much value to the historic incident. Granting the complete truth and accuracy of the report it also implies quite clearly that there must have been other settlers not far from the place of his settlement, for how could a man with a wife who died soon after their settlement carry on any business venture without people in reasonable reach of him who were able to buy and sell? Had there not been some people near who knew the facts such a report could hardly have been handed down to a later generation.
NOTE: In the Laird Cemetery is a gravestone “Jacob consort of Catherine Doppler, born Nov 18, 1812, died January 16, 1859” Laurie Selpien
FIRST SETTLER
The first settler in Elm River Township was Sam McCracken who came from near Hipkinsville, Kentucky in 1823. When he first came into the township he thought he heard voices. Following the direction of the sound, he soon came upon a party of surveying the land. There meeting was hearty and enthusiastic. Taking this unexpected meeting as a favorable omen, and the land appeared to be a desirable location for a home, it is believed he located near where he met the surveyors. He set up the first horse mill in the township, which supplied meal for the neighbors for many years.
Jesse Fly and his five sons, John, James, Jackson, Perry and Columbus and his three daughters, Eliza, Sarah and Martha and Thomas Mayes, grandfather of T. J. Mayes, arrived December 27, 1828. Jesse Fly put up a horse mill which he ran for several years.
John McCracken, a brother of Sam, came to the township later and his child Mary, was the first white child born in the township. William McCormick, William Fitch, Daniel Kelly and Aaron Flat followed a little later. About 1850 many German families arrived. Among these were the Kasts, Steins, Bartha, Millers, Fishers, Obrechts and others.
Enterprise lies in section eighteen of Elm River Township, first owned by Jacob Bartlett, who sold it to Benjamin Cobourn, who sold it to Jacob H. Biddie, who had the town platted and named it Enterprise, and put up the first store in it. The word Enterprise means the undertaking of an important business by a person determined to succeed, which Mr. Biddle likely had in mind when he chose it as the name of the town. A post office was established at this point in 1852. Enterprise was a stage stop between Mayesville (Clay City) and Fairfield perhaps as early as the date of the first post office in 1852.
FIRST POSTMASTER
Henry Farnsworth was the first postmaster. He succeeded by the following in the order named:
R. B. White
David Faurot,
J. B. Timball,
J. W. Ingram,
T. J. Mayes,
Jeremiah Murphy,
William Zindle,
L. D. Barth
After the O. & M. railroad, later the B. & O. was built and began carrying mail, Enterprise received its mail from the Cisne post office and its mail delivered there three times a week. For many years the carrier was C. C. Clay. This type of service continued until the rural delivery system began when the post office at enterprise was discontinued.
John Rinard, F. A. Klutz, B. Cooper, T. J. Mayes, J. W. Ingram and O. S. Brown were all successful merchants at Enterprise in the early days, for the town commands the trade of a large scope pf country. In 1884 Louis D. Barth (Father of Sam and Herb Barth of Fairfield) was the leading merchant and carried on a thriving business for more than twenty years. About the end of that time Luther Yohe had a store there a while. J. W. Barth built a store on the west side of the street, opposite the building of his brother Louis, where he and his sons carried on a successful store for about half a century when it was taken over by the present owner, Clifford Hubble.
VILLAGE SMITHY
For many years Louis Frehse had a blacksmith and wagon shop in the east end of Enterprise. In more resent years that type of work has changed radically, but all kinds of repair work has been carried on in recent years by William Shores and W. J. Atteberry.
The physician of the early days was Dr. G. W. Rucker, who was the only doctor in the neighborhood for many years. Dr. W. A. Hancock was the physician at Enterprise many years ago. He later practiced in Cisne, and still later Fairfield. The first schoolhouse in Elm River Township was a log building with puncheon floor and slab seats. It was taught by Russel Curry. In June 1883 the school buildings in the township were Frame-five brick-one; and log one. The number of teachers employed were ten, whose average pay was thirty dollars a month; females twenty two. Estimated value of school property was $30,000.00. No churches were erected in the township for many years after its settlement. Religious meetings of the early days were held often in the homes and the schoolhouses. Rev. Bennett and Spillman, both of the old Presbyterian school were the first ministers in the township. A Baptist preacher named Gritty, was the earliest of that church, known who taught school there. A brick church was erected in 1873 by all denominations in section 24. It was understood to be available for the use of all kinds of religious meetings and was superseded by a larger structure in 1883.
GERMAN CHURCH
A number of Germans came to Enterprise about 1850 and later. The first church was organized at the home of Joseph Fisher in 1858. Barnhart Kern came from Carmi and stayed in the Fisher home. Among the Germans were the Kasts, Steins, Barths, Millers, Obrechts, and others. Religious services were first held in fisher’s home and later in the Laird School. In the year 1869, the first German Evangelical Church was built at Enterprise at a cost of $1,000. In the year 1882 it was sold to Louis D. Barth, who moved it back of his store and used it for a warehouse. The present church was built in 1883 at a cost of $1,500. In the early years all the services were conducted in the German language, because most of the members of the church had come from Germany. By the time the present Evangelical Church was built a new generation had gone to the American schools and learned English. For a while part of the service was in German and part in English. Soon the English language was used in all services. The church has always been popular and well enough supported to have a full time pastor and parsonage. The Baptist church was built in Enterprise in 1890.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOUND HERE
People and their occupations in Enterprise
History of the Second Enterprise Church
ADDITIONAL NOTES BY LAURIE SELPIEN
Thomas J. Mayes is buried in the Laird Cemetery his stone reads 1828-1917 Martha his wife 1834 - 1914
William McCormack buried in Laird Cemetery died Dec 17, 1917
All
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