Ward Township

Ward Township

which is yet in existence, worth indefinitbly more than the whole vast body thnt sixty years ago hid the BUrface in everlasting shadow. The forest is molting away, and the tilled and fertile fields have been, through all these years, slowly and painfully, but with the certainty of fate, taking its place. The cabin has given way to the hewed-log house, and that again to the tasteful and neat fi-ame dwelling, or even the palaoe-like brick or stone mansion. The scrub cattle roaming through the woods are behold no more, but the well fenced pastures are adorned with the splendid blooded stock, the product of age.s of improvement; the " elm peelers, " those marvels of voracity and fleetness, that I'onkl gnaw the bark off the trees and could outrun a dog - oh! wherh are they? and echo answers, Where?

In all these changes for the better. Ward Township has enjoyed a reasonable share. Her farms are cleared, her dwellings have ai-isen, tasteful and sightly, through all her borders; her barns receive with joy the overflowing products of her soil ; her orchards and her gi-ain fields and her meadows gladden the eyes, and enrich the pockets as well, of her skillful and prosperous farmers. But not of this latter state, but rathoi- of the rude boginning of things do we purpose to speak.

A few settlers found their way upon the Mississinowa very early in the history of the county.' When, in August, 1818, the first election was held in the then new county of Randolph, several families resided in the Mississinewa Valley, and most of them east of Deerfield. Just who were there at that early time cannot now with certainty be determined. The Ih-st entry in the Mississinowa Valley and in Ward Township as well, appears to have been near the river, and not far fi-om the east side of the, township. It comprised a whole section, Section 13, Town 21, Range l-f-. and was entered by .Tames Strain. The tract lies betvteen Judge Miller's old farm and the Mississinewa. Whether Mr. S. settled on the tract is not now known. We have not met his name in any account of the primitive settlement of the valley.

The next entry was by Daniel Rifhardson, S. W. Section 12, Town 21 . Range 14, May 21, 1817. The land lay directly north of Strain's section, and on both sides of the river. June 10, 1817, or three weeks after Ricliardsons entry, eight other entries were made, all quarter sections but one, 1,360 acres in all. The parties wore James Wilson, Benjamin Lewallyti, David Kite, Daniel Kite, James and John Jacobs, Joel Oanady, James Reed. These tracts all lay in Sections 7, 8, 9 iind 10, Township 21, Range 14, comprising one-quarter of Section 7, throe-quarters of Section 8, one half of Section 9 and three eighties in Section 10. These lands extended from Burkett Pierce's, on the west, to one and one half miles oast of Deerfield, three miles in length, but did not include the town itself. AVith Meshach Lewallyn's and James Strain's, the whole extent of the river for seven miles had been takcu up, except one and thi-ee-f ourths uiiles in two " gaps." In the course of three years, or by October, 1820, most of the rest of the land on and near tlii^ river and several tracts along Mud and Hickory and Goshc»n Creeks, had been pm-chased.

Martin Boots and Heniy Kizer bad located on Mud Creek, the lattiu- far up near Stone Station. James and Tense Massey, Allen Wall and others," had settled on the river east of Deerfield. Robert Taylor was on the creek whicli comes from the north to the Mississinewa, at the Kitenour Church.

Samuel Cain, Jeremiah Lindsay. Jacob Weaver and William -hicksou had entered laud on Hiclcorv Creek, south of Deerfield. .James Jacobs had entered the Ritenom- land. Josejjh Hinshaw entered the laud embracing th(< west part of Deerfield, June 23, 1S17. The east part was in Section IG and therefore school laud.

But though the Mississinewa Valley was nearly all occupied within three or four years, or by the close of 1 820, yet the growth of the region was exceedingly slow. The valley was isolated. The settlors could scarcely get out in any direction. They were away from any gi-eut mute of travel. One of the chief western thoroughfares passed through W iuchester, and connected the central jiortion and tlie A\ hite River Vallev with the world at large. But not so with the Mississinewa. "The regions north did not^open till 1835 to 1837, and- then only was the whole county occupied, and the world " swallowed them up " with settlements on every side. Deerfield sprang up and for many years became an important trade center. jThe swamps between Winchester and Deerfield stood almost as an impassable barrier until a late period. As late as l^iiU, there was a " corduroy bridge " on that northern road, one and one-fourth miles long. Imagine the road then, thirty or forty years before that time. But the forests have been cleared, and the .swamps drained and the northern " pike " has been built, and Ward Township has gained full connection with the rest of the world.

Through the whole codnty, and in Ward Township as well, religion found early and effective entrance. As soon, perhaps, ?is 1823 or 1824, may be bven before that, the " circuit riders " had ridden through swamps and crossed those creeks and found and fed those sheep in the wilderness. Meetings were had at Riley Marshallls, Allen Wall's and elsewhere east of Deerfield, and at some friendly dwelling west, perhaps at Mr. Ritenour's. But very early Ritenour'a Meeting House was built and that graVeyard established, and not long afterward, the old Prospect Meeting House was erected, and that second cemetery also dedicated to the memory of the dead ones dear. Two generations have come and gone, and those now ancient meeting houses have completed their work and fulfilled their mission. How many, many times have their sacred walls echoed the sound of the Gospel message as it fell upon the eager ears of the scores or even hundreds of anxious listeners gathered from their simple forest homes to take piirt in the holy service, and feed their longing souls with heavenly manua. But the cemeteries remain open, in those solemn inclosmes, as of old, and often, alas! does the ground receive the dead from sight. Slowly, too, O how slowly, did the delights of knowledge and the means of instruction find their way among those ))eoplo so far, so far away from their fellow-men. Still, schools were found even there. The log cabin, the huge stick chimney, the greased paper lights, the split pole seats, the puncheon floors, the slab writing tlesks against the wall, were prepared by these forest dwellers, and not a few who have since " made their mark " among men had their "start" in the wooden schctolhouses of Ward Towrship. Hon. Thomas Ward, Hon. Enos L. Watson, Thomas Kizer, Esq., Col. Martin B. Miller; and more besides, emerged from those dim forest shades into the brighter simshine of the C(mnty seat, or elsewhere. Mr. Ward Bays that ho never attended any school in his life, except those taught in a greased paper log cabin.

But enough; we can no longer dwell upon the history in dotail of Ward Township. Much that is of interest concerning its affairs will be found in the treatment of the topics which are considered in connection with the county at largo. The entries of land in the early time, as they appear in the office of the County Auditor, are given below:

Ward is bounded north by Jay County, east by Jackson, south by White lliver, west by Franklin. Ward Township was entered mostly between 1836 and 1838 inclusive, during which time an immense amoimt of land was purchased in Randolph County of the United States, and great numbers of families took up their abode within its limits. Among the chief settlers on the Mississinewa may bo named Burkett Pierce, Joab Ward, Elias Kizer, Daniel B. Miller, William Simmons, Messrs. Ritenour, Parsons, Cain and others not now in memor}'.

Mr. Parsons built the first mill on the Mississinewa after Lewallyn's at Ridgoville. That mill stood some years; was washed away, and Mr. Ritenour built another, lUO yards lower down.

Joab Ward's house was the scene of the encounter of the Indians with Ward and Kizer, and the shooting of Fleming in the bushes by Je.sse and John dray was near liy. David Connor's trading house was abovw Doorfield, and the Mississinewa Valley witnessed many early trials and perils springing from the whisky so freely dealt by the traders of those times to those j)oor natives of the forest wilds. But those were days of ignorance. The children of many of the whisky -sellers of pioneer times are among the most sturdy advocates of total abstinence of the present day. Lot our motto be, "Out of the darkness, into the light. " Rather than widely parade in unseemly prominence any of the evil traits in the charact^Ars of the ancestral dwellers, it were better to follow the primal example of filial affection, and, like the children of Noah of old, taking a garment upon the shoulders of two, with mingled feelings of reverence and sorrow, lovingly to shield the unsightly failings from public gaze, and, in the full noontide radiance of this latter day, walk ever forward toward the light, onward and upward, ever into the light, honoring our fathers for their heroism, copying filially their virtues, shunning their failings, that our pathway may be like " the jiath of the just, shining more andmoreunto the perfect day."

Three old routes of travel passed through Ward Township - from Winchester to Ridgoville, from Winchester to Portland via Deerlield, and from Greenville northwest through Doerfield, Ridgeville and Fairview.

'Two railroads pass through the township now - the Pan-Handle and the "Shoo- Fly," or, more strictly, the P., C. & St. L., and the Richmond & Grand Rapids Railroads. Three stations are in the township - Saratoga and Randolph, ujwn the P., C. & St. L. ; and Stxjne Station, upon the Richmond & Grand Rapids Railroad. They are but small towns. The larger towns adjacent - Union City, Winchester, Ridgeville, Farmland - sap their vitality and prevent their growth.

One principal p'ke, theone extending north toward Portland, has been in existence for several years, and it ia of pricelesB value to those low and level regions, erewhilo wellnigh impassable. The smooth and gravelly surface, the solid highway, is widely in contrast to the " corduroy " that used to stretch its rough and weary length for miles and miles at intervals toward the northeJ'u regions - northward, constantly northward, further and still farther, across swamps, through jungles, over creeks and rivers, through bottomless morasses, into the gloomy, overshadowing forests, those rude paths, those primitive roads - they i could not be called highways - would unroll their endless extent. | And now those awful " corduroys. " which used to jerk and shake and pound and rutilo, with their endless " jwunce " and " bounce," by sunlight and starlight, in rain or in shine, come winter come summer, do that fearful work no more forever! I V Other pikes also are in process of construction - one east and west through Stone Station, through Saratoga east and west, and perhaps others still.

Deerlield - Location, Sections 16 and 17, 21, 14, south side of Mississinewa River; Curtis & Butler, proprietors; twontynine lots; streets, north and sonth. Meridian; east and west. Sycamore, Main, Hickory. Recorded October 14, 1833.

Edger & Searl's Addition - E. Edger and SeArl, proprietors; twenty-eight lots. Recorded June 3, 1852. Winchester, seven and a half miles; Union City, ten and a half miles; Randolph, one mile; Farmland, fourteen miles; Stone Station, foui" miles; Ridgeville, three miles ; Fairview, twelve miles; Portland (Jay County), ten miles.

The village was laid out in 1833, by Messrs. Curtis & Butler, and surveyed by D. W. McNeil, of Portland. The town is located north of Winchester, on the State road laid out from (ireenville west, and running by Fairview into Delaware County. A pike connects the place with Winchester. The "Pan- Handle " (P., C. & St. L.) Railroad is within about a mile south of the iovm. The village grew at one time to be of considerable size, and was in early days the center of a large and prosperous trade, the best time in that respect being from 1845 to 1855. The principal business men of the place during or before that time wore Messrs. Butler, Searl, Edger, Whipple and others. Much travel passed northwa.d and westward upon the roads crossing each other at that place, although those highways, especially from Winchester north, were often wellnigh impassable, notably in the winter and spring. Much grain and stock changed hands there; many goods were sold; a woolen factory, a grist-mill, etc., were built, and altogether, that town became a lively place.

But the era of railroads in this region began, and drew the current of business elsewhere. Especially since tlie Union & Logansport and the It. & G. R. R. R.'s have been made has the to\vn rapidly declined. There is now very little business. There is one small store; the wool factory has been burned; no grain, etc., is bought or handled, and trade is wellnigh extinct. The grist-mill still prospers, though its custom has fallen off. At one time it had a great run of business, people coming from Wabash. Centerville, Greenville, etc. 'There were other mills, but the Deerlield Mill had a great reputation, and drew much custom from an extensive region. A large number of business men have been at the town during its existence. Merchants : Edward Edger, Kearl, U. Pierce, Fitzpatrick, George AVilt, Robert Watson. John CoUett, David T. Holly, William Drew, Sam Clevinger, Daniel Pierce.

in 1830, crossing the mountainB in a wagon. He is the olcJost of nine cbiidren - six boys and throe girls. His father was a farmer, renting land in Butler and Warren Counties. Ohio. D. S. Harker. when twenty. one years old, married a daughter of Cornelius Whitenack, near Poster's Crossing, Warren Co., Ohio. Like his worthy father, they were very poor. His father gave him a cow and 'two pigs, and his mother gave him a bed; and they began housekeeping in an old shanty that had long been the resort of cattle, sheep and swine, having no chimney, windows nor doors, and built of round logs, in the middle of an open Held. His wife's parents were also from New Jersey. They had a family of twelve children. The parents of both are dead, except his wife's mother, who is eighty years old, having 100 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. Five years passed after ho was married before he owned a horse. That time was spent in working by the day, mouth or job, cutting cord-wood, carrying rock on Gov. Morrow's mill-dam, up to his knees in wat«r, etc. , etc. He then piirchased a team and began farming as a renter in Butler County, Ohio. In throe years, he came to Ward Township, and pui-ehased land where ho now resides, and whore he expects to spend the rest of his days. They have had twelve children; ten are living - three sons and seven daughters. Mr. Harker has been an active and earnest Methodist for more than thii-ty years, zealous for the church and for education, temperance and every good cause. He is a firm believer in the religion of the Bible, maintaining that Christ instituted His church for the salvation of the world, aud that all other organizations are only "side shows," good enough, perhaps, in their place, but powerless to save the soula of men. Ho says: " I believe that any man that preaches temperance and smokes and chews tobacco a hypocrite, and also that any yoUng man who will choose an honorable occupation and stick to it. with economy, health and good habits, will certainly srtcceed."

Mr. Harker is an active, intelligent, estimable man, an honor to the community and respected by all who know him. He is a thoroiigh Republican, and present.-* a pleasiixg spectacle of successful activity, being the owner of an excellent farm, with a good and substantial dwelling, for the comfort of his swarming family of ten living childrch.

Henry Kizer was born in Botetourt County, Va., in 1776; came to Ross County, Ohio, and then to Randolph County, tnd., in 1S21. He had entered land in 1820, east of Stone Station, in Ward Tdwnship. The log house which he built not long after coming to the county is standing yet His wife was born in 1770, being six vears older than her husband. He died August 12, 1823, and his wife died the next day, August 13, 1823, both in middle life. They wore earnest Methodists. Thomas W. Kizer, in speaking of his grandmother, when looking at the old family Bible, feelingly remarked: "There is not a word in this old Book that Grandmother has not read over and over." They had fom- childi-en, all sons-Elias, Henry, Adam, William. Mr. and Mrs. K. are buried near Stone Station, in a private graveyard. !

Andrew McCartney was born in Virginia or Tennessee, of j Irish descent. He is said (how truly we do not know) to have ' 'oen the father of twenty-seven children; was in the war of the rebellion, though old enough to have been exempt years before, belonging to the Eighty-fourth Indiana Regiment, and serving from August 21, 1802, to February 27, 18(53.

Mr. McCartney is said to bo a jovial and eccentric old man, and to have had a strange and eventful history, having resided in many places, and been man-ied several times. His last marriage was in Ward Township, to a lady who is the daughter of Anch-ew Key, an early pioneer of the Mississinewa Region from the State of Tennessee, and a sister of John Key, a prominent 'psident of that township.

Old Mr. Key and his wife are both dead, and Mr. McCartney and his wife occupy the old Key homestead. Andrew Koj' and his wife were both buried at Prospect Graveyard, but no tombstones have been placed at their graves.

Mr. McCartney, true to his life-long adventurous instinct, has left his last wife, who is said not to be gi-ieved above measure :\t her l(]SB,and found for himself a residence in some other locality.

Daniel Mock was born in Rowan County, N. C, in 178-t, coming afterward to Greene County, Ohio; he was in the war of 1812, receiving afterward a pension as a soldier. He became a settler in Ward Towaship in 1S24, fixing his location on Clear Creek, south of the present residence of John H. Sipe. Mr. Mock had ten children, eight of whom were married, and are still living. His first wife died forty-three years ago, and his second wife eight years ago. Of the children, five reside in Indiana, two in Minnesota and one in Illinois. Mr. Mock purchased lOO acres, somewhat improved, and resided upon the tract until his death, not many years ago, a very old man. Ho was a farmer and a Democrat.

Jolin Mock, the son of Daniel Mock, settled east of Deerfiold, on Clear Creek, being born in 1811, and coming there with his father from Ohio in ]824. John Mock married Elizabeth Cain, and also Miss Watson, a sister of Hon. E. L. Watson, of AVin Chester, Ind. Mr. Mock had a large family; was a farmer and a merchant of Deerfield, and a prominent citizen in Randolph County. He was Justice of the Peace, and also Associate Judge with Peter S. Miller during the term including the year 1818. He emigrated West, and resides at Cambridge, Henry Co., Iowa, being a solid farmer of that region. He was in early times a Whig, and in later days a Republican. His second wife is still living. While residing in Randolph County, James G. Birney, the noted Abolitionist, and the tii-st Liberty candidate for President of the United States, came into that neighborhood on business, and spent some time at his house, one result of which was that Mr. Mock also became an Abolitionist, and another result was that Mr, Birney became an extensive purchaser of lands in Randolph County, which laud lay unoccupied, belonging to Mr. Birney' B estate and his heirs, for many years. Mr. Mock was an active man in Randolph County, especially in his eai-ly manhood, and was well versed in pioneer affairs; and it is his delight now, in the evening of his bustling life, to dwell in memory upon those stirring scones, and tell to listeningfriends the tales of his younger years. We had hoped to obtain for insertion in these columns an account of pioneer life and times from his lively pen, and have not been disappointed. The statement will be found in the " Reminiscences."

Amos Orcutt was born in 1825, in Darke Coimty, Ohio, coming with his father to Randolph Count}-, lud.. in 1838. Ho married, in 1848, Phoebe Ann Sutton, and lifts six children. They are all living, and four are married. Ho resides two and a half miles northwest of Deerfield, and is a farmer, owning lyO acres or land. In politics, he Is a E^emocrat He is a thriving citizen, and is prominent and respected.

Joseph Orcutt was born in 1705, in New York State ; came to Rossvillo, Ohio, and to Darko County, Ohio, and, years afterward, to Ward Township, Randolph Co., Ind., in 1838. Ho entered seventy-six acres of land. His wife was Christina Rarick, sister of Philip Rarick, of Jay County, They were man-ied in Darke County in 1820, and had eleven children. Ten of thom grew up and were married, and nine are living now. His father was a Revolutionary soldier, receiving a wound in that war. Joseph Orcutt was a farmer, and also a to;icher. Ho belonged to the Christian (New-Light) Church, and in politics was a Democrat. He died in 1S48, only ten years after his emigration to this county, and while the region ai-ound him was still new and wild. His wife survived him twenty-four years, dying in 1872, having l)eon left a widow with a large, dependent family.

Robert Parsons came of a distinguished stock in Tennessee. Three of his brothers were prominent attorneys in the Southern States, and ono of them died by the bm'sting of a blood vessel while speaking on the stump as a candidate for Congress. Robert Parsons was born in 1775; removed in youth to Kentucky; about 1810, to Wayne County, Ind.; and in 1828 or 1829, he came to Deerfield, Randolph Co., Ind. Deerfield, however, was not laid out till years afterward. Mr. Pai-sons settled half a mile west of Deerfield, entered eighty acres of land, and built the fii-st mill on the JNlississinowa after Lewallyn's mill at Ridgeville. It was a log building, with two run of stones, grinding both corn and wheat. At first, flour was bolted by hand, but be. fore long by water. The mill did a good business for those times, and stood somo ten years. It vas tinally washed away, and Mr. Eitt^nour erected another, 200 yards farther down the river. That also has been gone for manj' years. Mr. Parsons married Alary Johnson, of Tennessee, a relative of President Andrew Johnson, and they had tAolvo children, only five of whom grew up and were man-ied, and only one is now living, ^h: P. died near Deertield about 1803. eighty-eight years old. His widow died in Miami County, Ohio, aged eighty years. Mr. Parsons was buried in Kitenour's Graveyard, west of Deertield. He was a Democrat, voting, however, once for Henry Clay, with whom he was well acquainted. Two brothers of Mr. Parsons wore Hliiveholdere, owning 400 slaves apiece. His youngest brother, Sil.'is, was living in Louisiana not long ago. The whole connection were jirominent among tlieir follow-citizeua, and many have become distinguished in the different professions.

Burgett Pierce was born in Virginia in 1793. His father and mother were Samuel and Delilah Pierce, and ihey moved to Ross County, Ohio, in 1800, ten miles from Chillicotho. Mr. Pierce was married to Elizabeth Ward, daughter of Joab Ward and sister of Thomas Wai-d, in 1S15, she having been bom in 1797. They moved to near Deertield, Randolph County, in 1819 or 1820, and Mr. Pierce has resided in the same vicinity ever since that early time, more than sixty-three years. He owns the same farm still which first he occupied, though he has had his residence for somo years with his son-in-law, William C. King, half a mile below Deertield. His wife departed this life in 1859, aged about sixty-two years. Their children have been seven in number, to wit: Matilda, torn in 1810. married Jeremiah L. Mock, had eight chil Iren. and died in 1870; Uriah, born in 1818, married Martha A. JVIock, had sis children, and died in 1878; Delila, died an infant; James, married Mercy Whipple, had thirteen children, three pairs of twins; Joel, tnarried Sarah Collins and Julia Sherman, the last having one child; Nancy, 1828 (W. C. King,, no children; Sarah, 1832. Burgett Pierce's descendants live mostly in Randolph County, and many of them well-to-do farmers. Mr. Pierce is in his ninetieth year. Until lately, he has been hearty and sprightly. For a short time past, his powers have been failing, though he is still doing very well, considering his great age.

William Simmons came to Jackson Township very early, some say as early as 1827. Ho was an older brother of James Simmons, of JackH(m Townshij). He used to live in Wayne County, Ind. as early as 1821, traveled through the region, hunting, to and from Fort Wayne along the " Quaker Trace." He moved to Blue River, and afterward returned to Randolph County. He died in middle life, having been the father of twenty-one children, all by the same mother. The children were all raised by hand, the mothei' being unable to suckle them Twelve of the twenty-one became grown, and t«n are living still. Several of tlie chiMreu wore twins, and the statement has been made - whether true or not wo cannot toll - that the children w -re all born within thirteen years. The fact of his having twenty-one children by the same wife seems to bo undisputed and well authenticated. William Simmons lived on tho Mississinewa, just south of Nr^w Pittsburg, and he is the same man who is mentioned in tho history of Jay County as having boon lost in the woods and nearly frozen to duath aliDut tho time of the first settlement of that region, and as having been found by the Hawkins boys after lie liad been some days in the depths of the forest, and so severely frozen as to l)e made an almost helpless cripj)le during the rest of his life.

John B. Sipe is tho son of Samuel Sipe, of Ward Township. He joined Company C, Ninetieth Indiana Regiment (Fifth Cavalry), August 8, 18G2, and served nearly three years, receiving his' discharge after the close of tho war. Juno 3H, 1805. Two of his brothers were in the same company, viz., Isaac and Martin (Van Buren). Tho latter was prisonl-r of war at Richmond, Belle Isle and Andersonville for many months, but was at length set frop and jo'ined his regiment. They were all mustered out together. John B. Sipe is married and has (piite a large family of childnm. He resideson the old homestead; is a fanner and a Democrat. Tho voters of Ward Township chose him a,s their Trustee in the si)ring of 1880. He .seems a gonial and intelligent citizen, and will no doubt make a faithful and efficient jiublic officer, and fully justify the confidence reposed in him by his fellow-citizens.

John H, Sipe is a farmer of Ward Township. He was born in Bedford County, Penu., in 1802; married Mary Brubakor in 1824, came to Randolph County, Ind., in 1842; has had nine children, five living and mairied. He bought atone time 120 and at another time 150 acres of land, but he has sold it all to his son. Four of his children reside near him, and one, a daughter, in Minnesota. In tho early time of his settlement here, he engaged extensively in teaming, and made much money in that way. John Thomas and Perry Fields had had a sawmill near Mr. Sipe's, where the State road crosses Clear Creek, east of Deertield. Mr. Sipe rebuilt tho mill, and has kept it in operation till the spring of 1880. He enjoys good health, notwithstanding his age, appearing not more than seventy years old, In politics, he is a Democrat, as are, in fact, a great majority of the citizens in that Democratic stronghold.

Samuel Sipe was born in Pennsylvania in 1798; married Barbara Brubakor in 1823, and came to Ward Township, Randolph Co., Ind, in 1847. They have had ten children, nine of the number being now alive, and all of them are married. Ho entered no land, as he came to the county too late for that. He owned, however, 240 acres, was a thriving, prosperous farmer, a prominent and .ic citizen, and was a member of tho Democratic party jx)litics. He died in 1875, being about seventy- seven years old, and was baried in Deertield Cemetery, near the old chapel west of the town. His wife still survives her husband, enjoying a gonial old age, and residing on the old farm with her son, John B. Sipe. [October 8. 1882, his aged widow, Mrs, Barbara Sijie, lay down to her lust earthly rest, having borne the storms and trials of this earthly existence about seventyseven years six months and twenty-six days, and in hope of a blessed immortality and an endless life in the upper and bettor kingdom).

Temple Smith was born in 1800, in Adair County, Ky.; went to Highland County, Ohio, in 1811, and came to Randolph County, Ind., in 1819. He hiis resided thirty-six years west of Bloomingsport - sis years at Bitena Vista, two years at Farmland, and fifteen years east of Stone Station, Ward Township. He married Priscilla Crossley in 1827 (born in 1809). They have had twelve children; six died in childhood and youth, and six have beou married, and they have had thirty -seven grandchildren; three of the sons died of diphtheria, at the ages of nine, eighteen and twenty respectively. His wife died in January, 1882.

Allen Wall was among the very first residents of the Mississinewa Valley, above Deertield. He was born in North Carolina in about 1779. His wife's maiden name was Sarah Beechy, and tlioy had ton children, all grown and married, and seven are living yet. One daughter, sixty tivo years old, is the wife of Jacob Evans, of Saratoga. Mr. Wall entered forty acres about two miles east of Deertield, north of the Mississinewa, settling in the region about 1817-18. Samuel Emery lived not very far away, though ho came years later. Mr. Wall died in 1835, aged about fifty-six. His wife died ic 1841. He was a farmer, and he and his wife were Methodists. Nearly the only settlers oast of Deertield in 1819 were the Masseysand" tho JacksoDs. Robert, James and Tense Massey were there some time before. James, at least, was in tho county and on tho Mississinewa in the summer of 1818. James and Tense Massey appear to have made their first entry in Sections 10 and 11, January 20, 1818, and William Jackson in Section 21, October 2, 1819. Mr. Wall was a farmer, and he and his people were Methodists. It is likely that he was a Democrat, as most (though, indeed, not all) of tho dwellers in that region were and are of that political faith.

John R. Warren was born in North Carolina in 1813; came to Wayne County, Ind., in 1821, and married Ann Newton in 1834; moved to Ward Township, Randolph County, in 1830; entered 100 acres of land, and, shortly afterward, 100 more. He owned at one timj 9S0 acres, and had it all under fence. Ho now owns none, but baa his property in other forms. His first wife died in April, 1878, and his second wife in October, 1879. Ho has had ton children - three dead, seven living - seven married - all in the neighborhood, but one in Minut>sota. Mr. Warren was a farmer and stock- dealer, and managed a large bupiness; but he has now retired from active life. Both his wives liave died within about one and a half years, and he feels deeply their loss. He is a Methodist of twenty years' standing, and a life-long Domocrai

Jason Whipple, Deerfield, was bom in 1804, in Rhode Island; came to Delaware County, Ohio, in 1817; Inarried Eliza K Bass in Rhode Island in 1824; moved to Jay County, Ind., near and north of Liber, in 1830, and to Deerfield, Randolph County, in 1847, where he has resided ever since. He has had thirteen children, eleven of whom are living. Thev reside in Randolph, Jay and Adams Counties, Ind., in Missouri, Minnesota, and still elsewhere. He has been a farmer, a mechanic and a miller. Mr. Whipple built a steam grist-mill a.t Deerfield in 1855, and it is still doing good and extensive work, being now owned by his son, Willis Whipple. He has been twice married, and his second wife is yet living. Though in his seventyeighth year, Mr Whipple is strong, hearty arid vigorotis, and does not look more than sixty-tive. He has been an enterprising citizen, and his family form a valuable addition to the strength of the community. He is a sturdy Democrat of the olden time, clinging with unflinching tenacity to the political affiliations of his youthful days. Coming of age during the administration of the younger Adams, his first Presidential vote was given at the election of the grand old hero of Now Orleans to the Chief Executive chair, and ho has witnessed and taken i>art in the struggles, the victories and the defeats of that ancient and famous party of freemen from that time to the present. Long crowned with triumphant success, the leaders of that historic body of men administered with a bold and steady hand the affairs of the nation for nearly all the years since the accession of the stem and iron- willed Jackson to the Presidential office up to 1801 ; shilt out since that time from the occupancy of the White House, except, indeed, during the incumbency of Andrew Johnson, who had been elected as a Republican with the lamented Lincoln, and who assumed the responsibilities of Presidential authority upon the assassination of his distinguished predecessor; they have, nevertheless, clung together, finn, notwithstanding defeat, and faithful through adversity, looking backward with admiration - nay, with reverence! - upon their ancient leaders, with fond affection and melancholy regret, upon their victorious progi'ess dui-ing the years now long past and gone, and looking forward, moreover, with fond and anxious hope, with ardent desire and with longing expectation, ia the successes which may yet, in the years that are still to come, by them again be accomplished.

\-r ...r-ye of South Carolina, and camo to Wayne County, Ind., iu 1806. '. ' ' year 1809, he married >!i8s N.anoyLewellyn. by whom he had thirteen < '.; . 'even of whom they raised, viz. : .John L. (deceased), William (killed / '. ;! i: nj in 1852), Benjamin 0., R-ichel, Thomas L. (our subject), Isaac ' >.. ,. T.u' elder Addington died in Kansas in 18(iO, while there visiting M i^i-jr-in-liiw, Meahack Lewellyn, came to this county about the V i ' , nr.J crioted the first mill on tho Mi.ssissinewa River. He came "... -s.,,! to ';vayne County, Ind., in 1800. Our subject, Thomas L. Ad- '1.- ^ , - "ilh his parents to this coiinly in 18-12, and settled in the woods ; > .c ool in a log cabin with slab seats, greaseil paper windows and a by...', . -ioii'-ii on pins in the wall, for a writing-desk. The deer, wolves and .-^iii v. ; ;..m3 were abundant. He was married, in September, 1852, to Miss Mwi-.j ,.1 V.oodard, by whom he had two children - Melissa and William. Knfon. died in 1854, and in 1857 be married .Miss Nancy Pierce, '1. . '...er o" liurket Pierce, of whom we shall speak elsewhere in this work. By ;ier hs liad four children - Marybeth (deceased), Elizabeth, Elsworth and Anii, i'lv. Mr. Addington resides on Section 20, and owns l:iO acres. In March, 18"L., he became a member of the Masonic fralernily, and in the fall of 1868, he became a member of the order of Odd Fellows. Mr. and Mrs. Addington are members of the Methodist Kpiscopal Church. .Mr. Addington filled the office of .Justice of the Peace for eight years.

DAVID ALMONRODE (deceased) was born in Rockbridge County, Va., November 16,1814, and was a son of George and Margaret Almonrode ; he came to this county with his widowed mother about the year ISoli ; he was married, .Tune 7, 18.38, to Miss Esther Bousman, daughter of Adam Bousman, an early settler of this county. They had six children - Margaret, Susannah, Janetta (deceased), Adam, Rachel and Nancy J. Mr. Almonrode died July 14, 1880, loved by all. He was a worthy member of the United Brethren Church, and an ardent worker in the temperance cause, and was always ready

JOHN BEARV, farmer, P. O. Saratoga, was born in Virginia August 16, 1800, and is a son of Joseph and Barbara Beary (deceased). Joseph Beary was a soldier in the war of 1812. Our subject was married in February, 18:;9, to Miss Susanna Overhulser, and the following fall emigrated to this county and. located in the woods, where by hard labor he made a farm. He had two children by his first wife - John H. (deceased) and Barbara A. Mrs. Beary died, and he again married, January '2:i, 1845 : this time to Miss Susannah Grow, by whom he had nine children, seven liviag - Isabelle, Catheriue, Sarah, Elizabeth, Emeline E., Josephine S. and Daniel F. Mr. Beary was a member of the German Reformed Church. Sarah died June 13, 1882. Subject died August 15, 1881.

Cyrus Bousman

Cyrus Bousman was born in White River Township, Randolph Co., Ind., February 27. 1846, and is tlie son of George W. Bousman, one of the early settlers of this county. His fatlier's father came from Germany, and finally to Preble County, Ohio. The mother of tiie subject of this sketch was born and raised in Rockbridge County, Va., and was there married to a man by thename of Holmes, who died at the eml of five years, leaving her with two children and but little Dleans. After the death of her husband, sheloaded her worldly effects into a one-horse wagon, and with her two little girls and her young brother, traveled the distance of more than six hundred miles to Preble County, Ohio, where she met Q. Vf. Bousman, to whom she was married in 1837. In the following year, they came to this county, with only means enough to enter a quarter section of land, upon which Ihoy settled and proceeded to make a farm. The land was then an unbroken wilderness filled with wild game, and they were without neighbors nearer than three miles, and but three neighbors within five miles. Upon this farm the subject of this sketch was born in 1845, and when nine years of age, was injured by a horse stepping on his foot and crushing it. This injury confined him to his bed for one year, after which he apparently recovered, but at the age of fourteen, the trouble again came on, this time confining him to his bed four years, and leaving him crippled for life. On account of this continued disability and poor school facilities, his education has been limited, being confined to three terms of school at the "old lost Bchoolhouse," and two terms at a peminary in Winchester.

In 1865, Mr. Bousman was married to Miss Margaret Ann Frase, and in 1866, they began life upon a rented farm. They changed location about once each year until 1869, when he took a lease on a piece of woodland belonging to his father, upon which they settled and on which he worked hard for four years. At the end of this time, poor health compelled a change of occupation. In 1873, they removed to the village of Saratoga, where Mr. Bousman engaged in a huckstering business for one year ; he then learned photographing and carried on a gallery at Saratoga for three years. This business ceasing to be remunerative, he quit it in 1877, and started into ageneralstore,.selling dry goods groceries, and whatever is necessary and profitable iu a small town. At the same time his wife opened a millinery store. These businesses they still carry on. In 1874, Mr. Bousman was made Postmaster at Saratoga, which position he yet fills, and all the time his wife has been his .assistant. He has for some time been Freight and Ticket .\gent for the Pan-Handle Railroad at Saratoga: also agent for the Adams Express Company. It is readily seen that he is a concentrated inhjibitant, and is a useful and respected citizen. By integrity in business he has gained the confidence of the community in which he lives, and by energy, perseverance and correct habits, lie has earned a oempetence, has accumulated property, and is iu a fair way to enjoy a prosperity which a proper life will merit.

Margaret Ann Bousman, nee Frase, is the daughter of John and Nancy Frase, aud was born near the town of New .Madison, Darke Co., Ohio, August 28, 1846. In 1851, she was brought to this county by her parents, where she was raised on a farm, and educated in the common district .-ichools. Iu 1805, she was married to (^yrus Bousman, since which time her life has been parallel with his, and for whom she has been a helpmate and valuable assistant, and with whom she has made a comfortable success of life, with him attaining creditable social position, against adverse circumstances.

THOMAS H. CLARK, farmer, P. 0. Clark, was born in Warren County, Ohio, August 26, 1846, and is a son of Thomas and Susannah Clark, also natives of Warren County, aud who came to this county in 1847, and now reside in Winchester. Mr. Clark was brought up on a farm, and received a commcin-school education. He served twenty-two months in the late war in Company G, One Hundred and Twenty-fourth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and participated in the battles of Atlanta, Franklin, Nashville, Wise Fork and others. He was married, in 1860, to Miss Barbara Hobbick, by whom he had two children - Ida and Elmer. Mrs. Clark died in 1872, and, in 1875, he married Mrs. Jane Rittenour, by whom he has one child - Susannah C. Mrs. Clark had OOP child by her first husband, viz., William Rittenour. Mr. Clark is eugagei L farming and stock-raising, and owns eighty acrei of valuable land.

JOHN M. COLLETT, groin merchant, Randolph, was born in Warren County, Ohio, April 28, 1842, and is a son of Presley and Permelia Collett, who removed to Jay County, Ind., in 1852. He was married in 1863 to Miss Cynthia A. Whitenack, by whom he has seven children - Ida E., Permelia t., Florence R,, Jasper I., Isaac N., Charles P. and William E. Mr. Collett served three years in the late war in Company H, One Hundredth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and participated in the battles of Vicksburg, Jackson, Miss., Chickamauga, Chattanooga, f<ookout Mountain and Mission Ridge; he was wounded at the last-named battle. He came to this county in 1870, and in 1873 engaged in the grain business at Deerfield Station, which he still succeBsfally follows.

DR. ROYSTON FORD, physician and surgeon, Saratoga, was born in Darke County, Ohio, November 2H, 1845, and is a son of Mordecai and Mary (Tillman) Ford, natives of Treble County, Ohio. The Doctor was reared on a

Ihe age of fifteen, nnd entered the Allopathic Department of the Michigan State University at Ann Arbor in 1B72, where he toolc a thorough course in medicine. He practiced medicine in Darke County, Ohio, until the fall of 1876, when he remoTed to Saratoga. Here he built up a good practice, and in the winter of 1870-80, attended the Cincinnati Hospital and School of Medicine and Surgery, graduating from the latter with high honors February 27, 1880. He then returned to his practice in Saratoga, Randolph Co., Ind., where he not only has his old practice but many new patlent.8 have been added to his list. The Doctor was married January 22, 1870, to Miss Elizabeth Albright, daughter of Simpson Albright, of .\rcanum, Ohio. Our subject served in the late war in Company I, One Hundred and Fifty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the summer of 18G4.

DAVID S. HARKER, farmer and stock-raiser, P.O.Deerfield. Mr. Harkor was born near Woodstown, Gloucester Co., N. J.. .January 22, 1827, and is a .wn of Enoch and Christiana Harker, also natives of New .lersey. His parents removed to ISuller County, Ohio, in 18,S0. He was brought up on a farm, nnd educated in the common schools. February 3, 1848, he married Miss Mary AVhilenack, a native of Warren County, Ohio, and daughter of Cornelius and Mary Whitenaok. They began as renters, and lived in an old log cabin. Mr. Harker worked for ex-Oov. Morrow, of Ohio; be cleaned out his mill race; he cut wood for 40 cents per cord and boarded himself; but, by economy and hard work, he saved $200 the first two yenrs of his married life, and he then began to farm. He now owns 803 acres of valuable land. He came to this county in 1867. Mr. and Mrs. Harker have had twelve children, of whom ten are living, viz., Rebecca, Joseph, Charles, i David, Hattie, Jennje and Adella G.

JOHN KEY, farmer, P. O. Saratoga, was born in Green County, East Tenn., February 6, 182!1, and is i son of Andrew and Susannah (Fields) Key, who came to this county in 1829. They settled in the woods. The wild animals and turkeys were very numerous then. Mr. Key was formerly a pupil of Ebenezer Tucker. He helped clear his father's farm, and has since cleared two farms for himself. He was married in 1858 to Miss Avis Smith, a native of Hawkins County, East Tenn., and a daughter of Caleb C. Smith. They have had ten children, six of whom are living - Joiinna, Ruth, Henry C, George, Nancy E. and Stella. In early life, Mr. Key taught school for the most part for nine years. He is now farming and raising slock, and owns luO acres of land. In 1880, Mr. and Mrs. Key returned to their native St?te on a visit.

WILLIAM 0. KINO, farmer and stock-raiser, 1'. (). Deerfield, was born in Fayette County, Ohio, June 21, 183!5, and is a son of Rennet and Susan (Proud) King, the former a native of Fayette County and Ihe latter of Koss County, Ohio. They c.ime to this county in 1837, and settled in the northwest corner of Green Township. Our subject was brought up on a farm, and received a limited education. At the age of nineteen, he learned the carpenter's trade, at which he worked ontil 1865. He was married, March 8, 1855, to Miss Sai-ah Pierce, daughter of Burket Pierce, who came to this county in 181'.l, and is still living, in his ninetieth year. Mr. Kin;; also buys and ships stock. He resides on Section 17, in a fine brick house which cost $4,000. He is a member of the Odd Fellows ; has passed all the degrees and filled all Ihe chairs. He filled the office of Assessor two terms and Land Appraiser one term. Mr. King's mother died September 7, lf<82, in Oregon, Holt Co., Mo.

WILLIAM LEWIS, farmer, P. O. Ridgeville. This worthy old settler is a native of the lown of Belbrook, Ohio, and was born September 3, 182fi. His parents, .Joel and Mercy Lewis, removed with their family to this county in 1827, and settled in the woods, where the deer, wolves and turkeys were numerous. The Indians were also in this locality at times. Oar subject knows all about grubbing and picking brush, rolling logs, etc., and other hard farm work. He attended subscription scliool in an old log cabin, sal on a Hplitlog seat, and wrote on a board supported by pins in the wall. The schoolhouse was covered with clapboards, which were secured by weight-poles. He was married, October 24, 1850, to Miss Anna Riddlebarger, by whom he has bad eight children, six living - David J., Mary E., Thoiuafl II., Isaac N., George W. and Jesse J. .Mr. Lewis is engaged in farming and stock-raising, and owns 225 acres of land.

ELISIIA L. LOLLAR, farmer, P. 0. Saratoga. The subject of this sketch is a native of Randolph County, was born May 13, 1841, and is a son of Joseph Lollar, an early settler of this county, having located here in 1837. His mother was Sarah Pogue, daughter of William Pogue, also an early sptllcr of this county. Mr. Lollar was bronglit up on a farm and educated mostly in tlio common schools. He was married, April 24, 18i;2, to Miss Mary A. Warren, daughter of .lolin K. Wiirren, of whom we shall make further mention elsewhere in this work. They have had four children born to Ihcm, of whom three are living - Minnie A., Ezra E. and Annie G. Mr. Lollar is a prominent farmer and stock-raiser of Ward Township, and owns 185 acres of valuable land. In ISrrJ. he left home and loved ones, and went into the rebellion to fight for the liberty of his country. , He .«erved in ('ompany E, Eighty-fourth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and participated in the battle of Chicknmauga, where he was wounded, and afterward discharged on account of disability occasioned by said wouikI. Mr. and Mrs. Lollar are members of the United Brethren Church.

AVILLIAM MONTGOMERY, farmer, f. 0. Clark, was born in Guilford County, N. C, DecemDcr 12, 170'.1, and is a son of Samuel and Mary Montgomery. His educational advantages were limited. He attended school in a log cabin, witli puncheon seaU and a dirt floor. He and his schoolmates employed their noons in cutting wood for the huge fire-plnce. He was married, in WJ.'.\ to Miss Sarah lliatt, by whom he has had twelve children - John (de ceased), Eli. Phineas, Priscilla, Betsy A., Joseph N.. Cyrena, Thomas N (dccea,sed), Lovina, Susannah (deceased), Milton M. and Christena. Four sons wore in the late war- Eli, Phineas, Jasper and Thomas. Thomas N. died in the service. Mr. Montgomery came to this county in 1833, and settled in the woods, where nearly all kinds of wild game abounded. The Indin hunting, Mr. Montgomery became lost in the woods, and while wandering around he came to an Indian wigwam which was occupied by a lone Indian and his dog. The hospitable " red man of the forest" shared his narrow cot of leaves and deer skins with him, and they slept "heels to Iieels," for it was not wide enough for two to lie at one end. Mr. Montgomery owns eighty acres of land, and is engaged in farming.

THOMAS J. MOORE, laborer. New Pittsburg, was bom in Liverpool, Eng., and is a son of Thomas and Margaret Moore. He came to America in 1884, and to Randolph County in October, 1870. He is an engineer by traile ; was on Lake Ontario two years, and on the Hudson River one year. He is a member of the M. E. Church.

WILLIAM 0. MOULTON, teacher, Saratoga. This enterprising young teacher is a native of Richmond, Ind., and was born August 5, 1860. His parents were George W. and Mary A. Moulton, of Auburn, N. Y., and New Paris, Ohio. He was reared on a farm and educated in Ridgeville College and Winchester Normal School. He began teaching in September, 1870, and is now Principal of the Saratoga Schools, which, under his wise management, are in a prosperous condition. He uses the latest normal methods in his work, and has established a systematic course of instruction. The Professor was married, April 25, 1880, to Miss Eva R. Koon, daughter of Harvey W. Koon, of New Pittsburg, this county. He is ii member of the Masonic fraternity, and is also a member of the Epsilon RhoLiterary Society of Ridgeville College.

THOMAS G. MULLEN, farmer and stock-raiser, P. 0. Clark, was born in North Carolina January 28, 1828, and is a son of Thomas and Nancy Mullen, who removed from North Carolina to this county in 182'J. Mr. Mullen received a common school education, and assisted his father on the farm. He was married, October 1, 1852, to Miss Susannah Johnson, a native of this county and daughter of John Johnson. They had six children, four living - James M., Louis A., Samantha J. and Phoebe A. Mrs. Mullen died, and on the 1st day of January, 18(jli. he married Mrs. Elraina Thompson, by whom he has had seven children ; of these, six are living - Ida B., Frank, Flora and Clarence (twins), Bessie and Charles. Mrs. Mullen had one child by her first husband - Emma Thompson. Mr. Mullen owns 320 acres of land. He served in the late war for fourteen months in Company G, Fifty-fourth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and participated in Ihe battles of Chickasaw Bayou, Arkansas Post.Qrand Gulf and Thompson's Hill.

URIAH PIERCE (deceased) was born in Ross County, Ohio, October 21, 1818, and is a son of Burket Pierce, who came to this county in 1819, and is still living at the age of ninety years. The country was wild, and there were no educational advantages except to study by his father's fire side. He was married, in 1840, to Miss Martha A. Mock, a native of Greene County, Ohio, and daughter of Daniel Mock, who came to this county in 1824. They had six children, of whom three are living, viz. : Thomas N., John Q.' and Daniel M. Thomas and John were soldiers in the late war. Mr, Pierce taught the first public school in his district, No. 3, Township 21 ; and organized the first Sabbath school in the neighborhooil. He was a worthy member of the M. E. Church, a benevolent man, and a valuable member of society. He died March 11, 1878, loved by aU.

ELWOOD 0. PIERCE, farmer and stock-raiser, P. 0. Ridgeville, was born in Randolph County August 27, 1866, and is a son of Joel Pierce (decea.sed). He was left an orphan, and bis grandfather, Burket Pierce, raised him until fourteen years of age. He was educated at Ridgeville College; was married, October 2, 1876, to Miss Edith E. Thompson, by whom he has had two children, one living, viz. : Laura Alice. Mr. Pierce is engaged raising stock on Section 7, and owns ninety-four acres of valuable land.

DAVU) POGUE, retired farmer, P. 0. Saratoga, being an old settler of Randolph County, is entitled to more than a passing notice in a work like this. He was born May 26, 1828, and Is a son of Robert Pogue, who came to this county in 1837, and now resides in Union City at the age of seventy-nine years. Mr. Pogue was brought up on a farm, and educated in a subscription school, which was taught in a log cabin, with a huge fire-place in one end, and a length of the slab which was supported on pins in the wall. The door of schoolliouse was made of clapboards, as also was the roof, which was secured by weight-poles. When the Pogues settled in Ward Towuship the land was "in the green." Much credit is due to these old pioneers for their untiring !abor.'< in preparing the way for the prosperity of future generations. Many a day has Mr. Pogue worked in the clearing in his bare feet, sore and bleeding, and the ground frozen hard. They had to go to Richmond to mill, a distance of twenty-six miles. Our subject was married, February 15, 1855, to Miss Mary Barber, daughter of George W. Barber, an early settler of this county. They have no children, but have raised two others. Mr. and :\trs. Pogue are worthy members of the M. E. Church in Saratoga.

DR. JOHN I'URCELL, phy.sician, Deerfield, was born in Northumboriand County, I'enn., February 12, 1834, and is a son of David and Grace Purcell, the former a native of i'ennsylvania, and the latter of New Jersey. The Doctor was brought up on a farm, and educated near and at .Mount Gilead, Ohio. He read medicine under Dr. William Turner, of Waterford, Ohio. lu 1867, he began the practice of medicine in that place, and in the fall of 1870 came to Deerfield, where he has built up a good practice. He was married, December 18, 1873, to .Miss Sarah Lipps, by whom he has three children - David Guy, Frank M.and Charles M. He is a member of the Odd Fellows and Masonic fraternities.

JESSE RIDDLEBARGER, farmer and stock-raiser, P. 0. Deerfield, is a native of Botetourt County, Va., and was born October 2, 1826. He is a son of David and Ann Riddlebarger, who removed with their family to near Dayton, Ohio, in 1829, and to this county in 1830. Mr. Riddlebarger was raised on a farm, and attended school in a log cabin with a greased paper window, clapboard roof, puncheon floor, and split slab seats. In those early days they went to Richmond to mill, a distance of over thirty miles. Mr. R. has many a time crushed corn iu a hominy block. He was married, September 28, 1852. to

Source changes here: from Past and Present of Randolph County, Indiana : with Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families, by Smith, John L., Writer on Local History, published 1914; 822 words in this source stream.

Ward Township

On the next clay, August 15, the commissioners proceeded to organize Ward township, as follows: "Ordered that all that part of Whiterivcr Township North of an East and west line Dividing the twent3'^eth and twentyfirst Congressional Township be stricken off into a new Township to be Known and Designated by the name? of Ward Township. Ordered that all Elections in Ward Township be held at the house of James Massey and that James Massey be Inspector of Elections in Ward for one year. Or- dered that an Election in Ward Township on the second Satturday in September Next for the Purpose of Electing two Justices of the Peace and one Constable in said Township."

The county retained these boundaries until the 23d of December, 1822, when the following act was approved: Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana, that all that part of the New Purchase, lately acquired from the Indians contained in the following boundaries, to-wit: "Beginning at the southwest corner of Randolph County, thence west four miles, thence due north until it strikes the northern boundary of

Indiana, shall from henceforth form and constitute a part of the County of Randolph, in as full and complete a manner as though it had been attached to and formed a part of said county at the beginning of its formation." This made the boundary line, in December 23, 1820, about three-fourths of a mile east of where our present (1914) western boundary is. At this same time Randolph county was given control over Delaware county, ~W'hich comprised all the- northwestern part of the state east of the second meridian not included in Randolph county. By an act relative to county boundaries, approved January 31, 1824, Randolph county was defined as follows: "Sec. 8. That all the territory included within the following boundaries shall form and constitute the county of Randolph, to-wit : Beginning at the Ohio state line, where the line dividing townships fifteen and sixteen strikes the same; thence west with said township line, until it strikes the old Indian boundary ; thence to, and with the center line of township eighteen, to the northwest corner of section twenty, in township eighteen, and range twehe east of the second principal meridian; thence north to the line dividing townships twenty-one and twenty-two; thence east to the Ohio state line, and thence with said state line to the place of beginning."

The records of the county from February, 1821, to November, 1825, having been lost, it is not known just what disposition the commissioners made of the new part added to Randolph county. It is presumed that Ward township. White River township and West River were extended to the new county line.

We must remember that Randolph county had control over Delaware county and some time during the year 1825 Liberty township, in Delaware county, was organized. The only record we have of it is in Jere Smith's reminiscences, in which he says :

"In the May term of 1825, David Rowe was allowed $1.50 for making return of the election of two justices of Liberty township. From this and from my recollection, I can say that in January, 1825, either the whole or the east part of Delaware county was made into Liberty township. The township containing Smithfield is still called Liberty. And as Daniel Stout had been county commissioner in Randolph and had moved to what is now Delaware county, built a mill and laid out Smithfield, I presume he had that county erected into Liberty township. There were but few inhabitants in that region, and David Rowe, who brought the election returns, lived pretty well up on Prairie creek, at least six miles from Smithfield. Also, May, 1826, John J. Deeds, who had settled on White river and built a mill above Smithfield, was appointed supervisor on the west fork of White river from the mouth of Cabin creek to Mont-see-town, as the Indians called it. Hence 'Mont-see-town' was then (May, 1826) in Liberty township and in Randolph county as well."

Some corroborative evidence of tfeis is that in the January term, 1826, David Vestal was appointed assessor in Liberty township for the year 1826, and Aaron Richardson was appointed inspector of elections in Liberty township for one year. John Coon and John H. Myers were appointed fence viewers in Liberty township for one year. Then, in the May term of 1826, "William Vanmeter is appointed supervisor on the state road from the post Numbered 39 to the post Numbered 44 ordered that all the hands in Liberty Township North and South between the last numbered posts do work on said road and also on the west fork of White river from Moncey town to the line Dividing Ranges 7 & 8 East." Thus it will be seen there can be no doubt that Liberty township was organized, and not very long before January, 1826.