Whitewater, Indiana

Franklin township was formed from New Garden, ]May, 1834. Its shape is oldong, being 7 miles in length, north and south, and 4 miles in breadth, east and Avest, containing 28 square miles of territory. The Richmond and Hillsboro' turnpike enters the toAvnship one mile west of the Ohio line ; and the road runs along the lines of lots straight through the township to its north line. Its principal stream is the Middle Fork of Whitewater, which enters the township from Ohio, about 2J miles south of the north-east corner, and runs almost directly south, about half a mile from the Ohio line, to the south line of the township.

Passage source: History of Wayne County, Indiana, from Its First Settlement to the Present Time : with Numerous Biographical and Family Sketches, published 1872.

The progress of settlement northward was materially retarded by apprehensions of danger from the Indians, until after the close of the war of 1812^ Job Elliott, K C, in 1815 settled half a mile south of the present town of Whitewater, where F. Fonts lately lived, now Josiah White. Stephen Elliott on quarter adjoining town. Wm. Hunt, N. C, on the east side of town ; land afterward sold to John Uiitliank, and next to Jolin White; now owned principally hy Handy D. Bowen. Henry ISTewton, from England, where John Pyle lives on state line. Jonathan Commons on state line, where David Stidham lives. Thomas Mason, from N. C, in 1816, near town, on the qnarter now owned by AYm. Addleman and Joseph S. Wood. In 1818 Samuel AVilliams, from IST. C, near town, on land no^v owned by James K. Dugdale and Peter T. Parris. Henry Garrett, N. C.,land now owned by James Garrett, Hiram Snpplee, and Barnabas Barton. Benj. Parker, from N". C, and Joseph Skinner, on the quarter now o"wned by John Powell and Joseph Draher. Elihu Hunt, !N". C, a mile north-east of town, where Jonathan Williams lives. Richard Bunch on land now owned by Stephen Bunnell. Thomas Mason, Jun., three-fourths of a mile north of town, on the quarter owned by Jesse Hunt, Wm. Worden, and Wm. D. Kemp. Nathan Jones, from IST. C., entered the land now owned by Calvin C. Hunt and Peter Blose. Gabriel Ilarrell, from N. C, half a mile south-west of town, on the quarter now owned by Henry Albright and others.

Passage source: History of Wayne County, Indiana, from Its First Settlement to the Present Time : with Numerous Biographical and Family Sketches, published 1872.

The first Merchant in Whitewater is said to have been John Price. After two or three years he sold the goods to Stephen Elliott, who was on the south-west corner, and by whom the house had been built. Thomas Morton, of Miami, Ohio, had a store in the north-east corner about two years, and built on the corner where Joseph A. Bowen now trades. Elliott sold his goods to John II. Bruce and Jonathan D. Gray. Wm. B. Schenck was here at least as early as 1839, and as late as 1844. T. J. Ferguson & Co., in, 1844. At Bethel, Wm. :\lcFarland appears to have been the first merchant in 1845, on the northeast corner, where are now a grocer}^ and a tavern, ke})t by jSTathan Harlan, and traded several years. Edward Osborn, of Newport, soon after established a store, kept by Joseph Unthank. There were afterward, at different times, John A. Unthank, Walker Yeatraan, Jesse Richards, Jacob & Howard Harlan, Morgan & Henderson. Present merchants - Martin Wiley, dry goods; Xathan Harlan, grocer. Present merchants at AVhitewater - Joseph A. Bowen, north-west corner;

Passage source: History of Wayne County, Indiana, from Its First Settlement to the Present Time : with Numerous Biographical and Family Sketches, published 1872.

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 Franklin Township - it names this place 8 more 8 times.