Barton Township

Barton Township

area of forty-eight square miles or 80,720 acres. It is bounded on the north by Center and Columbia Townships, east by Pike and Warrick Counties, south by Warrick County, west by Johnson and Patoka Townships. Barton was organized in August, 1848, and its boundaries fixed, but subsequently its boundary lines were changed, as shown at present. It was formed at the request of a large nnmber of petitioners, residents of the township. The land surface in some places is quite hilly, in other localities gently undulating, except along the creek bottoms, where it is more level. This township was originally covered by a heavy growth of timber, but much of it has fallen before the woodman's axe, and in place of the groves of the past we now see spread out over the landscape well cultivated fields and farms. The drainage or surface water is carried off tucky to this county partly on foot, and partly on pack horse. Hlisha Strickland, and family came in the summer of 1815, and settled on Section 7 near Miller's Another early settler was Jacob Skelton and family of eleven children. They were also from South Carolina, and moved to what is now Gibson County and settled on a tract of land near the present town of Princeton in the year 1810, and six years later they removed to and made an improvement on Section 8, Township 8, Range 9, not far principally by Sinith's Fork, Pigeon Creek and their tributaries. with its several branches, drains the township through the center and north and south. McCullough Pond is situated on a portion of Sections 32, 33 and 28, in the southwestern part of the township, and in wet seasons spreads over several hundred acres of ground. The most important early improvement in this county was the canal - and its course was through the northwestern corner of this township, and for several years it was the highway by which the surplus products of the farmers was transported to market.

Earty Serriers. - The first settler was John Miller, who came in the fall of 1814, and located on Section 8, Township 8, Range 9. He brought his family, consisting of wife and several children, and erected a log-cabin and improved the first piece of ground. Game at that early period was very plentiful and it was that, as much as anything else, which attracted the first settlers to this region. Miller and his wife were both Kentuckians, and they made the trip from their old home in Ken- and erected a house - or log-cabin. He was a man of considerable prominence in the early times and was for many years a justice of the peace. He subsequently removed to Section 27, and there opened a small store in 1829, which was the first store kept in the township, and also in that part of the county. He lived a useful life, and was of great benefit to the community in which he resided. One of his sons, John Skelton, Sr., aged 82 years, is still living on the some section, and is one among the oldest residents of Barton. In 1818 came William McCleary - he married Anna, daughter of Jacob Skelton (she is now a widow and still living at the age of 84 years) - and family who erected a cabin and made a home on Section 17, Township 8, Range 9. He was likewise a native of South Carolina and came from that state to this county. After being here only a few years he was elected a justice of the peace, and filled that office very acceptably for many years, and was for a time one of the county officials in the early days. He also established and carried on the first blacksmith shop in the township. 'The first to settle in the southeast part of Barton was John Kilpatrick, who located on Section 31, Township 8, Range 8, where he continued to reside for many years. William Barrett and family moved from South Carolina to Tennessee, and from Tennessee to the territory now embraced in Columbia Township in 1817, and removed from there to Section 2, Township 3, Range 9. Andrew McGregor with his family came from Ohio in 1819 and settled in Princeton and removed from there in 1825, and settled on Section 18, Township 8, Range 8. Allof McGregor's children, four in number, were married within a year after their removal to this township, and many of the descendants of the original settler still reside here, and the name given to one of the elevations in this township, McGregor Hill, will long perpetuate the memory of this family. A hunter by the name of James Breedlove built a small cabin on Section 1 in 1819, but the rattlesnakes were so numerous that he was compelled to vacate it, as during the night they would frequently crawlinto his cabin. Hunting and fishing was a great pastime of the settlers. The woods seemed to be full of game - droves of deer, flocks of wild turkeys, bears, wolves, wild cats, and panthers were frequently to be met with, and furnished much sport for the pioneers. Besides the deer, bears, and turkeys furnished the principal meat for the family. After this date the settlers began to come in quite rapidly. Among the old residents now living here may be mentioned, William R. McCleary, who resides on Section 16, and is a native of the county born in 1823. His first wife was Julia S. Martin. She was also a native of this county, and born the same year as her husband. His present wife was Melvina Burton. She was born in the state of Virginia and removed to Gibson County in 1839. J. S. McCleary, born in this township in 1825, married Elizabeth C. Wise, and reared a family and lived here until his death in November, 1881. His widow still survives him. fli J. Oliver, a native of Rutherford County, N. C., came to this county in 1838, and lives on Section 7. His wife is also a native of the above state. The Bell family are also old settlers of the county. One of the representatives, James T., resides with his family on Section 7.

After the organization of this territory into Barton Township the first election was held at the house of Bluford H. Criswell on Saturday, Sept. 30, 1843. Jonas Mayhall was appointed inspector of the election; Enoch Taylor and Jacob Skelton were appointed the first overseers of the poor.

Karty Marriaces. - One of the first marriages that took place in this locality was that of John Skelton, Sr. The ceremony was performed by William Mce- Cleary, justice of the peace. The wedding journey was performed by the bride and groom going to the residence of the justice on horseback, the bride sitting up behind the groom on the same horse; in fact, this was the customary way of traveling in the early days.

In the pioneer times in this township it was very hard for the children to get an opportunity to acquire even the simplest rudiments of an English education. The first teacher here was William Putnam. During the year 1818 he would congregate a few pupils in the cabins of the settlers and give them instruction, and in the spring of 1819 a small log school house was built on Section 7, Township 8, Range 9. It was constructed of round logs, and without windows. The light was shed through the open spaces between the chinks and down the broad, open, mud and stick chimney at the end. And when the weather was not too unpleasant the door would be opened to give the school the benefit of more light. This school house had a ground floor made hard by pounding, and the furniture was of the most primitive kind of puncheon benches. This section of the county is now well supplied with good schools.

Earty Ministers. - The earliest preaching done here was by Stephen Strickland, Jacob Bouty and John Kell. Mr. Strickland has the credit of having preached the first sermon in the township at the house of John Miller in 1816. Providence Church, a log building, was the first house erected here for religious purposes. It was a very humble log cabin and was situated on Section 8, Township 8, Range 9, and built in the summer of 1822. It served the purpose for many years, when a new house was built, and subsequently the present frame edifice was erected. A burial ground was also established at an early date by the side of the church. The first child born in the township was John Miller in the year 1815. He was a son of the first settler. It is related that the first death of a resident of the township was that of Seth Adkinson in the year 1817.

Mitis. - The first water mill for grinding grain was erected on Section 17, Township 8, Range 8, on Smith's Fork of Pigeon Creek, by Jacob Bouty in the summer of 1821. The dam was a small one, and at this writing every vestige of the old mill site is obliterated. This was a thing much needed by the settlers, and was the means of attracting several families, who located in that part of the township.

Puysicrans. - The first physician to locate here was Dr. George Austin, who came in the fall of 1823. Before that time there was no physician nearer than Princeton. The settlers, however, were a hardy people and required but little attention from the doctors.

In the early days at a log rolling an incident occurred which would now be considered a crime. An Indian came to where a party of settlers had assembled at a log-rolling, on which occasion it was customary for the host to furnish a plentiful supply of liquors, as well as the more substantial edibles for the table. Some of the crowd had become in a measure intoxicated, particularly a man named Wheeler, and when the Indian above alluded to had imbibed quite freely of the liquor, he became boastful of his former exploits, relating a circumstance of how he went to the house of a white family when they were at dinner and compelled them to eat until they were gorged, after which he offered other indignities. This so enraged Wheeler that he attacked the Indian, striking him over the head with a hand-spike, crushing his skull and killing him instantly.

Coau. - The first digging for coal was done on Section 5, Township 8, Range 8, in the year 1883. While there is considerable coal to be found in Barton, there are no mines that are regularly worked. Some litile | coal is occasionally taken out from a seam which outcrops at the foot of McGregor Hill. There are also quarries of excellent building stone in the township. It is generally understood that the first quarry opened here was by a Mr. Kerns, though the stone is not now utilized to the extent that its merits demand. At some time it will no doubt furnish a liberal profit to any one who would develop the quarries and ship by rail.

A destructive cyclone passed over this section in the year 1880. It completely demolished the residence of James C. McGregor, killing Mr. McGregor and severely | injuring several of his children, besides doing much damage to other property in that neighborhood.

The wagon roads of Barton Township are among | the best in the county. Since the completion of what is popularly known as the " Straight Line Railroad," | it has good facilities for the shipment of its surplus , pruducts. Large quantities of wheat, oats, corn, hay, | potatoes and the several kinds of fruits are annually | raised. There are two post offices in Barton, Sommer- | ville and Buckskin.

is situated on the line of the Indianapolis & Evansville Railroad, known as the "Straight Line." The village is pleasantly situated on an elevated piece of ground, and is located on Section 2, Township 8 South, Range 9 West, and was laid out in 1853 by John EK. Smith. It was formerly known as Summittville. The first house was built by Van Nada & Baldwin and was used by them as a general store. And the first postmaster was George S. Van Nada. He was a. native of Warrick Co., Ind., born there in 1819. He married Jane, the daughter of John Killpatrick, who was an early settler in this township. Mr. Van Nada and wife were the parents of eight children. The present county recorder, Solomon Van Nada, is their son. Mr. Van Nada settled in Sommerville in the spring of 1854.

Present Business. - Shanner & Son, general merchants; 8. G. Barrett, general merchant and also postmaster; Robert Moore, drug store; Louis Kemper, McCoy, Robert Moore and A. Woodruff, physicians; W. L. Bilderback, attorney at law; John Valker and William Helm, blacksmiths; V. Snitzler, shoemaker.