Elkhart County, Indiana
The Early Settlements
It
would be indeed interesting to know the time and the exact
circumstances of the coming of the first civilized man to the country
about the confluence of the Elkhart and St. Joseph rivers. With such a
record we could place a definite starting point for the history of
Elkhart county. From what has preceded we know that for many centuries
the American aborigines roamed at will over these prairies and through
the woodlands, but they left hardly a trace, much less an institution
or enduring monument, of their lives and customs. Only with the advent
of the enterprising European has any social or constitutional fabric
worthy of the name been pieced together in the new world.
It is a matter largely of historical conjecture that LaSalle or some of his followers, in their canoe voyages down the St. Joseph river, during the latter years of the seventeenth century, may have penetrated as far as the present county of Elkhart. During the years that followed, with the increase of intercourse between the French posts on the Mississippi and Canada, and with the missionary zeal of the Jesuit priests extending their proselytizing endeavors further and further among the Indian tribes east of the Mississippi, there doubtless passed over this county many explorers, adventurers, soldiers, hunters, trappers, traders and missionaries, although it does not appear that this county lay in the direct route of travel during those days. But here again a mere more or less conjectural statement of the fact is all that the historian is permitted to make, for Elkhart county at the beginning of its actual settlement felt no influence from these people of the past and her subsequent career was in nowise affected by their chance coming and going.
But with the passing of French and then of English control and the establishment of American sovereignty over all this region north of the Ohio to the Canadian border, it was inevitable but that the westward tide of civilization should some day touch and overflow the beautiful country along the Elkhart and St. Joseph rivers. Before the dawn of the nineteenth century that restless throng of pioneers had penetrated and founded social communities in Ohio and Indiana, pushing before it the native sons of the forest and by force of treaty and purchase dispossessing them of their lands. But a number of years passed after the formation of Indiana Territory, and more years even after Indiana became a sovereign state, before a record of permanent settlement in Elkhart county can be set down with definite certainty.
Not alone the Indians and wild animals left their beloved haunts and fled before the approach of the white settlers. There come down to us in the history of Elkhart county, as also in the annals of nearly every similar community, several cases of "relapses" from civilization; in other words, instances of men, once integral parts of the social fabric, who, because of natural aversion to their fellow men, by reason of some great sorrow or the commission of crime, severed their connection with society and thenceforth chose to live apart from the world and to bury their existences and deeds in the depths of the wilderness. Of these restless wanderers, haunting the mid-shores between barbarism and civilization, there are several instances in Elkhart county.
There was the old French trader Rosseau, who turned his sprightliness of character to rare account and made himself thoroughly at home in the wigwams of the red men, even as he did subsequently in the homes of the hospitable pioneers, and withal led a very romantic career. He is supposed to have settled on Elkhart prairie, to the southeast of Goshen, in the year 1815, and for many years both before and subsequent to this date he traded with the Indians of the vicinity. His residence thus fixes one of the earliest dates in the history of the county. He is the best known of the various French traders who had their abodes in this part of the country during the early years of the past century.
Another early character was Joseph Noffsinger, the hermit squatter, who is said to have made his home at the junction of the Christiana and St. Joseph streams—now in the city of Elkhart—as early as 1821, but as soon as permanent settlement began to be made in this vicinity, about 1828, he withdrew. Very little is known of him, as he seems to have avoided all social commingling either with the red men or the settlers.
The Carey Mission, on the tanks of the St. Joseph, near the present Niles, Michigan, was a social and religious center during the twenties whence emanated various colonizing streams into the various sections of the surrounding country. Isaac McCoy, a minister of the Baptist church, and one of the founders and principal workers at this mission, came from the east on his way to this mission, and in the spring of 1824 crossed the St. Joseph at its junction with the Elkhart. To the stream flowing down from the north into the larger river he gave the name of his wife, Christiana, which as the present name of the little creek remains as a memorial of that devoted pioneer missionary and his followers.
When we reach the period of permanent settlement, .we may only for the first year or so deal with individuals, after which the settling up of the county can be dealt with only by general statement as to communities and larger centers. For it seems that the tide of emigration which flowed into northern Indiana was not intermittent, nor did any appreciable time intervene between the first ripple of settlement upon the Elkhartian shores until the full current was running fresh and strong, with no lull or resurgent flow up to the present day. The counties of northern Indiana did not feel the impulse of migration and occupation until the late twenties, but in less than a decade thereafter social order and industrial enterprise were thoroughly established and the pioneer epoch was really over.
From the available data concerning the early settlement of Elkhart county it seems impossible to fix upon the first permanent settler with any degree of certainty. The year 1827 is the date most commonly assigned for the first settlers. Matthew Boyd was one of the first, if not the first settler on Elkhart prairie, and in 1828 he completed the erection of a log house at Elkhart Crossing. In the early days Boyd ran a ferry across the Elkhart river at Benton. He was a red headed Irishman and very droll, and his characteristics made him a well known personage in the neighborhood. In the summer when the water was low he was in the habit of going a little way down the stream and felling a number of trees across the river, thereby causing a dam and the consequent raising of the water so that toll could be demanded from the unsuspecting traveler for the use of Boyd's ferry. Another comer in 1827 was William Simpson, who took up his abode near Boyd, and Elias Riggs made his home on the edge of the prairie somewhere near these two and in the same year. In the southwest corner of Pleasant Plain, near the present city of Elkhart, there settled in the fall of 1827 Jesse Rush. On May 16. 1828, Mrs. Rush bore twin children, a son and a daughter, and it is claimed that these were the first white children born in Elkhart county. Isaiah Rush, the son, has for many years been a familiar figure on the streets of Elkhart. There is at least one other claimant for the honor of being the first born in this county, and that is Mr. John H. Violette, who was born near Goshen, but not till November, 1829. If the dates are correct as given, there can be no question as to the proper priority.
Elias Carpenter settled upon Elkhart prairie in 1829, and the next year moved into a log house located on the hill overlooking Rock Run, and within a hundred yards of the Noble Manufacturing Company's plant in Goshen. Dr. C. C. Sparklin, of Goshen, says: "My father, Azel Sparklin, settled on Elkhart prairie in 1829, coming from Connersville. He was a Methodist minister and administered to the spiritual as well as the material wants of the early settlers. The house where we lived was built of logs and the location happened to be an excellent one, as the state road was afterwards constructed within a few rods of the house. The nearest neighbors were John Violette and Israel Hess. Banking in those days was done at Fort Wayne, fifty miles away, and three days were consumed in the trip."
In the spring of 1829 there arrived, over the frozen roads, Colonel John Jackson, who purchased of Elias Riggs and William Simpson their claims on Elkhart prairie in Jackson township, and these two men then moved across the line into what is now the southeast corner of Elkhart township, and became, in all probability, the first settlers in the township where Goshen is now situated. Colonel Jackson had an interesting history, and w~as acquainted with this county long before he became an actual settler. He played a valiant part in the war of 1812 under General Harrison. After the British and their Indian allies were driven from Fort Wayne, Colonel Jackson was a member of one of the detachments sent north in pursuit of the baffled enemy, who sought refuge in some of the Miami and Pottawatomie villages along the northern border of this state. In September, 1812, the village of Obsbenobe was destroyed by fire at the command of the American officers. This Indian town stood near the present site of Benton, a few miles to the southeast of Goshen. Colonel Jackson was attracted by the beauty and fertility of this section of the county, and when settlement was directed this way he came to cast in his lot with the new country, where he became notably identified with Goshen and the entire history of the county.
Among other early residents of Elkhart township would be found the names of Mrs. Susan Nickerson, better known as Mrs. Wogoman, who was here in June, 1828; John B. Cripe, in March, 1829; Balser Hess and his brothers; William Felkner, Solomon Hockert, the Frier brothers, and many others.
Among the first comers to Concord township one would name Isaac Compton, who with his brothers James and John settled here in 1829; Dr. Havilah Beardsley, the "Father of Elkhart," William Dobson and Jesse Morgan, also settlers of 1829 on Pleasant Plain; and in the fall of the same year came Peter Tuley, Peter Diddy, Associate Judge I. Middleton and Mr. Betteron, with the arrival of many others during the immediately following years.
Immediately following Colonel Jackson's settlement in Jackson township came Mr. Thompson Weybright and Mr. Rippey, who located on the east side of the river. The next settlements were made on the "Barrens" in the northern part of the township, between the river and Turkey creek, among the names mentioned here being Mr. Steward, John Rohrer, David Rodibaugh, Jonathan Wyland. Benjamin Bennett, Daniel Studebaker, Allen Conley and Thomas Hall.
Benton township was one of the first sections of the county toward which migration turned. Matthew Boyd, who arrived in 1828, has already been mentioned, and others that should be mentioned were Martin Vance. Solomon Hockert, Peter Darr, Z. Butler, Mr. Hire, the Ott family, John Longacre, and the Juday family.
Middlebury township, which also felt the early impulses of settlement, had among its pioneers Enoch Woodbridge and family, who came in 1832. Solomon L. Hixon was another early comer. It is said that James P. White came to this county in 1830 and made settlement in Middlebury township. His daughter. Mrs. Phebe Cornell, died in December, 1904.
In Cleveland township there are mentioned, as having come in about 1830, Francis Rork, John and Frank Bashford and Mr. Bogart, who located on the western side of the township, and Mr. Rork's house, which was kept for the accommodation of the public for some time, was the first erected in the township. In 1834 came Mr. Dibble, Mr. Smith. D. J. and R. B. Gark. Silas T. Mattox. and thereafter the country rapidly settled up.
In a graceful bend of the Elkhart. where the town of Bristol now stands, and near the mouth of the Little Elkhart river, in Washington township, in the year 1829, the Nickolson family, who we are told were the first to locate here, stopped to make their home. James Nickolson was the father of this family, and his sons were Samuel V.. David T. and George. About the same time came Peter Marmen and Aaron Brown, all of whom made pre-emptions and thus began the actual work of settlement; while, also in 1829, came Reuben Bronson and his brother- in-law, James Cathcart.
The dates of the arrival of the first settlers, and of the organization of the township of Baugo, and other items of its history are almost buried in obscurity. The old pioneers that effected the first settlement in the midst of hundreds of wild savages of this township have long since passed off the stage of action and been laid beneath the sod. According to the most authentic evidence, William Mote was the first settler, the date of his coming being 1830. The next was John McNey, and then followed James Davis, John Barnes, Mr. Kellog, Jacob Rupel and William Richason.
To Thomas Carick and father, and a person named Stutsman belongs the honor of being the first settlers in Jefferson township. The former pre-empted the southwest quarter of section 21, but paid very little attention to farming, most of his time being spent in hunting and trapping. James Wilson also settled about the same period, to be soon followed by James DeFreese, who was the first justice of the peace elected in the township. Other names that appear on the record of early comers, though perhaps not in consecutive order, are Joseph Gardner, William and Joseph Newell, William Martin. Elijah Adams, James Kane, John Neff, John Wrilson, Ozias Stotts, R. C. Lake, Abner Blue, Joseph D. Knox, Israel Wolf and P. W. Boler.
In that fertile agricultural township now known as Clinton there are named, as voters at the first election, in August, 1836, the following: Solomon Benner, William Pearman. William Carmien. Wilson McConnell. Enoch Bomber, Samuel Thomas. Jacob Baker, Isaac Biby, James Acton, Peter Mont, Martin Biles, George Biles, William Denney, John Denney, George Zullinger and Colonel Denney. From this number there was no doubt one who might claim priority of settlement, but the record is not at hand. Elias Simpson, son of William Simpson, was the first white child born in the township.
In Harrison township the early date connected with its settlement is 1831. in which year Daniel B. Stutsman, one of the sturdiest samples of Elkhart county's pioneers, erected his log cabin, moved into it and commenced the work of clearing the virgin forest. His was the first white man's axe that was heard in the township, and for some time his was the only effort at permanent settlement in the township. In 1833-34 there came David Y. Miller, Conrad Brumbaugh, James and William Stewart and Samuel Buchanan, followed in 1835 by James McDowell and Christian S. Farber.
Osolo township received its first settlers in 1834, when Samuel Simonton located on section 9. Abraham Heaton located on section 25, and Philip Mechling on section 26; and in 1835 James and Ezekiel Compton, Mrs. Long, a widow, John Gardner and Mr. Nutting formed a settlement on Christiana creek.
Although what are now Concord and Elkhart townships seem to have received the bulk of early settlers, yet the county as a whole was quite equably settled and no one part seems to have escaped the home-finder for very long. Union township, on the southern line of the county, began to be settled in 1834, in April of which Daniel Bainter built the first cabin in the township. Mr. Bainter also deserves mention as one of the first men to become acquainted with this county, for he passed through it with his father, on the way to South Bend, in the year 1827. Some time after Mr. Bainter, John Walburn moved into the township. He drove a wagon from Ohio, and in order to get to his land had to cut a road for some distance. Thereafter the settlers came rapidly, and some of the first names to be encountered are Daniel Landers, John Pippinger, Christ Louder, Mr. Sheline, Cotner Strycker.
In 1833 William Hunter is said to have located in the southern part of York township, near the Little Elkhart river. In 1834 this adventurous pioneer received considerable reinforcement in the persons of J. N. Brown, J. and William Cummins, William Hall. Friend Curtis, David Ebi, Hiram Chase, E. Bonney, John and Ruby VanFrank. Edward Joyce and A. Arnold, all of whom settled on the Vistula road and became the nucleus for a rapidly expanding population.
Olive township honors the name of Jacob Sailor as its first settler, who came in the early part of 1834, and was soon followed by Cornelius Terwilliger, Frederick Morris, Samuel and Levi Martin and David Allen; and in a short time later came Daniel Mikel, who had been in the county since 1829.
The annals of the Morris family of Olive township, represented by Cornelius Morris, are filled with interesting items concerning the early history of this township. Isaac Morris, a brother of Frederick, above mentioned, came to Elkhart county in 1835, settling in Baugo township as it is now bounded, but after a year moved down into what was then still known as Baugo township, but which is now Olive township. He purchased forty acres of land and entered one hundred and sixty from the government, this land being so located that it was situated in sections 13, 14 and 23. The conventional log cabin was the first Morris home. After the township of Olive was formally organized in 1839, the Morris brothers, with Messrs. Allen, Martin and Sailor, and one other, held the first election for township offices. That primitive election is worth mentioning. The ballot box into which the six voters cast their ballots was an old-fashioned blue porcelain sugar bowl, which is still treasured in the home of Cornelius Morris, and the latter's mother held this queer ballot box while the six citizens placed in it their votes. No mention is made of an attempt to stuff the ballot box, and with such a fair custodian in charge it would not have been permitted.
Locke township, the last one in chronological order, situated in the southwest corner of the county, had as its first settler Samuel Lock wood, and from him the township was named. He came here in the fall of 1836, from Vermont, and ten days later Abner Hibray and John Pitts located in the neighborhood, and there was soon a fair-sized community of people working under pioneer conditions to make homes in the wilderness.
Mr. P. M. Henkel affords a clear exposition of a very important cause which made the western portion of the county tardy in settlement as compared to other sections. In the early forties, states Mr. Henkel, "much of the western portion of the county was still in the state of nature. Large bodies of land were held by non-residents with the hope that by the labors of the pioneers they would become valuable. That part of the county was then but sparsely inhabited. True, the Walburns, the Sheetses. the McCoys, the Pippengers and the Ulerys had penetrated the forest, built their cabins, felled the trees and opened the roads, to be followed by others who should take up the work after them. For the time being they were willing to endure all the privations and hardships incident to pioneer life for the benefit of their successors.
"Dr. E. W. H. Ellis, then auditor of the county, conceived the idea of compelling the non-resident landowners to contribute by the way of taxation to the building of roads and schoolhouses. For this purpose he induced the legislature to pass a law by which he could assess one and one-fourth cent on each acre of land for road purposes. The citizens had the privilege of working out the tax, while the non-residents had to pay in money. This money when collected was returned to the township from which it came, where it was applied to the purpose for which the tax was raised. The effect of this law was to induce the non-residents to dispose of their holdings and permit those lands to pass into the hands of actual settlers."
While we are pursuing the subject of early settlement we may be permitted to repeat some reminiscences bearing upon this phase of the county's history. It is said, and there is much truth in the assertion, that a trustworthy history cannot be written from tradition or the memory-reports of men concerning the events of the past. The best memory is none too trustworthy, of which fact no one would l>e more certain than a practical business man, who has learned that the only safe.method of transacting business is to record every detail in black and White. Then, there are various points of view from which an event may be observed, and while the judgment of each individual is unprejudiced and true from his standpoint there is likely to be a connection as to matters of fact and detail among all who report the event. Thus, a history of any community, even though it go back but a few years in the past, may err in details, unless every point can be established by authentic and unbiased record. But where the records after all but present the skeleton of history, it is a pleasure to turn to the memories of men who have lived and experienced the scenes described, and from the tablets of reminiscence transcribe a few pages that will lighten still more the scene curtain of the past. At a meeting of the old settlers in 1879 there was a symposium of anecdotes and memories of early days, and it will be worth our while to repeat the substance of some of those addresses.
William P. Martin said he had been through this part of the state as early as 1822-23, before any sign of settlement was at Goshen, and had camped on his several trips on the spot where the Rowell foundry was afterwards located.
George Nicholson stated that he settled in Washington township, August 31, 1829, four months after the first settlement had been made there, on April 27, 1829, by Aaron Brown and three others. .He had since been a resident of Washington township: was one of the voters in Concord township at the first election ever held in the county ( had to go with his grist to Ford's mill on the Dowagiac, and on his route had to ford the St. Joseph with an ox team, and be careful to select, in the winter, a time when the ice was not running. At the close of Mr. Nicholson's remarks a call was made for all persons present who had voted at the first election in the county to rise, whereupon John W. Violette, H. Stauffer, John Jackson, William Carmien, E. Carpenter and Mark B. Thompson rose up.
Col. John Jackson, another spokesman, related his experience in the war of 1812, when his company followed the Indians to this county, crossing the Elkhart at Benton and preparing to attack the village of the Pottawottomies there, but found it deserted. When he first entered on the prairie he thought it the most beautiful country he had ever seen, and resolved that when the war should close he would come and make it his home. He heard in 1827 that the Indians had sold their lands to the government, and with a neighbor came here to select a home. When he arrived he could hear nothing of the sale by the Indians, and went down to Beardsley's prairie to see if he could find other country as beautiful as Elkhart prairie, but was disappointed and came back. He had been told by one Rosseau, a Frenchman, that a treaty of purchase had been made with the Indians at Carey Mission. He selected the spot where he later had his home and returning to Ohio brought back his family, driving three yoke of oxen. He crossed the Elkhart on the ice where Benton now is, and found that Mr. Riggs had settled on his chosen land; he bought the land of Riggs and the next spring went to farming. He had to go forty miles to mill, and the nearest blacksmith shop was at White Pigeon. They used to have religious meetings at Riggs' house. Some one asked him to request of Riggs the use of his house, and he did so, and found Mrs. Riggs very much rejoiced, she being a member of the church. They had meetings there often, prayer meetings.
Another speaker at this meeting of 1879 was E. M. Chamberlain, who came to Indiana in 1832 and to Goshen in 1833. When he came to Goshen there were no bridges across Elkhart river, and he crossed it as a foot passenger on a sycamore tree which had fallen across the stream where a bridge was later placed. There was a ford for teams a mile and a half northwest of town.
Dr. Cornell, who came to the county in June, 1834, and who had got his education in schoolhouses with greased papers for windows, spoke of his holding the office of assessor in 1836, and presumed that the reason why the people had elected him to the office was that he had once seen a deer, had pursued it on horseback, and caught it after running six hours, which circumstances amply demonstrated his fleetness and persistency—qualities essential to the office.
Mr. Elias Hess, one of the first settlers on Elkhart prairie, having located there on April 5, 1829, said he came from Ohio with an ox team, and was twenty-one days making the trip, having to cut his own road most of the way. When he first entered upon Elkhart prairie he thought it, in size, a large farm. He had to use seven yoke of oxen to plow the prairie sod. The settlers had interesting experiences with their cattle when they strayed. The animals were always belled, and it was necessary to rise early in order to find them. They would wade the river and launch out into the woods, with ears attent to catch the tinklings, and as they pushed on the crackling brush would call their attention to a deer, or a turkey would gobble, further on a wolf would howl, but it was often days before the lost cattle could be found.
Another entertaining speaker was John W. Irwin, who said he came to the county May 5, 1832. He used to do his milling at McConnell's mill, on the east side of Goshen, and his grist of two bushels of grain was a whole day's grinding. Wolves were plenty, and premiums were offered for their scalps. One man had a large trap made of logs, and set with triggers, and once when he went to examine it he found something wrong, stepped into it, sprung the triggers by accident and caught himself, and would have perished had not some of his neighbors come to his relief.
From these accounts we can gain some understanding of how this county began to take on the garb of civilization, and who were the men and what the circumstances which entered into the settlement of a county which in the subsequent three-quarters of a century has grown so great.
In the settlement of Elkhart county there were happily very few retarding influences. The presence of the Indians, and the fears aroused in prospective settlers by the Black Hawk war and similar troubles, no doubt acted as a check for a short time, but the sweeping flood of migration was too strong to be held back long. It is very remarkable that this beautiful region of country should remain absolutely unsettled until the year 1828, and that settlers from different parts of the United States, without any preconcerted action or communication with each other, should begin to pour in just at this time; but so it was. Here different families for the first time met each other, and here their lives were first united in the same community, and in many cases by marriage in the same home.
Hardly any of those early settlers remain. On the long and weary march they have been dropping out one by one until, of the pioneer warfare, only a few veterans are left. It would be impossible in a work like this to trace the life history and describe the end of each of them, and for this there would not be sufficient space. But when we find chronicled in the year 1905 the deaths of such notable characters as Anthony Defrees and Joel P. Hawks, who were among the very last of the living links which tie us to the past, this chapter seems an opportune place for recalling some events of their long careers.
Joel P. Hawks, who passed away April 8, 1905, and who is referred to many times in the pages of this work (see his sketch), was born in 1822, and since he was thirteen years old lived in and about Water- ford, where the family were prominent in business and industrial affairs, so that seventy years of his life had been passed going in and out among the people of this county.
The life of Anthony Defrees, as portrayed in a sketch published in the Democrat at the time of his death, is of such peculiar interest to and connection with this history that we quote it entire:
Anthony Defrees was born in Sparta, Tennessee, November 14, 1816. His parents removed to Piqua, Ohio, when he was about four years old, and from there he came to South Bend in 1832. His brothers, John D. and Joseph H. Defrees, had settled there, and in 1831 had established the first newspaper in northern Indiana, the Northwestern Pioneer and St. Joseph Intelligencer. Mr. Defrees became associated with his brothers as an assistant in the publication of this paper, the name of which was afterward changed to the St. Joseph Beacon and Indiana and Michigan Intelligencer. This newspaper adventure did not prove altogether satisfactory, and it was thought that the future prospects for the paper in the village of South Bend were not promising, so the Defrees brothers began to look about for a better field. At first Chicago was considered, but the project of building up a newspaper there was soon dismissed because it was supposed that what was then a mud hole would never become much of a business center, and there seemed to be less prospect that it would ever become a residence city. White Pigeon, half way between Detroit and Chicago, had already become a prosperous town and seemed to give promise of great things for the future, particularly as it was the gateway through which passed all the immigrants who came to settle in northern Indiana and southern Michigan. John H. Barry, afterward governor of Michigan, made to John D. Defrees a proposition to start a paper there and the proposition was accepted.
John D. and Anthony Defrees removed to that place, and John D. established the Michigan Statesman and St. Joseph Chronicle. Anthony assisted his brother in the publication of this paper during the short time from December, 1833, to the following summer, when it was sold. Meanwhile, in 1833, Joseph H. Defrees had removed to Goshen and engaged in the mercantile business. Goshen then consisted of about forty houses, most of them log cabins, and its population was about two hundred. In the fall of 1836 a proposition was made to the subject of this sketch to start a paper here, and he was offered the loan of sufficient money to purchase the necessary equipments. The proposition was accepted, and with the four hundred dollars raised for this purpose Mr. Defrees started for Cincinnati to purchase the outfit. He started out mounted on an Indian pony, but when he had got as far as Wolf Lake in Noble county the mud was so deep that the pony gave out, and he was obliged to leave it and proceed on foot. He sent the pony back with the mail carrier, who was passing through on his way from Fort Wayne to Goshen, and started on with his valise on his shoulder, making his way in that style to Piqua, Ohio. At that place he met Charles L. Murray, then a young man and who was destined afterward to become prominently identified with the journalism of northern Indiana. A partnership was formed between the two, and together they proceeded on to Cincinnati, traveling from Piqua to Dayton by stage and from Dayton to Cincinnati by canal.
There they made their purchase, consisting of a Franklin press, the necessary type arid other materials. This was transported by canal as far as Dayton, where it was transferred to a covered wagon or schooner, as it was- called in those days, and drawn by six horses. In this way it was brought to Goshen, where it arrived in January, 1837. The paper was established and named the Goshen Express, the first issue appearing January 27. It was located in a one-room frame building on the west side of Main street, between Washington and the first alley north. The files of this paper, the first ever published in Goshen. are now in the possession of J. A. Beane of the Democrat.
Mr. Defrees was associated with the paper but four months, when the partnership between himself and Mr. Murray was dissolved, and he removed to Elkhart to engage in business with his brother James. After his brother, John D. Defrees, became editor of the Indianapolis Journal, Anthony removed to that city to accept employment on the paper, and in that capacity he remained for a number of years. Lew Wallace, afterward the renowned author of "Ben Hur," was connected with the paper at the same time, and the two became very intimate friends. It is a somewhat peculiar coincidence that although half a century has elapsed since they were thus associated General Wallace and Mr. Defrees should pass away within a few weeks of each other. During his stay in Indianapolis Mr. Defrees also became acquainted with Henry Ward Beecher, who was then pastor of a church in the capital city, and he occasionally met Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune and the foremost journalist of the United States.
From Indianapolis Mr. Defrees removed to Terre Haute, where in 1864 he was united in marriage with Elizabeth Singer, who survives him. In Terre Haute he was engaged in the milling and manufacturing business, having a large flouring mill and also a stave factory. From that city in the early 70s he removed to Santiago, California, where he engaged in mining. In 1882 he returned to Goshen, conducting a grocery store for sixteen years. For the past six years he had lived a retired life. Besides his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Defrees, he is survived by two daughters, Mrs. R. F. Dale of Boone, Iowa, and Mrs. H. E. Bullerdick. of St. Louis, Missouri; two grandsons, Defrees Arnold and Frank Dale; one brother, Rollin Defrees of Indianapolis; three sisters, Mrs. James S. Frazer of Warsaw; Mrs. J. S. Mather of Middlebury, and Mrs. Margaret Smith of Miami, Florida: and many other relatives. Two of his brothers, John D. and Joseph H. Defrees. already mentioned, were well known in northern Indiana for many years. The former, besides being prominently identified with Indiana journalism, was for a number of years public printer at Washington. The latter was one of Goshen's leading merchants, was president of the City National Bank and served a term in Congress. His father also came to this county in 1836, locating in Jefferson township on what is generally known as the Stephen Miller farm, and was one of the thirteen voters who voted at the second township election in 1837.
The career of Mr. Defrees, as will be observed, was somewhat eventful, and his long life was one of industry and usefulness. He was identified with many enterprises for advancing the interests of the several communities in which he lived. Coming here when Elkhart county was only a wilderness, his name is associated with our county's pioneers, and he will be remembered, too, as one of Northern Indiana's pioneer newspaper men. Although modest and unassuming in his character, he was recognized wherever he was known as a man of sterling worth. He was a congenial companion, a good neighbor, a stanch and loyal friend. The period of his retirement, passed among his friends, amid congenial surroundings and with agreeable companionship, was a fitting close of a life of activity such as his had been. Those who knew best will say that on this 7th of March of the year 1905 there was borne to his rest one of Goshen's most exemplary citizens.
The settlers of this county had many hardships, but had less to contend with than the settlers in most other sections of the country. Here, rich prairies covered with grass invited the plow of the husbandman, the groves furnished an abundance of timber for fencing, and large returns for labor were promised from the very first year of settlement. Mills were soon built and other conveniences came rapidly.
We find here a reason why so large a proportion of our settlers became permanent residents. In other counties many families soon passed to regions further west. They were a restless, adventuresome class that loved frontier life. They followed the Indians and the deer to the setting sun until the ocean stopped them. They filled a gap between savagery and civilization, and helped prepare for the permanent settler. But Elkhart county had comparatively few of these. Here the conditions were different. There was no such gap to be filled. The Indians were not so savage, and nature was not so wild. In general the settlers were of excellent stock and of sterling character—just such stuff as states and empires are made of. And when we consider the firm integrity and remarkable ability of our early settlers we cannot but feel hopeful and confident for the future, as well as pleased for the past and present of Elkhart county.
Source: A Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of Elkhart County, Indiana By Anthony Deahl Published by Lewis Publ. Co., 1905
It is a matter largely of historical conjecture that LaSalle or some of his followers, in their canoe voyages down the St. Joseph river, during the latter years of the seventeenth century, may have penetrated as far as the present county of Elkhart. During the years that followed, with the increase of intercourse between the French posts on the Mississippi and Canada, and with the missionary zeal of the Jesuit priests extending their proselytizing endeavors further and further among the Indian tribes east of the Mississippi, there doubtless passed over this county many explorers, adventurers, soldiers, hunters, trappers, traders and missionaries, although it does not appear that this county lay in the direct route of travel during those days. But here again a mere more or less conjectural statement of the fact is all that the historian is permitted to make, for Elkhart county at the beginning of its actual settlement felt no influence from these people of the past and her subsequent career was in nowise affected by their chance coming and going.
But with the passing of French and then of English control and the establishment of American sovereignty over all this region north of the Ohio to the Canadian border, it was inevitable but that the westward tide of civilization should some day touch and overflow the beautiful country along the Elkhart and St. Joseph rivers. Before the dawn of the nineteenth century that restless throng of pioneers had penetrated and founded social communities in Ohio and Indiana, pushing before it the native sons of the forest and by force of treaty and purchase dispossessing them of their lands. But a number of years passed after the formation of Indiana Territory, and more years even after Indiana became a sovereign state, before a record of permanent settlement in Elkhart county can be set down with definite certainty.
Not alone the Indians and wild animals left their beloved haunts and fled before the approach of the white settlers. There come down to us in the history of Elkhart county, as also in the annals of nearly every similar community, several cases of "relapses" from civilization; in other words, instances of men, once integral parts of the social fabric, who, because of natural aversion to their fellow men, by reason of some great sorrow or the commission of crime, severed their connection with society and thenceforth chose to live apart from the world and to bury their existences and deeds in the depths of the wilderness. Of these restless wanderers, haunting the mid-shores between barbarism and civilization, there are several instances in Elkhart county.
There was the old French trader Rosseau, who turned his sprightliness of character to rare account and made himself thoroughly at home in the wigwams of the red men, even as he did subsequently in the homes of the hospitable pioneers, and withal led a very romantic career. He is supposed to have settled on Elkhart prairie, to the southeast of Goshen, in the year 1815, and for many years both before and subsequent to this date he traded with the Indians of the vicinity. His residence thus fixes one of the earliest dates in the history of the county. He is the best known of the various French traders who had their abodes in this part of the country during the early years of the past century.
Another early character was Joseph Noffsinger, the hermit squatter, who is said to have made his home at the junction of the Christiana and St. Joseph streams—now in the city of Elkhart—as early as 1821, but as soon as permanent settlement began to be made in this vicinity, about 1828, he withdrew. Very little is known of him, as he seems to have avoided all social commingling either with the red men or the settlers.
The Carey Mission, on the tanks of the St. Joseph, near the present Niles, Michigan, was a social and religious center during the twenties whence emanated various colonizing streams into the various sections of the surrounding country. Isaac McCoy, a minister of the Baptist church, and one of the founders and principal workers at this mission, came from the east on his way to this mission, and in the spring of 1824 crossed the St. Joseph at its junction with the Elkhart. To the stream flowing down from the north into the larger river he gave the name of his wife, Christiana, which as the present name of the little creek remains as a memorial of that devoted pioneer missionary and his followers.
When we reach the period of permanent settlement, .we may only for the first year or so deal with individuals, after which the settling up of the county can be dealt with only by general statement as to communities and larger centers. For it seems that the tide of emigration which flowed into northern Indiana was not intermittent, nor did any appreciable time intervene between the first ripple of settlement upon the Elkhartian shores until the full current was running fresh and strong, with no lull or resurgent flow up to the present day. The counties of northern Indiana did not feel the impulse of migration and occupation until the late twenties, but in less than a decade thereafter social order and industrial enterprise were thoroughly established and the pioneer epoch was really over.
From the available data concerning the early settlement of Elkhart county it seems impossible to fix upon the first permanent settler with any degree of certainty. The year 1827 is the date most commonly assigned for the first settlers. Matthew Boyd was one of the first, if not the first settler on Elkhart prairie, and in 1828 he completed the erection of a log house at Elkhart Crossing. In the early days Boyd ran a ferry across the Elkhart river at Benton. He was a red headed Irishman and very droll, and his characteristics made him a well known personage in the neighborhood. In the summer when the water was low he was in the habit of going a little way down the stream and felling a number of trees across the river, thereby causing a dam and the consequent raising of the water so that toll could be demanded from the unsuspecting traveler for the use of Boyd's ferry. Another comer in 1827 was William Simpson, who took up his abode near Boyd, and Elias Riggs made his home on the edge of the prairie somewhere near these two and in the same year. In the southwest corner of Pleasant Plain, near the present city of Elkhart, there settled in the fall of 1827 Jesse Rush. On May 16. 1828, Mrs. Rush bore twin children, a son and a daughter, and it is claimed that these were the first white children born in Elkhart county. Isaiah Rush, the son, has for many years been a familiar figure on the streets of Elkhart. There is at least one other claimant for the honor of being the first born in this county, and that is Mr. John H. Violette, who was born near Goshen, but not till November, 1829. If the dates are correct as given, there can be no question as to the proper priority.
Elias Carpenter settled upon Elkhart prairie in 1829, and the next year moved into a log house located on the hill overlooking Rock Run, and within a hundred yards of the Noble Manufacturing Company's plant in Goshen. Dr. C. C. Sparklin, of Goshen, says: "My father, Azel Sparklin, settled on Elkhart prairie in 1829, coming from Connersville. He was a Methodist minister and administered to the spiritual as well as the material wants of the early settlers. The house where we lived was built of logs and the location happened to be an excellent one, as the state road was afterwards constructed within a few rods of the house. The nearest neighbors were John Violette and Israel Hess. Banking in those days was done at Fort Wayne, fifty miles away, and three days were consumed in the trip."
In the spring of 1829 there arrived, over the frozen roads, Colonel John Jackson, who purchased of Elias Riggs and William Simpson their claims on Elkhart prairie in Jackson township, and these two men then moved across the line into what is now the southeast corner of Elkhart township, and became, in all probability, the first settlers in the township where Goshen is now situated. Colonel Jackson had an interesting history, and w~as acquainted with this county long before he became an actual settler. He played a valiant part in the war of 1812 under General Harrison. After the British and their Indian allies were driven from Fort Wayne, Colonel Jackson was a member of one of the detachments sent north in pursuit of the baffled enemy, who sought refuge in some of the Miami and Pottawatomie villages along the northern border of this state. In September, 1812, the village of Obsbenobe was destroyed by fire at the command of the American officers. This Indian town stood near the present site of Benton, a few miles to the southeast of Goshen. Colonel Jackson was attracted by the beauty and fertility of this section of the county, and when settlement was directed this way he came to cast in his lot with the new country, where he became notably identified with Goshen and the entire history of the county.
Among other early residents of Elkhart township would be found the names of Mrs. Susan Nickerson, better known as Mrs. Wogoman, who was here in June, 1828; John B. Cripe, in March, 1829; Balser Hess and his brothers; William Felkner, Solomon Hockert, the Frier brothers, and many others.
Among the first comers to Concord township one would name Isaac Compton, who with his brothers James and John settled here in 1829; Dr. Havilah Beardsley, the "Father of Elkhart," William Dobson and Jesse Morgan, also settlers of 1829 on Pleasant Plain; and in the fall of the same year came Peter Tuley, Peter Diddy, Associate Judge I. Middleton and Mr. Betteron, with the arrival of many others during the immediately following years.
Immediately following Colonel Jackson's settlement in Jackson township came Mr. Thompson Weybright and Mr. Rippey, who located on the east side of the river. The next settlements were made on the "Barrens" in the northern part of the township, between the river and Turkey creek, among the names mentioned here being Mr. Steward, John Rohrer, David Rodibaugh, Jonathan Wyland. Benjamin Bennett, Daniel Studebaker, Allen Conley and Thomas Hall.
Benton township was one of the first sections of the county toward which migration turned. Matthew Boyd, who arrived in 1828, has already been mentioned, and others that should be mentioned were Martin Vance. Solomon Hockert, Peter Darr, Z. Butler, Mr. Hire, the Ott family, John Longacre, and the Juday family.
Middlebury township, which also felt the early impulses of settlement, had among its pioneers Enoch Woodbridge and family, who came in 1832. Solomon L. Hixon was another early comer. It is said that James P. White came to this county in 1830 and made settlement in Middlebury township. His daughter. Mrs. Phebe Cornell, died in December, 1904.
In Cleveland township there are mentioned, as having come in about 1830, Francis Rork, John and Frank Bashford and Mr. Bogart, who located on the western side of the township, and Mr. Rork's house, which was kept for the accommodation of the public for some time, was the first erected in the township. In 1834 came Mr. Dibble, Mr. Smith. D. J. and R. B. Gark. Silas T. Mattox. and thereafter the country rapidly settled up.
In a graceful bend of the Elkhart. where the town of Bristol now stands, and near the mouth of the Little Elkhart river, in Washington township, in the year 1829, the Nickolson family, who we are told were the first to locate here, stopped to make their home. James Nickolson was the father of this family, and his sons were Samuel V.. David T. and George. About the same time came Peter Marmen and Aaron Brown, all of whom made pre-emptions and thus began the actual work of settlement; while, also in 1829, came Reuben Bronson and his brother- in-law, James Cathcart.
The dates of the arrival of the first settlers, and of the organization of the township of Baugo, and other items of its history are almost buried in obscurity. The old pioneers that effected the first settlement in the midst of hundreds of wild savages of this township have long since passed off the stage of action and been laid beneath the sod. According to the most authentic evidence, William Mote was the first settler, the date of his coming being 1830. The next was John McNey, and then followed James Davis, John Barnes, Mr. Kellog, Jacob Rupel and William Richason.
To Thomas Carick and father, and a person named Stutsman belongs the honor of being the first settlers in Jefferson township. The former pre-empted the southwest quarter of section 21, but paid very little attention to farming, most of his time being spent in hunting and trapping. James Wilson also settled about the same period, to be soon followed by James DeFreese, who was the first justice of the peace elected in the township. Other names that appear on the record of early comers, though perhaps not in consecutive order, are Joseph Gardner, William and Joseph Newell, William Martin. Elijah Adams, James Kane, John Neff, John Wrilson, Ozias Stotts, R. C. Lake, Abner Blue, Joseph D. Knox, Israel Wolf and P. W. Boler.
In that fertile agricultural township now known as Clinton there are named, as voters at the first election, in August, 1836, the following: Solomon Benner, William Pearman. William Carmien. Wilson McConnell. Enoch Bomber, Samuel Thomas. Jacob Baker, Isaac Biby, James Acton, Peter Mont, Martin Biles, George Biles, William Denney, John Denney, George Zullinger and Colonel Denney. From this number there was no doubt one who might claim priority of settlement, but the record is not at hand. Elias Simpson, son of William Simpson, was the first white child born in the township.
In Harrison township the early date connected with its settlement is 1831. in which year Daniel B. Stutsman, one of the sturdiest samples of Elkhart county's pioneers, erected his log cabin, moved into it and commenced the work of clearing the virgin forest. His was the first white man's axe that was heard in the township, and for some time his was the only effort at permanent settlement in the township. In 1833-34 there came David Y. Miller, Conrad Brumbaugh, James and William Stewart and Samuel Buchanan, followed in 1835 by James McDowell and Christian S. Farber.
Osolo township received its first settlers in 1834, when Samuel Simonton located on section 9. Abraham Heaton located on section 25, and Philip Mechling on section 26; and in 1835 James and Ezekiel Compton, Mrs. Long, a widow, John Gardner and Mr. Nutting formed a settlement on Christiana creek.
Although what are now Concord and Elkhart townships seem to have received the bulk of early settlers, yet the county as a whole was quite equably settled and no one part seems to have escaped the home-finder for very long. Union township, on the southern line of the county, began to be settled in 1834, in April of which Daniel Bainter built the first cabin in the township. Mr. Bainter also deserves mention as one of the first men to become acquainted with this county, for he passed through it with his father, on the way to South Bend, in the year 1827. Some time after Mr. Bainter, John Walburn moved into the township. He drove a wagon from Ohio, and in order to get to his land had to cut a road for some distance. Thereafter the settlers came rapidly, and some of the first names to be encountered are Daniel Landers, John Pippinger, Christ Louder, Mr. Sheline, Cotner Strycker.
In 1833 William Hunter is said to have located in the southern part of York township, near the Little Elkhart river. In 1834 this adventurous pioneer received considerable reinforcement in the persons of J. N. Brown, J. and William Cummins, William Hall. Friend Curtis, David Ebi, Hiram Chase, E. Bonney, John and Ruby VanFrank. Edward Joyce and A. Arnold, all of whom settled on the Vistula road and became the nucleus for a rapidly expanding population.
Olive township honors the name of Jacob Sailor as its first settler, who came in the early part of 1834, and was soon followed by Cornelius Terwilliger, Frederick Morris, Samuel and Levi Martin and David Allen; and in a short time later came Daniel Mikel, who had been in the county since 1829.
The annals of the Morris family of Olive township, represented by Cornelius Morris, are filled with interesting items concerning the early history of this township. Isaac Morris, a brother of Frederick, above mentioned, came to Elkhart county in 1835, settling in Baugo township as it is now bounded, but after a year moved down into what was then still known as Baugo township, but which is now Olive township. He purchased forty acres of land and entered one hundred and sixty from the government, this land being so located that it was situated in sections 13, 14 and 23. The conventional log cabin was the first Morris home. After the township of Olive was formally organized in 1839, the Morris brothers, with Messrs. Allen, Martin and Sailor, and one other, held the first election for township offices. That primitive election is worth mentioning. The ballot box into which the six voters cast their ballots was an old-fashioned blue porcelain sugar bowl, which is still treasured in the home of Cornelius Morris, and the latter's mother held this queer ballot box while the six citizens placed in it their votes. No mention is made of an attempt to stuff the ballot box, and with such a fair custodian in charge it would not have been permitted.
Locke township, the last one in chronological order, situated in the southwest corner of the county, had as its first settler Samuel Lock wood, and from him the township was named. He came here in the fall of 1836, from Vermont, and ten days later Abner Hibray and John Pitts located in the neighborhood, and there was soon a fair-sized community of people working under pioneer conditions to make homes in the wilderness.
Mr. P. M. Henkel affords a clear exposition of a very important cause which made the western portion of the county tardy in settlement as compared to other sections. In the early forties, states Mr. Henkel, "much of the western portion of the county was still in the state of nature. Large bodies of land were held by non-residents with the hope that by the labors of the pioneers they would become valuable. That part of the county was then but sparsely inhabited. True, the Walburns, the Sheetses. the McCoys, the Pippengers and the Ulerys had penetrated the forest, built their cabins, felled the trees and opened the roads, to be followed by others who should take up the work after them. For the time being they were willing to endure all the privations and hardships incident to pioneer life for the benefit of their successors.
"Dr. E. W. H. Ellis, then auditor of the county, conceived the idea of compelling the non-resident landowners to contribute by the way of taxation to the building of roads and schoolhouses. For this purpose he induced the legislature to pass a law by which he could assess one and one-fourth cent on each acre of land for road purposes. The citizens had the privilege of working out the tax, while the non-residents had to pay in money. This money when collected was returned to the township from which it came, where it was applied to the purpose for which the tax was raised. The effect of this law was to induce the non-residents to dispose of their holdings and permit those lands to pass into the hands of actual settlers."
While we are pursuing the subject of early settlement we may be permitted to repeat some reminiscences bearing upon this phase of the county's history. It is said, and there is much truth in the assertion, that a trustworthy history cannot be written from tradition or the memory-reports of men concerning the events of the past. The best memory is none too trustworthy, of which fact no one would l>e more certain than a practical business man, who has learned that the only safe.method of transacting business is to record every detail in black and White. Then, there are various points of view from which an event may be observed, and while the judgment of each individual is unprejudiced and true from his standpoint there is likely to be a connection as to matters of fact and detail among all who report the event. Thus, a history of any community, even though it go back but a few years in the past, may err in details, unless every point can be established by authentic and unbiased record. But where the records after all but present the skeleton of history, it is a pleasure to turn to the memories of men who have lived and experienced the scenes described, and from the tablets of reminiscence transcribe a few pages that will lighten still more the scene curtain of the past. At a meeting of the old settlers in 1879 there was a symposium of anecdotes and memories of early days, and it will be worth our while to repeat the substance of some of those addresses.
William P. Martin said he had been through this part of the state as early as 1822-23, before any sign of settlement was at Goshen, and had camped on his several trips on the spot where the Rowell foundry was afterwards located.
George Nicholson stated that he settled in Washington township, August 31, 1829, four months after the first settlement had been made there, on April 27, 1829, by Aaron Brown and three others. .He had since been a resident of Washington township: was one of the voters in Concord township at the first election ever held in the county ( had to go with his grist to Ford's mill on the Dowagiac, and on his route had to ford the St. Joseph with an ox team, and be careful to select, in the winter, a time when the ice was not running. At the close of Mr. Nicholson's remarks a call was made for all persons present who had voted at the first election in the county to rise, whereupon John W. Violette, H. Stauffer, John Jackson, William Carmien, E. Carpenter and Mark B. Thompson rose up.
Col. John Jackson, another spokesman, related his experience in the war of 1812, when his company followed the Indians to this county, crossing the Elkhart at Benton and preparing to attack the village of the Pottawottomies there, but found it deserted. When he first entered on the prairie he thought it the most beautiful country he had ever seen, and resolved that when the war should close he would come and make it his home. He heard in 1827 that the Indians had sold their lands to the government, and with a neighbor came here to select a home. When he arrived he could hear nothing of the sale by the Indians, and went down to Beardsley's prairie to see if he could find other country as beautiful as Elkhart prairie, but was disappointed and came back. He had been told by one Rosseau, a Frenchman, that a treaty of purchase had been made with the Indians at Carey Mission. He selected the spot where he later had his home and returning to Ohio brought back his family, driving three yoke of oxen. He crossed the Elkhart on the ice where Benton now is, and found that Mr. Riggs had settled on his chosen land; he bought the land of Riggs and the next spring went to farming. He had to go forty miles to mill, and the nearest blacksmith shop was at White Pigeon. They used to have religious meetings at Riggs' house. Some one asked him to request of Riggs the use of his house, and he did so, and found Mrs. Riggs very much rejoiced, she being a member of the church. They had meetings there often, prayer meetings.
Another speaker at this meeting of 1879 was E. M. Chamberlain, who came to Indiana in 1832 and to Goshen in 1833. When he came to Goshen there were no bridges across Elkhart river, and he crossed it as a foot passenger on a sycamore tree which had fallen across the stream where a bridge was later placed. There was a ford for teams a mile and a half northwest of town.
Dr. Cornell, who came to the county in June, 1834, and who had got his education in schoolhouses with greased papers for windows, spoke of his holding the office of assessor in 1836, and presumed that the reason why the people had elected him to the office was that he had once seen a deer, had pursued it on horseback, and caught it after running six hours, which circumstances amply demonstrated his fleetness and persistency—qualities essential to the office.
Mr. Elias Hess, one of the first settlers on Elkhart prairie, having located there on April 5, 1829, said he came from Ohio with an ox team, and was twenty-one days making the trip, having to cut his own road most of the way. When he first entered upon Elkhart prairie he thought it, in size, a large farm. He had to use seven yoke of oxen to plow the prairie sod. The settlers had interesting experiences with their cattle when they strayed. The animals were always belled, and it was necessary to rise early in order to find them. They would wade the river and launch out into the woods, with ears attent to catch the tinklings, and as they pushed on the crackling brush would call their attention to a deer, or a turkey would gobble, further on a wolf would howl, but it was often days before the lost cattle could be found.
Another entertaining speaker was John W. Irwin, who said he came to the county May 5, 1832. He used to do his milling at McConnell's mill, on the east side of Goshen, and his grist of two bushels of grain was a whole day's grinding. Wolves were plenty, and premiums were offered for their scalps. One man had a large trap made of logs, and set with triggers, and once when he went to examine it he found something wrong, stepped into it, sprung the triggers by accident and caught himself, and would have perished had not some of his neighbors come to his relief.
From these accounts we can gain some understanding of how this county began to take on the garb of civilization, and who were the men and what the circumstances which entered into the settlement of a county which in the subsequent three-quarters of a century has grown so great.
In the settlement of Elkhart county there were happily very few retarding influences. The presence of the Indians, and the fears aroused in prospective settlers by the Black Hawk war and similar troubles, no doubt acted as a check for a short time, but the sweeping flood of migration was too strong to be held back long. It is very remarkable that this beautiful region of country should remain absolutely unsettled until the year 1828, and that settlers from different parts of the United States, without any preconcerted action or communication with each other, should begin to pour in just at this time; but so it was. Here different families for the first time met each other, and here their lives were first united in the same community, and in many cases by marriage in the same home.
Hardly any of those early settlers remain. On the long and weary march they have been dropping out one by one until, of the pioneer warfare, only a few veterans are left. It would be impossible in a work like this to trace the life history and describe the end of each of them, and for this there would not be sufficient space. But when we find chronicled in the year 1905 the deaths of such notable characters as Anthony Defrees and Joel P. Hawks, who were among the very last of the living links which tie us to the past, this chapter seems an opportune place for recalling some events of their long careers.
Joel P. Hawks, who passed away April 8, 1905, and who is referred to many times in the pages of this work (see his sketch), was born in 1822, and since he was thirteen years old lived in and about Water- ford, where the family were prominent in business and industrial affairs, so that seventy years of his life had been passed going in and out among the people of this county.
The life of Anthony Defrees, as portrayed in a sketch published in the Democrat at the time of his death, is of such peculiar interest to and connection with this history that we quote it entire:
Anthony Defrees was born in Sparta, Tennessee, November 14, 1816. His parents removed to Piqua, Ohio, when he was about four years old, and from there he came to South Bend in 1832. His brothers, John D. and Joseph H. Defrees, had settled there, and in 1831 had established the first newspaper in northern Indiana, the Northwestern Pioneer and St. Joseph Intelligencer. Mr. Defrees became associated with his brothers as an assistant in the publication of this paper, the name of which was afterward changed to the St. Joseph Beacon and Indiana and Michigan Intelligencer. This newspaper adventure did not prove altogether satisfactory, and it was thought that the future prospects for the paper in the village of South Bend were not promising, so the Defrees brothers began to look about for a better field. At first Chicago was considered, but the project of building up a newspaper there was soon dismissed because it was supposed that what was then a mud hole would never become much of a business center, and there seemed to be less prospect that it would ever become a residence city. White Pigeon, half way between Detroit and Chicago, had already become a prosperous town and seemed to give promise of great things for the future, particularly as it was the gateway through which passed all the immigrants who came to settle in northern Indiana and southern Michigan. John H. Barry, afterward governor of Michigan, made to John D. Defrees a proposition to start a paper there and the proposition was accepted.
John D. and Anthony Defrees removed to that place, and John D. established the Michigan Statesman and St. Joseph Chronicle. Anthony assisted his brother in the publication of this paper during the short time from December, 1833, to the following summer, when it was sold. Meanwhile, in 1833, Joseph H. Defrees had removed to Goshen and engaged in the mercantile business. Goshen then consisted of about forty houses, most of them log cabins, and its population was about two hundred. In the fall of 1836 a proposition was made to the subject of this sketch to start a paper here, and he was offered the loan of sufficient money to purchase the necessary equipments. The proposition was accepted, and with the four hundred dollars raised for this purpose Mr. Defrees started for Cincinnati to purchase the outfit. He started out mounted on an Indian pony, but when he had got as far as Wolf Lake in Noble county the mud was so deep that the pony gave out, and he was obliged to leave it and proceed on foot. He sent the pony back with the mail carrier, who was passing through on his way from Fort Wayne to Goshen, and started on with his valise on his shoulder, making his way in that style to Piqua, Ohio. At that place he met Charles L. Murray, then a young man and who was destined afterward to become prominently identified with the journalism of northern Indiana. A partnership was formed between the two, and together they proceeded on to Cincinnati, traveling from Piqua to Dayton by stage and from Dayton to Cincinnati by canal.
There they made their purchase, consisting of a Franklin press, the necessary type arid other materials. This was transported by canal as far as Dayton, where it was transferred to a covered wagon or schooner, as it was- called in those days, and drawn by six horses. In this way it was brought to Goshen, where it arrived in January, 1837. The paper was established and named the Goshen Express, the first issue appearing January 27. It was located in a one-room frame building on the west side of Main street, between Washington and the first alley north. The files of this paper, the first ever published in Goshen. are now in the possession of J. A. Beane of the Democrat.
Mr. Defrees was associated with the paper but four months, when the partnership between himself and Mr. Murray was dissolved, and he removed to Elkhart to engage in business with his brother James. After his brother, John D. Defrees, became editor of the Indianapolis Journal, Anthony removed to that city to accept employment on the paper, and in that capacity he remained for a number of years. Lew Wallace, afterward the renowned author of "Ben Hur," was connected with the paper at the same time, and the two became very intimate friends. It is a somewhat peculiar coincidence that although half a century has elapsed since they were thus associated General Wallace and Mr. Defrees should pass away within a few weeks of each other. During his stay in Indianapolis Mr. Defrees also became acquainted with Henry Ward Beecher, who was then pastor of a church in the capital city, and he occasionally met Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune and the foremost journalist of the United States.
From Indianapolis Mr. Defrees removed to Terre Haute, where in 1864 he was united in marriage with Elizabeth Singer, who survives him. In Terre Haute he was engaged in the milling and manufacturing business, having a large flouring mill and also a stave factory. From that city in the early 70s he removed to Santiago, California, where he engaged in mining. In 1882 he returned to Goshen, conducting a grocery store for sixteen years. For the past six years he had lived a retired life. Besides his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Defrees, he is survived by two daughters, Mrs. R. F. Dale of Boone, Iowa, and Mrs. H. E. Bullerdick. of St. Louis, Missouri; two grandsons, Defrees Arnold and Frank Dale; one brother, Rollin Defrees of Indianapolis; three sisters, Mrs. James S. Frazer of Warsaw; Mrs. J. S. Mather of Middlebury, and Mrs. Margaret Smith of Miami, Florida: and many other relatives. Two of his brothers, John D. and Joseph H. Defrees. already mentioned, were well known in northern Indiana for many years. The former, besides being prominently identified with Indiana journalism, was for a number of years public printer at Washington. The latter was one of Goshen's leading merchants, was president of the City National Bank and served a term in Congress. His father also came to this county in 1836, locating in Jefferson township on what is generally known as the Stephen Miller farm, and was one of the thirteen voters who voted at the second township election in 1837.
The career of Mr. Defrees, as will be observed, was somewhat eventful, and his long life was one of industry and usefulness. He was identified with many enterprises for advancing the interests of the several communities in which he lived. Coming here when Elkhart county was only a wilderness, his name is associated with our county's pioneers, and he will be remembered, too, as one of Northern Indiana's pioneer newspaper men. Although modest and unassuming in his character, he was recognized wherever he was known as a man of sterling worth. He was a congenial companion, a good neighbor, a stanch and loyal friend. The period of his retirement, passed among his friends, amid congenial surroundings and with agreeable companionship, was a fitting close of a life of activity such as his had been. Those who knew best will say that on this 7th of March of the year 1905 there was borne to his rest one of Goshen's most exemplary citizens.
The settlers of this county had many hardships, but had less to contend with than the settlers in most other sections of the country. Here, rich prairies covered with grass invited the plow of the husbandman, the groves furnished an abundance of timber for fencing, and large returns for labor were promised from the very first year of settlement. Mills were soon built and other conveniences came rapidly.
We find here a reason why so large a proportion of our settlers became permanent residents. In other counties many families soon passed to regions further west. They were a restless, adventuresome class that loved frontier life. They followed the Indians and the deer to the setting sun until the ocean stopped them. They filled a gap between savagery and civilization, and helped prepare for the permanent settler. But Elkhart county had comparatively few of these. Here the conditions were different. There was no such gap to be filled. The Indians were not so savage, and nature was not so wild. In general the settlers were of excellent stock and of sterling character—just such stuff as states and empires are made of. And when we consider the firm integrity and remarkable ability of our early settlers we cannot but feel hopeful and confident for the future, as well as pleased for the past and present of Elkhart county.
Source: A Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of Elkhart County, Indiana By Anthony Deahl Published by Lewis Publ. Co., 1905
