Boone Township

Boone Township

Into this region, about 1801, came the McDonald family of Scotland, who settled on a tract of land about two miles south of what is now Portersville. It may seem strange to-day, but the truth remains, Dubois county was first settled by a hardy Scotchman. At that time, the Indians were still troublesome, and the pioneers carried their lives in their hands, being in constant danger from predatory bands. The McDonald family determined to remain, however, and near their lonely cabin they erected a fort, to which they could go at the first intimation of danger. For many years this fort was a place of safety not only for the settlers in the vicinity, but for travelers between Vincennes and the settlements at the Falls of the Ohio. In local history, this fort is known as Ft. McDonald. Near it lies the Sherritt graveyard. This graveyard is on the only tract of land in Dubois county ever owned by Captain Dubois, after whom the county was named.

In Fort McDonald, the first schools in the county were held, and from it the history and progress of the count}- properly date. The McDonalds had not been long in their cabin home before other settlers began to make their appearance. Then nothing was known to the ordinar}' settler of the prairies to the north and west, and no one thought of seeking a home, or rather of making one, without the hard and tedious labor of clearing the land of the gigantic forest trees.

Nearly all the early settlers of Boone township were from Virginia, Kentucky, or the Carolinas. Most of them were very poor, and were seeking homes where the^^ might better their conditions.

Many of the early settlers, especially those from the Carolinas, brought cotton seed with them, and raised cotton. A cotton gin was in operation for some time at Portersville. Cotton did not prove productive, and its cultivation was soon abandoned.

There were three of the McDonalds, and one of them would walk around the land with his long rifle, while the other two cleared the land of timber and burned the logs. It was no uncommon thing to see a man plowing his field, while a son or daughter walked by his side carrying a rifle to be used if occasion required. William McDonald was a ranger and hunter, and was schooled in all the craft and cunning of the red man.

There were few main roads in those days except the one known variously as "Mud Hole Trace," "Harrison's Trace," and "Governor's Trace." It was bad everywhere, especially during the rainy seasons or earlj- in the spring, but one place in Dubois county was so exceptionably bad that it was known far and wide as the "Mud Holes." When the legislature passed the act to create the county, no better place for the meeting of the commissioners appointed to put the machinery in motion, could be found than the "Mud Holes," so they were directed to meet at the house of William Mc- Donald, nearby.

The first land purchased by a white man in Dubois county, w^as the north half of section three, township one south, range five west, in Boone township. Captain Toussaint Dubois entered it May 7, 1807. The "Buffalo Trace" crosses this section.

James Farris was one of the first settlers. He was born in 1 771, in South Carolina, and his wife, Elizabeth, was born in 1779, in the same state. They came to Dubois count}^ and entered land in 18 10. He died May 8, 1853, but the widow lived until August, 1870.

One of the early born natives of Dubois county was Elijah Lemmon, who was born near Portersville in 1815, and became an early flat-boat pilot on White river. He died July 15, 1876. Judge Niblack, of the supreme court of Indiana, was also born at Portersville. [Page no.]

John Eemmon was one of the early settlers in Boone township. He was born in 1802, in Kentucky, and came to Dubois county in his youth. Only a few families were here before the Eemmon family came. He died in 1872.

After the Indians had left Dubois county as a tribe, a few returned on hunting trips. Of these few, one was killed near the Sherritt graveyard where they had built a wigwam of the bark of a poplar tree. He was killed by a white man, and is said to have been the last one killed in this county. The killing took place on the land that Captain Toussaint Dubois bought from the United States in 1807.

This land is well watered. Mill creek and Mud Hole creek flow through it, and on the north side about fifty feet south of the base line, and about the same distance from Mill creek, is Toussaint Dubois spring. This spring is one of the very best in the entire county. It flows a strong stream and its waters are excellent. Analysis of its waters shows its ingredients to be as follows: Thirty-two grains of chalk, and the slightest trace of iron in one gallon. It is said there is no purer water in the state of Indiana.

The Indians that lingered in the county during its early settlement were fond of milk, and would frequently carry a ham of a deer or a bear to the cabin of a white man and deliver it to the pale face. Then by grunts and signs they would indicate that they wanted milk in return. They drank all thej- could, then filled their Indian jugs, or pouches made of coon skins, to take with them. They never left any milk. Often they would giv^e many times its worth in wild meat.

In 1840, the way of traveling in Boone township was on horse-back. Everybody rode well. Ladies were excellent riders and seemed at home on the horse. Races were frequent along the level roads of Boone township. Old people tell us that frequently at a marriage there was a custom of "riding for the bottle." The wedding party would start at the groom's home, while the bottle was left at some place near the bride's home, well known to all the party. The race was a helter-skelter ride acro.ss the country for the bottle. The lady who won, was entitled to select her partners for the dances at the wedding. There were also many other plans of testing the speed of the horse and the skill of the rider.

Portersville. On September 19, 1814, Jacob lycmmon paid for the land on which Portersville now stands, and he received from the government a large parchment bearing the name of James Madison, President of the United States. It called for four hundred forty-five acres. A part of this land was selected for the first county seat of Dubois county (1818).

In its early days Portersville was a prosperous little village; court was held there, and soldiers were frequently mustered there. From the foot of one of its streets, barges, flat-boats, and small steamboats carried away the products of the surrounding farms. Portersville is the only town in Boone township and it is the oldest in the county. Arthur Harbison is said to have named the town in honor of some favorite relative. It is said Thomas Brooks was one of its first merchants. About 1826, Jacob Bixler was a merchant at Portersville. Other merchants were Harris, Patton, Dr. Porter, Brown, and Hollowell; all pioneers. Dr. Hugh S. Wilson was one of the pioneer physicians of Dubois county. He located at Portersville.

The "Buffalo Trace" and the base line pass through Boone township. Ebenezer Buckingham surveyed the base line in October, 1804. He called the Buffalo Trace the Louisville road, and the Kentucky road. He called Mill creek, Sar^e7ifs creek, and refers to Boone township land 2iS gladly land, meaning th^r^hy fertile land.

David Sanford, another government surveyor, refers to the Buffalo Trace as the Louisville trace. It is also called the Road to Vince7i7ies in the old surveys. This surveyor measured the meanderings of White river on the ice, January 24, 1805. On November 7, 1804, he and his men camped for the night where the Portersville cemetery lies. On Tuesday, November 13, 1804, he located coal "under a ledge of rocks that face the river" in section twenty-six, near Haysville. Like Joshua, the surveyor general of Holy Writ, Sandford subdivided the gladly land of Boone township, and fully recorded his work.

ship was once a part of Harbison township. In 1900, its population was I 186. The gladly land of Boone township includes some of the best farms in the county. Farming is the chief occupation in Boone township.

In Boone township lived William B. Sherritt, son of Capt. John Sherritt. He was born on the Sherritt farm, the original settlement farm of the county, January 20, 1822. William B. Sherritt attended Prof. Thompson's school when a boy. He spent his life on the farm once owned by Captain Dubois, and by hard work and good management amassed a fortune. He was thoroughly honest and of a cheerful disposition. He talked but little except to his most intimate friends. As a violinist he is said to have had no equal in the county. He loved music. It was his charm for discouragement and ill luck. Wm. B. Sherritt had no enemies. He had a kind word for the oppressed, and a helping hand for the needy. He was loved by all and generally called "Uncle Billy" by his neighbors. He died April 7, 1897, and lies buried in the Sherritt graveyard near which he spent his life of more than seventyfive years. He is a most excellent example of the first native generation of citizens of Boone township. [Page 39.]