Elkhart County, Indiana - Chapter 4, 1881 (part 1 of 3)

Chapter 4

In their own circle, within St. Joseph county, the pioneers have done much that deserves honorable mention. It is true that the fame of a Washington and the terribly earnest patriotism of a Montgomery have not been their share; bat there is no reason whatever to suppose that, did circumstances create an opportunity, those courageous men, who battled with all the obstacles which life in this Western wilderness presented, and conquered them, would not have risen to the highest grades in military affairs, and carved for themselves a name as proud and enviable as that which pertains to our greatest heroes from the period of Independence down to the present. Providence ordained another, and, perhaps, more useful, career for the pioneers. Their fathers fought the good fight for liberty, and in after years, when the old tyrant, aided by this fierce and ignorant Indian ally, attacked the integrity of the Eepublic, those very pioneers rushed to arms, and dismantled every position held by their unprincipled and barbarous opponents. A term of peace ensued, and in accordance with divine economy, they hung up their war accoutrements and entered upon the paths which lead 1,0 a country's greatness.

The late Dr. E. W. H. Ellis has, in his enjoyable prose, shown very precisely the gradual development of this district, the industrial characteristics of the first settlers, and the appropriate names which they bestowed upon these beautiful gardens or prairies which gave them subject for congratulation. His descriptions of those early days have been often quoted by many writers, and yet continue to present to modern querists much information that is not only sound, hut also very acceptable. An attempt to paraphrase the writings of that good man would form a subject to meet with condemnation, since the honest chronicler deems it a high point of honor to give justice where justice pointeth. Therefore, by way of introduction to the first tide of immigration, his complete reminiscences of the period immediately preceding the organization of Elkhart county are thus given.

IS'orthern Indiana is celebrated for tlie beautiful chain of prairies which extend across the State, through the northern tier of counties, and adds so much to the beauty of the country and helps to swell the statistical tables of production. "For wherever is a prairie, there is a spot of land, every inch of which is under cultivation; a garden spot of wealtli and loveliness. Thus we find Brushy Prairie, in Steuben county; English, Pretty and Mongoquanong, in Lagrange; Elkhart Prairie, Two-Mile and Pleasant Plains, in Elkhart; Portage and Terre Coupee, in St. Joseph; Polling and Door Prairies, in La Porte. The prairies have been named commonly from some circumstance connected witJi their appearance or history. Brushy Prairie was covered with a low brush instead of the usual green-sward, and hence its name. Pretty Prairie was thus named by reason of its exceeding loveliness, and English Prairie on account of its early settlement by a few English families, Mongoquanong was the name of an Indian town near where Lima now stands. Under this name Lagrange and Steuben counties were once attached to Elkhart county as a township, and Ephraim Seeley, of that territory, was a member of our County Board. Elkhart Prairie was named from the Elkhart river which skirts its southern and western lines. The origin of the name Elkhart is not certainly known, but is said to be derived from the Indian name of the island at the mouth of the river which was thought to resemble the heart of an Elk. Elk horns were frequently found in the vicinity of the rivei-, one of which, picked up near Benton, once adorned the ofiice of the Goshen Democrat^ standing up some si.x feet in height. Manv of our readers will also remember the tavern sio-n which swnna: in the wind for many years at the " Hoosier's East,'' as Billy Wil-kinson's hotel on the prairie was then termed. Its name was the " Elkhart Inn," and it was illustrated with a fat and thrifty elk, and beneath it what the painter designed for a Jieart, evidently copied from some ancient pasteboard used in the delectable game of old sledge.

Two-Mile Plain, directly east of the town of Elkhart, was so called for its length np and down the St. Joseph. Pleasaat Plain is that pleasant little garden spot, containing a little over a section of land immediately south of the city of Elkhart. Portage Prairie was so termed because at its eastern end was the portage, where the early French missionaries and the Indians transported or carried their canoes from the St. Joseph river to the head waters of the Kankakee. Terre Coupee was so named from its richness of soil, a land of plenty. Eolling Prairie is a high, rolling ground, an unusual feature in our chain of prairies, and therefore distinguished by this appellation. Door Prairie is only a translation of the term La Porte, and is the name given to two prairies, or a double prairie, separated by a thin belt of wood with a natural opening of a few rods in width, like a door passing from one prairie to the other. At an early dav this feature was well marked, and attracted wide attention.

The prairies were greedily pounced upon by the settlers, nothing being required for the opening of a farm but to turn over the green sward and plant the crops, thus preparing the way for the hardy pioneers who hewed down the old forests, and carved out by their strong arms the homes of beauty and thrift now scattered through the land. The first settlers all concur in describing the virgin prairies as spots of surpassing loveliness. The ground was covered with a thrifty growth of grass, and embellished with flowers of every hue, and of entrancing beauty. Our old -' prairie chieftain," Col. John Jackson, was so captivated with the beauty of Elkhart Prairie, when in 1815, under the command of old Mad Anthony "Wayne, he aided in the destruction of the Indian villages at the head of the prairie, that he selected a location for his future domicil, and nearly 15 years afterward came to reside upon it as one of our first settlers.

An Indian trail from Fort^Wayne to St. Joseph came through the Elkhart bottom, passed along the eastern side of the prairie and through the present site of Goshen. The remains of the Indian

Histuet Of Elkhart Couiitt

Most of the early settlers of Elkhart Prairie have passed to their final resting places in the invisible land. Among those we recollect of 36 years ago were Col. John .Jackson, still hale and vigorons, at the age of S3; Mark B. Thompson, his nearest neighbor; Elias Kiggs, an old man even then; Hiram Morehouse, the second husband of Mrs. Weddell; the Widow Irwin, her nearest neighbor; William Wilkinson, mine host of the Elkhart Inn ; Samuel Stutsman, who always came to town barefoot; James Fi-ier, who owned the most acres on the prairie, and died in California; Christopher Myers; Elias Purl; Oliver Crane, who, coming from the vicinity of Goshen, New York, gave name to the town, and was the first county agent for sale of lots in the new county seat; Christian Shonp, the sturdy old Jackson Democrat, who, if alive, would still vote for Old Hickory; the Gripes, a remnant of whom are still with us; Rev. Balser Hess, and a numerous family of lusty boys; Major John W. Violett, the first Recorder of Elkhart county, and his sons; Azel Sparklin, a worthy local preacher of the Methodist Church; Jndge James Latta, one of the first Associate Judges, who aided in holding the first court in the county, and Mr. Weybright.

On Two-Mile Plain there were at that date one of the Comptons; Sterne Bronson, the well-known nursery man; Abel Randolph, his neighbor; James Middleton; Allen Tibbits, father-in-law of Col. Henry G. Davis, a shrewd, enterprising man; Jacob Ellis, a worthy Presbyterian Elder, who hung out his shingle for the entertainment of man and beast, and who a few years since departed for his long home, full of years and beloved by all.

On the northeast corner of Pleasant Plain, in a very humble log cabin, lived Wm. Kinzie, whose wife was a noted fortune-teller, and was visited by lads and lasses from far and near. He was a brother of Major John H. Kinzie, the first white child born in Chicago, and the proprietor of the old Lake House. West of him was the farm and residence of Samuel Harris, who, with his rich freehold of half a section, was regarded as a king among the farmers, and cultivated more extensive])' than any others in that region. He was a man of reading and observation, much respected for every good quality. He died suddenly in ISiO, and was buried on the old homestead, which has since passed into the hands of the well-known financier, Levi Smith. Horace Cook lived on the south side of the plaiu, on what was known afterward as the Coquillard farm. Several branches of the Meader family occupied tenant houses around the prairie, and one of thena, David Meader, afterward became the owner of a beautiful farm on the school section.

In 1S28 Thomas Thomas arrived in the district. The country was wild then, and comparatively unsettled by white men. The Miamis and Pottawatomies were actually masters of the. situation; but possessing a peculiar knowledge of the power of the coming race, those savages did not venture into acts of hostility. George Crawford i-esided at the bend of the river, near Elkhart; Chester Sage built his home on the north bank of the St. Joseph river, and John Nicolls located a short distance west of Elkhart. At this time a patriarchal man was known in the neighborhood, but like jSToffsinger, to whom reference has been already made, he was a hermit, who did not associate with the settlers, nor seem to admire their advances. He, too, vanished without leaving even his name behind. Toward the close of the year 1828 and the beginning of 1S29 the settlements of Elkhart met with a few additions in the persons of Major Violett, W. Chance, Thomas Smith, Mrs. Yail, Ira Jackson, J. E. Thompson, Pi,. Push, J. Hess, B. F. Pearman, B. Hess, S. Banger, Mrs. E. Banta, D. Mattiiews, Eli Snmmey, Daniel Ganger, and perhaps three others whose names have escaped the memories of the representative old settlers now living. It is not too much to say that each and every one of them acted well his part and prepared a way for those who were destined to follow the trail which they had blazed or marked. In 1S29 the pioneers learned that the Legislature had organized the northern portion of the State into representative districts, and annexed their territory to Allen county for judicial purposes. This ordinance of the State was prolific with good results. Though nothing of a discordant character e.Kisted among the first settlers to call for legal supervision, the weekly additions to their numbers led thera to conclude that the time had come for the introduction of a legal tribunal, and accordingly they hailed the action of the Legislature with joy. Seeing that their labors in the north were appreciated by the collective wisdom of the State and dispositions made for the regular government of their territory, those industrious harbingers of prosperity settled down to the cultivation of their farms; so that during the fall of 1820 all the beautiful characteristics of the people of early days were to be witnessed and the innocency of their institutions to be admired. When we look back to those comparatively happy days of the past, when man may be considered to have lived in the enjoyment of primeval bliss, the words of the old cynical poet, " As science advances, men decay," are brought out in relief, and tell us after all that peace and happiness are not synonymous with science.

We will take a synopsis of the manners and customs of those early settlers. In the first instance many came with only moderate means; they had to clear the forest and erect their log cabins; before a thought could be given to the cultivation of the land so cleared, and even afterward, when the fertile soil began to yield bountiful fruits, many deemed it wise to sell their squatter's claim to some immigrant, and push westward still through forest and. prairie, oftentimes repeating a settlement followed by a sale, until one family could boast of being the first colonist in many townships, and perhaps in a few States. An old settler, in reviewing the earlier years of his life in ISTorthern Indiana, speaks of the unanimity which then existed, and ascribed the happiness of the society of that period to their dependence upon one another. In regard to the manners and customs of the pioneers, he says: '' As little use was then made of cattle or horses in rolling logs, it required many|men to do so; so that between log-rolling and cabinraisings, we were together several days in each week,-for a month or two in the spring of the year. There was another cause of o-atheriug us together in the fall season. These fresh bottoms yielded such amounts of corn as the natives of older and poorer parts of the Union would have been astonished to see. I know this was the case with myself. This corn was pulled from the stalk, and it required a tall man to reach many of the ears, and if he were a low man or a boy he had to pull the stalk down to himself. After being pulled it was hauled into large long piles, to be stripped of its husks at night; hence every night in the week except Sunday night we were at a ' husking bee' in the corn-gathering time. At these corn huskings there was much good feeling and innocent humor. Generally the corn heap was divided into two parts, by laying rails or poles across it, as nearly equal as could be guessed at, and two respectable men constituted captains, who, by alternate choice, divided the men and boys into two equal companies, and then we went to work with as much earnestness as the French and allied armies at the battle of Waterloo, but with none of their unkind feelings and murderous purposes. This good-natured strife would last without intermission from three to six hours; for sometimes, when there was a prospect of finishing a large pile, we would work till near midnight. Another thing which made these spring and fall gatherings most interesting and pleasant, was the number of females who attended them; not, however, to roll the logs, raise the cabins, husk the corn, but to assist in preparing the food for those who were doing the outdoor work; so that wlien the men and boys came in at meal time they found the long temporary table spread, and smiling women and girls to welcome them to wholesome and plain food. Although there was but little of that shyness and restraint imposed by the conventional rules of what is called refined society, yet, I must say, I fully believe there never was a greater number of truly virtuous men and women, lads and lasses, in any settlement of the same size on this green earth.

-' One thing more made our fall meeting most delightful. In the early settlement of the country, the luxuriant vegetation in a state of decay and the dense fogs in August and September gave many of us the ague, which we generally permitted to take its course and leave us of its own accord. Sometimes, however, we used to take pills, made from the inner bark of the white walnut, or butternut as some call it, and drink a kind of herb tea. Did you ever have a long siege of the ague, when you could have the chill or shake in the morning, the fever about noon, and toward evening eat like a half-starved dog'^ If you have never had this experience, you never knew what a pleasure it is to eat fat pork, wild turkeys, venison hams, pumpkin pies, and corn bread, after the ague has wholly gone, about corn-husking time. It will be perceived I say nothing about harvest-gathering, and for this good reason, - we had none, or nearly none; for our lands, while fresh, though they would bring cords of straw, would not yield good wheat. Tlie aristocratic feelings produced by unsanctiiied wealth on the one hand, and the envy and jealousy of the evil part of the indignant on the other, which make two castes in older communities, and that hateful political chasm, as deep, as wide and vile as ever intervened between the Jews and Samaritans, and which now divides the Whigs and Democrats of our day, were then unknown; so that when we met at any of our business, social or religious meetings, we met as a band of brothers and sisters. If the males could get good wool hats, good common shoes (I suppose thei'e was not a pair of fine boots in the settlement) and home-spun clothes, we felt as contented, perhaps more so, than in the richest costniae of the present dav. If the females could o-et a:ood calico sun bonnets, or something a little in advance of these, o-ood cotton gowns, in most cases the work of their own hands, from the picking, carding, spinning, dyeing and weaving, up to the making, and other things in keeping with these, they would have felt themselves prepared for the respectful attentions of any gentleman in these United States. Indeed, I have seen the most worthy of both sexes at meeting with moccasins on their feet. The most perfect in the symmetry of their persons, and most accomplished in their minds, - for to some extent they had mental accomplishments, - would have soon have thought of drowning themselves as to have cramped the free breathing of tlieir lungs, and the healthy flow of their heart's warm blood, by the present foolish, wicked, and most suicidal practice of tight-lacing and other kindred vices of modern times. And be it remembered they enjoyed the comfort and utility of their wise course; for many of them, when they became mothers, could spin, weave, mend, wash, sew, and knit for large families, and be cheerful and merry at night, and vigorous and lively in the morning. When I see many poor languid females of the present day that are mere apologies for wives and mothers, who, if they have to take care of one or two children without a nurse, and make a few calico gowns, and some of them not even these, and do a few otlier small matters, seem to think that they are about to die with liard times, I feel almost irrepressible emotions of indignation and pity - indignation at the injury which folly and false kindness have done them, and pity for the real sufi^rings of the poor, unfortunate and unhappy creatures. Let the thoughtful reflect and avoid misery by avoiding its cause; for none can do violence to nature without suftering the penalty of that violence; nature will ever avenge her injured rights."

There is more truth than poetry in this vivid description of the earlier settlers; but in many respects the latter part may be considered transcendental ; because, though there is much to be deplored in the habits and customs of modern times, it will be found that the ladies who are treated so very severely bj' this old conversationalist, are actually urged to an indulgence in the evils of fashion by the men, and cannot very well cast aside their allegiance to the pet conventionalities of the times in which they live. Yet there are far too many ladies who worship the god of fashion as there are men who adore mammon. From the moment a lady begins to live under the fascinating influence of such a worship, she becomes simply an animated figure out of a milliner's fashion sheet, and so by degrees her mind is alienated from the true pursuits of woman, and she is only capable of dreaming of gaudy habiliments, of disturbing family harmony, or, as is often the case, of urging on a simple, loving husband, oi- kind, indulgent father to bankruptcy with all its consequent miseries and evils. The foolish woman, who at short intervals receives dress bills similar to the one subscribed, scarcely deserves recognition, and when she falls from her high state, as she generally does, years of burning anguish and thoughts of parted magnificence lead her to a grave.

Material

Fashion has proved the ruin of many. The foregoing bill becomes terribly grotesque in its varied items, but when we make a survey of some "Belle Helene " as she does the promenade, surrounded with all the gay trappings of a costly dress, we are led to inquire further into modern styles.

The most recent caprice, and one whose antecedents will be easily recalled, is the nearly full skirt, simply hemmed and tucked. A costume with such a skirt is made of navy blue, and is extremely stylish. The front and sides of the body portion are cut in basque shape, with its side-back skirt inclining to the coat-tail effect, and with the front skirt falling over the front and side gores, like those of an ordinary skirt. The backs, however, extend from neck to hem in princess style, and near the waste-line seam extra luUuess is cut on and folded under, so as to produce the effect of two double box plaits, this disposal of the fullness in all the skirts or dresses of this description being more popular than the earlier plan of shirring at the back. Another feature in the costume is the adjustable hood, a style said to have been introduced by the celebrated English beauty, Mrs. Langtry, or the "Jersey Lily," as she has been appropriately called. A handsome cord ornament extends from the hood point to the left side-back seam. The end npon the hood is hooked in place, and a loop is made at the right side-back seam, so that when the hood is not worn the Brandenbourg or cord ornament may cross the back. The skirt of this costnme is finished at the bottom with three wide tacks and a hem of the same width. To add decoration to this costume would destroy its style, and tlierefore we suggest none. If personally desired, however, any trimming preferred may be added.

An elaborate short costume of the real princess order, with added draperies, is made of fine camel's hair, with decorations of a hairstriped corduroy of a light texture. The costume fabric is linden green, and the corduroy is bottle green. Chenille fringe, matching the latter shade, is used upon the side draperies. The fitting is done in the manner usual to princess garments, a perfect adjustment being the result. Just now the glove fit is a desideratum, in consec[uence of the knitted and clinging Jersey waists first introduced by the " Jersey Lily," and taking the name from her pet title. Two sets of plaited draperies, each having corduroy revers, are added to the sides and slope away from the center, leaving a space that is overlaid with three double box plaits of corduroy. The lower scarfs extend only to the side-back seams, and while the upper ones are also tacked at this seam, an extra length allowed on each falls in careless points at the back, after being lined with corduroy. A vest, collar, lapels, and cuff facings of corduroy, with a band of corduroy at the bottom of a box plaiting applied to the skirt back of the outer corduroy plaits, complete this stylish costume in a very handsome manner.

ISTow it is true that snch bills are too prevalent. That they have even a small share in fostering national industries is very doubtful, while it is acknowledged that they entail financial ruin on thousands, and a proportionate moral and physical ruin on the chief actors. These facts, as it is hoped, will become generally acceptable in the near future, and after the long term devoted to the follies and busy activities of the time, men and women will regain some of that knowledge which insured a moral and physical greatness to their progenitors, and thus become endowed with all these faculties of mind and body that may possibly lead to results - to deeds at present undreamed of. Those early settlers possessed many proud reminiscences. Within a very brief period after settlement, and while yet their unfenced fields showed no signs of the budding grain, which their industry consigned to the fertile soil, the attention of the pioneers was turned to more scientific, though less economical, labors. ITothing less than the weird remembrancers of the aborio-ines claimed their leisure hours, and as such were abundant, their examination offered to the settlers sufiicientgrounds on which to base their speculative philosophy. Israel Hess opened an Indian mound near the jSTine-Mile Lake and found therein the cheek-bone of a Caucasian with teetli intact, remnants of burned bones, ashes and cinders, which at the time were considered by him to be the remains of some white men burned at the stake. jSTear his residence are many more such monuments, with which he has not interfered; but he presumes they were formed by the Indians, and therefore do not claim a prehistoric character. That over-zealous missionaries and rash explorers have met death at the hands of the Miamis and Pottawatomies is conceded; that many of such men entered the territory of those savages and never returned to their people are facts established; but who the victims were, and the precise dates of their fatal visits to the villages of the red men, will forever remain blanks in the pages of history. The shocking cruelty, of their executioners shall be stamped indelibly upon the same pages, and break upon the wondering gaze of future generations as a record of a race long vanished into well-merited oblivion. Not all the kindnesses which the country may shower upon them can effectually tend to prolong their presence here. The last prayers for vengeance, escaping with the last breaths of a thousand brave but helpless pioneers of civilization, have been heard by the God of Nature, and He has meted out the terrible trials wliich now pursue the Indian through life, and opens up for him the immediate dreary prospect of witnessing the total annihilation of his race. It is true that the early settlers of Elkhart suffered few material wrongs from the bands of savages surrounding them; but yet no thanks are due to the barbarians for this grace, because even at that early date they looked on the swift advance of the sons of civilization, and being powerless to retard it, awaited calmly the good or evil which the Great Spirit might bestow upon them. If a man may judge so far as human reason leads him to think, the Great Spirit of the tribes disdained to accept thoir ofi'erings of blood, listened to the death shrieks of their victims instead, and by degrees banished the Indian bands from their Edenic villages into the

Every legend of the Miaaiis, every reminiscence of our pioneers, point out the St. Joseph country as a happy valley. Fish swarmed in its lakes and rivers, deer and bears in its forests, wild fruits flourished upon its prairies, and primeval happiness dwelt in its villages; but the hour at length came when the child of art arrived to possess himself of all these. Then the untamed children of the forest were driven to seek other homes, and with their departure the fish and forest animals may be said to migrate; for where ISTature supplied her worshipers hitherto, she willed that the white man should only be rewarded in proportion to his industry, and thus left him to extract from the soil just so much as his labor warranted, and little of that great all which was shared by the lazy and barbarous aborigines. That he has succeeded in improving upon nature in this respect is manifest. Though the rivers do not contain myriads of large fish, oi- the forests wild animals, or the prairies do not yield wild fruits now as in days long past, it will be seen that the waters, turned into other channels, set a hundred mill-wheels turning; the trees of the forest have been converted into substantial buildings, substructures for the iron rail or devoted to other branches of industry, and the prairies bend, as it were, under the weight of golden grain, the seeds of which were planted by man and reared up a hundred-fold to perfection by nature. Komance alone can feel any sorrow for the change. It is progress pure and simple, and in its advance the pioneers were the principal actors.

The First Records The Cart Mission

General Brown, who with others made an exploratory trip in 1S26 from Tecnaiseh in Michigan, to the Gary mission on the St. Joseph, opposite the location of the present city of Niles, in recapitulation of his reminiscences of those early times, says the Gary mission was a rather noted point at that time, and the party were anxious to see for themselves what the character of the intervening country was, there being different rumors as to its capability for settlement and cultivation. The party consisted of Gen. Brown; his brother-in-law, Musgrove Evans ; Dr. Galeb N. Ormsby, then in Tecumseh as a physician, and Horace Wolcott, from Gonnecticut, who had come to Michigan the year before to settle as a merchant or Indian trader. They set out in the month of May on horseback, with ten days' provisions, taking the Indian trail on the north side of Evans' creek. After passing the lake at the head of the creek, which had previously been named after Mr. Evans, they came upon another small lake, which they all thouglit was the prettiest sheet of water for its size and surroundings they had ever seen. They had some discussion as to what it should be named, and finally agreed upon calling it " Sand Lake." They wei'e about (as was the habit then") to christen it by that name, in some tonic they had taken along as niedicine, but by some mishap their tonic-bottle had all leaked out, and that partof the ceremony was omitted. They there took the Ghicago trail, on or near the present line of the Ghicago road, intending to follow it to the Gary mission. None of the land west of Lenawee county was then in market, nor was the country even laid off into counties for more than three years afterward. They crossed the upper part of the St. Joseph river about where the village of Jonesville now is. After leaving Tecumseh they found (404) no settlers or whits persons until they came to White Pigeon Prairie, where they found a man by the name of Hale, located there as a -' squatter," there being no laud there to be purchased at that time. The first land offered for sale in what is now the counties of Hillsdale, Branch and St. Joseph being in October, 1S28, and m Cass and Berrien in June, 1S29, and in 1S31.

At the time of the Sauk war, in 1832, when Gen. Brown went west, he found the same Mr. Hale on Door Prairie, Indiana, having a well-cultivated farm and good buildings, and was invited to stay over night with him, which he did.

Further on in their trip they found a Mr. Beardsley, on what they called Beardsley 's Prairie; he had come up from Indiana with cattle, horses, sheep, etc. Whilst the party were there they saw a flock of sheep come running for home with some wolves chasing them. Mr. Beardsley and his boys set their dogs after the wolves, and they kept them off from the sheep, and then went off after the wolves and had not returned when Gen. B. and the party went on. Here they turned aside a little from the direct Chicago trail, in order to call upon an Indian trader named Coutieau, a Frenchman, living near or a little south of where the village of Bertrand is now, and who had been at Tecuraseh on an Indian trading expedition, and had there met Gen. B. and some of the others. They took dinner with Mous. Coutieau and his wife, both French Catholics, and friendly and polite people, From this trading post they went on in the afternoon to Cary mission, a distance of about ten miles. It happened to be Sunday when they arrived there, and they found about one hundred Indian boys enjoying themselves outdoors, who were pleased to see four white men ride up on horseback; and they expressed their delight in Indian boy fashion, hooting and yelling, and taking'hold of the bridles and stirrups, and even of the ponies' tails, which they were allowed to do, as the party knew they meant no mischief, but rather friendship by it. Gen. Brown rode a large saddle-horse, which he had brought from the East, and the boys did not seem to want to take hold of his tail, as they did of those of the Indian ponies, which the rest of the party rode, and to which kind of horses they were more accustomed. The party stayed some time at the mission, enjoying the hospitality of Mr. McCoy, the principal of the station, and his wife. They and the other missionaries and their wives, and the assistants, seemed to live in common with the Indians - only that there was some difference between the supply of the table " above the salt " for the whites at their end of the table, from what it was " below the salt " for the Indians at their end, as well as some difference in manners and fashion of eating. The mission had a large, well-cultivated farm, with twelve milch cows on it, and otlier stock in proportion. The party saw a large batteau on the river, and upon inquiry -as to whose it was, they were told that it was Mr. Coutieau's, which he had lent to them to bring some goods up the river. The mission was a Baptist institution, established for the conversion and civilization of the Indians. They had a large store full of goods and supplies, getting, however, most of their living from the farm, and plenty of game from the Indians. After the treat}' held there in 1S2S the Indians moved west, and Mr. McCoy and some of the missionaries went with them. Whilst the party were there Mr. McCoy had inquired of Gen. Brown if he iinew of any young man who could be got to come out there, and who would make a good business manager for them. Gen. B. replied that he thought perhaps he could find some one, and on his return home he spoke to Calvin Britain, then a young man in his own employ, and induced him to go out to the mission in the capacitj' wanted. Mr. Britain remained there some time, and afterward moved down to the mouth of the St. Joseph river, and became a prominent business man and politician, serving as State Senator in the first and second State Legislatures, and in other public positions.

On their return to Tecumseh the party came back direct by the Chicago trail, until they came to the last crossing of the St. Joseph river, near where Jonesville now is, finding Messrs. Beardsley and Hale still the only white settlers on the route. On the way back, near the above crossing, they encountei'ed a severe rain storm, and their punk and everything being wet, they found it impossible to make a fire, and so they slept with their heads on their saddles and covered tliemselves with such blankets as they had along with them. Here they were told of a trail to Tecumseh, said to be shorter and better than the one by which they came out. This went round by lake Manitoo, as the Indians called it, or Devil's lake, as it was afterward named by the white settlers, as they thought the Manitoo of the Indians was more of a devil than of a good spirit. When they came to the passage between the two lakes, as they thought that tlieir horses would not wander off' very far, they all took off" their saddles and bridles, so as to rest their horses better. In the morning they found them all gone, but getting on their tracks, they found them about a mile off'. As soon as possible

The year 1S30 opened up a scene of rural happiness to the passing traveler, as ^vell as offered subject for congratulation to the thrifty settlers. Hundreds of acres were already fenced in, and at intervals might be seen the log cabins of the pioneers, with the stacked harvest of the preceding years ranged adjacent. The country was then replete in its beauty; the singularly interesting monotony of the wild woods was varied by the tracts of cultivated prairie, and the presence of the dark-eyed Indian was relieved by the proximity of the white man. Xever in the history of man, was man so favored as he of those early days. Solidarity of interests joined all the settlers in a bond of brotherhood, the strength of whose ties tended to render their loves paternal and their friendships lasting. On the completion of their spring farm labors the pioneers did not seek a rest, but at once turned their attention away from manual work and set the mental powers in motion, so that their political condition might advance hand in hand with that social pre-eminence which they held even then. They perused the statutes of the State with all the industry of tlie studious, and having made such deductions therefrom as led them to believe that their settlements were up to the standard required for organization, into a county, they at once claimed their rights, and before the ripening grain recalled them to their fertile fields, had actually succeeded in establishing for themselves a county and a local government. In reviewing the history of those old days, it is well to permit the doings of the local governors to hold a place among the reminiscences of the times. That the first statesmen of the county labored faithfully in the interest of their neighbors, will appear from such a record; and as it is summarized in these pages from the venerable old books, kept by Thomas Thomas, tlie first Circuit Court Clerk, it may prove as interesting to the reader as it seems interesting and valuable to the writer.

Noetheen Indiana

for many years after the organization of the Territory and for long after its admission to the sisterhood of States, by no means kept pace with the lower portion of the State. Settlements sprung up along the Ohio, the "Wabash and other streams, and immigration followed the then natural channels of transportation. But with the advent of railroads a great change was effected. The fertile prairies of JSTorthern Indiana attracted the attention of thousands of hardy pioneers, settlements multiplied, a greater and greater area of viro-in soil was subjected to cultivation. In the forests the woodman's ax, and on the prairies the settler's plow were the harbino-ers of a gloi'ious day, a future whose realization has in part been accomplished.

Before The Era Of Railways

this development had fairly begun. The emigrants' wagons, drawn bj patient, weary oxen that had plodded the many miles separating the cultivated iields and thriving, prosperous villages and cities of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Xew York, or of the remoter East, dotted the way, the camp-fires marked countless resting places, and the smoldering ashes of wayside fires were fruitful in their after results.

As long ago as 1S2S the first settlement was made in the territory now comprised in Elkhart county. A few adventurers had followed an Indian trail, and had encamped on the edge of Elkhart prairie. " Adventurous, indeed, was such an expedition, and numerous were the trials and hardships endured by the participants. But they found this a goodly land; the earth teemed with fatness, and the hardy pioneer, whose wants were few and simple, soon began to rejoice in the comforts of life, and were rapidly followed by friends, who had but recently warned them against the perilous expedition."

In the early organization of the State the counties were principalities in themselves. Allen county, from which Elkhart, Lagrange and Noble counties were subsequently created, embraced a wide area of territory, and it, Randolph, Delaware and Cass counties, with all the tei-ritory north, constituted a senatorial district in 1S2!). Under an act of the Legislature of the State, passed during the session of lS29-'30, the count}' of Elkhart was organized and its boundaries defined. After it had been divested of its original greatness as regards area, Elkhart county was subdivided into 16 townships. jSTine of these townships are six miles square; the others are of lesser proportions, and the total area of the county is 462 square miles.

The first study of the pioneers was that relating to the organization of the State. They learned that an act of Congress, approved April 19, 1S12, enabling the people of the Indiana Territory to form a State government, and for the admission of the State thus formed into the Union on an equal standing with the original thirteen States, was availed of by the inhabitants or settlers of the State, and at a meeting of representatives of the people, held at Cory don June 10 following, they declared as follows: "That we do, for ourselves and our posterity, agree, determine, declare and ordain, that we will, and do hereby, accept the propositions of the Congress of the United States, as made and contained in their act of April 19, 1316."' This declaration was given effect shortly after, and a constitution adopted, fiegulations for the organization of the State into counties, and an act of the General xA^ssembly, passed subsequently (1830), defined the boundaries of Elkhart. Within the limits so defined, the townships, as at present known, were organized. The act sa^'s:

" The district of country within the following boundaries shall form and constitute the county of Elkhart, to wit: Beginning on the north line of the State, where the center line of range i strikes the same, thence east to the line dividing ranges 7 and S, thence south to the line diving townships 3i and 35 north, thence west to central section line of range i east, thence north to the place of beginning."

All this being accomplished by the State, the people of Elkhart were not slow in seeking administrative powers, for on June 28, 1830, the following evidence of their progress in tliis matter, is thus recorded in the pages of the ancient book named hitherto: "The Board of Justices for the county of Elkhart met at the house of Chester Sage, in said county, the place appointed by law for doing county business. Whereupon came James Matthers, and producing his commission as justice of the peace from His Excellency, James B. Ray, Governor of Indiana, bearing date June 11, 1S30, with the oath of olSce, as the law directs, in this form:

To all who shall see these presents. Greeting: Whereas it has been certified to me by the proper authority, that James Matthers is elected to the office of Justice of the Peace for the coimty of Elldiai't, therefore know ye, that in the name and by the authority of the State of Indiana, I do hereby commission him, the said James Matthers, Justice of the Peace for the said County of Elkhart for the term of five years from the date hereof.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused to be affixed the seal of the State, at Indianapolis, the 11th day of Jime, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty, the 14th year of the State, and of the Independence of the United States the fifty -fomth.

Tvlr. Matthers had yet to undergo a more terrible ordeal, which the genial Thomas could scarcely lighten. He had to take the oath of office and enter on its duties. These facts are thus placed on record in the usual form, thus: "Beit remembered that on the 2Sth day oi June, in the year 1830, personally came James Matthers, within commissioned before me, Thomas Thomas, Clerk of the Circuit Court, and subscribed the following oath:

You do solemnly swear that you will support the Constitution of the United States, and of the State of Indiana, and that you mil, to the best of your abilities and judgment,. discharge the duties of your office as Justice of the Peace in the County of Elkhart faithfully, and that you have not since the first day of January, Eighteen Himdi'ed aud Nineteen, either directly or indirectly, knowingly given, accepted, carried a challenge to any person or persons to fight with any deadly weapon, and that you will not knowingly give, accept or carry a challenge to any person or persons to fight with any deadly weapon iu single combat, either in or out of this State during yoiu- continuance in office, so help you God. Given under my hand and seal on the 3Sth of June, 1830.

And [also comes John Jaclcsou. and produces his Commission, as Justice of the Peace, from His Excellency James B . Kay, Governor of Indiana, bearing date June 11, 1S30, with the office endorsed thereon as the law directs.

A gubernatorial proclamation and oath of office follow. Both documents are similar to those quoted, with the necessary exception that Col. Jackson's name holds a relative position to that occupied by Mr. Mattliers' name in the premier legal forms. There is such a peculiarity connected with the original record, now in possession o': Auditor Henkell, that a few changes have been made. That very little attention was bestowed upon orthoepy inthe earlier ye.irs of the county is evident. Throughout the documents quoted there is only to be found one comma; but as a set off to this negligence in composition, the patriotic spirit of the C. C. Clerk manifests itself in the monster capital letters with which such words as Independence, United States, State, Elkhart and Indiana are written. There can be no doubt whatever in regard to Mr. Thomas's enthusiasm in his patriotic work, and that this militated against the observance of grammatical rules and forms, is to be supposed. June 28, 1830, a special meeting of justices was held, at which were present, James Matthers, John Jackson and Arminius C. Penwell, who proceeded to elect a president. This fact is set forth in the County Kecords of the period thus:

Whereupon, above named now proceeded to the election by ballot of a president according to law, and after canvassing the votes given they were as follows: J.

Matthers received two votes; John Jackson, one vote, and James Jlatthers is declared to be duly elected President of the Board of Justices of the County of Elkhart, who take the charge, as such, and a session of the board is thereupon now holden. Present, James Matthees, President,

Their work was entered upon without much ceremony, and the formation of townships proceeded with. "Concord township," ordained the Board," shall include all that part of the county between townships 36 and 37, and running thence east to the line between 6 and 7, thence north to the State line; and all that part of the county southeast shall be included in Elkhart township.''

At this meeting James Frier was appointed County Treasurer; John Frier, Lister for the county; Howel Huntsman, Constable for Concord township; James Beck, Constable for Elkhart township; Benjamin Gilbreath, Inspector of Elections for Concord, and Azel Sparklin, another Inspector for Elkhart township, and the Sheriff, Eli Fenwell, Collector for the county. It was also ordered, during the same session, that Mr. Thomas Thomas be allowed §25.50 to furnish blank books. The next meeting of the Board of Justices was held on July 13, 1S30, when the following business was transacted; 1st. The formation of the territory east of Elkliart county into the township of Moug-go-qua-nong. 2d. The report of "William G. Ewing, Hugh Hanna, John Bishop and Samuel Flemming, a quorum of Commissioners, appointed under the act for the formation of St. Joseph and Elkliart counties, was accepted. This report was as follows:

The undersigned Commissioners who were appointed by an act of the General Assembly of the State aforesaid, entitled an act for the formation of the counties of St. Joseph and Elkhart, approved January 29, 1830, to select a site for the Seat of Justice of .said county, agreeable to an act entitled an act for fixing the Seats of Justice in all counties hereafter to be laid off; Report ; That they met at the house of Chester Sage, in the said county of EUdiai't, on the fom'th Monday, being the 24th day of May, A. D. 1830; and after being duly sworn according to law, proceeded to examine the different sites for a town in which to establish the seat of said county of EllLhart. And after having made full and satisfactory examination as aforesaid, they have selected southwest quarter of section 34, township 37, and range 5 east, [now attached to the district of land sold at the Fort Wayne land oflBce, which said land they discover, and further report has never been offered for sale by the United States.

And the imdersigned Commissioners aforesaid, adjourned until the second Monday, being the 13th day of July, A. T>. 1S30, to meet again at the house of the said Chester Sage, in said county of Elkhart, as aforesaid, and then proceed to deliver the aforesaid report to the said Board of Justices of said county aforesaid; said adjournment being in consequeuce of a want of a proper Board of Justices or Commissioners in said county, to whom to deliver said report according to law. Elkhart Countij, May 36, 1830.

This postscript to the report is duly signed by the commissioners. It appears from an entry made subsequently in the Kecord Book, that these gentlemen were sworn into office by Jnstice M. H. Tailor, of Fort Wayne, on May 21 and 23, 1S30. In compensation for the work and expenditures of these commissioners, the Board of Justices did, on July 13, 1S30, order the following amounts to be paid them by the county treasurer out of the first moneys arising from the sale of town lots in the proposed county seat, viz. : - Hugh Hanna, $36; Samuel Flemming, $S1; Wm. G. Ewing, $36; Joseph Bennett, $45 ; John Bishop, §S1. John C. Frier was voted the sum of $12 at the same time for listing the county. After this round of important business was finished, the Board ordered the sherifl'to notify all qualified electors of the county to assemble at the regular polling booths in their respective townships on the first Monday in August, and proceed to elect by ballot a county representative, a sheriS' and a coroner. The sherifi" was also instructed to cause the people of the new township of Mong-go-qua-nong to assemble at the house of Moses Price, for their choice of a justice of the peace. The elections in Concord and Elkhart townships were subsequently held in the houses of Chester Sage and in the school-house on Elkhart Plain respectively. The members of this energetic Board next proceeded to draw a grand and petit jury, who would serve during the November term of the Elkhart Circuit Court. Their labors in this regard resulted in the selection of the following panel: Grand Jury: - Ben Bennett, Geo. Peoples, Geo. "Wilkinson, Dan Clarke, Peter Rupel, James Bennett, Hiram Parker. J. Skinner, Jepe Rush, John Rupel, John Tounjr, Jacob Puterbaugh, Henry Carmaney, Ellas Parker, Dominique Rosseau, Matt Boyd. Adam Teale and Rob Hamilton. Traverse Jurors: -

Aaron Brosvn, Jonathan Morgan, Allen F. Ott, Henry Jacobs, Wm Skinner, Jacob Roop, James Tnlej, Washington Tramnell, J. L. Powers, John Bonham, John ]N"eehason, Geo. Huntsman, Chester Sage, Wm. M. Thompson, D. Nicholson. James McMurraj, John Pool, John Carpenter, Ben Gilbreath, Edward Downing, James Blair, Henry Edgell, Ephraim Seeley, Anthony iSTelson. It is presumed that all the electors of the county were thus empanelled, so that if a member of the "community was placed before the court his case was certain to meet with deep consideration and justice.

A Board of Justices who could push through such an amount of business in one day, was not likely to forget any just source from which money could be enticed into the pockets of the county treasury. Therefore, and without ceremony or hesitancy, they granted licenses to the local traders in the following manner:

Ordered that a license to vend foreign mercliandise, and tlie same is hereb}" granted to Dominique Rosseau for one year from tlie date Iiereof, and he pay therefore the amount to the county treasury the sum of §10. July 13, 1830.

Ordered that a Ucense to vend foreign merchandise and the same is hereby granted to Clarlt and Mather for one year from the date hereof, and that they pay into the County Treasury the sum of ten dollars for same. July 13, 1830.

Ordered that the following rates of taxation for county purposes be assessed as follows: on each poll 'i7}4 cents, on each horse thirty-seven and a half cents, on each work oxen eighteen and three-fourth cents, on each silver watch twenty -five cents, on each brass clocli one dollar, on each four-wheeled carriage one dollar, on each two-wheeled carriage seventy-five cents.

The work of the session was now closed and the weary but very faithfiil justices of the old Board adjourned until September following. On the 6th of that month the members were again at their post of duty, and though the session did not entail so much severe work as that one just chronicled, there were three orders issued that brought a ray of sunshine to these industrious citizens. William Latta was ordered to be paid $i.50 for bringing the Icnvs from Fort Wayne, and delivering them to the county of Elkhart. lea F. Pice received $3 for his services as returning judge in the case of the Mong-go-qua-nong township election; and David Penwell received the munificent appropriation of iifty cents for similar services rendered in the case of the Concord election.

The special session of Ifovember, 1S30, ordered that James Compton be acquitted of the payment of 37-^- cents for one horse wrongfully assessed. James McMurry was relieved of the payment of S1.37i. The sheriff of Allen county was allowed $3 for notifying opened under peculiarly pleasant auspices. The county legislation for the preceding months was decidedly bensiicial, and the institution itself popular, so that the members of the Board of Justices imbibed a singular coui-age from their confidence in the fact that county government had now raised itself to a degree of utility where its trial was over and its permanency insured.

In January Ephraim Seeley presented himself with his commission before Mr. Thomas, was sworn in as Justice of the Peace, was added to the Board and under the presidency of Arminius C. Penwell, J. P., took part in the session of that month. The business transacted then may be summed up briefly as follows: A license to vend foreign merchandise granted to lea F. Kice, for which he paid $10. The collector was ordered to receive $-1-. 50 for taking the census of the county in 1S30. The clerk was voted $1.8Ti for postage and paper furnished for county purposes, and a farther sum of $30 for extraordinary services rendered the Board and court during the six months ending Dec. 22, 1S30. Eiias Riggs, Rinehart Gripe and Azel Sparklin were appointed "fence viewers " for Elkhart township; Adam Teale, James Tueoly and John Bannen, for Concord township; John Alney, W. A. McNeil and Jason Thurston, for Mon-go-qua-nong. The overseers of the poor for these townships, appointed at the same time, were Jacob Roop and Allen Tibbits for Concord; Sam. Goode and Wilson McConnell for Elkhart, with Ben Jones and Moses Rice for Mon-go-qua-nong. John N. Penwell was given the position of County Assessor; and Howel Huntsman, James Beck and Sam. Anderson were appointed Constables for the townships in their written order. The County Treasurership was voted to James Frier, and tlie Inspectorship of Elections conferred on Wm. Skinner, David Clark and Ben. Blair, who were to act during 1S31 in Concord, Elkhart and Mon-go-qua-nong respectively. Two sets of grand and petit jurors were chosen to try any causes which might come before them during the May and November sittings of the Circuit Court.

In reponse to a demand made by the Board for a statement of county receipts and expenditures, from the time of its organization up to date of this demand, the following figures were furnished:

Total ainouDt of fees, dues and taxes received from the organization of the county to January, 1831, $198. SOf. The report of the treasurer showed that he received $5.65 coinniission in compensation for his labor in receiving and paying out this amount, while the collector received §10.46 as his percentage, or pay for trouble and expenses incurred in the collection, which sums with various other disbursements, formed up a total disbursement of $183. io^, and left in the hands of the treasurer a surplus of $15.37J-. From this balance the sum of $8 was voted to the associate judges for their services in the Circuit Court during the November term of 1830, and $2.45 to the sheriff for summoning tliree juries to try causes before the court in that term.

At a special session of the Board of Justices, held in March, 1S31, the commissioners appointed to re-locate the county seat, and set aside the action of former commissioners in tlie matter, presented the following report: -

The undeisigued commissioners who were appointed by an act of the General Assembly of the State aforesaid, entitled an act to re-locate the county seat of justice for said county agreeable to an act entitled an act for fixing the seats of justice in aU counties hereafter to be laid off, Report that they met at the house of Thomas Thomas in said county of EUdiart, on the third Monday, being the twentyfirst d,ay of JIarch, 1831. And after being duly sworn according to law proceeded to e.xamine the different sites for a town in which to establish tlie seat of justice for said county of Elkhart ; and after having made full and satisfactory examination as aforesaid, as well the former site selected as others, they are of opinion that the present site should be vacated, and have selected the south fraction of the northeast quarter and the north fraction of the southeast quarter of section nine, in township thirty-six north, of range six east of the second principal meridian line the Fort Wayne land office district; Provided the two fractious does not exceed the maximum quantity of one hundred and sixty acres to which the county has right of pre-emption by an act of Congress, 34th of May, 1824, by locating the county seat thereof on the same: and, farther, should said fractious exceed the quantity of acres above described, then, in that case, we select the first ,above described fraction and recommend the purchase of the other bj' the County Commissioners, and the undersigned have further selected the uame of Goshen as a suitable name for said town as aforesaid, all of which is respectfully submitted to your Honorable Board.

The work of the session concluded with an appropriation vote granting the sum of $24 each to Commissioners A. L. Davis and L. G-. Thompson, and $15 to David Miller, to be paid by the treasurer from moneys realized by the sale of lots in Goshen.

In the May session the business was inaugurated by granting a trader's license to Thomas M. Morrison. A revolution of the tax on horses, oxen, cari-iages and watches was effected. The appointment of county officers, disbi;rsements, and an order for a bench and screw for the clerk's uffice, closed the proceedings of the session.

Township 35 north, range 6 east, of the orignal congressional survey was organized for civil purposes and named Jackson township in JSTovember, 1S33, and an election of a justice of the peace ordered in the ordinary form, which election resulted in Col. John Jackson being chosen Justice, and in his subsequent acceptance of a position on the Board of Commissioners. Early in May the commissioners divided the county into three commissioners' districts. No. 1 included all that part of the county lying north of a line drawn east and west through the center of township No. 37. N"o. 2 included the district Ij'ing immediately south of No. 1. , and north of a line running east and west, one mile south of the center of township 36, with Mongoquanong, and No. 3 comprised all the remaining part of the county,

The June session was brief, but the business was of a most important character. Oliver Crane, who was appointed county agent in May, was ordered to lay out the town of Goshen into lota for building, and to advertise a sale of half such laid-out lots, to be held July 20, 1831. The sheriif was ordered to direct an election of school commissioners to be held on the first Monday in August. William Williams was appointed Constable for Concod township, vice Howel Huntsman, who failed to give bonds, and James Beck was appointed Collector of county and State revenue, vice Eli Penwell, who resigned.

The July session was inaugurated by a grant of $1 to James Frier for his services as returning officer in the elections of August, 1S30. Geo. McCollum was granted a like sum for similar service in Elkhart township in April, 1S31. The county agent was empowered to pay off the men employed in surveying the county seat, and to George Crawford was made a special vote of $50 for his services in surveying the town of Goshen, laying it out in lots, and presenting the county with a map of his work in that connection.

The efficient clerk, Thomas Thomas, was granted a sum of $35 for paper and extra services rendered from Dec. 22, 1830, to June 22, 1831. The sheriff was allowed $46 for his extra services from Nov. 1, 1830, to July 4, 1831.

In September, 1S31, Edward Downing and Geo. McCollum received their commissions under the enactment of Jan. 19, 1S31, entitled " an act to regulate the mode of doing county business." Sept. 5, these gentlemen met at the clerk's'house, and having taken their seats as commissioners, proceeded to deal with any business which might suggest itself to them. The reports of Justice Jackson and Penwell were received and adopted, but as their nature places them under the category of " criminal," they will claim a notice in connection with the records of criminals, brought before the Circuit Court in later years. It may, however, be claimed for the justices and their victims, that the former were thoroughly impartial, and the latter thoroughly merited the light punishment inflicted.

The close of the session was occupied in the appointment of "Wilson McConnell Trustee for the county seminary; of George Crawford County Surveyor; the establishment of an $S license on venders oi wooden clochs, and the granting of a license to William Bissel, at the rate of $6 per annum, for his grocery store in the town of Goshen. The following payments were also ordered: James Matthers for his services in procuring land from Henry Jacobs for the county seat and said city, $4; Henry Blair, services as returning officer 1831, $8; Oliver Crane, for services as county agent, $56; Janies Beck, Constable, for boarding and conveying a prisoner to Fort Wayne, $11.50.

An order to hold elections for school trustees in the three townships issued from the Boa.rd, and having received the report of Oliver Crane the industrious members adjourned, as they stated " because there is nothing else to do." This report is a very precious document, since it deals in a very practical manner with the pioneers, and the financial standing of their county in 1830-'31. Being so, it is here given in extenso as it appears upon the records:

In pursuance to an act of the Legislature of the State of Indiana, I make this my first return as agent for Elkhart county. Indiana, this 5th day of September, 1831. Under the direction of the county oommissionei's have sold the followina; lots, namely:

Which leaves in my hands the sum of two hundred and ninety four dollars and ninety-eight cents, which I have deposited with the County Treasurer.

The November session of the commissioners was signalized by the addition of John Jackson to their body, and the election of Edward Downing to the presidency. The first order of the reorganized Board granted a bonus of $2 to the slayer of a wolf over six months old, and $1 to him wlio scalped a yoi^nger one. This was 100 per cent, increase on the bonus hitherto otfered by the Board of Justices. Balser Hess, Azel Sparklin and Wilson McCo-nnell were appointed School Trustees for township 37. A license was granted to John Cook, recognizing his right to sell foreign merchandise, and imposing a fee of $10 per annum. James Mathers, J. P., presented his report of fines levied. This document shows forth very clearly that Peter Tetters was relieved of $16 by order of the court, for his recognized ability in the art of profane swearing. The new seal of the commissioners was adopted; the resignation of Justice Mathers received; Messrs. John Pen well, Jacob Puderbaugh and John Andrews were appointed " Road Viewers," and received instructions to lay out a road from Pleasant Plain to South Bend. Geo. Crawford, the County Surveyor, was elected Eoad Commissioner for the county, and the following statement of seminary funds was laid on the table:

All this business occupied only the first day of the November session of 1831. The remaining days were devoted to the appointment of road viewers; reports from such as were formerly ordered to lay out highways; appropriations for the payment of county officials, and instructions to Geo. McCollum " to procure a set of standard weights and measures, on the best terms, for the regulation of any weights or measures now in use or to be used in the county of Elkhart."

A special session of the Board was held Nov. 21, to receive the second report of Oliver Crane, to issue licenses and order an election of school trustees in township 3S. Accordingly C. W. Singer on payment of §13, and Thomas Morrison, on payment of $10, were authorized to engage in the sale of foreign merchandise. The elective body in township 38 were ordered to assemble at the house of Wm. Boget, Dec. 15., 1831, and make a choice of trustees for the proposed schools of that district; and the following statement was read and adopted :

Nov. 21. 1S31, I. this day make this my second return to the honorable Commissionei's of Elkhart county, Indiana, which is as follows to-wit :

The cash received on acconnt of these sales amounted to $129.1^^-, of which Slo were allowed Connty Agent Crane as his commission, leaving a net sum uf §114.121 in the treasury.

In the May session of 1832, a license to keep tavern in the town of Goshen, was granted Abner Stilson for a consideration of $12 to be paid into the county treasury. A license was also granted Havilla Beardsley to establish a ferry on the St. Joseph river at the mouth of the Elkhart river, in consideration of a payment of $4: per annum, and that the boat used as a ferry-boat should be 40 feet long b}' 9 broad. -The following charges were also arranged : county was in debt at the beginning of 1832, and continued so until the end of the Januaiy season, when all debts hitherto contracted wei'e paid oif, and a balance in favor of the next year of §16.32 reported in the treasurer's hands.

In March, 1S32, J. Frier was dismissed from otEce of treasurer on account of not being naturalized. Aug. IS, 1S32, the first contested election petition was tried before the county commissioners and M. Rippey declared eligible.

Having treated the very interesting period extending over the years 1S30-'31 and a portion of 1832, as fully as the record permitted, it will now be only necessary to review the important events and figures suggested by the years immediateh' succeeding. Beginning with the county treasurer's report for 1833, presented to the Board at its first session in January, 1S33, a review of the financial condition of the county at that time will prove valuable. This report takes tiie following form:

Amount Of Expenditure Of 1832

In this account there were so many erasures, so many incongruous entries, and yet such a beautiful blending of everything that could tend to revolutionize all modern ideas of bookkeeping, that there is no existing intention on the part of the -writer to vary from the style laid down in the original record. Notwithstanding the confusion of items and figures, it must be taken for granted that the resulting figures are correct, since the report was duly received and adopted.

There is one thing assured as certain, and that is, that the early settlers were determined to have roads and schools and officials, no matter where or when the revenue to meet expenditures entailed by such enterprise was to be raised. They were undoubtedly a most progressive people, and the early exercise of their liberties led to these great results, which many of them live to see in operation. The attention of the commissioners was given to the opening up of the county by the erection of highways and schools, until March, lS3i, when it became their duty to organize another township, to be known as Middlebury. Their ordinance in this connection was in the following form: " Ordered that all that part of Concord township lying in ranges 6 and 7 be set apart and known by the name of Middlebury township, and that Willis G. Wright he and is hereby appointed Inspector of Elections in said township, and that one justice of the peace be elected on the first Monday of April next, and that the election be holden at the house of Geo- Buffems, and that the sheriff advertise the same.

In January, 1833, the commissioners granted a tavern license to Horace Root for the town of Elkhart, for which he paid $2.50; and in May of the same year the township of Turkey Creek, south of the county of Elkhart, was organized. The order of the commissioners in this connection takes this form, viz.: " Ordered that all the territory lying south of Elkhart and attached thereto be designated and set apart and known by the name of Turkey Creek township, and that the annual election be holden at the house of Cluirles Irwin, and that Hyram Summy be appointed Inspector of Elections for said township, and that one justice of the peace be elected in said township at the annual election, and that the sheriff advertise the same." It now became evident that the strange adjunct of civilization known as a prison, then commonly termed a " coop," was necessaiy, and accordingly the commissioners ordered that the contract for building a jail be entered into and

The ISToveniber session of 1834 began on Monday, the 3d, and concluded on the 5th. Daring these three days a vast amount of business was transacted, and only concluded by a lengthy statement of county iinances. This document shows that at that time the revenue account amounted to S79T.23-J-, and the expenditures for the year to §840. SI, leaving a deficiency of $43.67f to be added to the collective deficiency of 1832-'3 of $829.95-^, aggregating a total deficiency to date of $870.63 1-6.

The January session of 1835 was principally devoted to the consideration of accounts, many of which were ordered to be paid. The commissioners held a long and very important session in March, and issued an ordinance, among others, for the organization of Cleveland township. This order is couched thus: " Ordered that all that part of Concord township lying north of the St. Joseph river to form one township, and to be known by the name of Cleveland township; and that Samuel Simmington be appointed Inspector of Elections in and for said township, and that an election be hoiden in and for said township on the first Monday of April next, for the purpose of e'lCcting two justices of the peace in and for said township, said election to be hoiden at the house of IIi)-am Ormsby, and that the sheriff advertise the same."

On Tuesday, May 5, 1835, the Commissioners ordered that that portion of the recently organized township of Middlebui-y, in range 6, be constituted a township, to be called Washington, and that the election of inspector and justices be lield at the house of E. Denison on the first Saturday in June.

Joseph H. Defrees was appointed County Agent during the same session, vice ()liver Crane, but resigned subsequently', and the position was given to E. P. Randall. Randall made a full report of moneys received from purchasers of town lots since the first sale, and supplied to the commissioners in session during ]S"ovember, 1835, a statement regarding lots sold by him since he entered upon the duties of county agent. This statement, in conjunction with former references to the town lots of Goshen, will almost complete the list of early settlements in and about the count}' seat.

The sales eft'ected by County iVgent Defrees durino^ his term of office comprised the following lots referred to in County Agent Eandall's report:

The county agent, in continuation of his report, stated the sum realized on account of all these sales uj) to date to be S3,374.56-J-. The county treasurer, Peter L. Runyan, reported the receipt of S936.68, and the disbursement of $905.8-1:, with amount of treasurer's commission $28.10 additional, leaving $2.72 to credit of county. The sum actually paid into the treasury on account of lots in the town of Goshen up to that date was Sl,126.16-j.

The Commissioners, at their meeting iSTov. 2, 1835, ordered that "AH that part of Jackson township in congressional township ISro.35, in range 7, be known by the name of Benton township; that on the third Saturday of December, A. D. 1835, an election be held in the town of Benton, at the store of F. W. Taylor in said town, for the purpose of electing a justice of the peace for the township of Benton, and that Joseph Cowan be appointed inspector." The treasurer furnished a detailed report to the Board of Commissioners, summing up the financial state of the county to tlie Ttli of that month, showing the net revenue to be $1,24:8.23, and the expenses of the previous year to be $l,119.SSi, and the deficiency carried down from former years to equal $T50.2Si.

The work of organization made great progress during this period. In' March, 1836, the commissioners issued an ordinance for the formation of a new township in the ordinary legal form then in use, viz.: '- Ordered that all that part of Elkhart county west of range 5 east, and south of the Elkiiart river, be set apart and known by the name of Baugo township, and that Wilcey S. Jones be appointed Inspector of Elections of said township, and that the elections of said township be holden at the house of James Town." Toward the close of the same session Jeflerson township was organized out of that part of Washington township, known as township jSTo. 37 north, range 5 east. Isaac Decamp was appointed Inspector of Elections, and the people ordered to meet for selection of a justice of the peace, on the first Monday in April, 1S36, at the house of Isaac Hagle. The fullowing school lands were reported sold during the previous montli by Deputy Hecorder John Gilmore, viz:

Kandall pointed oiit in his statement of results, that the sum of $3,880.36 had accrued from the sale of those lots up to the present, and he also expressed in very prophetic terms, that many years would not elapse before the very lots which he was then sellingwould be disposed of at a premium of 1,000 per cent.

In May, 1S36, the following order issued from the Board for the organization of still another township, to be called Clinton. It directs " that a portion of Elkhart township in range 7 be set apart and be known by the narne of Clinton." William Denny was appointed Inspector, and a meeting was called at the house of Isaac Smith, for the purpose of electing a justice of peace to represent the township on the Board ol Commissioners. During the month of September, 1836, the commissioners ordered the erection of that part of Elkhart county in township 36 north, and of range 5 east, into Harrison township, appointed William Stewart, Inspector, and directed the election of a justice of the peace to be held at the house of Daniel Bowser, on the tirst Monday of October following. Henry li. Fowler, who laid out the town of Bristol, was ordered to vacate the same, on condition " that he shall proceed to survey and record the new plat as a part of the said town in some different manner within six months.''

In January, 1837, an ordinance was issued by the Board of Commissioners forthe erection of a district north of the St. Joseph river, in township 38, of range 5 east, into Osolo township. Henry Johnson received the appointment of Inspector of the Election, of justice of the peace, to be held at his house on the last Saturday of that month. It was likewise ordered by the Board that township 37, range 5 east, of Elkhart county be included in Concord township. The organization of Union township was ordered by the commissioners in March, 1S37. They directed its erection out of that part of Elkhart county in township ISTo. 35 north, range 5 east; and having appointed Josiah Elston Inspector, instructed the sheriff to advertise the date of election of a justice of the peace for the first Monday in April, to be held at the house of Samuel Drake. York township was erected in March, 1837, out of township ISTo. 38 north, range 7 east, in Elkhart county. A. Brown was appointed Inspector, and an election of a justice of the peace ordered to be held at the house of F. Curtis on the first Monday in April.

The county treasurer presented a statement of receipts and disbursements for 1836, to the commissioners, at their January ses^ sion. This statement is as follows:

Receipts

The peculiarly arranged exhibition of revenue is followed by another from the collector, setting forth a total receipt of $2,09i3; a total disbursement of $1,959.44^, and balance in favor of the county of $132.56^.

The township of Olive was organized under an order of the commissioners dated ISTov. 5, 1S39, directing that the fractional township 36 north and of range -i east be detached from Bango township and named Olive. Cornelius Terwilliger was appointed Inspector of the election of justice of the peace, to he held Dec. T ensuing.

Ten years after the organization of the county the amount due for county taxes was $2,798.19. The number of polls, 1,116. The value of land, $429, 433; personal property, $114,972; town lots, $96,221 ; total amount, $640,226. Number of acres of land, 77,401. In the June session of 1S41 the commissioners issued the following ordinance: " That the Congressional fractional township No. 35 north, range 4 east, in the county of Elkhart, and State of Indiana, be, and the same is hereby, set off as a civil township to itself, for the purposes of transacting township business; and it is further ordered that said township be known by the name of Locke township; and it is further ordered that the election be held in said township on Saturday, 24th day of July, A. D. 1841, for the purpose of electing a justice of the peace for said township; and it is further ordered that the sheriff of Elkhart county give notice of said election by putting up three written notices in three of the most public places at least 20 days before said election."

Such a close attention to the old record of the county has been made indispensable, on account of the slow but sure progress in the organization of the townships, the changes in the administration from the old Board of Justices to the Board of Commissioners^ and the various and sometimes C[uaint reports of the first county officers. To deal with such important items in the ordinary style would be to transmute the interesting language of ancient lawyers, statesmen and public officials from its original purity to modern form, and thereby destroy these peculiar characteristics, which endear it to the surviving pioneers, and attract even the attention of their children and new settlers. That the chapter will interest and instruct is to be hoped. It is a record singularly gratifying, and one of which all who ennoble themselves by cherishing the memories of honest men may be proud.

Chapter Yi

The skill that conquers space and time. That graces life, that lightens toil, Jlay spring from courage more sublime Than that which malces a realm its spoil.

AVliatever is found beantiful in nature commends itself at once to nature's capitahuan. IN^otiiing but the beauties of nature could lead him over oceans, and througli the solitudes of continents. In his travels westward he always met some object to attract his attention, and beyond, toward the setting sun, was still some opening in the forest or some grove upon the prairie to lure him onward from one spot of beauty to another more lovely, imtil, wearied with the extent and variety of landscape, he lay down to repose upon the bosom of a land which next day he would call his own. Here willing toil brought to his hearth that primitive happiness which men in other walks of life have often wished for. The prairie, grove and river opened up a vista before him, pointing out the site of a beautiful home, where no dissonance promised to interfere with the prevailing harmony ; free alike from the marvelous struggles of people inhabiting the old Eastern settlements, and from their political and military aspirations, he could exhaust a term of comparative ease before the time of immigration floated toward him new neighbors; so that, when they came, the first settler welcomed them, and often under his guidance and following his advice they selected the neighborhood as their home. Soon a busy stream of life swept over and peopled the land; the temporary shanty or log cabin began to give way to more pretentious structures, and the echoes of happy human voices rolled over forest and prairie and lake and river, until the little world which centered in their midst was one of peace and joy. Then, as is often the case in worldly affairs, whisperings of anticipated disturbance seemed to travel on the genial breeze, and at a moment's notice the happy people were roused to arms by another Paul Revere, and their dream of continued rest was temporarily broken. The Sac (431) war excitement took possession of tlie settlements, but happily its results were beneficial, since they only proved what gallant hearts are prepared to do and suffer in defense of themselves, their neighbors and their land. That period in the history of Elkhart county is well remembered by many of the old pioneers. The Hon. Joseph H. Defrees was then among them, and though he exerted all his powers of mind and body to allay the intense excitement of the people, his sound reasoning passed by unheeded by the greater number, and thus entailed upon the brave people a term of mental and physical trouble, unexampled in the history ot the Republic. The action of the settlers, however, was most commendable. When it is remembered that they mustered into service under the veteran Col. Jackson, prepared to march to the defense of Niles in the neighboring State, a point then reported to be threatened by the savage Sacs, their orcler of courage and fraternity become heroic, and their actions such as the ancients would deem worthy of their gods.

When the savage character of the Sacs and the equally barbarous nature of the Pottawotamies are considered, the settlers were justified in their anxiety. The terrible white sog feast, or thirst dance was being carried out in the villages of the aborigines. Bands of Indians had encamped there for several weeks, making preparations for the festival, which is partly of a penitential and partly of a propitiatory ^ character, the peculiarity of the ceremonial being that the dancers must not eat, drink or sleep until it is over - a length of time varying from two to four days. On this occasion it was only for two days.

In order to fully carry out the festival it was necessary to erect a temple, and this was effected with the ceremonies usual to savage sprees of this description. As the first duty was to procure a centerpole, between 40 and 50 warriors, each on horseback, with his squaw behind him, set out for the woods in search of one. Preceding them was the medicine man, in a ragged United States military coat, probably brought from one of the posts south of the line, his head ornamented with a mass of porcupine skin and swan feathers. He carried in his hand a tin pan, which he beat with a stick, while he and the chiefs who followed him, made hideous noises to drive away the evil spirits. A. tree suitable to their purpose was at last chosen, and was approached with whoops and the firing of guns. In a very short time it was felled, and the warriors ranging themselves on each side of the trunk, attached their lariats to it, and drew it into camp, amid the yells of the savages. A select few appointed by the medicine man then raised it in position, and the proceedings being accompanied by incantations and much noise - the one foi- invoking blessings and the other for driving away evil spiirits. The temple, or tent, was then erected around the pole. It was circular in form, 50 feet in diameter, with walls six feet high, the apex of the roof being 30 feet from the ground. The sides and roof were composed of buffalo skins. Inside four pews were constructed with walls about three feet high, two for the male and two for the female dancers, who are usually young people, who had, when in imminent danger of their lives, vowed to perform this service out of gratitude to the Great Spirit. The dance is merely a jerk of the body and a series of contortions, without any motion of the feet.

The medicine man announces everything ready, and the dancers, to the number of about; 40, male and female, took positions in the pews. The bucks woi-e feathers in the scalplocks, and displayed a style of costume not yet adopted in civilized society. They had nothing on but a coat of paint. Some of them were frescoed gorgeou.'^ly and tastefully, but otiiers, probably the married men, had put on their color carelessly and hideously, as if they cared not whether the girls smiled upon them or spurned them. The squaws, however, had completed their toilets with much care, and appeared on the scene with their liner}' displayed to the best advantage. They moved about among the painted braves with perfect indifference, and gave no sign that the airiness of tlieir lover's dress offended them in the least. The orchestra, composed of half a dozen chiefs armed with drums made of deer skin, took its place at 10 o'clock Thursday night, and, to the grunting of the medicine man, chief musicians and head men, and a wild song from the dancers, the ball opened. Each dancer was provided with a whistle made from the wing-bone of a goose, ornamented with feathers and colors. As thej' jumped about they sounded shrill notes upon their instruments, which, blended with the whoops, yells and monotonous drumming, fell upon the civilized ear with startling effect. Hour after hour the dance was kept up, the only intermission being at the will of the drummers, who were relieved at intervals. At times the surging and noise subsided, and a wise man in a see-saw tone recited tales of heroism for the edification and emulation of the young^

During Friday and Saturday the warriors gave many exhibitions of their powers of endurance. A muscular warrior stood unconcerned while a couple of cliiefs stuck long skewers through the flesh of his shoulders. The lines of a horse were attached to the skewers, and the warrior was told to lead the animal around nntil the flesh gave way. With blood streaming down his back and breast, and mingling with the paint upon his dusky body, the enduring savage walked around for a couple of hours without amurmur. Though the flesh upon his shoulders tore in the direction of the neck, yet it did not give way, and the medicine man, with much ceremony, unloosed the hero, who sauntered off with a grunt of satisfaction.

The next act on the programme was more startling than the last. A young buck was introduced anil allowed two skewers to be thrust through the flesh of his breast without wincing; two lariats suspended from the roof-pole of the tent- were fastened to the skewers. He then began to swing ai-ound the tent as far as the lines would allow him, throwing his whole weight upon the lines in his endeavor to break loose. The dancers danced and the drummers drummed with renewed vigor while the exhibition wasin progress. After several hours' exercise he demonstrated to thesatisfaction of all that he was a tough young man, and was loosed amid grunts of approval. Another heroic scalper had three pegs driven into him - two in his back and two in the back part of his arms. Four guns were hung upon the pegs, and he walked around and flirted with the girls as if nothing bothered him. A party of Assiniboines, painted to the eyes and armed to the teeth, appeared, and gave an exhibition of how they killed their enemies. They threw their knives and guns about so carelessly and attacked each other so fiercely that the few white spectators began to think that the fight might spread, and felt uneasy for their scalps. The cockof-the-walk was a young Miami chief; Over his shoulders he wore the skin of an American lion killed single-handed by himself. Pendant from the skin were ten lariats, showing that he had captured or stolen the horses. He strutted proudly around with his ten tails dragging behind him, and received with composure the admiration of his companions. Horses, blankets, knives, fire-arms, fancy lariats, skins and other articles were given as offerings to propitiate the Great Spirit, many giving all they possessed, that their children might be brought into the tent and blessed. The dance was kept up from Thursday night until Saturday, when the medicine man made '' medicine " for rain, and in an hour it came, a perfect down-pour, testifying that the Great Spirit was pleased with festival.

After the dance came the dog feast. It is supposed by the innocent roamers of the plains that the eating of a dog's liver, without regard to the quality of the dog, makes them strong-hearted. The temple used in the " thirst " dance was taken down, with the exception of the center-pole, around which the warriors seated themselves in a circle and enjoyed a social smoke. Suddenly a cry was given, and the warriors sprang to their feet and commenced circling around to the dismal beating of a drum. The quivering carcass of a dog was thrown within the circle by a woman, and the men whooped in ecstasy. The cai-cass was cut open, the liver torn out and hung by a thong from the pole. The warriors, one by one, stepped up and took a bite of the yet warm liver, and marched oif happy. As soon as one liver was consumed a fresh dog was thrown into the circle and the stock of liver replenished. This continued to the end, until, perhaps, 100 dogs were thus disposed of jSTo wonder it is then that a few pioneers caught up the cry of alarm, and prepared to defend themselves against the attacks of the barbarians.