Hancock County, Indiana - Chapter 30, 1882

Chapter 30

The following two charts we have carefully prepared and introduced here for the purpose of giving a bird's-eye view of the dates, chief ofncers and principal events of our National and County History, from the date of their organization down to the present time, and, in the case of the county, the important data from the tirst settlement thereof bv the whites.

The first chart is more of a general nature, showing the name and date of ovu" Presidents, Governors, State Senators and Representatives, and our Circuit Judges ; and, in the last column, the important events of the respective years.

Chart number two is more of a local natvu^e, but to accomplish the object intended, should be examined and studied in connection with the first. Like the first, it is ruled into seven columns. In the fn\st is found the date, opposite which in regular order follow the names of the countv ofiicers. Clerk, Recorder, Auditor, Treasurer and Sherifi'; and, in the last column, one or more of the chief events in the county history.

Notice on chart number one, that in 1789 George Washington became the first President of the United States ; that the principal event of that year w^as the adoption of the ten amendments to the Federal Constitution ; that as Indiana and Hancock county were yet unorganized, the intervening columns are blank. In 1828, John Q^ Adams was President ; James B. Ra}-, Governor of Indiana ; Calvin Fletcher, our State Senator; Bethuel F. Morris, our Circuit Judge, and the principal national events the organization of the present Democratic party, and the increase of duties on imports. Chart number two shows Lewis Tyner the first County Clerk; Henry Watts, first Treasurer, and John Foster, first Sheriff; Greenfield and the Courts organized. An examination of 1881 and 1882 shows an equally advantageous condensed histor}- of cotemporaneous dates and events in the National, State, and County History. We think the chart sufficiently clear without further explanation. Its chief advantage to the student is in the association of dates and events of a local and National character, and thereby facilitating the memory and increasincr the interest :

France. Samuel Chase died. War declared against G. P.. Perry's victory. Washington City cap'.ured. Battle of New Orleans. Tndiiinn ndmitted to TTnion.

Charts And Misceli.Ankous Matters

First fair and thrashing machine. Second woolen factory. Hancock Democrat established. One Trustee in" each township. .\gricultaral Society organized. First companies for civil war. Enlistment of militia. :|!ioo bounty to soldiers. Family I'isitor established. Soldiers returned home.

County Supekixtlndexts Of Schools

W/icn (Did W/iy Adoftcd. - Prior to the year 1802 no uniform system of surveying had been adopted by law in the United States, and consequently no uniformity prevailed, and no little amount of confusion, disputing and litigation resulted therefrom. Congress soon saw that it was just as necessar^' to have a tixed system of surveying as to have a standard of weights, measures and values ; accordingl}^, in 1802, Jared Mansfield, Surveyor-General of the North- West Territory, presented to Congress a plan which was at once adopted, and put into use in the survey of all the public lands then owned and since acquired by the United vStates. This system is the most simple, satisfactory and convenient of anv yet known.

Principal Meridian And Base Lines

This plan is substantiallv as follows : Through the State or territory to be surveyed a line is run due north and south with great care and accuracy, by careful measurements and astronomical observations, called the Priiicipa/ JSIcridiaii, and another at right angles with this, called the Base Line (see diagram No. i). These two lines are the initial or starting points, and may be established wherever deemed most convenient. There are about twenty-five principal meridians, and an equal number of base lines in the various survevs of the United States and her territories.

The Principal jMcridiau in Indiana is located about twenty miles west of Indianapolis ; runs through Lebanon, Boone county, and extends from the Ohio river to the northern boundary of the State. The Base Line governing our townships in this portion, and most of Indiana, is located fiftv miles south of Columbus, in Bartholomew county, and ninet}' miles south of the court-house in Greenfield. It extends from the French surreys in Knox county and vicinity to Clark's Military Survey in Clark and adjoining counties.'"

On either side of the Principal Meridian extend other meridians called Range Lines, six miles apart, and the tirst six miles from the Principal Meridian. This divides the district into strips six miles wide, extending north and south, called Ra)iges, and numbered in regular order tVom the Principal Meridian east or west, as the case may be. On either side of the base line extend township lines, which divide the territory to be surveyed into strips six miles wide, extending east and west, called Tozcns/iips. By the intersection of these township and range lines the territory is divided into rectangles, approximately six miles square, called Congressional Tozvns/iips, which conl:iin thirty-six square miles eacli.

Remark - Note the distinction between townships and and Congressional towmships, the former are strips six miles wide, through the wln)le survey, east and west, while the latter are rectangles six miles square.

*Witli the exception of these two early surveys, located in the south-east and southwest parts of the State, Indiana was surveyed under the government system. The government surveys were nearly all made from the second Principal Meridian, runninjr through Lebanon. The south-eastern portion of the State was surveyed from the first Principal Meridian, which runs due north from the mouth of the Miami river, forming the eastern boundary of the State, and a base line fifteen miles nortli of the base line before described, hence the south-eastern portion of Indiana is in range west instead of cast, as the iininfonnod would suppose.

Line

We mav here remark that at the time of runnincr the principal meridian base line, township and range lines, corners are marked by the Government survey, or on each line for every half mile, to facilitate the further division of the land.

Scctio)is. - After the territory to be surve\'ed is divided into townships, as shown by explanations and diagrams above, the townships are then divided into sections by running lines east and west and north and south, a mile apart, thus dividing them into smaller rectangles a mile square, called sections,, containing six hundred and fortv acres each when full.

The i)iodi(s operandi in laying off these sections is as follows : The surveyor begins at a point one mile west of the south-east corner of a Congressional township on the southern boundary line of the same, and from this point runs one mile north, then east on what surveyors call a random line to the eastern boundary of the township. Now should this random line intersect the eastern boundar}- line at the first section or mile corner, he measures the line back, establishing a corner midway on the same ; if not, he finds the proper mile corner, corrects the line, and then marks the quarter section corner midway on the corrected line, and thus he continues till he runs off" the first tier of sections on the east, when he begins again, on the soutli line this time, two miles west of the south-east corner or one mile west of the former beginning point, w4ien he runs through in a similar manner, except that he does not run to the eastern boundar\' line but to the former line established.

Diagram No. 2

It will be seen that the first four tier of sections on the east are all surveyed in a like manner, w^iile the last two are established on the same, run north ; thus the surve3'or goes from 69 to 70, then east to 71, then west two miles to 72, and so on to the north two sections in the west two tiers, which are completed by the surveyor intersecting the northern boundary at 90, which completes the survey of the township. The United States Surveyor has now completed his work ; any further sub-division is the work of the County Surveyor. The division of the section into quarters is indicated by the corners marked midway on all section lines. The county or local surveyor, when called upon to do so, connects these corners b}" lines intersecting in the center of the section, thus actually dividing the section into quarters, which may now readily be still further divided into forty or eighty acre tracts.

Fractional Sections

Owing to the rotundy of the earth, townships seldom contain thirty-six square miles, but generally less. The townships being divided into sections in the above manner, it is evident that the deficiency or excess, /. r., the amount of land, more or less than six miles square in the township, must fall in the north and west tiers of sections, and in the west half of the west tier and north half of the north tier. From this fact the sections on the north and west sides of a Congressional township are called fractional sections, because they contain more or less than six hundred and forty acres. Section six in the north-west corner, from having the excess or deficiency throw^n into it from both east and south, is called a Double Fractional Section^ and seldom contains more than one exact quarter.

Correction Lines

The meridians run by the compass are not parallel, but converge tow'ard the magnetic north pole, located in the Boothnia Peninsula, north-east of Hudson Bay. Thus the north side of the townships are narrower than the south, and the northern townships smaller than the southern. If these lines were continued for a great distance, the disparity in the size of the township would be great, but this is obviated by making every fifth line north and every fourth line south of the base line a secondary base or a

Then, again, to counteract and correct discrepancies that may arise from obstructions, such as underbrush, ravines, hills, trees, etc., every eighth line east and west of the principal meridian is taken as a secondary- or correction meridian, and the distances remeasured.

In the following diagram. No. 3, the figures indicate the course of the surveyor in running off the Congressional townships, containing, approximately, twenty-three thousand and forty acres each :

Charts And Miscellaneous Matters Diagram No. 5

In order to make this article more practical to the young and others not acquainted with land descriptions, we introduce diagram No. 4, which, with the explanations following, w'ill enable any one to read ordinary descriptions.

Diagram No. 4

south eighty rods; thence east twenty-eight rods; thence north eighty rods to the north line of said south-east quarter, thence west twenty-eight rods to tlie place of beginning, containing fourteen acres.

Remarks. - A land description to be good, our Supreme Court has held, must so describe the realty that a compe- U-nt :^u^^ ovor can locate it, hence a middle division con- taining so many acres is not sufficicnth' definite without being described by "metes and bounds.' The position of a section is known by its number, and the location of a township by the town and range.

Hancock count}' may justly boast of her poetic talent, and claim the right to liead the list of rythmic counties in Indiana. Marion may boast of her Sarah T. Bolton, Henry of her Ben. Parker, Wayne of her Mrs. Jordon, but none of them can furnish a Riley or a Harris. Parker writes for pastime, Riley writes as a profession ; Mrs. Bolton is spontaneous, Harris is perpetual ; other poets of the State write for pleasure, ours for pay.

This histor}- would be incomplete without some account of our poets and their pennings. For want of space we shall not stop to give a personal sketch of each, nor a critique on their \vritings, but will be content with sample extracts from their numerous productions.

By Lee O. Harris

O! the harvest days of the olden time! The ring of the sickles in merry rhyme; The wealth that fell at the reaper's feet. With the tinkling s^und of a music sweet; My soul is wrapt in a dream to-day, And over my senses, from far away. There comes a rustle of grain, combined With the drows\- voice of the summer wind.

Again I walk in the joyous train That follows after the loaded wain; Again to my heart, like an echo, come The gladsome shouts of tlic harvest home. When the merry, sun-browned lasses greet The reaper lads with the golden wheat. There was one, with hair of a sunnier hue Than the ripened grain of the harvest knew.

Alas! alas! how the years go by! How the young grow old and the lovely die! How sad the music, how marred the rh3'me, Of the harvest songs of the olden time! For the rattling cog and the grinding wheel Rise over the ring of the reaper's steel, And death, the harvester, low hath laid The golden hair of the sun-browned maid, And I sigh like one who vainly prays

Old Settler'S Song

I lived in Jefferson before I came here, My father, a hunter, killed turkeys and deer; Then women were known to scutch out tlie flax. From which thev made linen to put on their backs.

It was then very common, I'd have you understand. For women to card wool and spin it by hand; While the girls at the wheel were careful and gay, My mother at the loom kept banging away.

The people in common in home-made were dressed. When the Sabbath came 'round they put on their best: I came to Hancock in the year thirty-two. The houses were scarce and the people were few.

The country was new when I first settled here, I hunted wild turkeys and killed of tlie deer; Then pea-vines, nettles, and plenty of frogs, And snakes and big turtles were seen in the bogs.

Then porcupines and 'possums were caught in their dens, And the wolves were taken in steel-traps and pens; There were few of our men that ever wore boots, Though they cleared in the green and plowed among roots.

Then women were known to work on the farm, Or at the spinning-wheel, and thought it no harm; They oft' c'id up their work so very late at night, And breakfasted next morning before it was light.

They wrapped up their babies so snug and so soft. Then rocked them to sleep in an old sugar trough; The children went ragged, in their little bare feet, Their mothers still kissed them and said they were sweet.

We now have railroads and telegraphs too. The churches and school-houses are never a few; We now have plenty, and something to spare. Fine boots on our feet and good dollies to wear.

We men can drink coflec and women drink tea, And are all living happy as happy can be; While the children grow fat on butter and milk, The ladies go dressed in their satin and silk.

While people arc passing from day unto day. We see them in buggies along the bighwav; We hear the cars whistle, we hear the bells ring. While the people collect to pray and to sing.

We now have fine carpets and big leather beds. With extra big pillows to put under our heads; And plenty of good books and papers to read. Anion"- the <i:reat nations we're takingf the lead.

Christ The Way By Mrs. R. P. Hill

formerly a resident of Blue-River township, and youngest daughter of Joel Pusey, a merchant, taken Irom a little volume, entitled "Musings," published in 1871 :

Sinner

We've heard of thee by tongue and pen. Through holy prophets and pious men, Thou art no stranger,' grave, grim Death, And yet thou art no friend.

The fields are naked and the meadows bare, The winds are howling and the woods are sighing And all nature oft' weeping and crying Because, Oh, Death, they say thou wert there.

In the world we are in there's sorrow and sin Hut there is a brighter, brighter above, And the door to that world As we often have heard, is Death, cold death.

Charts And Miscei.Laxeous Matters

was born in Guilford county, North Carolina, September 18, 1826. His parents emigrated to Indiana in 1829, and settled one mile west of Richmond, Wayne county, where they remained for a time ; thence to Knightstown, where they continued until 1835. From there they came to Hancock count}', and settled in the wild w^oods, w'here the subject of this sketch resided with his parents until 1843, when he left home with what blue jeans clothes he could tie up in a kerchief and fifty cents in his pocket. He walked to Randolph county, and began the study of medicine with Dr. J. W. Randell, with w^hom he continued until 1844, when he went to Knightstown, Henry county, and studied one year with Dr. John Weaver ; thence to Charlottsville, and completed his studies wath Dr. Henry T. Cook. He commenced the practice of medicine in June, 1846. His first medical effort was to adjust a fractured arm for Andrew Paule}'. He continued the practice until 1863, when he took a course of lectures at Ann Arbor, Michigan. Again he resumed his chosen profession. He graduated at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1874.