Clear Spring, Indiana

In the early days of Owen Township the milling was all done at Leesville, now in Lawrence County. In a few years the home demand was sufficient to induce Jacob Wells to embark in this enterprise, and consequently built a horse-mill in the early part of the twenties. This was doubtless the first mill built in Owen Township. It was built of logs and stood on land now owned by Christian Brannaman, and was for many years the principal mill in this section of the country. After this other mills were built in various parts of the township. A water-mill was built some time in the thirties by Daniel Cummings, on the Muddy Fork of Salt Creek. For a time this mill did quite a prosperous business, grinding both wheat and corn. Another horse-mill was erected by Samuel Davis, about two miles and a half east of Clear Spring. This was succeeded by a water-mill that was built and operated by James Mahan. It stood on Guthrie's Creek about two miles southwest of Clear Spring. Other small mills were at different times operated in this township.

Passage source: History of Jackson County, Indiana, published 1886.

One of the first church organizations of this township was that of the Dunkards, a peculiar religious sect that is to-day entirely absent from this section. They never erected a church building, in this township but held their meetings at the residences of the members. Two ministers, Carleton and Hostettler, are especially remembered by the old settlers. The Prathers and the Scotts were the most prominent families. In the early settlement the Baptists had no church building in Owen Township, but were members of Guthrie's Creek and Gilgal, classes which are now in Lawrence County. When the settlements in the different parts of the township had a sufficient number of church members, a minister wAs frequently brought to the neighborhood and services held in the log-hut residence ; then the schoolhouse was used, and finally two or three log churches were built; but those old edifices are now gone. A large per cent of the early settlers were mem¬ bers of the Baptist Church, and it is in consequence the strongest church organization ip the township at present. A Baptist Church was organized in the neighborhood of Clear Spring about 1847, and their meetings were held in an old log schoolhouse. Some of the most prominent families were the Brannamans, Hamiltons, Hinkles, Owenses, Kindreds, Johnsons and Boyatts.

Passage source: History of Jackson County, Indiana, published 1886.

In 1852 a small frame church building was erected onefourth of a mile south of Clear Spring ; this served as a place of worship until 1868, when the erection of the present large frame building in Clear Spring was begun. This was completed in 1870, at a cost of about $2,000. In 1871 an arm of this church was extended to a young neighborhood, and under the supervision of Elder McCoy another class was organized. The following is a partial list of the ministers who have served in these two charges: T. J. Hanna, John Bell, John R. McCoy, William Gillaspy, George W. Sweeney and Isaac Coker; deacons: Abra¬ ham Brannaman, William Hinkle, Christian Brannaman, Daniel Sanders, James K. Matlock. It is said that so many members of this church went out in defense of their country that at one time there was not a sufficient number left to hold services.

Passage source: History of Jackson County, Indiana, published 1886.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Owen Township - it names this place 7 more 7 times.