Fayette County, Indiana - Chapter 3, 1917 (part 3 of 3)

A large chapter of Detroit history, partly of an educational character, was inaugurated in 1798 with the arrival of Father Gabriel Richard for the purpose stated' atmve. Even Ann .'\rbor owes its origin largely to this man's interest in school work. He was one of the founders of tlie University of Michigan in 1817, vice-president, and in the beginning was professor of six of the thirteen departments composing its curriculum.

This remarkable man began his career in Detroit in 1798 as parish priest of old St. Ann's, the church of the days of French occupation; and in giving his first attention to the restoration oi the ruin wrought by sieges and wars, he left an imperishable monument in a career notable in many ways. His life was closed as a victim of the cholera scourge of 1832. So active were his resourceful efforts in the beginning, that within three years, between 1798 and 1802, he built a second church for the neighborhood and opened si.x primary schools and two academies.

This is the period to which the youth of John Conner belongs; and it would be passing strange, indeed, if any other source be ever found and proven as the fountain whence were taken the rudiments of knowledge and the fair penmanship belonging to Connersville's founder.

A Sketch Of Conner By Baynard R. Hall

An interesting and delightful picture of John Conner in his home at Connersville is given by Baynard Rush Hall in his book entitled "The New Purchase." Hall was the first professor of the seminary at Bloomington, which was later to become Indiana College and still later Indiana University. Hall was also a Presbyterian clerg}-man and it was while on a ministerial trip that he paid a visit to Connersville and partook of the hospitality of the trader. It slioulil l)e sa'd. liowever. that as a matter of historical accuracy, there is some doubt that Hall was actually ever at Connersville. But the fact remains that he left the state before the end of the twenties and that he must have either been at Conner's house or else well acquainted with some one who knew that Conner disported the silver plate which seems to have made such a marked impression on the eye of the preacher. It is well known tliat Conner collected a large (|uaiitit\- of siher and sent it luist to be made into dishes.

As much of the volume as deals with Hall's sojourn with Conner is here reproduced verbatim. It may be found on pages 247-249 of the centennial edition of Hall's "New Purchase," edited by James Albert 'Woodburn, professor of history in Indiana University.

Hall calls Conner "Redwhite," while himself he designates as "Carlton.'" It must be admitted that the author gets out of the region of facts into the field of fiction when he attempts to discuss the domestic life of

Today tlie eveiiiug service was iu the neigliboiliuud of Mr. Itedwbite, for uiauy years a trader aiiiung the Iiidiaus. He being present insisted on our passing tlie night at his house. We consented. For forty years he had lived among the aborigines, and was master of five or six Indian languages; having adopted also many of their opinions on political and religious points, and believing with the natives themselves and not u few civilized folks, that the Indians have had abundant provocations for most of their misdeeds. Hence, Mr. Redwhite and Mr. Carlton soon became 'powerful thick' - i. e., very intimate friends.

The most interesting thing in Mr. Redwhite"s establishment was his Christian or white wife. She, in infancy, had escaped the tomahawk at the massacre of Wyoming, and afterwards had been adopted as a child of the Indian tribe. Our friend's heathen or red wife was a full-blooded savagess - (the bcllc and the savarie) ; and had deserted her husband to live with her exiled people; and so IJedwhite, poor fellow, was a widower with one wife - viz, this Miss Wyoming. Much of this lady's life had passed among the Canadian French ! and she was, therefore, mistress of the Indian, the French, and the English ; and also of the most elegant cookery, either as regards substantial dishes or nicnacry. And of this you may judge, when we set on supper.

But first be it said, our host was rich, not only for that country, but for this, and though he lived iu a cabin, or rather a dozen cabins, he owned tracts of very valuable land presented to him by his red lady's tribe - territory enough in fact to form a darling little state of his own, nearly as small as Rhode Island or Delaware. Beside, he ownetl more real silver - silver done into plate, and some elaborately and tastefully gravetl and chased, than could be found in ;i pet bank when dear old Fncle Sam sent some of his cronies to look for it.

Well, now the eatables and drinkables. We had tea, black and green, .lud coffee - all lirst chop and superbly made, regaling with fragrance, and their delicacy aided by the just admixture of appropriate sugars, together with richest cream : - the additamenta being banded on a silver waiter and in silver bow-Is and cups. The decoctions and infusions themselves were poured from silver spouts curving gracefully from massive silver pots and urns. Wheat bread of choice flour and raised with yeast, formed, some into loaves and some into rolls, was present, to lie siiread with delicious butter rising in unctuous pyramids, fretted from base to aiiex into .-i kind of a butyrial shell work - this resting on silver and to be cut with silver. Corn, too, figured in pone and liudding, and vapoured away in little clouds of steain ; while at judicioiis inter^-als were handed silver plates of rich and warm flannel or blanket cakes, with so soft and melting an expression as to win our most tender regards. There stood a plate of planked venison, there one of dried beef, while at beconnng distances were large china dishes partly hidden imder steaks of ham and veni.son done on gridirons, and sending forth most fragrant odors - so that the very hounds, and mastiff's and wolf dogs of the colony were enticed to the door of our supper cabin by the witcliery of the floating essence !

But time would fail to tell of the bunns - and .iumbles - and sponge cake - and fruit ditto - and pound also - and silver baskets - and all these on cloth as white as snow !

Reader! Was ever such a contrast as between the untutored world around and the array, and splendor, and richness of our sumptuous banquet? And all this in an Indian country! and prepared by almost a sole survivor from a massacre that extinguished a whole Christian village! How like a dream this!

And tlmu w;isl s.-nt'il nt W.voiiiin;;: Do 1 Iddk <in tlicc.-- u|miii wIkiso iiuKn-i-iil fiice of infancy years ago guslieil the warm lilood of tbe mother falling with her bahe locked to her bosom! Didst thou really hear the fiendish yells of that night? - when the flames of a father's house revealed the forms of infuriate ones dancing in triumph among the mangled corpses of their victims! Who washed the congealed gore from thy cheeks? And what barbarian nurse gave strange nourishment from a breast so responsive to the bloody call of the warwhoop that made thee motherless? - and now st> tenderly melting at the crys of the orphan ! And slie tied tliee to a barken cradle and bore thee far, far away to her dark forest haunts! - and there swinging thee to the bending branches bade the wild winds rock thee ! - and she became thy mother and there was thy home ! Oh! wh;it ditt'ovenv destiny thine in the sweet vilhige of thy birth - but for that night!

And yet. reader, this hostess w;is not so wlmlly Indian and Canadian tli;it when she talked of Wyoming it was witlioiil emotion I -while I was rejiressing tears! .-ilasl she had not one faint desire to see the land of her .iiii-estors : Could this lie Camiibell's (Sertrude?"

An Intkkicsting Old I.Kttf.R.

Mrs. Sarali Conner Christian, a granddangliter of John Conner, has a, letter written by James Backhouse to lier grandfather, bearing the date of July 25, 1824. The letter was written from "Beach Near Brookville," but just where this place was is not detinitely known. It is certain, however, that Conner had a store at Cedar Crove, south of Brookxille. and another store either at or in the immediate \icinity of Brookville. The letter is written in a fairly legible hand although there are some words in it which are not rea<lil\- deci])hered. The whole purport of the letter is to the effect that Piackhouse was engaged in trans]j()rting merchandise for Conner and that one of the loads was lost, or partly .so, in crossing Taylor's creek. The letter with its lack of punctuation, excessive capitalization and misspelled words is here reproduced verliatiui.

r.eacli Xc.-ir I'.r(M,U\ illc Mr. .Tohn Connor I set down to try to inforni yon of the most Siiignlar Circnmstani-e or more jirojierly sijeaking the Act of (Jod on S.-itnrday morning the seventeenth day of July my W.-igon Started from Fenton's Old .St.-ind l)eyon(l Mianie Town Karly in ordere to Cross the Itiver before It would I!i.>-(' as there was .in Ajipearance of Heavy Italn llie.v went on Will Crost Taylors Creek twiste wliicli li:id not Kaiscd or Swolon any Came opposide to .Jacob's Old Stand Str)rehouse i nr i,' (if .1 nnle lM'l(iW (liys .Mill the Water by tliat Time began to Swell very fast .is it Itaiiul in Tonenis bnl my ( )ld(.sl Son very Cautions for fear of any accident Todk mit nnc of the Horses and K'lilc 'riirouixli in Presents of four Persons besides my otlicr Smi, .ind Miidiii;.' tlic Water nni uiore than Belly deep he rode back claped I? | in tlie liorse and went cm Well williin a \cry small distance of dry Land and it appeared as Ihongh the water Kiss over the waggon and Horses in an Instant swep of the Body through out Some of the goods and With the most exertions Ininglnable Saved the waggon and cUane<l it fast there is SoUie of the goods Txjst I have had a very Considerable deal of Trouble with the goods and And them I^ess Injured then I expected I wish you not be displeased with my

Conduct Nor be ay ways PrejncUced iintill you See or hear from tliem that was and no ways Interested I want to see yoii here and there is no doubt but you and myself can make things right if not; I am disposed to do everything that is right I have it not in my power to Say what is Lost as they have given my boys no memorandum of thy Load but no doubt there is an Invoice in the Letters this I will Say If my boys had not had poles as big as needfool all would have been Lost but that here after if you have any I-oading to this place and rtisi)osed to send it by them do so and it will be IJemembrd by yours &

The above letter is written on "fool's-cap" folio paper and covers the first and half of the second page of the same. The mark of the orig^inal fold would indicate that the letter had become wet in transit, suggesting that the bearer may have been caught in a drenching rain. It later had been refolded, in a more convenient shape for pigeon-holing or file preservation, and the page on which the address, "Mr. John Connor, Indianapolis," is written bears the indorsement, in another hand (probably that of Mr. Conner) and in different ink : "Backhouse business." It is worthy of note that Conner's name is spelled throughout "Connor."