Crawford County, Indiana - Chapter 4: Pioneer Days of the Twenties, 1926

The board doing county business appointed these men as listers for 1825: Ohio township, Henry Conrad; Sterling; N. Tucker; Whisky Run, James Spencer; Patoka, John Wood; Jennings, Ben Wood. Their salary for assessing the people of those townships was: Ohio, $5; Sterling, $6; Whisky Run, $5; Patoka, $3, and Jennings, $2.

The above figures seem very small nowadays, but back in those days we did not have much money. There was no fixed currency. Spanish and other kinds of money ' passed as money here.

The election of 1824 saw no party lines like they have drawn now. In the west and north part of the county the people voted at the house of Samuel Knowles. The polls were open at Leavenworth and Fredonia too, but the writer did not secure the number of votes cast for the candidates, except for president, which was Jackson 34, Clay 45, and Adams 43.

The supervisors who had charge of the roads in Crawford County for the year of 1825, were: Old Salem Road, Seth Leavenworth and Thomas Barnes;

From Leavenworth's mill - Milltown to David M. Stewart's farm; Paoli road from Whisky Run lne to county line, Michael Harvey; Fredonia to intersect Mount Sterling road, James Glenn; from the Mount Sterling road at John McWilliams to the top of Otter Fork and Patoka on the Fredonia road, Thomas Flemming; from David M. Stewart's road to Little Blue River, James Suddarth; from the Sterling township road to the dividing line between Patoka and Sterling townships to the ford of the ereek below John Keeth's, William Land; from John Ruth's to the county line, Fountain F. Tucker; from Cornelius Hall's to the Orange County line, William Goodman; from Richard Weathers' farm to Archibald Sloan's, John Jewell; from A. Sloan's to the Three Forks of Little Blue, Andrew Kinkaid; on the Governor's old trail by A. Sloan's to the Orange County line, Josiah Anderson; from Mount Sterling to the Orange County line by Robert Sands' home, Laban Gregory; from the three forks of Little Blue to Enoch Rattin's farm to Patoka line, Enoch Rollin; on the Fredonia and Mount Sterling road beginning at Turkey Fork Creek and running to the Sterling township line, John Lynch; from the Ohio River to Princeton Ford and also up to Iolleroft's farm, Allen D. Thom; from Al. VanWinkle's to the Perry County line, Joseph VanWinkle; from Leavenworth to the Jennings township line west of town, Peter May; from Cole's Ford to Leavenworth, William May; from Solomon Rothrock's on his own road marked out by himself, Solomon Rothrock; on road from Chapin's to Mount Sterhng and Fredonia road, Augustus Chapin; from Leavenworth to the Whisky Run line on the old Salem road, Zebulum Leavenworth; from

The map I am placing here is as accurate as one can be made. Of course, slight errors occur in the direction of the roads but as far as is known the one enclosed is the nearest correct. The following table will help one to see what ones supervised certain roads. Those which I have left out, I have not been able to establish definitely: Seth Leavenworth - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1; Zebulum Leavenworth - 2 - 2 - 2 - 2; Thomas Barnes - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1; Peter Harwell - 3 - 3 - 3; Michael Harvey; James Glenn - 4 - 4 - 4; James Suddarth - 5 - 5 - 5; William lLand - 6 - 6 - 6; Thomas Flemings - 7 - 7 - 7; Fountain F. Tucker - 8 - 8 - 8 - 8; Josiah Anderson - 9I - I - 9I - I - 9; John Jewell - 10 - 10 - 10 - ; Andrew Kinkaid - 11 - 11 - 11; Laban Gregory - 12 - 12 - 12; Peter May - 13 - 13; Wiliam May - 14 - 14 - 14; Augustus Chapin - 16 - 16 - 16.

The others left out are not easily located. The old roads are now abandoned in many cases. In some cases one may see the strip through the woods where the old road ran. In some cases these roads were 60 feet wide with all trees and stumps cleared out of the way.

The election of 1824 was held and the votes brought into the county seat. Then some one was selected to carry the vote to Corydon which was the state capital then. On this occasion Martin Scott was selected to carry the vote to Corydon. He received $1.90 for making the trip.

James Totten, who lived in Whisky Run township, was elected county sheriff, and Robert S. Thom was appointed county treasurer for the year of 1825. Martin H. Tucker who was elected sheriff in 1822, resigned in August, 1824,

The commissioners elected in 1824 were Cornelius Hall, James Lyons, and Robert Yates, but most of the business was done by the Board of Justices.

One of the most disgusting conditions of the county was stray stock in these days. The small towns were generally well supplied. In 1824, Henry Conrad was ordered to build a stray pen into which all stray stock was driven. He was allowed $53.25 for the work. Of course he furnished the lumber for the pen.

The poor people of the county were cared for by men who were appointed to oversee the poor. The list in 1925 was James VanWinkle, Jennings; Tom Anderson, Sterling; John Ruth, Patoka; Pilgrim Pope, Whisky Run; Joseph Hanks, Ohio. As far as I can find out there was no definite period for their term of office.

Under one school law enacted in 1816, each congressional township was entitled to a superintendent. who would care for the sixteenth section. The men appointed in 1825 were: 1, Martin Scott, section 16, town 2 south, range 2 easi; A. Sloan, section 16, town 2 south, range 1 east; William Anderson, section 16, town 3 south, range 1 east; A. D. Thom, section 16, town 4 south,range 1 east; James Glenn, section 16 town 2 south, range 1 west; Peter Carmichel, section 16, town 2 south, range 2 west. Andrew Kinkaid was seminary trustee in 1825.

Under the old Constitution the board doing county business had the right to set the tax rates of various kinds. One finds in 1825, these rates set at which these articles may be sold: To keep a tavern (hotel) $25; run a ferry

One condition when the county seat was moved from Mount Sterling to Fredonia was that Thom was to build a court house, a jail, and an excellent road from the river up to the town. He promised that the road would be such that two horses could pull one ton up the hill easily. The board accepted the road in January, 1825, but William Course and Samuel Sands cast dissenting votes till they saw the two horses pull the ton up that river hill from the river to Posey street.

That same year General Thom's old mill near Fredonia, and Gregg and Danford's mill on Blue, near Fredonia, were operating and grinding for the farmers.

The same year, July 5, 1825, a man died at James Brown's home. The county authorized Andrew Byers to make a box for him. No one kept coffins in those days, so when a man died, some one generally made a coffin for him. Prices ranged from $3 to $7 apiece.

David Rice was given a license to sell goods for one year and William Reynolds was allowed a license to keep a hotel or tavern in Leavenworth. Nancy Cockran of Fredonia opened up a hotel and took out license for the

Malachi Monk became overseer of the poor for Whisky Run township and Henry Conrad of Fredonia became pound master and constable of Ohio township.

Moses Smith of near the Three Forks of Little Blue was superintendent over the road from the Blue River Meeting House to Old Mount Sterling.

Thomas W. Fox became a hotel kepeer in Fredonia in September, 1826, and David Rice took out store license to sell foreign goods for one year.

In November, 1826, the road from Fredonia was ordered opened to the mouth of Little Blue River, and a ferry was put over the Little Blue at Jonathan Rice's farm.

Zebulum Leavenworth, who lived in Leavenworth, wished the county seat moved from Fredonia to Leavenworth. In November, 1826, he introduced a resolution to the effect that the bonds and contracts made between Thom and the county had all been expired for some time, and the contracts had never been complied with in full any time. The board concurred in the resolution. The jail had not been completed on time was about all that was not complied with. Later it was completed and given to the county. Leavenworth kept working to get the county seat moved. He had a special meeting of the board called on March 9, 1827. The committee whose duty it was to re-locate the county seat was opposed to moving the seat. of justice. The committee consisted of Henry McGee of Orange County, John McPheters, and Robert McIntire of Washington County, George Boon of Harrison County, and David Barr of Jackson County. These men met at Fredonia on March 5, 1827, and were sworn by Allen D. Thom, but after due consideration decided against re-locating it. |

Frequent reference is made to John Toney, who lived near Blue River meeting house where English now stands, about 1827. He was one of the leading citizens of the vicinity for many years.

The land tax set in Crawford County at the May meeting of the board in 1827, divided the land into three classes: First class, 100 acres, $1.25; second class, 100 acres, $1, and third class, 100 acres, .75.

To sell stoves the fee was $10; to keep hotel in Fredonia, $6; to keep a hotel at Leavenworth, $4; and other towns, $2; other licenses were listed as follows: silver watches, .50; brass clocks, $1.50; oxen, 3714c a yoke.

fine on the roads. Back in those days men were more moral about swearing than they are now. Martin Scott was fined for swearing on one occasion. Ephraim Conrad was fined 25c for an assault July 2, 1827. He plead guilty and paid his fine.

The election of 1827 was hotly contested in Crawford County. Seth M. Leavenworth was elected to represent Crawford County in the General Assembly, but Gorry Jones who lived down near Alton contested the election of Mr. Leavenworth. Of course Fredonia did not want Mr. Leavenworth sent to Indianapolis because he was always trying to get the county seat moved. The board doing county business met at Fredonia August 22, 1827. James Smith and others were witnesses. The board members were William Good, James Flinn, John Wood, Jeremiah Tadlock, William Blackford, Julius Woodford, John MeMichel, David Rigg, Alen Thom, and Zebulum Leavenworth. Seth M. Leavenworth moved to reject the testimony offered on the ground that Abraham Bland was not. notified of the test. The motion was overruled. The fact of the matter was that William Course who was the inspector since the one chosen could not serve. The judges were James B. Davidson and Joel Lyons.: The clerks were Abraham Bland and Samuel Sarrel. Gorry Jones claimed that they received illegal votes willingly, among whom were Moses Scott, James Carpenter, William ITooten, David Swander, Ephraim Westfall, and John Mansfield. If the Leavenworth precinct was thrown out, then Seth Teavenworth would probably lose the election. After hearing the discussion on both sides the board voted on the motion to throw out the Leavenworth precinct. Those in favor of throwing out the precinct were Mesen, Good, Rice, Thorn and Grigg. Those against throwing out the precinct were . Mesen, McMichael, Wood, Flinn, Tadlock, Blackwell, Woodford, and Zebulum Leavenworth. Then Seth Leavenworth was declared elected. He was a Whig.

September 3, 1827, Allen D. Thom made a motion that all that part of Perry County which had been detached from Perry County should be made into a new township called Union. The territory previously had been joined to Patoka.

Two new roads were opened up on January 3, 1827. The road from Fredonia to Alton and the road from Nathaniel Hollcroft's farm to go west and intersect the Princeton road near Turkey Fork. Nathaniel Hollcroft, John Lynch, and Joseph Van Winkle were to open this road.

The campaign of 1828 was a warm one in Crawford County. The many friends of Andrew Jackson made a warm fight for his election. The vote was close in the county. Jackson had 230 votes and Adams 206 votes. Seth M. Leavenworth was elected in 1828 but he lost his popularity when he advocated railway system. The speech he made in full may be found in the Journal about that time, March 20, 1827. For that reason men favored Zebulum Leavenworth. James Totten was elected sheriff; E. E. Morgan was recorder. The vote of the election was gathered up and taken to Rome by Sheriff Totten. From there the vote went to Indianapolis. Totten was allowed $5 for taking the polls. The election of 1828 was held in

The leading hotel keepers in 1828 have been John L. Smith of Leavenworth, also to sell goods. Seth Leavenworth to keep a hotel, too, and Daniel Lyon.

In May, 1829, Naney Grimes was caught swearing and fined one dollar. This is the first record I have found where a lady was fined for swearing.

An outer door for the jail was needed very much. E. E. Morgan made one for $20. There was not much chance to eseape from the jail. Samuel Clark, Ephraem Conrad, Edwin Martin, and Elias O'Bannon were paid $2.75 each for guarding the jail when D. Buras was in the jail. Later John Sloan built the door for $30.

In September efforts to open up a,road from Leavenworth to Hartford were made. The road was to go up the town hill a little below the Big Spring branch. Elam Wiley, Wiliam Anderson, and John Landiss were authorized to open this road, but at present nothing was done. Later John L. Smith, James G. Sloan, Ephraem Standiford were appointed on the above road and completed it in due time.

was obtained from the State Library at Indianapolis. The author was fortunate to secure the valuable information shown here. The copy in the State Library is a photostat of the original made in 1820. The names of people given are just the heads of families. In some cases the names were very illegible.

The census of 1820 was taken by David M. Stewart in Crawford County. One may see the original copy in Washington City. It cost $300 to secure a copy of the census of 1820. From the copy one has selected the following list of householders and citizens. For the benefit of the, reader, the author has arranged the following list of names alphabetically :