Clinton County, Indiana - Chapter 5: Early Settlement of Clixtox Couxty, 1913

Chapter 5: Early Settlement of Clixtox Couxty

Whence came the early settlers of Clinton county? In writing the history of any people, any nation or country, this is an all important question. Its ancestry has something to do with the character of a people. It is a law of life and its transmission to posterity that Like begets Like. In the case of humanity, human, sentient beings, this law of the transmission of qualities, the character of offspring is also governed by two other very important elements, education and environment. Mention has been made of the states from which most of the immigrants into Clinton county came. Xot only did they come from some of the best states in the Union but they were among the very best people in those states. In immigration, usually the best, most thrifty, energetic and best equipped, leave and seek new homes. Weaklings seldom migrate. The weak, the indolent and the unprogressive are content to remain where they are. The industrious and wide-awake want to go where they can do better.

Such were the early settlers of Clinton county; no better class of people ever settled and made up the population of a state or county than those who came to the county of Clinton. They were not mere adventurers, birds of passage, but came hither to stay. They came here to make this beautiful county in harmony with its natural resources composed as it is of prairie and woodland with fertile soil, salubrious climate, grand, noble forests, with all the accessories to make country life pleasant and indeed charming. The laggard staid at home where he was; the cheerful, the hopeful, men and women of ideal aspirations, came to Clinton county.

Another element that enters into the character of the people that settles up a new country is the accessibility of the new country itself, the way of going there and way of getting to it. Up to the time of the construction, opening and use of the first railroad in the state of Indiana, the Indianapolis and

Madison railroad, which began to lie used in the later forties, all travel to and in the state, was by water communication, or through the land on and by common roads. Wherever possible, travel by water was used. On the Wabash river, regular steamers were used from the mouth of the river up to Lafayette. On the smaller streams people traveled by canoe, pirogue, flatboat or scow propelled sometimes by oars, often by sail - oftener by poles. One family well known to the writer of this history came from Xew York state by wagon conveyance from that state to Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania, thence floating and poling on a flat-boat down the Ohio river to the mouth of the Wabash, thence up that river by poling and brushing the oars - men catching hold of the overhanging brush on the banks of the stream and holding thereto and walking backward on the boat as in poling - in that method thev navigated to Terre Haute. The immigrants to the western part of the state nearly all came by way of the Wabash. The people w ho settled the Central, much of the Eastern part of the state, came by driving through in wagons on the common roads poor as the^' were then. A considerable number of the immigrants in the eastern part of the state a" far west as Logansport came from southern Ohio, up the Big Miami or the White Water, thence by a portage that is by land across to the headwaters of the Wabash to one or the other of its chief south side branches either the Salamonie nr the Missisinewa. thence on to and down the Wabash river. But fully half of the immigration of the state of Indiana came by wagon road and not a few even on horse-back through the untrodden wild" of the state.

Up to 1S26 no settlement has been made within the boundaries of what was afterwards Clinton county. Along the Wabash river, up to Lafayette, settlements had been made much earlier: in fact, all along that stream, all the way up. For some years before Lafayette was founded. Logansport had been quite a town and was a noted trading point for both whites and Indians.

Most of the immigrants thither drove through. Except a few of the earliest settlers who came over land, as it was called, most of these, settling in the west part of the county, stopping at the west end of the Twelve Mile Prairie and at Jefferson and vicinity, where the first settlements were actually made, some came over from Lafayette and other points on the Wabash where people had settled a few years before. It may truthfully he said that many who came and peopled the west part of the county originally were a sort of overflow from the settlements on the Wabash, coming thither because there was more vacant and better land to be had in the new county east of Tippecanoe and other Wabash counties where the best land was already taken up.

is by common consent accorded to William Clark as the very first to buy land and make a home within the limits of what was to be Clinton county. While William Clark was the first to buy land at or near the west end of what soon became known as the Twelve Mile Prairie to David Kilgore must be given the honor of first bringing his family thither; Mrs. Elizabeth Kilgore, the wife of David Kilgore, was the first white woman to take up her residence with her husband in the then wilds of what afterwards became the countv of Clinton.

After William Clark and David Kilgore. Xathan Kirk was the next to enter land in the county : he bought of the government then but a single 80- acre lot, as So's were then called, but made heavy purchases of land subsequently. He came by the eastern route, or rather, southeastern, not as did Clark and Kilgore. Kirk saw a future in the spot where he settled: he built him a cabin, brought on a stock of goods, traded with the Indians as well as the few whites who had settled along the then new Michigan road. He laid out the town of Kirk's Cross roads, as it was known for half a century. After 1830 Kirk invested heavily in land in and around where Kirklin is now.

David Kilgore first and last bought partly by entry at the Crawfordsville land office, and partly bv purchasing from others who had made entries, until he owned a section or more. It was on his land that the then aspiring town of Jefferson was laid out. grew and for a considerable time flourished.

Evidently some of the land in the eastern part of the county was bought, that is, bid in. at the first public land sale held at Crawfordsville. December. 1824, when many from Ohio, Kentucky, Tennesse and Pennsylvania, as well as some from southern portions of Indiana, bought or bid in their land for which they afterwards paid $1.25 an acre, but did not perfect their title until in 1826 or later.

This bidding in land at a sale had nothing to do with the price but simply gave the bidder in a priority to buy the land he had bid in, pay the money for it within a certain time and get his patent therefor. Hence, the bidding was not bidding on the price, as was said, but on the choice of the land and the principal contest at the time of bidding, was not the actual settlers bidding against each others or those contemplating settling on the land bid in; the settlers did not bid against each other; there was very little of that - but bidding against the speculators who bought to hold and afterwards sell at a speculative advanced price. All the entries made for land in Clinton county until comparatively recently were made at the city, then town, of Crawfordsville.

wards composing the county of Clinton and a small strip of Boone was known as Washington territory ; from this came the name of Washington township.

In the early settlement of a state or county certain localities each become a nucleus or point from which settlements start or proceed around the nucleus. From some early pioneer town or village they take a name and other pioneers coming to one of these points of settlement are said to be a member of that named settlement. Usually each county at its early settlement has one of those localities, or it may have two or three or even more such. Clinton county may be said to have had three of those points of settlement.

That there should be more than two or these nucleuses grows out of the fact that very early in the settlement of the county a spirit of rivalry sprang up between two localities on the question of the county seat or capital. While we may note Jefferson as the very earliest center of migration to the county expectant, in the west part of the county, and Kirklin or Kirk's Cross Roads, as the eastern nucleus, another point sprang up. rather rapidly competing with that of Jefferson, the oldest town in the county soon to be. This last was the vicinage which finally captured the coveted prize, the capital or county-seat.

Another point must be noted : the place, or places, in the United States whence the earliest settlers came. The people settling around and in the town of Jefferson came mainly from Virginia. Ohio. Kentucky or Pennsylvania. - they may have been that overflow alluded to from Lafayette and Tippecanoe county. We know some of them were, which county was settled some three or four years before the earlier pioneers had found their way eastward into the land of promise in the "Reserve." as the territory of which afterwards became Clinton county was then known.

A matter of considerable interest to every Clinton county reader of that history is: of these points of settlement who were the first, the very first, to come there. What and where were the first settlements made and w ho were those first settlers? These two questions are now to be answered all in one question and its answer.

The first to come; by a sort of common consent of all previous histories. records and traditions, they all agree to accord this honor to William Clark, but the records show that David Kilgore made the first entry of land and came to the county in 1826. when Clinton county was known as Washington territory or Washington township. William Clark made his first entrv of land October 29, 1827. David Kilgore had made an entry of land in section 1 October, 1826. That David Kilgore was the first to enter land is corroborated by all the records; that he came here in 1826 is also corroborated by the following letters written by Mrs. Kilgore to the then secretary of the Clinton County Old Settlers' Union at a meeting of that union held at the fair grounds August 16, 1877. From her Westfield home, Mrs. Kilgore wrote the following letter to John Earner, then secretary of the Old Settlers' Union: "Mr. Earner: I see by your notice old settlers' meeting is next Thursday. 1 am sorry to say I can not be with you. You mav sav to the friends that 1 am still the oldest settler now living, having come to Jefferson (then attached to Tippecanoe), in 1826. Signed. Elizabeth Kilgore."

If the first settlers in the county were William Clark and his familv, as some historians have it. Mr. Clark came and lived and built here nearlv a vear before he bought land and before even Jefferson was laid out. He bought land in section 12. on which a part of Jefferson was located. His entrv was made at Crawfordsville, April 25. 1827: if he lived here prior to that time he did not live on that land which he entered in 1827. He made a second entry on section 2 nearly a mile northward of Jefferson.

It is claimed by some that the Twelve Mile Prairie was named from the fact that it was just twelve miles from where Xathan Kirk had settled to William C'ark's residence. It is also claimed by a few that the Clark in this connection was not William Clark but Dr. John M. Clark, whom many now living knew well. The records show that Dr. John M. Clark made his first entry of land in the year 1835 and be continued to buy land at intervals until he had acquired nearly or quite 300 acre> near where Manson station is now.

It is also claimed by some that Xathan Kirk came in 1826 and settled near what became Kirk's Cross Roads, now Kirklin. Eut this also is an error, for Mr. Kirk did not make an entry of land until Xovember 27, 1828, two vears after Kilgore and William Clark had bought and established homes here. Xathan Kirk first bought an eighty-acre lot in section 12. township 20. range 1 east, where Kirklin is located. The records show that Mr. Kirk bought out of section 12 as above stated in 1828. and continued to buy at times until he became a very wealthy land owner, owning at least two sections or more. As this history is promised to be as accurate as it can possibly lie made from the sources within reach, the facts here set forth have been verified by the records and a strict comparison with any and all previous history as well as reliable tradition.

Earlv in the settlement of the county the question of the location of the countv seat became a very live one. All the pioneers and those buying land in the countv or where it was known the county was to be and even some wdio had as yet only intended to come to the county, knew that but a few months off, the county boundaries would be defined by act of the legislature and the county-seat located. Nearly every land entry was made with reference to the county-seat's location.

A contest for this prize, the county capital, had very early sprung up between two contending factions, one striving to locate the countv seat of justice at Jefferson, the other at some point further east. Abner Baker and his friends headed one faction. John Pence and those buying land and locating in his vicinity the other. For a time Abner Baker and his adherents had one advantage: they were all united on Jefferson. Those favoring some other point more central and further east were somewhat divided between the place which nearly all knew is a line bisecting the county. With a division of sentiment in view, the names of those early pioneers who settled in the vicinity of Jefferson are given in addition to those already named.

By act of the state Legislature, approved January 29, 1830. the countv of Clinton was <et off east of Tippecanoe county. Only the names are here given of those who came to what was afterwards Clinton county prior to 1830. The^e names are of those locating, buying land and settling thereon before that time.

The name and the section in the congressional township is given of some of t lie verv first pioneers - nearly all named here entered land in township 2 1 . range 2 west. The date of their coming is given. In some instances the men buying land may have come here a short time before they made the entry of their land, in many instances, they did not locate here until after thev had bought the land which was to be their home.

A few of the earlie-t have been mentioned as David Kilgore and William Clark, both locating on section 12. where Jefferson was soon after located. The following came in 1827: Zabina Babcock and Charles Asher, both buying in section 1 ; Joseph Hall, section 3. and John Killmore. who remained in the county but a short time, but long enough to have his name immortalized Inhaving the longest stream in the county named after him.

The following came in 1828 and bought land : J. R. Benson. Judge John Ross. Samuel Olinger. all bought in section 12: they wanted to be in or near the coming town of Jefferson. Abner Baker bought in 1829 in the same section, first buying an eighty, now south part of the town. The following bought in section 1. immediately north of section 12. north of Jefferson, where it was to be. In 1827 the immigration was light. David Young came in 1828. on section 6. The following also came that year: David Clark, section 30: Samuel Thomson bought in section 1 and 34: Benjamin Abbott, section 10; John Hood's purchase was in Jefferson ; Elijah Rogers and Anthony Lane, southwest of Jefferson; William Andrews, section 2; Samuel Aughe, section 7: Moses Watt, Dorsey Denman, John Campbell and William Miller, all on section 9 : John Starkv, on section 17 ; James Gilmore, section 5 ; John Benson, section 10; this Mr. Benson soon sold out and joined the Mormons then yet in Illinois. James Stinson, section 17. These last named came to the embryo county in 1829.

In this connection may be noted the first marriage license issued in the county. It was to Aaron Southard and Rebecca Hood, in 1829, made returnable to Lafayette: at that time, for local governmental purposes. Clinton county was attached to Tippecanoe.

Continuing the list of pioneers and those settling in the west part (the Jefferson part), the name of John Clark appears, who must not be confounded with Dr. John M. Clark, who was later and down to almost recent times very prominent, both at Jefferson, nearly all of which he once owned and all over the county generally. This John Clark, who until recently had descendants near Manson, came to the county in 1827. The same year Nicholas Cunningham came. The immigrants to this part of the county in 1827 were very few.

In 1828 the pioneers came in much more rapidly. In addition to David Clark and those already mentioned were Peter Groves. John Gambel, section II ; Josiah Cooper, section 10: David Rhinehart, section 9, who came in 1829; Captain Bracken, section 10: the names of David and Archibald Clark, the first buying a lot (80). section 19. appear in 1829.

The following constitute a group in themselves - they all settled at times from 1830 to 1834 and all on section 27. some of them buying but forty acres : William Endicott, John Hollingsworth. Absolom Wolfe, Henry Slipher, G. W. Shockley, William Ross. Thomas Stinson and Charles Wolfe.

As the contest for the location of the county-seat runs through all this early pioneer history we are first giving the names of those who were making the fight for Jefferson, as the county capital, names of some early settlers in Perrv township must not be omitted : Samuel Anderson, Luke and Wrilliam

Continuing in 1830. when the county seat fight became decidedly warm, we note the coming to Washington township of Stephen Allen, Joseph Heavilon, John Jackson, the ancestors of the McNutts, John Blair, Major Brown, Benjamin Hart, William Wilson. Jesse Ryan, John and Moses Allen, Henry Harshman, Jacob Anderson, William Winship, A. W. Thomas, Ellis Slipher and others of equal note, all for Jefferson, as the county seat.

In 1829 the vicinity of Jefferson was the most thickly settled place in the then as yet embryo county. Jefferson was already a town laid out and platted. Lots were sold and log cabins were erected thereon. Early it became a prominent point, a stopping place between Lafayette and Old Strawtown. way up beyond where Xathon Kirk and Providence had designed Kirklin should be. Jefferson had a store and a postoffice; to the latter came a bi-weekly mail. Between the Indians, who bought largely of powder and lead, and fire-water, as they themselves named it. and the early pioneer, the store did a thriving business. The Indians paid cash, or canal scrip, then as good as cash: they were well supplied with both, getting their money in regular installments from the government, which was buying out the Indian title to the lands in the Reserve.

Abner Baker and Aaron Southard, who came originally from Butler county, Ohio, stopping for a year at Lafayette, finally brought their stock of goods to Jefferson and opened out their store. The firm name was Baker & Southard; though the account has come down to us as Baker's store, a regular department store it was. After staying as Air. Baker's partner for a year Mr. Southard sold out his interest to Mr. Baker, taking the proceed' of the sale to Frankfort, then the rising metropolis.

In 1S29 the most thickly settled portion of the contemplated county was yet in the vicinity of Jefferson, to which point tin's first store was brought as stated. After buying out Mr. Southard, Mr. Baker was sole proprietor. His counter was a broad puncheon hewn out of timber direct without the intervention of saw . jack-plane or draw ing knife. At night this counter, rough as it was. became his bedstead. The door to his store was a bedquilt which he had brought from Ohio: this quilt was the covering for his bed: no locks were needed on that door. The Indians seemed to have some ideas of meum and tuum - they respected the rights of ownership in property, were decidedly friendly, too much so in fact.

About this time, in 1829, William Winship came and settled in what afterwards became Madison township, built a mill east of where Mulberry now is. For many years this Winship mill and a real good mill in its day it was, too, was a landmark for all the western part of the county. It was not run nor did it convert wheat into flour by any "reduction process, '' but used the good old style upper and lower millstones and revolving bolting cloth which simply separated the bran from the flour, all the protein and other substances that go to make up the best, most nutritious and healthiest flour in the world. Tacob Stettler settled there; also James Tavlor; the Martzes and the (6) ancestor of the Elliotts, Henry Miller, B. McXeilly, William Gray, John Dunn and James Hamilton. These were the ancestors of many good people now living in and around Mulberry and vicinity.

As yet no settlement in the east part of the county had been made, except at Kirk's Cross Roads, where Xathan Kirk had just began to make that series of investments in land which finallv made all his descendants to the third or fourth generation very rich indeed. But little attention had been given to what was known as the "Reserve." In fact, no one knew or seemed to care to know, where the east part of the county would be. It was all Reserve to them, though there was no reserve part of the county, it was designated by act of the Legislature giving the boundaries of the countv. In those days and for ten or twelve years afterwards, hunters from Tippecanoe county came up, not to Clinton county they said, but into the Reserve, for honey, venison and bear beef and went back loaded down - they went in twohorse wagons - the proceeds of their hunts were divided out among their less fortunate neighbors; to all this the writer of these chronicles can testify.

Recurring to the sentimental part of these chronicles, keep in mind that there were two distinct streams of immigration pouring into the new county that was to be, two contending hosts, one headed by Abner Baker and his friends contending for Jefferson as the county-seat, and John Pence, the Douglasses, McKinseys and Kelleys, all these contending for the site where Frankfort finally won.

The crowd now to be named differed from the Jefferson patriots in this; first, these here named were more numerous when the final count came to be taken ; secondly, they were not united as to the locality for that county-seat as were the Jefferson adherents. They were divided among themselves, some of them wanted the site to be where it is but many did not.

This brings up the question who were those who did not want Jefferson to be the county seat? Mention can here be made only of those pioneers who came here prior to 1830 and their descendants. Of these, of course, none came in 1826, and comparatively few in 1827; of those coming in 1827' were George Michaels, William and John Douglas, Matthew Bunnell, Xoah Bunnell, Isaac D. Armstrong, Anthony and Walter Leek. William Hodges, Mordecai McKinsev, John Wright, William Wynecoop, Isaac Cook and Jimmerson Rogers. The above are mentioned in this connection as very early settlers. The names of some of them may come up in another connection.

Here are named those coming to the county prior to 1830. buying and making homes on the land they bought. To township 20, range 1 west in what is now Jackson township, came in 1828, Isaac Cook, Jacob Buntin ; in

1829, Robert Dunn, Robert Brenton and Job Harriman, Rezin Reagan, and Samuel Allen, William Hodges, James Phillips, the two Leaks, John Wright, Mordecai McKinsey.

In town 21, 1 west, we find the names of the following: Thomas Huffman, John Elliott, William Pence, Nicholas Pence, Moses Fudge, Samuel Kyger - who seems to have made a land entry in 1827 - and Wm. Pence in 1828. The further names of Abraham Decamp, John Pence - who came in 1829 - the head of this county seat location, so to speak, followed by John Reed, Kelley, S. D. Maxwell, Peter Fudge, John McCray, Eli Armentrout, Arthur Compton, Sol. Young, S. E. Holliday, Jesse Carter, Tames Allen and Joseph Steele, Sr.

Samuel Aughe came in 1827: Tames McNutt in 1828; Nathan Bunnell, 1828; Samuel B. Thorpe, 1829: Noah Bunnell. 1829: Jacob Pence, 1827; Henry Young in 1829; Peter A. Pence. 1829; Samuel Douglas, David Kennadv, John Feathernoff. R. C. Graham. Early Taylor. Nehemiah McKinsey, John Harland, Sam Holliday. D. G. Kelly, John Guttery, and S. Mitchell, all these just mentioned, in 1829; Nat. Bunnell in 1827; Nicholas Miller, 1828; James Steele, 1828: Sam Allen, 1830; William Hodge, 1830; John Wright. 1829: M. Brookman, 1828: W. M. Wvnecoop, 1828; Jacob Martin, 1830; James Bradshaw, 1830: James Mandell, 1829: in 1829. Abram Cook, Thos. Rogers and Andrew Mclntire.

In 1829, apear the names of John Cripe, Shadrach Bowers, Aaron Parcil, Esom Scott, William Peters. Andrew Major. Samuel Cripe, and Samuel Seawright. In 1830, came John Smith. John Carrick, Thomas Majors, Jacob Cripe, William Smith, Henry Burkhalter, Andrew Waymire, William Price, D. C. Clark and John Logan. Up to the early part of 1830, the Shepherds and the Kramers were the only settlers in what is now Owen township.

The party of pioneers headed by John Pence were not wholly united as to the location of the county-seat. Of this not homogeneous group, those who came to the county prior to 1830, were not united as the Jefferson party was. Up to this time, 1830, no settlement had been made east of the principal meridian, except that made bv Nathan Kirk. The Indian reservation covered more than half of that territory, extending westward nearly to the Michigan road. The east line of the county that was to be, was not clearly defined, was nebulous in existence and not marked or blazed out. No one spoke of the county line; all was simply the "Reserve", that was all. Even after the county had official recognition, only the county officials knew where the actual east part of the county then was.

at Jefferson. He believed in the town and in its future. Jefferson was anchored on section 12. Who were the worthier whose fortunes were linked with those of Jefferson and Abner Baker?" Who likely to make a fight along with him? They were the men who had entered land and paid their hard cash therefor. Kilgore had 240 acres north of Jefferson: Mr. Baker himself then had 80 acres northwest of the town: John Benson. So acres southeast: of section 11, west of Jefferson. John Hollingsworth a quarter section. William Anderson an So: John Hopp. Stephen Allen and David Young, each an So acre lot: in section 13 south. Baker had another So. Joseph Allen 160. Moses B. Allen. Sr.. William Anderson. Stephen Murphy and Beal Dorsey, each an 80 acre lot: Samuel Thompson i6it4 acres: William Clark. S. Olinger, S. Brown, each So acres: W. Anderson a whole quarter section besides his So. All the land immediately east of the town and nearly all the best in that vicinity was taken up - the Andersons, the Youngs, Bunnells, and McNutts had it. The Bunnells had settled near where Farmers Chapel now is: they were all for Jefferson in this county capital contest.

At the time the count}' was laid out less than forty land entries had been made east of the principal meridian on the median line of the county. Then the center of population was two miles southeast of Jefferson. Of the names of those who had made entries of government land east of the meridian prior to 1S30 nearly all had bought in range t east: that is. in the western part of Warren - very few of Michigan and the east part of Jackson township. They were Michael Wagoner. W. W. Wynecoop. James Downarc! and Andrew Boulden. By the year 1830 Nat Kirk had bought up nearly all the land in the vicinity of his store at the Cross Roads. He had made an entry of an eighty-acre lot in 1828 and continued to make new entries and buy out others until he was soon the richest land owner in the county.

Rogers. In the south part of Michigan township. John Sutphin. H. Harrison, John Harland, Thomas Canby, Johnson Russell; in Ivirklin township, Samuel Bynum. Charles Bailey. Morel. McKinsey, David Ross. Mahlon Shine, Robert Edwards, S. E. Arnold. J. P. Dow. Moses Calvin, Theodore Buntin, Samuel Kelly, J. E. Canby, James Kinney: less than thirty families had settled east of the principal meridian, the east half of the county. For this, partly, there was another reason very prominent there, quite otherwise norv. The east part of the county was considered low and wet: it was all "Reserve."

Bv 1830 all the residents, recent or early, knew the county-seat question must soon be settled, that it must be located somewhere near the geographi-

Prior to 1830, a large number of their names are mentioned elsewhere, had settled in the south part of what is now Center township; among them was William Hodgen. In going from Kirklin to Jefferson these important points on the line of east and west travel, all open then, many people lost their way. Mr. Hodgen. to assist travelers to keep in the way. ran a furrow with a two-horse plow from the Meridian this side of Kirks to Jefferson. This furrow became one section, or link, of the afterwards famous Old Strawtown Road through this county, some portions of which are yet to be seen : most of it has long since been vacated and out of use.

The following entered land in the north part of what became Center township, Union and the south part of Owen township: A. Chenoweth, Samuel Avers, W. Calloway. Oliver Smith. B. and O. Smith. M. Short. John Bell. Alex. Smiley. S. S. \yers. Tim Cornelison. George King, Allen Huffer, David Barnes. George Smith. S. Arnold. F.li Arnold. Isaac Vance. Isaac Miller, P>. Dorsey. Mahlon Thompson. Sol Smith. H. Lipp. J. D. Armstrong, Sam and L. G. Ayers. John Allen. Jr.. Ed. Smith. W. Bell. George Brown. Jesse Carter. Johnson Irwin. John Allen. Sr.. John Bunnell. Alexander Williams. Andrew Allen. John Elliott.

Some of these had bought land elsewhere, near Jefferson neighborhood; the names mav occur in that list. Up to 1830 more than seven-eighths of the population of the county was west of the medial line of the county. The question of the countv-seat was narrowed down to the choice of position or population - the center of the county and center of population.

Though the prospects of Jefferson as the capital were growing less all the time, vet the town was growing and it continued to grow for years, during which it was the metropolis of the county. Pork was packed there, hauled to Lafayette and shipped thence: grain was also bought there. Some branches of manu-facture were carried on there, certain grades of wearing apparel were made, boots and shoes were made as well as nearly all sorts of farming implements then in use. These would be curiosities now.

After a time the Seager Carding Foctory. down towards the western countv line was established : farmers took their wool thither, it came back carded into rolls which were spun by hand on an old-fashioned big-rimmed wheel, colored by the white walnut process and woven into cloth which outwore anything of the sort in the textile fabric kind made now.

industry for a time flourished. Splints or "straws" were cut from wheat or rye culms (stalks). These were platted by hand into a webb as lengthy as was desired to make it and then sewed into straw hats, a very common headgear for men or even women in those days.

The county-seat contest had finally narrowed down to two points or rather neighborhoods, though yet undetermined. One was along the central line of the county or rather somewhat west of that line, the other at some point yet west of that, but more in the center of populaion or somewhat north of that center.

Of the two eastern points contending for that prize, one was on section i, township 21, a little more than two miles of where the count-seat is now, on the Michigantown road; the other was on section 25 or 26 in township 22. The people wanting to locate the county-seat near the meridian had choice of two localities, section 1 in township 21, or on sections 25 or 26, in township 22. The present owners of sections 25 and 26 are the Layton estate, the Samuel Ryger place, Jacob Heise's farm, the Young heirs and one or two others - entugh is given to locate the spot ; section 36 is nearly all taken up by what is known as the Ab. Pence farm and a few other lesser holdings. This location would have been a most excellent situation for a town, the land rolling, the creek just north making sewerage easy.

The other locality lies just north of the above Ab. Pence place on the adjoining section 1, the site on the Pence farm would have been a good selection. High, dry and undulating, the drainage would have been good, the South fork but a short distance north, even if the main sewer would have to be run some distance down the creek before emptying into it, the distance would have been much less than the city's main sewer is now ; also good drainage could have been secured on all sides. In order that we may trace the influences which finally fixed the site of the county town where it was finally, let us note the names of the pioneers who before 1830 had bought land on sections 2, 3, 4 and 9, 10 and 11, township 21, range 1 west: that is, in the vicinity of where Frankfort is.

Of section 2 Harry Young. John Elliott, Eli Armstrong, Samuel Young, Samuel Ryger, Samuel Douglas and William Pence were then the owners. In section 3 William Pence had secured two hundred and forty acres. Nick Pence and Moses Fudge the balance of that section, nearly all of which is in the town. Section four was mostly owned by the Pences and the Douglasses. Section nine was owned by the Pences, Jacob had two hundred and forty, John four hundred and eighty, H. Young one hundred and sixty, Peter Fudge and a Mr. Seur had section ten, upon which most of Frankfort is.

Clixt0X County, Ixdiana

So much for the men who had entered the land where the future city was to l>e founded, built and made the beautiful town it is. The fact became apparent that the county seat must be located at some point on the medial line of the county or some place west of that nearer the then center of population.

Allusion has been made to the high character of the early pioneers. Of those good old days; all were on an equality. There was no aristocracy then; enterprising, better class of men : this raised the average character of the entire community. These pioneer immigrants soon became settled communities, enjoying each other's society, helping each other, co-operating and building up a society of which their descendants are proud.

In the timbered districts the men had log-rollings. Those clearing land would form a volunteer company joined together by a common purpose and interest, that of clearing their land and preparing it for cultivation, would go from farm to farm, pile the logs in great heaps to be burned. Those were the days when at the same house and on the same farm, a day would be set apart for a quilting frolic by the women and especially the girls, and the boys would come with mattock or grubbing hoe and the day was spent in the quilting bee. the boys doing the grand grubbing act. clearin up a small farm in one day, get a good dinner, and the evening was spent in a dance or a social party which was often held until the small hours of the next morning. If a neighbor took sick the friends around him came and held a wood-chopping bee and prepared his winter's fire wood, put out his corn crop or cut his wheat for him.

Those were days of true charity and helpfulness. But few shirked their social duties or forgot a neighbor in need. Another thing must be noted in those good old days ; all were on an equality. There was no aristocracy then ; the coming of the aristocracy belongs to a much later age; the children or the grandchildren of those old pioneers are the ones who are putting on airs. You can see a few of such any day around Frankfort, or in some rural neighborhood, the grandchildren of those early settlers living in much grander style than their ancestors ever dreamed of.

Right here permit a digression. We are closing the reference to the earlier pioneers, it is meet that a bit of history somewhat modern should he here injected into this narrative.

At a meeting of pioneers held July 31. 1875. at the office of John Barnes in Frankfort, at the suggestion and request of pioneers. David Young. A. H. Southard, Abner Baker. John R. Kelley, I. D. Armstrong. John Barner, N. T. Catterlin, John Pence. Mercer McKinsey and others, arrangements were made for the organization of an Old Settlers' Union to hold annual meetings. A committee was appointed of which N. T. Catterlin was chairman, John Barner, secretary, and David Young, treasurer; these were the first officers of the Old Settlers' Union. Arrangements were made for holding the Old Settlers' Reunion and in addition to the above officers the following were appointed to notify the old settlers and their friends in the various townships: A. F. Whiteman, William Rogers. John Ewing, Dr. J. T. Wilds, Josiah Majors, \\ . \ . McKinney. \\ . H. Reed. William Burget. Lew Bunnell, Abner Baker. \\ . \ . Johnson and Mercer McKinsev. The Frankfort Band was engaged. Isaac kook and W. H. Reed were appointed marshals to form and march the procession from the public square to the fair grounds.

1 he first reunion was held August 12. 1875. when over riftv old settlers marched behind the band to the fair grounds : others went in vehicles. An immense crowd attended this the first reunion persided over bv Colonel Catterlin. The following registered with years of their coming to the county: Mrs. David Kilgore. 1826: David Young. Jimmerson Rogers. 1. D. Armstrong, Mercer McKinsev, Solomon Young. David Clark. Jackson Douglass, \Y. Y. Johnston. Aaron Bunnell. B. F. Douglass. 1828: A. H. Southard, F R. Kelly. Abner Baker. P. Harshberger, Elihu Burners. Hezekiah Strange. Stephen Strange. John Pence. Ed. Cornelison. X. T. Catterlin. Frank Tavlor, Jonathan Thompson, John I.ipn. Wilson Cohee. Jonathan Cohee. Tohn C. Tavlor. Daniel Slipher. Mahlon Thompson. Samuel Douglas. M. W. Tavlor. Mrs. Lucinda Blinn. Adam Blinn. J. C. Gray. Wilson Seawright. Dr. J. S. Barnes. J. K. Steele. Richard Carter. J. M. Thompson. Tsaac G. Wilds. 1830; J. A. Kramer. Ed. Kramer. Thomas Kelly. John W. Campbell. W. M. Waters, Tames Campbell, Robert Mattix. A. G. Ayers. Samuel Ayers. John Lewis. James Smith, William Jenkins, A. F. Whiteman. 1831 : G. W. Wilson, X. H. Shoemaker. Eliza Purdum, Mrs. R. A. Davis, Mrs. A. Vice. Samuel Aughe, D. Lieklitner. Josiah Lew is. John Ewing. J. S. Hays. S. Paris. John Barner. 1832: Margaret Hays. T. L. Rippey. J. Hines. W. H. Bradley. F. D. Caldwell, Abe Holcraft. C. B. Thompson. Samuel Mattix. Henry Peter. J. A. Temple. Samuel Shipp. 1833: George Doty. H. Coleman. Moses Allen, A. W. Thomas. John Allen, F. Michael. 1834; Thomas Fisher, Pleas. Thompson. G. A. Smith, G. H. Addison. Lewis Brown. B. X. Legg, D. A. LeFerre. 1835; J. G. Frazer, William West. Samuel B. Thompson. John F. Shaw. R. R. Norris. John Thatcher. S. Strong. 1836: C. Harley. Mary E. Clark. Daniel Price, John Fulkerson. Asburv Vice, Darius Utz, J. P. Clark. A. S. Stoll, 1837; Janies Gaskill, C. W. Boyles, W. R. Alexander, Thomas Amos, 1838; J. J. Aughe, W. Reeves, J. C. Suit, 1839; J. Kirkendall, 1841 ; S. P. Fisher,

Ab. Wainscott. 1842; Moses Jacoby, W. M. Boggs. 1843: Andrew Catron, D. D. Dellinger, 1853; some of these will hardly pass as old settlers, yet such was the list.

Short addresses were made by some of the pioneers present : then dinner, picnic fashion: then Mrs. Xoah Bunnell read a paper, short talks by others. It was determined to perfect the organization, a committee was appointed to prepare a constitution, which soon reported, setting forth the name - Old Settlers' Union of Clinton County. - its officers and executive committee. The officers were to be forty-year residents of the countv. Tohn Earner was secretary of the union for all the years it held its reunions at Frankfort: Colonel Catterlin was the first president. John Pence, treasurer. Vice presidents were one for each township.

The second reunion - all these were held at the fair grounds - was held August 1 7. 1876. Three soldiers of the war of 1812 were present: Daniel

Myers, aged 86: Samuel Douglas. 83: and George Smith. 83. J. C. Suit made the address. After dinner Cicero Sims led a class in old-time singing. Manv present gave short talks. John Earner, the secretary, reported during the past year V. Johnston. G. \Y. Wilson. W. M. Rogers and Catherine Bunnell, pioneers, had died.

The third reunion was held August 16. 1877'. The attendance was large. Leander McClurg made the address. At 2 p. m. a photographer took the picture of all the old settlers in a group. C. Sims again led the singing. The following deaths were reported : Mahlon Thompson. Cle'lan Harlev.

David Young. John Allen. John Gray. J. T. Donward, Gershom Hendrix, Andrew Mclntire. Fanny Pareifal. M. Boyles. R. Gif en. Joseph Gray. Gideon Johnston. M. Fudge and Daniel Slipher. A letter was read from Mrs. Kilgore. 1826. A large number of old settlers responded at this meeting and made feeling talks, good feeling prevailed. Some described the good old times in which they had lived fifty years ago.

At the fourth reunion, held August i. 1878. Hon. J. X. Sims made the address, passing a merited eulogy upon the pioneers for their industry, enterprise and morality back at that good time. The singing was as usual, out of the Missouri Harmony. The deaths reported that year were Hosea Boggs, W. A. Brandon. John Rife. William Slayback. Xat Hendricks. William Blacker. C. Wolfe. Oscar Rogers. Fllis Squire. Sarah and David Ghere, Catherine Paris. Samuel Price. D. R. Miner. S. S. Burgess. Thomas Ewing.

The fifth reunion. August 21, 1899, was attended by a large crowd. Sam Vawter made the annual address. After the dinner and the usual singing. Governor J. D. Williams gave a thirty-minute address, listened to with great interest. A long and rapidly increasing list of the dead for the year was read: George Marsh. W. W. Tavlor, Stephen Allen, Mary Isgrigg, W. B.

Combs, Zoan Coleman, George Smith, Benjamin Begg, Phebe Storms, John Fickle. Daniel Licklitner. John A. Hopple. Dan Myers, G. W. Boulden, William West, Dr. Z. B. Gentry, Elizabeth Maish, widow of David Maish, Sr., Mrs. L. Routhe. A. Hamilton. Mary A. Cox. Henderson Ticen, Lee Wainscott, Samuel Merrick, Henry Fewell, Martha Brown and Mrs. Lucinda Whittaker.

The sixth reunion was held August 24. 1880. The address was bv Judge T. H. Palmer, who had prepared it with great care. It was mainly devoted to naming and paying tribute to the character of the early pioneers and describing the condition of the county fifty years ago and now. The usual death list was read by Secretary John Barner. which was very long. Some of the old settlers gave short talks. Judge Palmer's address was the event of that reunion.

The seventh reunion was held September 24, 1881. President Garfield had just died and suitable resolutions were adopted. Judge Tames V. Kent made the annual address, giving great credit to the pioneers who laid the foundation of the present happiness and prosperity. Pern- W. Gard, then the first mayor of Frankfort, responded in behalf of the city: his address was mainly reminiscent. A new set of officers was elected: X. T. Catterlin, president; John

Barner, secretary, re-elected: T. D. Armstrong, treasurer: vice presidents, one from each township : Wilson Seawright. Aaron H. Southard. Abner Baker,

John Young, T. P. Clark. J. F. Shaw, Moses Allen, Abram Holcraft, W. V. McKinney. John Pruitt. Jimmerson Rogers. B. F. Douglass and Joseph Hayes. The rest of the day was spent with short talks by the pioneers.

The eighth annual reunion was held September 14, 1882. This was not as largelv attended as the preceding meeting. Henry Y. Morrison delivered the welcome address : he spoke very feelingly to the old settlers present, alluding to those absent : he eulogized what the pioneers had done for the county. S. O. Bayless responded; his subject was "Progress." The deceased during the past year were Samuel Aughe. S. Douglas. John Pence, Joseph Aitkens. William Burgett, J. A. Maxwell, the first attorney of Frankfort. John H. and Samuel C. Dunn. Old officers re-elected.

The ninth reunion was held August 18. 1883. Owing to the illness of the president. Abram Holcraft presided. The entire forenoon was spent in eulogizing the old settlers who had passed away the preceding year. The roll was called: Cyrus Thompson, A. H. Southard, Sol Young, Sarah Gray, W. E. Dav, Dr. T. T. Wilds, William Harris and Hezekiah Strange. The address of the day was by Judge Joseph Claybaugh. It was pronounced by all as very able as well as interesting. In a graphic way he gave incidents of pioneer life. Col. John \Y. Blake, highly honored in civil and military life, also spoke. His father came before 1830 and started and conducted a ginseng factory, or dry house on the William Pence farm ; to him the early settlers sold their "sang," which he kiln-dried and sold.

The tenth annual reunion was held September 13, 1884. A large audience assembled in the fair grounds ampitheater. Cicero Sims and the Missouri Harmony Class did duty again as before. Capt. J. X. Sims addressed the assembled thousands, quite a number of relics, old books, olden histories, bric-a-brac, etc., were shown. Short addresses were made; many old settlers spoke, but those who came here in the thirties predominated in number. Of the older ones, Mrs. Douglas, Mrs. Blinn, Abner Baker, Samuel Anderson, J. D. Clark, Joseph Hays and wife, Jimmerson Rogers, Moses Allen and wife. John Barner. the efficient secretary, read the necrology of the past year; the list was a long one and while being read there was many a moist eye. Colonel Catterlin. who had sold the first merchandise in Frankfort, was the second sheriff of the county and had filled many honorable positions, Mrs. Cyrus Thompson, Benjamin Fernald, Mrs. Mary Barner. Hon. Leander McClurg, John Hamilton, J. F. Shaw, A. G. Ayers and others spoke feelingly.

The eleventh meeting of the old settlers was held August 15, 1885. After the opening exercises short addresses were called out: they were made bv Father Stafford. Dr. Earhart. Frank Taylor, Robert Baker and S. McDole. All these four were preachers except Dr. Earhart. This consumed the time until dinner, after which was singing as usual. B. H. Higinbotham and Judge Allen E. Page made the principal addresses. Isaac D. Armstrong and Mrs. Nancy Byers took prizes for being the oldest persons present. Then the secretary read the list of the dead for the past year: Susan Rogers. S. Fewell,

Susannah Clark, James G. Frazier, John Snyder, Mary Ghere, Catherine Broden. Cyrus Armentrout, P. K. Thomas. Nancy J. Sims, R. G. Sims and Charles Gum. John Young was chosen president of the union.

The twelfth meeting of the old settlers was held August 26, 1886. Moses Allen, a vice president, presided ; prayer by Rev. Ixnowland, now in his seventy-sixth year, read the minutes of the last meeting and the necrological list. James McDavis was chosen president ; John Ewing and I. D. Armstrong, vice-presidents. John Barner was continued for secretary. Selections were sung from the Missouri Harmony, C. Sims and D. M. Breckinridge leaders. The following aged ones were reported among the deceased: Jonas P. Clark, Anna and William Douglas, all at eighty-five at the time of their death. Mrs. Harriet Fetter, the first female resident born in Frankfort - to her the Paris store gave a suitable present; to William Strange, the first born male resident of the county, J. H. Miner gave a pair of boots.

The reunion of 1S87 was held August 21. The Rossville Band furnished the instrumental music. J. MacDavis presided; old-time singing as usual. U. B. McKinsey leading. Address of welcome was bv President Davis, response by R. G. Harshbarger. Judge Doyle made the principal address. A long list of pioneers, deceased, was read, among them : fohn Lee,

Isaac Cook, Mrs. Elizabeth Kilgore, first white woman that had come to the county; Mrs. Eliza Lucas. Jacob Pickard. Lucinda Clark. Richard Frazier. Samuel Anderson, FI. Young, S. McKinsey. Isaac Storms ,H. Gross. T. MacDavis elected president and twelve vice-presidents; John Earner, secretary; Thomas Lee, treasurer. Oldest pioneer lady present was Mrs. Lucinda Blinn. Quite an interest was shown over a lot of old-time relics exhibited, also autograph letters of General Tipton and William Hendricks.

1 he reunion of 1888 was held August 16. At this meeting the attendance was the largest ever seen at one of these reunions. J. MacDavis presided. John C. Odell, one of the old settlers of Carroll county and for years secretarv of the Old Settlers' Union there, was present and gave a verv interesting account of the good old days over in Carroll count}-, which was settled earlier than Clinton. Finley Paige, of Dayton. Tippecanoe countv. one of the very oldest settlers of the Battle Ground county, gave an interesting account of the settling of that county. The older of the pioneers were called forward on to the platform. Rev. John Kinder was a familiar figure: he read an oldtime hymn, "We are going through a vale of tears." The secretarv read a long list of the deceased : S. Anderson, D. B. Douglas. Ah. Shepherd. Alex.

McClain, John Frazier, B. F. Douglass. R. Hutchinson. IT Finney, W. Ewbank, Armanda LYger, A. F. Whitman. Abner Pence, D. R. Price, Sarah Armentrout, John Shaff, Dr. John M. Clark, Margaret Silverthorn, John Major, Fred Maish, Enos Hoover. James Smith. Sarah J. Campbell and a fewr others.

The reunion of 1889 was held August 17. The necrology was lengthy. More than forty of the old pioneers had died, among them Thomas S. Douglas, N. Watt, Daniel Hicks, S. O. Kern, James Gaster, Margaret Dorsey. This w'as a very interesting reunion. A nearer, later element, many who emigrated in the later thirties, took part. Old officers were all re-elected.

By the injection of the newer, younger element into these Old Settlers' Meetings the interest in the old pioneers wffio had been the oldest settlers waned and when the summer of 1890 came around no Old Settlers' Meeting was held. In fact, as strictly such, no meeting of the old pioneers was ever held afterward. All those who had come to the county in 1826, 1827 or 1828 nearly all had passed away; the age of the pioneers was gone, never to return.

Along in the early nineties an attempt to revive these meetings was made, the first of which was held in Gee's grove in Michigan township. The old organization did not assert itself. John Earner, who had so faithfully srved as secretary - he was in a sense the life of the Old Settlers Organization - all the years of its existence, died March 3 1 . r8f)2. and was no more.

A new organization was formed, the first meeting under which was held as stated in Gee's grove in 1894. The last secretary, who kept a faithful record of the deaths of the old settlers, was Mrs. William Kissinger. Iler last report, as published in the Frankfort newspapers, contained a long list of those who came in 1830 and subsequent years who had died the preceding year. This was the last list of deceased pioneers ever published. Dr. Thorp, an eminent physician practicing in Boyleston. became the secretary. The place of bolding the reunions was changed and has since been in the beautiful wood' iust north of Boyleston.

But the character of the meeting is entirely changed. It is an old settlers meeting onlv in name, an annual picnic held and enjoyed and attended by both voting and old. the latter decidedly in the minority. The day is given over to an address by some eminent speaker; friends and neighbors meet, exchange greetings, hear the address, eat dinner in the leafy grove, enjoy themselves and have a good time. The social quality of the meeting predominates: all goe' well, all are happy.