Fayette County, Indiana - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 24 of those read), 1885

Chapter with an unread heading (no. 24 of those read)

FAIRVIEW, the last township formed in the county, was not organized until in December, 1851. It is bounded on the north by Posey Township, on the east by Harrison and Connersville Townships, on the south by Orange Township, and on the west by Rush County. Its territory was taken from Orange and Harrison Townships, and included the land lying within the following described boundaries: "Beginning at the southeast corner of Section 25, Townshif) 1-1, Range 11, running thence west three miles to the Fayette and Rush County lines; thence north six miles on said line, to the southwest corner of Posey Township; thence east three miles to the range line; thence south six miles to the place of beginning." The boundary lines have not since been altered.

The sui'face of the country is with very little exception level, and the lands are of most excellent farming quality, not surpassed if equaled by any in the county. Originally the land was covered with a dense forest of a variety of trees indicative of a good soil, with heavy undergrowth of spice of considerable size, as some few who are still with us can testify, not forgetting the labor required to clear it. The township is under a thorough system of drainage and the result is the producing of large crops. The farms are well improved and the people are moral, law-abiding and enterprising citizens.

Land Entries

Section 2 sold in 1820, 1821 and 1824, to John Stephens, Samuel Shortridge, James B. Reynolds, Jonathan Wallace, Ananias Qiflford and Harrison Baker.

Section 10 sold in 1822, 1824, 1825 and 1828, to Jeremiah Jeffrey John Wallace, John Hair, Ira Alward, William Jeffery and Zachariah Parish.

Section 12 sold in 1820, 1821, 1830, 1832 and 1833 to James Smith, John Darter, Minor Meeker, Daniel Campbell, David Scott, Philip Bilby and Samuel Davis.

Section 13 sold in 1820, 1822, 1823, 1824, 1829 and 1830 to William Smiley, John Ellis, JohnBogar, John Philpott, John Smith, Andrew Moffitt and Joshua Wallace.

Section 15 sold in 1820, 1821, 1823 and 1830 to James Smiley, Thomas McConnell, William Parker, Jacob Aspaugh, John Clifford, J. Justice and A. Sloan.

Early Settlement

The lands of Fairview, lying entirely within the "New Pui-chase," were not settled until, comparatively speaking, a late date. However, some few ventured within its borders quite early. The decade between 1820 and 1830 will cover the period of its early settle ment, the tide of immigration setting in in about 1820.

northeast quarter lying adjacent to Connersville Township. Charles Williams, a young man and a native of the State of New York, settled on this land in 1814. He was a carpenter by trade, which occupation he followed many years, during which time he was identified with the erection of many of the early and more recently built houses and barns of that section of the country. Mr. Williams came from Pittsburgh, Penn. , by flat-boat to Cincinnati; thence by wagon to the county, where he passed the remainder of his life. He also followed farming. He was the father of Charles M. Williams, ex-County Auditor and Surveyor.

Ananias Gifford, a native of New Jersey, removed to Ohio in 1815, stopping at Newtown on the Little Miami River, and two years later removed to Harris - burg, where he remained until in 1821, then settled near the present village of Fairview.

About the same year (1821) Robert and Matthew Hastings and Richard Nash settled in the northern part of the township. Matthew died in 1881, aged seventy-six years. It is said that he and Mr. Nash when young were engaged in boating on the Ohio River.

John Rees, Sr., grandfather of Justice and H. C, now residents of the county, from Greene County, Penn., settled here in 1821; also a married son, John, located here.

About the same year came Robert McCrory, Sr., a native of County Antrim, Ireland, from whence he emigrated to America, landing at Baltimore in 1812. Several of this name and family came at or about the same period.

Not far from this date also came Samuel Knot, Abraham Kinder, from Virginia, and Samuel and George Heizer from New Jersey. All located southeast of Fairview village.

In 1828 James, a brother of E. D. McConnell, located here, coming here from Brown County, Ohio. In 1824 John Thrasher and family emigrated from Pendleton County, K^., and settled just across the line in Rush County, yet was closely identified with the history of Fairview Township. A son, Hon.

W. W. Thrasher, now a resident of the village of Fairview, in 1831 and 1832 purchased land where he now resides of John Wallace, who had located there, having come from Delaware. Mr. Thrasher has cleared some 300 acres of land.

Another of the early settlers who resided just over the Rush County line, though closely identified with the early history of the western part of this county, was Robert Grove, a Kentuckian.

Another was Garrett Wykoff, who came from New Jersey in 1822. He owned land on both sides of the dividing line between the two counties, yet his house was located in Rush County.

About this time, or perhaps a little later, the Jeffreys, Jeremiah and William, from the State of New York, located east of Fairview Village.

A number of the Moffitts in 1822 located in the township. The Moffitts were natives of Ireland, and had early settled in Pennsylvania, thence in Ohio, thence to this locality.

East of the Dickeys settled the Baker brothers, John and David, who were also Kentuckians, and in that vicinity Drury Tyner was another of the pioneers of Fairview.

Ross Smily was another of the pioneer settlers. He had located quite early further east in what is now Union County, where he figured conspicuously before locating in this township.

William Lear, Collin Banister, Jacob Ashpaw, John Hawkins, Samuel Shortridge, James Runnells, John Rees, G. Saxon, Zachariah Parish and the Jacks were pioneers of this locality.

There being no roads, these early settlers were obliged to cut out the undergrowth to reach their prospective homes. The. Pipers resided by the side of a large poplar tree that had fallen, for some time, until their cabin was built and ready for occupancy. They were compelled to carry water for family use about three-quarters of a mile, and the only vessel they had for the purpose was a five- gallon keg. They were so distant from neighbors as to be barely able to hear the bark of their dogs. Frequently weeks passed without the wife of this pioneer seeing a woman.

this section. The pioneers and subsequent residents of the township have depended upon the mills of neighboring subdivisions for such conveniences. In about 1838 or 1840 John Moffitt had in operation a sawmill on Williams Creek and on the Nelson land. At the same time just below this mill and on the Wallace land was a saw-mill which had been built by Joshua Wallace. There has been no grist-mill, we believe, in the township.

The first schoolhouse erected in the township, we are informed by Uncle Samuel Little, stood a half mile east of Moffitt's Crossing, built in 1825, and was then in the third district of Orange Township. Mr. Little says "it was built of round logs, afterward hewed down; clap-board roof; no chimney, but a stone tire-place in the center of the puncheon floor; a flue built of sticks and mortar, rested on six-foot posts; the tire being in the center of the house all parts of the room were heated equally. The crevices of the house were closed with mortar except those fronting the writing-desks, where they were enlarged to furnish light, which was admitted through greased paper which was pasted to frames fitted to those apertures." The first school in this house was taught in the fall of 1826 by Jonas Price.

The first schoolhouse for the settlement in the neighborhood of where Fairview Village now is stood over the Rush County line at the grave-yard. Mr. Piper informs us that this house was built about 1824 for a meeting-house on ground given for the purpose by Robert Groves. The building was used for both church and school purposes. About the year 1825 a Mr. Noble was teaching here.

About the year 1829 a schoolhouse stood in the northern part of the township in which, at that time, John Legg was keeping school. Later in the same building a Mr. McClure taught a school.

At Fairview, but just over the line in Rush County, is located an academy building, which was erected in 1848 by general subscription of that section of the county for miles around. The object was to establish a school in which would be taught the higher branches, then not taught in the common district schools. Among those most instrumental in establishing the school were Dr. Ephraim Clifford, W. W. Thrasher, William Shawhan, Rev. H. R. Pritchard, Rev. George Campbell, John Campbell, John Thrasher, Donovan Groves and G. B. Rush. The first Board of Trustees of the institution was G. B. Rush, John M. Shawhan, G. Wykoff, James Hanm 4 -

Prof. A. K. Benton, a graduate of Bethany College, West Virginia, opened the first school in the building, and taught for a period of probably ten years, during which time he conducted a first-class school. He resigned to accept a Greek professorship in the Northwestern University at Indianapolis, which chair he still occupies. Other instructors have been Profs. Hull, of Hiram, Ohio; Rev. Daniel Van Buskirk, William Thrasher, Walter Campbell, Bowen, Piercy and others. The institution has been under the control of the Christian Church. Scholars have been in attendance at this school from the States of Illinois, Louisiana, Kentucky, Ohio and New York.

Churches And Grave-Yards

On the Rush Couutyside of the line, nearly opposite Fairview Village, is located a frame building which has for many years been the house of worship of the Methodist families of that vicinity. On the the same site, as early as 1824, a log meeting-house was erected by this denomination which was used for both church and school purposes. The ground upon which it stood was deeded to the Trustees of the society, probablyas early as 1822, in addition to some surrounding it, for religious and burial purposes, by Robert Grroves. The ground then deeded was one acre, to which have since been added, deeded by W. W. Thrasher, at different times, several acres, until now there are included at the cemetery and church-yard some four or five acres. This, in recent years, has been laid out into lots and made a most beautiful place of burial, which is dotted over with evergreens and many elegant and costly monuments, that would be a credit to more pretentious cemeteries. Here lie sleeping the remains of many of the pioneers of the region of the country for many miles around, among them a number of the early settlers of the western part of Fayette County. Among those who lived to a ripe old age in the vicinity interred here are:

William McCarty, died in 1874, aged eighty-six years; Theresa McCarty, died in 1877, aged eightythree years; Ephraim Jeffrey, born in 1817, died in 1883; William Jeffrey, died in 1862, aged eightyfour years; Abraham Baker, died in 1842, aged seventy-eight years; Robert Groves, died in 1855, aged ninety-one years (a Revolutionary soldier); Martha, his wife, died in 1855, aged eighty-nine years (from the tombstone it appears that this couple lived together sixty-seven years); Ross Smiley, died in 1878, aged ninety years; Josiah Thrasher, died in 1849, aged eighty-six years; Robert Hastings, died in 1859, aged ninety-four years; Isabella Hastings,

This place of burial has been extensively used for upward of sixty years, and is the only grave-yard of any size in that section of the county. The oldest grave marked by a tombstone is that of Petro Rush, who died October 24, 1824 (born in 1776). The first burial here is thought to have been made in the spring of 1824, a child of John Smith, in March of that year.

The Fairview Christian Church, which too stands just over the line (west) dividing the counties of Rush and Fayette, was organized in 1843 with a membership of forty, prominent among whom were William Shawhan and family, John Thrasher and family, W. W. Thrasher and family, Josiah Piper and family, Jacob Parish and family, John Bates and family, and Samuel Shortridge and family. The first house of worship was a frame, and was erected in 1844, which was replaced in 1872 by the present neat and substantial brick edifice, which has a cupola and bell. Among the pioneer pastors of the church were Revs. Arthur Miller, Bird Byfield, John O'Kane, John Longley, Houshour, John P. Thompson, Benjamin Reeves, Peter Wiles and Jacob Daubenspeck.

The little hamlet or village of Fairview is situated in the western part of the township and is comprised of a little cluster of neat dwellings just east of the highway forming the division line between Rush and Fayette Counties. The inhabitants now number probably 100, who are a moral and religious people, never having permitted liquor sold in the village and have for years had two churches nearly within a " stone's throw." The people are supplied with one grocery and the " village smith" is there.

Fairview was laid out on the land of W. W. Thrasher, and the first house of the village was a hewed log one built not far from 1828 by William Powers. The first merchant of the place was John McClure. He was followed by Birdsall & Co., in about 1835. The successor to this firm was William Moffitt. Of the early blacksmiths were a Mr. Van valkenburg, followed by Brown & Bros, and this firm by William Irvin.

Falmouth is a village of two counties located in the northwestern part of the township on either side of the road dividing Rush and Fayette Counties. It was surveyed July 24, 1832, by Thomas Hinkson - laid off on land belonging to James and Elijah Patterson and Patrick McCann. That portion lying east of Madison Street is in Fayette County and that west of the same street is in Rush County. Additions

The first house on the Fayette County side was erected by William Smith. Early merchants were P. Shawhan, William Stewart, and John Birdsall. John Crane was the early blacksmith. His dwelling was in Payette County, but the shop was in Rush. An early cabinet-maker, who had a turning- lathe and manufactured chairs, tables, bureaus,etc., was Jno.Oarr.

Falmouth is a station on the Jeffersonville, Madison & Indianapolis Railroad, whose depot is in Fayette County. The inhabitants probably number 150 and on the Fayette County side are located a drugstore, a dry- goods store, a cabinet making and undertaking shop, and one carpenter shop.

Half-Century Citizens

The following list of names was given in 1879 as those who had been residents of the county fifty years or upward: Josiah Piper and wife, Isaac Powell and wife, John Baker, David Baker, Daniel Baker and wife, John Parrish and wife, Hiram Jeffrey and wife, Charles Shortridge and wife.Ephraim Jeffrey and wife, W. W. Thrasher and wife, William Brown and wife, Ezekiel Parrish and wife, William Irvin and wife, Thomas Smiley and wife, Jesse Shortridge and wife, Matthew Hastings and wife, James McConnell and wife, Elias McConnell and wife. Justice Reese and wife, Frank Bilby and wife, Richard Nash, Andrew Moffitt.