Washington Township (part 1 of 3)

Description

THIS civil division of Monroe County was given a separate existence in the year 1829, and was named for the father of our common country. It is a full Congressional township of thirty-six sections, and coincides with Township 10 north, Range 1 west, of the Second Principal Meridian, and is one of the four townships of the county that are crossed by the old Indian boundary. This boundary was established at the treaty of Fort Wayne, September 30, 1809, between the Indians and Gen. Harrison. At this date, all of Washington Township, and indeed all of Monroe County south of the boundary, was obtained from the natives. The northern part of the township belonged to what became the New Purchase, and was ceded by the Indians to the Government at the treaty of St. Mary's, Ohio, October 3, 1818. Of course that portion of the township north of the boundary, or in the new purchase, was not subject - to entry until after the Indians' title had been extinguished, and until the land had been surveyed by Thomas Brown during the summer of 1819. It was offered for sale in 1821. That part of the township south of the boundary was surveyed by William Harris and Arthur Henrie in 1812, and was subject to entry in 1816.

The Soil, Timber, Etc

The variety and quality of timber in Washington Township will compare favorably with other portions of the county. Among the more noticeable varieties are white and black walnut, red, black, white and chestnut oaks, sugar tree, white and yellow poplar, chestnut, cherry, hickory, elm, beech, sassafras, sycamore, dogwood, gum tree, etc. The surface rocks of the township belong to the knob-stone and Keokuk groups. There are traces in the township of the action of glaciers, but only traces. A section of the geological deposits about half a mile northwest of Wayport is as follows :

Knob shale, containing the following geodized fossils: Spirifer carteri, 8. neglectus, Hemipronitis crenisiriatus ; also geodes containing chalcedony, butrioidal geodes and mammillated geodes remarkable for their size and beauty 80

Land Buyers

On the 12th of September, 1817, while Monroe County was yet unorganized, and while it was yet a part of Orange County, James Bennington, at the land ofiBce in Vincennes, purchased the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter, and the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 30, Township 10 north, Range 1 west of the Second Principal Meridian. This was the first purchase of land within the present limits of Washington Township. The second tract or tracts were bought by John Patterson on the 11th of August, 1823 - the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter, and the southwest quarter of the southeast quarter of Section 81. The third entry was made by Hugh Corr on Section 14, on the 30th of January, 1824. Jehu Buckner bought on Section 12 in 1826, and Andrew Smith on Section 6 the same year. The entry of Mr. Corr was the first of the township in the New Purchase. Samuel Gaskins bought eighty acres on Section 28 in 1827, and Lee Brown bought a similar tract on the same section the following year. William and J. Millikan bought eighty acres on Section 30 in 1828. In October, 1829, John Turner bought eighty acres on Section 33, and the same year Wylie Burns bought a tract on Section 13, and Richard Colier on Section 3. Isaac Gillaspy, in 1830, secured eighty acres on Section 34. In 1881, Robert Walters and Jehu Buckner bought tracts on Section 28, and John Weaver on Section 5. During the following year, land on Section 3 was bought by Thomas J. Nance, on Section 12 by John Bales, on Section 29 by James Mulky, on Section 32 by Allen Sims, on Section 33 by John Turner, and on the same section by A. B. Anderson. In 1833, Groalson Steppe bought on Section 2, John Weaver and Andrew Smith on Section 5, Job Johnson on Section 14, John Neal on Section 17, John Bales on Section 19, William McNeely on Section 29, Henry Putnam on Section 31. Jehu Buckner bought on Section 3 in 1834 ; John Neal on Section 17 same year ; Thomas Gillaspy on Section 21 same year ; James Gaskins on Section 28 same year ; David Paddock on Section 28 same year ; Lee Brown on Section 32 same year ; Isaac Gillaspy on Section 33 same year ; Andrew S. Tate on Section 33 same year; Benjamin Marshall on Section 34 same year. In 1835, entries were made by Job Johnson on Section 14 ; William Gaskins, Section 29 ; Daniel Ray, same section ; Bmsley Wood, Section 31 ; Allen Sims, Section 31 ; Daniel Ray, Section 33. The entries of 1836 were numerous and as follows : Jeremiah Colier, Levi Colier, William Tate and William Carlton on Section 16, Richard Colier on Section 17, Solomon Langwell on Section 18, Benoni Denny and William Carlton on Section 19, Alexander W. Leland, 240 acres on Section 19, Stephen Gaskins on Section 29, William Scott, William McNeely and William Carlton also on Section 29 ; Alexander W. Leland, nearly all of Section 30 in July, 1836, Emsley Wood and Jacob Millikan on Section 31, A. W. Leland and A. M. Poe on Section 32, also Bmsley Wood, Fielding W. Poe and William Carlton on the latter section, Solomon Langwell and A. B. Anderson on Section 33. William Scott bought on Section 16 in 1837, Washington Smith on Section 33 the same year, and David Browning on Section 34 the same year. In 1838, Caleb Colier, bought on the school section, Benjamin Ridge on Section 31, and Isaac Gillaspy and William Scott on Section 34. Thomas Gillaspy bought on Section 16 in 1839. The above were the only entries in the township prior to 1840, and among the list of purchasers were some of the earliest settlers and afterward the most prominent and respected men. The settlement in the forties and during the fifties was rapid, nearly all the Government land being taken up.

Tax Paters Of 1841

A. B. Anderson was on Section 23, his tax was $4.72. Lee Brown lived on Section 28, and paid $4.70 tax. Henry Buston lived on Section 21, his tax being $3.12. Hawkins Bales was on Section 17, his tax was $6.86, including a delinquency of $3.41. James Bales owned Sections 17 and 18, his tax was $15.57. Rachael Bales owned about 200 acres and paid a tax of $11.63. Charles Buck paid poll tax. Bartlett Barton paid a poll tax. James H. Baker owned $200 worth of personal property. John Bales paid poll tax. Levi Colier resided on

Section 15; Jeremiah Colier on Section 17 ; Micajah Colier on Section 18 and Stephen Colier on Sections 4 and 5. Their taxes were $2.70, $4.94, $1.42 and $4.10 respectively.

The Churches

Late in the decade of thirties, probably about 1838, a class of Methodists was organized near the central part of the township, the families of Samuel Gaskius, William Gaskins, Bartlett H. Baston, Jesse Gaston and William McNeeley belonging. The church was erected late in the forties, on the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 21 . The land was donated to the church by Mary Ann Gaskins, and comprised one-half of an acre on the quarter above mentioned. In 1848, the Trustees were William McNeeley, Samuel Gaskins, Jesse Gaskins, Bartlett P. Barton and William Gaskins, who at that time were making arrangements to build their church. This religious class is yet in existence, and has done much good in the township. In the forties, the old Mt. Pleasant Christian Church was organizedjn the township, a few of the earliest members being George M. Peery, John Cooter, Alfred Houston, Solomon Langwell, Josiah Goodwin, Benjamin Houston and their families. In 1849 or 1850, Abraham Lemon sold one acre to the Trustees of this church - Peery, Cooter, Houston, Langwell and Goodwin - from his land on Section 6, in the northwest corner of the township. About this time the church was erected. This society is also yet it existence, and is prosperous. Late in the forties the old Separate Baptist Church, in the vicinity of Hindostan, was organized. Meetings were at first held at the residences of Stephen Havions and John Goodman. The families of Stephen Havions, John Goodman, John McCoy, William McCoy were prominently connected in the origin of the society. In 1853, Stephen Bales sold to the Trustees of this church one acre of land on Section 13, to be used as a site for the church. The class styled itself the Union Church of Separate Baptists. These were the early religious classes of the township, but not the only ones, as one or two were organized in schoolhonses. Late years have seen the organization of several others.

Education

Schools were taught during the thirties in the Colier, the Bales and the Langwell neighborhoods. They were very imperfect in every respect except want of comfort and facilities for learning. The schools were taught in the rudest log houses, and were poorly attended, probably by the children of two or three of the nearest families. It was then the custom, as more than one resident of the township can testify from experience, to go to school winter and summer barefoot ; that seems unreasonable but it was done, and how ? The barefooted child, to begin with, had gone thus so long that his feet were hardened and calloused to resist the cold, by several extra layers of epidermis, which necessity compelled Nature to provide. He could stand a degree of cold which would apparently chill him to the bone, and could walk for some time in snow and frost without suffering more than he could bear with reasonable fortitude. When he had to do extra duty in the snow and cold, however, he would take a small piece of a board, say a foot wide and two feet long, which had been seasoned and partially scorched at the fire, and after heating it until it was on the point of burning, he would start - on the run toward the schoolhouse with the hot board in his hand, and when his feet became too cold to bear any longer, he would place the board upon the ground and stand upon it until the numbness and cold had been partly overcome, when be would again take his " stove " in his hand and make another dash for the schoolhouse and repeat the process until the building had been reached. This was actually done in Washington Township. Sometimes a flat, light piece of rock was substituted for the board, and was much better as it retained heat longer. Three schoolhouses were built in the township in the forties, and two more early in the fifties, and the five stood on Sections 6, 12, 15, 18, 26 and 33. Since then the schools have increased in number and usefulness until they are among the best in the county.

Wayport And Hindostan

Two villages have been founded in Washington Township : The first, Wayport, was laid out on Sections 28 and 33, in April, 1851, by Isaac Gillaspy, Thomas Gillaspy and G. W. Smith, proprietors, and James Washburn, surveyor. Sixteen lots were laid out. One store, a blacksmith shop, a post office, etc., sum up the history of the town. Hindo- Btan was laid out in June, 1853, on the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 14, by Charles G. Gorr, proprietor, and James Woodbum, surveyor. Twelve lots were laid out on the Martinsville & Bloomington State Road, and just north of the Columbus & Gosport State Road. One store, a few shops and offices also sums up the importance of this little hamlet.

The Soil, Timber, Gbolqgy, Etc

THIS township was named in honor of Thomas H. Benton, of Missouri, one of the ablest men the country has ever produced. It was organized in 1833, a full account of which may be seen elsewhere in this volume. It comprises all of Congressional Township 9 north. Range 1 east, except the eastern tier of sections, which was attached to Brown County many years ago, and in addition includes all of Township 10 north, Range 1 east, lying south of Bean Blossom Creek. The Town- ship is generally rough, with precipitous bluflfs here and there, and is cut by numerous ravines', where small streams find their beds. There is too much clay in the soil to bring the best results to the agriculturist. This is true even of the lower lands, which contain much material washed down from higher altitudes. In some places, however, the soil is rich and deep, and furnishes excellent crops of all the cereals. As a whole the township is superior as a grazing location. The heavy forests, deep declivities and numerous bluffs afford abundant protection to domestic animals from the blasts of winter. The geology of the township is much similar to the balance of the county. The section of formation at Unionville is as follows :

The following fossils may be found in this formation, though not in a good state of preservation: Forbeseocrinus muUi-brachiatus, BicJioerinv* sculptus, Actinocrinus ramulosus, plates of A. humboldti, and A. lowei. The following may also be found here : Platyeirus equilateralis, Produetus punctatus, P. cora, Spirifer tenunstriatus, S. fastigatus, and S. negleotus. On Stephen's Creek, geodes with crystals of dog-tooth and calcareous spar may be found. Occasionally large geodized crinoids of the species Actinocrinus humboldti, A. lowei Hemi proniles erenistriatus, Spini fercarteri, S. tenuistriatus, and some fine pentagonal Geodoomuis indianensis occur. The township has an abundance of good stone. Traces of the more valuable minerals, such as gold, copper, etc., have been found in the township.

The White Settlement

The first entry of land in Benton Township was made by Elisha Pollard on Section 34 (the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter, and the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter), on the 27th of September, 1822. The second was on Section 18 (the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter and the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter, in December, 1823, by Henry Kimble. The third was on Section 8 in January, 1824, by Robert Young. David Barrow entered the next on Section 5 in 1830. William Florer bought on Section 8 in 1832; George Richardson on Section 21 the same year; and George Skevin on 31 the same year. In 1833, the following entries were made : Isaac W. Young on 6 ; Abram Young on 8 ; Isaac Cox on 18. In 1834, Edward Jackson on 8; Jacob Calor on 9 ; William Richardson on 9 ; David Chitwood on 10 ; Isaac Cox on 18 ; Henry Kimble on 18 and 19. Sampson Henaley bought on 19 in 1835. In 1836, the following entries were made : William Florer on Section 3 ; Mary Crawford on 3 ; Jacob Young on 3 ; Rufus Ward on

4 ; Charles Bates on 6 ; David Young and Isaac W. Young on 8 ; Joab Mrirshon, James Alexander, Hugh McClung and Pleasant Robinson on 9 ; David Chitwood on 10 ; Joshua Richardson and Adam Stevens on 15 ; Pleasant Robinson, Jacob Hosier and Isaac W^ Young on 16 (the school section) ; Joab Cox on 17 ; Sampson Hensley on 19 ; Abraham Ealy on 20 ; Jacob Hosier on 27 ; William Cox on 28 ; Michael Buskirk on 80 ; John M. Sluss on 3 1 ; William Cox on 33 ; Lewis Rains and Jacob Romans on 34. In 1837, the following entries were made : John W. Riddle on Section 6 ; Nancy Rains on H ; Joab Cox on 7 ; Thomas Gardner on 9 ; William Richardson on 9 ; Abraham Young and Joshua Richardson on 16 ; James Rader and Jacob Mefford on 19 ; Adam Stephens on 22 ; John B. Cox and Adam Stephens on 28 ; Abraham Ealy on 29 ; Thomas R. Stephenson on 31' ; T. R. Stevenson and Martin Gamble on 32 ; Finney Courtney on 33. In 1838, the following were the entries : Hugh McClung on Section 9 ; Nathan Hensley on 22; Lewis Hosier on 27 ; Jacob Romans on 34. The following were the entries in 1839 : Edward Jackson on Section 6 ; Samuel C. Harbison on 15 ; Adam Stephens on 16 ; G. H. Johnson and Isaac W. Young on 18; Nathan Hensley on 21 and 22; George Richardson on 21; William Kerr on 31 ; Joseph Horton on 32 ; Thomas Kelley and James Thompson on 33. These were the only entries of land prior to 1840. It is said that the Youngs were the first settlers in the township. The Coxes were in early. The principal early settlement was nea r the center of the township where the families of Richardsons, Chitwoods ,'Stevenses, Youngs, Robinsons, Alexanders and others resided. The settlement and improvement were very slow. Large bodies of the land were not entered from the Government until as late as the decade of fifties.

Poll-Tax Payees Of 1841

James Allen, Abraham Allen, William Alexander, James J. Alexander, David Banan, Joseph C. Bates, Joab Brummet, Isaac Boltinghouse, Christopher Blessey, William Carr, John B. Cox, William Cox, David Chitwood, Isaac Cox, Griffith Davidson, J. J. Fulford, William Fry, Nicholas Fleener, Martin Gamble, James Graham, Madison Graham, Sampson Hensley, Edward Jackson, Hugh HcClung, James Payton, B. F. Rogers, William Richardson, Joshua Richardson, George Richardson, Pleasant Robertson, Jonathan Richardson, Thomas Stephenson, Jordan Stephens, Adam Stephens, David Young, Jr., Abraham Young, Silas Young. The highest tax was paid by the following men : Abraham Allen, $4.93; William Alexander, $7; J. J. Alexander, $7; David Banan, $7; David Chitwood, |4.98 ; the Youngs estate, $9.90 ; Sampson Hensley, $7.77 ; Edward Jackson, $7.82 ; Hugh HcClung, $6.40 ; David Young, Jr., $5.79 ; Abraham Young, $5.90. The total value of township lands with improvements was $18,605, and as the township then included Marion, those figures, of course, included the latter. The total tax for the two townships was $299.74. The county tax was $109.18 ; the State tax, $190.56 ; total amount of taxables was $32,519 for both townships.

Hugh McClung about the year 1838. The second was in the southern part, and the third near what is now Unionville. The first school above named was attended by the children of the Coxes, Richardsons, Robinsons, Youngs, Mosiers, McClungs, Alexanders and others, and was a famous school, considering the sparsely settled condition of the township. In 1846, there were two school districts in the township. No. 1 had an enumeration of 114, but during the winter of 1846-47, the average daily attendance was only twenty-five. No. 2 enumerated ninety-four, and the same winter had an average daily attendance of only twenty-four. The term in No. 1 was three months, and in No. 2 five months. In No. 1 the teacher was paid $10 per month, and in No. 2 $7.41|. At this time Jacob Mosier, David Chitwood and Hugh McClung were Township Tj-ustees. In 1856, there were in the township five log schoolhouses on Sections 8, 10, 28, 30 and 33. The following tamilies sent to the house on Section 8 - Youngs, Petersons, Williamses, Coxes, Richardsons, McCoys et al. On Section 10 - the Chitwoods, Wests, Robinsons, Fleeners, Brocks, Watsons, Hoggs, McCoys, Robins, Alexanders, Stevenses et al. Section 28 - Davidsons, Griffins, Hashes, Coxes, Chitwoods, Courtneys, Campbells, Baltinghouses, Mosiers, Ashers, Colemans et al. Section 30 - the Walches, Buskirks, Pares, Skirvins, Gallions, Coxes, Gambles, Hortons, Kimbles et al. Section 33 - the Pauleys, Taylors, Hendricksons, Jacksons, Barrowses, Coleburns, Houstons et al.

Religious Classes

As early as 1834, and very likely several years before, a Baptist class was formed near the residence of Lewis Stevens. The class was styled " Little Union." It was noted in early years for its activity. Lewis Stevens, James Brummet, David Barrow, William McCoy, John Cott and their families were the earliest members. The first meetings were held at the house of James Brummet. Thomas Rader, William Richardson and their families and many others also belonged early. The Church of Christ, on Young's Ridge, was formed during the forties. James J. Alexander, James Alexander, Joseph Rader, Daniel Thomas, Samuel Smith and their families were prominent and early members. In 1851, Lot 24, in Unionville, was purchased of Henry F. Garlick, for $12, and preparations were immediately made to build the church. Joseph Davis was the carpei^ter, and finished the building - a frame structure - in about July, 1851. Another early class was the Fryes' Church, the leading members being the families of T. Y. Rader, B. S. Robins, George W. Frye, John C. Frye, William Gladden and others. Rev. Robert Harmon was pastor in about 1857.

This is the only village in Benton township. It is liijely that J. J. Alexander was the first merchant ; at any rate he opened a store of general merchandise, worth about $900, in the year 1886, and soon had a flourishing trade. He continued in the business many years. Late in the forties, James Carter engaged in business in the village, continuing for several years. About the same time C. C. Fleener also opened a general store. In about 1852, F. R. Miller engaged in the mercantile pursuit. Thus the business went on, usually one or two mercantile establishments present. A blacksmith shop, a post office, a carpenter or two, a dozen families, a doggery, etc., make up the sum and substance of Unionville.

One of the most startling occurrences ever within the limits of Benton Township was the butchering of a family of John B. Cox, in September 1861. The neighbors found, one forenoon, that an awful crime had been committed. Those earliest on the premises found Mr. Cox unconscious on his porch from the loss of blood, with several severe cuts and bruises about his head and neck. Within the house a ghastly scene was presented : Mrs. Cox lay dead upon the bed, with her throat cut from ear to ear. Upon another bed near lay a girl about ten years old, with her throat horribly mangled, though she was still breathing and alive, though unconscious. On the floor near this bed was a younger girl, dead, with her head half severed from her body. The trundle-bed held- two children, a smaller girl severely cut about the neck, though not mortally, and alive, though partially unconscious, and also a boy, not a member of the family, about ten years old, severely cut, though alive, but helpless from the loss of blood. He was considerably scratched and bruised, and seemed to have struggled desperately with his assailant, as the bedding was torn and scattered. The youngest child, a mere baby, was found unhurt. An enormous crowd gathered within the space of a few hours to view the horrible sight. Mr. Cox had some trouble with several of his neighbors, who were immediately arrested and taken to Bloomington for safe-keeping. The dead and wounded were conveyed to the residence of William Cox, near by. Mr. Cox, as soon as conscious, was questioned and stated that several taen attacked the family during the previous night, knocked him senseless, after which he knew nothing until the next morning, when by shouts he aroused his neighbors. The men charged with the crime were tried and acquitted. Several from the first had insisted that Mr. Cox, the head of the family, had himself committed the deed in a moment of insanity, with which he was at times afliicted. This case terminated with this view.

The Salt Works

THE creek by the above name took its designation from the numerous salt springs along its course. These were discovered at an early day from the great resort made of them by deer which came to drink. They became famous deer-licks, where, as long as those animals were found in the county in any abundance, they could be killed by the hunters, and were so killed. Some of the salty localities gave evidence of such strength that it was resolved to evaporate the water, and thus begin the business of manufacturing salt. If it is remembered that at that time salt was a scarce and costly article in the woods, made so by the great distance where it was prepared and barreled, and by the great cost of transportation, the value of an excellent well will be readily understood. It is not necessary to inform old settlers of the commercial value of good salt works within from one to fifteen miles of their doors. As early as 1822 or 1823, Henry Wampler, Thomas Literal and several others bored down on Section 12, Township 8 north, Range 1 east, and found an adundance of excellent brine. They erected "shanties," procured several large iron kettles, and began the work. They received a wide patronage from the start and increased their capacity by the addition of more kettles and men to do the work. The works were conducted for a period of years, and it is said that more than 800 bushels of excellent salt were manufactured in one year. Exact figures cannot be given. The travel to the works became so great at the start, even, that the owners and others petitioned the County Board in 1823 to construct a road from the county seat to the works, which was accordingly done. In after years other wells were sunk in the township, one being near the iron bridge, across Salt Creek. This early manufacture of salt was before the settlement of the township. In 1825, the township received a separate existence, and was named from the works which rendered the locality famous, and from the creek which coursed its way from north to south across its surface.

Natural Features

There is much good soil in the township, though scattered and in small tracts. The lower lands and the slopes are the best for agriculture. Hillsides are found rich and usually pay for cultivation. The tendency is to seed the higher lands down or permit them to retain their natural covering of timber, while the lower tracts are annually cultivated and made to sustain a population of moderate density. Good springs of hard water abound. In the western part are a series of sulphur springs, which possess no little merit for sanitary or medicinal purposes. It is probable, however, that they would not pay to be fitted up for the reception and care of invalids. Salt Creek is the main artery for the conveyance of the waters which sustain the vegetation of the township. Small branches extend outward from it at angles like the limbs and twigs of a tree. An abundance of good stone can be obtained by a reasonable amount of labor. Lime is manufactured to some extent, and brick and tile can be had at several locations.

Land Entries

On the 9th of September, 1817, Moses Williams bought 160 acres on Section 7, and this was the first purchase in Salt Creek Township. Lowe and Lee bought 120 acres on Section 10, in 1818. On the 2d of August, 18^0, Elisha Pollard entered two quarters on Section 18, and during the same year Moses Williams entered another tract on Section 22, and John Huff on the same section. Williams also bought on Section 12, in 1821 and 1824. The following year Henry Wampler bought two tracts, one on Section 23, and the other on Section 27. John Huff also this year purchased a piece on the latter section, and Elisha Pollard on Section 6. James Matlock secured the next tract on Section 27, in 1822. John W. Lee bought on Section 11, in 1824, and J. 0. Howe on Section 12, in 1826. J. 0. Howe, Sr., bought 80 acres on Section 2, in 1824, and John Barnes on Section 10, in 1828. These were the only entries before the decade of thirties. Alexander Owens bought on Section 10, in 1832. In 1832, William Boruff entered a piece on Section 31, and .Jacob Stephens on Section 2 the following year. John Stephens bought a piece the latter year on Section 3. The following entries were made in 1836 : Samuel Smith on Section 3 ; Finney Courtney on Section 4 ; Henderson Myers on Section 4 ; Ambrose Miller, Aquilla Rogers and William Martin on Section 6 ; John McKissock on Section 7 ; Andrew Harshberger on Sectioii 8 ; J. 0. Howe on Section 11 ; Edward Walker and John Huff on Section 15 ; Jonathan Huntington on Section 17 ; George Johnson on Section 18 ; Thomas Ferguson on Section 19 ; Archibald Wilson on Section 21 ; Reuben Clark on Section 27 ; Samuel McCalla and George Johnson on Section 28 ; Thomas Ferguson and William Taylor on Section 30, the latter buying 125 acres ; Michael Wampler and David Killough on Section 31 ; James Wakefield on Section 32, and Archibald Wilson, Daniel Butcher and Aaron M. Wilson on Section 34. The following entries were made in 1837: W. W. Duncan on Section 4 ; W. D. Maxwell, Section 4 ; Garret Moore, Section 7 ; Isaac Bolinghouse, Section 9 ; Edward Walker, Section 15 ; Alexander Miller, same ; John Cherry, same ; John Armstrong, same ; Michael Wampler, Section 31 ; James Wakefield,' Section 31. In 1838, the foUow- , lowing entries were made: Charles M. Cunningham, Section 6 ; Samuel Curry, Section 7 ; Daniel McCaughan, Daniel Kilpatrick and James Gordon, Section 8 ; John Barnes, Section 10 ; Hamilton Gray, Section 21. In 1839, the following were the entries : Lankston Brummet, Section 4 ; Alexander Kerr, Section 6 ; Samuel Latimer, Section 8 ; Jonathan Huntington, Section 9 ; William Cabot, Section 17 ; George Johnson, Section 28 ; David Johnson, Section 28 ; John Campbell, Section 31 ; John Lucas, Section 33, and the same on Section 34. The above were the only entries of land in Salt Creek Township previous to the year 1840.

Poll-Tax Paters Op 1841

Brummet lived on Section 4, and paid a tax of $3.02 on $230 W3rth of personal property and $150 worth of real estate. James Chandler, who owned no land, paid a poll tax. James Fleener lived on Section 18, but was delinquent. George Johnson also lived on Section 18 ; his tax was $2.44. John Hansan, William Helton and Samuel Harbison paid poll tax. John Lucas and Samuel Latimore were assessed poll tax. James Smith lived on Section 27, John Stephenson Section 3, and Samuel Smith on Section 3. Their tax was $2.90, $3.60 and $3.26, respectively. Jonathan Sherrill owned 80 acres on Section 31, and was taxed $2.30. Michael Wampler and J. W. Wakefield were residents, but were delinquent. Bartlett Woodward owned 80 acres on Section 34, and was taxed $3.18. This old settler was one of the first County Commissioners.

The Public Schools

No schools were taught in Salt Creek Township until late in the thirties, at which time two started into being about the same time - one near the Boles farm or the Butcher farm, in the southern part, and the other a little north of the center. Both were log houses, and were used only temporarily for school purposes. In 1843, there were two schoolhouses, and a portion of the school section (No. 16) had been sold to increase the funds to pay the teachers and to keep up the houses. By 1846, two hundred and twenty acres had been sold for $505, but only $126.25 had been realized in cash. In 1856, there were three good schoolhouses and two temporary concerns. One of the good houses stood on Section 15J another on Section 19, and the third on Section 34. The schools, then, at best, were very inferior. Later years have brought a great improvement, but serious errors have crept in that should be corrected. Pupils have become parrots, not thinking, reasoning beings. The system of public school education requires summary correction and revision. Enormous sums are annually expended on the public schools, handsome buildings are erected, and the system is the pride of every citizen. But in a measure the system is a failure. The public schools are the womb of the intellectual life of this nation, and an immense responsibility devolves upon our educators. Their first duty is to teach the children to think ; do they ? Mere memorizing is only a mental gymnastic. If the literal form is forgotten, the idea vanishes and the learner is left hopelessly ignorant. The teachers should strictly forbid the pupil to repeat, parrotlike, the words of the book, and insist that the ideas gained therefrom be clothed in different language. Let our education be practical, is the cry. By all means; but it does not go far enough. "Readin', writin' and cipherin' " are not knowledge, but simply its instruments.

The boy who leaves the public schools knowing no more than that - and even geography and a little history - is as barren as to his ideas, is as completely shut out of the intellectual world as though he had never made an attempt to enter it. The great majority of pupils leave school at the age of fifteen. Their chief literary condiments are the flashy story papers and works of fiction belonging to the diseased, sensational type. If they have ever heard of Shakspeare, Addison, Tennyson, Longfellow and the host of great literati, they are not indebted to the public schools for the information. To be sure, there is a school reader ; but the read- ing hour is devoted almost entirely to the intonation of the voice, and not in elucidating the sense of the matter. Let the memory be exercised, by all means, not in memorizing text-books, but in gleaning from the deathless productions of the past and the great works of to-day. We repeat that to teach a child to think is the object of school education.

In a year the pupil will acquire a host of choice, pregnant sayings, that are couched in language so pure and elegant that they cannot but re-act upon and unconsciously shape his own. This is eminently practical, and, even it were not, it is not all of life to hoard the almighty dollar. If the teachers can, by short conversations and quotations from standard authors, succeed in interesting their pupils and thereby send them to the works themselves, they will confer an incalculable boon upon those who are sacredly put in their charge and do much in solving a vital question. Only then will the evil of trashy literature be forever laid at rest. A child cannot be forced into solid reading. He must be tempted to it. The taste comes slowly, but when once acquired is a mine of wealth, exhaustless through life, and what is more, is the road to happiness and content. That school or college which seeks the natural bent of the child places him under the refining influences of the best writers, and which shapes his thoughts according to the best thinkers of the world has succeeded ; but that school or college which sends a pupil from its doors with his mental tastes undeveloped, and his vocation undiscovered (this too frequently happens in the largest universities of the land), has failed and failed lamentably. It will not do to say that the acquisition of these tastes must be left to high schools. Comparatively few of the school children go there. School life is the smallest part of an education, and the duty of the educators is to put the pupil on the right road, which he will afterward pursue for himself.

What is so practical as science ? The rudiments of physical geography, chemistry, physics, geology and botany are now published by leading scientists, and in a form so lucid that a child of ten can understand them. And yet if a man asked the question in the public schools of this township, " On what principle is it that water is drawn from the bottom of the well by a pump?" probably out of a hundred who have used the pumphandle one could answer the question. Concerning the most elementary principles of science the body of "practical" men are densely ignorant. Also another branch of study - one of transcendent importance - is completely neglected. It is political economy. By our Constitution universal suffrage prevails, and the schoolboy of to-day is the voter of to-morrow. Politics is the theme of the boy as well as the man. Yet glaring commercial and financial fallacies gain currency in politics, which a child with a knowledge of the fundamental principles of the science could refute. A half hour every other day in the public schools devoted to the study of Prof Jevou's primer, Mrs. Fawcett's excellent little work or any other good book, would be a splendid assurance of safe legislation for the future. In these respects, then, our public schools can be improved. Ideas should be gotten from text-books and not words. The study of science, political economy and our Constitution should be introduced, and could be without increased expenditure. They are greatly needed and eminently practical. We do not attach much importance to the protest against impracticability.

If one thing more than another characterizes an American, it is the desire to secure to his children the advantages denied to himself. A great many things go to make up an education, and we do not believe that we are getting our money's worth to-day.

CHURCHES. In 1851, a class of the Christian Church was organized in Salt Creek Township. The first meetings were held at the residence of Elizabeth Wampler. In 1854, arrangements were made to build a church on Moore's Creek, the funds being raised by subscription. Among the early members were the families of Mrs. Wampler, William Baxter, William Shields, John Lucas, Troylus Mize and others. The membership at the time the building was erected was abou^ thirty. This was the leading religious society of the township in early years. Several others started into life in schoolhouses, but were short lived. Later years have seen the erection of other churches.

Friendship

In the month of September, 1857, James G. Fleener, with the assistance of the County Surveyor, laid off eighteen lots on Section 21, Township 8 north. Range 1 east, and named the village thus begun Friendship, a very pretty and sociable cognomen. But Friendship was fated to die on paper, as it made no friends who cared to remain with it through the storms and sunshines of this busy world. It surrendered to the inevitable in a few short months.

Origin Of The Name

THIS civil division of the county of Monroe, as will be seen more fully in another chapter of this volume, was organized soon after the termination of the administration of President James K. Polk, and in his honor was given the name it now bears. Some portions of the township are extremely rough, with soil of unfortunate sterility ; but other portions are mildly rolling, have numerous natural springs of excellent water, and a surface soil that is practically inexhaustible. Owing to the worthlessness of a few tracts, they were not entered from the Government until within the last ten or fifteen years. The soil was poor and too precipitous to be easily cultivated, and even such timber as grew upon it was comparatively worthless, consisting mainly of small, soft growths and numerous thickets of heavy underbrush. In other portions, however, and usually upon the better lands, grew a rich and varied native forestry of walnut, beech, ash, whitewood, oak and other woods, of equal worth. Scattered throughout the length and breadth of the township along the valleys and in the lower localities was the rich land which attracted the first settlers.

The Early Land-Buyers

The first tract of land entered in Congressional Township 7 north, Range 1 east, was on Section 4. On the 10th of December, 1821, a dozen and more years before the general settlement of the township, Elijah Elliott bought ninety and a fraction acres, but did not erect buildings of any kind nor attempt to reside on the land he had bought. The next entries and the first permanent ones were by men who became the most prominent the township has produced and whose children and grandchildren continue to sustain the honor of the family name. In the year 1823, five years after the organization of the county, when what is now Polk Township was an uninhabited wildwood, except, perhaps, by some temporary family of trappers or hunters, the old settler, George Todd, bought a tract of eighty acres on Section 26, and made preparations to erect thereon rude log buildings for his family and others for his cattle and horses. With the help of his brothers and a man or two who went out with him, the necessary buildings were soon erected and the family immured in their new home. The woods around were full of deer, and occasionally a bear would be seen near the cabin. Three years afterward Mr. Todd bought eighty acres more on the same section, and also eighty acres on Section 23. This gave him a good farm - more in fact than he could use to advantage. In 1831, Andrew Todd bought eighty acres on Section 15, and John Todd eighty acres on Section 14. The second settler, and a man who was to play a conspicuous part in the subsequent history of the township, Thomas Fleetwood, came to the township in 1826, and bought eighty acres of land on Section 36, near that of Mr. Todd. In 1833, he bought forty acres more on the same section. In 1829, Isaac Fleetwood bought eighty acres on Section 35, and in 1834, bought forty acres on Section 26. Solomon Fleetwood bought on Section 26 in 1837, and Joseph Fleetwood on Section 36 in 1839. Joseph Stipp became the owner of eighty acres on Section 20 in 1832, and four years "later entered forty acres on Section 19. William Moss entered a piece in 1834 and another in 1836 on Section 7, and Alexander Newton secured forty acres on Section 23. A piece on Section 10 was bought by William B. Todd in 1837, and another on the same section by ^David Hawkins in 1839. Robert Hicks selected a tract on Section 36 in 1834, William R. Coombs in 1836, and Benjamin Browning in 1837. Isaac Norman bought on Section 35 in 1836, and Moses Martin in 1839. An eighty-acre tract on Section 32 went to Green C. Mize in 1837, Sidney S. Meadows and Q. N. Cain purchased on Section 31 in 1836, and William Henry on the same in 1838. In 1836. both Natty Gougle and Thomas Chambers entered small pieces on Section 30, William Todd bought on Section 26 in 1837 and James Todd on the same in 1839. William Newton also entered land on this section - one piece in 1836 and another in 1837, and Samuel Axom did the same in 1839. William Henry, Jr., and Elizabeth Chambers became the owners of tracts on Section 18 in 1837 and 1838, respectively. John Hanson bought on Section 17 in 1837, and Jesse Davar the same year, and 1839 on Sections 5 and 4. Aaron M. Johnson obtained eighty acres in 1836 on Section 3, and Benjamin H. Halleck forty acres the same year on the same section. Nelson Robertson secured forty acres in 1837 on Section 2. All these tracts of land were in Township 7 north, Range 1 east, but this does not comprise all of the present Polk Township. Twelve sections were detached from Brown County by an act of the Legislature and made a part of Polk Township and Monroe County. The only entries on these twelve sections before 1840 were as follows : Jonathan Faulks and Joshua Repper on Section 31 in 1829, and Charles Sipes on Section 29 in 1836. These twelve sections are a part of Congressional Township 7 north. Range 2 east of the Second Principal Meridian. All the land entered in the township previous to 1840 has now been given.

The township was sparsely settled only at this date, Benjamin Browning lived in the southern part, was taxed for 54 acres, which with improvements were listed at $218, and was assessed $3.16. Reuben Clark lived on section 10 ; he paid a tax of $6.15 on $436 worth of real and personal property. Q. N. Cain resided in the township, but seems to have owned no land'; his personal property was $40. Joseph Cracraft owned no land ; and paid tax on $40 of personal property. John Cherry also resided in the township, as did also David Cherry. William Colder paid on $100 of personal property. Wiley Davar lived on Section 15, and was assessed $3.22. Thomas Fleetwood, who lived down on Section 86, was assessed a tax of $8.54; he had $1,400 worth of personal property and his total taxables were $2,138 ; his land amounted to 194 acres, a portion being on Section 35. William Hunter owned 175 acres on Section 31, and paid a tax of $6.50. Joseph Miller lived on Section 17, and paid $2.84. William Mize lived also on Section 17; his tax was $1.46. Peter Norman owned 240 acres on Sections 26 and 35; his personal property was $800 and total taxables $1,660; his tax was $8.14. The following entry appears upon the tax duplicate : " Mr. Norman thinks he is taxed too much and ought to be released." Isaac Norman paid a polltax. Nelson Robertson lived on Section 2, and D. A. Rogers on Section 4. John Sipes owned a cottage on Section 20. Joshua Stepp owned 120 acres on Sections 19 and 20, and paid a tax of $3.84. James Stepp paid a poll tax. John, Thomas and James Todd were assessed each a poll tax ; but George, Henry and William, although their names appear on the duplicate, seem to have been delinquent. Henry was assessed a poll tax, but seems not to have paid it when due. John Todd paid a tax of $7 .40; Thomas Todd $10.87; and James Todd $4.70; but $6.83 of the tax of Thomas was delinquencies settled. About a half a dozen more men were then living in the township, but their names cannot be given for certainty. Some twenty or thirty families arrived during the remainder of the dec- ade of forties, but the real settlement in its fullness did not commence until the fifties, at which time most of the land was purchased and occupied. The township was organized in 1849.

The Counterfeiters

'During the decades of the forties and fifties - late in the forties and the greater portion of the fifties - bands of counterfeiters, horse-thieves, burglars, etc., overran the greater portion of Indiana, and Monroe County did not escape the pestilence. Within its limits were partially uninhabited tracts of rough country, where ravines, morasses and impenetrable thickets furnished an excellent retreat for the light-fingered gentry to ply their unlawful depredations. In some localities of the State, neighbor could place no dependence on neighbor, for the inducements to pass counterfeit money were so strong, owing to the poverty of the masses and the great advantages of a few hundred dollars, that men of previous good character were persuaded to connect themselves with manufacturers of counterfeit bills or bogus (!bin in order to reap a harvest for a short time, after which they expected to resume their places of honor and good standing untouched by the stigma of crime or misdemeanor. The southeastern portion of Monroe County early showed evidences of illegal transactions of this character. Several of the residents of Polk Township were suspected of complicity, but nothing definite was learned until late in the fifties. Before this, however, counterfeit bills on the various State banks and bogus coin of fair appearance, color and weight made their appearance in the county at the mercantile establishments, and steps were taken to ferret out the rascals. But the system in vogue among the malefactors for a number of years completely or nearly, so bewildered the local authorities, and but little headway was made in ending the " reign of crime." It is likely that no unlawful money was manufactured in Monroe County. Passers of counterfeit money, however, were quite numerous. This soon led to the organization of companies of regulators - men of honesty in Polk Township and vicinity - who resolved to end the career of the lawbreakers if careful watch and persistent effort would do so, and in this they susceeded.

The plan or mode of regulation became quite popular, and was regarded as an effective and satisfactory way of settling with the lawbreakers. It led, however, to grave abuses. In more than one section of the county, a number of men who entertained a grudge against a neighbor would assemble at his residence at night, thoroughly disguised, and would then proceed to give him a terrible whipping. A man named Bingham, living in the county, was thus treated, and so severe was the punishment that his body was a mass of bruised and blackened flesh, from which he died in a few days. The man was no doubt an honest citizen. Another, named Vansickle, was terribly whipped, and after a few months died from the effects at what became Vansickle's mills, in the southern part of Morgan County.

Schools And Churches

The first school was taught in the vicinity of the Todds, early in the forties, but the name of the teacher cannot be given. The house was of logs, and had been built for a dwelling, but the family had vacated it, after which it was transformed into a seat of learning. Schools did not generally start up until the decade of fifties. In 1856, there were but four schoolhouses in the township, both of logs. There are now six or eight. Mr. Todd donated the land on Section 26 for a schoolhouse, and William Hunter the land on Section 31, Range 2 east; the latter includ- ' ed a fine spring of running water. Early in the fifties the Methodist Church, called Chapel Hill, was organized, and soon afterward the building was erected. Among the early members were the families of A. J. Temple, John T. Cracraft, David Miller, Jackson Cracraft and Felix Miller and others. Charles Bruner was an early pastor. Another early church was the one called Pleasant Valley of the Methodists. John Allen, Thomas Allen, Bldridge Prince, William Bdds and others were members. Another early class was the Methodist Church, called Salem Chapel, some of the early members being the families of Peter Norman,

Frame, third class. Frame, poor. Frame, fourth class. Frame, 20x24 feet. Frame, 20x24 feet. Frame, 20x24 feet. Frame, 16x20 feet. Log, poor. Log, poor.

The First Elections

When the township was created in 1849, elections were ordered held at the house of John Todd, or " at Todd's Big Springs." These springs were fine ones and had induced Mr. Todd to locate in their vicinity. Elections were held at Mr. Todd's for several years. The old blacksmith shop there was probably used. Wylie Davar and Samuel Axam were the first Fence Viewers, Peter Norman the first Inspector of Elections and Wylie Davar the first Constable. The school section was not sold until the fifties.

Chapel Hill

In the month of October, 1856, David Miller and John Smith, owners, employed the County Surveyor to lay ofi" twenty-seven lots on the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter of Section 31, Township 7 north. Range 1 east, and named the village thus started on paper Chapel Hill. Their hopes of having a thriving town spring up there, however, were doomed to disappointment. A start was made, but the infant was too weak to survive any great length of time, and so died without hope of resurrection.

Physical Description

THIS township was not] created until the forties, but remained a part of Benton during much of the early history of the county after the latter township was formed and organized. It is the smallest civil division of the county, but contains some of the best and most prominent citizens. Some of the finest and best cultivated farms are here, and the schools and churches will compare favorably with any other portion of the county. The township is generally rolling, the uplands being largely of clay, while along the streams and in several natural depressions a fine alluvial soil, mingled with more or less of sand, returns to the farmer abundant harvests for his labor. The timber is one of the township's best sources of wealth, and is usuall'y allowed to stand on the poorer soil, and is taken from the better soil to give room for the husbandman. There are several fine springs, which furnish water as cold as ice and as pure and clear as crystal.

Geology

One-fourth of a mile southwest of Monroe's mill, on Hacker's Creek, the bed and banks are thickly strewn with granite bowlders. Some beautiful specimens of sienite, greenstone, quartzite and flesh-colored feldspar also abound. One mile east of Monroe's mill, the knobstone is 1 00 feet thick. On Honey Greek, black sand (magnetic iron ore), similar to the gold-bearing sand of Bear Creek, Brown County, may be seen. Granite bowlders strew the ground. Beautiful geodes and fine fossils are found. Black sand containing gold traces is also found in Wolf Creek, which has its head in Brown County.

The Settlement

Marion Township was not settled generally until long after the organization of the county, but this was not due to any natural unattractiveness. It probably arose from the fact that the township was far removed from the county seat, from the larger water-courses where settlements then congregated, and from the highways uniting the leading commercial centers of the early times. This was no fault of the township. It lay there with its broad, rich acres, inviting the agriculturist to homes of plenty and comfort. And at last he came. Like all portions of this part of Indiana, it is difficult to give with any degree of certainty the name of the first settler, and it is still more difficult to give the time of settlement. Many early settlers lived on their lands a number of years before they had been purchased, simply enjoying a squatter's rights. Many others lived on lands which they cultivated for a half dozen or more years, and did not finally buy, as they were simply occupied temporarily, owing to the poverty of the pioneer or to his intention to locate elsewhere. But at last the settler came, and came to stay. The first tract of land purchased in the township was on Section 6. It was entered on the 30th of July, 1823, by Osborn & Brown, merchants, who did not locate for residence in the township at all. They sold the land to others. The second entry was on Section 18, in 1827, by Jehu Buckner, who was no doubt the first permanent settler. He entered a tract on Section 7 at the same time. He built a log cabin, in which his family resided for many years. Of course he saw hard times, but not as much so as did those early settlers who had no mills nor stores nor markets nearer than twenty or thirty miles, and no teams but half-starved oxen. The Buckners grew up with the township, saw the lands yield to the efforts of themselves and their neighbors, saw prosperous homes dot the expanse where they had once seen impenetrable forests, and saw their possessions increase and widen out as the years passed. Shad Martin entered a tract (the third) on Section 18 in September, 1829. James Stepp came to the township in 1832, and purchased two tracts on Section 2. His family and relatives have since resided in the township. They have been among the most enterprising and respected of the citizens. A. H. Fulford purchased a tract on Section 4, in the year 1832. Members of this family have since resided in the township. James and Wylie Poynter bought land on Section 4 in 1833. Their families also became prominent and influential. During the same year - the year of the great meteoric shower, one of the most memorable in the history of the world - Adam Wall bought a fine piece of land on Section 21. His family and that of Conrad Wall were prominent in early times. In 1834 the Hendricksons - as good citizens as old Monroe or young Marion has - came to the township for permanent residence. They bought land on Sections 15, 21, 22, 14, and perhaps others. There were three of them - Thomas J., Joshua and Ezekiel - who established homes in the woods of Marion. By the way, the township was named for that hero of the Revolution, Francis Marion, of whom it was said by the poet : ' ' The British soldier trembles When Marion's name is told."

The old settler, Reuben Stepp, bought land on Section 21 in 1835, and became a prominent resident of the township He also bought a small tract on Section 6 in 1836. William Stewart bought on Section 2 in 1837, and Henry Hicks on the same section the same year. George Downey obtained a tract on the same section in 1836, and bought more on Section 3 the following year. John M. Thomas and Spencer McDaniel secured farms on Section 4 in 1837. Valentine Hacker and G. Percifield bought in 1836 on Section 6, and Thomas M. Graham in 1837 on Section 8 ; David Wampler and Savoy Stepps secured tracts on Section 9 in 1837 ; and William McMilleh and Joseph Baugh on Section 14 in the same year. William McOay bought on Section 19 during the same year. Michael Fleener bought on Section 85 at an early day. His relatives and himself became prominent in Marion and Benton Townships. John J. Graham became the owner of a piece of land on Seccion 3 in 1838, and George M. Fry on Section 2 in 1839 ; William Woodall bought on Section 36 in 1839. These were all the entries of land prior to 1840. The decade of the forties saw but little increase comparatively in the number of permanent and substantial residents. During the fifties, however, nearly all of the land in the township was bought by men who were, or who became, actual residents of the township. In 1841, the following well-known men resided in the township, and may be called the pioneers of Marion ; Jehu Buckner, who owned land on Sections 6, 7, and 10, and who paid a State and county tax of $13.22, the highest in the township ; Thomas Bates, on Section 15; Absalom Fulford, on Section 4; John Goodwin, on Section 18 ; J. J. and Samuel Graham, on Section 7 ; Abraham Goodsey, on Section 10; Ezekiel Hendrickson, on Sections 22 and 27 ; Thomas Hendrickson, on Section 17; Valentine Hacker, on Section 6, who paid a tax of $9.88 ; Reuben Stepp on Sections 21 and 27; Conrad and Adam Wall, on Section 21, and David Wampler on Section 9.

Schools did not start up until late in the forties, and even then inferior and few. The first houses were of logs, rudely built, and were uninviting places until cold weather came, and the huge fire-places were filled with roaring logs and the dark room with a glow of ruddy light. A good school was started in the Hendrickson neighborhood early in the fifties, and for a time was the only well-conducted institution of learning in the township. Soon afterward, however, another was established in the northern part, in the Stepp neighborhood, and was well attended, the teachers usually being citizens of the neighborhood. Late in the fifties, a school was conducted for a few years in the northeastern corner, and about the same time in the southeastern, near the creek. Four or five good schools are now conducted in the township. The early residents of the southern part were forced to go to Unionville to get the advantages of religious instruction. A congregation of the Church of Christ was established there during the forties, and drew a portion of its membership from Marion. The residents of the western and southwestern parts went to the " Separate Baptist Church " on Section 13, Washington Township, and also to the Methodist Church in the southern part of the same township. When Reuben Stepp deeded a small piece of land to the Township Trustees to be used for school purposes, a proviso was inserted that the building should be used by any religious denomination when not occupied for educational purposes. This land was on Section 9. Ezekiel Hendrickson deeded the school lot in his neighborhood for school purposes, the land being on Section 22. Both lots were transferred in April 1854, and were the first.

THOMAS J. BROWN is the eldest child of George W. and Susanna. (Wright) Brown, a native of Kentucky, and was born November 18, 1837. Mr. and Mrs. Brown were respectively of Irish and German extraction, and both natives of Kentucky. After living on a farm until 1842, they moved from the State of their nativity to this State and township, and here entered^land for a home. In 1865, they removed to where the former yet lives, his wife having died some years before. Thomas J. Brown attended the township schools and remained at home, having almost the entire support of the family, until his twenty-third year, his father having long been unable to labor. In 1859, he married Mrs. Cynthia A. McNeely, a native of Kentucky, after which event he moved to the farm owned by his wife, where they still reside, and to which he has added 200 acres, making an aggregate of 440 acres, one of the best farms in the township. In connection with agriculture, Mr. Brown has had a country store for about two years. Mr. Brown is a life-long Democrat, a worthy citizen, and, with his wife, a member of the Christian Church.

FEANCIS M. CARROLL is a native of this county, was born June 15, 1840, and is one of the six children of Lewis and Betsy (Smith) Carroll, the former of Irish, the latter of German descent. Lewis Carroll was a native of Virginia, where he grew to manhood, and afterward moved to Bloomington, this county, and followed his trade of carpenter and millwright for several jeaxa before engaging in farming on the land now owned by our subject. He was for years an ordained minister of the Methodist Protestant Church, and died in March, 1864. Francis M. Carroll acquired a practical education at the county schools. Two years after his father's decease his mother died. July 20, 1861, he enlisted in Company H, Eighteenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in which he served until February, 1862, having participated at Pea Ridge, Ark., Paw- Paw, Mo., an4 in other engagements. March 11, 1866, he married Martha Campbell, a native of Marion County, Ind., to which union succeeded five children - Arthur J., Schuyler C, Mary F., Frank R. and Daisy. After his marriage, he purchased his father's farm of 120 acres, on which he now resides, and being one of the finest of the township. Mr. Carroll is a stanch Republican and a representative citizen.

W. H CREAGER is a native of Bloomington, Ind., was born October 14, 1844, and is one of the nine children of John and Mary (Payne; Greager; the former a native of this county, the latter of North Carolina. John Creager was a blacksmith and worked ad such until about 1856, when he moved to this township, and remained until death, March 4, 1860. W. H. Creager received his education from the common schools. He was fifteen years old when his father died, and then became the head of the household. In 1863, he taught his first school term in Benton Township, from which time until the present he has taught during the winter sessions. July 14, 1870, he married Miss Lueinda, daughter of Philip and Elizabeth Smith. Three children were born to this union, of which two are living - Henry V., born April 7, 1871, and Mag- gie B., born March 1, 1875. Mr. Creager has from titne to time purchased the interests of the heirs of his father's farm, which consists of 100 acres of improved land, on which he has made his residence. ^^^' ing 1870-71, he leased this farm and lived successively in Johnson and Morgan Counties. Mr. Creager was for four years Township Trustee, and still holds sard ofiSce. He is a Democrat and a representative citizen. Mr. and Mrs. Creager are members of the Baptist Church.

ELIJAH A. KNIGHT is a native of Marion County Ind., was born March 2, 1839, and is one of the eight children of Elijah and Nancy (Northern) Knight; the former a native of Kentucky, and bom about 1800 After marriage, he moved to Morgan County, Ind. , where he lived until 1838 or 1839, and then became, one of the contractors, building the Wabash & Erie Canal, after completing which contract he settled in Boone County, and died in 1845. Elijah A. Knight obtained hia education in the primitive schools of the time, and afterward studied at home by the firelight. His father died when he was six years old, and he remained with his mother until his majority, and then purchased the farm of 110 acres, most of which he has retained. In August, 1861, he enlisted in Company H, Thirty-third Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in which he served eleven months; then returned, and in September, 1864, entered an unassigned company of the Thirty-third Indiana Regiment, and served therein until the end of the war. February 22, 1871, he married Sarah E. Matlock, a native of this county, and to this union hav6 been bestowed children - four being yet alive - Anna E., Elijah E., John P. and Clarence P. Mr. Knight is a Democrat, has held several civil offices, and is one of the most prominent men of his township.

WILLIAM L. ADAMS, stock-raiser and farmer, is a native of Garrard County, Ky., was born t)ecember 31, 1830, and is the eldest child of Wilson and Eachel (Taylor) Adams, both natives of Kentucky. The maternal grandfather of our subject, Robert Taylor, was a first cousin to Gen. Zach Taylor, and a soldier of the Revolutionary war. The paternal grandfather, Wilson Adams, was a soldier of the war of 1812"; the father of our subject was a farmer by profession, a Whig in polities, and a Cumberland Presbyterian in religion. He died in 1832, his widow afterward moving to this county, where she married Henry Patton. She became a widow a second time, and died in 1883, aged seventy-three years, a member of sixty years' standing in the Methodist Episcopal Church. William L. Adams removed to Ellettsville with his step-father, where he attended school and grew to manhood, and when nineteen years old began life for himself on rented land. December 29, 1850, he married Elizabeth Cannon, of this county. After this event, he located in Van Buren Township for two years, then removed to Macomb, 111., then returned to this county, and afterward purchased a threshing machine which he operated until he abandoned the same for auctioneering, which he has followed for twenty-five years. Mr. Adams served as Constable for some years under Capt. Sluss. In 1879, he occupied his present farm of 161 acres. July 5, 1863, he enlisted in Company B, One Hundred and Seventeenth. Eegiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, which formed a part of the Ninth Corps of the Army of the Cumberland; he was honorably discharged, and is a member of the G. A. B. Mr. and Mrs. Adams are parents of seven children - John W., Sarah J., Laura A. (doceased), Amanda B., Maggie R., Delia E. and Morton G.

WILLIAM B. ALEXANDEB, retired farmer, was born in Fayette County, Ky., September 3, 1806, and is the eldest of the nine children of James and Sarah (Mashon) Alexander, natives respectively of Virginia and Kentucky, and of Irish and Scotch descent. James Alexander moved to this county in 1825, and located near Bloomington, where he purchased and improved 160 acres. Their privations were those of other pioneers, but they grew in popularity. and in means. Mr. Alexander was a Democrat, served two terms as County Commissioner and was Justice of the Peace for many years. He died in 1852, aged sixty-four years, and his wife afterward, aged seventy-five years. They were members of the Baptist Church. William B. Alexander received a fair education in Kentucky, where, after having removed hither, he married, September 25, 1825, Miss Elizabeth Irvin. After marriage, he returned to this county and managed his father's farm. In 1830, he entered land and began stock dealing in conjunction with farming, and continued so to do for eleven years; then purchased and sold several farms, and finally, in 1864, located where he now resides, on 160 acres, with improvements. Mr. Alexander has been a hard-working yet successful man. He gave his first Presidential vote for Gen. Jackson, but has of late years been a Bepublican and has filled some minor county offices. Mrs. Alexander died November 15, 1869, having been the mother of ten children - William F. , Sarah J. , Mary, Nancy, Martha, Irvin, John, Alvira, and two infants, deceased. The three sons were Union soldiers - William F. died at Nashville, Irvin in Libby Prison and John in Missouri - all filling soldier graves. Mr. Alexander's present wife was Mrs. Baker; they are members of the Christian Church.

T. H. BARNHILL, dealer in merchandise, is a native of Carroll County, Ohio, was born February 14, 1838, and is the eldest of the six children of John and Jane (McNelley) Barnhill, natives respectively of Ohio and Pennsylvania, and of German-Irish and Irish descent. Our subject was sent to school in boyhood and reared to husbandry as a business. When he had reached his eighteenth year, his parents moved to this county, where he attained his majority, and afterward labored by the day for three years, receiving but 50 cents per day. March 7, 1860, he married Miss Mary C. Alexander, of this township, born May, 1842, a union which gave being to six children - Florence J., Charles A., Olie, Eddie, John and Edna. Shortly after marriage, Mr. Barnhill moved to Unionville, where be has since made his home. He now owns and occupies the old Alexander farm, which comprises 358 acres with good buildings and varied improvements, thus constituting a valuable home and property. In 1877, he engaged in merchandising, and was commissioned Postmaster in 1879. He is a prominent Republican, and has been Township Trustee two terms.

DR. DAVID W. BARROW is a native of this township, was born November 4, 1853, and is the eldest son of James M. and Martha A. (V annoy) Barrow, both natives of this county, and respectively of English and German descent. The paternal grandfather of our subject,

David Barrow, came to this section when it was a pristine wild, and, eing a farmer, located in this township, where he served as J*!^""® °\^ . Peace and County Commissioner seventeen years. He had « i»r 240 acres was a Democrat, a Baptist and the father of eight cnuaren. He died in 1880, aged seventy-nine. James M. Barrow was rearea a farmer, received some education, and at the age of forty years became a minister of the Baptist denomination, uniting such service with tne management of his farm. He has been father of three sons and four aangHters, five of whom are living. He is a Freemasoa and a Democrat. David W Barrow attended the home schools at intervals until twenty years of age, when he entered college at Bloomington for one year; then taught two years, returned to college and selected the classical course. After leaving the institution, he entered the office of Dr. Mc- Pheeters, and read medicine, in all nearly two years, after which he atr tended a course of lectures at the Ohio Medical College, and in 1881 began a practice, which he has succeeded in enlarging, with honor and satisfaction. Dr. Barrow is a member of the Baptist Church, a Demo crat, and also a member of the K of P. In 1882, he was chosen Township Trustee. .

SAMUEL L. KERR, farmer and stock-raiser, was born in County Antrim, Ireland, April 15, 1832, the eldest of the nine children of John and Nancy (Logan) Kerr, both natives of Ireland, and of Scotch and Irish descent respectively. John Kerr was by trade a weaver, who in 1839 emigrated to this country with his family 'and located in Bloomington Township, this county, whence he removed to this township and purchased land, and at last, by labor and care, acquired 200 acres as a home, on which he died in 1864, seventy-three years of age, preceded by his wife five days. They were members of the Presbyterian Church. Saifauel L. Kerr was about eight years old when he reached America. Much farm labor devolved on him in youth, and he continued with his father until of age, when he commenced working by the month, and after eight years was enabled to purchase 220 acres, on which he has made his home; having improved said land by erecting a house, supplying stock, and by various other appurtenances, the whole now comprising 280 acres, 100 in pasture, and seventy of fine bottom land. December 5, 1861, he married Miss Margaret, daughter of Jonathan and Catharine Hinkle, and to their union have been given eight children - James B., John J., Samuel M., Charles A., Nannie V. C, Ella May, Maggie E. (deceased), and Mary A. Mr. Kerr is a Republican, a worthy citizen, and he and wife are members of the United Presbyterian Church.

WILLIAM H. KERR, stock-raiser and farmer, was born June 6, 1847. His father was William Kerr, a native of Ireland, who, about 1824, emigrated to America, settled in this county, and entered the land on which our subject now resides, and where Mr. Kerr, Sr., passed his lator life, and succeeded in making a good home of sixty acres, well improved. He died in 1855, aged sixty years, leaving a wife and two children, who managed the farm. He was a Reformed Presbyterian, as is his wife, who is yet living, aged sixty-five years; the only daughter died in 1872. William H. Kerr remained at home until he was seventeen, when he enlisted in Company E, One Hundred and Forty-fifth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, for twelve months' service, which was passed in the Southern States in doing skirmish duty. He was honorably discharged, and in 1867, purchased eighty acres of his present home, which now com- prises one hundred and forty acres, containing some stock and many improvements. December 24, 1872, he married Miss Elizabeth Mulliken, a native of Johnson County, by which union they were favored with four children - Maud B., Connie J., Cora B. and Laura M. Mr. Kerr engaged in agriculture near Franklin until 1879, when he returned to his former site and home. He is a Republican, and he and his wife are worthy members of the Christian Church.

SAMUEL GETTY, farmer and stock-raiser, is a native of Ireland and the youngest child of Samuel and Nancy (Kerr) Getty, both natives of Ireland, and both Protestants. Samuel Getty, Sr., was a tiller of the soil, who ended his life, as did his wife, in the country of his birth. Their eldest son emigrated to this country about 1840, and farmed until his decease. Our subject obtained an ordinary education and was restred as a farmer. In 1851, married Miss Rose Cubitt, a native of Ireland. In 1852, they emigrated to America by way of New Orleans, and reached this section after a travel of eleven weeks. Mr. Getty having but $200, he worked at farming for one year, and soon after purchased a portion of his present home, which now comprises 280 acres, 100 of which are bottom lands of great fruitfulness; he has also twenty acres in Perry Township - all the result of his thrift and economy. He is one of the largest farmers in this township, and gives his undivided attention to his farm and raising stock. Mr. and Mrs. Getty have been parents of eleven chil dren, of which number the following are living: Nancy, Elizabeth, John C. and Ida Ellen. Both are members of the United Presbyterian Church.

WILLIAM PETERSON, farmer and stock-raiser, is the eldest son of Thomas and Mary (Custer) Peter.son, natives respectively of Ohio and Pennsylvania. The paternal grandfather of our subject was a Virginian, who located in Ohio when a wilderness, and reared five sons and three daughters. Thomas Peterson was reared a farmer in Jefferson County, Ohio, but came to this township in 1854, where he purchased forty acres, and farmed until January, 1864, when he became a soldier of the Tenth Cavalry. During this service, he was attacked by sickness, and while on his way home he died, being buried at Louisville. He left a wife, who survives him, and seven children. He was a Republican, and a Baptist. William Peterson was born in Jefferson County, August 12, 1830; was reared to farming, and remained at home until he was^twentyseven years of age. After working on the home farm until he was eighteen years old, he learned the carpentering, at which he worked in summer, and taught school in the winter. He taught his last term in 1863. June, 1859, he married Sarah E. Rader, who died in 1866, leaving four children - Ira D., Phinny H., Cordelia A. and Thomas W. ,April 29, 1877, he wedded Miss Margaret A. Reimer, by which marriage they had two children - Carey J. and Mary C. February, 1865, Mr. Peterson was detailed as carpenter at Camp Carrington. This was i his only soldier service. He was discharged May 8, 1865. In 1859, he located on the farm, which embraces 540- acres, one-half of which is improved, with good stock, etc. In 1876, he was elected County Commissioner, as which he gave great satisfaction. He is Commander of Alexander Post, and a member of the Baptist Church.

T. J. PETERSON, proprietor of the spoke factory at Unionville, was born in Jefferson County, Ohio, September 7, 1846, and is one of the family of Thomae and Mary Peterson. When he was nine years old, his parents moved to this county, which has since been his home. When fifteen years old, being of large stature, he enlisted, in the fall of l°rf ' in Company H, Fiftieth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, assigned to the Western division, their hardest engagement being at the siege of Mobile. During his service, he suffered from measles: afterward, in 1863, at Little Kock, he became a veteran, and September 27, 1865, was discharged as Sergeant. He then took charge of the home farm for two years, and later, worked on a railroad, and as sawyer for several firms, and for several years. November 6, 1873, he married Miss Alice A. Sluss, of this township, which union gave being to four children, of which number two survive - Edna M. and Daisy Irene. In the autumn of 1882, he purchased the spoke factory he is now operating, in which he has $2,000 invested. Mr. Peterson is an ardent Kepublican, and a public -spirited citizen. Mrs. Peterson is a member of the Christian Church.

DAVID A. YOUNG, farmer and stock-raiser, is a son of Abraham and Susan (Whisennand) Young, natives of Kentucky and Vii^inia respectively, and of German extraction. The paternal grandfather of our subject, David Young, moved to this county from Kentucky in the earliest days, and settled and made a home here. He was the parent of four sons and three daughters. Abraham Young began life poor, but, by industry and care, made a good home and farm of 120 acres. He was a member of the Christian Church, and died February 14, 1850, aged forty-three, leaving a wife, who still survives, aged seventy-six, and six children. David A. Young was born in this township, March 7, 1829, the eldest of the family. After working on the home farm until his twentieth year, he began life for himself by farming on rented land. July 27, 1848, he married Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Hugh and Nancy McClung, who were among the first settlers in this township. This union was honored with twelve children, of which number ten yet are living - Nancy J., Amanda, John, Mary E., Sarah C, Saretha A., James A., Cora Bell, Isaac N. and David Omar. Mr. Young continued to labor for house and land for years, and in 1858 purchased his father's farm of 112 acres, where he has since resided, devoting himself to stock-raising as well as agriculture. Mr. Young is a highly esteemed citizen, and he and wife are members of the Christian Church.

JAMES O, BAXTER, farmer, was born in this township, March 24, 1835, and is a son of William and Mary (Lee) Baxter; the former a native of Tennessee, the latter of Kentucky. William Baxter moved when very young to this county and received a fair education. He was a farmer by occupation, which he followed until his death, January 1, 1858. Mrs. Baxter was a life-long communicant of the Separate Baptist Church, and departed from earth August 24, 1872. James O. Baxter, our subject, received a quite limited education in youth, and remained with his parents until September 5, 1861, when he became a soldier in Company G, Thirty-first Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and continued in the service until January 6, 1866, during which period he was promoted to be Sergeant. After his discharge, he returned to his parents, with whom he remained until December 16, 1866, at which time he married Amanda Ellen Smith, a native of this county, and to them five children have been granted, of which number one son and two daughters, remain. Mr. Baxter is a strong pleader for temperance, and in political leaning a Democrat. He is one of the principal land owners and citizens of the township, and, with his wife, a devoted member of the Christian Church.

JAMES D. BUTCHER is a native of Coles County, 111., was born March 19, 1861, and is a son of Jacob and America D. (Finley) Butcher, natives of Indiana and of English descent. Jacob Butcher received a limited education, and when sixteen years old departed for California, but, meeting with reverses, roamed through many States and Territories, and finally returned to his native commonwealth and married in 1856. He then moved to Texas for two years; thence removing to Illinois, where he remained four years, an^ thereafter returned to this county. Mr. Butcher has been a life-long farmer. James D. Butcher received a good school education in this county's schools, and for the past two years has been teaching in the public schools, having previously assisted his father on the home farm. He is politically a Greenbacker, a respected citizen and one of the most promising young men of his county and township. In religious inclination, he is, like his parents, an adherent of the Seventh- Day Advent Church.

HIRAM M. HELTENBURG is a native of Wythe County, Va., and was brought into the world August 27, 1815. He was not fortunate endugh to receive any education in youth, and at the age oE twenty years emigrated with his mother and step- father to this State and county, where he remained with them until April 26, 1846, at which time he married Nancy Sowder, of this county, since which time he has lived exclusively in Monroe and Lawrence Counties. Mr. Heltenburg is a member of Harrodsburg Lodge, No. 322, A. F. & A. M. He is a National in politics, and a strong advocate of temperance. He has one of the best farms in his region that is to be found, and he is one of the leading and solid citizens. Mr. and Mrs. Heltenburg are long-standing and esteemed members of the Christian Church, and the parents of eight children, of which number two sons and five daughters are living.

JOHN HUNTINGTON, farmer, is a native of this township, his date of birth February 21, 1833, and his parents Jonathan and Elizabeth (Turman) Huntington, the former a native of Lower Canada, the latter of Tennessee, and both of English extraction. Jonathan Huntington had received a good education, and about 1831 or 1832, moved to this county, where he followed his only profession - farming - having purchased land from the Government. He died in 1843, and Mrs. Huntington in 1872; she was a member of the Baptist Church. John Huntington was born, reared, ediicated and married in this county, where he has spent a life of fifty-one years, and is now the oldest settler. In 1854, he went by emigrant train to California, remained until 1857, and then returned. March 31, 1859, he married Sarah V. Payne, of this county, from which union issued eight children, of which three sons and four daughters are living. Mr. Huntington has one of the best farms with improvements and appointments in this township. He has served as Justice of the Peace and County Commissioner. Both he and wife iire adherents of the Baptist Church.

JOHN C. JOHNSON, deceased, was a native of Danville, Vt. , born July 4, 1824, and is a son of Robert and Sarah Johnson. He received more than a common school education, having for a time attended an academy in his native State. In consequence of his father's decease, he was early destined to struggle for a livelihood, and in that time played many parts as a sailor, a railroad hand, and for some years worked on the L., N. A. & C. Kailroad. May 15, 1853, he married Susan Ellis, a native of this county, to which union were bestowed several children, three sons and four daughters being yet alive. In 1865, Mr. Johnson enlisted for service againt the rebellion, during which he contracted a fatal illness, which culminated in death June 21, 1869. Mr. Johnson was a devoted and honored member of the M. E. Church, a Republican politically, and a most reputable and trusted citizen. Mrs. Johnson has, by her indomitable energy, not only reared her family, but purchased a farm in this township, which constitutes her home.

DAVID B. JUDAH, farmer, is a native of Montgomery Coiinty, Ky. , was born September 9, 1814, a son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Jennings) Judah, the former a native of Germany, the latter of Virginia, and respectively of German and German- Irish descent. Samuel Judah emigrated to the United States about the year 1790, and settled in Kentucky, where he lived more than thirty years, then moved to Lawrence County, this State, planted a crop of corn, returned to Kentucky for his family, and there sickened and died; this was in October, 1820. He associated preaching with farming, and was hostile to slavery. David B. Judah remained at home until he was eighteen years old, when he learned the tanner's trade and worked thereat until 1840, at which time he established a tannery at Bloomington. January 31, 1836, he married Miss Emma Harriet, daughter of William and Jemima Parks, to which union eleven children were bestowed, of which number five sons and two daughters are yet living - Samuel N., Winepark, Elizabeth E., Morris, Rodolphus, Francis M. and Emma H. Mr. Judah followed tanning until 1878, when he gave his attention to farming, with an experience of two years in the mercantile way; his farm is situated in Brown County. His sons, Morris and Francis, are proprietors of the only grist mill in this township, also one of the best water mills. Morris is likewise a practicing physician; both are influential citizens. Mr. and Mrs. -Judah are members of the Christian Church.

MILTON MYERS, farmer, was born in this county May 12, 1840, his parents being Henderson and Minerva Myers. Henderson Myers came to this county when about fourteen or fifteen years of age, worked on a farm, and continued in that capacity until he was twenty- five, when he married. He purchased a farm in Perry, and also one in this township, where he died March 22, 1826; he and wife were lifelong members of the Separate Baptist Church. Milton Myers received a good public school education, and remained with his parents until June 21, 1860, at which time he married Mary A. Buskirk, of this county, which union was blessed by nine children, of which number are yet living three sons and four daughters, of which last Miss Addie has received a fine education and is now a promising teacher. Mr. Myers is a practical farmer; he has held the position of Road Superintendent, and is one of the leading and influential citizens of the township. Mrs. Myers and two daughters are members of the Christian Church.

SOLOMON C. PAYNE was born in Rowan County, N. C. , November 16, 1830, and is the eldest child of James and Anna (Phillips) Payne, the former a native of North Carolina, born 1810, the latter of Virginia, born 1812. James Payne was a miller, and moved to this county in 1831, where both he and Mrs. Payne closed their lives - the former January 13, 1874, the latter April 21, 1876, a member of the Baptist Church; they were parents of eight girls and four boys, all of whom lived to maturity. Mr. Payne was a Democrat, and served as Justice of the Peace and Township Assessor for more than twenty years. Solomon C. Payne lived mostly with a grandfather until he was sixteen years old, at which time war with Mexico was declared, and he, in common with many boys, desired to engage therein. His father finally consented, and our subject enlisted in Company D, Sixteenth Infantry, said company commanded by Capt. Richard Owens, the regiment by Col. John W. De Batts. About July, 1847, they reached Monterey, and did garrison duty until peace was procl^iimed, the regiment being disbanded August 7, 1848. About 1850, Mr. Payne married, with an issue of two girls, from which mother he was afterward divorced, and about 1860 married Elizabeth Hathaway. In August, 1861, Mr. Payne enlisted for three years in Company I, Fiftyninth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was discharged June 14, 1865, since which date he has been variously employed, but mainly as a farmer. He has been ordained as a minister of the Baptist, and later of the Christian Church (New Light). He is a Democrat, has been Township Assessor, and is now a Justice of the Peace.

JOHN SEXTON, farmer, is a native of Greene County, Ind., was born December 28, 1835, and is'a son of James and Mary (Staton) Sex- , ton, the former a native of Alabama, the latt«r of Kentucky. James Sexton was reared and attended school in Tennessee, whither he had gone at an early age, and when about twenty-one years of age removed to Kentucky, remained ten years; afterward came to Greene County, this State, and finally to this township, where he finished his earthly course in October, 1874. Mrs. Sexton is yet living at the age of eighty-four. She is, as Mr. Sexton was, a member of the Separate Baptist Church. John Sexton received but slight education, having been depended upon to assist the faiaily in the work of the farm during his boyhood. He remained at home, therefore, until he was twenty-six years of age, about which period, September 19, 1861, he married Margaret J . Smith, a native of this county, a union which has been favored with two sons and one daughter. Sixteen years ago, Mr. Sexton purchased the farm where he now resides, and has become one of the representative men of the township. He is a Democrat in politics, and he and lady are worthy members of the Christian Church.

WILLIAM H. SHIELDS, farmer, was born in Bourbon County, Ky., March 7, 1819, and is a son of Joseph and Sarah (Masterson) Shields, also natives of Kentucky. Joseph Shields moved with his family to this county in 1835, where he purchased land and remained until death, April 5, 1841. He was exclusively a farmer, and, during the war of 1812, a teamster. Mrs. Shields was a member of the Separate Baptist Church, and left the earth October 31, 1880. William H. Shields received an ordinary education in Kentucky, and remained with and labored for his parents \mtil January 12, 1842, when he married Mary Hndlan, to which union were bom twelve children, of whom four sons and six daughters remain. He is a Democrat, and he and wife are honored members of the Separate Baptist Church.

John W. Shields, teacher, is a native of this township; was born February 15, 1863, his parents being William H. and Mary Shields. He received a good public school education, makes his home with his parents, and a business of agriculture. For a few years past, he has been a teacher in the public schools, and is progressing satisfactorily. He is a Democrat and a promising young gentleman.

GEORGE W. WAMPLER, teacher, was bom in this township July 4, 1849, and is a son of William and Julia (Sherrill) Wampler, the former a native of Virginia, the latter of Kentucky, and respectively of Dutch and German-Irish descent. William Wampler was fairly educated at the public schools of this State, whither he came about 1830, and remained until 1874. He served eight months as a private during the rebellion, and has since, as before, made farming his occupation. Mr. and Mrs. Wampler are life -during members of the Baptist Church, and are at present living in Wright County, Mo. George W. Wampler remained at home until he was twenty-four years of age; March 13, 1878, he married Miss Julia C. Shields, a native of this county, a union which was honored with five children, two sons and three daughters. Mr. Wampler in his former life was a farmer, but is now in the profession of teaching. In politics, he is a Democrat, and at present holds the office of Township Assessor, with satisfaction to his constituents. He is one of the most influential men and most respected citizens of his township. ^