EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
CUSTOMS AND HARDSHIPS
OF THE PIONEER
EARLY DAY
DEFENSES INCIDENTS OF
PIONEER LIFE.
The settlement of Posey county began in the first decade of the
Nineteenth century, while
that section of the country was still claimed by the Indians, the possession of southern
Indiana having been finally settled at the battle of Tippecanoe, in 1811, when
the great Miami Confederacy was
completely crushed. It is not known just when the earliest settler came. The first records of land
entries were in 1807, but those
making the entries doubtless came much earlier. Among the first mentioned in history is the Black
family, that located in the township named for them in 1806. This family has
grown quite large and is still
prominently identified with the interests of the community. The head of the family at the time they
located in Posey county was Thomas Black. He had four sons — James, William,
Thomas and John. The three
latter were killed in the battle of Tippecanoe. In 1810 James Black completed the first mill ever
built in Black township. It was a horse power mill and was begun by William
Weir. Later Mr. Black built a
water mill and moved his old mill to the same place. Another early family was that of Adam Albright,
who with his sons. Adam, William and John, came from North Carolina, in
1807. They formed what was
known as the Albright settlement in Black township. William Weir, Amos Robinson, Samuel Gill, Thomas
Givens, Gen. William Henry
Harrison and Jabez Jones also came to Black township in 1807. General Harrison entered a portion of the
land on which the city of Mt.
Vernon now stands. His claim called for 317 acres of section 8. He tried to sell out to James Black, who
would not buy because one of the McFaddins was squatting there and refused
to give it up. Harrison sold
all this land to Aaron Williams, of Big Prairie, Ill., for a horse and some money, borrowed of James Black.
The McFaddin family mentioned
as having been squatting on the land were also one of the earliest in the township. There were
several McFaddin families, all related,
and they had some queer nicknames, such as "Slim," who claimed the honor of having fired the
first gun at Tippecanoe, and "Piddle-de-dum," also "Big" and "Little" Jim. The bluff
on the river was named for
this family. The Aldridge family came in 1810 from North Carolina. The father was John Aldridge,
who was a blacksmith, and the
sons were Samuel, Elijah, Reuben,
Henry, William and Aaron. The
Todd family, also, came from North Carolina, their native town being Charlottesville. The original
members of the family in Black township
were William and Hugh. Other families who settled in the township before the battle of Tippecanoe
were the Rowes, Dunns, Jeffries and the Andrews, Nestlers, Ashworths,
Frenches, Bacons, Kennedys, the
Burlisons, Joseph Holleman, Thomas Russell and George Harshman, who located in what is known as
Prairie Settlement. Most of
the foregoing names are familiar in Black township and in Posey county today. Nathan and Moses, who
represented the Ashworth family, brought two slaves with them. Moses was a
Methodist preacher. There
were four of the Bacons —
Aaron, Edmond, Samuel and Joseph. The two latter brought two slaves with
them, but as they could not hold
them they were taken south and sold. Aaron Bacon was one of the early sheriffs of Posey county and
served from 1820 to 1824.
The
first settler to enter land in Harmony township was Isaac White, in 1807. John Gray entered in 1809,
Isham Fuller in 1811, John Phillips
and Thomas Tuggles in the same year. In Robb township Joshua Overton and Joseph Montgomery came
with their families in 1808.
William Nelson and Robert Allman entered land in 1809, James Allen, Samuel Murphy and Joseph Johnson in
1810, and Jonathan Jaquess,
Maxwell Jolly, Thomas Shouse, Thomas Allmon, Daniel Drake, James Rankin and John Cox in 1811. In
Smith township the first entries were by Elsberry Armstrong, Miles
Armstrong and Joseph Garris, in
1810, and by James Rankin in 1811, although it seems highly probable that there were settlements far in advance
of any land entries, the land office
being difficult of access and there being no necessity in owning a claim until there were people enough
living in the community to make
protection of one's interests necessary. Lynn township shows no entries
prior to 1815. John Gray and
Thomas Rodgers entered land in Center
township in 1809. In Marrs township Thomas E. Casselberry entered land in 1807, and John and
Alexander Barton and William Downen
in 1811. In Point, originally Daniel township, or "The Daniel
Territory," the first
settlement in Posey county was made by Thomas Jones. William Bfoadhead entered land in
1800. Samuel Kimmel entered land
here in 1809. John Waller took land in Bethel township in 1807, James Farris in 1808, and John
McQuidy and Mathias Mounts in 1811.
In Robinson township there are no records of settlements prior to 1811, although there must have been
squatters located there before that
time.
After the control of this portion of the country was permanently
wrested from the Indians at the battle of Tippecanoe, there was an
influx of settlers. Those
coming prior to 1820 will be mentioned as "early settlers," although this did not conclude
the pioneer period, the settlers for many years later having to endure many
of the hardships and privations that were the lot of those coming in the
early years of the century. Those
locating in the county in 1812 were Andrew McFaddin, B. W. Moore and Lowery Hay, in Black township ;
James Murphy, in Robb township
; William Sample in Marrs township ; Thomas Shouse in Bethel township.
In the year 1813 the following took homesteads : Solomon Nelson, Samuel Aldridge and Alexander Willis in
Black township ; Samuel Jaquess
in Harmony township ; John Wilkins and Thomas Robb in Robb township; W. M. Steel and David Benson, in
Smith township; Paul Casselberry,
Elsberry and Samuel B. Marrs, in Marrs township; Seth Hargrave and James Black, in Point
township.
In 1814 land was entered by David Thomas, Samuel Gregg and Thomas Miller in Black township ; by Ignatius
Leavitt, Robert Allen, Thomas Randolph,
John Rodgers, James Ritchey, William Nelson and Thomas Barton in Harmony township; Right
Stallings, Peter Jones, William Harrigan, Warner Clark, Simeon Reecles,
John Stroud, John Waller, Thomas
and William Harrison, Harrison Sartin, John Gwaltney, William Stallings, Langston Drew, Leander Defer,
Thomas Owens, John Crabtree,
William Price, Thomas Rodgers and John Robards in Robb township ; Joseph Rosborough, Simon
Williams, George and Bennett Williams,
William Downey, George Smith and Regina Gale in Smith township ; by Samuel Elbin in Lynn
township ; Adam Young, William Barton,
Jacob and James Winemiller, Robert Dery, John Moon and Elkanah Williams in Marrs township ; Samuel
Aldridge, George Bow, Hugh
Todd, Robert Hargrave, Nathaniel Ewing, Samuel Parr and Joseph Kennedy in Point township ; Thomas
Denney in Robinson township.
In 1815 were Thomas Templeton and John Caldwell, in Black township ; George Rapp and the "Harmonic
Association," William Rodgers and
Robert Randolph in Harmony township ; John Drew, William Gray, Nathan Britton, John Calvin, Richard
Harrison, William McPherson and
Ezekiel Kight, and a colony of forty-four persons, among whom were the following names : Jonathan Jaquess,
James Rankin, Joseph Endicott, William
Casey, Alexander Ferguson, Asburry C. Jaquess, Harry Endicott, Betsey Cooper, Polly Price and Lucinda
Casey in Robb township ; Thomas
McClure, John Smith, Thomas Duncan, William Smith, Isaac Kimball, Robert Davis, Thomas Ashley and
Simpson Richey in Smith township
; George Rapp and his association, David Lynn, Abel Mathews, Robert Wilson and Thomas Miller in
Lynn township ; Sharp Garris, William
Dodge, Andrew E. Cross, George Rapp and his association, and William
Weir in Center township ; William Hutcheson, Benjamin and Needham Blount in Marrs township; Aaron
Bacon in Point township; George
Rapp and the association, Isaac and Alexander Boyer, Samuel Williams and Joseph Green in Bethel
township.
The setters who filed on land in 1816 were James Moore, Absalom Willis, Reason Calvin, Samuel Jones,
Thomas Nestler, Joseph Johnson, Samuel Elbin, Francis Miller and Mark
Barrett in Black township; Clement
Estes, Joseph Endicott, Joshua Overton, Thomas Maclure, Legro Bennett, John Calvin, Jesse Britton,
Frederick Rapp, James Anderson and
Jesse Cox in Robb township ; William Davis, Henry Casey, Stephen Eaton, John Neal, Sallie Sanders,
Willis Armstrong and Zachariah
Harris in Smith township ; Alexander Heighman, John Saltzman, Aquilla Mathews, Michael Saltzman,
Abel Mathews and John Wilson
in Lynn township ; Sharp Garriss, John Crunk, William Nelson, Thomas Wilson, D. Lynn, John Stallings,
Jacob Kern and William Alexander
in Center township; Lawrence Stull in Marrs township; Rezin Halsell and Samuel Barton in
Robinson township ; and John Neal
in Bethel township.
The land entries of 1817 were made by the following: Thomas Duckworth, James Duckworth, Daniel Barton, Edward
Blount, F. & S. Cully, James
Moore, Robert Castles, John Russel, Peter Wilkinson, John Walker in Black township; Lawrence Stull and John
Walker in Robb township ; John
McConnell, Louis Williams, Jonathan Jaquess, George Eaton, Stubel Garrett, Samuel McReynolds and
Joshua Elkins in Smith township;
Frederick Rapp in Lynn township; Andrew Cavitt from Pennsylvania, Joshua and Caleb Wade, near
Wadesville, Wright Stallings,
Joseph McReynolds, Jesse Stallings, John Hay, Frederick Rapp, Samuel Scott, Al Wilson, John D. Hay,
David A. Willis, Thomas Leavett
in Center township ; Jeffrey Sanders, John Williams and Charles Smith in Marrs township ; Thomas
Jones, Christopher Ashworth
and Elisha Boudinott in Point township ; William Dodge in Robinson township; and George Barnett, John S.
Campbell, Carmelia Carpenter, Thomas
Jordan and John E. Wilson in Bethel township.
In 1818 there were Sylvester French, Anson S. Andrews, Daniel A. Willis, Elisha Phillips, Samuel Phillips,
Joseph P. Coburn, William Moffitt,
Aaron Burlison, Christopher Nelson, Edward Trafford, William Russell and Jacob Kern in Black township;
Benjamin Cater in Harmony
township; James Robb in Robb township; Elisha Kimball, Herndon Meadows, George 'Lowe and Harrison
Meadows in Smith township ;
Ajax Campbell, David Ball, Jonathan Robinson, Michael Smith, Thomas Smith, James Owens and James
Robb in Center township ; Elias
McNamee in Marrs township ; Martin Shlater, George Hershman, John Hamilton and David
Greathouse in Point township; William
Rodgers, Ajax Campbell, Charles Kimball, Ezekiel Dukes, John Crunk,
Joel Pruitt and Alexander S. Morrow in Robinson township; and Robert Allen, Jesse Spann, John B.
Rachels, Gillison Price and
Nicholas Harding in Bethel township.
Those locating claims in 1819 were Joseph Cully, Aaron Moore, John Bradley, John Burlison, Elijah Cully and
John Goad in Black township ; Absalom
Kinson in Lynn township ; William F. Daniel in Point township ; Stephen Eaton, William Griffin,
Jacob Whittaker, Jesse Williams and William Browder in Bethel township.
The majority of these people were here several years before their names were listed as homesteaders. The
land office was at Vincennes, and
the only means of travel was horseback, and the settler often had to go alone that was a hazardous journey,
on account there being no roads
and the woods being infested with wild animals and Indians.
The first settlements were made along
the Ohio river, the early settlers coming from the south side of the river.
The only means of marketing produce
was by flatboats, and "flatboating" was the occupation of many of the first comers. It is said by
the pioneers who were familiar with
the usage of those times that often when a flatboat was hailed on the Ohio or Mississippi river the
following conversation took place : "
Where do you hail from?"
"Posey county, Hooppole
township, Pumpkin postoffice, three miles behind the meetin' house." "
What's your cargo?" "
Fruit and lumber." "
What kind of fruit and lumber?" "
Hooppoles and dried pumpkin."
This was in the days when the iron hooppole had not yet come into use and the Southern States did not have
the kind of saplings that made
a good hooppole for their molasses and sugar barrels, and the article was imported from Illinois. It was
a long and tedious voyage to
New Orleans, the trip taking weeks, and even months to accomplish. Whiskey also was an important article of
commerce, as this was about the
only way any money could be realized from the grain grown in this section of the country. One of the
earliest of these flatboat trading and landing points was in Point township,
at the mouth of the Wabash
river. The first white man in the county, Thomas Jones, located here in the latter part of the
Eighteenth century, and died at the place in 1826. Later a man by the name
of Roach located here and his
place became important as a commercial point, the flatboats often extending a mile in length along the river
waiting for their cargoes. Mr.
Roach died in 1848. Other early settlers at this point were Samuel Black, Nathaniel Miller, the Robinson
family, Summers, and old keel-boatman,
George Henchet, James Conner, William and Isaac James, a man by the name of Edwards, the Bacon
family, 'Squire Love, Capt. Henry
Stripe and the Greathouse and Dixon families.
In the settlement of Posey
county there
were a number of colonies, the
largest of which was the "Harmonic Association," of which George Rapp was the head. This colony came to the
county in the winter of 1814
and 1815 and took land in Harmony,
Lynn, Center and Bethel townships.
Upon their relinquishment of their holdings the land was occupied by the followers of Mr. Owen, who
also headed a community.
On
September 25, 1815, a colony of forty-four persons from Cynthiana, Ky., located in Robb township, about a
mile from Poseyville, near the Sulphur
Springs. There are many pioneers on the list of those coming into the county previous to or shortly
after 1820 that are not found on the land lists. Silas Parker located in
Robinson township near the point where the New Harmony & Evansville
road crosses the Cynthiana & Diamond Island road. Near him Ezekiel
Dukes settled in 1820, also John,
Jacob and William McMann. Other early settlers in the same township were Richard Edwards and the
Grant family, south of Blairsville,
Samuel "Lee, a blacksmith, north of the same town, and Hugh McKinnis, David Murphy, Greenberry Radcliff,
John Stephenson, John DePlaster,
Frederick Christ and Herman Ryster near Blairsville. Near St. Wendel the early pioneers were Samuel
and Steve McCollons, George Ramsey,
James Haynes, Daniel G. Walson and Benjamin Garris. Hon. William Heilman and Mr. Weis were early
German settlers. John Williams, John Raller, John Mitz, Utley Mills,
Samuel and Jonathan Wilkins,
William Hopson, Samuel and Daniel Barton and Thomas Denney were other settlers in this township.
In Marrs township the following are among the first inhabitants: Alexander
Barton, Moses Calvin, George
Daws, John Caborn, William Hutcheson, James Benbrook, Gabriel David, Hamilton Corson, James B. Campbell,
Bedford Lynn, Judge Marrs,
Lewis Benner, Michael Schrieber, John Vanwey, Wilson Jones, the Forris family, John Usery and others.
In Center township there was
Joseph Robinson, father of Jonathan and James Robinson, the Wade family, for whom Wadesville was named,
John Parish, David Ball, the Wallaces,
Smiths and Wilkinsons. Reuben Stallings brought four negro slaves with him — George, Jerry, Becca and
Morning, but as slavery was
not tolerated they were soon taken back. Prominent among the early families in Lynn township was that
of Billy Alexander, who had three
sons — William, John and Silas; John Noel, Henry Kivett, Samuel York, John Server, a Methodist class
leader, F. and Edmond Bacon, the Goad family, John Turney and Elias
Altizer.
The earliest industries were horse-power mills for the grinding of grain and the sawing of lumber, and the
manufacture of whiskey. As many
of the settlers were from the adjoining or near-by Southern States, nearly everybody raised a small patch of
cotton, and cotton gins were also
used. Wool was carded, spun and woven by hand, leather was tanned and
made up into shoes and harness at home or by a neighbor, with whom work was exchanged. Hides were
frequently tanned on the shares.
As in all early rural communities, it was the custom to make house-raisings, log-rollings,
husking-bees, and, in fact, the whole neighborhood joined in to help in any work which the
family alone could not well
accomplish. These gather -ings were the principal social functions of the community as well as occasions of
labor, and corn-huskings were looked
forward to with much pleasurable anticipation, and this labor, which was thus made a sport, was engaged
in heartily by both men and women.
At night-fall, after the day's work was over, the- dance commenced to the music of the bones and fiddle, and
by the light of the tallow-dip.
So the rigors of early pioneer life were lightened by a community of interest and good feeling among the
neighbors. The early farm
implements were very rude. The "jumping devil" was used for breaking new soil. It was a home-made
affair, fashioned after the manner of the single-shovel ploughs, only much
stouter and heavier. Ploughs with
wooden mouldboards were in use as late as 1850. In the earlier days oxen were much in use to do the heavy work
of clearing the soil and
breaking the ground for the first time. The roads were so poor that they made the most practical animal
for hauling for many years, as
they have more strength and patience than a horse and were cheaper and more easily handled than the mule.
Wheat was originally sown broadcast
and covered by dragging a huge pile of brush over the field by oxen. In later years the wooden toothed
harrow took the place of the
brush, and finally this instrument was supplemented by the iron- toothed harrow. Up to 1840 wheat was
reaped in the same manner that it
was thousands of years ago when Ruth gleaned after the reapers. In that year cradles were introduced and were
regarded as a wonderful invention. Corn was dropped by hand and covered with
a hoe. As the settlers had to
raise their clothing, flax also was grown, and the process of pulling, rotting, breaking, swingling,
hackling, spinning and weaving was
done by the women. Enough cotton was raised to supply the needs of the family, so that in all things these
pioneers were independent of foreign
articles, either for food, clothing, building or machinery, as most of the latter was also home-made. Even the
guns used in defense and for
killing game were made in Posey county. One of the early gunsmiths was Cornelius Foster, known as "Rifle
Foster." He was a prominent character
in early times, and was a very large man weighing 300 pounds. He was a preacher as well as
gunsmith and used to preach in one
denomination until trouble arose and then go to another denomination and remain there as long as he could do so
peaceably. He was sometimes a
Methodist, and sometimes a Baptist.
Small horse mills were established all over the county in the first two decades of the century, and grain
which had been threshed with a flail was carried to these mills on
horseback. It was necessary to wait until the mill could grind the grist and
the time was filled in by those waiting in such sports as rifle practice,
jumping, wrestling, etc. Sometimes one had to wait a whole day until those
ahead of him were served, as
the horse mill had a capacity of only twenty-five bushels per day. Each man in turn had to hitch his horse to
the mill to grind his own grain.
As distilleries were frequently maintained in connection with the grist mills, the form of pastime engaged
in often took the form of a joy
drunk. Later, near the close of the second decade, the horse-mills were replaced by water-mills, and still
many years later steam mills were installed.
As we have mentioned, the clothing of the pioneers was cotton, linen and wool, home grown and home
manufactured. Their food at first consisted in wild game, of which there
were deer, turkey, bear and smaller game, grain and vegetables and wild
fruits. In course of a few years as the timber was cleared and the wild game
and wild fruits disappeared they
were replaced by domestic meats and orchard fruits. Wolves were so plentiful as to be a menace to sheep,
often attacking them in daylight. At night the sheep had to be locked in a
secure enclosure for safety.
Wolves were hunted by riflemen, trapped or caught in pens. There was practically no home market for
anything raised in this section
in early times. For that reason the perishable goods that could not be taken to other markets in flatboats
brought an extremely low price.
It was nothing unusual for a person to walk several miles to the nearest town carrying a basket of eggs and
butter, receiving for the former
6 1/4 to 12 1/2 cents per dozen and for the butter about that much per pound. Pork was always killed at home
and brought from 1 1/2 to 3
1/2 cents per pound.
The horse-mills have been referred to; however, there was a time before the introduction of these mills
when the settlers had to grind the grain by hand. The methods employed take
us back to prehistoric times.
After sowing the grain by hand, covering it with a brush, reaping it with a grain hook, beating it out with
a flail, cleaning it by running it through a sieve and allowing the air to
carry away the chaff by an artificial
current made by waving a sheet over the grain, it was then ready to be ground. A mortar was made by
hollowing out a rock, or a big
stump. A heavy wooden pestle was shaped to fit the mortar and used to crush the grain. When the meal was
fine enough it was run through
a buckskin sieve. It is small wonder that very little wheat was grown for market considering the
laborious methods employed to produce
it. As corn required so much less work it was grown in preference to wheat, even for family use. The use of
the mortar required a man's
strength, but often when the women wanted to use some of the early-ripened ears of corn before the
harvest had been gathered they would husk a few ears and manufacture
the meal by the use of what
looked to be a huge nutmeg grater. This grater was made by driving nail holes in a piece of tin and
fastening it to a board. As corn was the easiest grain to raise, so pigs
were the least expensive animals, and the diet of the early settlers may be
said to have consistd largely of
corn bread and pork, or at least these were the mainstay in the way of food stuffs.
The prices of food stuffs not only shows the lack of demand for the articles, but also the scarcity of
the "coin of the realm." The money of those days current in Posey county
was in silver 6 1/4, 12 1/2, 25 and 50-cent pieces, with only an
occasional dollar. A good farm hand received $8.00 per month, and according
to the prices of what he raised he was lucky enough, for wheat brought
only 40 cents per bushel, in contrast to the dollar wheat of these times,
which does not require one-hundredth part of the work; corn was 12 l/2
cents, and was exchanged for whiskey, bushel for gallon.
Posey county, as well as most of the State of Indiana, was covered with an excellent and valuabe growth
of timber. Had this wood been left
growing the land would now be
worth several times its present value, but as several generations
have in the meantime been able to subsist upon it, which would have
been impossible had it been left in virgin forest, it has been worth more
to the race by having been cleared. Every tree, no matter how fine a
growth, or what the variety of wood, was marked for destruction by the
pioneers who could see nothing in trees at that time except an enemy
usurping the ground which they needed
to raise bread. So every tree
was felled or "deadened," and only sufficient of the wood was reserved
to fence the clearing, the rest being burned up. In this way valuable black
walnut, white oak and other wood
was destroyed, which, if
preserved to the present day, would have been worth untold millions of
dollars. We have mentioned the early saw mills, which were built along the
Wabash and Ohio and other streams,
but for a number of years
before they came into use the lumber was sawed by hand with -a whip-saw.
It seems a shame to have wasted
all these millions of feet of
the best lumber on the continent, but as there was then no market for
it, and as the settlers needed the land it could not have been avoided.
The original price of land, timber and all, was $2.00 per acre. It went
back to $1.25 per acre, while rich
bottom land was worth about 12 1/2 cents.
Hard as the facts of existence were
in Posey county a century ago, the
early pioneers did not forget
that the spirit must be satisfied as well as the body, and scarcely had they
erected their own rude dwellings than they began to think of churches
and meeting houses. In the absence of all forms of entertainment with
which we are familiar, the church
was a greater factor in the
life of the community than it is at present. While we find it
impossible to attend church if the weather is the least bit inclement, or the
distance more than a few blocks, the pioneers often rode ten, twenty and
even forty and sixty miles over rough roads, perhaps behind an ox
team, to attend the occasional services held in the little log churches of
those times. Here it was that the
deacon or pastor lined out the
hymns and the congregation sang with their whole hearts, and listened
to the rigid interpretation of the Gospel, which, though it seems to us
of this day a narrow interpretation, was none the less sincere, and made
for good citizenship. Baptists and
Methodists predominated, although
there were the Cumberland Presbyterians,
tjhe Disciples, and
other denominations in the some parts of the county. Perhaps the most
historic point for early-day religion is Smith township. There was a log
church at Liberty, about a mile
northeast of Cynthiana, by the
Disciples, in which Elders Elijah and Moses Goodwin held forth,
denouncing the mourners' bench and the idea that anyone did or could
"get" religion, declaring the doctrine of "good works" as the road to
heaven. But in spite of this people could and did get religion at the
Cumberland church, which was located four miles southwest of Cynthiana and
christened Mount Pleasant. A
large log church was built by the
Cumberland organization at this point about 1820, about which a camp
ground was laid out in a large square.
All around this square small
log houses were built for the accommodation of the campers, who flocked there in
great numbers from far and
near to enjoy the exhilaration
and ecstacies of religion as preached and experienced in that manner. In
those days it was not alone the beauties of heaven and ever - lasting bliss that
was presented to the people, but
the horrors of hell were vividly
pictured, and sinners were called upon to flee from the wrath to come,
and this proved often to be more potent than the hopes of heaven. The
greatest revivals in this section of the State were held at this old
camp ground, and it was not unusual for hundreds of voices to be heard at
once supplicating for mercy before the throne of grace. At times the
excitement becamevery intense, so fully were the minds of the people
concentrated upon one idea, and so com - pletely were they under the mental
influence of the minister. Often numbers of people at once were seized
with strange hallucinations, declaring they could smell the burning of
brim - stone, see the devil, or the angels, or Christ, and the unreal
mental picture no doubt was real to them, although we now explain it on a
simple psychological basis. Some were seized with nervous fits and
would fall headlong upon the floor jerking violently. The jerking fit
spent they would relapse to a comatose state, in which they would remain for
half an hour, sometimes for a
much longer period, and not
understanding their own mental and nervous constitution, believe such
experiences were the working of the Holy Spirit. However, the people of
those days enjoyed it, as do the less intellectual of our own day, and
it is, perhaps, justified on those grounds and on the grounds that the pastors
and congregation were in earnest. Some of the noted camp meeting
preachers were Thomas Smiley, "Uncles"
Tommy Wilson, Johnnie Shelton
and 'Squire James Wilson. The
pulpit in that old camp meeting
house was typical of early day pulpits, and would be a great curiosity to
church goers of the present day. It was built about four feet above
the main floor and was reached by a flight of steps on either side. The
dimensions were about 6 x 12 feet, and it was boxed in to the height of
four feet above the pulpit floor, leaving a small opening on either
side for entrance. Thus, unless the preacher was an exceptionally tall
man, only his head and shoulders were visible to the audience.
And while the pioneers were wrestling
with nature for physical existence, the intellectual training of their
children was not wholly overlooked. As soon as there were enough
intellectual and progressive people
in a neighborhood who believed
in education to pay a teacher even
a meager living a subscription
school was started. The log building was erected by the fathers who were
interested in giving their children
a chance in the world, and
the teacher took pupils at the rate of about $1.50 per term for each
pupil, and boarded around among the families represented, staying two or
three weeks at each house, free of charge. Each family felt honored to
entertain the teacher and his stay was the event of the school year. The
term lasted three months and the
course of study was the three
"R's," with perhaps a little geography or history. In those days when
society was not as well organized as now the teacher was often expected to
act the part of prize-fighter as well as instructor, and often had to
"lick" the school before he could have an opportunity to teach them
anything. On the other hand, some teachers were a little too free with
their use of the "gad," and much suffering was endured for trifling
offenses, and school was looked upon by many as a place of torture and
punishment, and only those ambitious for an education, or those who wished
to torment the teacher would
attend. Hardly a person can be
found in the present day that will not admit the advantages of an
education, or to some extent avail themselves of their educational
opportunities, but in those days there was a large class that thought
education beneath them, only intended for people too lazy to work, and this
class was large enough to constitute no little discouragement to the
pioneer teacher. The early school houses were of home construction
throughout and followed one general plan. The first school buildings were
12 x 14 feet, the later ones were 20 x 30 feet, or larger, with
ceilings about eight feet high. The walls were built of round or hewed logs,
the cracks between being chinked or daubed with mud. The floor was of
puncheon, which was split logs, and the roofs of boards held in place
by rib poles. Sometimes the rool was made of shingles instead of
boards, and held together the same way. There were two fire-places, one
for the use of the boys and the other for the girls. They were built
of hewed or split logs notched so as to be held securely in place. This
was liberally daubed with clay for
protection from the fire. The
fireplaces were 4 feet wide, 4 feet deep and 10 feet long. The chimneys were
made of poles or sticks and covered thickly on the inside with mud. The
doors were of split logs pinned together and swung on wooden hinges.
There were usually two windows, one on each side of the room, and
these were about 20 feet long
and covered with greased paper
instead of glass. The seats were
made of split logs, the split
side being placed uppermost, and pegs driven into the bark side for legs.
They were without backs. The writing
desk was usually of split
logs and fastened to the wall on one side of the room. The spelling book
was the principal text, and writing was done with goose quill sharpened.
A number of incidents are told which
shed light on the customs and practices
of the early schools. It
was the custom on the day before any great holiday, like Christmas or
Thanksgiving, to make the teacher treat, or if he did not treat to
force him to do so. The attempted enforcement of this rule nearly cost the life of
a teacher by the name of Gages,
who was teaching in the
Aldridge settlement. On his refusal to treat the boys promptly set upon him
and carried him to the nearest pond,
where they broke the ice and
dipped him under a few times. Chunks
of ice were placed on his bare
bosom, but he was rescued before anything serious happened.
The first schools were supported by
the parents of the pupils, but about
the year 1822 a seminary fund
was provided by the General Assembly of the State in an act whereby
certain fines, forfeitures, penalties, etc., were to be applied to a fund to
maintain a county seminary of learning.
It was 1833 before an
amount was raised in Posey county sufficient to begin the erection of a
building. It was located in Mt. Vernon, and finished in 1843. (See
School History in this volume.) One of the first things that had to
be provided for by the early settlers was defense, for in the early
settlement of this county it was still claimed by the Indians, and numerous
depredations throughout the country
by the red foe prompted the
pioneers in 1809 to build a fort or blockhouse as a common place of
refuge in case of attack or raid by the Indians. This fort was located in
Harmony township, about a mile southwest
of Stewartsville on land
owned at that time by John Cox, nicknamed "Doublehead." It was 30 x
30 feet, built of round logs and two stories high. The upper story was
projected about a foot out from the lower story and in the upper room
v-shaped loopholes were sawed in
the logs, some with points
downward and some with points outward, thus affording a view of the enemy
both when approaching the fort and when near the walls. The blocks
sawed out in making the loopholes were kept to plug them up again after
firing at the enemy, leather straps having been fastened to them to
facilitate handling. There were no windows, the light being admitted
through the holes. There was one door downstairs and one leading to
the second floor. Tradition does not tell of any engagements, although
the fort was frequently used by the neighboring families during
trouble with Indians in their vicinity. The families using the fort most
frequently were those of John Cox, Moxey Jolly, Thomas Robb, V. Leavitt
and John Wallace. Mrs. Sarah Cox,
wife of John Cox, often had
thrilling experiences during her husband's absence from home. On one occasion
when he had gone to Vincennes
for a load of salt and she
and her little children were left alone in their cabin in the woods the
Indians became troublesome and visited
the cabin in war paint. With
rare courage and presence of mind
Mrs. Cox received them with
great respect, invited them in and set cakes and other food before them,
and they went away without doing
any harm. Upon another occasion
when alone she found upon arising
in the morning the tracks of
a huge bear in the door yard. She armed herself with a butcher knife
and tracked the animal to his hiding place and found him in a hollow log.
Having no gun herself she called
some of the neighbors to kill
the bear. Mr. Cox at this time was making a journey on foot to Terre
Haute for seed corn, showing the amount of physical labor that was
often expended to gain a point. Another stockade was built in 1811.
This was on Black river near Shaw's
Ford. It was 50 x 50 feet and
built of split logs. The timbers were set on end in a deep trench, the
split side being turned to the outside. The families of the neighborhood used
to gather in this fort whenever
an Indian uprising startled
the country.
Until 1837 military duty was required
of every man and musters regularly
held. There were the
company, battalion, regimental and brigade muster. These musters were
held at the homes of the different officers and the following is a
sample of the orders issued calling the men together :
New
Harmony, February 26, 1826.
Regimental Order.
The officers of the companies will
appear with their commands at
the house of Robert Randolph, on
the 16 day of October, 1826,
for a two days'
regimental muster. All commissioned
officers must appear in
full uniform. Battalion muster
will be held at the house of
Joshua Overton.
ZACHARIAH
WADE,
Commanding
Twenty-sixth Regiment.
Some of the other commanders were Gen. William Twigg, Gen. James P. Drake, Col. Jesse Nash, Col.
Clement Whiting, Capt. W. J. Lowery, Lieut. John F. Allison, Adjutant
Allen and others. The officers wore gorgeous uniforms when they held
musters. A blue coat cut swallow tailed with red stripes on the
breast, and adorned with double rows of large brass buttons and tinsel
epaulets, buckskin trousers, a large three- cornered hat with waving plume,
moccasins and a sword. The rank and file were in ordinary homespun
clothing of the frontier, and had rifles or muskets, and those who had no
firearms held the drill with cornstalks. £ach section had its place of drill.
At Mt. Vernon the field east of Milton Black's place was the favorite
rendezvous ; Blairsville was another point, and general musters were held
at the farm of Lewis Wilson in
the vicinity of Springfield.
Not the least of the difficulties of
pioneer life comes from lack of transportation facilities. Posey
county was better equipped in this particular than most new localities, having
river transportation on two sides,
giving an outlet to a market,
if only a far distant one. Many of the early settlers found their way
into the county traveling by water. But by far the greater majority came
in the more common pioneer style
by driving in a wagon. These
trips made as they were to Posey county from Virginia, Tennessee and
Kentucky were dangerous as well as arduous, requiring many weeks,
sometimes months, to complete, on account of unavoidable delays caused
by weather conditions, sickness or accidents. Sometimes there were
trails blazoned by those gone before and sometimes the pioneer had to
blazon a new trail for others who would follow him. It took stout
hearts to bid their home and friends farewell and set out with only the
members of their own family, with little dependent children to provide
for and protect, and go west into unknown dangers and hardships, but it
seems that the fever of emigration and colonization attacks mankind at
intervals, for we have other instances in history when whole races of people
would begin a general migration
into another land in spite
of seemingly insurmountable hardships and difficulties. In reading the
records of the trips made by Posey
county pioneers we find where
occasionally a mother, a father
or a child succumbed to the
hardships of the journey and had to be lowered into the grave by the
hands of their own family, and left in the heart of the wilderness "where
the foe and the stranger shall over them tread" and while those who loved
them would be far away. Often there
were injuries sustained through
exposure and hardship that did not
result in death, but left the
heroic sufferer still continuing the struggle for existence handicapped. One
remarkable case was that of Andrew Gudgel (the great-grandfather of Dr.
James Edward Gudgel, of Cynthiana,
Ind.), who came to this
county from Kentucky in 1811. He had been a pioneer in Kentucky and
while there lost the use of his lower limbs through exposure. However,
he would sit in a chair and chop and clear up brush around his cabin
for hours at a time. At the time of an Indian raid, when the whole
neighborhood took refuge in the stronghold at Fort Branch, he would
not go along, but insisted in remaining behind to take care of things. Here
the Indians found him and
they were so pleased with his
courage that they did- him no injury, but instead made frequent visits to
his place, walking around his chair, patting him on the head and in their
Indian fashion complimenting his bravery.
The wedding customs of those days are
interesting. Marriages were made
young, as there was no long
continued course of education, and no complex standards of life to deter
them. All the people were on the same social plane, so that there was no
objection of relatives or friends on that score. No hindrances in the way
of the first impression of love generally resulted in marriage, and
these marriages were universally successful, the young people learning
each other's ways as they molded their own, and living long and
happily together. Whenever there was a wedding the whole settlement, old and
young, attended, and the occasion was looked forward to with the
greatest delight. The friends of the bride assembled at her home and
assisted in the preparations and the friends of the groom came to his
home, and together they proceeded
enmasse to the bride's home. Here the
whole neighborhood gathered, some
coming on foot, some on
horseback, and others in carts or wagons. Everybody was there, from
grandmothers to babes in arms. The trip there was always one of merrymaking,
the bottle being taken along. When
the groom arrived the ceremony
took place, after which the dinner or supper was served. After this the
dancing began and lasted until the
following morning. They usually
commenced with a square-four, which
was followed by a jig, that is
two of the four would single out for a jig and were followed by the
remaining couples. When anyone of
the jigging party became tired the
place was supplied on intimation of the one wishing to retire by
someone present without interrupting the dance. In this way the jig
continued until the musician was exhausted. It was the custom to see who could
keep the floor continuously for
the longest time. About 9 or 10
o'clock in the evening a deputation of young ladies stole away the bride
and proceeded to put her to bed. In order to do this they had to take
her to the "loft" overhead by way of a ladder from the kitchen. Here in
the rude bridal chamber the frightened
and simple-hearted girl
was tucked away by her enthusiastic friends. This done the friends of the
groom took him to the same chamber and tucked him in bed beside his
bride. The dancing went on uninterruptedly. There were few benches or chairs, and
the young men when not
dancing were expected to
offer their laps for seats for the girls. In the course of the
festivities spirits were freely used, but seldom to excess, and as the
liquors of those days were from the home distillery they were not nearly so dangerous as
those on the markets today. The
celebration was carried over to
the following evening, when the same order of exercises was observed.
A spot was then selected for the
cabin of the new family and a day
appointed for the beginning of the
building. The fatigue party,
consisting of the choppers, felled the trees and cut the logs in proper
lengths. A man with a team hauled them to the site. Another party
selected the materials for the roof, and still another prepared the puncheons
for the floor. When these things were done the raising took place.
Four corner men were selected, whose business it was to notch the logs and
place them. The rest of the company lifted the logs into position. When
the cabin was finished a house- warming was held and a good breakdown
or dance was indulged in, accompanied by spirits in liberal quantities.
Many of the early settlers lived to
reap large financial rewards for their efforts. One of the wealthiest
flatboat owners was Richard Barter, who began life in Posey county as a
blacksmith. For several months after
arriving he was prostrated with
ague and could not do any manual labor, and in this time he not only
was out of money, but when his health
began to improve his clothing
was reduced to rage, and he bought a suit that had belonged to a dead
man, one of his friends going security for him. He then began to work at his
trade. He said that he worked oftentimes
nineteen or twenty hours
per day, but that he was happier at that time in the anticipation of
making money than he ever was in the possession of wealth.
It was customary upon the death of
one or more parents for children to be "bound out" to strangers.
Instead of adopting the child and making it a joint heir with the other
children of their family the person taking a child expected service from it
until twenty-one and did not expect to give anything in return. In other
words, instead of taking the child with the idea of helping it, the
family took the child with the idea of making it work for them. A "bound
out" child was often very little better off than a slave until it
reached its majority. Such a child was seldom educated. It was obliged to
give its services to the family it was bound to until twenty-one years of
age. If such a child should work for other parties the wages could not
legally be paid to it, but were the property of the foster parent. Often
a boy having both parents living was bound out to a, man to learn a
trade. In that case he worked for the man until twenty-one years of age
in return for his board and the trade.
There were not many negroes in Posey
county before the Civil war, a
few having been brought here were
later taken back south by their owners or were kidnaped by slave
dealers. Occasionally runaway slaves,
after finding their way this
far, were kidnaped and taken back to slavery. There was one instance of
kidnaping which was surrounded by
peculiar circumstances. A man by
the name of Goddard was immigrating to this county with his wife in 1815,
when the latter took sick and
her husband deserted her. She had
smallpox, and as this was such a
deadly disease in those days it is
not to be wondered at that he was alarmed for his own safety, and being
of a dissipated and dissolute character it is quite natural that he should
not care for her when ill. The woman
was picked up by a negro, who
had one small hut on the river, and was cared for here until the
return of her health, when she returned to her husband and soon afterward
gave birth to twin boys, one bright mulatto, the other of darker
complexion. Mr. Goddard was a believer in psychological impressions and
accounted for the complexion of the twins on the theory that it was a
birthmark. In 1882, when the boys were about six years of age, they were
kidnaped by Aquilla Ford and Jack Lynn, members of a gang of
adventurous and desperate men who had a rendezvous at Diamond Island, later
known as West Franklin. The news
of this dastardly act roused the
whole township and a number of men,
namely, Patrick Calvert, William
Rodgers and Joe Cater, organized a rescuing party of twenty-seven men,
armed with flintlock guns, horse
pistols, clubs and knives, and
went in pursuit of the kidnapers. The gang at West Franklin, hearing of
the movement, made preparations to defend themselves. The rescuing
party, upon arriving at the village,
demanded that a search be
made. At this the citizens were highly incensed, declaring that the
boys were not there, and a heated discussion followed, which ended in a
conflict. The citizens rallied to the defense of the gang. The
rescuers, being greatly outnumbered, retreated to a near-by corn field, the
worthless Goddard being the first to run away. This left Calvert, Cater
and Rodgers to repell the attack. Guns and clubs were freely in play
and two of the Ford gang were wounded,
while only Calvert, of the
other side, was hurt. By this time Dan Lynn appeared as arbitrator, and
the hostilities came to an end. Calvert was picked up and found to be
very severely hurt. Indeed he had been beaten so severely that he had
been left for dead. The gang was merciless in their treatment of
Calvert after they had taken his gun away from him. They beat him up and asked
him if he were not sorry he came,
and on his reply that he was
not, they endeavored by cruelty to make him say that he was sorry. His
steadfast refusal resulted in his nearly losing his life. After this
Joe Cater organized another searching party of forty picked men, who made a
thorough search of West Franklin without opposition, as the boys had
been taken away before they could
get there. They crossed over to
the Kentucky side and searced the
near-by neighborhood there
without results. Two years later Patrick Calvert visited the Red river
district in Arkansas on a prospecting tour in company with a number of
Posey county farmers. On their return turn they camped near Fulton,
Ark., and in swapping yarns with the citizens about the camp fire Calvert
related the story of the stolen boys. This reminded one of the citizens
that two boys answering the description had been brought to that neighborhood
and sold to a certain party still
living there. The next morning
Calvert went to see the boys and tested their memory on the incidents
of the kidnaping. The matter was
taken to the courts and the boys
were turned over to Calvert, who returned them to their overjoyed
mother. In gratitude for his services in rescuing the children from slavery
the boys were bound out to Calvert and gave him devoted service long
after the had become of age.
In the early days justice was meted
out by the judge according to his own ideas, as there was not much law
or precedent to be guided by. When
Jacob Weinmiller was justice of
the peace at West Franklin, a man
sued another on a note, the
payment of which was for one milch cow. The note was twelve months past
due and a verdict was rendered for
the plaintiff. The judgment
called for the payment of one milch cow and calf, the court holding that
had the debt been paid at the time the note matured the cow would have
had a calf, and there - fore the calf was due the holder of the note. At
Blackford, court was held in the open, the clerk using the stump of a
tree for a desk and the jury being seated on logs. A man was found
guilty of stealing a hog and was punised by receiving thirty-nine lashes.
When John Williams was justice of
the peace at West Franklin a crowd
of men got into a fight. Williams rush - ed out and cried, "I command the
peace," and upon finding the
order disregarded he proceeded to
enforce it by jumping in and thrashing
the whole bunch. James
Lafferty was another officer with original ideas in administering
justice. Two men, Nathan Overton and Allen Moutry, were in a hand-to-hand
combat one day when he rushed
out and cried, "I command the peace !
Give him h___ , Nathan, I will fine
you only $1.00 and pay half of
it myself ! I command the peace !"