Bradford Estate

This village was laid out in March, 1854, by Calvin Matthews, administrator of the estate of James Matthews, deceased. Hiram T. Craig was the surveyor, and is said to have named the town from its location in the county. There was a time when Centerton could have secured the prize of the county seat. This was in the fifties, just before the present court house was built, and later just before the railroad was completed. Sufficient influence was not brought to bear upon the points of success. Almost every unprejudiced person will readily say that the county seat should be, located either at Centerton or on the railroad in its immediate vicinity. There can be no question of the justice and future public policy of this fact. It is well known that pecuniary interests are the only considerations which keep it where it is. Might, not right, rules. Of course there are parties at Martinsville, who, wise as serpents, will not admit these statements, though the heavens fall. The citizens of the county should see that the next court house is built at Centerton.

Passage source: Counties of Morgan, Monroe, and Brown, Indiana. Historical and Biographical, published 1884.

CALVIN ELY is the fourth of the five children born to David and Mary E. (McCracken) Ely, natives of Virginia and North Carolina, and of English descent; was born in Clay Township, Morgan County, Ind., May 3, 1849, and passed his childhood on his father's farm. He received instruction at the public schools sufficient to enable him to become one ofour county's teachers. Mr. Ely attended the State Normal School at Terre Haute during 1874 and 1875, and also graduated from the International Business College of Indianapolis June 1, 1872. As he was then fully competent as a teacher, he followed that profession for about eight years, at the same time engaging in book-keeping. In the meanti&e.he served as Deputy in the Auditor's, Treasurer's and Clerk's offices at Martinsville. On January 10, 1878, Mr. Ely was married to Frances A. Staflbrd, a native of Morgan County, and daughter of Wiley and Sarah (Slaughter) Stafford, natives of Morgan County, Ind., and of English and German descent. By this union they have had one child born to them - Charles, born August 2, 1881. Mr. and Mrs. Ely belong to the Christian and to the Methodist Episcopal Churches respectively. Mr. Ely is a member of the A. P. & A. M. Since his marriage, he has been engaged in farming 192 acres which he owns, and has highly improved. On this place is a fine residence, barn, fences, orchard, etc. ; it is stocked with hogs, horses, sheep and cattle, and further provided with all necessary farming implements. In collecting this, Mr. Ely has depended upon himself only and has received nothing from any man.

Passage source: Counties of Morgan, Monroe, and Brown, Indiana. Historical and Biographical, published 1884.

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 Clay Township - 16,970 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.