WHITE COUNTY INDIANA
Union
Township
Union Township was one of the four
divisions of White County at its
organization in 1834, and included all of the present territory west of
the Tippccanoe River and north of the line dividing Townships 25 and 26
north, together with the attached territory of what now constitutes the
counties of Newton and Jasper and the western portion of Pulaski. The
political steps by which it was reduced to its present body include the
creation of Monon Township in 1836, of Liberty in 1837, and Honey Creek
in 1856.
General Features
Thus Union Township was reduced to
about thirty-seven and a half square
miles. It is bounded on the north, chiefly by Liberty, with its
northwestern section lying against Monon Township; on the east by
Liberty and Jackson townships and the Tippecanoe River, which partly
separates it from Carroll County; on the south by Big Creek Township
and Carroll County, and on the west by Big Creek and Honey Creek
townships.
The township has more high hills and
low valleys than any other
political division in the county, although the valleys are limited to a
small area and the hills to the timber land lying along the river.
South of Monticello the lands become a portion of the Grand Prairie.
The northern portion of the township, west of the Tippecanoe, is a
succession of sand ridges, and flat timber land, with such stretches of
prairie intervening as the valley of Honey Creek. That part of the
township lying east of the river was much more heavily timbered than
the sections west of it, as it was protected from the prairie fires
which swept over the country from that direction. Only a thin fringe of
timber marked the western banks of the Tippecanoe, with here and there
a tree in the open plain, hut no thickets of hazel, plum, sassafras,
oak, hickory, cedar, sumach, mulberry, elder or honey locust ever
survived the annual fires, from which the eastern banks were exempt,
until those tracts were settled and protected.
Soil And Products
The soil of Union Township in the
timbered portions east of the river
is a heavy loam with a subsoil of clay, sand and gravel, and well
adapted to grain, grass, roots, fruit and vegetables. In the higher
timbered part it is a light loam, with a deep subsoil of sand and
gravel intermixed with clay. The northwestern portions of the township
may be described as clay ridges traversing a rather low prairie.
So-called "ridge farms," lying quite high and dry, with their easily
cultivated soil, have come into considerable favor, as they are nicely
adapted to live stock and fruit raising. The main branches of the
Tippecanoe River in Union Township are Pike Creek, flowing in from the
east, and Honey Creek, its western tributary. By nature, this portion
of the county is well drained, and no township is better provided with
ditches.
The chief products of the township
are wheat, corn, oats and rye, in
the grains; sweet and Irish potatoes, cabbages, parsnips, carrots,
beets and tomatoes, in vegetables; melons and berries of all kinds.
Settled Before The Township Was
Organized
Quite a number of settlers, most of
them with their families, located
in what is now Union Township before the county was organized, the most
prominent of these being John Rothrock and his son, Robert; Peter
Price, John Roberts, Reuben Stout, James Shafer, Jeremiah Bisher, Hans
Erasmus Hiorth, Peter B. Smith, Melchi Gray, Matthew Hopper, Zebulon
Sheetz; Samuel Gray, James Spencer, William Orr, John Orr, Mahion
Fraser, Sr., Abraham Lowther, John Wilson, Richard Worthington, Henry
Baum and George R. Bartley.
The first entry of land from the
United States Government in what is
now Union Township was made by John Rothrock, who, on November 30,
1830, purchased a large tract in section 3, township 26 north, range 3
west, and some time afterward erected a log house thereon. He was soon
followed by Peter Price, his brother-in-law, who bought 160 acres in
sections 32 and 33, on June 13, 1831; on that day also George R.
Bartley purchased land in the same section.
Mr. And Mrs. Peter Price
While there is no dispute over the
claim that Mr. Rothrock entered the
first land in what is now Union Township, Mr. Price is generally
credited with being the first permanent settler. In all likelihood, he
has that honor because he brought with him his wife and child, thus
founding the first family and homestead in the new country. Born in
Berks County, Pennsylvania, February 11, 1799, he lived for several
years before coming West in Lancaster and Mifflin counties, that state.
While a resident of the latter he met and married Asenath Rothrock, a
native of Mifflin County and about three years his junior. They were
married in 1821 and in the spring of 1831 started for the valley of the
Tippecanoe with their infant son, Joseph, John Rothrock and his sons,
William and Robert.
The Prices and Rothrocks traveled by
wagon and reached a locality a
short distance west of the Tippecanoe River and just beyond the present
limits of Monticello in the early part of June, 1831. He entered his
"eighty" on the 18th of the month, as stated, and there he lived a
useful life until it was ended in the peace of well-spent years, July
19, 1877.
At their coming to White County, Mr.
and Mrs. Price had been bereft of
two little ones, bringing the third to their western home. Six children
were added to their flock on the banks of the Tippecanoe, three of
their sons living to serve in the Union army from White County.
Mrs. Price was a woman of rare worth,
and after the death of her
husband continued to reside at the old homestead with her son, Capt.
Benjamin F. Price, until her death January 18, 1892, in her ninetieth
year. As age crept steadily on, her visits to Monticello became rare,
but to her many friends who called upon her she was ever a cheerful,
companionable lady of the pioneer generation. One of her favorite tales
was the "heap big scare" of June, 1832.
"Heap Big Scare" Of 1832
In this, the year of the Black Hawk
war, there were probably twenty
families in what is now White County. Throughout the spring of 1832
tales of massacres and murders so worked upon the fears of the
scattered settlers that some of them packed their goods into wagons and
fled to the south side of the Wahash, driving their live stock before
them. Every prairie fire was a possible sign of Indian devastation, but
not a few families bravely clung to their barricaded houses and guarded
farms. To assure both the brave and the timid that no hostile Indians
had penetrated to that distant point, a company of about twenty men was
formed at Delphi under Capt. Andrew Wood, and, well armed and
provisioned, marched out on the Grand Prairie and thence up the
Tippecanoe as far as the house of Melchi Gray near the mouth of the
Monon. No Indians were found, except some timid Pottawattamies who were
as frightened over the prospect of a raid by Black Hawk's warriors as
were the most fearful of the whites who had deserted their homes.
Mrs. Peter Price, who had then been
about a year in her new home,
relates that her family had remained unconscious of any danger until
early one June morning, when George A. Spencer rode rapidly up to their
cabin door on his horse and shouted "Halloo, Peter, get up! The d—d
Injins are coming and are killing everybody." In about a minute
everybody's clothes were on and the messenger surrounded and bombarded
with rapid-fire questions. It was decided to leave immediately, and
hurried preparations were made to take the most valuable articles and
leave the remainder to the torch of the savages. Mrs. Price and her
children were taken to the house of a friend below Delphi, while Mr.
Price returned to near the mouth of Spring Creek, Prairie Township,
where some twelve or fifteen families had collected and made rather
formidable preparations to receive the enemy. Every man and boy was on
guard and every gun was loaded and in place. It is also stated that a
sort of blockhouse was erected. Some thought the danger was to come
from the Pottawattamies, while others feared the Sacs and Foxes from
the Mississippi River region. As a matter of fact, it may be repeated
the Pottawattamies were as much frightened as any of the whites, and
all went to the Indian agent for advice and protection. They thought
the whites were going to attack them for some reason not apparent. It
was a period of "creeps and horrors" all 'round.
Land Entries In 1831-34
In July, 1831, Samuel Gray entered
land in section 7, and David Miller
in section 6, during August, and in November of that year Mahlon
Frazer, Sr., bought a tract south of Mr. Rothrock's in section 3.
Hans E. Hiorth became a land owner in
section 21 during July, 1832, in
section 20 during August, and in section 8, in September; during
October of that year James Spencer entered land in sections 17 and 18,
Benjamin N. Spencer in section 17, Elisha Rawls in section 6, and
Thomas King in section 5.
The year 1833 brought purchasers of
land as follows: Henry Baum,
section 5, and James Johnson, section 31, in March; Thomas Wilson,
section 17, and Samuel Gray, section 18, in April; Jacob Dewey, section
4, in May; Benjamin Price, section 3, in June; Melchi Gray, in October,
and Richard Worthington, in November, both in section 7.
In 1834, at dates previous to the
organization of the county, John
Wilson entered land in section 17, on the 2lst of April; Joseph James,
in section 13, June 4th; John Tedford, in section 36, on the 10th of
that month; George R. Bartley, in section 33, on the 13th, and James
Staughton, in section 6, July 5th, two weeks before the meeting of the
first board of commissioners. Afterward, but in the year of the
county's birth, the following appeared in the list of land-holders:
Robert Rothrock, section 33, September 6th; Samuel Rifenberrick,
section 33, November 22d; Zebulon Sheetz, same section, November 1st,
as well as in section 27, on the same date.
Entry Of Monticello's Site
The main portion of Monticello was
platted on section 33, the first
public sale of lots occurring on the 7th of November, 1834. It is a
matter of record that Robert Rothrock entered the land at LaPorte, in
behalf of John Rothrock, his father, H. E. Hoirth and John Barr (county
agent), for the purpose of which they placed $137.77½ in his
hands. He
signed a $1,000 bond to transfer to them "the south half of the
northeast quarter and the north half of the southeast quarter of
Section 33, Township 27 north, Range 3 west, containing in all 110
22-100 acres, which lots were purchased for the purpose of a county
scat in White county." This he finally did.
Bounds Of Original Plat
The old plat of Monticello was
bounded on the north by Marion Street,
east by Tippecanoe or Bluff Street, south by Jefferson and west by
Illinois. Legally, with the express condition that the county seat
should forever remain at Monticello, the site, as conveyed by Robert
Rothrock to County Agent Barr, with a quit claim to all titles of
Messrs. Barr, Hiorth and John Rothrock in the same, the description of
the boundaries of the original site is as follows: Beginning at a point
where the west line of Illinois Street in the said Town of Monticello
running north as the town plat of the said town is laid out would
intersect the north line of the southwest quarter of the northeast
quarter of section 33, township 27 north, range 3 west, thence east
with the north line of said fraction to the Tippecanoe River, thence
with the meanderings of the said river to the south line of the
northwest fraction of the southeast quarter of section 33, township 27
north, range 3 west, thence with the south line of said last mentioned
fraction west to a point where the west line of said Illinois Street
aforesaid extended south would intersect said last mentioned line,
thence north with the west line of said Illinois Street extended as
aforesaid to the place of beginning. That tract was laid out on the 3d
of November, 1834, under the supervision of Mr. Barr, assisted by Asa
Allen, Melchi Gray and Joshua Lindsey, surveyors.
Site Controlled Mainly By Residents
Little opportunity was given to
non-resident land speculators to obtain
land in the immediate vicinity of Monticello, as it was all taken by
residents soon after the county seat was located. There was one notable
exception. Jacob Walker and William M. Jenners, of Lafayette, and
Benjamin Reynolds, of Big Creek Township, succeeded in purchasing a
considerable tract of George R. Bartley adjoining the original plat of
the town, on the south and west, and laid out Monticello's first
addition in October, 1836. Barr's addition followed in April, 1837.
Notwithstanding that residents, as a rule, controlled the site, they
did not become wealthy from their investments, as the value of real
estate at the county seat never rose rapidly; it never experienced a
boom, as the growth of the county seat was substantial rather than
spectacular.
Hiorth And Mount Walleston
The lumber for the first buildings
erected at Monticello, as well as
for other structures, like little frame schoolhouses and churches put
up in the central and northern portions of the county, came largely
from the sawmill which Mr. Hiorth had commenced to operate in 1833. It
is said that he was a venturesome Norwegian sailor, who, with a
companion, known as Peter B. Smith, had tired of his rovings and,
having saved a neat sum of money, invested in about 1,000 acres of land
about two miles north of what was to become the county seat; of that
coming event, he was naturally in ignorance.
Mr. Hiorth's large tract was located
in the vicinity of a pronounced
hill, afterward known as Mount Walleston, and about 1833 he constructed
a dam across the Tippecanoe River on his land in section 21 and there
erected a sawmill, as stated. In that enterprise his old sailor friend,
Smith, was a partner. As Hiorth's mill was the pioneer industry of the
county and the water power on his land was the means of establishing
other mills at that point, which, in turn, proved the foundation for
the once flourishing Village of Norway, the writer pauses a moment here
to enter into local details.
Leases To William Sill
In April, 1843, after he had operated
his sawmill for about ten years,
Hiorth leased all the water power of the dam, except sufficient to run
his industry, to William Sill, of Monticello. The lease also covered
adjacent land not to exceed three acres, and stipulated that Hiorth was
to keep the dam in repair. The arrangement was for ten years, at $150
per annum, and whatever improvements Sill made, such as graveling or
erecting buildings, were to be taken over by Hiorth at a fair valuation
when the lease expired. A few months after the lease was made, Sill was
also given power to sublet portions of the water power, provided that
he did not allow anyone the privilege of erecting a sawmill; Hiorth
considered that industry his monopoly.
Martin Cherrie's Woolen Mill
In September, 1843, Hiorth leased his
sawmill, with the necessary
water-power, to Martin Cherrie for a period of nine years; the lease
also included land for a log yard and a dwelling. The new proprietor
agreed to build a better mill, using so much of the old machinery as
was possible. At the same time Sill subleased to Cherrie, for nine
years, sufficient water power to operate a carding and fulling mill and
a small piece of ground for a dyeing yard, the consideration for all
these privileges being $75 per year.
The Flour Mill In Motion
In 1844 William Sill began the
erection of his merchant grist mill,
setting it in motion during the following year. For years it was the
finest establishment of the kind for miles around and brought both
business and permanent settlers to the locality.
Mr. Cherrie entered into a contract
with Arthur Russell, in January,
1845, calling for the erection and equipment of a wool-carding and
cloth-dressing mill, 32 by 25 feet, to be completed by October 1st of
that year. Russell was then to superintend the mill for the nine years
stipulated by the lease, was to employ all help and to receive
annually, out of the profits of business, $280. The contract was
canceled in December, 1845, but not before the carding mill had been
set in operation.
Hiorth, Very Exclusive
in the meantime Mr. Hiorth had fallen
a victim to consumption. Although
enterprising, he had not encouraged the coming of new settlers. When he
built the dam he had in mind not only the erection of a sawmill, but of
a silk factory, and, in view of the latter enterprise, he planted on
his land quite a grove of white mulberry trees. That enterprise, like
others, came to naught because of his failing health, but when the
other proposed mills commenced to assume shape and a number of people
settled in the locality he refused to sell his land to encourage
immigration, and to the platting of a town he was firmly opposed. His
entries of Government land had made him by far the largest resident
land owner in the township. His holdings in sections 20 and 21 embraced
all of the Norway prairie and the land on both sides of the Tippecanoe
River, giving him a monopoly of the water power as well as the best
farming land of the prairie. We have seen what land and privileges he
condescended to lease, and he permitted the building of one house on
his immense tract for the accommodation of the miller and his family;
but beyond that and his own residence, no building of homes was
permitted. At his death his widow, who was made his sole legatee,
inaugurated a more friendly and generous policy.
Mount Walleston Platted
In March, 1845, soon after her
husband's death, the widow, Bergetta
Hiorth, employed John Armstrong to lay out ninety~six lots on the
northwest fraction of section 21, township 27 north, range 3 west, and
named the village Mount Walleston. The plat shows Hiorth, Washington
and Franklin streets as running east and west, and Francis, Broadway,
Norway and Hill, north and south thoroughfares. Soon after Sill's grist
mill and Cherrie's woolen mill were in operation, prospectors were
attracted to Mount Walleston, lots in the town plat were sold and the
erection of houses and stores became brisk. Mill operatives,
blacksmiths, carpenters and merchants soon formed quite a settlement.
Lumber was for sale, large quantities of flour were manufactured for
county consumption and shipment, and farmers came for miles around to
have their wool carded and fulled. A ferry was also started, so that
passengers and teams were brought to Mount Walleston from the eastern
sections, a postoffice was established and Monticello had a real rival.
Hiorth Interests Pass To The Kendalls
The infusion of new and strong blood
into the community had caused the
progress noted. Perhaps the most important event tending to stimulate
the locality was the throwing upon the market of the Hiorth property,
which included the cream of the township. In February, 1848, all the
lands in White County, formerly owned by Hans E. Hiorth and then held
by his widow, were sold to C. W., F. G., and R. C. Kendall of
Monticello for $6,100. Two years before, Mrs. Hiorth had married Claus
L. Clausen, a Norwegian clergyman, and after thus disposing of the
property, which was somewhat encumbered, she left with her husband for
Wisconsin and later removed to New Orleans, Louisiana.
Boom At Mount Walleston
The Kendalls located at Mount
Walleston and until 1856 conducted a
general store and the sawmill and flouring mill. Their coming was the
signal for various improvements both of their own properties and the
woolen factory, operated by the lessees, G. B. Woltz and Arthur
Russell. The Kendalls furnished the latter additional water power to
provide for a considerable increase in machinery and a third set of
buhrs was added to the two sets which had been in use. Their general
store carried a large stock and the town became the center of trade for
a radius of country which extended into neighboring counties. Town lots
were readily sold and buildings were erected on them by the purchasers.
All the trades and some of the professions were represented.
Among the first settlers of the town
were James W. Bulger, the miller;
Arthur Russell and his partner in the woolen mill, George B. Woltz;
Rev. Abram Snyder, father of Capt. Henry Snyder, who owned and operated
a large tannery; Abram and Watson Lowther, blacksmiths and gunsmiths;
Cyrus Short, father of John Short, the hotel keeper; Dr. Harrison P.
Anderson and Dr. J. H. Lower, physicians; William Weeks, carpenter and
millwright, and Abram and Peter Reprogle.
The Kendalls Withdraw
By 1856 it became reasonably apparent
that Norway, or Mount Walleston,
had seen its best days, and that Monticello had not; consequently, the
Kendalls withdrew. R. C. Kendall sold his interests to his two
brothers, who, in turn, disposed of the properties to Emanuel Shoup,
the father-in-law of Francis G.; R C. and F. G. Kendall moved to
Burlington, Iowa, and Charles W. returned to Monticello. He resumed his
place at the county seat as one of its leading business men and
citizens; became its first republican postmaster and died at Monticello
in 1875.
Rowland Hughes, Of Monticello
In the meantime Monticello had made
more substantial progress. New
comers were welcomed and two years after the town was platted its
future was so assured that Rowland Hughhes opened a tavern. He was one
of those sturdy Pennsylvanians, who did so much for the town, the
township and the county, in the early days. He had been married to a
Green County (Ohio) girl, Nancy Imes, in 1833, two years later he moved
to Lafayette, Indiana, and in December, 1835, entered land in section
27, just northeast of Monticello. In 1836 be opened his tavern at the
county seat, established bis dry goods store in 1839 and until his
death in May, 1883, was one of the most prominent, popular and
respected men in the county. In its early history he served as a member
of the Legislature, always taking an outspoken and active interest in
public affairs. Mr. Hughes was also strong in his attachment to home
and family, and left a wife and four of their seven children.
Infant Industries At The County Seat
As early as 1838 Joseph Rothrock had
built a "brush dam" across the
Tippecanoe River just below Monticello. He erected a small sawmill and
two years later Daniel M. Tilton established a tiny carding mill, both
affairs being as extensive as the weak water power could keep in
motion. A sbort time after its erection the carding mill burned to the
ground, despite the exertions of the bucket brigade from Monticello;
but the sawmill, though standing close beside it, was saved.
But little progress was made in the
industrial life of the county seat
until 1848, when the Monticello Hydraulic Company was incorporated to
develop the water-power at that place. Both the old and the new
hydraulic companies were strong forces in the early development of
Monticello and the township, but the details of their operations belong
to the chapter devoted especially to the history of the county seat.
First Township Officers
On the day of the creation of Union
Township (July 19, 1834) the county
commissioners appointed the following officers for the new township:
Peter Price and Elias Lowther, overseers of the poor; Samuel Gray, Sr.,
and James Johnson, fence viewers; William Wilson, road supervisor. At
the same time an election for a justice of the peace was ordered to be
held on the first Monday of the following August, Joshua Lindsey being
the choice of the voters. In May, 1835, Melchi Gray became inspector of
elections for Union Township. The foregoing are the first political
items obtainable, and mention various individuals who have been
introduced in foregoing pages.
Jeremiah Bisher
Among the old-timers who settled
previous to the organization of the
township, and whose name has already appeared, was Jeremiah Bisher.
Even in his younger manhood he appears to have been rather an eccentric
character; it will be remembered that he was brought before the Circuit
Court, at its first session, charged with malicious mischief in tying
the tail of one of his neighbor's fractious horses, thereby causing the
animal to injure itself. But be survived that ordeal as well as many
trials of a more serious nature incident to a resident of some
forty-four years in Union Township. His death occurred on his large and
comfortable homestead, four miles southwest of Monticello, in May,
1875, and his remains were buried in the old Kenton grave yard about a
mile from his residence
The Old Kenton Grave Yard
In some ways that is quite a
historical spot, as the grounds doubtless
contain the grave of the first white person buried within the limits of
White County. The epitaph reads: "John W. E. Rogers, son of Nathaniel
and Rachel Rogers. Died May 18, 1833, aged 18 years, 11 mos. and 7 days"
In this same deserted country grave
yard were also buried William M.
Kenton, son of Simon Kenton. the famous Kentucky frontiersman and four
of his children. About thirty years ago his son removed their remains
to the cemetery north of Monticello, but left the tombstones standing.
William M. Kenton died April 30, 1869, in his sixty-third year.
Entered Government Lands In 1835
Those who entered land in Union
Township in 1835, most of whom settled
thereon at the time or soon after, were as follows: George A. Brock, in
sections 14 and 23, January 15th; James Parker, section 32, March 4th,
and Richard Armstrong, section 33, March 11th; George W. Sill, in
section 27, April 24th; Robert Rothrock, section 4, June 17th; David
Scroggs, section 36, July 13th; Peter Martin, section 33, August 24th;
Samuel Shannahan, section 31, September 22d; Jonathan Hutt, section 15,
November 16th, and in section 23, December 5th; William Price, section
21, November 7th; John Hanawalt, section 21, November 10th, and section
28, same date; James Harrison, section 14, November 16th; Isaac S.
Vinson, section 31, November 12th; Amos Wiley, section 8, December
28th; Thomas Crose, section 8, December 16th; James Shafer, section 27,
December 22d; Henry Glassford, sections 25, 26 and 36, December 12th
and Andrew T. Ream, section 28, December 30th.
The Busy Land Year, 1836
One of the busiest years in the
matter of land entries in Union
Township was 1836, as witness the following: Henry Ensminger entered
land in section 36, on January 20th; in section 36, February 15th;
section 23, March 18th; sections 24 and 25, same date; sections 26 and
27, February 5th. Daniel Cain entered land in section 19, on January
18th, and in February, Peter Martin filed claims in sections 21 and 35;
Ira Bacon, in section 8; and Jacob Pitzer, in section 17. In March,
1836, the following entered: Harvey Rayhill, in section 17; Eli Cowger,
section 22; Daniel Baum, section 15; Joseph Skidmore, sections 14 and
23; Matthew Hopper, section 28, and John Ross, section 32. Richard
Worthington entered lands in section 32, in April, and in section 29,
during May. In May Isaac Reynolds filed his claim in section 18;
William Ingram, in section 20; and John L. Piper, in sections 17 and
20. The month of June, 1836, brought the following as land claimants:
Thomas Downing, in section 32; Harrison Skinner, in sections 20 and 28;
Isaac S. Piper, in section 17; and Reuben Hull, in section 28. In July
came Jacob Meyer to section 29, and in August, George Paugh, to section
24. The November claimants were Peter B. Smith (Hiorth's partner), in
section 18, and Daniel M. Tilton, section 81. Mr. Tilton also filed a
claim in section 29 during December, and in the same month the
following entered land: Zacheus Rothrock, in section 14; Andrew T.
Ream, in section 28, and John Press, in section 29.
Hard Times Check Land Entries
The hard times of 1837-38 frightened
purchasers of land and during that
year only four made claims in Union Township, viz.: Elijah Adams in
section 7; Isaiah Broderick, in section 13; Peter Wicklow, in section
14, and William Ingram, in section 17. The only one to enter land in
1838 was Thomas Hollaway, in section 14; the year 1839 is also saved
from being "blanked" by a solitary claimant, Richard Tilton, who
entered land in section 19.
Excluded Sections
After 1840, there were few tracts in
the township subject to entry and
purchase from the Government at the regular price of $1.25 per acre. Of
course, section 16, being school land, was not available for entry,
while section 30 and a portion of section 29 were canal lands and also
excluded from private ownership at Government prices.
Entries In 1841-54
In the '40s, the years 1847 and 1848
showed the greatest improvement in
land purchases. In 1841 Samuel E. Burns entered a claim in section 18,
and in 1844, Peter B. Smith filed on a tract in section 4. The
following entries were made in the late '40s: In 1845, Samuel E. Burns
and William A. Logan, section 18; in 1846, Henry James and Mary E.
McKee, section 13; in 1847, Levi Reynolds, Matthew Reynolds and George
Iames, section 6; Loren Cutler, section 13; Abram Snyder, section 14,
and Randolph Brearley, section 18; in 1848, Thomas O'Brien, section 18,
Daniel Cain, section 19, and William Fincer, Sardis Cutler and Robert
Rothrock, section 24. Three entries are recorded for 1850—Ashley
Pierce, Mary L. Pierce and Lewis Pierce, all in section 19. In April,
1854, Henry Kahler and Lanty T. Armstrong entered land in the island
lying in the Tippecanoe River, section 34, east of Monticello, which
closed the record for lands purchased of the Government in Union
Township.
Land The Basis Of Solid Prosperity
We have gone somewhat extensively
into the subject of land entries, as
they formed the basis of so much permanent prosperity throughout the
township, especially among the old families who have been engaged in
farming operations for several generations, In fact, with the exception
of Monticello, the activities of that portion of the county arc almost
entirely rural, as Norway, which once aspired to something
metropolitan, is now but a pretty hamlet, with a fertile outlying
country.
Construction Of Good Roads
Union Township has given much of its
time and substance to the
improvement of highways within its borders, and has already incurred a
bonded indebtedness of $47,697 in the construction of gravel roads. The
expenditure has been divided among the different roads as follows:
Ballard road, $2,400; Spencer, $5,200; Dobbins, $400; Kepp, $4,250;
Shook, $3,000; Mills, $6,067; Christy, $3,430; Miller, $4,950; Roberts,
$12,000; Seroggs, $6,000. This is in addition to the Brechfiel pike
leading to Buffalo and several miles of stone and gravel roads not
shown in the above statement.
Source: Counties of White and
Pulaski, Indiana: Historical and Biographical By F.A. Battey & Co,
Weston Arthur Goodspeed Published by F.A. Battey & Co., 1883