Point Township

Point Township

This township was originally, and prior to 1822, called Daniel Township, or "The Daniel Territory." At a meeting of the board of county commissioners of Posey County, at the May session of 1822, Point Township was organized and so named. Called Point Township, for the reason that it is the extreme point of Posey County and the old Hoosier Commonwealth, and is bounded as follows: On the east and south, by the Ohio Eiver; west, by the Wabash Kiver and north by Black Township. The first white settler in the county, is supposed to have settled in what is now Point Township, near the mouth of the Wabash Eiver, some time in the latter part of the last century. He was an Irishman by the name of Thomas Jones. He died at his place of settlement in 1826. The following are among the first settlers and pioneers of this township: a man by the name of CordufE, who settled in the southwestern portion of the township. He was also an Irishman. Then came Samuel Black, Nathaniel Miller, the Eobinson family, a man by the name of Eoach, who settled at the mouth of the Wabash Eiver, and his place of settlement was for many years, the landing and trading point for all the flat-boat business transacted at the mouth of the Wabash. Many times each year, a line of fiat-boats almost a mile in length could be seen lying in wait at this place. Mr. Eoach died in this township about 1848. A man by the name of Summers, an old keel-boatman, was an early settler here. George Henchet, James Conner, a man by the name of Edwards, William and Isaac James, the Bacon family. Squire Love, Capt. Henry Stripe, tte Greathouse and Dixon families. Nearly all of the pioneers of this township have returned to the dust formation from whence they were originated.

The first election held in the township was at the house of Daniel Owen, one of the pioneers. At an election held at the house of Samuel Love, May 30, 1835, the following men voted: Eichard H. Austin, Aaron Bacon, Cornelius Austin, Nehemiah Hastings, Thomas Black, Cornelius Ludlow, James Shinders, John Hancock, John Deen, Jefferson Hill, John McDaniel, James McCloud, David Dixon, Leander Johnson, John Dixon, Lloyd Marsh, Lewis Coon, Thomas Black, George Parker, William Black, Sylvanus McFarlor, William Stephens, L. York, Henry Williams, John Boothe, George W. Greathover, Elias Hancock, John Clark, William Pool, Sampson Greathover, James Conlin, Samuel N. Love, Joseph H. Black and James Dixon. This election was held for the purpose of selecting a justice of the peace, and the regular township officials.

Land Enteies

The following land entries were made in the township prior to 1820: William Broadhead, 1800; Samuel Kimmel, 1809; Seth Hargrave,1813; James Black, 1813; Samuel Aldridge, 1814;George Bow, 1814; Hugh Todd, 1814;Eobert Hargrave, 1814; Nathaniel Ewing,1814 ; Samuel W. Parr,1814; JosephKennedy, 1814;FranciB Black, 1815 ; Aaron Bacon, 1815 ; Thomas Jones, 1817 ; Elisha Boudinott, 1817 ; Christopher Ashworth, 1817 ; Martin Shlater, 1818; George Hershman, 1818; John Hamilton, 1818; David Greathouse, 1818; WiUiam F. Daniel, 1819.

Schools And Churches

The first schoolhouse in the township was what was long known as the Stripe Schoolhouse. The same was a log structure, erected in the Greathouse neighborhood. The building was, also used for religious services, and in it the Methodists, Baptists and

Christians worshiped, and the pioneer circuit riders expounded the word of God. The then old- building was thrown about twenty years since, and another erected in its stead. There are now six schoolhouses in the township, and the educational facilities are greatly advanced.

The only church in the township is Greathouse Church, which is a frame building about 40x60 feet, erected in 1872, at an estimated cost of $1,500. The same is located in the Greathouse neighborhood, and the ground upon which it is situated was given by Henry Stripe, upon the condition that the building should be called and retain the name of Greathouse Church. It is a Methodist institution. The first minister was a man by the name of Johnson, and the present is Eev. Miles Woods. The primitive religious exercises of the township were held in private houses, or in the woods.

The township has one postoffice, Hovey's, established in 1879, at the house of John S. Phillip, who was the postmaster. Here the office was continued until 1881, when it was removed to Furhrer's grocery, which is on the stage line running from Mount Vernon to TJniontown, Ky. The office has a daily mail, and George K. Furhrer, is the present postmaster. Politically the township is Democratic. At the election of 1884 it cast for Grover Cleveland, 110 votes, for James G. Blaine, 90, the former securing a majority of 20 votes.

This is a famous Indian burying ground situated on the bank of the Ohio Eiver. Tb e Indians seem to have been using this place as sepulchral grounds so far back that the "memory of man runneth not the contrary." The artificial mound made by these dwellers of the forest has been undermined by the river and vast quantities of human bones and other relics of Indians have been exposed. There have been found thin plates of copper, buttons, gorgets, tiny bells, flints, arrow heads, ornamented vases engraved with rude %ures, sea shells from the ocean, and various other things that serve as a kind of an index to the peculiarities of a very peculiar people. Mr. James Samson of New Harmony has the best collection of relics of any one in this part of the State. His sanctum sanctorum is a study for any one.

While it is true that this township contains a number of fine and well improved farms, it is also true that the major part is yet in the wild, and totally unimproved. Many thousand acres in the township are held by non-residents and hence a hasty development is unexpected.

A Large Tree

It is stated on the authority of Mr. Fred Nolte of Mount Vernon, that there stands on his lands in Point Township, a sycamore tree which measures thirteen feet in diameter, and five cows have been seen standing in the hollow of the same at one time.

J. M. BENNETT was born December 11, 1835, in Tennessee. He is one of a large family of children born to the marriage of E. H. Bennett and Sarah Kelley, who were natives, respectively, of Virginia and Tennessee. The father was born in 1809, and followed the occupation of farming. He moved with his parents to Tennessee in 18,12. He married there, and in 1850, moved his family to Kentucky, where he remained until his death March 10, 1872. The mother was born in 1811, and died in September, 1879. Our subject remained with his parents until he attained his majority, and January 14, of the next year, he led to the hymenial altar, Mary Ann, daughter of Samuel and Maria Humphreys, born January 9, 1837, in Tennessee. They have eight children: W. D., J. A., E. H., F. M., W. N., J. K, N. G. and O. 0. In 1880 Mr. Bennett purchased 100 acres of timber land in Point Township, and now has about forty acres under cultivation. In politics he is a Democrat, and cast his first vote for J. C. Breckinridge. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., and he and wife are members, of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

HENEY KEEUTZINGEE, a w6ll to do farmer of Point Township, Posey Co., Ind., was born in Prussia, Germany, January 8, 1831. He is a son of Henry and Earnestina (Hamier) Kreutzinger. The father was a farmer, born in 1798, and came to the United States in 1844, settling inVanderburg County, Ind., where he began carpentering and farming. In the fall of 1846, he moved to Posey County, and remained there until his death, which occurred in 1847. The mother was born in 1813 and died in 1853. Our subject received a very good education and came with his grandparents to the United States. They located in Evansville, Ind., and here Henry attended school for about a year. He lived with his grandparents until the arrival of his parents from the old country, when he made his home with them. Upon reaching manhood he married Esther Knight, born April 28, 1838.

She died November 3, 1880, leaving one child, James K. In the spring of 1882, Mr. Kreutzinger was elected trustee of Point Township, and was re-elected in 1884. He is a Democrat and cast his first vote for Stephen A. Douglas. His wife was a member of the Eegular Baptist Church.

Source changes here: from History of Posey County, Indiana, by Leffel, John C., B, published 1913; 435 words in this source stream.

Point Township

Point township was organized in May, 1822, and so named for the reason that it is the extreme point of Posey county, and of the State. For a short time previous to its organization, it was known as Daniel township, in honor of John Daniel, the first permanent settler there.

Early settlers were : Thomas Jones, Corduff, Samuel Black, Nathaniel Miller, Robinson family, Roach, Summers, George Henchet, James Conner, William and Isaac James, Squire Love, Capt. Henry Stripe, and the families of Dixon, Greathouse and Bacon.

The first election in the township was held at the house of Daniel Owen for the purpose of electing a justice of the peace and the regular township officers.

The first white man to settle in Posey county is supposed to have settled in what is now Point township, near the mouth of the Wabash river, some time in the latter part of the eighteenth century. He was an Irishman by the name of Thomas Jones. He remained there until his death in 1826. A man named Roach settled at the mouth of the Wabash and established a landing and trading point for the flatboat business at that place, and did a good business with the river men. Mr. Roach died in this township in 1848.

Bone Bank, a famous Indian burying place in this township, now 1913, about wiped out by the cutting of the Wabash river, was situated on the Indiana bank of that stream, about three miles from its mouth, where it empties into the Ohio. It was on a high spot about sixty feet above the river. It was evidently the burying place for centuries of the Indian tribes of this section of America. Pottery, implements of warfare, metal articles of personal adornment and vast quantities of human bones were found there by the early settlers. Within the memory of many of the citizens of Point township, the Wabash flowed from 1,500 to 1,800 feet to the westward of its present course, a fortj'-acre corn field lying between the river and Bone Bank. As the river cut into the old burial ground bones were exposed in such quantities that they glistened in the sun's rays and were easily seen by those navigating the river. At the present writing, 1913, the river has cut away all but about 100 feet of this mound and is rapidly approaching a previous channel to the east of the mound from which it changed its course so long ago that giant trees, some of them six to eight feet in diameter, have grown in the center of the former watercourse.