Jefferson Township

Jefferson Township

CSTlYE first white persons that set- (Ob t^ed on the west side of the riv- ^^ er, in this neighborhood, wer^ old Thomas Smith, Benjamin Shumaker, James and Thomas Stalcup, Grandfather Winters, Ell Dixon, John Craig, Joab Witcher, William Lemons, John Jessup, Jolm Stanley, Benjamin Huey, Hiram Hicks and a few others.

Benjamin Shumaker made the first land entry, after -which he b-uilt the first house, which -was located upon the ground where Uncle Jonny Myers' dwelling now stands^ in Worth-' ington. Old Thomas Smith settled on the hill-side, about; t-wo hundred yards cast of -where Verlin. Jessup g dwelling house no-w stands ) and Mr.- Smith set out that old apple otchard^ built the first ferry-'boat, and kept the old Smith's ferry, en White river,- for nearly forty years. James Stal-* cup built a lo:g house snd set outthose apple trees in George R. Taylor's field, on the hill just east of Worthington. Tliomas Stalcup built his hotisc and lived an the north side of the old State road, opposite where 'Squire Spainhower now lives. Uncle Eli Dixon entered the most land, made the biggest farm, built the best dwelling house, and set out the old apple orchard on tbef farm now own^ ed by Willis Watson^ just south of Worthington.

Old Eli Dixon was the big "bell sheep" among the Dixon^s, and he was twice elected as Representative of Greene county in the State Legis- Being a great favorite among

01(1 William Winters built a house / and set out those apple trees near the canal, on what is now known as the furnace place, north of Worthington.

Thomas J. Fires' great-grandfather, old John Craig, entered the land, built the house, and set out the apple orchard at the. old Anderson Harvey place, just northwest of Worthington. W illiam Lemons built his house and settled in the grove.

places to work among the owners, and labor in that large and handsome cotton patch. Young men, with home-spun clothes, and young women, with nice check cotton dresses, were in full fashion in those days, and when a help-mate was chosen for life, the working class of young men were "taken in out of the wet," and the best cotton spinners among the girls were always counted among tie north of where Eli tStalcup now- In the flill of the year 1819, the lives, and the stream of water was i Indians set fire to the prairie around named Lemons' creek fsr him. the Dixon grove, just south of our

The Black swamp was named by | new fiiir ground, and within less than the old pioneer hunters, and so call- 1 half a day, one old Indian killed sixed by all the old road wagoners from Louisville to Terre Haute. In early times the names of New Albany, Salem, Wood's ferry, Smith's ferry. Black swamp. Scaffold prairie. Lone tree, Splunge creek and Terre Haute were all very familiar household words. The names of all those old road wagoners will yet be given.

John Craig built the first distillhouse, in the bi..nch east of where John B. Poe's chair factory now stands ; and then Benjamin Huey built another distill'house, at the Fuller spring, on the Terre Haute road, three miles from Worthington, Avherelie made whisky.

After the Indians had left here and gone west to Arkansas, the old settlers in Jefferson township were called the Pottawataraies, and the white people over in Eel river township were called the Delawares, besides many other nick names - such as North Carolina Shabs, Tuckeyhoes, Buckeyes, Corncrackers, Suckers and Hoosiers.

When the first white families came to Jefierson -township, the nearest mills were about forty miles distant, being located on the Shaker Prairie, above Vincennes. Afterwards ono known as Kt'tctiam's mill, went into operation near Bloomington, Monroe the cotton'gin from Craig's mill, and I county, and another called Rawley s made a tramp-wheel cotton gin and j mill, on Eel river, at the old hill, a little horse mill on the hill, at the j near the old reservoir Fuller place, in this township.

Fifty years ago, the land on which Worthington now stands was a large and beautiful cotton field, of nearly fifty acres of choice cotton, in full | first settlers raised plenty of corn and

Before Welton and Colonel Fellows built their mills on Richland creek, and for a few years before Craig's mill was built on White river, the bloom about the 1st of August, 1824 This cotton field was cultivated by Benjamin Shumaker, William Winters, William Huey, Jehu Inman, John Craig, Thomas Stalcup and a few others ; and that cotton field in bloom was said to be the nicest place and the prettiest crop in the western garden vegetables, and- had to live on sweet and Irish potatoes, lye hominy, beat meal and deer meat. In fact deer skins and venison hams were almost a "legal tender" on all little debts at William Smith's store, which was located a little south of Willis Watson's brick house and bears the part of Indiana. A great number of i name of being the first store house m young folks from other localities came i Worthington. Mr. Wdliam Smith to the mouth of Eel river to look for j also established the fiiot tan-yard lu toAvn, and it was located opposite the "Swainp Tavern," on the Terre Haute road. Old John Padgett bought the farm where Uncle Jonny Myers now lives, of old Bcnjarriin Shuiiraker, and Mr. Padgett lived there an the old Terre Haute State road for many years, and established the iirst drinking saloon, and kept a gi'ocery in a big sycamore gum. At all the corn-shuckings, cotton-pickin-gs, Avedding parties and other public gatherings, a "spiritual greeting" sent out from that big sycamore gum.

The first school house was built on the hill, just east of Worthington, and the first teacher was James Campbell. The pupils were Jolm 11. Di.xson and brothers, Prior and "William ; Merrit and ITain Jamison, Joseph and Mariah Fiehl, Staloup's boys, Frank and Verlin Jessup. Harrison, Benjamin an<l A. J. Huey, Levi and Mariah Shuraaker, Robert and Alexander' Craig, together with others from the Winters, Inman, Smith and Crance families.

Among the first weddings in this neighborhood were,' Josei)ii Smith ami Sallie Jessuj). David Smith and I'olly Bryson, William Huey and Sallie Stanley, -JohngJlStanley and Mary Ball, Abrara Shumaker and Mariah Morris, Obediah Winters and ]lannah Duncan, Thomas Huey and A'^estie Stewart, Joshua Duncan and Mariah Shumaker, William Smith and Mary McKee, and a few others.

Worthington is tiow an incorporated village, in Jefferson township, is pleasantly located jon a prairie, a fhort di.stance west of the junction of Eel and White rivers. The town was laid out by Messrs. Andrews and Barrackraan, in 1849,

The first p;iper published in Worthington was called the WoriJiinf/ton Advocate, and was established in October, 1833. by Deal & Morrison. This }»aper survived for a short time, but was superceded, in J^ovember, 1855, by The White Jlivct' Valh'ij Times, with the name o^ L i^. Morrison as editor and proprietor. Mr. Morrison continued its publication for quite ri number of years, but was finally compelled to retire from the business on account of failing health. The paper yet has a very healthy existence,and is the oldest periodical in Greene county, being now in its twentieth volume. It is now known as the Worthington Times, and is publiahed by W. J. Ward, with Fred. N. Miller, proprietor.

We will yet give the family history of several of the oldest citizens and pioneers of this neighborhood and other localities connected with our.early times in Greene county.