Carroll County, Indiana - Chapter 1: Related State History, 1916

Chapter 1: Related State History

The first white men to set foot upon the Northwest Territory were French traders and missionaries under the leadership of La Salle. This was about the year 1670 and subsequent discoveries and explorations in this region by the French gave that nation practically undisputed possession of all the territory organized in 1787 as the Northwest Territory. It is true that the English colonies of Virginia, Connecticut and Massachusetts claimed that their charters extended their grants westward to the Mississippi river. However, France claimed this territory and successfully maintained posses¬ sion of it until the close of the French and Indian War in 1763. At that time the treaty of Paris transferred all of the French claims east of the Mississippi river to England, as well as all claims of France to territory on the mainland of North America. For the next twenty years the Northwest Territory was under the undisputed control of England, but became a part of the United States by the treaty which terminated the Revolutionary War in 1783. Thus the flags of three nations have floated over the territory now comprehended within the present state of Indiana - the tri-color of France, the union jack of England and the stars and stripes of the United States.

History will record the fact that there was another nation, however, which claimed possession of this territory and, while the Indians can hardly be called a nation, yet they made a gallant fight to retain their hunting grounds. The real owners of this territory struggled against heavy odds to maintain their supremacy and it was not until the battle of Tippecanoe, in the fall of 1811, that the Indians gave up the unequal struggle. Tecumseh, the Washington of his race, fought fiercely to save this territory for his people, but the white man finally overwhelmed him, and "Lo, the poor Indian" was pushed westward across the Mississippi. The history of the Northwest (3)

Territory is full of the bitter fights which the Indians waged in trying to drive the white man out and the defeat which the Indians inflicted on general St. Clair on November 4, 1792, will go down in the annals of American history as the worst defeat which an American army ever suffered at the hands of the Indians. The greatest battle which has ever been fought in the United States against the Indians occurred in the state of Ohio. This was the battle of Fallen Timbers and occurred August 20, 1794, the scene of the battle being within the present county of Defiance. After the close of the Revolutionary War the Indians, urged on by the British, caused the settlers in the Northwest Territory continued trouble and defeated every de¬ tachment sent against them previous to their defeat by Gen. Anthony Wayne at the battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794. Although there was some trouble with the Indians after this time, they never offered serious resistance after this memorable defeat until the fall of 1811, when Gen. William Henry Har¬ rison completely routed them at the battle of Tippecanoe.

Ohio was the first state created out of the old Northwest Territory, although Indiana had been previously organized as a territory. When the land comprehended within the Northwest Territory was discovered bv the French under La Salle about 1670, it was a battle ground of various Indian tribes, although the Fries, who were located along the shores of Lake Erie, were the only ones with a more or less definite territory. From 1670 to 1763, the close of the French and Indian War, the French were in possession of this territory and established their claims in a positive manner by exten¬ sive exploration and scattered settlements. The chief centers of French settlement were at Detroit, Vincennes, Kaskaskia, Cahokia, Fort Crevecour and at several missionary stations around the shores of the great lakes. The French did not succeed in doing this without incurring the hostility of the Iroquois Indians, a bitter enmity which was brought about chiefly because the French helped the Shawnees, Wyandots and Miamis to drive the Iroquois out of the territory west of the Muskingum river in Ohio.

It must not be forgotten that the English also laid claim to the North¬ west Territory, basing their claim on the discoveries of the Cabots and the subsequent charters of Virginia, Massachusetts and Connecticut. These charters extended the limits of these three colonies westward to the Pacific ocean, although, as a matter of fact, none of the three colonies made a settle¬ ment west of the Alleghanies until after the Revolutionary War. New York sought to strengthen her claim to territory west of the Alleghanies in 1701, by getting from the Iroquois, the bitter enemies of the French, a grant to the territory from which the French and their Indian allies had previously ex¬ pelled them. Although this grant was renewed in 1726 and again confirmed in 1744, it gave New York only a nominal claim and one which was never recognized by the French in any way.

English traders from Pennsylvania and Virginia began in 1730 to pay more attention to the claims of their country west of the Alleghanies and north of the Ohio river. When their activities reached the ears of the French the governor of French Canada sent Celeron de Bienville up and down the Ohio and the rivers and streams running into it from the north and took formal possession of the territory by planting lead plates at the mouth of every river and stream of any importance. This peculiar method of the French in seeking to establish their claims occurred in the year 1749 and opened the eyes of England to the necessity of taking some immediate action. George II, the king of England at the time, at once granted a charter for the first Ohio Company (there were two others by the same name later organ¬ ized). composed of London merchants and enterprising Virginians, and the company at once proceeded to formulate plans to secure possession of the ter¬ ritory north of the Ohio and west of the Mississippi. Christopher Gist was sent down the Ohio river in 1750 to explore the country as far west as the mouth of the Scioto river, and made several treaties with the Indians. Things were now rapidly approaching a crisis and it was soon evident that there would be a struggle of arms between England and France for the disputed region. In 1754 the English started to build a fort at the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers, on the site of the present city of Pitts¬ burgh. but before the fort was completed the French appeared on the scene, drove the English away and finished the fort which had been begun.

The crisis had finally come. The struggle which followed between the two nations ultimately resulted in the expulsion of the French from the mainland of America as well as from the immediate territory in dispute. The war is known in America as the French and Indian War and in the history of the world as the Seven Years' War, the latter designation being due to the fact that it lasted that length of time. The struggle developed into a world-wide conflict and the two nations fought over three continents, America, Europe and Asia. It it not within the province of this resume of the history of Indiana to go into the details of this memorable struggle. It is sufficient for the purpose at hand to state that the treaty of Paris, which terminated the war in 1763, left France without any of her former posses¬ sions on the mainland of America.

With the English in control of America east of the Mississippi river and the French regime forever ended, the Indians next command the attention of the historian who deals with the Northwest Territory. The French were undoubtedly responsible for stirring up their former Indian allies and Pontiac's conspiracy must be credited to the influence of that nation. This formidable uprising was successfully overthrown by Henry Bouquet, who }ed an expedition in 1764 into the present state of Ohio and compelled the Wyandots, Delawares and Shawnees to sue for peace.

Northwest Territory And Quebec Act

From 1764 to 1774, no events of particular importance occurred within the territory north of the Ohio river, but in the latter year (June 22, 1774), England, then at the breaking point with the colonies, passed the Quebec act, which attached this territory to the province of Quebec for administrative purposes. This intensified the feeling of resentment which the colonies bore against their mother country and is given specific mention in their list of grievances which they enumerated in their Declaration of Independence. The Revolutionary War came on at once and this act, of course, was never put into execution.

During the War for Independence (1775-1783), the various states with claims to western lands agreed with the Continental Congress to surrender their claims to the national government. In fact, the Articles of Confedera¬ tion were not signed until all of the states had agreed to do this and Mary¬ land withheld her assent to the articles until March 1, 1780, on this account. In accordance with this agreement New York ceded her claim to the United States in 1780, Virginia in 1784, Massachusetts in 1785 and Connecticut in 1786, although the latter state excepted a one-hundred-and-twenty-mile strip of three million five hundred thousand acres bordering on Lake Erie. This strip was formally relinquished in 1800, with the understanding that the United States would guarantee the titles already issued by that state. Vir¬ ginia was also allowed a reservation, known as the Virginia Military Dis¬ trict, which lay between the Little Miami and Scioto rivers, the same being for distribution among her Revolutionary veterans. There is one other fact which should be mentioned in connection with the territory north of the Ohio in the Revolutionary period. This was the memorable conquest of the territory by Gen. George Rogers Clark. During the years 1778 and 1779, this redoubtable leader captured Kaskaskia, Cahokia and Vincennes and thereby drove the English out of the Northwest Territory. It is probable that this notable campaign secured this territory for the Americans and that without it we would not have had it included in our possessions in the treaty which closed the Revolutionary War.

Capture Of Vincennes

One of the most interesting pages of Indiana history is concerned with the capture of Vincennes by Gen. George Rogers Clark in the spring of 1779. The expedition of this intrepid leader with its successful results marked him as a man of more than usual ability. Prompted by a desire to secure the territory northwest of the Ohio river for the Americans, he sought and ob¬ tained permission from the governor of Virginia the right to raise a body of troops for this purpose. Early in the spring of 1778 Clark began collecting his men for the proposed expedition. Within a short time he collected about one hundred and fifty men at Fort Pitt and floated down the Ohio to the falls near Jefferson ville. He picked up a few recruits at this place and in June floated on down the river to the mouth of the Tennessee river. His original intention was to make a descent on Vincennes first, but, having re¬ ceived erroneous reports as to the strength of the garrison located there, he decided to commence active operations at Kaskaskia. After landing his troops near the mouth of the Tennessee in the latter part of June, 1778, he marched them across southern Illinois to Kaskaskia, arriving there on the evening of July 4. The inhabitants were terror stricken at first, but upon being assured by General Clark that they were in no danger and that all he wanted was for them to give their support to the American cause, their fears were soon quieted. Being so far from the scene of the war, the French along the Mississippi knew little or nothing about its progress. One of the most important factors in establishing a friendly relation between the Amer¬ icans and the French inhabitants was the hearty willingness of Father Gibault, the Catholic priest stationed at Kaskaskia, in making his people see that their best interests would be served by aligning themselves with the Americans. Father Gibault not only was of invaluable assistance to General Clark at Kaskaskia, but he also offered to make the overland trip to Vincennes and win over the French in that place to the American side. This he successfully did and returned to Kaskaskia in August with the welcome news that the inhabitants of Vincennes were willing to give their allegiance to the Americans.

However, before Clark got his troops together for the trip to Vincennes, General Hamilton, the lieutenant-governor of Detroit, descended the Wabash and captured Vincennes (December 15, 1778). At that time Clark had only two men stationed there, Leonard Helm, who was in command of the fort, and a private by the name of Henry. As soon as Clark heard that the British had captured Vincennes, he began to make plans for retaking it. The terms of enlistment of many of his men had expired and he had difficulty in getting enough of them to re-enlist to make a body large enough to make a successful attack. A number of young Frenchmen joined his command and finally, in January, 1779, Clark set out from Kaskaskia for Vincennes with one hundred and seventy men. This trip of one hundred sixty miles was made at a time when traveling overland was at its worst. The prairies were wet, the streams were swollen and the rivers overflowing their banks. Notwithstand¬ ing the difficulties which confronted him and his men, Clark advanced rapidly as possible and by February 23, 1779, he was in front of Vincennes. Two days later, after considerable parleying and after the fort had suffered from a murderous fire from the Americans, General Hamilton agreed to surrender. This marked the end of British dominion in Indiana and ever since that day the territory now comprehended in the state has been American soil.

Vincennes, The Oldest Settlement Of Indiana

Historians have never agreed as to the date of the founding of Vin¬ cennes. The local historians of that city have always claimed that the settlement of the town dates from 1702, although those who have examined all the facts and documents have come to the conclusion that 1732 comes nearer to being the correct date. It was in the latter year that George Wash¬ ington was born, a fact which impresses upon the reader something of the age of the city. Vincennes was an old town and had seen several generations pass away when the Declaration of Independence was signed. It was in Vincennes and vicinity that the best blood of the Northwest Territory was found at the time of the Revolutionary War. It was made the seat of justice of Knox county when it was organized in 1790 and consequently it is by many years the oldest county seat in the state. It became the first capital of Indiana Territory in 1800 and saw it removed to Corydon in 1813 for the reason, so the Legislature said, that it was too near the outskirts of civiliza¬ tion. In this oldest city of the Mississippi valley still stands the house into which Governor Harrison moved in 1804, and the house in which the Terri¬ torial Legislature held its sessions in 1805 1S still m an excellent state of preservation.

Today Vincennes is a thriving city of fifteen thousand, with paved streets, street cars, fine public buildings and public utility plants equal to any in the state. It is the seat of a university which dates back more than a century.

First Surveys And Early Settlers

The next period in the history of the territory north of the Ohio begins with the passage of a congressional act (May 20, 1785), which provided for the present system of land surveys into townships six miles square. As soon as this was put into operation, settlers* - and mostly Revolutionary soldiers - began to pour into the newly surveyed territory. A second Ohio Company was organized in the spring of 1786, made up chiefly of Revolutionary officers and soldiers from New England, and this company proposed to estab¬ lish a state somewhere between Lake Erie and the Ohio river. At this junc¬ ture Congress realized that definite steps should be made at once for some kind, of government over this extensive territory, a territory which now in¬ cludes the present states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and about a third of Minnesota. Various plans were proposed in Congress and most of the sessions of 1786 and the first half of 1787 were consumed in trying to formulate a suitable form of government for the extensive terri¬ tory. The result of all these deliberations resulted in the famous Ordinance of 1787, which was finally passed on July 13, 1787.

Ordinance Of 1 787

There have been many volumes written about this instrument of gov¬ ernment and to this day there is a difference of opinion as to who was its author. The present article can do no more than merely sketch its outline and set forth the main provisions. It was intended to provide only a tem¬ porary government and to serve until such a time as the population of the territory would warrant the creation of states with the same rights and privileges which the thirteen original states enjoyed. It stipulated that not less than three nor more than five states should ever be created out of the whole territory and the maximum number was finally organized, although it was not until 1848 that the last state, Wisconsin, was admitted to the Union. The third article, 44 Religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of educa¬ tion shall forever be encouraged," has given these five states the basis for their excellent system of public schools, state normals, colleges and uni¬ versities. Probably the most widely discussed article was the sixth, which pro¬ vided that slavery and involuntary servitude should never be permitted within the territory and by the use of the word "forever" made the territory free for all time. It is interesting to note in this connection that both Indiana and Illinois before their admission to the Union sought to have this pro¬ vision set aside, but every petition from the two states was refused by Con¬ gress in accordance with the provision of the Ordinance.

First Stage Of Government Under The Ordinance

The ordinance contemplated two grades of territorial government. During the operation of the first grade of government the governor, his secre¬ tary and the three judges provided by the ordinance were to be appointed by Congress and the governor in turn was to appoint "such magistrates and other civil officers in each county and township as he shall deem necessary for the preservation of the peace and good will of the same." After the federal government was organized a statutory provision took the appoint¬ ment of these officers out of the hands of Congress and placed it in the hands of the President of the United States. All executive authority was given to the governor, all judicial authority to the three judges, while the governor and judges, in joint session, constituted the legislative body. This means that during the first stage of territorial government the people had absolutely no voice in the affairs of government and this state of affairs lasted until 1799, a period of twelve years.

Second Stage Of Government Under The Ordinance

The second stage of government in the territory was to begin whenever the governor was satisfied that there were at least five thousand free male inhabitants of the age of twenty-one and abov$. The main difference be- tween the first and second stages of territorial government lay in the fact that the legislative functions were taken from the governor and judges and given to a "general assembly or legislature.,, The ordinance provided for the election of one representative for each five hundred free male inhabitants, the tenure of the office to be two years. While the members of the lower house were to be elected bv the qualified voters of the territory, the upper house, to consist of five members, were to be appointed by Congress in a somewhat complicated manner. The house of representatives was to select ten men and these ten names were to be sent to Congress and out of this number five were to be selected by Congress. ' This provision, like the ap¬ pointment of the governor, was later changed so as to make the upper house the appointees of the President of the United States. The five men so selected were called councilors and held office for five years.

The period from 1787 to 1803 in the Northwest Territory was marked by several bitter conflicts with the Indians. Just as at the close of the French and Indian War had the French stirred up the Indians against the Americans, so at the close of the Revolutionary War did the English do the same. In fact the War of 1812 was undoubtedly hastened by the depredations of the Indians, who were urged to make forays upon the frontier settlements in the Northwest Territory by the British. The various uprisings of the Indians during this critical period greatly retarded the influx of settlers in the new territory, and were a constant menace to those hardy pioneers who did ven¬ ture to establish homes north of the Ohio river. Three distinct campaigns were waged against the savages before they were finally subdued. The first campaign was under the command of Gen. Josiah Harmar (1790) and re¬ sulted in a decisive defeat for the whites. The second expedition was under the leadership of Gen. Arthur St. Clair (1791), the governor of the Territory, and was marked by one of the worst defeats ever suffered by an American army at the hands of the Indians. A lack of knowledge of Indian methods of warfare, combined with reckless mismanagement, sufficiently accounts for both disasters. It remained for Gen. Anthony Wayne, the "Mad Anthony" of Revolutionary fame, to bring the Indians to terms. The battle of Fallen Timbers, which closed his campaign against the Indians, was fought August 20, 1794, on the Maumee river within the present county of Defiance county, Ohio. This crushing defeat of the Indians, a rout in which they lost twelve out of thirteen chiefs, was so complete that the Indians were glad to sue for peace. On June io, 1795, delegates from the various Indian tribes, headed by their respective chiefs, met at Greenville, Ohio, to formulate a treaty. A treaty was finally consummated on August 3, and was signed by General Wayne on behalf of the United States and by ninety chiefs and delegates of twelve interested tribes. This treaty was faithfully kept by the Indians and ever afterwards Little Turtle, the real leader of the Indians at that time, was a true friend of the whites. While there were several sporadic forays on the part of the Indians up to 1811, there was no battle of any importance with them until the battle of Tippecanoe in the fall of 1811.

Organization Of The Northwest Territory

The first governor of the newly organized territory was Gen. Arthur St. Clair, a gallant soldier of the Revolution, who was appointed on October 5, 1787, and ordered to report for duty on the first of . the following February. He held the office until November 22, 1802, when he was dismissed by Presi¬ dent Jefferson "for the disorganizing spirit, and tendency of every example, violating the rules of conduct enjoined by his public station, as displayed in his address to the convention." The governor s duties were performed by his secretary, Charles W. Byrd, until March 1, 1803, when the state officials took their office. The first judges appointed were Samuel Holden Parsons, James Mitchell Yarnum and John Armstrong. Before the time came for the judges to qualify, Armstrong resigned and John Cleves Symmes was ap¬ pointed in his place. The first secretary was Winthrop Sargent, who held the position until he was appointed governor of Mississippi Territory by the President on May 2, 1798. Sargent was succeeded by William Henry Har¬ rison, who was appointed by the President on June 26, 1798, and confined by the Senate two days later. Harrison was later elected as the first dele¬ gate of the organized Northwest Territory to Congress and the President then appointed Charles Willing Byrd as secretary of the Territory, Byrd's appointment being confirmed by the Senate on December 31, 1799.

The Northwest Territory remained under the government of the. first stage until September 16, 1799, when it formally advanced to the second or representative stage. In the summer of 1798 Governor St. Clair had ascer¬ tained that the territory had a population of at least five thousand free male inhabitants and, in accordance with the provisions of the Ordinance of 1787, was ready to make the change in its form of government. On October 29, 1798, the governor issued a proclamation to the qualified voters of the terri¬ tory directing them to choose members for the lower house of the territorial Legislature at an election to be held on the third Monday of the following December. The twenty-two members so elected met on January 16, 1799, and, pursuant to the provisions of the ordinance, selected the ten men from whom the President of the United States later chose five for the Legislative Council. They then adjourned to meet on September 16, 1799, but since there was not a quorum on that day they held adjourned sessions until the 23rd, at which time a quorum was present.

At the time the change in the form of government went into effect there were only nine counties in the whole territory. These counties had been organized either by the governor or his secretary. The following table gives the nine counties organized before 1799 with the dates of their organization and the number of legislators proportioned to each by the governor :

First Territorial Legislature Of Northwest Territory

The twenty-two representatives and five councilors were the first rep¬ resentative body to meet in the Northwest Territory and they represented a constituency scattered over a territory of more than two hundred and sixtyfive thousand square miles, an area greater than Germany or France, or even Austria-Hungary. It would be interesting to tell something of the delibera¬ tions of these twenty-seven sterling pioneers, but the limit of the present article forbids. It is necessary, however, to make mention of one important thing which they did in view of the fact that it throws much light on the subsequent history of the Northwest Territory.

The Legislature was authorized to elect a delegate to Congress and two candidates for the honor presented their names to the Legislature, William Henry Harrison and Arthur St. Clair, Jr., the son of the governor. The Legislature, by a joint ballot on October 3, 1799, elected Harrison by a vote of eleven to ten. The defeat of his son undoubtedly had considerable to do with the subsequent estrangement which arose between the governor and his legislature and incidentally hastened the division of the Northwest Terri¬ tory. Within two years from the time the territory had advanced to the second stage of government the division had taken place. On May 7, 1800, Congress passed an act dividing the Northwest Territory by a line drawn from the mouth of the Kentucky river to Fort Recovery, in Mercer county, Ohio, and thence due north to the boundary line between the United States and Canada. Governor St. Clair favored the division because he thought it would delay the organization of a state and thus give him a longer lease on his position, but he did not favor the division as finally determined. He was constantly growing in disfavor with the people on account of his overbearing manner and he felt that he would get rid of some of his bitterest enemies if the western inhabitants were set off into a new territory. However, the most of the credit for the division must be given to Harrison, who, as a dele¬ gate to Congress, was in a position to have the most influence. Harrison also was satisfied that in case a new territory should be formed he would be ap¬ pointed its first governor and he was not disappointed. The territory west of the line above mentioned was immediately organized and designated as Indiana Territory, while the eastern portion retained the existing govern¬ ment and the old name - Northwest Territory. It is frequently overlooked that the Northwest Territory existed in fact and in name up until March 1, 1803.

The division of 1800 left the Northwest Territory with only about onethird of its original area. The census of the territory taken by the United States government in 1800 showed it to have a total population of forty-five thousand three hundred and sixty-five, which fell short by about fifteen thou¬ sand of being sufficient for the creation of a state as provided by the Ordi¬ nance of 1787, which fixed the minimum population at sixty-thousand. The counties left in the Northwest Territory, with their respective population,

The population as classified by the census with respect to age and sex is interesting and particularly so in showing that considerably more than onethird of the total population were children under ten years of age.

The above table shows in detail the character and distribution of the population of the Northwest Territory after the division of 1800. It is at this point that the history of Indiana properly begins and it is pertinent to set forth with as much detail as possible the population of Indiana Territory at that time. The population of 5,641 was grouped about a dozen or more settlements scattered at wide intervals throughout the territory. The follow¬ ing table gives the settlements in Indiana Territory in 1800 with their re¬ spective number of inhabitants:

Of this total population of nearly six thousand, it was about equally divided between what is now Indiana and Illinois. There were one hun¬ dred and sixtv-three free negroes reported, while there were one hundred and thirty-five slaves of color. Undoubtedly, this census of 1800 failed to give all of the slave population, and it is interesting to note that there were efforts to enslave the Indian as well as the negro.

All of these settlements with the exception of the one in Clark's Grant were largely French. The settlement at Jeffersonville was made in large part by soldiers of the Revolutionary War and was the only real American settlement in the Indiana Territory when it was organized in 1800.

First Stage Of Territorial Government

The government of Indiana Territory was formally organized July 4, 1800, and in a large book kept in the secretary of state's office at Indianapolis, there appears in the large legible hand of John Gibson the account of the first meeting of the officials of the Territory. It reads as follows:

"St. Vincennes, July 4, 1800. This day the government of the Indiana Territory commenced, William Henry Harrison having been appointed governor, John Gibson, secretary, William Clarke, Henry Vanderburgh & John Griffin Judges in and over said Territory."

Until Governor Harrison appeared at Vincennes, his secretary, John Gibson, acted as governor. The first territorial court met March 3, 1801, the first meeting of the governor and judges having begun on the 12th of the preceding January. The governor and judges, in accordance with the pro¬ visions of the Ordinance of 1787, continued to perform all legislative and judicial functions of the territory until it was advanced to the representative stage of government in 1805. The governor had sole executive power and appointed all officials, territorial and county.

Changes In Boundary Limits Of Indiana

During this period from 1800 to 1805, the territory of Indiana was con¬ siderably augmented as result of the organization of the state of Ohio in 1803. At that date Ohio was given its present territorial limits, and all of the rest of the Northwest Territory was included within Indiana Territory from this date until 1805. During this interim Louisiana was divided and the northern part was attached to Indiana Territory for purposes of civil and criminal jurisdiction. This was, however, only a temporary arrangement, which lasted only about a year after the purchase of Louisiana from France. The next change in the limits of Indiana Territory occurred in 1805, in which year the territory of Michigan was set off. The southern line of Michigan was made tangent to the southern extreme of Lake Michigan, and it so remained until Indiana was admitted td the Union in 1816. From 1805 to 1809 Indiana included all of the present states of Indiana, Illinois, Wiscon¬ sin and about one-third of Minnesota. In the latter year Illinois was set off as a territory and Indiana was left with its present limits with the exception of a ten-mile strip along the northern boundary. This strip was detached from Michigan and this subsequently led to friction between the two states, which was not settled until the United States government gave Michigan a large tract of land west of Lake Michigan. Thus it is seen how Indiana has received its present boundary limits as the result of the successive changes in 1803, 1805, 1809 and 1816.

The Ordinance of 1787 provided that whenever the population of the territory reached five thousand free male inhabitants it should pass upon the question of advancing to the second or representative stage. Governor Har¬ rison issued a proclamation August 4, 1804, directing an election to be held in the various counties of Indiana territory on the nth of the following month. In the entire territory, then comprehending six counties, there were

It will be noticed that there is no vote returned from Wayne and this is accounted for by the fact that the proclamation notifying the sheriff was not received in time to give it the proper advertisement. Wayne county at that time included practically all of the present state of Michigan and is not to be confused with the Wayne county later formed within the present limits of Indiana. As result of this election and its majority of one hundred and twenty-nine in favor of advancing to the second stage of government, the governor issued a proclamation calling for an election on January 3, 1805, of nine representatives, the same being proportioned to the counties as follows : Wayne, three; Knox, two; Dearborn, Clark, Randolph and St. Clair, one each. The members of the first territorial legislature of Indiana convened at Vincennes on July 29, 1805. The members of the house were as follows: Dr. George Fisher, of Randolph; William Biggs and Shadrach Bond, of St. Clair; Benjamin Parke and John Johnson, of Knox; Davis Floyd, of Clark, and Jesse B. Thomas, of Dearborn. This gives, however, only seven repre¬ sentatives, Wayne county having been set off as the territory of Michigan in the spring of this same year. A re-apportionment was made by the governor in order to bring the quota of representatives up to the required number.

The Legislative Council consisted of five men as provided by the Ordin¬ ance of 1787, namely: Benjamin Chambers, of Dearborn; Samuel Gwathmey, of Clark; John Rice Jones, of Kn^x; Pierre Menard, of Randolph, and John Hay, of St. Clair. It is not possible in this connection to give a detailed history of the territory of Indiana from 1805 until its admission to the Union in 1816. Readers who wish to make a study of our state's history can find volumes which will treat the history of the state in a much better manner than is possible in a volume of this character. It may be noted that there were five general assemblies of the Territorial Legislature during this period of eleven years. Each one of the five general assemblies was divided into two sessions, which, with the dates, are given in the appended table :

Congressional Delegates Of Indiana Territory

Indiana Territory was allowed a delegate in Congress from 1805 until the close of the territorial period. The first three delegates were elected by the Territorial Legislature, while the last four were elected by the qualified voters of the territory. The first delegate was Benjamin Parke, who was elected to succeed himself in 1807 over John Rice Jones, Waller Taylor and Shadrach Bond. Parke resigned March 1, 1808, to accept a seat on the supreme judiciary of Indiana Territory, and remained on the supreme bench of Indiana after it was admitted to the Union, holding the position until his death at Salem, Indiana, July 12, 1835. Jesse B. Thomas was elected Octo¬ ber 22, 1808, to succeed Parke as delegate to Congress. It is this same Thomas who came to Brookville in * 1808 with Amos Butler. He was a tricky, shifty, and, so his enemies said, an unscrupulous politician. He was later elected to Congress in Illinois and became the author of the Missouri Compromise. In the spring of 1809 the inhabitants of the territory were permitted to cast their first vote for the delegate to Congress. Three candi¬ dates presented themselves for the consideration of the voters, Jonathan Jennings, Thomas Randolph and John Johnson. There were only four counties in the state at this time, Knox, Harrison, Clark and Dearborn. Two counties, St. Clair and Randolph, were a part of the new territory of Illinois, which was cut off from Indiana in the spring of 1809. The one newspaper of the territory waged a losing fight against Jennings, the latter appealing for (4) support on the ground of his anti-slavery views. The result of the election was as follows: Jennings, 428; Randolph, 402; Johnson, 81. Jonathan Jennings may be said to be the first successful politician produced in Indiana. His congressional career began in 1809 and he was elected to Congress four successive terms before 1816. He was president of the constitution conven¬ tion of 1816, first governor of the state and was elected a second time, but resigned to go to Congress, where he was sent for four more terms by the voters of his district.

Efforts To Establish Slavery In Indiana

The Ordinance of 1787 specifically provided that neither slavery nor any voluntary servitude should ever exist in the Northwest Territory. Notwith¬ standing this prohibition, slavery actually did exist, not only in the North¬ west Territory, but in the sixteen years while Indiana was a territory as well. The constitution of Indiana in 1816 expressly forbade slavery and yet the census of 1820 reported one hundred and ninety slaves in Indiana, which was only forty-seven less than there was in 1810. Most of these slaves were held in the southwestern counties of the state, there being one hundred and eighteen in Knox, thirty in Gibson, eleven in Posey, ten in Vanderburg and the remainder widely scattered throughout the state. As late as 1817 Frank¬ lin county scheduled slaves for taxation, listing them at three dollars each. The tax schedule for 1813 says that the property tax on "horses, town lots, servants of color and free males of color shall be the same as in 1814." Franklin county did not return slaves at the census of 1810 or 1820, but the above extract from the commissioners' record of Franklin county proved con¬ clusively that slaves were held there. Congress was petitioned on more than one occasion during the territorial period to set aside the prohibition against slavery, but on each occasion refused to assent to the appeal of the slavery advocates. While the constitution convention of 1816 was in session, there was an attempt made to introduce slavery, but it failed to accomplish anything.

The Indian Lands

The United States government bought from the Indians all of the land within the present state of Indiana with the exception of a small tract around Vincennes, which was given bv the Indians to the inhabitants of the town about the middle of the eighteenth century. The first purchase of land was made in 1795, at which time a triangular strip in the southeastern part of the state was secured by the treaty of Greenville. By the time Indiana was ad¬ mitted to the Union in 1816, the following tracts had been purchased: Vin¬ cennes tract, June 7, 1803; Vincennes treaty tract, August 18 and 27, 1804; Grouseland tract, August 21, 1805; Harrison's purchase, September 30, 1809; Twelve-mile purchase, September 30, 1809.

No more purchases were made from the Indians until the fall of i9i8, at which time a large tract of land in the central part of xne state was pur¬ chased from the Indians. This tract included all of the land north of the Indian boundary lines of 1805 and 1809, and south of the Wabash river with the exception of what was known as the Miami reservation. This treaty, known as St. Mary's, was finally signed on October 6, 1818, and the next Legislature proceeded to divide it into two counties, Wabash and Delaware.

Organization Of Counties

As fast as the population would warrant, new counties were estab¬ lished in this New Purchase. Newton county (December 9, 1859) was the last county to be organized in the state. It had been first established l>v the legislative act of January 29, 1839, but within a year it was found that the population was too sparse to justify its separate existence, so it was attached to Jasper county and it was not until about twenty years later that its population was sufficient to make a separate county of it. Howard county was first organized as Richardville county (May 1, 1844), but its name was changed by the legislative act of December 28, 1846, to Howard. For purposes of reference, a list of the counties, with the dates of their establishment, is here appended. The dates given represent the time the organization became effective, since in many instances it was from a few months to as much as seven years after the act establishing the county was passed before it became effective.

The first thirteen counties in the above list were all that were organized when the territory of Indiana petitioned Congress for an enabling act in 1815.

They were in the southern part of the state and had a total population of sixty-three thousand eight hundred and ninety-seven. At that time the total state tax was only about five thousand dollars, while the assessment of the whole state in 1816 amounted to only six thousand forty-three dollars and thirty-six cents.

Changes In The Constitution Of Indiana

The Constitution of 1816 was framed by forty-three delegates who met at Corydon from June 10 to June 29 of that year. It was provided in the Constitution of 1816 that a vote might be taken every twelve years on the question of amending, revising or writing a wholly new instrument of gov¬ ernment. Although several efforts were made to hold constitution conven¬ tions between 1816 and 1850, the vote failed each time until 1848. Elections were held in 1823, 1828, 1840 and 1846, but each time there was returned an adverse vote against the calling of a constitutional convention. There were no amendments to the 1816 Constitution, although the revision of 1824, by Benjamin Parke and others was so thorough that it was said that the revision committee had done as much as a constitution convention could have done.

It was not until 1848 that a successful vote on the question of calling a constitution convention was carried. There were many reasons which in¬ duced the people of the state to favor a convention. Among these may be mentioned the following: The old Constitution provided that all the state officers except the governor and lieutenant-governor should be elected by the legislature. Many of the county and township officers were appointed by the county commissioners. Again, the old Constitution attempted to handle too many matters of local concern. All divorces from 1816 to 1851 were granted by the Legislature. Special laws were passed which would apply to particular counties and even to particular townships in the county. If Noblesville wanted an alley vacated or a street closed, it had to appeal to the Legis¬ lature for permission to do so. If a man wanted to ferry people across a stream in Posey county, his representative presented a bill to the Legislature asking that the proposed ferryman be given permission to ferry people across the stream. The agitation for free schools attracted the support of the edu¬ cated people of the state, and most of the newspapers were outspoken in their advocacy of better educational privileges. The desire for better schools, for freer representation in the selection of officials, for less interference by the Legislature in local affairs, led to a desire on the part of majority of the people of the state for a new Constitution.

The second constitutional convention of Indiana met at Indianapolis, October 7, 1850, and continued in session for four months. The one hun¬ dred and fifty delegates labored faithfully to give the state a Constitution fully abreast of the times and in accordance with the best ideas of the day. More power was given the people by allowing them to select not only all of the state officials, but also their county officers as well. The convention of 1850 took a decided stand against the negro and proposed a referendum on the question of prohibiting the further emigration of negroes into the state of Indiana. The subsequent vote on this question showed that the people were not disposed to tolerate the colored race. As a matter of fact no negro or mulatto could legally come into Indiana from 1852 until 1881, when the restriction was removed by an amendment of the Constitution. Another important feature of the new Constitution was the provision for free schools. What we now know as a public school supported at the expense of the state, was unknown under the 1816 Constitution. The new Constitution estab¬ lished a system of free public schools, and subsequent statutory legislation strengthened the constitutional provision so that the state now ranks among the leaders in educational matters throughout the nation. The people of the state had voted on the question of free schools in 1848 and had decided that they should be established, but there was such a strong majority opposed to free schools that nothing was done. Orange county gave only an eight per cent vote in favor of free schools, while Putnam and Monroe, containing DePauw and Indiana Universities, respectively, voted adversely by large majorities. But, with the backing of the Constitution, the advocates of free schools began to push the fight for their establishment, and as a result of the legislative acts of 1855, l&5 7 an<^ ^67, the public schools were placed upon a sound basis.

Such in brief were the most important features of the 1852 Constitution. It has remained substantially to this day as it was written sixty-five years ago. It is true there have been some amendments, but the changes of 1878 and 1881 did not alter the Constitution in any important particular. There was no concerted effort toward calling a constitutional convention until the Legislature of 1913 provided for a referendum on the question at the polls, November 4, 1914. Despite the fact that all the political parites had de¬ clared in favor of a constitutional convention in their platforms, the question was voted down by a large majority. An effort was made to have the ques¬ tion submitted by the Legislature of 1915, but the Legislature refused to submit the question to the voters of the state.

Capitals Of Northwest Territory And Indiana

The present state of Indiana was comprehended within the Northwest Territory from 1787 to 1800, and during that time the capital was located within the present state of Ohio. When the Ordinance of 1787 was put in operation on July 17, 1788, the capital was established at Marietta, the name being chosen by the directors of the Ohio Company on July 2, of the same year. The name Marietta was selected in honor of the French Queen, Marie Antoinette, compounded by curious combination of the first and last syllables of her name.

When Indiana was set off by the act of May 7, 1800, the same act located the capital at Vincennes where it remained for nearly thirteen years. The old building in which the Territorial Assembly first met in 1805 is still standing in Vincennes. In the spring of 1813 the capital of the territory was removed to Corydon and it was in that quaint little village that Indiana began its career as a state. It remained there until November, 1824, when Samuel Merrill loaded up all of the state's effects in three large wagons and hauled them overland to the new capital - Indianapolis. Indianapolis had been chosen as the seat of government by a committee of ten men, appointed in 1820 by the Legislature. It was not until 1824, however, that a building was erected in the new capital which would accommodate the state officials and the General Assembly. The first court house in Marion county was built on the site of the present building, and was erected with a view of utilizing it as a state house until a suitable capitol building could be erected. The state continued to use the Marion county court house until 1835, by which time an imposing state house had been erected. This building was in use until 1877, when it was razed to make way for the present beautiful building.

Military History

Indiana has had some of its citizens in four wars in which United States has engaged since 1800: The War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, and the Spanish-American War. One of the most important engage¬ ments ever fought against the Indians in the United States was that of the battle of Tippecanoe, November 7, 1811. For the two or three years pre¬ ceding, Tecumseh and his brother, the Prophet, had been getting the Indians ready for an insurrection. Tecumseh made a long trip throughout the west¬ ern and southern part of the United States for the purpose of getting the Indians all over the country to rise up and drive out the white man. While he was still in the South, Governor Harrison descended upon the Indians at Tippecanoe and dealt them a blow from which they never recovered. The British had been urging the Indians to rise up against the settlers along the frontier, and the repeated depredations of the savages but increased the hos¬ tility of the United States toward England. General Harrison had about seven hundred fighting men, while the Indians numbered over a thousand.

During the administration of Governor Whitcomb (1846-49) the United States was engaged in a war with Mexico. Indiana contributed five regi¬ ments to the government during this struggle, and her troops performed with a spirit of singular promptness and patriotism during all the time they were at the front.

No Northern state had a more patriotic governor during the Civil War than Indiana, and had every governor in the North done his duty as conscien¬ tiously as did Governor Morton that terrible struggle would undoubtedly have been materially shortened. When President Lincoln issued his call on April 15, i86j, for 75,000 volunteers, Indiana was asked to furnish 4,683 men as its quota. A week later there were no less than 12,000 volunteers at Camp Morton at Indianapolis. This loyal uprising was a tribute to the patriotism of the people, and accounts for the fact that Indiana sent more than 200,000 men to the front during the war. Indiana furnished prac¬ tically seventy-five per cent of its total population capable of bearing arms, and on this basis Delaware was the only state in the Union which exceeded Indiana. Of the troops sent from Indiana, 7,243 were killed or mortally wounded, and 19,429 died from other causes, making a total death loss of over thirteen per cent for all the troops furnished.

During the summer of 1863 Indiana was thrown into a frenzy of excite¬ ment when it was learned that General Morgan had crossed the Ohio with 2,000 cavalrymen under his command. Probably Indiana never experienced a more exciting month than July of that year. Morgan entered the state in Harrison county and advanced northward through Corydon to Salem in Washington county. As his men went along they robbed orchards, looted farm houses, stole all the horses which they could find and burned consider¬ able property. From Salem, Morgan turned with his men to the east, having been deterred from his threatened advance on Indianapolis by the knowledge that the local militia of the state would soon be too strong for him. He hur¬ ried with his men toward the Ohio line, stopping at Versailles long enough to loot the county treasury. Morgan passed through Dearborn county over into Ohio, near Harrison, and a few days later, Morgan and most of his band were captured.

During the latter part of the war there was considerable opposition to its prosecution on the part of the Democrats of this state. An organization known as the Knights of the Golden Circle at first, and later as the Sons of Liberty, was instrumental in stirring up much trouble throughout the state. Probably historians will never be able to agree as to the degree of their -culpability in thwarting the government authorities in the conduct of the war.

The Spanish- American War of 1898 has been the last one in which troops from Indiana have borne a part. When President McKinley issued his call for 75,000 volunteers on April 25, 1898, Indiana was called upon to furnish three regiments. War was oflicially declared April 25, and formally came to an end by the signing of a protocol on August 12 of the same year. The main engagements of importance were the sea battles of Manila and Santiago and the land engagements of El Caney and San Juan Hill. Ac¬ cording to the treaty of Paris, signed December 12, 1898, Spain relinquished her sovereignty over Cuba, ceded to the United States Porto Rico and her other West India Island possessions, as well as the island of Guam in the Pacific. Spain also transferred her rights in the Philippines for the sum of twenty million dollars paid to her for public work and improvements con¬ structed by the Spanish government.

Political History

It is not possible to trace in detail the political history of Indiana for the past century and in this connection an attempt is made only to survey briefly the political history of the state. For more than half a century Indiana has been known as a pivotal state in politics. In 1816 there was only one political party and Jennings, Noble, Taylor, Hendricks and all of the politicians of that dav were grouped into this one - the Democratic party. Whatever differences in views they might have had were due to local issues and not to any questions of national portent. Questions concerning the improvements of rivers, the building of canals, the removal of court houses and similar questions of state importance only divided the politicians in the early history of Indiana into groups. There was one group known as the White Water faction, another called the Vincennes crowd, and still another designated as the White river delegation. From 1816 until as late as 1832, Indiana was the scene of personal politics, and during the years Adams, Clay and Jackson were candidates for the presidency on the same ticket, men were known politically as Adams men, Clay men or Jackson men. The election returns

The question of internal improvements which arose in the Legislature of 1836 was a large contributing factor in the division of the politicians of the state. The Whig party may be dated from 1832, although it was not until four years later that it came into national prominence. The Democrats elected the state officials, including the governor, down to 1831, but in that year the opposition party, later called the Whigs, elected Noah Noble governor. For .the next twelve years the Whigs, with their cry of internal improvements, controlled the state. The Whigs went out of power with Samuel Bigger in 1843, an<J when they came into power again they appeared under the name of Republicans in 1861. Since the Civil War the two parties have practically divided the leadership between them, there having been seven Republicans and six Democrats elected governor of the state. The following table gives a list of the governors of the Northwest Territory, Indiana Terri¬ tory and the state of Indiana. The Federalists were in control up to 1800 and Harrison and his followers may be classed as Democratic-Republicans. The politics of the governors of the state are indicated in the table.

Governors Of Indiana A Century Of Growth

Indiana was the first territory created out of the old Northwest Territory and the second state to be formed. It is now on the eve of its one hundredth anniversary, and it becomes the purpose of the historian in this connection to give a brief survey of what these one hundred years have done for the state. There has been no change in territory limits, but the original territory has been subdivided into counties year by year, as the population warranted, until from thirteen counties in 1816 the state grew to ninety-two counties by 1859. From 1816 to 1840 new counties were organized every year with the exception of one year. Starting in with a population of 5,641 in 1800, Indiana has increased by leaps and bounds until it now has a population of two million seven hundred thousand eight hundred and seventy-six. The appended table is interesting in showing the growth of population by decades since 1800:

Statistics are usually very dry and uninteresting, but there are a few figures which are at least instructive if not interesting. For instance, in 1910, 143,835 people of Indiana lived in towns and cities of more than 2,500. There were 822,434 voters, and 580,557 men between the ages of eighteen and forty-four were eligible for military service. An interesting book of statistics from which these figures are taken covering every phase of the growth of the state is found in the biennial report of the state statistician.

The state has increased in wealth as well as population and the total state tax of six thousand forty-three dollars and thirty-six cents of 1816 increased in 1915 to more than six million. In 1816 the only factories in the state were grist or saw mills; all of the clothing, furniture and most of the farming tools were made by the pioneers themselves. At that time the farmer was his own doctor, his own blacksmith, his own lawyer, his own dentist and, if he had divine services, he had to be the preacher. But now it is changed. The spin¬ ning wheel finds its resting place in the attic ; a score of occupations have arisen to satisfy the manifold wants of the farmer. Millions of dollars are now in¬ vested in factories, other millions are invested in steam and electric roads, still other millions in public utility plants of all kinds.' The governor now receives a larger salary than did all the state officials put together in 1861, while the county sheriff has a salary which is more than double the compensation first allowed the governor of the state.

Indiana is rich in natural resources. It not only has millions of acres of good farming land, but it has had fine forests in the past. From the timber of its woods have been built the homes for the past one hundred years and, if rightly conserved there is timber for many years yet to come. The state has beds of coal and quarries of stone which are not surpassed in any state in the Union. For many years natural gas was a boon to Indiana manufacturing, but it was used so extravagently that it soon became exhausted. Some of the largest factories of their kind in the country are to be found in the Hoosier state. The steel works at Gary employs tens of thousands of men and are constantly increasing in importance. At Elwood is the largest tin plate fac¬ tory in the world, while Evansville boasts of the largest cigar factory in the world. At South end the Studebaker and Oliver manufacturing plants turn out millions of dollars worth of goods every year. When it is known that over half of the population of the state is now living in towns and cities, it must be readily seen that farming is no longer the sole occupation. A sys¬ tem of railroads has been built which brings every corner of the state in close touch with Indianapolis. In fact, every county seat but four is in railroad connection with the capital of the state. Every county has its local telephone systems, its rural free deliveries and its good roads unifying the various parts of the county. All of this makes for better civilization and a happier and more contented people.

Indiana prides herself on her educational system. With sixteen thousand public and parochial school teachers, with three state institutions of learning, a score of church schools of all kinds as well as private institutions of learning, Indiana stands high in educational circles. The state maintains universities at Bloomington and Lafayette and a normal school at Terre Haute. Many of the churches have schools supported in part by their denominations. The Catholics have the largest Catholic university in the United States at Notre Dame, while St. Mary's of the Woods at Terre Haute is known all over the world. Academies under Catholic supervision are maintained at Indianapolis, Terre Haute, Fort Wayne, Rensselaer, Jasper and Oldenburg. The Method¬ ists have institutions at DePauw, Moore's Hill and Upland. The Presby¬ terian schools are Wabash and Hanover Colleges. The Christian church is in control of Butler and Merom Colleges. Concordia at Fort Wayne is one of the largest Lutheran schools in the United States. The Quakers support Earlham College, as well as the academies at Fairmount, BloOmingdale, Plainfield and Spiceland. The Baptists are in charge of Franklin College, while the United Brethern give their allegiance to Indiana Central University at Indianapolis. The Seventh-Day Adventists have a school at Boggstown. The Dunkards at North Manchester and the Mennonites at Goshen maintain schools for their respective churches.

benevolent and correctional institutions rank high among similar institutions in the country. Insane asylums are located at Indianapolis, Richmond, Logansport, Evansville and Madison. The State Soldiers' Home is at Lafayette, while the National Soldiers' Home is at Marion.

The Soldiers and Sailors' Orphans' Home at Knightstown, is main¬ tained for the care and education of the orphan children of Union soldiers and sailors. The state educates and keeps them until they are sixteen years of age if they have not been given homes in families before they reach that age. Institutions for the education of the blind and also the deaf and dumb are located at Indianapolis. The state educates all children so afflicted and teaches them some useful trade which will enable them to make their own way in the world. The School for Feeble Minded at Fort Wayne has had more than one thousand children in attendance annually for several years. Within the past few years an epileptic village has been established at New Castle, Indiana, for the care of those so afflicted. A prison is located at Michigan City for the incarceration of male criminals convicted by any of the courts of the state of treason, murder in the first or second degree, and of all persons convicted of any felony who at the time of conviction are thirty years of age and over. The Reformatory at Jeffersonville takes care of male criminals between the ages of sixteen and thirty, who are guilty of crimes other than those just mentioned. The female criminals from the ages of fifteen upwards are kept in the women's prison at Indianapolis. A school for incorrigible boys is maintained at Plainfield. It receives boys be¬ tween the ages of seven and eighteen, although no boy can be kept after he reaches the age of twenty-one. Each county provides for its own poor and practically every county in the state has a poor farm and many of them have homes for orphaned or indigent children. Each county in the state also maintains a correctional institution known as the jail, in which prisoners are committed while waiting for trial or as punishment for convicted crime.

But Indiana is great not alone in its material prosperity, but also in those things which make for a better appreciation of life. Within the limits of our state have been born men who were destined to become known through¬ out the nation. Statesmen, ministers, diplomats, educators, artists and literary men of Hoosier birth have given the state a reputation which is envied by our sister states. Indiana has furnished Presidents and Vice- Presidents, distinguished members of the cabinet and diplomats of world wide fame; her literary men have spread the fame of Indiana from coast to coast. Who has not heard of Wallace, Thompson, Nicholson, Tarkington, McCutcheon, Bolton, Ade, Major, Stratton-Porter, Riley and hundreds of others who have courted the muses?