Jackson County, Indiana - Chapter 18, 1886

Chapter 18

Schools - Early Schools and Late Ones of Each Township - Early Teachers - Families and Patrons of Several Districts - The School Examiners - County Superintendents - The Man¬ agers of the Early School Funds - The County Seminary, etc.

rwe could look into the past and view the surroundings as they appeared seventy-five years ago - know the extreme poverty of the settlers, and their own lack of education, our surprise would be that they were able to give their children even a knowledge of reading and spelling. The teachers of that day were what we would now consider illiterate and their method irrational The book was not graded according to the development of the faculties, and the subject seldom treated in the order of importance or sequence. With all these disadvantages the schools kept pace with every other enterprise of a public nature, and, in 1814, before many of the settlers had comfortable log-huts to live in, we find Vallonia settlement with its school under the supervision of Heddy Gooding. This was the first school taught in Jackson County. Gooding was a rigid disciplinarian and wielded the rod with great strength and earnestness, for which he received the praise of every patron. This was the great test of the teacher's qualifications, and if he failed in this he was regarded wholly incompetent. This school was taught in an old log-cabin, which answered the purpose of a schoolhouse for several years. The pupils who attended this school were John Carr, James Burcham, Empson Gooding, Josiah Shewmaker (the only one now living) and Nancy Gilbert. The last named had the distin¬ guished honor of being courted by the teacher, much to the mor¬ tification of the other belles of the settlement. Acquilla

Rodgers succeeded Gooding and taught in the same house. The second house, in which school was taught, was at the site of the old White Church. This was a church and schoolhouse com¬ bined, and was the first for either purpose that was ever built in the county. John Buskey is said to have been the first to teach in the new house, Acquilla Rodgers second and a man by the name of Moore third. This house was used for school purposes for more than ten years when it was abandoned for a better one. The Rodgerses, Browns, Tuells, Isimingers, McCays and Court¬ neys attended this school. There are now six frame school build¬ ings in the township, the one at Yallonia being a township graded school building with two rooms. The estimated value of school property is $5,000. There was admitted into this town¬ ship school, in the year 1884, 121 male and 129 female pupils, with an average attendance of 177. The township expends annu¬ ally for the support of its schools about $4,000.

The settlers of this township, knowing the advantages of an education, were not slow in providing their children with the means of learning the rudiments of reading, writing, spelling and arithmetic, to the single rule of three, which at that day seemed to be the limit of every teacher's knowledge. The first were sub¬ scription schools, and the pay was to be in wheat, corn, venison hams, and sometimes a little money, with the further provision that the teacher should board among the scholars. The first to try his pedagogical skill on the firstborn of Grassy Fork Town¬ ship was a man by the name of Ellison. This school was kept in an old log house that stood near Hezekiah Applegate's. This house was provided with a dirt floor, puncheon seats and greased paper windows. It is said that the grease gave the paper its translucency. Hugh Moore succeeded Ellison, and next came James Martin. The first schoolhouse erected was on the land of

David Sturgeon; the second on Congress land, now owned by Jacob Wascom, and the third near the old Smith place. The families that sent to these schools were the Burges, Tuells, Applegates, Carters, Smiths and Browns. The development was grad¬ ual, and at present the township employs eight teachers, at an average daily compensation of $2.10 each. The school property is valued at $3,500, with an annual expenditure of about $3,100.

The first school taught in Brownstown was in the old log court house. The county commissioners gave the people the privilege of using the house, provided they would keep it in re¬ pair. In the year 1818 we find an order from the commissioners instructing the sheriff to prohibit any further use of the house until the provision of the original contract had been complied with. From this we are led to the conclusion that a school must have been taught prior to 1818. The first school of which the writer was able to secure any trustworthy information was that taught by Mary Beton, afterward the wife of Dr. Buggies, in 1820. The Murpheys, McCormicks, Congletons, and others, were the patrons of that school. The next teacher was Walter Benton, who, with that conscientiousness that characterized his actions through life, quit the profession because he believed himself in¬ competent. If every teacher in Indiana had that same scrupulous regard for the decisions of conscience, we doubt if the profession, even in this enlightened age, would be crowded.

School was held in the old log court house until about 1826, when the house was converted into a church, and a small log schoolhouse built one square north of the court house on a lot owned by E. J. Wayman. A man by the name of Bragg was one of the first teachers. George H. Murpbey taught in the same house a few years later. This house was succeeded by a frame building which stood near the old cemetery, and was used for school purposes until the building of the county seminary early in the forties. The location of the seminary at this point gave an impetus to the cause of education that resulted in great good. The building was bought by the township during the administra¬ tion of J. H. Burrell, as township trustee, and was the property of the township until 1870, when Brownstown extended its corpo¬ ration lines around it and since then it has been the property of the town. The house is old and to some extent dilapidated, and ere long will have to be supplanted by a new one. Of many of the students that have gone forth from this school much could be said. Properly trained, both morally and mentally, they have discharged their duties as citizens both wisely and well. Under the supervision of Prof. Hattel, the present principal, the school has grown in popular favor, and is now one of the best systematized schools in the county. The annual apportionment of revenue for tuition purposes is about $1,500, and this, distributed among four teachers, shows an average annual compensation of less than $400 each. The following persons held the office of school trustee: Dr. Joseph B. Stillwell, Capt Long, J. L. Kestler, William Frysinger, D. A. Kochenour, J. H. Finley, James F. Applewhite and Frank Brannaman.

Concerning the early history of the schools of Brownstown Township, but little is remembered. . In fact, there were but few schools at an early day. The settlers were scattered, and for sev¬ eral years after the first settlement there were not enough people in any one community to support a school ; besides, all persons, old or young, male or female, who had physical strength enough to labor, were compelled to take their part in the work of secur¬ ing a support ; the work of the female being as heavy and im¬ portant as that of the men. Taking these facts into considera¬ tion the wonder is that they were able to start the school as early as they did.

It is doubtless true that there were schools taught in this township long before a schoolhouse was erected, but of these the writer was unable to get any reliable information except that of the school taught in an old mill-house that stood on the farm of James Hutchinson. The teacher was an Irishman, whose name has long since been forgotten, but it is said that he was a man of great ability. All the early settlers of that section patronized that school. The next school of which anything could be learned was that taught by Charnel Johnson some time in the twenties, in a log hut that stood near Abraham Miller. The Millers, Woodmanses, Johnsons and Weatherses were patrons of this schooL The Way man schoolhouse was built early in the thirties, and another in the southwest corner of the township on the farm of Stephen Fountain. The first schoolhouse in Ewing was built in 1861, and is now a part of the residence of Mr. Stillwell.

There are now sixteen houses in the township, all frame, and in fair condition. The enumeration of children of school age is 830, and the average daily attendance 297, which is but little more than twenty-five per cent of the number enumerated. The average daily compensation of teachers for the year 1884 was, males, $1.81; females, $1.62. The school property is valued at $10,500, and the total amount of revenue annually expended is about $6,000.

It is probable that the first school taught in this township was in a log-cabin near John Love's, that had been abandoned by some family. The teacher's name has been forgotten, but the pupils who attended there were from the families of the Loves, Coxes, Andersons, Marshalls and Franklins. In a few years a log schoolhouse was built in the same neighborhood, but a little further north. William Marshall was one of the first teachers in the new house. Soon after the erection of the house on the " ridge," a house was built about one mile south of Dudleytown.

This house did not stand long until it was torn down and a new and more commodious building erected on the same site. Will¬ iam Bragg, a man by the name of Proctor and Roderick McOloskey were among the first teachers.

There are at present six frame and two brick school buildings in the township. The brick buildings belong to the German Lutherans, and in these the parochial as well as the free schools are taught. The average daily attendance of pupils for the year 1884 was but 102, with an enrollment of 203. The total cost of running the schools was about $2,400.

The first school taught in what is now Jackson Township was in Stringtown, near where John Owens lived. This was in a small log house 16x20 feet, and was built early in the twenties. The first teachers to wield the rod in this institution of learning were a man by the name of Brady, David Kress and E. H. Pars¬ ley. The second house was erected on the land of Mr. Crabb, and in this George Kester taught the first schooL In the south¬ ern part of the township the Quakers built a log schoolhouse by the side of the frame church, elsewhere described. Caleb Elliott was one of the first teachers, and the pupils were from the Quaker families of that settlement. The second house in this section was built at the cross-roads not far from where the Quaker Church now stands. The branches taught were reading, writing, arith¬ metic and spelling, and at least one-half of the time was devoted to the latter. The common belief was that spelling formed the basis of every other study, and that in order to become proficient in any branch you must first be able to spell correctly every word in Webster's spelling book. Pike's was the popular arithmetic, and he who could "cipher" to the "single rule of three" was considered thoroughly competent to teach the most enlight¬ ened of the day. The spelling school was an institution of the pioneer days, which deserves more than a passing notice. These were held at night, and the teachers and pupils of all the schools for miles around would meet in a friendly contest. Cap¬ tains were appointed, and from the multitude that had gath¬ ered they would select the contending force, and then the contest would begin. First the captains vied each other, and so it went down the line until one or the other side was vanquished. It is said that it was not unfrequent to see these spellers stand for hours spelling page after page without having the words pro¬ nounced, so thoroughly had they memorized the order of the words.

In this township there are nine houses, and the same number of teachers. The houses are all frame, and some of them badly in need of repair. The estimated value of school property is $5,000, and the annual expenditure but a few dollars less.

The early settlers of this township were not slow in giving their children all the opportunities for an education that the cir¬ cumstances would admit of. Contemporary with the building of the first church, and often before, the pioneer began the erection of the rude log schoolhouse, in which he might give his children a limited knowledge of "redin," "ritin" and "ciferin," and to this end employed the most competent individual of the neighborhood.

One of the first schools in the township was taught in a log cabin that stood on the farm now owned by Mrs. Black. Thjs is the same old log house that we meet with everywhere - with its big fireplace, puncheon floor and paper windows. The early teachers were William Turrell, B. Vawter, John Anderson, Henry Shields and Joel Edwards. The pupils were from the following families: Wellses, Owens, Scotts, Zollmans, Dodds, Brannamans, Eastons and Kindreds. The second house was on the old J acob W ells farm, and the third near Thomas Fountain's. Further to the north, and not far from the line dividing the Owen and Salt Greek Town¬ ships, a school was taught by Bartholomew Burrell, Sr., followed by a man by the name of Hanna. The cost of education in that day for the whole township did not exceed in the aggregate $150 per year. Ccontrast this with the $4,800 expended for the year 1884, and then we can begin to realize the advancement that has been made in educational affairs. While Owen Township is below the average township of the county in the character of the house and appliances, yet in some particulars it has excelled. The establish¬ ment of the Clear Spring High School, in 1856, showed that the leading citizens realized the advantage of higher education. This was built by a joint stock company, incorporated under the laws of the State. The principal stockholders were William Scott, M. L. Wicks, Abraham Brannaman, William Hamilton, William Alexander, J. R. McCoy, Taswell Yawter, J. P. Scott and Seaman & Brown. Dr. James 0. Wells was the first president The first teacher was John L. Owens, who was followed by the late Judge Wilson, of Bedford. Then came David Moore, and to him more than all others the school owed its success and reputation. While under his supervision, students came from all parts of the county as well as from many of the adjacent counties.

At present the township has eleven houses, many of which need to be replaced by new ones. But since the former trustee fell a victim to Polardism, and is now living in Canada on the in¬ terest from $25,000 of the people's money, they have given up all hope of immediate relief.

The early settlers of this township were a little slow in com¬ mencing their first school, but when once started evinced a deep interest. In fact the time came in the history of every township when schools had to be founded, or they would lose the expected influx of population, for the later families seeking homes in the wilds of Indiana were careful to locate where there were good schools, good mills and good churches. It is said that the first house in the township was a log building that stood northeast of Rockford. This answered the purpose for a few years, when a new one was erected not far from the same site. The first house long ago passed away, and with it all remembrance of the first school and its teacher. In the early part of the twenties a house was built in the vicinity of Farmington, and it is remembered that one term was taught in the old Ebenezer Church.

Although slow in beginning, the progress has been more rapid than in any other township of the county. The township has four brick and four frame houses, which, with the grounds and appa¬ ratus, is valued at $8,000, which, according to number, far ex¬ ceeds in valuation that of any other township. The apportionment of school revenue for the year 1884 was for tuition, $3,439.87 ; for special school, $1,878.78.

The common schools of every State or country are the founda¬ tion of the system of education. These are the colleges of the people, and if neglected the great mass must grow up in ignor¬ ance. Although some of those primitive schools were but little more than a place at which the pupils would gather to receive their daily "tannings" by a teacher who was selected because of his physical rather than his mental strength, yet there is no doubt but that the influence was good. The pioneer teacher of this township was John Simpson, who had all the necessary qualifica¬ tions, and in 1822 he began work in the log cabin built for the special purpose. This house stood near where George Prudens lives, and was used for three years, when it was abandoned for a large hewed-log house, which had been built near the same spot. The teachers who succeeded Simpson were John Tinder, Robert Cavender, M. Sheldon, James M. Lewis, S. G. Brown and John

Malon. The last named always took his bottle, filled with the best brandy, which he procured at the still-house near by. On one occasion Jacob Brown, then a fiery youth, and a playmate stole the bottle, and probably indulged too freely themselves. For setting such an example before the school the boys were soundly whipped. Other settlements were provided with schools of the same character, and up to the year 1827 there were probably more schoolhouses in Hamilton than any other township of the county.

The township at present has an enumeration of 595 children of school age, and a total of twelve teachers, making nearly fifty pupils to each teacher, providing all should attend. The average compensation of the teachers is $2.25 per day, which is the high¬ est wages paid by any township of the county.

In the fall of 1823 the first schoolhouse was built in Salt Creek Township. This was a small log house 19x20 feet, that stood one-half mile north of Houston, within a few feet of the residence of Daniel Lutes. George Sires was the first teacher. The pupils who attended this school were Henry, Daniel and John Lutes, Thomas, William and John Brown, John and Mar¬ garet Wagoner, Elizabeth, Robert, John, Martin and Isaac Taber * Thomas Shetton and Frank and Thomas Elkins. The second house was built in Houston, and was a log structure but little better than the first Other early teachers were John Hill and David Winkler, and to these all the leading families sent their children. The township at present ha3 the largest enrollment of any in the county, the number in 1884 being 629, with an average daily attendance of 379, which is but little more than 50 per cent of the enrollment and not more than 35 per cent of the enumera¬ tion. While there has been much progress in the last half century these figures plainly show that there is room for more.

There are at present sixteen districts in the township requiring seventeen teachers. The school at Houston is a township graded school. The house was built by the township assisted by a stock company made up of many of the leading citizens of the township, who had associated themselves together for the purpose of* encouraging higher education. This school is a credit to the township, and has given encouragement to many a poor boy with a bright intellect and noble heart, but with no means at his com¬ mand.

Next in point of usefulness to the pioneer preacher is the pioneer teacher, and many, no doubt, would place the latter first. It is possible to be a Christian without the assistance of a preacher, but impossible to be a scholar without the assistance of a teacher. In the early history of every community, the two have gone hand in hand and have exerted a most potent influence in the cause of civilization. Many of the most interesting incidents in connection with jthe early schools of Carr Township have passed beyond the memory of the oldest settlers. At first the children of this township attended at the old White schoolhouse in Drift¬ wood Township. This was inconvenient, and soon as the settle¬ ment had grown sufficiently large a house was erected on the bank of Cedar Creek, which is said to have been the first, although it is quite probable that schools were taught in the settlement before the building of this house. The Beems, Gosses, Pecks, McKenneys, Lockmans and later the Stillwells, Burrells, Kinwortheys and Merritts attended this school. The first school in the Carr settlement was taught in a log schoolhouse north of Weddleville. Among the first teachers were Leonard Houston, George Richards and George Phelps. The pupils: John F. Carr, Gabriel Richard, Benjamin Richard, James Sparks, Milton Sawyer, James M. Mathews, A. Phelps, W. Houston, John, Joseph and. James Brown, Hannah and Permelia Richard and Margaret

Houston. In 1855 the leading families of this neighborhood associated themselves together for the purpose of establishing a high school or college. In a short time they had raised a suffi¬ cient amount to build what has since been known as the Weddleville High School. This was for several years the principal school in all this section of the country, and to some extent, no doubt, accounts for the general intelligence of this community. The school at Medora is a township graded, in which three teachers are employed. The school is well graded and the work thoroughly systematized. The value of school property is $8,500, with an annual expenditure of about $5,000 in tuition and special school revenue. In educational enthusiasm this township stands among the first of the county, for which the present township trustee, E. M. Alter, deserves the special credit #

When our forefathers, nearly a century ago, declared in the ordinance of 1787 that "knowledge with religion and morality was necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind" they struck the keynote of American liberty. Science and liter¬ ature began to advance, and the enthusiasm began to move west¬ ward with the tide of emigration. The declaration of the consti¬ tution of Indiana gave new enthusiasm to the cause in this section, and soon ihe log schoolhouse began to make its appearance in every settlement. The first built within the present limits of Ver¬ non Township was in the Beadle settlement, and was built of un¬ hewn logs, with the stick chimney and puncheon floor. The Beadles, Kings, McDonalds, Coys, Ballards and Marlings were said to have been the principal patrons of this school. The first school in the Nelson settlement was taught in a log house that stood near John Wilson's. James Thomas and Samuel Hawkins were among the first teachers. The first school in Crothersville was a frame building 20x30 feet, and stood on the lot now occu- pied by the store-house of George MitchelL This was succeeded by a two-story brick building, but so rapid was the growth of the town that the erection of the present building became neces¬ sary. The present schoolhouse is a large brick structure built at a cost of about $8,000. It was completed in 1885, and is the best arranged school building in Jackson County. There are eleven schoolhouses in the township, valued at about $13,000. The enumeration of children between the ages of six and twentyone is 658, of which 530 were enrolled in 1884. The amount of school revenue expended for the same year was $4,604 tuition and $4,141 special school.

Long before the enactment of the law providing for the hold¬ ing of county institutes by the county examiners, institutions of like character had been held in the county. The first under the law was held in 1866 by Byford E. Long, county examiner. The instructors were Father Doyle and Sisters of Seymour, and Henry Brashears. The attendance was between forty and fifty teachers. Since then county institutes have been held annually, under the direction of the county superintendent, for which $50 is allowed by the county to defray the expenses.

The office of county examiner was held by William Robert¬ son, Byford E. Long and J ames K. Hamilton. The duty of an examiner was to examine teachers and issue licenses, for which he received but little pay. He had no supervision over the schools unless that power was granted by the county commissioners, which they almost universally refused to do. However, they gave James K. Hamilton that privilege, and under his management and direc¬ tion the schools showed marked progress. In the year 1873 the office of county superintendent was created, and in June of that year Wilson S. Swingle, the newly elected superintendent, entered upon the duties of his office. This was the beginning of a new epoch in the history of the schools in Indiana. The advance¬ ment made in educational affairs since the creation of the office of county superintendent has been truly wonderful, and through his influence to a great extent may be attributed this advance¬ ment. Mr. Swingle held the office until 1875, when he was suc¬ ceeded by A. J. McCune, a thoroughly competent and wide-awake man, who continued to hold the position until 1879. He was suc¬ ceeded by the present incumbent, James B. Hamilton, who is now serving out his fourth term. Under his supervision the schools of Jackson County have taken high rank among the counties of the State.

A uniform course of study has been adopted by the board of education, dividing the work into three departments and five grades, and many of the schools are now perfectly graded.

General Matters

The origin of the various funds of the State for the support of public schools, will be found recorded in Chapter VIII of the State History in the first part of this volume. In the early days of the State, it was customary to set apart a certain portion of the revenue arising from the sale of town-lots, for the purpose of library and other like matters of public benefit. Jackson County however, was an exception to this. The first trustee of the county seminary fund, as shown by the accessible records of the county, was David Burr, in 1824; three years later he was succeeded by Moses G. Wood, who gave bond to the amount $300. Under the usual rule, this would indicate that the amount at that time was not more than about $15t). In January, 1829, Andrew C. Grif¬ fith was appointed to that office. The next was Gabriel Woodmansee, in March, 1833.

On the second Saturday of December, 1832, an election was held to choose a county school commissioner, when Jesse B. Dur¬ ham was elected. Hugh A. Findley succeeded Woodmansee in the latter part of 1833. The offices of trustee of the seminary fund and school commissioner were separate. In 1830 the semin- ary fund amounted to about $700, and in May of that year, the fund was taken charge of by three commissioners, instead of one, as the new law required. They were Samuel Stanfield, Washington Woody and Samuel Wort.

The Surplus Revenue

Upon the distribution of the suiplus revenue of the United States among the several States, it was in turn divided among the various counties, an agent was appointed in each county to loan it and have general charge of the fund. In Jackson County, the amount received was about $4,000. MeedyW. Shields was appointed for this county, but two years later, in 1839, was succeeded by Hugh A. Findley. In 1842 Meedy M. Shields, Rifchard D. Fisher and John B. Rust were seminary trustees, and Rawley Scott \tas, in 1845, school land commissioner.

At the March term of county board, the trustees of the county seminary reported as follows: u Agreeably to an order made by the county commissioners dated June 4, 1844; we have had set¬ tlement with Hugh A. Findley, former treasurer of the seminary funds, and attar having made him the allowances as per contract, there remained in his hands the following judgements and notes." The amount of the judgments and notes was $497.72. There was in addition to this amount nearly $7,000 of the surplus revenue. The interest on this, with the amount of the seminary fund, amounted to about $1,200. The various funds available for the purposes of building a good county seminary were now ample enough, and during the year 1844 it was done. The contract was

This building is now standing in Brownstown and occupied by the public school. Additions and alterations have been made since then. The property was sold in June, 1861, for $1,407 to John H. Burrell, as trustee of Brownstown Township.

School Examiners

The present system of teachers' examinations had its origin early in the decade of the fifties, but has been much improved since then. In March, 1854, John L. Owens, of Brownstown; Amos Frost, pf Clearspring, and Samuel D. Brown, of Rockford, were appointed county school examiners. In the following year, Samuel W. Smith, JohnF. Carr and JohnL. Owens were appointed. 1857 - William T. Dobbs, James Wells and Rev. Booth. 1860 - D. Moore, James K. Hamilton and Isaac Laraway. In 1861 Will¬ iam Robertson was appointed for three years, and since that there has been but one in a county. It was the duty of these examiners to visit the schools, and hence the name school examiners. James K. Hamilton was probably the successor of Robertson, and he re¬ mained in that capacity for several years. Byford E. Long served for a time in this office. The county superintendents were the successors of the school examiners, and they are elsewhere men¬ tioned.

Part Iii

JUDGE RALPH APPLEWHITE, the son of James and Mary (Reagan) Applewhite, natives of South Carolina and North Carolina, respectively, was born January 19, 1826, in Union County, Miss. His father fought under Gen. Jackson at the battle of New Orleans, and was conspicuous for his many acts of bravery. At the age of five the subject of this sketch moved with his parents to what was then called the "Indian Pur¬ chase," and settled in Carroll County, Miss. The county at that time was almost a dense wilderness, and was inhabited by the Chickasaw and Choctaw Indians, who were preparing to migrate to the Indian Territory west of the Mississippi. In this wild pioneer life young Applewhite entered and grew up amidst all these surroundings. His early advantages for an education were quite limited. He attended school in an old log schoolhouse where the principal theory was practically and at times forcibly taught that to spare the rod is to spoil the child - the rod was rarely spared. When about seventeen years of age he attended a select school in Natchez, Miss. In the spring of 1814 he went to Hanover College, in Jefferson County, Ind., and. remained there for about two years. While at college he met and courted the lady who afterward became his wife. In 1846 he returned to Natchez, Miss., and studied law under Col. Lewis Sanders. In the fall of 1846 he entered the senior class in the law department of Louisville (Ky.) University, from which institution he grad¬ uated March 1, 1847. In March, 1847, he married Miss Jo¬ sephine Brandt, at Hanover, Ind., and to her the Judge owes much of his success in life. To this union were born two sons and one daughter. The eldest son, Henry, is a farmer and resides on a farm in Owen Township. The next son, Jim, is associated with the Judge in the practice of law. The daughter is the wife of W. L. (Coon) Benton, and resides in St. Louis, Mo. In Novem¬ ber, 1853, Judge A. came to Jackson County, where he has ever since resided and practiced his profession, except when holding official positions. He was judge of the common pleas court from October, 1860, until August, 1862, when he resigned and entered the army as captain of Company K, Sixty -seventh Indiana Vol¬ unteers, but resigned the following April on account of physical disability. In 1864 he returned to the practice of law. In 1867 he was elected county auditor, and in 1870 re-elected, holding that office eight years. He is now engaged in the practice of his profession, and has a large and lucrative business. But few men in this section of the State are more widely and favorably known than Judge Applewhite. As a lawyer he stands at the head of his profession.

REV. WALTER BENTON, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Brownstown, was born near Geneva, Ontario Co., N. Y., May 7, 1799. His father and mother, David and Sarah Benton, raised a family of seven children: Henry, George, Walter, William, Norman, Sarah and Mary. In April, 1819, Mr. David Benton, with his family, left Olean, N. Y., for the then "far West," sailing down the Alleghany and Ohio Rivers, land¬ ing near Charlestown and locating at Brownstown, this county. The next year young Walter returned to New York on horseback, making the trip of 650 miles in twenty-one days,, in order to make some collections. He came back to Indiana, and near the close of the same year (1820) he made another trip to New York on horseback, and married Miss Elizabeth Coe. Returning to their Western home Mrs. Benton soon died, leaving one son - Albert. In 1824 Mr. Benton married Mrs. Hettie Banks, nee Vermilya, and by this marriage were nine children: George, John, Wilbur, Charles, Asbury, Walter, Phebe, Kate and Eva. Their mother died November 6, 1875, and the following year Mr. Benton married Mrs. Mary J. Daly, daughter of John and Nancy Freese. Mr. Benton has now passed a .life of half a century as