Hamilton County, Indiana - Chapter 2, 1901

\Mlliam Conner, George Shirts and Charles Lacy settled in what is now Delaware Township, but they were in the settlement known as the Horseshoe prairie settlement. In 1822 Josiah Brooks, Michael Wise, Peter Wise, Silas Moffitt, William Wilkinson, John S. Heaton, Aquilla Cross, Joseph Eller and John Deer entered land below the William Conner place near the river and on both sides of it. Ben-Hur Park is situated upon the land entered by Joseph Eller. In 1823 these persons, and probably some others, formed a settlement on both sides of the river, extending from the Eller and Aloffitt land almost to the south line of the county.

Moffitt's land was immediately opposite the Eller land, but was on the west side of the river. The river cut this settlement in halves, but the settlers overcame this 1)y the use of the old-fashioned canoe.-^ When the ii\er was too high to ford communication was kept up by using the several canoes owned in the settlement. The men forming the settlement were all farmers, and they gave their entire attention to erecting buildings for their own protection and the protection of their stock, and in clearing and fencing their ground. Their manner of living was about the same as other pioneers who came before and after them. They depended upon the corn crib for bread and on the forest and streams for meat, their cows for milk and butter, and their gardens for vegetables. From this time on until 1825 the following list of names was added : Thomas Barrow, 1823; Colonel Daniel Heaton, 1824; Thomas Morris and Abraham WilHams in 1825.

A notable incident in connection with this township was the business relation and its dissolution between William Conner and his Indian wife. Mr. Conner had been married to his Indian wife at the time the Government bought the lands of her tribe. It was said that she was a daughter of an Indian chief and Conner had dealt with them and made a great deal of money. When the tribe to which Conner's wife belonged removed to the West, Conner's wife went with them. It has been said that she was attired the nicest of any of the Indians and that she owned and took with her sixty ponies. It was also said that these ponies constituted a part at least of the division of the property between them, but there must have been other considerations. Two sons had been born to them during their married life. The platbook of land entries for Hamilton County shows that over 600 acres of land were entered in the name of William Conner and his heirs by an Indian wife. This would indicate a business arrangement between them at the time of their separation.

I here note that George Ketcham, an Indian chief, remained in Delaware Township. For some years after the removal of most of the other Indians a part of his tribe remained with him. Of him I will have more to say hereafter.

A Frenchman by the name of Brennett settled near what is now known as the south line of Hamilton County. Before the Indians sold their land he was an Indian trader, and made a great deal of money. He remained at the post until Ketcham and his Indians removed, but he was never considered in connection with the white people, who came for permanent occupancy. His purpose was to make motiey and to get away with it.

Other notable events happened within the period of which I have written in connection with this township, viz : The opening of the Winchester State Road from Fort Wayne to William Conner's, where it intersected a road running from William Conner's house to Indianapolis ; the starting of a horse mill and distillery by William Conner and the killing of one of the pioneers

Xo schools were tatiL;ht or cluirches held in this townsliip until 1829. and no mills were huilt within this period. These will be noticed in their order as to time.

This settlement was formed with a view to benefits. Each settlement put their forces together in the erection of building's, rolling logs, and any and all work that re(|uired more force than belonged to the ])ioneer owning the land where the work was to be done. They were also banded together as a rule for mutual protection and for scliool and churcli purposes. This settlement, however, did not differ in these respects from other settlements in the county. Of this townshi]) and the people who settled therein i will ha\e more to say later on.

The east line of Hamilton Count}- is crossed by \\ hitc l\i\cr near the town of Perkinsxille, and the river runs west on the north side of Strawtown and continues to flow to the west for some distance after passing Strawtown, then its course is a little west of south

The i^-st settlers in this county found numerous small prairies on either side of White River. They also found a few old Indian fields not far from the river. Prior to the year 1S22 these places were fenced in, impro\ed and cultivated by the pioneers and others. Cabins were built near by and when the land came into the market this land was the first land entered, and if the pioneers were not in a position to enter them, others more fortunate did so.

Up to this time no organized elTort had been made to attack the forest, but the time was at hand for this attack to be made. So, soon after the land came into market the pioneers who had failed to enter the lands upon which they had at first settled, and others who came in for permanent settlement, entered lands farther from the river, covered with a heavy growth of timber, A site for the cabin was selected and the cabin built. These cabins were built the same as the cabins heretofore described. Then the work of conquering the forest began. This was done by selecting the portion or part of the land to be afterwards cultivated. The timber upon such portion of the land as was intended to be cleared, except so much as it was proper to reserve as rail timber or building timber, was deadened or o-irciled. The settlers as a rule had no money to s|)(.'n»l npdii iiii])!'! )\ ciiK'nts, so lliat llic work in l)uil(lin^' houses and sUiblcs was done by the settler and his faniil}'. The heavy work, sneh as erecting buiklings and rolHng logs, was done \)y the pioneers joining forces and helping each other. It was frequently the case that the pioneers in this exchange of work would be required to travel from three to four miles from home. After the timbers that had been deadened began to die and decay, the pioneer and his sons cut this timber smooth. Then fires were built upon the bodies of the fallen trees about eight feet apart. These fires were kept up until the logs were burned through, rollinglengths. Then the work of rolling the logs into heaps began. This was a heavy job. The pioneers were known to put in from ten to thirty days each in this kind of work in one season. After the logs had been rolled into heaps the business of picking the brush and trash left on the ground began. This was, as a rule, a tedious -and laborious job. Such work frequently extended until late into the night, and it was not uncommon or unusual to see the pioneers' wives assisting their husbands in this work. When we reflect that these pioneer cabins were built upon forty, eighty or one hundred and sixty acres of heavily timbered land, with not a stick amiss, except what had been taken for the buildings, it would seem to be a hopeless task to convert it into farming lands. Yet by perseverance and patience in time it was done. These earlv settlers also had to con- tciul with llic wild animals found in the forests. Bears, wolves and panthers were plenty and were a constant menace to the fowls and young stock, and even small children were liable to attacks from some of them. Hundreds of acts of heroism could be recorded in behalf of the pioneer men, women, boys and girls in repelling the attacks of these wild beasts, some of which will be noticed in this work as they occurred.