Cloverdale Township

Cloverdale Township

The town of Cloverdale is situated on the L., N. A. & C. Uailroad, twelve miles south of Greencastle, and is the largest town in the county, exclusive of the county seat, having a population of 500. It was laid out by Andrew T. McCoy and Moses Nelson, in 183;J, and stands on section 1, township 12, range 4, and section 6, township 12, range 3.

The first store was kept by a man named Fuller, in Nelson's old building. He was followed by Harrison and Richard Grooms and John and William Sandy.

Through the instrumentality of Dr. Dyer a seminary was erected in Cloverdale, in 1850, which was carried on for about three years. Professor William Bray was the first principal, and was followed by N. C. Woodward. The institution was chartered and was organized under promising circumstance.. Dr. Dyer, Andrew T. McCoy and John Sandy were the largest stockholders. The school finally failed, because a majority of the stockholders refused to be taxed for its support.

The schools of the township are good, and their wants are well attended to by the efficiei.t trustee, William Vestal. Cloverdale Seminary and Graded School is under the general management of a board of town trustees. The special object of the seminary is to train teachers for the common school. The course of study and work doue are thorough, and the facilities for gaining an education are good.

Bainbridge is a flourishing town on the Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railroad, in the northeastern corner of Monroe Town ship, occupying a part of sections 1, 2, 11 and 12. It was laid out by Levi A. Pearcy, March 5,1831, on land owned by Allen Pearcy*

John Elrod, Thomas Gordon and Mason Catherwood. The town has since been considerably enlarged. The first and second additions were made by Mr, Cooper. J. E. and D. A. Quin made the next addition, and then came Corwinand Thornton's first, second and third additions.

Adam Feather was the first blacksmith in the place, Joshua Lucas the first tanner, John Cunningham the first merchant, James A. Carter the first saddler. William G. Darnall was also among the first merchants. D. 0. Donnohue put up the first carding machine in the town, and was also the first justice of the peace there.

The first church organization was effected by the Presbyterians. The Methodist church was established there in 1844, and a house of worship was built in the year 1840. The founding of the Christian church was a little later than that of the Methodist. The Catholics also have a place of worship.

;f1AMUEL DAIJXALL, deceased, was ! father in 1700. lie was there married to 1'^>^\ Unai in Montgomery County, Kentucky, : Miss Nancy [liggins, and they had one son

ASp December 9, 1S04. The first American and seven daughters, the son being the late representative of the Darnaii name was apart Dr. Lurk;;; Yeates. of \\ inchester. Kentucky.

of Lord Baltimore's colony that settled in The youngest of the daughters married Sam- Charles County, Maryland, in 1634. Daniel uel Darnall. After five year* of married life, Darnall, father of Samuel, was horn in Alary- Samuel and .Maria Darnall ti uve»l to the then land in 1775, and moved to Kentucky with new State of Indiana, in order to get cheaper liis father, Isaac Darnall, when he was ten land and thus benefit their children. In the years of age. Kentucky was at that time fall of 1835 they arrived in Putnam County an almost pathless wilderness. Daniel Darnall , and .-topped at the house of Johnson Darnall, married Nancy Turpi n, the daughter of an- who had moved there two years previous. other pioneer, also from Maryland. They Putnam was at thai time an immense forest, established a home in Montgomery County, The roads wen1 simply traces cut through and by unflagging industry and economy the woods. By long continued, persevering secured for themselves a competency. They toil, Mr. Darnaii opened up a large farm and had six children, live sons and one daughter was soon considered one of the most prom- - Mrs. Emilia Darnall (aunt Milly), late of inent and enterprising farmers in the county. Bainbridge, Indiana. Samuel, who was the At one time there' was great opposition fo fourth child, at the age of twenty-five years the introduction ft' blue grass into Putnam married Maria, the daughter of Joshua Yeates County. Samuel, Johnson, and Turpi n Darnand his first wife. Mr. Yeates was of the old all. Colonel A. S. Farron, and some others, English stock that settled in eastern Virginia were the first to advocate its use. Mr. in the early part of the eighteenth century. Darnall was eminently a man of peace, and ilr was born in Loudoun County, that Slate, lived on the best terms with Ids neighbors. in 1773, and emigrated to Kentucky with his He was domestic in his habits, and loved above everything else the quiet of his own home and fireside, in the besom of his family, where neighbors, friends or strangers, rich or poor, were welcome to a seat. No one ever asked in vain for a meal of victuals or a night's lodging. A bountiful hospitality was ever shown to rich and poor alike. The ancestors of both Samuel and Maria Darnall were for several generations zealous members of the old Calviiiistic or predestinarian Baptist church. In politics Mr. Darnall was originally a Henry Clay Whig, and when the lie publican party was organized, he heartily espoused its principles, for he had long been a free-soiler in belief, and when on the death of his father he inherited five slaves, he would have set them free at once, except for the law then in force in Kentucky forbidding the freeing of slaves. He did the best tiling he could do under the circumstances, which was to let them choose their own master, and hired them to him for one year, on trial. At the end of that time he sold them, at their request, to Dr. Hood, for whatever he was willing to give, which was less than half what a " nigger trader" offered for them. Mr. Darnall was no weak man in politics. lie was decided in bis opinions and always expressed himself firmly but respectfully. He was no office seeker. Away back in the forties, a committee of the leading Whigs of Putnam County waited upon him, urging him to accept the nomination and make the race for the Legislature, but he firmly declined the honor and suggested the name of David Scott, who accepted the nomination. In Kentucky he served as Lieutenant of the Militia, and filled that position until his removal to Indiana, Under the military law of the State, lie was Quartermaster on the staff of Colonel James Fisk. At the breaking out of the civil war lie gave his influence and support to the Government, and gave three sons to the army. The eldest son, Francis M., made up a splendid company in the fall of 1861, and led them to the field as Captain. Lafayette enlisted the same year in Colonel Lew. Wallace's regiment of Zouaves, for the three months service, and after a short rest, he joined his brother's company in the Forty-third Regiment, and was made Sergeant. Later he was promoted to Lieutenant. In 1803, when Morgan's army invaded the State, a third son, Joshua, a fairhaired, blue-eyed boy of sixteen summer.-, with patriotic zeal went to the front and laid j down his bright young life upon the altar of ! his country. He had joined the One Hundred j and Fifteenth Regiment, a. a recruit, and | took part in the arduous campaign to Cumberland Gap. On the retreat, from that j point through the mountains of Kentucky, he lost his life, by contracting a violent cold when recovering from an attack of measles. Samuel Darnall died January 13, 1879, and was buried at Brick Chapel, Indiana. He was a public-spirited, enterprising citizen, ready to assist in every good work, and ready to lend a helping hand to everything that gave reasonable, promise of being a benefit to the community. He was a kind and loving husband, an affectionate and indulgent father, and a calm, consistent Christian.

jg^OWARD BRIGGS was born in New- WJS ark, Ohio, December 23, 1833. His %Hf father, Benjamin Briggs, was one of the oldest newspaper men in the Buckeye State, having established the Newark (Ohio) Advocate in 1820, and published the same over forty years. He then retired from active pursuits. He had married Nancy English, and both are now deceased. They were i the parents of four daughters and two sons.

Source changes here: from Weik's History of Putnam County, Indiana, by Weik, Jesse William, published 1910; 2,154 words in this source stream.

Cloverdale Township

This township was originally a part of Warren and Jefferson townships. It was organized in 1846. and is composed of the southern tier of sections of township 13, ranges 3 and 4. and the northern half of township 12, of the same ranges. It is bounded on the north by Warren and Jefferson townships, from which it was detached ; on the east, by Morgan county and Mill Creek township: on the south, by Owen county, and on the west, by Washington township. The surface is hilly and broken, and was originally covered with a dense growth of timber, such as white and yellow poplar, maple, walnut, oak, ash, elm, gum, beech and mulberry. The soil is good and of the quality known as limestone land. The whole township is underlaid with a fine quality of limestone, well adapted to building and manufacturing purposes. The principal streams are Mill creek in the east and Doe creek in the center.

The first settlers in what is now Cloverdale township were William Hamilton and James Robinson, who came together from Kentucky in the spring of 1823. and built the first cabins. Hamilton located in section i, township 12, range 4. and Robinson, in section 6, township 12, range 3. Abraham Van Sickle. x\nthony Kilgore. Thomas James. Robert Hadden, .Arthur McNary. Mr. Goodman. Ambrose Bandy. G. Macy and Robert Macy, all came from Kentucky in the autumn of the same year and settled around where Cloverdale now stands. Jubal Meadows, John Macy. George Bandy and John Taber came in 1824. In 1825 came John P. Sinclair. John Briscoe and Robert Conolv. During the ne.xt year. William Martin. Thomas Evans,

Enoch Patrick, A. Tabor, X. Xolin and Nancy White became citizens. The next four years witnessed the arrival of Phih'p Rouse. Peter Lyon, James Woods, Robert Donnoson, James Gihuore, O. Owen, Daniel Morgan. Robert Hood. Jacob Rule and Samuel Logan. John P. Sinclair, John Briscoe. Xancy \ an Sickle, wife of A. Van Sickle; James Macy, son of John Macy; James Gilmore. A. Taber and J. White, son of Nancy White.

The first white child bom in the township was Elizabeth Tabor, daughter of John Tabor, in 1824. At that time, the family lived in section 36, township 13. range 4. The first death was that of a child of Ambrose Bandy. It was buried in the graveyard yet used in the town of Cloverdale. The first persons married in the township were David Martin and Betsy Tabor, or Berry Brannaman and Morris Sinclair.

In 183 1 Abraham Waters built the first sawmill. It stood on Doe creek in section 6, township 12, range 3. There was no flour and grist-mill in the township until the steam mill erected by Joseph Pearcy and Gabriel Woodville in the year 1863. Moses Nelson kept the first tavern in the township. It was located in section 6, township 12. range 3, and was opened for custom in 1836. In the same year. Thomas Nelson put up the first store, which stood on the same section with Closes Nelson's tavern. Isaac J. McKason. who located in the township in 1838. was the first blacksmith. The first school was taught by Thomas Evans in 1835. in a small log building in section i. township 12. range 4. Thomas Nelson was the first postmaster, ,m office having been established in his store in 1836. William Hamilton was the first justice of the peace. His successors have been Robert Martin. Thomas Nelson, Henry Magill. John Sandy, B. D. Burgess. William A. Sluss, Peter McClure, William Mosher, E. Long, C. Woodville. T. Horn, R. Williamson. C. Walls and Moses Bridges. The first physician was H. D. Dyer, who came in 1845.

The first religious meeting in the township was held by t.he Methodists, at the home of John Macy, in 1824, and conducted by John Cord, an itinerant Methodist preacher, who died the same year. After him came John McCord. Stephen Grimes. Daniel .Anderson, William H. Smith and Mr. Strange. They were followed by the Revs. Forbes. .Ames. Hevenridge. Horton. Walls. Wood. Scammahorn. Jackson. Bruner, Davis. Williams. John and Byron Carter. Lee, Rosson. Poynter. .Allison. Walls. Webb. Hewring. Pewett, Tansey, Johnson and McNaughton. This denomination erected a log church in section i, township 12, range 4. in the year 1827. which was the first built in the township. Thev continued to u,se this house until 1S48, when they built a frame church in Cloverdale. which was occupied up to the year 1873. In that year thev erected their present frame church, which stands as a monument of their zeal. There is another Methodist church at Poplar Grove, in this township. The Regular Baptists organized-a church in 1827 or 1828, and held meetings at the house of Elder Owen Owen, who was their first regular preacher. A church was erected by them in 1841, on section 6. In 1844 this church divided, a part joining the Missionary Baptists and holding the building. The Regular Baptists built a new house two miles west of Cloverdale. They now have a church three miles west of town, on the farm of A. Davis. Cyrus Taber, J. W. Denman, Samuel Arthur, Samuel Denny, A. Davis, Joseph Callthrop, Joel Vennillion, Eli Beman, John Case, John Leatherman, Benjamin Parks and William Walden are some of the ministers who have served this church.

The Christian denomination was organized into a congregation at Cloverdale, July 24, 1841, by Elder James Mathes, assisted by John Pearcy, Reuben Maginnis, Joseph Colwell, George W. Crose, Andrew T. McCoy, ]\Ioses Nelson, Thomas W. Dowell, Michael Crose, J. B. Ross. Andrew Mc- Mains, J. C. McCoy, I. J. Nickson and others. Meetings had been held in the township before the organization of the church, generally in private houses and groves. Among those who preached at this point are Elders Colwell, Headrick, George Pearcy, Perry and James Blankenship, Franklin, Smith, Hawn, Lockhart, Burgess, Swinford, Wrights, Wilsons, Black. Harris, Badger and Pritchard. The last named held a debate with the Rev. Mr. Brooks, of the Methodist Episcopal church, March 19 to 28, 1866, which created quite a local excitement. It is claimed by the Christian church that about seventy members were added to its organization as the result of the debate. This denomination erected a frame church, in the year of its organization, on land donated for that purpose by Andrew McCoy, in the south part of the town of Cloverdale, which was occupied until 1858, when they built their present commodious brick building in the north part of the same town. This church has a large membership and is free of debt. There are two other Christian churches in the township, Higgins Creek and Unity church.

The town of Cloverdale is situated on the Louisville, New Albany & Chicago railroad, twelve miles south of Greencastle, and is the second largest town in the county, exclusive of the county seat. It was laid out by Andrew T. McCoy and Moses Nelson,, who owned adjoining tracts of land in 1839. and stands on section i, township 12, range 4, and section 6, township 12, range 3.

The first store was opened in a small hewed-log building by Thomas Nelson, who was also the first postmaster. The Louisville, New Albany & Chicago railroad, now the Monon route, was constructed through the village in

^^53- \vhich stimulated enterprise, increasing the number of stores, shops and other enterprises. About twenty-five years since the town had what seemed to be a new birth and since that time it has had a constant growth in population and business until it has become one of the most attractive and enterprising little towns in this part of the state. It has fifteen stores, a large flouring mill, a saw mill, planing mill and two telephone exchanges and for twentv years has been without a saloon. It has a population of about eight hundred and two churches. Methodist and Christian.-

The house of John Macy, in which the Methodist church held its first meeting in 1824. stood in the present side of the town of Cloverdale. In 1828 Rev. William Martin. John Sinclair, Enoch Patrick. Thomas Evans, and Jubal Aleadows, trustees of the church, purchased two acres of ground one mile west of the present location of the church, upon which was built a large log house for the congregation. It was named Mt. Zion ^Methodist Episcopal church. At this church Mathew Simpson, president of Asbury University and afterwards bishop, preached the funeral of Rev. William Martin in 1849. Afterwards the society erected a good frame building in Cloverdale and later the more tasteful and commodious building in which it now worships. Its present trustees are J. \\'. O'Daniel. H. G. :\Iacy, Estes Duncan, James W. \'estal and E. A, Wood, The pastor is Rev. Robert E. Cornell ; church membership, two hundred thirty-five.

In addition to the Christian church in the town of Cloverdale already mentioned are two churches of the same denomination in the east and west parts of the township, known as East Unity and \\'est Unity. The regular Baptists have a good church building southeast of Cloverdale. known as Smyrna church. W. E. Gill is the pastor; membership, thirty-two.

A newspaper called The Bee, was established in Cloverdale. January i, 1S77, by W. B. Harris. It lived one year. In April. 1874. Lyman Xaugle laimched the Local Item, which lived several years. Soon thereafter came The Graphic, which is still published. Its editor and proprietor is Harrv B. Martin.,-

The oldest fraternal (jrder in Cloverdale is Cloverdale Lodge, No. 132. Free and Accepted Masons. The lodge was organized in 1851. Its charter members included Solomon Akers. Henry M. Gill, G. B. Lyon. William F. McGinnis. William Williams. M. D. F. Black. James H. Sparks and George Smith. The officers at present are: Herschel C. Foster, worshipful master; Louis Morrison, senior warden: W. Fred Farmer, junior warden; David E.

Sluss, treasurer; Henry B. Martin, secretary: Robert C. Horn, senior deacon; James E. Macy. junior deacon; Homer T. Broadstreet. senior steward; Joseph P. Omullane. junior steward; William E. Morrison, tyler; inembership, eighty-fi\ e.

Sanders Lodge. Xo. 307, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was instituted May 20. 1868. Charter members: T. J. Johnson. A. H. Gihnore, T. J. Walls! T. H. Stevenson. J. B. McCormick. J. H. Allison. H. G. Dyer and H. Marshall. Present officers : J. F. Ransopher. noble grand : F. L. -\IcKee, vice-grand ; John Ward, secretary, and T. C. Utterback, treasurer.

Diamond Lodge. Xo. 349. Knights of Pythias, was instituted March 7. 1892. The following were the charter members: Parks M. Martin. James P. Beanian, William A. Moser. Charles E. Pickens, Benjamin F. Truesdale. William M. Moser, George B. Rockwell, John W. Thornburgh. William Sackett. Charles S. Sinclair, Michael F. Flannery. David E. Watson, James A. Sandy, Frank E. McCarney and Francis AL Cole. The officers at present are: James F. Hartsan. chancellor commander: John .\. Omullane. vicechancellor commander; O. E. Collins, prelate; J. F. O'Brien, master of work; W. J. Hood, keeper of records and seal ; C. A. Rockwell, master of exchequer; W. J. Hood, master of finance; F. L. McKee, master of arms: P. ^L McAvoy. inner guard ; Charles McAvoy, outer guard ; membership, one hundred twenty.

Cloverdale Camp. 7194. Modern Woodmen of America, was organized November 1 1. 1899, and has a membership of one hundred and five. Its officers are: B. B. Hamilton, venerable consul: Roy D. Vestal, worthy adviser; John Meek, banker; \^^ E. Horn, clerk; Ellis Tabor, escort; R. E. Keller, watchman : James Orrell, sentry ; Jesse McCoy. George Wingfield. Jesse Hubbard, trustees.

Cloverdale also has a Grantl Anny post. It is called General Frank \\"hite Post. Xo. 422. Its officers are: W. R. Larkin. commander; H. B. Martin, senior vice-commander; W. P. Allen, junior vice-commander; H. E. Keller, officer of the day: J. M. Scott, quartermaster: S. B. Man. adjutant; Rev. Mathew Masten. chaplain.

Charles .\. Rockwell is postmaster and George B. Rockwell assistant postmaster. Cloverdale is the second largest office in the county. The salary of the postmaster is thirteen hundred dollars per year and there are fi\-e rural mail routes from the Cloverdale office.

The officers of the town of Cloverdale are : Frank M. Cole. Leander L. Runyan. John F. Richardson, trustees; Charles Hunter, marshal; Otho V. Smvthe. clerk and treasurer: Wilson E. Horn, health officer; school board.

There is one woman's club called "The Fortnightly Club." Through the instrumentality of Doctor Dyer, a seminary was erected in Cloverdale in 1850. which was carried on for about three years. Prof. William Bray was the first principal, and was followed by N. C. Woodward. The institution was chartered and was organized under promising circumstances. Doctor Dyer, Andrew T. McCoy and John Sandy were the largest stockholders. The school finally failed, because a majority of the stockholders refused to be taxed for its support.