Vanderburgh County, Indiana - Chapter 16, 1889

Chapter 16

Early Settlement - Character of the Pioneers - Hardships of the New- Country - Public Lands - First Election - Wild Animals - Hunting - Pioneer Dress - Amusements - Scott Township - Center Township - Knight Township - Union Township - Perry Township - German Township - Armstrong Township.

.f^HE sturdy character of the pioneer attracts a peculiar interest; and a fascinating charm gathers about the manners and customs of his time. The subduers of a new and wild country have ever been accorded heroic rank. Such were the pioneers of the American west. They braved the terrors, suffered the privations and dangers of life in the woods on the outskirts of civilization, with determined wills and brawny arms to clear and plant for themselves and their children homes in the unbroken wilderness. They shrank not from hunger, exposure, disease, or broken attachments of old homes and ties of kindred, but with an unfaltering determination launched forth to meet their destiny. It is difficult for one whose memory bears no trace of early days to realize the severity of the hardships and trials endured by the pioneer, and to appreciate and measure the delights that came into his life from the modest triumph which his environments permitted him to achieve.

It was not until 1804 that a treaty was made with the Indians b}^ which the lands within the borders of what is now Vanderburgh county were made accessible to the white settler. Individual pioneers gradually possessed the lands, and individual effort developed the country. No colonies were led here by peculiar religious, political or economic ideas, for a field of experiment; nor did the wealthy seek large grants of land to be improved as great estates, and peopled by a class willing to surrender a portion of their independence and manhood. Many settlers were driven back from the land of their choice by the unfriendliness of the Indians, but with undaunted zeal and characteristic courage, they returned repeatedly until they were allowed to remain in peace.

The first concern of the pioneer, after finding a spot that pleased his fancy, and which he thought to be a good place for the establishment of his home, was the erection of a cabin. This was simple enough, for in its construction he used no tool save his ax, and no material save the rough timber furnished by the forests. Trees of a proper size were felled, notched at the ends and so laid, one upon the other, as to make a substantial inclosure. The spaces between these logs were chinked with smaller sticks and chips and daubed with clay. A roof of boards held to their places by poles laid upon them as weights, was provided, a door was cut at one side, and a huge fire-place at one end, over which was raised, on the same principle that governed the building of the house, a stick chimney, and then, with its dirt floor, the cabin was ready for occupancy. The size and appearance of some of these early homes maj' be imagined when it is known that often the}' were raised by the unaided hands of the hardy pioneer and his faithful wife. As settlers became numerous there were friendly hands to assist in erectinj'' more substantial and commodious cabins, but the style of architecture was not changed until the double cabin with its two large rooms separated by a wide, open space or hall, extending through the centre, was brought into use by the more prosperous.

The earliest pioneers had great difficulty in securing those commodities which were essential to the satisfaction of their daily wants. But the rich soil needed but little cultivation, when once the timber was removed, to produce a bountiful harvest. As soon as a small clearing was made in the woods and a few domestic animals were possessed, it was an easy task to supplj- the demands of his own famil}'. As the number of acres increased the surplus for disposal grew in like proportion, and the settler started out on the broad highway of prosperity.

The Public Lands. - The lands in the state originally belonged to various Indian tribes from whom the title was procured by treaty with the general government. The treaty extinquishing the title of the aborigines to lands in Vanderburgh and adjoining counties was made at Vincennes, August iS and 27, 1S04. From the general government the title passed to individuals b}' purchase To this rule there were but two exceptions in the state. The French grants near Vincennes were confirmed to the descendents of the early settlers there, and the grants near the falls of the Ohio river made by the state of Virginia to the regiment of Gen. George Rogers Clarke, for their valiant services in Indian campaigns during the revolutionary war. In all parts of the country, lands owned bj^ the general government were, surveyed and sold under one general system. In the surveys, nicridian lines were first established, running due nort'i from arbitrarily fixed but unchanging points. Base lines intersecting these were made to run due east and west. The first principal meridian runs due north from the mouth of the Miami river and is, in fact, the east line of the state. The second meridian line, the one from which surveys were made in Vanderburgh county, is eighty-nine miles west of the first, and runs due north from Little Blue river. The onl}- base line running through the state crosses it from east to west in latitude 38' and 30', leaving the Ohio river twentyfive miles above Louisville and striking the Wabash four miles above the mouth of White river. Congressional townships are six miles square, and are divided into thirtysix sections of 640 acres each. They are numbered north and south from the base line; and east and west from the meridian lines, in ranges. In V^anderburgh county, therefore, all congressional townships are south and all ranges are west. Fractional sections are those intersected by streams, or confirmed grants. A section ' sometimes contains more or less than the established number of acres - 640. In every land district there was a land office, where all the public lands were sold. A register and receiver, appointed by the president, and confirmed by the senate, were the officers in charge. For the lands in this part of the state the office was at Vincennes. From 1816 to 1819 the price of land was $2.00 per acre, of which one-fourth was required to be paid in hand and the balance in three e(jual annual payments, a year of grace after the last installment became due being allowed before a forfeiture was exacted. If paid at the end of four 3-ears, interest was required. About this time, owing to the increase of immigration followinof the state's admission to the union, lands rose rapidly in price so that vast quantities were purchased of the government by pa3-ing only the entrance money, or fifty cents per acre. The scarcity of money and the wildness of the county rendered it impossible for bu}-ers to meet their obligations. About i8iS congress commenced passing laws to relieve against forfeitures by extending the time of payment, [ requiring interest, however, for the delay. Similar laws were enacted in 1S19 and 1S20. 1 By the next year, 1S21, the debt to the United States for public lands was altogether beyond the control of legislation, because of its large amount, the numbers from whom it was due, and the impossibility of paying it. Congress then released all interest (then about one-third of the whole debt), allowed lands entered to be rehnquished and part payments thereon to be applied to pa}- in full for other lands, re(|uired all lands thereafter to be sold for cash in hand and fixed the price at $1.25 per acre. The immediate effect of this legislation was to reduce the value of lands already purchased and paid for in about the same proportion. The large amount of lands thrown into market by the government would have done this alone without a reduction of price, but the results to land owners was still more disastrous when only three-fifths of former prices were demanded.

On May 19, 1807, Gen. W. Johnston entered all of fractional section 25, township 6 south, range 1 1 west, being that part of the present city of Evansville which lies ' about and below the mouth of Pigeon creek, j On the same day William Anthony entered I fractional sections i and 12, township 8 south, range 11 west, in the township of! Union opposite to the city of Henderson. These were the first entries made within the present limits of the county of Vanderburgh. Gen. Johnston, a native of Virginia, located in Vincennes in the year 1793, and remained there continuously in the active practice of the law until his death, which occurred October 26, 1833. He was one of the most prominent members of the bar during his da}', was called h\ his fellow citizens to fill many offices of trust and profit under the territorial government, was president judge of the circuit court, was frequently a member of the legislature from his county, and made the first compilation of the laws of the territory. He never became a resident of Vanderburgh count}-. William Anthony was a sturdy pioneer of the rougher sort known in the early days of the new west, yet with those pure ringing qualties of genuine manhood which made his influence felt in molding the events of his day. He was the progenitor of the wellknown Anthony family in Union township, and for many years lived on the land entered in 1807, farming and operating the widely-known Anthony ferry.

T/ie First Election. - As soon as the new countv of Vanderburgh had been established by the legislature, an election for the purpose of choosing county officers was held on Monday, February 16, 1818. After the lapse of seventy years the original tally sheets and poll books of that election, though yellow with age, are well preserved. There were three polling places in the county, one at the house of Hugh McGary, in Evansville, another at " the forks of Big creek," at the house of Zadoc McNew, in what is now Armstrong township, and the third at the house of James Johnson, in " Wagnon township," in the southwestern part of the county. At this election Hugh McGary was the only candidate for clerk and recorder, John McCrary, William Wagnon, and Elisha Harrison were candidates for associate judge, and George Sirkle, J. Anthony, David Brumfield, James Johnson,

First Election

J. Robertson, and II. Bugg, were candidates for county commissioner. Messrs McGary, McCrar}-, Wagnon, Sirkle, Anthony, and Brumtield were elected.

Those whose ballots were taken at the polls in Evansville were: Benjamin Grindel, George Edmore, J. Anthony, Edward Hill, Alexander Warren, Evans Vaughn, Isaac Allen, George Linxweiler, jr., Berry Anthony, John Johnson, John Harrison, Bayless Harrison, John ]5urket, Peter Linxweiler, Henry Bugg, George Linxweiler, James Asa, William Blevans, sr., James Russell, Parker Aydelott, Matthias Whetstone, David Whetstone, Nathan Young, Henry Whetstone, John Withrow, James Robinson, Jonathan Robinson, Samuel Scott, John McCann, Richard Carlisle, Matthew Warren, David Henson, Hugh McGary, Isaac Knight, Joseph Robinson, Jesse HoUoway, Lewis Jackett, James Slover, Jesse Henson, Jesse McCaUister, William Fitzgerald, Archibald McCallister, Clark McCallister, Joseph McCallister, William Wagnon, Edward Allen, Green B. Smith, Laban Holloway, John Stoner, John Neil, William Johnson, Julius Gibson, William Blevans and Zephaniah Harrison. The voters at James Johnson's were: Randolph Rogers, John Melton, George Sirkle, Benjamin Davis, Henry Mills, James J. Saunders, William Carson, Lewis Sirkle, Andrew Sirkle, Isaac Farmer, Lewis F. Ragar, Reuben Long, John Swango, John Patterson, Nicholas Long, William Greathouse, John Marrs, James Johnson, Thomas Hooker, Robert Gibbs, Jonathan Jones, Daniel Miller, Thomas Litton, Ezekiel Saunders and Jeffrey Saunders. The voters at the forks of Big creek were: William Houchens, James Martin, David Brumfield, James Patten, Thomas Martin, Charles Martin, Elisha Harrison, Major Selser, Benjamin McNevv, John McCrary, Moses Pruitt, Joseph Cater, William Briant, David Rhoads, John Bowling, Thomas Saulsbur\', John Armstrong, sr., John Livingston, John Kitchens, John Boyer, Zadok McNew, Patrick Calvert and John Armstrong, jr. The three last named in each of the foregoing lists were the officers of the election'.

Amative Animals and Their Hunters. - Among the wild animals found in the count}' by the early settlers were the deer, wolf, bear, panther, wild-cat, fox, otter, raccoon, ground-hog, skunk, mink, weasel, muskrat, opossum, rabbit, squirrel and perhaps others. Many of these animals, some because of their fierce natures, and some because of their destructive foraging upon growing crops, were a source of great annoyance to the pioneers. Others of them supplied meat for his family, the deer being used most abundantl}". Wild turkeys were as plentiful as the deer, and the two were the game mostU' sought after by the hunter. All of the settlers had guns as a necessary part of their equipment for the life which their circumstances forced them to lead, and most of the old settlers were good hunters. Their guns were generall}'^ home made, every village having its gunsmith. The implements were made to suit the particular wishes of each patron - to run so many bullets to the pound of lead, that is to say, of a certain calibre; some were especially adapted for the hunting of S(^uirrel, others for deer, turkeys, shooting matches, etc. Shot-guns were considered an abomination, and derisively called " scatter guns," fit onl\- for the amusement of small boys and old dotards whose defective vision prevented them from taking aim through the "sights" of a rifle. Flint locks prevailed until the introduction of percussion caps, and many a deer was allowed to escape and roam the woods because of a

Early Settlement

" flash in the pan," and while the hunter was " picking his flint " before trying it again. The breech of the old fashioned rifle contained a small cavity closed with a brass or iron lid on a hinge, for a bit of tallow - to grease the "patching," which was a thin piece of cloth about three-fourths of an inch in diameter, usually for convenience in carrying strung in quantities on a string and attached to the shot-pouch strap. The powder, guaged in a primer or buck-horn charger holding the proper quantity, was emptied into the barrel of the gun, then the greased piece of patching was placed over the bore, the bullet laid thereon and rammed home, the greased cloth preventing the ball from sticking on the way or fouling in the rifle groove. A shot-pouch made of dressed buck-skin, with the hair on, contained bullets, flints, wipers, etc., which, with powderhorn, completed the outfit. A man usually knew just about what he could do with his gun, and if the implement was reliable and accurate, it was petted as affectionately as a favorite child, and often given a pet name. Off-hand aim was the general rule; to shoot with a rest was boyish, and beneath the dignity of a hunter.

Wolves were at first probably the most troublesome brutes, making frequent attacks upon the settler's domestic animals, and, with most incessant and terrifying howls, rendering the nights hideous. The woods seemed to be full of them. Bears and panthers were not numerous, but were occasionall}' encountered b}- the earl}' pioneers. Later, squirrels became most destructive pests, and their .slaughter became a matter of business.

Later, at times, the country swarmed with pigeons. Great numbers of them were killed by hunters, and " pigeon pie " became a very common dish. In some places the farmers turned out and waged a war of destruction against them, for the reason that they consumed great quantities of the mast they were counting on as food fortheir hogs. The wild bees that swarmed in the woods gave to the early settlers a rich supply of honey. Andrew Sirkle was one of the most famous bee-hunters. It is said that he found as many as sixty or eighty trees in a single season.

Pioneer Dress. - Any information as to the dress of a people throws light upon their conditions and limitations. The head dress of the pioneer for the male sex was either a coonskin cap or a home-made wool hat. The feet were covered with moccasins made of deer skins and shoe packs of tanned leather, but shoes were worn by most of the pioneers of this county, except in summer, when old and young, male and female, went barefooted. The blue linsey hunting shirt was almost universalh' worn by men and boys. Pantaloons were made at a very early day of deer skin and linsey, but to the settlers of this county cotton and jeans early became most common. Women's dresses were simple, substantial and well-made. As a rule settlers raised their own flax, cotton and wool, and made their own garments. Good weavers were then the accomplished young ladies, and the spinning-wheel filled the little cabin with sweet music as it sang its song of thrift and industry. They raised their cotton, picked it, carded it, wove it, and then wore it. At the proper season the flax brake was brought into use, and the product was "hackled" and spun into skein; the wool card was then prepared for the filling; and with different kinds of bark various colors were given to the raw material, and made it ready for the loom, which, with its shuttle flying noisily back and forth soon brought out its yards of linsey striped and beautiful.

The head dress of the women was a simple cotton handkerchief or sun bonnet; and they were not ashamed to walk a mile or two to church on Sunday, carrying their shoes and stockings in their hands until with'n a few yards of the place of worship, when they would put them on their feet. Indeed, at early meetings, it was quite common for nine-tenths of the people, male and female, to be barefooted. These modes of dress long prevailed in the country settlements, varied, of course, and improved by those who came from beyond the seas, but in the town of Evansville the merchants who carried rather large and complete stocks of goods, encouraged the cultivation of what they considered higher tastes in the matter of dress.

Amusements. - Pioneer social gatherings usually had in view two objects - work and sport. The log rollings, house and barn raisings, wood choppings, corn huskings, bean pickings, wool pickings, quiltings, and apple parings, while attended with much labor were replete with enjoyment. During the early settlement of this county occasions of amusement were preceded b}' work - every good time was earned. No man undertook alone to roll his logs; all joined together and went from place to place, rolling. All houses were raised by neighborly hands. When the crops were gathered the corn was put in a long pile and neighbors were invited in to husk it, usually after night. Log rollings and huskings were followed by a dance, from which the young folks got their greatest enjoyment. In the huskings both sexes took part, the workers being divided into two parties, each with a leader. The lucky tinder of a red ear reaped a rich harvest of kisses from those of the other sex, the rules governing the quantity of such rewards varying in different sections.

Besides the more violent sports in which the men sought diversion, it might be interesting and instructive to mention others of a different character among them, the quilting party where the good women of the neighborhood came together with kind hearts and willing hands to enjoy some hours of work and conversation, and departing leave permanent and valuable results of their toil. There were few distinctions of birth or wealth or circumstance. All alike were simple in their dress and habits, and no exacting demands were made by social forms. At the quilting nimble fingers plied industriously until the work was done, when songs were sung, games played and dancing indulged in; indeed, the merriment was coextensive with the jovial natures of the young folks assembled. Spelling matches and debating societies furnished amusement which some considered of a higher sort. Here the training of the intellect was the paramount ostensible object, but boys and girls not belonging to the same familj- often came riding one horse. The young folks were generally paired, and to bring about this natural sclcrtioii was perhaps as worthy an object as these intellectual entertainments could have had.

In the main early days in Vanderburgh county were not unlike those about which the pens of Eggleston and Rile}', with felicity and beauty, have told the world. A few have lived to note the principal changes and improvements made since the early settlers, men of iron hearts and iron nerves, pitched their tents on these fertile lands now over eighty years ago. More in detail the settlement of the various townships is referred to in subsequent chapters. The limits of Pigeon township as originally laid out have been much contracted. In its southern part a village was early located and commenced a career, elsewhere described in the history of the city of Evansville. Able and courageous'men who were instrumental in developing the country's interests are named as fully as possible in other connections.

Scott Toil' II ship was organized August 13, 1821, comprising its present territory and three tiers of sections off the north side of Center. Previously it had formed a part of Armstrong township. It was reduced to its present size by the organization of Center township, September 6, 1S43. Lying in the northeast corner of the county, it is bounded on the north by Gibson count}', on the east b}- Warrick county, on the south by Center township, and on the west by German and Armstrong townships. Its surface is generally hill}', and while the soil does not equal in richness that found in other parts of the county, yet by proper care and cultivation abundant harvests are secured. Originally the township was densely timbered. The memory of the oldest inhabitant does not go back to that time when there were no cabins of the white man in the forests of Scott township. Long before Indiana assumed the dignity of statehood, pioneers had pushed their way into the vast wilderness, and had planted here the seeds of civilization.

Well known in later vears as being among the first of these in Scott township were Jesse McGary and John Withrow. Their cabins were in the northwest part of the township, near the Gibson county line. Jesse McGary was a brother of Hugh McGary, whose name is closely woven into the early history of Evansville. He was a fair representative of the rough, uncouth, drinking, rowdying set, and yet withal possessing some traits of character worthy of admiration. He was the author of one of the earliest tragedies in the annals of the county. Domestic trouble of some sort had invaded his cabin, and one day as his wife came into the door, he sent a ball from his rifle through her heart. His trial engaged public attention for some time, but he was finally acquitted, on the ground that the death was the result of an accident, it being claimed that he shot at a dog, not knowing that the woman was about to enter the door. John Withrow represented a different sort of roughness. In his dress, his speech and his manners, he was always a genuine backwoodsman, but his heart was certainly in the right place. Always honorable, he dealt fairly with his fellow-men, and when his life was drawing to its close, he had the delightful consciousness that all who knew him gave him their respect. Another rough but industrious pioneer in this same neighborhood was Kenneth Compton. He raised a family that did him honor.

The township was named in honor of a hardy pioneer who settled and lived for some time about one mile south of the site of Inglefield, Samuel Scott. All of the early settlers, those who came prior to 1S18, were, so far as known, emigrants from Kentucky, who had previously drifted into that state from Virginia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee. The names of some of them are forever lost. Throughout the entire eastern part of the township there was " not a stick amiss" as late as 1811, and along the Princeton road there were but four cabins between the Ohio river and the present site of Princeton, in Gibson county. Nor was there any considerable increase in immigration for several years after this time.

About the time the new county of Vanderburgh was organized, Scott township began to attract a class of immigrants differing essentially from any who had previously located within its borders. The sturdy independence and industry which led the English farmers to leave their homes across the sea, to undertake a long and trying journey to the interior of the American continent, and then to cast their lots in life in the wildernesses of Indiana, were the qualities which animated these people. In the summer of iSi8, one of the earliest of this class, John Ingle, a native of Huntingdonshire, England, then thirty years of age, came to Evansville, and very soon thereafter settled permanently in Scott township, near the present Inglefield. He was a farmer of sterling character, quiet habits and winning ways. His popularity was such that it may be said that he was without an enemy.

Mr. Ingle was soon followed by his countrymen, Edward and Spencer Maidlow, who settled in the same neighborhood. These were intelligent men, who wielded an influence for good in shaping the events of their day. They were model farmers, neat and thrifty, and in ever}' respect good citizens. Edward Maidlow attained local prominence as a man of affairs and was called by his fellow citizens to serve them in places of trust and profit. The Maidlows became freeholders soon after their arrival, and passed their holdings to their descendants, who, as honorable people and valuable citizens, hold a high place in popular esteem.

About the same time came Saunders Hornbrook, much like the Maidlows in character and worth, and a valuable acquisition to the little settlement in the woods. He had been a woolen manufacturer in Devonshire, England, was an educated gentleman, and did much to advance the development of the new country. His wife was a lady of character and superior mental attainments, and thus well equipped to bring about a betterment in the social conditions of the eariier and rougher pioneers. Their sons, Saunders, John, Thomas and William, each achieved for himself an honorable place in the community, one rising to the bench, and all being prominent citizens. The daughters of the household contracted fortunate marriages with gentlemen of their own station. The famil}' was enterprising and progressive, and from the first was well known. Mr. Hcirnbrook built the first cotton gin in this part of the country, and had in satisfactory operation a carding machine. In a very short time this industrious farmer and mechanic had enough buildings erected in the yard about the gin-house to give it the appearance of a Httle village. Here settlers came with their cotton from all directions within a radius of ten or fifteen miles. He established a countrj' store, to supply the wants of the people, and accumulated much property, at one time owning over two thousand acres of land in Scott township. Soon after his death, in 1839, these early enterprises were abandoned by his sons, who saw and acted on the greater opportunities offered in the neighboring city.

About a mile north of Inglefield on the Princeton road, was the clearing of James Cawson, now the Ritchey homestead. This Princeton road was a public highway established by authority of the state, but at the time these settlers came in it winded its way about through the forest and had only the smaller trees and underbrush cut out. Huge forest trees stood in its centre alon<r its entire course. Ingle's was said to be the first place on the road where a traveler could get a breakfast or a dinner; Cawson 's was the next, and then there was none till Gibson county was reached. Cawson was a man of some means and always of good repute. On his place was the Lockyear blacksmith shop, a few years later, which was about the earliest smithy in the township.

lived widel}' apart. In the same neighborhood, giving the word its rich, broad meaning, lived Jerry Wyatt, a grand old man, very illiterate, but with sterling qualities of heart that endeared him to all. IVIuch of his life was spent here and he was permitted to fill out four score years and ten before death took him away. There, too, lived Daniel Stinchfield, a good man, honest. God-fearing, and ready in every conversation with apt words from Holy Writ; and William Peck - " Old Father Peck," as he was called - a sturdy character, upright, honorable and much beloved, spending a useful life, and rearing an honorable family, whose descendants are yet in the township, occupying a high position in the esteem of the community, and preserving in honor the ancestral name. A young man, for many years a farm laborer in this settlement, and always a welcome guest at every house, was William Warren, who afterward moved to Evansville and for years served as assessor of Pigeon township. He is remembered b}- a younger generation as a fine old man, with a gruff manner, but of good heart and generous impulses. His descendants have acted a conspicuous part in the later development of the county.

One of the earliest Germans in Scott township was Frederick Staser, who, upon reaching the county, worked among the Sirkles in Union township, in 1819, and soon thereafter moved to what afterward became the well-known Staser homestead. He was an interesting talker, could tell a story well, and soon became popular with the pioneers. Coming here early, he acquainted himself with the congress lands and the English tongue. When the great influx of Germans occurred in later years he was thrifty and sagacious enough to mold their settlement with great pecuniary benefit to himself. His sons, John C. and Conrad, were ver\f hospitable, and were men of more than ordinary business ability. Both grew to be wealthy, the estate of John C. being worth at least $150,000. Each generation of the Staser family has been prominent in its da}'.

Probably the earliest settlement east of the Princeton road was that made by the Wheelers, Mark, Joseph and Richard, which was about two miles northeast of Inglefield. These were English people who became widely known as a worth}', respectable familv. Mark was a prosperous farmer, and his two brothers were best known by their devoted labors in spreading the gospel among tlie pioneers. They labored zealously, accomplished much good, and forever fixed their names in the grateful remembrance of the people. Their descendants have been eminently respectable always; as citizens there are none better. Among the industries engaged in by the farmers of early days with good profit was hog-raising. A well-known and successful farmer who grew wealthy chieflv through ihis means was David Powell. He commenced with little capital, and bv industry, economy and wise management, accumulated a valuable property. He had quite a large family, all of whom were good citizens, but attained no particular prominence. In very early days, probably about 1820, Hiram Nelson settled near the present site of Darmstadt. He was a farmer, and later opened a small store. Afterward he moved to Evansville, and was engaged as an auctioneer. He died in Evansville, leaving a widow, who still survives.

The Hilliards came from Ireland in 1S19, and about two years later formed a settlement in Scott township, which to the present time is known as the Hilliard neighborhood. Afterward the Hornbys, a prominent family, became a part of this neighborhood.

For about twenty years there were no other settlements in the eastern part of the township, and but few additions in numbers were made to those already established. In 1822 Samuel Miller came and stayed but one year. He was chief among the deer hunters; tall, lithe and as active as the animal he pursued. Arnold Henning was known among the pioneers as "a handy man to make a cradle or an ax-handle;" although his trade was that of a shoemaker, he was too fond of drink to accomplish much, and is remembered by the present generation as a good and honest, but unfortunate man.

Emery Cook lived and died near Inglefield. He was a good hunter, but an unskillful farmer. He won the long-continued gratitude of the pioneers for killing a particularly troublesome wolf, that was known to have done great damage to the stock.

Another interesting character of early days was John McCann, who, with his fiddle, traversed the entire country, attending all the old-time frolics, the huskings, the barn-raisings, thfe quilting bees, and every gathering that was likely to end in a dance. He did much to ameliorate the hardships of pioneer life by breaking its monotony, and bv encouratrinfif those indulgences which rest the mind and recuperate the body. McCann was a valuable worker in the stillhouses, and often made whiskey for Samuel Scott and Richard Carlisle.

With the hard times that commenced soon after 1820, immigration was practically suspended. But from the older states and from across the sea occasional acquisitions were made to the settlements here. As "birds of a feather flock together," it was fortunate for Scott township that in her borders there was so early established an intelligent nucleus about which clustered a very desirable class of immigrants. When the state of Indiana brought herself into U prominence by the inauguration of the great internal improvement system of 1835, immigrants over-ran every township in the county, looking for lands and homes. Scott township, to some extent, shared the fate of other townships, and before 1840, the lands were nearly all taken, and the settlement of the township was practically completed.

Prominent among those who came in later, though in the pioneer era, and who became closely identified with the township history were: Richard Browning, John Sansom, George and Alexander McCutchan, Thomas Bower, the Rockett family, the Rustons and many other industrious, honorable and worthy people. The Germans, who came in afterward were, as a class, good citizens, industrious, frugal and improved the country very much.

An O/ti M/7/. - The first mill in the township was erected, by Richard Browning, about 1S32. Prior to this settlers patronized the Anthony or Negley mill on Pigeon creek, erected in 18 14. Mr. John Sansom thus tells of the first work of this mill: "I assisted in getting out the timbers for Browning's mill - a tread-mill at first. I remember very well the day we first attempted to run that mill. All things being ready we thought we would grind our grist. The grain was put in the hopper, the team started, the mill went round, but not the smallest particle of meal made its appearance. We were puzzled. x\fter trying in vain to discover the reason why, we acknowledged ourselves beat, and Mr. Browning concluded to send for George Linxweiler, who was then, or had been, in charge of Negley's water mill, and let him, if possible, unravel the mystery. In a few hours Linxweiler put in an appearance. Imagine our amazement when he looked at the arrangement and quietly informed us, in his German idiom, that we had been trying to grind flour by running the mill backward! A more foolish, stupid-looking lot of lads probably never existed than that set of mill hands for a little while, when convinced of our mistake."

Towns. - On April 26, 1819, John Ingle laid out Sandersville. The plat covered 160 acres of land: and a public square 266 feet each way, was provided. An effort was made to build a town, but the project did not succeed. A number of small houses were put up, a store, a blacksmith shop, and such other conveniences as a farming community might demand were located there, and a postoffice was established. In a few years its projectors abandoned their hopes, and their supporters went to more promising localities. By 1830 the houses had all fallen into decay except the postoffice, which remained as a monument of departed glory. Inglefield, a station on the E. & T. H. R. R., is on the site of the ancient Sandersville. Darmstadt., a small place in the southwest corner of the township, has not been platted or incorporated, though for thirty years it has been in existence. It has a few country stores, a doctor, is the headquarters of the German churches in the neighborhood, and enjoys considerable business as a trading point. EarJe., on the Petersburg road, near the southern township line, is without importance except as a supply depot for a limited agricultural district. Christ Stock is the onty merchant. A small store was established here by John Grant, as early as 1850, which he subsequently sold to John Earle (an English settler who came about 182S), for whom the town was named. Chttrchcs. - The pioneer preachers early pushed their way into the new west and, regardless of all hardships and difficulties, with untiring zeal and devotion, worked in the Master's cause. Often on foot, clad in the plain garments of the huntsman, with rifle or gun on his shoulder, the preacher sought the hospitable roof of some lowly cabin and there with a thrilling description of the ineffable joys that awaited the saved, or a vivid picture of the never-ending torments of a literal hell, which would be the sure portion of the damned, sought to persuade or frighten his few hearers to flee from the wrath to come. All denominations sought for supremacy, and in many cases the war waged between the advocates of different Christian sects over theological dogmas and doctrines, was fiercer and far more bitter than that waged against the common enemy. The Baptists, Presbyterians and Methodists all struggled for a foothold. The house of John Ingle was an early preaching place for all denominations. The doctrines of the Methodist Episcopal church were more generally accepted and became more firmly rooted in the minds of the people of this township than those of any other sect. The eloquent John Schraeder was the first to lift up his voice in behalf of Methodism. The first organized class of Methodists in this township was probably that made in the Milliard neighborhood, under the leadership of John and William Hilliard, and those beloved men, Joseph and Mark Wheeler, in 1824, which flourishes to this day, having now about sixty members. At first the little confrre<ration assembled for the purpose of worship at the humble houses of its members, and at length raising a log cabin, set it apart and consecrated it as a house of God. About fifty years ago this little structure gave wa}' to a commodious frame building, more suitable to the demands of the growing congregation, which remains in use. In early times among the preachers here, were: Revs. Joseph Wheeler, Mark Wheeler, Robert Parrett, Enoch G. Ward, Ravenscroff, Hensler, and Tower. The church is on the

Blue Grass circuit, now in charge of Rev. Samuel McNaughten. The Sunday school, superintended by Mr. Arad McCutchan, is one of the best in the district.

Centenary Methodist Episcopal church, located near Inglefield, was bulk in 1867 at a cost of about $1,800.00, chiefly through the instrumentality of John Ingle, WiUiam Ingle, Joseph Shaw, and George Browning. This church is also on the Blue Grass circuit. The membership is now small, having been reduced by deaths and removals from the neighborhood, but regular services are held.

Noble's chapel, on the Petersburgh road, near the township border, though in Gibson county, which is attended by man}' of the citizens of this township, was built in i860, at a probable cost of $r,ooo, chiefly through the instrumentality of Thomas McCutchan, Thomas Smith and Isaac Murphy. The society was formerU' in a more prosperous condition than at present. It is in the Blue Grass circuit.

In the north part of the township an Episcopal mission was once formed b}' some of the best citizens, which, after flourishing for a period, was abandoned.

German Lutheran. - The followers of Martin Luther organized a church, more than a <|uarter of a century ago, at the village of Darmstadt, and erected a frame house of worship. It was chiefly through the zealous work of Rev. Wile, who served the congregation as pastor for many years, that this church was founded and built up. The church now has regular preaching and a good membership. In late years when the congregation had become too large for the old church, a new edifice, handsome and commodious, was erected.