New Burlington, Indiana

The first white men who entered the township with a view to its improvement came in April, 1820. They were Cornelius Van Arsdall, James Lee, William Blunt, David and Aaron Richardson. The party forced their way slowly through the deep forest, their wagon drawn by four yoke of oxen, and themselves compelled to precede the wagon, cutting away the timber, removing obstacles and bridging streams, in order to make a passage. Near the present site of New Burlington, a tree which they were attempting to remove fell upon one of the oxen, and simultaneously three Indians emerged from the thicket, offering their assistance in removing the tree. They were the first Indians the settlers had met, and the latter regarded them at first suspiciously. But their friendly actions soon re-assured them, and they received the hearty gratitude and good will of the white men, who had come to cultivate their former hunting-ground. These Indians were White Beaver, Wapach and Jefferson, and probably belonged to the Delaware tribe. The sight of the red faces became, in the course of time, very common, and inspired little or no dread, and they did not abuse the confidence of their white neighbors. Their various disastrous meetings with the army of Gen. Wayne had had the effect of subduing them, and making them quiet and peaceable toward the settlers.

Passage source: History of Delaware County, Indiana : with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers, published 1881.

One of the first acts of our pioneer party was the erection of rude cabins for the shelter of their families. Within a few days after their arrival, four new families joined them. Mr. Van Arsdall, with the hospitality characteristic of the times, took them into his own cabin, there to remain until they could erect homes of their own. His house was about fifteen feet square, and the inconvenience of having five fam- 'lies in such narrow quarters may be better imagined than described. Two weeks elapsed ere the inmates of his house completed their respective abodes.

Passage source: History of Delaware County, Indiana : with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers, published 1881.

The winter following their arrival was marked by some severe trials. They had partially succeeded in raising a crop of corn during the summer; but, just as it was ready for the harvest, it was blighted and ruined by frost, early in September. Provisions of all kinds were scarce, and fish almost constituted the diet of the settlers during that winter. The next season was more prosperous, and they did not again have the same difficulty to contend with.

Passage source: History of Delaware County, Indiana : with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers, published 1881.

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 Perry Township - it names this place 19 more 19 times.