Wayne County, Indiana - Dalton Township, 1884

Dalton Township

LOCATION AND OrGaAnizarion. - Darte or Exisrence. - AREA AND Vacuation. - Poputation. - Tue Sreapy Loss. - Aquitta Wesr In 1818. - Oruer PIONEER ArrRIvVALS. - Its WEALTH oF Sor, WATER AND Drarnace. - VILLAGE OF Darttoy. - Wuen Founpep. - Its Business AND PROFESstonAL Men. - Franxguin. - Irs History ConpEnsEp. - CHURCHES. - BIOGRAPHICAL..

Location And Organization

Dalton Township is in the extreme northwestern corner of the county, and is next to the smallest township in the county, Webster being the smallest. Itis four miles square, having sixteen sections, or 10,240 acres of land, of which 9,945.42 acres are found on the assessment-roll. The real estate of the township was valued at $303,550 in 1882; personal property, $150,860; total, $454,410.

Its population since 1850 has been as follows: 1850, 855; 1860, 789; 1870, 766; 1880, 746 - not a very alarming decline, yet surely and steadily, which is not a hopeful sign. It was formed trom Perry Township in June, 1847, and its voting precinct was Franklin. The township lies nearly all west of the Twelve-mile Purchase, except a small strip on the east side. There were quite a number of settlers staked ont their claims previous to the land coming into market, which was not till the fall of 1822, while its settlement was retarded on that account, as most settlers preferred to secure their lands by actual purchase before making improvements. Among the early arrivals was Aquilla West, who was in fact the first settler in the year 1818, on land now owned by Lindsey Dennis, near the town or village of Dalton. After the land sale on West River, where Jesse Fouts now lives. He removed to Howard County in about 1850. Others were Seth Mills, Thomas Antrim, a Mr. Blount, who left before the land sale - Thomas Burroughs, who settled next to Randolph County line; Sampson Smith, Pleasant Harris, Benj. F. Beeson, who settled at Franklin; Thomas Marshall, Stephen Lear, Joseph Johnson, Peter Smith, and perhaps a few others who, as squatters, had taken possession of nearly all the best land of the Nettle Creek Valley within the township before the landsale by the Government. Quite a number also settled in the valley of West River: Isaac Ruth, Henry Mills, Henry Thornburgh, Sr., and four sons, Sophia Williams, a widow, and her three sons - Henry, Matthew and Joseph, Joseph Brewer, Wm. Wright, across the line, Charles Howell, Isaac Macy, Jacob Bales, George Petro, a blacksmith (probably the first in the township), James Strode, Wm. Thornburgh, Sr. These took possession of nearly all the best land in the West River Valley, most of them buying the land they had improved, at the land sale in the fall of 1822.

Other early squatters off from the valleys were: Jesse Osborn and a man by the name of Charles Stout, who built the first grist-mill in the township, on West River - the present Brown Mill - -in 1824-'5.

Those who came soon after the land sale were Joseph Davis, Dan'! Ulrich, Chas. Burroughs, Zachariah Beeson, Anthony Reynolds, Isaac Reynolds, Jno. Deering, Thomas Nicholson, and Thos. Antrim. Most of these named came from North Carolina, Tennessee and Pennsylvania.

Others who came soon after the land sale were Tense Massey, Dempsey Thornburgh, Joseph Routh, Andrew Starbuck, Wim. Chamness, Esq., Sam'! Turner, John Lee, Enoch Gardner, Isaac Cavalt, John Evans (a Baptist preacher), Abraham Tout, Jonathan Evans, Jno. Smith, Aaron Lesh, Wright Spradlin, Geo. M: Lee, Benjamin Beeson, Wm. Beeson, Jas. Brewer. Nathan Baldwin and Wm. Maudlin came in 1831; Samuel, Isaac, Isaac W. and Thomas E. Beeson about the same time; also Thomas Dennis and family, Isaac Macy, from Tennessee, Wm. Wright and Jesse Weaver.

The township is well watered, on the east being the West Branch of Whitewater, entering the township about one mile south of the northeast corner, and flowing south through the township, and Nettle Creek on the west, entering from the north, a mile east of the west line, and running due south. These streams have numerous small branches. Agriculturally speaking the land is of a good quality, and a half century and upward still finds it of sufficient productive quality as to well repay the husbandman. It is an agricultural township, and the farmers are all in good circumstances, and good citizens.

Dalton Founded

The town of Dalton was laid out by Tense Massey and Joseph Davis, proprietors, and Joseph Davis, surveyor. The plat bears date Jan. 25, 1828. An addition was afterward made by Joseph Davis, and, in 1836, another by Nathan Baldwin.

The first store in the township was at Dalton, kept by Aaron Mills, and one started soon after at Franklin by Benj. F. Beeson. The first tannery in the township started by Benj. F. Beeson. The first grist-mill, in 1824, by Chas. Stout. Seth Mills erected the next flouring mill at Dalton in 1826, and a saw-mill was put up about the same time by Pleasant Harris and Tense Massey. In 1828 Benj. F. Beeson erected agrist-mill on Mill Branch, and the Beeson Bros. an oil-mill a year Jater. In 1832 Jesse Baldwin built another oil-mill. The Dalton Steam-Mill Company, was organized with a capital stock of $10,000, and in 1837 erected on Nettle Creek a steam flouring mill, and also a saw-mill. These mills were destroyed by fire in 1848, and the saw-mill only rebuilt by Isaac Reynolds, who ran it until 1879. The Beeson Bros. erected a grist-mill on the site of their old oil-mill in 1840, and James Maulsby a grist-mill in 1850, on Mill Branch. The first oil and grist mills spoken of are gone. In 1853 Henry Thornburgh built a saw-mill, and a card-machine was also started. They disappeared a decade ago.

Business Interests

The village of Dalton has at this time two general stores and one grocery. It has two blacksmith-shops, one gunsmith, one wagon-shop, one steam saw-mill, built on the site of the old Dalton Steam-Mill Company's mill. The mill of Reynolds was torn down at the above date and a new one erected by Riley Chamness.

Besides the store kept by Aaron Mills other merchants followed. Between 1838 and 1845 there were John W. Williamson, John T. Elliottand Henry D. Root; and at different times Joseph Ruth, J. and D. Canaday, David and William Chamness, Robert Lumpkin and Thomas McCracken, and since 1870 Wm. S. Chamness and Riley Chainness, both general stores.

John W. Smith (botanic) was the first physician at Dalton, in 1836. Later were Wm. Dickey (1840), Drs. Simmons, J. R. Brown, Guinther, Windle, Showalter and John Stonebraker.

Dalton had a population in 1870 of seventy-three, and of sixty-four in 1850. There has been no growth of the town in the past quarter of a century, and the population is now supposed to be only about sixty-five.

Franklin

The town of Franklin was laid out by Benj. F. Beeson and Silas H. Beeson. The plat, signed by them as proprietors, and Thomas Stanford as surveyor, was recorded Jan. 7, 1832.

The town was platted in 1830. The first merchant, as above stated, was Benj. F. Beeson, and in 1839 Chas. Beeson was a leading merchant. The village has remained, like Dalton, at a stand-still. Following the Beesons were Silas Lewis, Aaron Lesh, Oliver and Joseph Williams. Silas B. Maulsby, Benj. B. Beeson, Wm. Thornburgh, and Wm. and Enos Canaday are said to have traded at Franklin. And still later, in the seventies, John Macy, who ran a dry-goods store, and Millikin Hockett, a grocery house. Dr. Silas Beeson, the first resident physician in the township, settled at Franklin about 1830,and died there. Later were Drs. Henry Carver,Erhart and Patterson. It has now (January, 1884) one grocery, a blacksmith and wagon shop, one undertaking establishment, postoffice, and about sixty-five inhabitants.

"The White Branch Woolen Mills are on the White Branch stream, two miles south of Franklin. A building was erected by Daniel Ulrich for a grist-mill, but he put into it machinery fora woolen factory. In the year 1854 it was bought by Wm. and Josiah Test. The establishment has since been much enlarged by the erection of buildings and the increase of machinery. Later its proprietors were Win. and Rufus Test, and Josiah V. Jones (Test Brothers & Jones). It has two sets of machines and two roll-cards, and nine looms. The goods manufactured are jeans, satinets, cassimeres, flannels, blankets and yarn. Custom work, as carding, spinning, and cloth-dressing, is also done at this establishment.

The first postoffice in the township was established in Franklin in the year 1832, and was called Palmyra. It was not long afterward removed to Dalton, but not until after a bitter fight had been waged. 'The name was changed to Dalton, and so remains. Another office was at last secured by Franklin, it being established in 1876, and called Nettle Creek postoffice. The office still remains.

The West River Church, Quakers or Friends, was established in 1825, and in 1826 they erected a place of worship. Henry Thornburgh, Sr., was a leading spirit in the church. This building was of logs.

The Nettle Creek church, of the same denomination, was organized in a school-house a few years later, or in 1828. Its leading spirits were Thomas Antram, Jos. Davis, Zachariah Beeson and others. This church was near Franklin. The anti-slavery agitation caused a division at one time. Among the preachers were Revs. Miles Mendenhall, Mahlon Chamness and Mahlon Dennis. There are very few of the denomination now in the township. The same can be said

Baptist Church

The society had an existence for a few years in Dalton, its first organization being in 1835. The society held its meetings in a log house, having no church building. Afterward there was erected a frame church over the line in Randolph County, and the Dalton society united with them. Jas. Austin was the first preacher while in Dalton Township.

United Brethren

The United Brethren have had a society and a meetinghouse, about two miles east of Dalton, about twenty years. Ab. Tout gave the land for the graveyard, Lewis Weaver the ground for the church. Early members of this church were: Jeannetta Barr, afterward wife of Wm. Marshall, and her sister Mary, wife of Abraham Smith; Henry Bailes, John Bailes, Lewis Bailes, Wm. Linley (now a Dunkard preacher). They have had as preachers, Dr. Richardson, Daniel Stober, John Brown, Alexander Carroll, Jas. M. Cook and others.