Prairie Township (part 4 of 4)

Pioneers And Their Acts

It is claimed that about the first sermon ever preached in Benton County was by Rev. James A. Carnahan, of Dayton, Ind. ; about the next were Revs. Homer and Casad, who preached iu White Oak Grove, and old John Sargent, on Mud Pine, all being earnest workers in the cause of the Master, and, as a rale, preaching their sermons iu the open air. in the shade of some beautiful grove, or by the fireside of the early settlers, there being no churches at that early date. None of these resided in Benton County. Amoui; the first resident ministers were Revs. George Campbell, Evan Stevenson" and William II. Calkins.

Among the early physicians were Drs. Boone. Theophihis Stembel (who at that time practiced in all the territory west of the Wabash). I. H. Wright, Franklin Ulades, Anson Hurd, Jesse Dailey, J. W. Barnes and W.^M.' Sleeper.

The first resident lawyers were James F. Parker, Jacob Benedict and Daniel Mills, none of whom now reside in the county except Jacob Benedict.

in Oxford, and James P. Miller, on Big Pine, as blacksmiths ; George Brier, Joseph Carswell, John Fergnson, John P. Boss, George W. and John E. Bless, of Oxford, as carpenters ; E. Ferguson and Jacob Miller, of Oxford, as shoe-makers ; George Blanchfil, Ed White and Eobert Wood were first in the line of harness and saddles ; T. E. Brake and Jacob S. Albaugh, wagon-makers, and Martin Benedict, stonemason. i^ The first store in Benton Count}- was kept by Aaron Wood, in a little frame building in Oxford. The secoud, and on a much larger scale, was bj' Carnahan & Earl, of La Faj-ette, who built the first regular storeroom in Oxford, and stocked the same with general merchandise, Mr. James Yawter being for some time general clerk, who was succeeded by xl. J. Carnahan. The first drug store was kept by Burns & Dailey, afterward by Burns & Hurd, in Oxford. Theophilus Stembel, if not the first physician in the county, was, at least, among the first. He is still living, a short distance from Oxford.

Surveyor Burtcell bad a novel method of measuring land in those primitive times, which, in a prairie country, where there was no fallen timber or other obstructions, was equally as accurate as chain measurement, as well as being easier and more expeditious. It was done in this manner : He would take a wagon wheel, tie a string around one of the spokes, place the wheel upon the ground and revolve it once, and then measure the distance passed over in making the revolution, and the diameter of the wheel being known, it was a very easy and simple matter to determine the length of a line by rolling the wheel the full length of it, and keeping au account of the number of revolutions. (^ Elijah Litler, one of the landmarks of the county, was a great stock drover, and was at one time Sheritf of the county. " Goshens " was his favorite word. He hated a negro like poison, and on being told that Christ said " Let little black children come unto me," he replied : " Is that so ? Well, goshens ! a smart man could explain it away."

It is said that Judge McConneil put up the first pump. Prior to that time, a spring back of John Carnahan's shop supplied the tow-n (Oxford) with water. One time John Wood was sent for a bucket of water, and after being absent for a half hour, he was heard to call for some one to " come and stop the blame thing."

Thomas E. Brake, who settled at Oxford in 1855, made the first wagon, also the first buggy ever made in the county. Joseph Hixson, of Boswell, has what is left of the first wagon. The buggy was made for W. K. Johnston, of Pine Township, and it is now owned by John Brooks. They were made about the year 18551- Benjamin Timmons built the first house (log) in Pine Township.

'^ There was a wolf hunt on the ITth of February, 1877, which was about the last, if not the last, ever held in the county. The starting point was the residence of William Wiley, on the Seabury farm. , - Zimri Lewis was born in August, 1833, and Thomas J. McConneil was

The favorite game of the Osfordites, iu former times, was "ball alley." The game consisted in knocking the ball against the wall of the court house, and repeating the operation in the rebound. Every failure to do so was marked against the player. The game was indulged in by old and young, doctors, lawyers and merchants indulging in the sport.

The Justus House, in Oxford, which was destroyed by fire, was erected in 1860, by Basil Justus. It was a very large building for the place, being fifty feet wide by near a 100 feet long, and two stories high. The dining hall was fifty feet long, and was often the scene of merry feet. Jacob Kiger traded a farm of 160 acres of laud for tlie hotel, a short time before its destruction. When he returned from the fire to the farm he had left, his wife, who had opposed the trade, consoled him with the remark : You have eighty acres left ; you might trade it for the other hotel."

The most exciting event in Oxford's career occurred in 1863. Dr. Rowe disappeared suddenly, and a part of his clothes was found on Pine Creek. The Horse Company suspected George King of his murder. He was taken out of his bed and threatened with instant death, unless he confessed. He confessed, and said that June Rogers, George Haggert and himself had murdered the man, and buried him on Pine Creek.^ June Rogers was suddenly' called on one night, a rope was placed round his neck, and he was invited to make his peace with his Maker, but he would not. He dared them to do their worst. Not feeling sutflciently assured in their own minds of his guilt, they released him, and in a few days Dr. Rowe, the supposed murdered man, was found in Illinois. Suits for damages were instituted by some of the injured parties, and some of the regulators were made to pay dearly for their mistake.

The writer hereof is indebted for many of the facts contained in this history to an address delivered by Luther D. Hawly, before the Old Settlers' Association, at a meeting held at Fowler July 4, 1874. which was published in pamphlet form ; and also to a supplement to the Oxford Tribune, July 4, 1882, containing a sketch of .the early settlement of the county written by the editor, Mr. J. P. Carr, Jr.