Hamilton County, Indiana - Chapter 3: Early Settlement, 1915

Chapter 3: Early Settlement

The pioneers of Hamilton county were a race of brave and hardy men and women who came to establish homes in the almost impenetrable forest and conquer a wilderness, known to be infested with Indians, wild beasts and malignant fevers. Probably none of them dreamed how great would become the commonwealth which they were planting, nor how valuable within a century would become the land which they cleared and tilled, nor how won¬ derful the institutions which they established. How churches, schools and homes, cities and villages should spring up where once roamed the savage Indian, the timid deer and the fierce wolf. How much greater they builded than they knew. As we see our modern civilization, our broad, level acres, comfortable homes, complex school system, the net work of pike roads, of railroads and traction lines, the intricate system of telegraph and telephone, we can scarcely imagine how less than one hundred years ago, all of Hamilton county was a wild and unbroken forest in which but one white man lived.

In 1818 William Conner had a two-roomed log cabin four miles south of the present site of Noblesville on the east bank of White river in which he lived with his Indian wife and two children. His cabin was called a trading post. In one room he and his family lived, ate and slept ; in the other he kept for sale, flints, beads, steel knives, hatchets and such other articles as he needed to trade with the Indians. In exchange for his trinkets he took from the Indians, furs and the fruits of their hunting and trapping. William Con¬ ner's brother, John -Conner, lived at Connersville, where he also had a trad¬ ing post. These two men had been stolen by the Indians when qurte young, which explains the fact of their being with them in this wilderness prior to the coming of other white settlers. There was no road between these two settlements, nothing but an Indian trail. This trail led from John Conner's post through the present site of Newcastle and Anderson to the mouth of Stony creek and from thence to William Conner's place, a distance of sixty miles through wild forest, over marshes and through dense undergrowth in places and no settlement intervening, nothing but Indians and wild animals. The trip between the two posts was made by means of pack horses and was naturally an arduous undertaking. The furs and skins that William Conner purchased from the Indians were dressed and packed in proper form and taken by these pack animals to John Conner's and from there John disposed of them by sending them down the Ohio. He in turn sent the needed articles of trade to his brother, William, in Hamilton county. How frequent were these trips between these two wilderness posts, we do not know, but probably not more than three or four times a year, perhaps not so often. A white man named Marshall lived with William Conner about this time, but he left with the Indian wife and children of William Conner, when the Indians left for other lands.

George Shirts, father of Augustus F. Shirts, to whom we are indebted for much of the material concerning these early settlements, was the second white man to live in Hamilton county. He made the journey with his family and earthly possessions from near Connersville on pack horses to William Conner's trading post in March, 1819, one year after this territory had come under United States jurisdiction by a treaty with the Indians. On a later trip to and from Connersville, Mr. Shirts was joined by Charles Lacy, who made a camp on an old Indian field, 'but did not bring his family until later. His purpose was to build a cabin and plant some corn, which he accomplished with tools and implements brought with him on the pack horses and then re¬ turn for his family.

In April of the same year several more settlers arrived from near Com nersville. Solomon Finch, father-in-law of George Shirts, with his wife, three daughters andTwo sons came to join the band in Hamilton county and settled two miles southwest of Noblesville on Horseshoe prairie. With them came Israel Finch and William Bush, both married men, who did hot bring their families, except two sons of William Bush who were almost grown and could add their quota of labor in building the new home and in clearing the land. Two unmarried men were also of the party, Amasa Chapman and James Willason. Only two men had with them their entire families, George Shirts and Solomon Finch.

The brave men and women made the trip over the Indian trail and, being the first to come through with wagons and teams of oxen, the road had to be made as they proceeded. Many hardships impeded their progress. The weather was cold and inclement, rain or snow falling almost every day of the journey, but they went on undaunted by obstacles either of climate or wilderness. Only necessary articles of furniture, farm implements and tools were included in their outfit. These with a few sacks of meal and the chil¬ dren too small to walk were all the wagons contained. Some cattle, two horses, a few sheep and one or two brood sows included the entire amount of stock. Aaron Finch was the driver and, when moving, one or two men were constantly by his side, while the others, with axes in hand, went ahead cutting trees and clearing a road through the forest and underbrush. At times the wagons were unloaded and their contents carried over mud and mire, the horses or oxen having all they could do to pull the empty wagons through the mud. When night came on they camped, cooked whatever was at hand in the way of game shot while on the march and meal for bread or mush, and slept in the covered wagons till daylight called one and all to the road again. When the party arrived at Blue river, the stream was so badly swollen they found it impossible to cross. As cross they must, there was nothing to do but build with their own hands, out of the plentiful material on every side, a rude bridge upon which they made the transit in safety, and the enterprise only required two days. How the bridge was constructed in so short a time so that the party might cross a river at high water mark in safety, we are not told, but it is but another example of the daring of those early pioneers.

Each of these men and women had their particular task assigned them before beginning the trip from Connersville. For instance, Solomon Finch was head driver, others were detailed to help him, while still others cleared the road. A very important office was the fire keeper and builder, which was assigned to Israel Finch. This was no easy task on account of the wet, rainy weather prevailing. It is said that in order to keep fire always on hand, he carried it in an iron kettle from day to day and never was sacred fire better guarded by vestal virgins than was this more than necessary fire guarded by this faithful man, for had it once been entirely extinguished, with no dry fuel and only old fashioned flints to relight it, it would have been almost an impossibility to renew it. But no such word as failure when ap¬ plied to one's duty was found in the vocabulary of the early pioneers. So through rain, snow and storm, in spite of swollen streams to ford or bridge, in spite of many other tasks to perform, Israel Finch and his fire kettle were inseparable companions on that long tedious journey.

One day while on the journey, James Finch, the ten-year-old son of Solomon Finch, was told to ride the gray pony instead of one of the horses which he had been accustomed to ride. He evidently started ahead and out¬ distanced the slowly moving caravan of wagons because Mr. Shirts says. ''Soon after starting a snow storm came upon him. As the boy was young and thinly clad, he was soon in a sad plight and was suffering very severely from the cold when the party overtook him." But the pioneer mothers were equal to the emergency and the little fellow was removed to one of the cov- ered wagons and rubbed and "doctored" as only mothers can and was soon revived and they all went on their way rejoicing. Mr. Shirts further says, writing in 1901, "This same boy, now a man past ninety years of age, lives in Kansas and is the only survivor of that pioneer band."

This trip through the wilderness was not all given over to the serious things of life, but the party was enlivened occasionally by strains of music furnished by Amasa Chapman, one of the pioneers. From all accounts he seems to have been the whole orchestra himself and his musical instrument was a fife. When the party came to the present site of Anderson, the Indian chief of that name, with a part of his tribe, was encamped there. After sup¬ per was over, which was evidently partaken of with the natives, Chapman produced his fife and soon the woodlands re-echoed the wondrous strains which charmed the savages. The effect upon the Indians was remarkable, they wanted to put the music to motion and, as a fitting expression to their feelings, suggested a dance. Anderson's wife was one of the company and she proposed that their baby boy should be chief performer. She stood him upon a broad smooth stump of a tree that had been recently felled. The boy performed all the antics of an Indian dance, while Chapman furnished the music, to the amusement and delight of all present.

The trip to the mouth of Stony creek occupied nineteen days. They found the waters of White river also so swollen that it was impossible to ford, but they secured some canoes and rowed their entire stock of provisions, live stock, etc., besides the women and children, across to the west side of the river and "then and there the settlers went into camp."

After a night's rest so near the end of their journey, the settlers rose the next morning, yoked their cattle, harnessed their horses and together the caravan moved in a northwesterly direction across Horseshoe prairie to the timber beyond. At the first rise in the land above high water mark, they paused to reconnoiter and after thorough investigation of the country in that vicinity they decided here at last was the land of their dreams where they would build their cabins and make their future homes. But, though they had come to the end of their journey without any serious misfortune, yet their hardships were not over. Before they had time to build even a tem¬ porary shelter, a terrific wind and rain storm came upon them and, as some of their belongings had been unloaded, they were in danger of being de¬ stroyed. A tub, containing dishes belonging to Mrs. Solomon Finch, was struck by the large limb of a tree which the wind had torn off. Most of the dishes were broken by the accident. This was, indeed, a serious loss, for these (7) were the only dishes in the company. None could be had any nearer than Connersville, sixty miles away. But this was not a time to cry over spilled milk or mourn the loss of broken dishes, so when the storm abated all set to work with a will to build a cabin for Solomon Finch and his family. As all cabins at that time were built after the same fashion, we are indebted to Mr. Shirts for the following excellent description of the construction of the same:

"The location for tht cabin having been decided upon, some of the men began clearing the ground, others began cutting logs, and others began mak¬ ing the boards for the roof, loft and doors. The following is a list of the tools used : One mattock, one cross-cut saw, one hand saw, two augers, one maul, one iron and several wooden wedges, one broad axe, one chopping axe for each man and one hatchet. The ground being cleared, the logs, boards and puncheons for the floor being on the ground, they were ready to begin the erection of the cabin. The size was usually eighteen by twenty feet, story about eight feet. The sills were placed in position ; the comer men, as they were called, took their positions, axe in hand. The first thing done was to make what was called a saddle at each end of each sill. These sills were twenty feet long. The next thing was to notch each end of the short log to fit the saddle on the sills and place them in position, then another saddle for the next log and so on up until the main body of the building was up. The two last logs were on the narrow part or end of the building and were about three feet longer than the others and were called eavesbearers. These logs projected over the wall and a hole was bored in the end of each of them and a stout wooden pin driven into each. Just inside of these pins the piece of timber called the eave log was placed. The log for this place was split, the split side being next to the building and against this the first tier of boards rested. From the eave to the comb, ribs, as they were called, were placed at proper distance upon which the boards rested. These ribs rested upon logs placed under them that constituted the gable. This done, the first tier of boards was laid. Three pieces called knees were laid on the boards, one at each end and one in the middle, the lower ends resting against the eave log. Above the knee a pole called a weight pole was laid to hold the boards down and so on to the top. Joists inside were placed about three feet apart and boards for the loft placed on them. The door was of boards riven out and fastened with wooden pins to cross pieces and hung on wooden hinges. Wooden latch sleepers, from eight to ten feet apart, were placed to hold the puncheons for the floor. A log was cut out for a window, some small sticks arranged across the space and white paper, well oiled, was fastened to these sticks. A space in one end of the house was cut out for a fire place and a frame of wood was placed outside of this space. Against this frame the mud jams and back wall were placed and a hearth was made of the same material. This was topped out with a stick chimney laid in clay. A suitable place in one corner of the cabin was found for a bed. Holes were bored in the walls, one post set on the floor with holes bored in it, connected with the walls by poles sharpened at each end ; boards were laid across the top for a cord and all were covered w ith grass. Two or three benches, a half-dozen stools and a dresser for dishes were made by boring holes in the wall, driving pins into them and laying boards across them with chinking between the logs daubed with mud - the cabin was complete and the Finch family ready to move in."

After this first home, which housed the whole party, was completed, they turned their attention to getting in the crops. As much of the land had to be cleared some undertook that work. Others split rails for fences, while others plowed and planted in the small clearings; thus in an incredibly short time was the first crop planted in this rich virgin soil. But these early farm¬ ers had no time to sit and watch Nature do her part. There were other cabins to build, other fields to clear, other tasks to do before the summer was over, in order that the men who had come here, leaving their families at home, could have homes ready for their loved ones before another winter was upon them. When these new cabins were to be erected, all the men in the neighborhood lent a willing hand and the work was accomplished as speedily and well as on the first occasion. As soon as possible, the families were brought to the new homes that now formed the settlement.

The settlers had brought with them sufficient meal to last till their crops could be harvested in the fall. But by ill fortune they found their meal had all spoiled by the last of June or first of July. They bought a few bushels of corn from Mr. Conner, but there was no mill in which to grind it. But the men were equal to the occasion. They secured a log about three feet long and two feet across. This they stood on end, cut a hole in the other end, burned it out smooth and then cleaned it thoroughly and into this hole they shelled some corn. They then procured a piece of timber about three feet long, shaped it into a pestle and then pounded the corn as fine as pos¬ sible in this mill of their own manufacture. The corn, thus treated, was run through a seive, the finer part being used for bread and the croarser part being cooked and eaten with milk. Later in the summer Mr. Bush, tired of pound¬ ing the meal in this fashion, contrived a grinder of two large stones fitted

The settlers contrived to live in this manner till some time in the fall, when John Finch, a brother of Solomon Finch, came with his family to live in the settlement. John Finch was an excellent mechanic and a good black¬ smith. After his family had been properly housed, he, with the help of some others, built a horse mill, making the burrs himself out of stones, known as "nigger heads." This famous mill, built of logs, soon became the "com meal hope" of the whole country thirty miles down White river. Com¬ pared to the commodious, well-equipped mills of today, this was, indeed, a very rude affair, but it served the purpose for which it was intended. The settlers for miles around came there with their corn. The mill was run by horse power and each customer was required to furnish his own power and pay six cents a bushel toll to have his corn ground. But there was never any complaint, this being a very reasonable charge for the accommodation.

Until late in the summer of 1819, all went well with the settlers. Good health, excellent spirits and keen appetites for food and work made life seem well worth living in spite of hardships and misfortunes. But in August the settlers, one and all, men, women and children, were attacked with chills and fever. They thought at that time it was caused by the stagnant water and undrained land all about them, but science has lately proven it was the mosquito infesting these swamps that caused all the trouble. With the dis¬ appearance of the stagnant water and marshes has gone the mosquito, so also has gone the old chills and fever of those early days. The unfortunate vic¬ tims of those early maladies cared not whence came their trouble, they only knew too well that it had them in its grip. It was a serious time, indeed, for the brave company. No physician or medicine to be had within sixty miles, no one well enough to procure any even if the distance had not been so great, no one well enough to wait on the others. It was a trying experi¬ ence through which they were passing.

Some one has said that in every region of the world to which a sickness is peculiar, if we but knew what herbs and roots to choose, we should find a panacea for that particular ailment in the region where it is found. There was some such knowledge among these early pioneers and herbs and roots were made into teas and broths which seemed to be efficacious in bring¬ ing them back to health. Whatever the cause, the chills and fever abated by cold weather. While the sufferers were convalescing it was difficult to pro¬ cure suitable food. Sick people do not relish and cannot eat common food and no palatable dainties were at hand. Nothing but garden vegetables, com bread and such game as any were able to obtain in their weakened condition. But in some manner they all lived through the experience and doubtless had their land better drained before another year and, while chills and fever were often prevalent in that early time, we have no further record of where every one was sick at the same time. The three years immediately following, 1820, 1821 and 1822, were attended with more general and fatal sickness than has ever been experienced either before or since in the west. In the southern part of the state some towns were almost depopulated. During that time in most neighborhoods there were but few who escaped without one or more severe attacks of fever. A sort of bilious fever was prevalent in the southern portion of the state, differing very little from yellow fever. Fortunately, in Hamilton county the sickness largely took the form of ague, which is not considered so serious except by the person attacked. To the one so afflicted it is no laughing matter, but sometimes it was the occasion of merriment to others. Some were accused of being "too lazy to shake/' others were said to have "the slows" or the "spring fever lasted the whole year." When the sickness first appeared, those who drank whiskey mostly escaped and it was a matter boasted of that they kept "above fever heat." Later, however, they were attacked more seriously than the temperate, so the laugh was turned. As medicine was often ineffective even when obtained, it was better to be merry over their ills.

This first year the settlers had a fair crop of corn, but were unable for some reason to harvest it, so it stood in the fields all winter except what they used in the neighborhood or sold to their neighbors, for which they received fifty cents a bushel. Quite a trade was carried on with the Indians this first winter. They were all friendly and sold the settlers venison and dressed deer skin, the latter being used to make moccasins for all the settlers "both great and small," the former sometimes being cured and kept for meat for some months. Some of the settlers not owning sheep, used deer skin for making leather breeches. Woolen clothes were now furnished by the loom and spinning wheel for those owning sheep, but most of the men wore buck¬ skin breeches and jackets of the same serviceable material.

George Shirts became expert in dressing deer skin and he taught the other settlers the art. The deer skins just from the animals, with all the flesh removed, were placed in a weak lye solution at intervals till the hair would slip off easily. The hair was then removed. A quantity of brains of ani¬ mals was then soaked in water till it formed a liquid similar to extract of oak bark. The skins were soaked in this liquid in large troughs used for that purpose. From time to time they were removed from the liquid and rubbed almost dry. Again and again this process was repeated till the skins were soft and pliable and ready to be used for clothing for the settler and his family. In winter the pioneer was clothed in homespun wool and deer skin, but such clothing was not suitable for summer wear. There was no flax raised yet and, of course, cotton was as much out of their reach as velvets and satins. Necessity was then, as ever, "the mother of invention," so these resourceful men and women discovered that nettles grew in abundance along the river and creek bottoms and that the lint on them could be utilized in making cloth the same as hemp and flax. So they gathered and cured the nettles in the same manner flax is cured. It was hackled, broken and cleaned in the same way. The spinning and weaving followed by the mother or daughter of the house. By this means there was no lack of summer apparel till flax was planted and brought to the perfection of summer clothing. There was no rivalry in dress. Clothes were worn till they were passed wear¬ ing and they never became old-fashioned even after several seasons' wear. No woman missed attending church or a festivity, no girl remained away from a dance, no young man failed in his social obligation because his or her wardrobe was insufficient, out of date or unsuited to the occasion. Therein they were much better off than their descendants of this generation, for the clothing of that early time was suitable and stylish for every occasion. Well it was that they were content with these simple wardrobe furnishings. In more thickly settled parts of the state many luxuries for that time formed a considerable part of the trade with the outside world. Coffee, tea, sugar and tobacco were great luxuries of the time and fabulous in price. Not many people in Indiana were rich enough to indulge in these expensive habits. Silks, satins, broadcloths and other materials for men's and women's apparel were almost fabulous in price, while farm products, the principal production in Indiana, were very low in the market. For example a yard of silk cost as much as eighty bushels of corn would sell for. Calico sold at the rate of eight bushels of corn per yard, while good broadcloth commanded one hun¬ dred bushels. Was it any wonder the women were spinners and weavers? As for the early settler in Hamilton county, he bothered not about the lux¬ uries. If he had the necessities of food and clothing and a home, however rude, to call his own, he was happy. His life was one of usefulness and devotion to homely toil, much more profitable to his country than if it had been frittered away with unnecessary luxuries and ease.

The first school was taught by Sarah Finch in a log cabin built for the purpose at Horseshoe Prairie. There a few children of the settlers learned the three R's. In this same house about the same time was organized the first Sunday school. It was taught by Curtis Mallory, a Presbyterian. In the same year (1820) the first religious services in which a sermon was preached were held at the home of John Finch. Other meetings were held at long intervals as long as the settlement was in this condition. The Baptists were the first to preach salvation to the inhabitants along White river. The first to receive baptism into the church were immersed in White river, the sub¬ jects being Margaret and Sallie Finch. But the names of these early itinerant Baptist ministers seem to be forgotten and buried with the past, with the exception of Elder Martin. In the interest of Methodism, Rev. James Scott, a famous circuit rider, "held forth among the denizens of the wilderness in these parts.,, Doubtless many interesting stories of self-sacrifice, danger and daring might be. told of these unselfish men of God. Unless filled with holy zeal no man would undertake to travel from place to place through the then unbroken forest, facing danger, privation and perhaps death on every journey, that he might preach the gospel to men in the untrodden paths, re¬ ceiving almost no remuneration for his services save the hospitality of the settlers. The spirit of these grand old itinerant ministers often carried with it the power of the day of Pentecost as they visited the humble homes and told the simple story of the Cross with the eloquence of primitive sincerity.

This second summer in the settlement was one of content and prosperity. The crops were good and they received fair prices for what surplus they had to sell. The Fourth of July was celebrated in a suitable manner this year. The Declaration of Independence was read and patriotic speeches made to order for the great day. Then old and young joined their lusty voices and made the welkin ring to the tunes of good old patriotic songs. As a final climax to the great day, a dance was proposed and the announcement re¬ ceived with enthusiasm. Every one worked with a will, making a bower of leaves and bushes and. clearing the ground under the bower of all obstruc¬ tions where the old and young alike might "trip the light fantastic toe." Our authority does not state by whom the music was furnished. Perhaps the fifer, Amasa Chapman, was called into service again or perhaps they but kept step with the music in their hearts. At any rate we are informed "the dance was enjoyed by all." The settlers did not believe in "all work and no play."

William Conner's Indian wife and children left him in 1820 to go with the rest of the tribe. She was said to be the daughter of the chief and when she left was beautifully attired and owned and took with her sixty ponies. There was evidently some business arrangement between them, concerning the separation and disposition of the property, for a record is made of over six hundred acres being entered by William Conner and his Indian wife and their two sons. Years afterwards, William Conner's two Indian sons visited him and they were said to be fine looking men. However badly William Conner may have grieved over the departure of his first love, it is very evi¬ dent he was soon consoled, for he took unto himself within the year another wife, Eliza Chapman. There was no ceremony, only a marriage settlement and this was the first marriage of white people in Hamilton county. It oc¬ curred in December, 1820.

Up to 1821 the population of the settlement had not increased very fast. Peoph were waiting for the land to come upon the market. While the ma¬ terial things in the way of food had improved the settlers now depending upon corn for bread, wild game and fish for meat, milk, butter and garden vegetables, yet some of them were still wearing their moccasions and others their buckskin breeches. Such articles of clothing as underwear or night¬ gowns were a luxury comparable still to silks and satins and quite as unattain¬ able. About this time the first leather was made in Hamilton county by the oak bark process; cow hides and hog skins were tanned. Mr. Shirts says, "This was done by securing a large trough, bark was stripped from oak trees, water put into the trough, skins soaked, hair taken off, and the skins then laid in water with a layer of bark pounded as fine as it could be between each piece of hide. This bark was replaced by fresh bark at intervals of about four weeks until the hides were tanned. This changing process, how¬ ever, never occurred in the winter season."

Better farm implements and tools were now obtained by the settlers. New comers had brought iron and steel from Connersville and improvements multiplied. John and Israel Finch started a blacksmith shop and plowshares, fluke shovels, shovel plows, steel hoes, knives, hatchets, axes and many other things were made beside the ordinary business of a blacksmith shop.

Early Industries

As at the pr.esent time, so in the early days, farming was the principal occupation of the people of Hamilton county. In those primitive homes there were a dozen different industries carried on at the same time. Where now the necessaries of the home are produced each by a separate industry in fac¬ tory or shop, outside of the home, in those days each home was its own fac¬ tory and shop. Consequently the early industries were not very numerous. When one settler became proficient in one particular line he furnished his labor in exchange for some other line of work in which some other neighbor excelled. For instance, if Smith cobbled shoes better than anyone else, he in time ccbbled most of the shoes for the neighborhood. Perhaps Jones ex¬ celled in carpentry, so his main occupation became building houses, while Smith mended shoes. Sp gradually sprang up these industries outside the home.

We have seen how John Finch built the first horse mill. This mill flour¬ ished for years and furnished the settlers with corn meal for bread. In the early spring of 1821 a man named Foster built a mill on the north bank of Stony creek, a few rods below what is known as the Dill Mill dam. On the opposite side of the creek he built his cabin, where he lived and operated this first mill run by water power in Hamilton county. This mill, while not a pretentious one, was well patronized by people of this county, and also, being the only mill of the kind around, counted the people from Indianapolis as among its patrons. This first water mill was known by the classical name of "corn-cracker,'' for no provision was made for grinding and bolting wheat as there was none raised in the county at the time the mill was built.

The first wheat raised in the county was in 1821, the same year the Foster mill was built, but it was several years before it was cultivated to any extent. There were so many more difficulties to overcome before wheat was ready to be ground into flour than where corn meal was to be made, that until conditions were more favorable wheat was not raised. There were no threshing machines or fanning mills in the country, and what is today a very simple matter was in those days a very hard task. Prior to 1830 there were few barns and the settlers had no threshing floors. The large majority of farmers having wheat cleared the weeds and soft earth from a circle large enough for a threshing floor. The straw was strewn on the outer edge of this circle, with a space in the center sufficiently large for a man to stand and direct the threshing process. A boy then rode one horse and led another, tramping over and over the grain, the man in the center keeping the straw turned so all parts were equally treated ; by this process the grain was threshed out. Sometimes the grain was pounded from the head by means of a flail. Whatever threshing method was used, the next thing to be done was to clean the wheat. Some men selected a windy day for this work. Standing on a bench or something which was raised above the level of the ground, the man poured the grain from the vessel in such a way as to get the sweep of the wind upon the falling contents. The grain fell to the ground or into a re¬ ceptacle for the purpose, while the remainder was "as the chaff which the wind driveth away."

Still another method was a sort of a fanning process, the fan being a sheet so manipulated by two men as to blow the chaff away while a third poured the grain from a vessel, as in the previous method. When either of these processes was completed the wheat was ready for the mill.

Foster had no means of bolting wheat flour, so he sold his mill on Stony creek to a Mr. Betts, who added a bolting chest to his machinery and there¬ after ground wheat. However, there was but little wheat raised while Betts owned. the Stony Creek mill, and the bolting machine was turned by hand and there is no record of the task being so arduous as to need the aid of ma¬ chinery. After a time Betts died and the mill was sold to a Mr. Hare. He had the old log mill torn down and a large one was built lower down the stream. This mill was well equipped and ground both wheat and corn. Finally, a saw mill was added and a thriving business was carried on by both departments.

After Foster sold his mill on Stony creek he built a much larger one on White river, in Noblesville township, at the point where Clare is now situated. This mill became quite a center of industry and supplied the needs of the settlers for miles in all directions. To this grist mill was also added a saw mill. In addition to sawing done for the settlers in the neighborhood, who were now replacing their log cabins by more commodious houses, this mill furnished thousands of feet of lumber for Indianapolis, which was rapidly taking on the garb that became our chief city. The lumber was made into rafts and when the river was at the proper stage it was floated down to the city. This lumber trade was continued with the capital city for a number of years at a good marketable time which brought the mill-owners profitable returns for their labor.

John Conner did not long operate the mill which he had built on the river near Horseshoe prairie, for death claimed him in 1825. The mill then passed into the hands of Lemert Fallis. The dam across White river which fur¬ nished the power by which the mill was operated was made of brush, stone and earth. In those days there were two freshets each year, one in January and one in June. If the dam successfully withstood the January rise it was sure to be damaged by the other freshet. All the available brush, stone, etc., in the immediate vicinity of the dam was soon exhausted by the frequent repairs necessary. It became necessary to bring the repairing material from up the river some distance, so this required the use of a boat. This boating expedition became quite an event as the boat was manned by a very jolly set of men, who not only made the required trips to and from the mill with the necessary brush and stone, but from all accounts they made the trips one of pleasure as well. But the dampness and exposure got the best of them, some¬ times, for they "contracted rheumatism and other diseases from which they never recovered." This mill does not appear to have been as successful as the other early mills of the county. Fallis operated it but a short time, when it passed into the hands of W. W. Conner, the son and heir of John Conner.

Francis B. Cogswell was the first tanner in Hamilton county. About 1825 he built a cabin in Noblesville on the corner of Sixth and Logan streets, on the east side of Sixth where the Hitch-in barn is now located. On this site was established the first tan yard. Mr. Shirts describes the method of making leather as follows : "A wooden wheel was made to turn in a circle. A sweep was attached to this wheel to which a horse was hitched to turn the wheel. A floor was laid in the circle. Upon this floor tanbark, well cured, was laid, then the wheel was started over the bark and kept going until the bark was sufficiently pulverized to use in the vats prepared for that purpose. This wheel was used for some time, but was discontinued and a cast mill used in its stead. The process of tanning has heretofore been stated except that the vat has not been described. The vat was constructed as follows : A hole was dug in the ground about three and a half feet deep, six feet long and four feet wide, with square ends. Then a bottom was laid with two-inch oak planks, closely fit, then the vat was sided up in the same manner and with the same material. One of these vats was called the lime vat. In this vat hair was loosened by the use of lime. The lime was then all worked out of the hide by scouring in clear water. Water was then placed in the vats where the hides were to be tanned, then one-half of the hides were laid in the vat and covered with ground bark, and so on until the vat was full. This tanyard was one of the most useful industries of the time. Here all the hides from animals that had died and had been killed were converted into leather; here the pioneer secured the leather to make shoes for his family ; here the settler found collars for his horses, and leather out of which bridles and harness of all kinds could be made. Cogs¬ well sold this tan yard to Pleasant Williams."

Whisky Distilleries

The corn raised in the virgin soil of Hamilton county was not all ground into meal or feed for the farmer's stock, or saved for the next year's planting, but some of it was made into whisky. An early account says: "About 1826 James Casler started a distillery two miles below Nobles ville." There for the small sum of twenty cents, a gallon of pure whisky could be pur¬ chased, or ten cents would buy a quart of the same fiery liquid. On Saturday afternoons the sporting element of the settlements gathered for a weekly round-up of fun and frolic. The program for these occasions consisted of drinking, shooting, foot-racing, wrestling and fist fighting. Turkeys, deer and coon skins were the prizes given in the shooting matches. Tickets entitled the holder to one shot per ticket, and these were sold at a certain price till the value of the turkey was equaled. Then the best shot won the turkey, the shots being at a mark about forty yards distant

The first license in Noblesville to sell intoxicating liquors was granted to Wilburn Davis & Company in September, 1831. The first in the county was granted James Hughy at his house in Woodville (Strawtown), in Janu¬ ary, 1831.

The first blacksmith shop was that of Israel Finch, one of the first set¬ tlers, coming here in 1819. His first work here was making bells and knives for the Indians, and hoes and other necessary implements for the settlers. His reputation reached far and wide, he being particularly efficient in mak¬ ing hoes, bells and knives. In significant appreciation, the Indians desig¬ nated his bells "heap much good."

The Indians were allowed three years' residence after the sale of their lands in the fall of 1818, so it was 1822 before the lands were offered for sale. The land office was at Brookville. Mr. Shirts says: "John Conner lived at Connersville and was wealthy. He secured the numbers of all the lands selected and improved by these pioneers, except Lacy and Willason, and entered all of it. The first the settlers knew of this was notice by Conner for them to vacate. They had cleared, fenced and broken about three hun¬ dred acres of land, and it is said that John Conner refused to pay for any of the improvements." John Conner accumulated vast wealth in his lifetime and died leaving all this great estate to his only son and heir, W. W. Conner, but history says, "It did W. W. Conner but little good. He died a poor man." But the settlers who had worked so laboriously to build their homes and clear and fence their lands had to begin anew, because John Conner took advantage of them.

Soon after purchasing these lands from the United States, John Conner let a contract for digging a mill race and the construction of a dam across White river, and employed all the men who were willing to work for him in getting out timber for a large grist mill and saw mill. He brought his family from Connersville and they moved into one of the cabins evacuated by the settlers. From the east he imported skilled workmen, such as mill¬ wrights and carpenters, and put them to work on his mill.

Up to 1822 the settlements increased slowly, as people were waiting for the lands to be offered for sale. But during the latter part of that year many people came from the East for the purpose of examining into the con¬ ditions of the county, quality of the land and future prospects with the view of entering the land if conditions were favorable.

The Horseshoe Prairie settlement, including William Conner, George Shirts and Charles Lacy as the first settlers, was joined by others in 1822. Josiah Brooks, Michael Wise, Peter Wise, Silas Moffitt, William Wilkinson, John Heaton, Aquilla Cross, Joseph Eller and John Deer entered land below the William Conner place near the river and on both sides of it. Joseph Eller's entry included what is now Ben-Hur Park, which is still in the Eller family. This second settlement extended from the Eller and Moffitt land along both sides of the river almost to the south line of the county. The river cut this settlement in two, but the settlers overcame this difficulty by the use of the old-fashioned canoe, when the river was too high to ford. The men forming this settlement were all farmers and they gave their attention to the erection of homes for their own protection and outbuildings for the protection of their stock, and to clearing and fencing their land. Their mode of living and building homes was similar to those coming before and after them. Every man helped every other man in the big tasks. Each was to a certain extent dependent upon all the others and each in turn helped his neighbors. They depended on the corn crib for bread, the forest and streams furnished their meat, the cows were the medium for milk and butter and the gardens produced vegetables. Up to 1825 the following settlers were added to the settlement: Thomas Barrow, Col. Daniel Heaton, Thomas Morris and Abraham Williams.

A Frenchman by the name of Bruitt settled near the south line of Hamilton county. Before the Indians left he was an Indian trader and made a great deal of money in his dealings with them. He remained at his trading post until the Indian chief Ketcham and a part of his tribe (who lived in this county after the other Indians went away) left the country also. Though he was a white man, he was never considered one of the

The first settlers of this county found numerous small prairies on either side of White river. In or near these prairies were naturally the places for the first settlements. At or near the edge of the prairie were built the* log cabins and the prairies as being the only clearing were the first fields to be cultivated. A few old Indian fields not far from the river were also used to good advantage. When the land came on the market, these lands were the first entered by those fortunate enough ' to be near them. Others less for¬ tunate had to undertake to conquer the "forest primeval.,,

Up to this time no organized effort had been made to attack the great forests on every hand, but the cleared places were all occupied, so it remained for all settlers from this time forward to do their share in turning the forests into broad level fields of waving grain or rustling corn. The follow¬ ing description of building homes and clearing the forest is given in Shirts' "Primitive History of Hamilton County, Indiana

"A site for a cabin was selected and the cabin built. * * * Then the work of conquering the forest began. This was done by selecting the portion or part of the land to be afterward 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 girdled. The settlers, as a rule, had no money to spend upon improvements, so that the work in building houses and stables was done by the settler and his family. The heavy work, such as erecting buildings and rolling logs, was done by the pioneers joining forces and helping each other. It was frequently the case that the pioneers in this exchange of work would be re¬ quired 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, making rolling lengths. 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-eight 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 in farming lands. Yet, by persever¬ ance and patience, in time it was done. These early settlers also had to con¬ tend with the 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 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," -

In this early time there was much work to do, and everyone, large or small, had his allotted task. But though work was plenty, there was no immediate return from labor. Money was very scarce; beeswax, ginseng, deer horns, deer and coon skins were the only articles of trade. It was said that deer and coon skins were considered legal tender for debts in those days. Hunting ginseng rdot was quite a paying occupation among the children of the settlers. In the proper season, every boy or girl old enough to go from home might be found in the woods with his "sang hoes" searching every corner and crevice for the ginseng plant. The plants, when safely deposited at home, were washed, cleaned and dried, being then ready for market. They were then, as now, valuable for their medicinal qualities.

* In those early days bee hunting was also a profitable industry. In many cases the bees had occupied one "bee tree" undisturbed for years. Such a hidden store of sweetness was very valuable. The honey was removed from the tree in the comb, the former being pressed out for family use, while the latter was made into beeswax. Sometimes the bee tree was located by means of the bear scratches made by bears in search of the hidden store. The most usual way of determining the location of the honey was by putting out bait. After taking its fill of bait, the bee made a "bee line" for the home tree and the experienced bee hunter had but little difficulty in following the busy little worker to his horde of honey. The raccoon was trapped by means of a trap made of poles set with a trigger, which was so arranged as to catch the raccoon when making his regular trips to the pond for frogs to satisfy his hunger.

The methods of deer hunting were more difficult and varied. In the pioneer days the woods were full of deer. They usually went in droves, having their haunts, their feeding places and their own paths or trails through the forest. When being pursued the drove ran from place to place in a circle, coming back finally to the starting point. The skillful hunter knew the haunts, trails and peculiarities of the deer and adapted the hunt accordingly. They had several modes of "stalking" the deer, among the various ways being by fire hunting on water by night, by use of the salt lick and by the aid of trained ponies, but the most common mode was by running the deer down with the aid of dogs.

. In the fall of the year the hunt was often followed by the "fire hunt" method. This hunting outfit consisted of a canoe made from the log of a tree hollowed out with solid front and rear. In the front a large hole was bored, in which was inserted a stout upright about two feet long. Upon this was built a frame work of iron ribs and in this iron frame a bright fire was kept burning during the hunt* Thus equipped with plenty of fuel in the canoe, a good pole and paddle, a trusty rifle and a couple of trained dogs, the hunter was ready for the start. The canoe was then paddled up stream to an advantageous point. The dogs, which were trained to their work, were now turned loose to run through the woods till they found the deer, which they proceeded to chase. Almost invariably at night the deer, when fright¬ ened from his haunts, flees to the river. The hunter, meanwhile, was very quiet in his canoe, which he left float with the stream, the light being turned in advance of the canoe. The deer, unlike other wild creatures, seems to be fascinated, not frightened, by fire or light. Silently the hunter sat listening. For some time all was stillness but for the ripple of the water or the rustle of the trees. Then would come the welcome sound from the dogs announc¬ ing their find in the still forest. Nearer and nearer came the sound of the chase. The hunter grasped his rifle closer and awaited the approach of the hunted creature. Then the deer strikes the river, sees the light and, fas¬ cinated by its beams, heads straight for the hunter. The opportune moment has come, the rifle speaks and a deer with its precious store of meat and skin is added to the hunter's store.

The deef lick process of capturing deer was also successful in those early days. The hunter deposited salt in a suitable spot where the deer would be sure to find it. This was done repeatedly until the deer became accustomed to visiting this spot, which they usually did after night. When the habit of coming to this spot had been firmly established, the hunter built a platform in a nearby tree in which to conceal himself. Then, as night came on, he built a fire on the opposite side of the deer lick from his tree, bringing the deer lick in direct line with the fire and the tree. Then he took hi£ station in the tree and waited for his quarry. When the deer came, it was not alarmed by the fire, but went to the salt lick, which brought it between the hunter and the light of the fire, so his aim could be as true by the firelight as by daylight and he seldom failed to bring down his game.

In the most common manner of hunting deer, the hunter started for the woods with his trained dogs, making immediately for the well-known haunts.

When a drove of deer was sighted, the first opportunity was taken to shoot. When the gun was fired, the dogs, though eager and excited, were trained to remain at the heels of the hunter. If the shot was successful, the deer was taken and hung on a tree till the hunt was over. If the deer was only wound¬ ed, then the dogs were told to go. They followed the wounded animal till they brought it to bay. Then the hunter, following the barkings of his trusty dogs, overtook the wounded deer and again that much meat and deer skin were put between the hunter's family and hunger and cold.

Some of the settlers had trick ponies that went to the hunt with as much eagerness as did their masters. A bell was fastened around the pony's neck before starting. The bowl of the bell was then stuffed with dry grass to keep it from tinkling till the proper time. The hunter, equipped with rifle and hunting knife, mounted his pony and sought the haunts of the deer. When the drove or single deer, as the case might be, was sighted, the hunter quickly and quietly dismounted, took the grass from the bell and hid himself from view. The pony, as he had been trained to do, would commence shak¬ ing his head and thus ring the bell. The deer, on hearing the bell, would invariably stop still and stare at the pony, who still continued his strange antics, apparently for the deer's benefit. In the meantime, the hunter was moving quietly to a good vantage ground for a shot at the deer. When this was found, the shot rang out and the hunter was usually successful. When the deer was killed, it was hung on a nearby sapling and the chase continued after the rest of the drove. When the drove was again overtaken, the pony performed his bell ringing with the same telling effect, and the hunter brought down another deer. This process was continued during the day and it fre¬ quently happened that at the end of a day's work, the hunter would have &s many as five deer hanging up to be brought home the next day. This was a favorite method of hunting of George Shirts.

An interesting story is told of George Shirts, who was the first tavern keeper in Noblesville. Of course, this town at the date of this story was but a straggling village and boasted no market, so Mrs. Shirts was some¬ times put to her wit's end to supply her table with meat. On one occasion, when she had company, she said to her husband, "George, what will I do for meat for dinner?" "How long can you wait0" he asked. "Why, half an hour," she responded. The landlord, who was a shoemaker, threw off his apron, seized his rifle and went out of the village about five hundred yards to a big spring near the river, where in ten minutes he shot a nice young buck and in twenty minutes more was back with as fine a supply of meat as any market in the world could afford.

The deer hunt was important to the pioneers in the woods as well as to the inn-keepers for many reasons. Before hog culture became general and successful, the meat was necessary to furnish the table for the pioneer and his family. The hams were salted and smoked just as pork hams are cured today and hung in the rude smoke house, which was often filled with meat which today is "scarcer than hen's teeth." When sold to others, such as tavern keepers, they brought a good price. Usually most of the meat was used at home. The skins of the deer were also utilized in many ways. Mocassins, leather breeches, vests and hunting shirts, also mats for various purposes were made from them. The skins of the raccoon, muskrat and mink were also valuable and used for caps for men and boys. Minks were taken in traps and mink fur was especially valuable.

The hogs ran wild in the woods in these early days. The man fortunate enough to own hogs, marked them with his particular brand and then turned them loose to roam and forage at will. When it came hog-killing time, the pioneer went hunting for his hogs, and shot what he wished of those bearing his mark. However, it was unsafe for any one to kill a hog not bearing his mark without the consent of the owner. The following story is told in Shirts' "Primitive History of Hamilton County, Indiana," of a man by the name of Smith, who claimed to be the owner of hogs running at large : "A good snow had fallen in the winter and Smith approached a man by the name of Brook, who was a good hunter, and proposed hiring him to hunt and kill his (Smith's) hogs. A price was agreed upon, but Brooks had one provi¬ sion in the contract, which was that Smith was to give Brooks his mark. The preliminaries being arranged, these parties made their way into the tim¬ ber in search of hogs. They had passed two or three droves when they came to one that Smith claimed was his. Brooks made an earnest effort to find Smith's mark, but failed to find it, and refused to shoot. So they passed on. They came across several droves during the day, but as Brooks could not dis¬ cover the proper mark, he refused to shoot, and at about dark they ran across another drove with the same result. Smith, by this time, was thoroughly out of humor, and with an oath told Brooks if he was going to be so par¬ ticular as all that they would get no hogs. Brooks then said to Smith : T don't believe you have any hogs in the woods, and you will pay me now for my day's work or take a thrashing.' The money for the day's work was paid over and Brooks refused to hunt for Smith thereafter.''

As a rule, the hunters were honest, and their smoke houses, overflowing with fine deer hams and winter supplies, were left unlocked year in and year out. If a bee hunter found a bee tree and cut his initials on the tree, as a rule it was left untouched. If a coon hunter treed a coon in the night, he needed but leave his dogs at the foot of the tree and a handkerchief or other token tied around the limb of it, to be sure of finding his "coon in the morn¬ ing waiting to be taken." If a hunter killed a deer and left it hanging in the woods, he would find it there when he returned for it. Sometimes, of course, there were exceptions and a few took advantage of all this honesty and open-handed manner of life. But if the guilty party was found, it was not safe for him to remain in this locality. Usually he was given a sound thrashing and quite unceremoniously told to "move on," which injunction was generally followed.

In conclusion of these pages on the early settler and the work he ac¬ complished for our county and state, we will give the story of an early settler, as is graphically told by James Baldwin, a native of Hamilton county, in an article entitled "The Centre of the Republic," which appeared in the April number (1888) of Scribners Magazine:

"The story of one of these pioneers is a fair illustration of the experi¬ ences of very many. I tell it briefly and without exaggeration, in almost the exact words in which he himself related it to me. A little more than half a century ago - late in the spring of 1832 - he began his clearing in the dense, almost impenetrable woods in central Indiana. In a single small wagon he had transported his family and his household goods by a long and toilsome journey from the older settlements farther east. The roads for hundreds of miles were scarcely more than paths ; over a part of the course he had been obliged to cut his own way among the trees and thick underbrush. He had invested all his money in the purchase of government land, and when he arrived at his possessions he had not a dollar in his pocket nor, indeed, any immediate means of obtaining one. With the help of his fellow pioneer and nearest neighbor, he felled trees, cut them into proper lengths, and of the round logs constructed the walls of a cabin ; he hewed rough puncheons for the floor; he rived long boards for the roof ; he made a great fireplace of clay and sticks; within six days from the beginning he had erected and made habitable the building which for several years to come was to be his home. Not a nail nor a brick was used in the construction of that house; nails and bricks were luxuries which the onward march of civilization would by-andby bring into that region - but the time had not yet come for luxuries of any sort. For weeks, during that first spring in the wilderness, the doorway of the cabin was closed simply by hanging a bed-quilt loosely from the top, like a kind of rude curtain. The wolves howled around the cabin at night; the pioneer was not disturbed by such sounds - the hunger-wolf was more to be dreaded than the gray beast which skulked in the thickets. Until his first small crop of com ripened he was by no means sure of food for the winter.

He carried his grain ten miles to the mill, and waited for it to be ground, in order that he might not disappoint his expectant family, eagerly waiting for the much needed grist of corn-meal. The first twelve months were months of sore trial ; but the end of the year found him firmly established in his new home and out of the reach of want. Even in the very darkest moments, he saw in imagination the wilderness giving place to fields of yellow grain and orchards of over-laden trees; and these thoughts gave him fresh courage and strength for further conquests.

"Little by little the great trees and the thick underwoods were cut down and cleared away; every year there were new 'deadenings' in the forest and broader patches of corn and wheat and flax in the openings; herds and flocks increased and flourished in the woodland pastures without expense and with¬ out especial care; and, sooner than he had dared hope, the pioneer began to see the realization of his dreams. Yet the ordinary comforts of civilized life were long delayed in their coming. For several years all the clothing of the family was homespun - tow-cloth and linen, from flax raised upon the farm; jeans and linsey-woolsey, of flaxen threads interwoven with wool from the farmer's own sheep. Nobody was idle. Wife and daughters were busy from daylight till dark, caring for the cows and the poultry and the garden, carding the wool, turning the spinning-wheel, mending garments, knitting, sewing, churning; and if need required, they were neither afraid nor ashamed to do a day's work in the fields - it was all a part of the family economy. Even the small boy was a manful helper of his father, knowing quite early the meaning of labor. The farmer himself was a jack-of-all-trades, and good at' more than one. He manufactured his own chairs and tables; he tanned his own leather ; he made his children's shoes and hats ; he wove jeans and tow-cloth for his own clothing and that of his boys ; he was an adept at coopering and harness making; he could make a spinning-wheel, and knew how to tinker clocks ; he built barns and houses for his neighbors ; and in the long winter evenings, by the light of the blazing fire in the great chimney, he tied brooms and taught his boys and girls how to read and cipher. Was there, even in the days of republican Rome, nobler nurture and training than that which fell to the lot of these sons and daughters? Such bringing-up would nowadays be regarded as fraught with unendurable hardships, unre¬ lieved by any redeeming features ; but in the West, as it had done before in other countries and communities, it produced men and women of a type that was able to influence humanity, and in a measure shape the national character.

"When, in time, the farm produced more grain than the family and the live stock needed for food, the farmer turned his thoughts to the best methods of disposing of the surplus. During the first few years, the nearest market was more than fifty miles distant; but that was only a trifle of two or three days* journey, and the entire trip, both to and from, might be accomplished in less than a week. Over roads by no means the best, a few bushels of wheat, and perhaps some vegetables or a pail of butter, were 'hauled' to that distant market. It was rather a holiday jaunt than anything more serious; the farmers of the neighborhood usually went together in caravan style, camping by the roadside at night, and withal making a right merry time of it. The produce was exchanged for salt and some other indispensable house¬ hold commodity, and now and then a few yards of calico or some ribbons were carried home to the good wife or the grown-up daughters. There was no hardship in all this. The long journey once or twice a year relieved the monotony of pioneer life, and - the markets would certainly be nearer some time.

"And little by little the markets did draw nearer; and there were not only larger crops, but the price of grain was higher, and the farmer began to know, by actually seeing and handling it, what was the color and shape of money. One comfort after another came to lighten the labors of the house¬ hold. The busy noise of the steam saw-mill, and soon the whistle of the locomotive became familiar sounds. The farmer's boys and girls gradually* discarded homespun and clothed themselves, especially on Sundays, in 'store goods,' and the farmer himself indulged more and more frequently in some inexpensive luxury of which he had long been obliged to deny himself. One after the other he put aside his weaving, and tanning, and shoe-making, and carpentering; and finally he had nothing to do but to turn his whole attention to his farm and his stock. A neat 'frame-house' was built nearer the road¬ side and the old log cabin, the scene of many joys as well as sorrows, was deserted. Comfort and plenty abounded on every hand. The blessings of civilization, following in the wake of honest labor, had come at last; and our pioneer, w?ho had hardly hoped to enjoy them himself, but rather win them for his children, deserved his full share of them. For had he not earned them by the sweat of his brow, by cheerful perseverance, by long and hard wrestling with poverty and the savagery of the backwoods?

"But after his life of privation and toil the pioneer was not the man that he might have been had another lot been his. His health had been en¬ feebled by exposure to the malarial atmosphere of the woods and marshes; his face had been bronzed by the scorching heat of many summers and wrinkled by the bitter cold of many winters ; his head had been whitened by many sad experiences, and his hand had lost its former strength and cunning. More than all this, the habits of the backwoodsman, insensibly acquired, clung to him; he was a stranger to the modes of thought and the refinements of polished society; his language was a mixture of localisms and inaccuracies; he could ill adapt himself to the changed order of things which the schools, the railroads, and the development of the natural wealth of the country had brought about. Yet, as a compensation for all his losses and failures, he had this knowledge to console him : He was one of ten thousand veterans who had made conquest of a mighty empire, made its wonderful resources available, and bequeathed it - an inconceivably rich heritage - to coming generations. No hero of history, no warrior-patriot, had ever served his country better, or earned laurels more nobly. For what he had suffered and for what he had accomplished, he was conscious that no one ought to deny to him the lasting gratitude and remembrance which posterity owes to the nation's benefactors.

"And what of the sons and daughters born and bred in the midst of the trying influences of poverty and deprived of what are popularly called 'ad¬ vantages and opportunities?' It is not an uncommon thing to suppose that they were illiterate, coarse, unambitious; that even after they had acquired competence and wealth, they retained the boorish manners of the backwoods; that their knowledge of the world was limited to the horizon of their own * neighborhood; and that their aspirations for mental and social culture re¬ mained undefined and extremely feeble. Such suppositions, although cor¬ rect in some cases, are far from correct as regards the majority of those who composed what may be termed the first generation of natives. The priva¬ tions which had been theirs, the necessarily stern discipline under which they had been brought up, the very lack of ready-made opportunities - all tended to foster self-reliance, to kindle ambition, and to encourage invention and the acquisition of knowledge. Were schools established? The slender oppor¬ tunities which they offered were seized upon and made the most of. Were railways constructed? They not only brought the markets nearer, but they destroyed the isolation of communities and made one neighborhood of the whole world. Were libraries founded? They were eagerly patronized, and the wealth of knowledge which they contained became a source of inspiration to many a hard-working farmer's boy. Was leisure won after years of slavish toil? It was not unfrequently given to mental improvement and to moral and social culture. And thus from among the sons of the Western pioneers, men have come who have stood in the foremost ranks of every department of private or public life. Scholars, teachers, inventors, statesmen, divines - the most celebrated thinkers and doers in the nation - have been among those whose lives were shaped and whose characters were moulded through these influences of poverty and stern discipline.,,