Shelby County, Indiana - Chapter 2: Territurial. Iiistduv of Ixih.vxa, 1909

Chapter 2: Territurial. Iiistduv of Ixih.vxa

On the final success ci the American armies under Gen. Anthony Wayne and his diplomacy with the warring tribes of red men in 1796. t!ie chie'f town of the territory was Vincenncs. then comprising about one hundred and fiftv houses, all presenting a thrifty and neat appearance. Each house was .urr.nuided hv a fence of poles, and peach and apple trees were found growmg nicelv in almost everv enclosure. Garden vegetables of all kmds were benig cultivated with great success, while corn, tobacco, wheat, barley and cotton grew 'in the hekis around the village in great abundance. During the last Tlecade of the eighteenth century the condition of society at Vincenncs had improved wonderfullv.

Besides \'incennes tliere was a small settlement near wliere the town ot Lawrenceburg now stand^. in Dearborn county, and in the course of that year a small settlement was eftected at '-Armstrong's Station." on the Ohio, within the present limits of Clark county. Then smaller settlements were found here and here within the Ixainds of Indiana Territory, as now understood.

The territorv of Indiana was organized by Act of Congress. May 7. iSo3. the material parts of the Ordinance cf 1787 remaining in force: and the inhabitants were invested in all rights, privileges and advantages granted and secured to the people bv that ordinance. The seat of territorial government was fixed at Vincenncs. 'Mav i^ i^oo. William Henry Harrison, a native of Virginia, was appointed Governor of the newly made territ.a-y. and on the next day Jonn Gibson, a native of Pennsxdvania, and a famotis western pioneer ( to whom the Indian chief Logan delivered his celebrated Indian speech in 1774). ^vas appointed Secretary of the territory. Soon afterwards W'illiam Clark, Henry \'anderburgh and Tohn Grifhn were appointed territorial judges. _

Secretarv Gibson arrived at \'incennes in July, and commenced m the absence of Governor Harrison the administration of government. Governor Harrison did not arrive until januarv 10. 1801. when he immediately called togetlter the judges alrearlv named, wh.. pn^eeded to pass such laws as tliey

Ercm the last named date to 18 10 the principal subjects that attracted the attention r,i the people of In.liana were land specitlations. the adjustment of land titles, the question of negro slavery, the purchase of Indian lands, the extension of th.e rights of suffrage, the division oi Indiana Territory, the

Up to this lime the article, sixth in nunilier. of the celebrated Ordinance referred to before, that was passed in 1787. prnhibiting- slavery in tlie Northwestern Territury. had been somewhat neglected in the execution ci law, and many French settlers still held slaves, in a manner. In some instances, according to the rules prc>cril)ed by territorial legislation, slaves agreed by indenture to remain in servitude under their masters fur a certain numlier of years; but many slaves, with whom no such contacts were made, were removed from the Indiana Territory either to the west of the Mississippi or to some of the sla^-eholding states. Governor Harrison convoked a session of delegates of the territor}-, elected by a vote of the people, who petitioned Congress to declare the sixth article of the Ordinance of 1787. prohibiting slavery, suspended: but Congress never consented to grant that petition, and many other petitions of a similar import. Scon afterwards some of the citizens began to take colored persons out of the territory for the purpose of selling them. Governor Harrison, by a proclamation of April 6, 1804. forbade it, and called upon the authorities of the territory to assist him in preventing such removel of persons of color.

During the year 1S04 all the country west of the ]\Iississippi and north of the thirty-third degree of latitude, was attached to Indiana Territory by Co'ig^ress, but in a few months was again detach.ed and organized into a separate territory.

\\"hen it appeared from a vote of the people in the territory that a majority of one hundred thirty-eight frec-hoklers were in favor of organizing a General Assembly, Governor Harrison, September 11, 1S04, issued a proclamation declaring that the territory had passed into the second grade of government, as contemplated by the Ordinance of 1787. and fixed Thursday, Jhuliary 3, 1805, as the time for holding an election in the several counties of the territorv, to choose members of a House of Representatives, who should meet at \'incennes l-"ebruar_\- ist. and adopt measures for the organization of a territorial council. These delegates were elected and met according to the proclamation, and selected ten men from whom the President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, should appoint five to be and constitute the legislative council of the territory, but he declining, requested !Mr. Harrison to make such selection, which was accordingly done. Before the first session of the Council, however, was held. Michigan Territory was set ofif. its south line being one drawn from the southern end of Lake Michigan directly east to Lake Erie.

The First Territorial Legislature

The first Territorial Legislature in Indiana met at Vincennes July 29. 1805. The members of the House of Representati\'es were Jesse B. Thomas, of IJearborn county; Davis Fhiyd. of Clark county: Benjamin I'arke and John lulmson. of Knox countv ; Shadrach r>nnd and William Biggs, of St. Clair "countv; George Fisher, of Randolph ci^unty. July 30th the Governor delivered his first message to "the Legislative Council and House of Representatives of the Indiana Territory." Benjamin Parke was the first delegate ejected to Congress. He had emigrated from Xew Jersey to Indiana in iSoi.

First Xf.Wsi'Aper Published

The "Western Sun" was the first newspaper ever pulilished in Imliana and was first commenced at A'incennes in 1S03. by Elihu Stout, of Kentucky, and first called trie Indiana Gazette, and July 4. 1804, wa;: cha-.iged to the Western Sun. ^Ir. Stout continued to edit this paper until 1S45, amid many discouragements, when he was appointed postmaster at that place, after whicli he sold his newspaper. At the date of establishing this newspaper, it was the only publication in what is now the great states of Indiana. Illinois, Michigan and \\'isconsin, and the second in all that vast country known as the "Xortiiwest Territory."

The total population was in the year just named at the head of this paragraph was twenty-four thousand five hundred and twenty: there were thirtythree grist mills; fourteen saw mills; three horse mills; eighteen tanneries; twcntv-eight distilleries; three powder mills: one thousand two hundred and thirty-six looms; one thousand three hundred anil fifty spinning wheels; value of manufactures - woolen, hempen and flaxen clothes, one hundred fifty-nine thousand and fifty-two dollars. Of cotton and wool spun in mills, one hundred fifty thousand dollars: of nails, thirty thousand pounds; of leather, tanned, nine thousand three hundred dollars; of distillery products, thirty-five thousand nine hundred and fifty gallons, valued at sixteen thousand two hundred and thirty dollars: of gunpowder, three thousand six hundred pounds, valued at one thousand eight hundred dollars; of wine from grapes, ninety-six barrels, valued at six thousand dollars ; fifty thousand pounds" of maple sugar.

During 1810 a Board of Commissioners was established to assist in looking after a tangled up lot of land titles. Their work was indeed a hard task. They met designing land speculators under oath and it was up to the.-,e commissioners to set things right, hit who it might.

"We close this melancholy picture of human depravity by rendering our devout acknowledgment that, in the a\\ful alternaii\x' in \vhich we have been placed, of either admitting perjury testimony in support of the claims before

US, or lia\-ing' it turned nijainst oiu" cl'.aracters and li\cs. it has as yet pleased tlie divine proviilence which rules over tlie aflairs cf men. to preserve us both from legal murder and private assassination.""

From iSo6 to 1S09 the question of dividing tlie territory was agitating the minds of th.c p.C'ple. During tlic year last named Congress erected the Territory of Illinois, to comprise all that part of Indiana lying west of the Wabash river and a direct line drawn from that river and Post Vincennes due north to the territorial line between the United States and Canada. This occasioned some confusion in the governmental affairs of Indiana, but in duo time the new elections were confirmed, and the new territor\- started off on a journey of prosperity which this portion of the United States has e\er since enjoyed.

For the first fifty years after settlement had lieen made at \'incennes. but little progress had been enacted. The wliitcs lived in peace with the Indians. each seeming to have charit}' and sympathy, one for the other. The government was a mixture of civic and military. There was but little tr;> inspire or incite to enterprise. But few could read anrl less could write tlicir names legibly. There were no speculations. The general character of the settlers was for honesty and simplicity. Peltries were the general standard for values. Ptiblic spirit was an unknown quantity during this first half century of the settlement of what is now one of the most enterprising and advanced commonwealths within this great union of sister states.

The battle. of Tippecanoe, fought Xo\'ember 7. iSii. and a I'mg" train oi Indian difficulties took up the time and attention of Governor Harris(]n d>iring that never-to-be-forgotten period just before the opening of the War "f 1S12 against Great Britain. The glorious victijry at Tippecanoe was but ti.i lie ox'crshadowed by the last war with the mother country. That war was legally declared June II, i8i_'. after which the Indians again commenced their diabolical depredations in Indiana. The war was fierce for two years, coming to a termination December 24. 1S14. A treaty made between this country and Great Britain required that this ccjuntry put an end to hostilities with all tribes or nations of Indians with whom they had been at war. Tecumseh was killed at the battle of Thames, October 5. 1813, by a Mr. Wheatty. notwithstanding General Johnson had usually had this distinction conferred upon him.

After repeated petitions to Congress. Indiana was finally emiiowered to elect the members of the Legislative council by a popular vote. This Coiigressional act was passed in iSoo, and defined what was known as the property qualification of voters. These qualificati'Mis were abolished by Congress in iSi I, which extended the right of voting for members of the General Assembly and for territorial deleg'ates to Congress to every free white person - male - above the age of twenty-one years, and who had paid a county or territiirial tax. was a resident ui the territorv and had resided in the territor\' for one vear.

III 1814 the voting- qualification in T'.idiana was defined by Cimgress. "tn cvcrv tree wliite male person having a freehold in the territory, and being a resident of the same."

The House of Representatives was authorized liy Congre:=s to lay off the tcrrit'.rv into five districts, in each o\ which the qualifie.l voters were empowered to elect a member of the Legislative council. The division was made, one to two counties in each district.

At the session of August. 1S14. the territ(M-y wa^ also divideil into three judicial districts or circuits as they were called, and provisions were made for "holding courts in the same. The G^wernor was empowered to appoint a presiding Judge in each court, and two associate judges of the L'ircuit Court in each cou'.Uv. Their compensation was fixed at seven hundred dollars per annum.

The same year the General Assembly granted charters to two banking institutions, the Farmers" and ^vlechanics" Bank of Madison, and the Bank of ^'incennes. The first was authorized to raise a capital of seven hundred fifty thousand dollars, and the other five hundred thousand dollars. On the organi.^ation of the state, these banks were merged into the State Bank and its branches.

In th.e month of Taiiuary. 1S14. about one thousand ^^liamis assembled at Fort Wavne for the purpose of obtaining food to prevent starvation. They met with ample hospitality, and their example was speedily followed by others. These, with other acts of kindness, won the lasting friendship of the Indians, many of whom had fought in the interest^ of Great Britain. General treaties soon followed, and the way was opened up for the improvement and settlement of the lands.

The following is the list given by the oft'icial return; of the Legislature of Indiana in 1S15. and is the n.imilier of male voters at that date, as well as the total population :