Zionsville Town (part 2 of 3)

Recollections Of Samuel Evans

The only surviving members of our family are one brother and myself. Evan Evans came here in the spring of 1838. The next spring I came with my family. Our brother Jonathan came out in the fall of the same year I came. All looked new and wild. We had a body of heavy timber to commence in. We settled on what was known as the wander prairies, two miles south of Elizaville. They were wet most of the season unless we had an unusually dry summer. The prairies afforded pasturage as early as the 1st of March. This was a great relief to us as we had our farms to make. Our best plow was the jumping shovel. Our farm implements were few in number. The prairies furnished a good supply of hay for winter use. There was a good supply of game, such as deer, coon, turkeys, and smaller varieties. I never had the patience required to make a successful hunter. We had two of Kentucky's hunters, Willis West and Grandpa Baker. Our markets were distant and milling inconvenient. We got our hand-mills going and soon got up a pot of mush out of new corn. Buckwheat was easier ground. We used bridle-paths for highways, for sometime if a crossing became muddy we would soon select another place. The loom and spinningwheel which we depended on in those days have disappeared. The neighborhood generally came together at raisings and logrollings. We were thinly settled for awhile, and I consider that the most enjoyable time. As population increased pride began to loom up, consequently other rulings became more manifested. Several items might be inserted, but as others are contributing to your book this will be sufficient. Ages are as follows: E. Evans in eighty-sixth year; I am in my seventy-third year.

Communication From William H. Mills

I was born in Guilford County, N. C., June 9, 1815; was married to Tobitha Stanbrough, of Wayne County, Ind., October 29, 1836. She proved a worthy companion and helpmate worthy the name of mother and wife. My early boyhood days were spent in Carolina and Virginia. At the age of ten years I accompanied my father in bis trips hauling flour and bacon to South Carolina to supply the rich slave-holders and their slaves. At the age of fifteen years, I moved a family from North Carolina to Wayne County, Ind., remained there a short time, visiting friends and relatives, when I sold the wagon and returned to North Carolina with the team, over the mountains of Virginia and Tennessee. At the age of seventeen I hauled salt from the Ocean Salt Works to Wilmington, a distance of eight miles, making one trip a day, driving a good team, consisting of five good horses. At eighteen I hauled tobacco, for a rich old planter, to Petersburgh, Va. The next year I moved to Wayne County, Ind., where, in due course of time, I was married, as above stated. After our marriage, in 1836, we moved to Madison County, Ind., where we had but few white neighbors, with plenty of Indians at our side. Here, for seven years, we had a hard struggle for a start in the world, and where most of our family were born.

In the year 1842 we moved to what was then called the "State of Boone," where we have resided ever since. My occupation has been farming and stock-raising. A portion of the time I was engaged in threshing grain in Boone and Montgomery counties. I believe I had among the first, if not the very first, threshers in the county. Threshing was not, at that time, done in a few days, but we often worked at it in the winter time. Six children living, one in Texas, one in Florida, two in Kansas, two in Indiana, ali of whom are doing well, and I am glad to say I raised them to be temperate and industrious men and women. 'My first vote was cast for the late Solomon Meredith, for sheriff, in 1836 - a noble, good man, who stood high, not only among his friends, but on his feet, being full six feet and six inches high. I was an old Whig up to the death of that party. I have been acting with the Republican party, but of late have nearly lost confidence in parties. I want to live to see a good prohibitory law 'enacted in our state and nation, as it would, in my opinion, stop seven-tenths of the evils of our good county. I am glad to say I have lived to see our county improve so much. The "State of Boone" is no more applied to us in ridicule, but we are fast climbing to the top in the way of advancement in everything that goes to make up a good county.

Communication From James A. Richardson

I was born in Owen County, Indiana, on March 17, 1827. My father moved to Boone County on the 31st of February, 1837, and this county has been my home since that time. There has been a great change in the county since that time. There were but two roads laid out in the eastern part of the county, viz.: the Michigan and the Lebanon and Noblesville road. The few settlers that lived in this neighborhood lived in log cabins, in the woods with a small patch of ground partially cleared. The manner of clearing in those days was to grub the small bushes and chop the small trees and logs with axes. Piling them up in large heaps they would be left to dry until they could be burned. After deadening the remainder of the trees the fields then looked more like woods than cornfields. This, however, was the best we could do, as to have chopped all the trees in this thick forest with its unditched and overshaded land would have been an impossibility. We had no implements but the maul, wedge, Carey plow and the old-fashioned single shovel plow. The Carey plow was very scarce then, not being more than one to every half-dozen settlers. Such a thing as a carriage or buggy was never heard of. We lived oncorn bread, hog, hominy, potatoes, pumpkins and wild game. There was an abundance of small game, such as deer, wild turkey, pheasants, quails, raccoons, opossums, grey squirrels and rabbits. There was an old water mill on Eagle Creek that ground a little corn meal in the rainy part of the year, but it being very slow was not to be depended upon. A hungry hound could have eaten the meal as fast as jt was ground. We carried our corn on horseback to Dye's and Sheets' mills. The distance was eight and eleven miles. In a few years we raised a little wheat which we had to take to Indianapolis to get ground for flour. As for market, what wheat and hogs we raised we took to Lafayette, on the Wabash, or to the Ohio River. The price of wheat in those days was from forty to fifty cents per bushel. The hogs were sold to hog merchants, who bought as large droves as they could buy. The price the settlers received was from $1.50 to $2.50 per 100 pounds. We had to have some things, such as salt, leather and spun cotton for chain for jeans and linsey. Those articles were indispensable, and if they could not be had any other way the deer and raccoon skins were resorted to to supply the qant. 'The women spun the wool, wove the jeans and made by hand all the clothing the men wore in the winter, and spun flax and tow and wove into linen, which they made into shirts and pants for their sammer wear. There was but little dress goods bought in those days. All this work the fair ones had to do without the aid of machines save the big and little wheels and hand looms. There was not a cook-stove, sewing machine nor washing machine for ten or fifteen years after the first settling of what is known as the Big Spring neighborhood. The women had to do their cooking by the fireplace, and one room was parlor, sitting-room, bedroom, dining-room and kitchen. IT am of the opinion that if the women of to-day had to go back and endure the privations of that time there would be some bloody snoots and black shins. We had to cut our wheat with the sickle and threshed it with the flail or tramped it off on a dirt floor with a horse in the field on the ground. To separate the wheat from the chaff, we made wind with a sheet in the hands of men, one at each end to riddle the downs to them. We cut our meadows with the poorest kind of scythes ; I think they were all of iron with a crooked stick fastened to them. We had no steel pitch-forks in those days, but had to go to the woods, hunt out forked bushes and peel them to handle our hay with. We did not raise a great amount of hay. Our stock cows lived most of the winter without hay. Cattle and sheep were very unhealthy at that time. The cattle died with what was called bloody murain or dry murain; but it is now thought to have been leeches that were in the sloughs and ponds. The sheep died from eating wild parsnips. which grew abundantly in the low, wet land. Hogs did well,. living almost the year round without corn. Just enough was. given them to keep them from growing wild. There were a great many wild hogs in the woods at that time. We had no school houses and no churches. The first school house in this neighborhood was built on the land of Jonathan Scott, on the east bank of Eagle Creek, one quarter of a mile west of the little village of Big Spring. This house was built about the year 1838. The first church organization was a class of the

M. E. Church about the year 1837. In the summer or fall of that year the class was organized at Caleb Richardson's, and for a few years most of their meetings were held there and at John Parr's. Finally their society grew strong enough to build, which they did about the year 1840. They gave it the name of Big Spring. This name was given it because of its nearness to a very large spring of water. This church was a large and commodious hewed log building and served a good purpose as a church until the year 1866, when it was superceded by a neat frame building, which stands there to-day. But where are the old pioneers who broke the first sod, cleared the brush, felled the large oaks and built the first school houses and churches? They are all gone except two that I know of, and those are old Uncle Johnny Parr and old Aunt Anna Richardson.

Communication From T. P. Miller, Of

Statement by Thomas P. Miller, who was born in Dickson County, Tenn., on the Ist of December, 1812- When I was about one year old my father, Wm. Miller, moved to Butler County, Ohio, where he remained long enough to raise one crop. He then moved to Union County, Indiana, five miles southeast of Liberty, eight miles west of Oxford and three and one-half miles southwest of the College Corner, where we remained until April, 1831. Father had sold his farm the winter before and entered eighty acres of land in Boone County, where he afterwards laid out the town of Eagle Village. In the meantime he went to Cincinnati and purchased a stock of dry goods, groceries, hardware, queensware, etc. He hired my cousin, James McClelland, to haui his goods from Cincinnati to Boone County. With three yoke of large oxen and a large wagon, James brought the goods from Cincinnati to our house. With our household goods loaded into a wagon, we all started together for Boone. We got along tolerably well until we passed Rushville. It had been raining considerable and finally turned up with a blustering sdow storm, which compelled us to stop. We stopped at the farm house of Rev. James Haven, who kindly gave us the use of a school house near his residence. The next day, continuing our journey, we came to the Little Blue River, where we remained all night on account of high water. The next day we came on to Big Blue. There we crossed in a ferry boat by making several trips. Our next drawback was at Big Sugar, where we were compelled to unload our goods and cross in a large canoe. The wagons were taken to pieces and the horses and cattle allowed to swim across. Crossing White River at Indianapolis in a boat we arrived at Uncle Frank McClelland's and Uncle Thomas Martin's, seven miles west of Indianapolis. We were now but fourteen miles from our destination. Cousin W. B. McClelland, brother John and I started ahead with our axes. From David Hoover's we cut our road through the thick woods and underbrush, crossing Eagle Creek to a point about two hundred yards south of the line of the Michigan Road. We then built a camp, enclosing three sides. The roof, which extended several feet farther than the open front, was covered with clap-boards. The next day our household goods were unloaded in the camp. Our next mission was to build a store-house. This we built of logs scratched inside and out with the broad axe. The size of this large and commodious store room was about sixteen feet square. When we were ready for the goods it was not long before we heard brother Jim hallooing " Mike and Jim; Duke and Darby," more than a mile away. When he came up the remarks he made about the new road we had cut were not very flattering. Of course it was not an air line. It was a singular and lonesome looking place for a dry goods store, but it was not long before the men commenced to drop in through the woods, generally with a gun on their shoulder.. Our next work was to build a double log house for a family residence, which was of the same architectnre as the store room.

At that time there were a few families about three or four miles east of us on Williams Creek and McDuffey's run, in Hamilton County. There were also several families on Crooked Creek, in Marion County about five miles from us. There were quite a number of families in Marion County on Eagle Creek, below the Boone County line, who were our neighbors and traded at our store. The rest of our neighbors were in Boone County, on Eagle Creek above the Marion County line. I believe I can give the names of nearly all of them. Squire, Jacob Sheets, grown sons, Andrew and George, John Sheets, Patrick Sullivan, John Sargent, David Hoover, first clerk of circuit court, sons Jacob and Isaac, Elijah Cross, Austin Davenport, first sheriff, Jesse Davenport, one of the first county commissioners, Wesley Smith, first county treasurer, James G. Blair, John King, Rev. Benj. Harris, Captain Frederick Lowe, sons John and George, Wm. E. Lane, Jesse Lane, Samuel Lane, Elijah Standridge, Jacob Johns, John Robert Johns, Henry Johns, Johns, Renny Johns, Rev. George Dodson, Elijah Dickerson, Aaron Phipps, Ruel Dodson, Thomas Dodson, George Walker, Thomas Walker, Texes Jackson, Edward Jackson, and perhaps a few others whose names I have forgotten. The above were all, or nearly all living on Eagle Creek, above the Marion County liné, a distance of eight miles. There were two or three families living on Whitelick, near the edge of Hendricks County - I believe one by the name of Dollerhide and one Specklemuir. There was another small settlement at Jamestown and one at Thorntown, which made up the inhabitants of Boone County at that time. The next year the emigration to Boone County increased rapidly. Dozens of families had settled within three miles of us on the west side of Eagle Creek. I will give a few of their names: Abram Phillips, Lewis Dale, Noah Byrket, Jesse Harden, Joshua Foster, James and Robert White, Wm. Beelar, and many others. I remember well of Joshua Foster asking me to hew a set of house logs for him. I think it was the same year we came to Boone County that

Austin Davenport was elected representative to the state legislature from Boone and Hamilton counties and a scope of territory north and east of Hamilton County, beating William Conner, of Noblesville. The voting precincts at that time to Jamestown to electioneer for Mr. Davenport, bought a quart of whisky, and in the language of Captain Rice, " gin a treat." Mr. Davenport got about all the votes at the precinct. Bro:

Wash went the same day to a precinct at or near the falls of Fall Creek and done some electioneering for Mr. Davenport, © which precinct is now a part of Madison County. I believe - at that time there were only three voting precincts in Boone Qounty; one at David Hoover's, on Eagle Creek, one at 'Thorntown and one at Jamestown. The same year Austin Davenport, James McClelland and I, took a trip to Lafayette on horseback via Thorntown. We passed through the place where the city of Lebanon now stands but did not see a house from the time we left Eagle Creek till we came to Thorntown. We saw several deer but no Indians. Between Thorntown and Lafayette we saw several houses, many gopher hills, prairie chicken, sand-hill cranes and sod fences. Mr. Davenport stopped at his brother-in-law's, Samuel Hoover, while James and I crossed the river, going about four miles in the country to Uncle Moses Meek's. Jim was riding a pretty fair looking white horse which he was praising to Uncle. "Yes," said uncle, "I know that to be a good horse; I knew him twenty yearsago. He belonged to a man by the name of Harter who lived near College Corner, in Union County. The only objection any one had to him at that time was that he was a little too old."

The Michigan road was cut out from Madison, Ind., to South Bend in the years 1829, 1830 and 1831. When we came to our camp in Boone County the road was cut as far as the top of the hill at White River, five and a half miles from Indianapolis. About a year later the cutting and grubbing was finished through Boone County. The road is one hun- dred feet wide, Thirty feet of the center the trees were grubbed out by the roots, leaving thirty-five feet on each side that was cut off nearly level with the ground. Thousands of dollars worth of fine walnut, poplar, oak and other valuable timber was literally ruined. When one of those fine, large trees was grubbed out by the roots it would leave a hole as deep as a man's head. As soon asa tree would fall two men would jump on it with axes, both on one side, about six or eight feet from the roots, cutting right and left. As soon as one side was cut half through they would turn to the other side, cutting in the same manner the timber in such lengths as suited them to haul out of the road. Those large tree roots, logs, brush and rubbish hauled out on each side of the road made it almost impossible to get either in or out of the road. Thos. Martin, of Marion County, and Jas. Sigreson, of Hendricks County, had the contract for cutting and grubbing seventeen miles of the Michigan road, from Indianapolis north, which extended about four miles into Boone County. As soon as the Michigan road was cut out, Wm. Miller laid out the town of Eagle Village, which was surveyed by Geo. L. Kinnard, of Marion County. T. P. Miller, a son of Wm. Miller, carried one end of the chain to lay off the town, although only eighteen years old. Wm. Miller, in 1836, sold his farm, including all unsold lots in Eagle Village, to Daniel M. Larimore, who afterwards laid off an addition to the village. Wm. Miller was the first postmaster, Fielden Utterback the second postmaster, Thos. P. Miller was third postmaster. He was then serving as justice of the peace, holding that office ten years and the office of postmaster nearly nine years. Jos. F. Daugherty was fourth postmaster, Nathan Crosby the fifth and last postmaster, the office having been abolished. As soon as the cutting and grubbing of the Michigan road was finished, the contracts for grading were let to the lowest bidder. The sale took place at Indianapolis. Austin Morris was the auctioneer and Robt. B. Duncan clerk. J.C. Walker got most of the contracts on this part of the road. When the grading was finished and the holes where the large roots had been taken out filled up, the contract for bridging the streams was let. The bridges when finished were very rough but substantial. The road was now ready for the four-horse coaches which were soon carrying the daily mail from Indianapolis to Logansport.

For months at a time while I was postmaster, I had to get up at three o'clock in the morning and change the mail. When the roads were bad they had to use what they called mud wagons. When we first settled in Boone County the woods were covered with pea vine, which afforded excellent pasture for cattle. There were a good many black and yellow rattlesnakes. Just west of Squire Sheets place there was a little mill, or corncracker, which had been built by the neighbors for their convenience. Jesse Davenport said when it was in use it was a faithful little mill. Just as soon as it would finish one grain of corn it would jump right on to another. At that time there was no regular miller, each person doing his own grinding. One of the neighbors took a little sack of corn to the mill, put it in the hopper, started the mill and went home, to return when his grist should be ground. Having accidently shut his dog in the mill, he returned to find the meal eaten out of the chest as fast as it had been ground in. The county seat of Boone was located about 1832, and named Lebanon. The board of county commissioners were called to meet and let the contracts for building a court house and jail. The court house wasa hewed log house, about 16x24 feet, two stories high, and was built ona lot on the north side of the public square. The first jail was built east of the public square and was made of hewed logs about a foot square. After the contracts were let for the building of the court house and jail, Jesse Davenport, who was one of the county commissioners, returned home. Several of the neighbors called to learn the result of the first meeting of the board at the new capitol. In answer to the question regarding the size of the court house, Mr. Davenport said: "Tt is to be ten feet square and ten rails high." There were some mud and several log shan- ties scattered around in different parts of the town. There was one log shanty on Main street, near the southwest corner of the public square, that seemed to attract as much of the crowd as the court, which was then in session. There was a man in that log house who was retailing whisky by the drink- The floor of the cabin was laid with round poles about four inches in diameter, and in walking over these they would spring down into the mud and water until it was a perfect loblolly. At that time I believe there was no license required for selling whisky, which retailed at twenty-five cents a gallon. At the first court in Lebanon there were not many cases on the docket. Nearly half the cases were called hog cases, persons indited for stealing hogs. Ata subsequent court held in the same court house, Mr. Thos. Kersey, a respectable farmer, and three or four other gentlemen who had been summoned on the jury, were sitting in a room in the hotel. Col. C. C. Nave, a prominent attorney of Hendricks County, was walking back and forth across the room with his thumbs stuck in the armholes of his vest. Suddenly facing those jurors he said: "Iam hell ona hog case." Mr. Kersey said he supposed the colonel took them all to be hog thieves.

The auditor's, treasurer's and recorder's offices were all destroyed by fire in October, 1856. The auditor, James A. Nunn, succeeded in saving one book, which was of but little value. The treasurer, John C. Daily, got the tax duplicate for that year, which was of more value to the county than any other book in the office. There was nothing saved in the recorder's office. Thomas P. Miller was not at the fire, but could not have saved anything if he had been there, as the recorder's books were all at the back part of the room, the most remote from the head of the stairs. The three offices were in the same room, in the second story. The entire block was consumed by fire. In the recorder's office there were at least one thousand deeds burned, that had been recorded and not taken out, which made it necessary to get a proof record and also a record of deeds heretofore recorded, which made much trouble, expense and some litigation. The two first brick dwellings built in Lebanon were built by Samuel S. Brown and William Zion. Thomas P. Miller had the first brick business house, which was built for William Bowers, the saddler, and was built of brick out of the old court house. William F. Boyd was the bricklayer, Frank Williams the carpenter, and George James and Allen Coombs the tin roofers. When the house was finished a scuttle-hole was made in the roof and Billy Bowers constructed a rope ladder, so as to have easy ascent to the roof in case of fire. That house stands on the south side of the public square, and is joined on the east by Dr. James Evans' building, the second brick building erected in Lebanon. Lebanon's second jail was built on the same lot that the first log court house was built, and was of hewed logs a foot square. The third jail was built on the same lot. It was of brick, stone and iron. It was about the size of a hen-coop and a perfect nuisance. The fourth jail, which stands near the northeast corner of the public square, can be seen with the naked eye. The third court house can also be seen without a spy-glass. The names of the four county officers who were in office at the time the court house was built were cut in a stone and placed over the north door of the court house, viz.: W. C. Kise, clerk; J. A. Nunn, auditor; J.C. Daily, treasurer; and T. P. Miller, recorder. Thomas P. Miller is the only one now living, although the eldest of the four. Hugh O'Neal, a prominent attorney of Indianapolis, who practiced in Boone County at an early day, said he thought Boone would be a very good county some day, but it would have to be jerked up about three feet. The man that did the first surveying in Boone County (before it was a county) was Col. Thomas Brown, of Union County, Ind. I was a small boy, but remember when he surveyed the new purchase, as it was called. Brown's Wonder took its name from a remark he made while surveying near that creek, Setting his jacob-staff down and looking all around, he said, ""T wonder where we are?" In his field-notes he said the undergrowth consisted principally of hazel brush, prickle-ash and black rattlesnakes. Austin Davenport built the first brick house in Boone County, which is on the Michigan road, a half mile north of Eagle Village. T. P. Miller built the second house in Eagle Village, a hewed log house, one story, sixteen by eighteen feet, and a brick chimney, the first in the neighborhood. W. W. Miller built the first house in Eagle Village, which was a cabinet shop, sixteen by tweenty-four feet, hewed logs. The first dry goods establishment in Eagle Village, after the town was located, was the firm of Williams, Conner & Russell. At one time Eagle Village had two hotels, four or five dry goods stores, two groceries, two tan-yards, two saddle shops, two blacksmith shops, cabinet shop, tin shop, chair shop, and a half dozen carpenters. The Indianapolis and .Lafayette State road was surveyed in 1829. James McFalin was the commissioner ; Col. George L. Kinnard, surveyor; Robert Martin, the bush-whacker; James McClelland and William W. Miller, chain-carriers. The first survey made from Indianapolis missed Lafayette two miles, but when there, the colonel knew where Indianapolis was, and had no trouble in correcting back. When they arrived at the point where Lebanon now stands, Col. Kinnard turned to the chain-carriers and asked how many pins they had. When told, he stuck his jacob-staff down and said: "Here is the center of Boone County." It was not long after that till Gen. James P. Drake and Col. George L. Kinnard were the owners uf the land that the original plat of Lebanon was laid out on. Rose, Harris and Longley made the first addition. Spencer and McLaughlin made the second addition.

Communication From Wm. E. Lane

ZIONSVILLE, IND., Oct. 18, 1886. Messrs. HarvEN & Spur, LEBANON, Lwp.; Dear Sirs - Inclosed find a short sketch of my life, my parents and grand parents.

My grand parents, Lambert Lane and Nancy Anderson, were emigrants from England. They were both young when their parents arrived in this country. Their parents settled on the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania about fifteen miles north of its mouth, in the wild woods and amongst the Indians. While living there my grand parents became acquainted and were married in the quaint old style. My grandfather wore

"a blue cloth coat cut "claw hammer" style, with no lapels, ornamented with large brass buttons which closely buttoned up his coat; his pantaloons were white linen, buckled with a large silver buckle just below the knees to a pair of white silk stockings. His shoes were leather, fastened with another pair of silver buckles. Grandmother wore a white cambric dress, with nice hand embroidery on the skirt. In a few years they moved to Virginia and lived there about four years; then they moved to Tennessee on the Holston River and remained there for a few years, after which they moved to Shelby County, Kentucky, about five miles from Shelbyville. While living there my father, Thomas Lane, became acquainted with Anna Ellis, and was married to her on the 11th day of April, 1799. They lived together thirty-six years, when my father took pneumonia and was sick for six weeks. His disease became chronic and he died August 18, 1835. My mother never married again, but lived to raise her family. She died of remittent fever May 24, 1848. My father served as a Revolutionary soldier for seven years; he was a private for three years, when he was commissioned as an officer, which he held to the close of his soldiery. He underwent many trials and privations, but was never sick a day while in the army, save from the wounds he received. He was wounded four times, once seriously while guarding the Moccasin Gap. He was surrounded by the Indians and would have lost his life if providence had not favored the occasion with a very severe rain storm, which wet the powder in the Indians' old flint-lock guns, and prevented them from firing. He put spurs to his gallant horse and was hastily making his escape, when a sturdy warrior seized his bridle rein and brought his horse to a sudden halt. Father used his sabre and cut one Indian's arm off, hacked another on the head till he fell to the ground. He then forced his horse through their ranks, but received a severe cut in his right side which lasted him several weeks.

He was sent home then and remained there about three months, when he was called back to resume his place in the army. He always obeyed his superiors, and was never punished during his term of soldiery. He served his time out in the army and came home without a dollar in his pocket ; but the Government allowed him to bring his horse, sword and pistol home, with the assurance that he should be paid for the whole seven years' service and receive a land bounty, but too sad to think of, neither got money nor land; yet he came home in good health and good spirits, hoping that a large yield of his tillage might make prospects brighter. He soon made money enough to enter a quarter section of land.

He remained on that farm (Shelby County, Ky.) until the spring of 1811, when he with his family came to the Indiana Territory and settled on the Ohio River in what is now Harrison County. He entered land there, built a cabin and went to work in the green timber to make a field, for it was root hog or die. He accumulated means very rapidly and was soon able to own a large tract of land, notwithstanding he raised a large family, five daughters and nine sons. All lived to be grown but one son. T herewith insert a copy of the old family register, just as it was written by my father, and only wish that I could give a fac simile of the writing:

The Family Record Of Thomas Lane

' Pleasant G. Lane was born July 3, 1819. Anna A. Lane was born November 19, 1820. Davis W. Lane was born September 24, 1823. Nelson Lane was born January &, 15.7. Ellis E. Lane died August 22, 181b. Linuna White died September 1, 1837. John A. Lane died September 7, 1843. Nelson Lane died July 13, 1851.

Thomas Lane, Anna Lane and seven of their children, to wit: Ellis E. Lane, Linna White, Nelson Lane, John A. Lane, Davis Lane, Sarah Keller and Craven Lane, were buried on Cedar Ridge on father's own farm, near Lane's Landing on the Ohio River, Harrison County, Ind. Malinda Barnett was buried in a Presbyterian cemetery near Reesville, Putnam County, Ind. Eliza E. Barnett was buried in a Baptist cemetery near Reelsville, Ind. Pleasant G. Lane was buried in a country cemetery near Shoals, Martin County, Ind. Isaac Lane was buried at Shellsburg, Benton County, Iowa. Fielding W. Lane was buried at Brookly, Iowa. This is the family record of my father, which carries all the family to their graves but myself.

In August, 1828, I came to Boone County and entered the tract of land that I now live on: I then went back to Harrison County, and was married to Elizabeth Simpson on the 4th day of February, 1830. Her father, Thomas Simpson, was a man of more than ordinary intellect, was of foreign birth - born in Scotland June 27, 1757. He, with his parents, came to Virginia in his boyhood days, and remained there until the beginning of the Revolutionary War; he then volunteered for a soldier, and went to the army as a private under General Washington. He was in the army for seven long years. Although he started as a private, he soon honored the First Sergeant's rank; but long before the war closed he bore the commission of Second Lieutenant. He, like many others, suffered many privations during the war. On one occasion, when camping for the night, he kicked the snow from a brush heap, spread his blanket and slept for the night, as they were in the enemy's country and no fire was allowed. He served his time in the army and when discharged went back to Virginia to farming, and married Abigail Moore (the exact day and month we can not give, the paper being so old, and very pale ink, that it could not be read) in 1784. That coming February he went to Jefferson County (now Nelson County), Kentucky, and laid a warrant for a patent containing five hundred acres. He remained there the following summer and deadened the green timber on a parcel of ground, giving a desirable location for a house and field. The whole summer he was compelled to sleep on the bare ground to prevent the savage Indians from scalping him, each night sleeping in a different place, with his old "killing iron " by his side.

He worked all summer on this piece of land, then returned to his native home and found his wife enjoying the sweet hum of her spinning-wheel. He then rented a farm of George Washington, and was to have the use of the horses and slaves on the farm. Simpson was to provide for the negroes and sell Washington's corn at "two shillings and six pence per bushel, hay at the same price." This quotation is taken from the original contract made between Simpson and Washington, dated December 21, 1785. While engaged in deadening the green timber on his Kentucky land, the Indians stole his horse, which left him with nothing but his ax and gun (old killing iron) to fight his way with those savage wretches. This compelled him to walk from Bloomfield, Kentucky (nicknamed Gandertown ), to his old home place on the Monongahela River, Marion County, West Virginia (then Virginia), a distance of over five hundred miles. He arrived on the Virginia home in good health, vigorous!v pushed the work on the Washington farm until 1790, when he, with his wife and two little children, went to his own home near Gandertown, Kentucky. He spent the remainder of his life on that farm, in the noble pursuit of a farmer's life, in the steadfast faith of a Presbyterian. His only brother, John Simp:on, was the father of President U. S. Grant's mother. He was a member of the noble order Free and Accepted Masons, and died in good standing, a member of the Bardstown lodge. He died from a bullet wound received from a British soldier while struggling for our nation's liberty. The bullet went through his right lung and rested against the shoulder-blade, producing a running sore, which brought his worthy life to a peaceful close about twelve o'clock, August 10, 1825. His wife, Abigail, died of dropsy of the heart on the 12th of February, 1825. They were both buried on the old farm on Simpson's Creek, near Bardstown, Kentucky.

J. Moore Simpson was born November 2, 1787. Tamer Simpson was born January 15, 1789. Samuel Simpson was born December 5, 1789. Nancy Simpson was born August 4, 1793. Nelly Simpson was born January 29, 1795. John Simpson was born October 27, 1796. Gilbert Simpson was born January 23, 1799. Elizabeth Simpson was born January 19, 1801. Hanuah Simpson was born June 18, 1804.

The Simpson family was scattered all over the country in different states until J lost sight of them, and do not know where all of them died; but all the family is gone, not one is left to tell the sad story.

My wife and I arrived in Boone County, on our wooded home, on the 31st day of December, 1830. That winter I cut trees to build a cabin; the next spring I got a few of the old settlers and we erected a cabin 18x 23 feet; we covered it with clapboards that I had split out of a large red oak tree. They were made four feet long and laid down loosely and weighted down with heavy poles; the lower one, or eavebearer, had a large pin through it to prevent it from slipping off.

We moved into our cabin without any shutter to the door, when there were plenty of rattlesnakes, wolves and bear in the country, and worse to be dreaded of all was the wild boar. There were no mills near us, and milling was a great item. On one occassion when it became necessary for me to get corn ground (for that was nearly all the kind of bread we used) I took a sack of corn and put it on a horse and started to mill io be gone over night, my wife remaining at home to do as best she could. In the early part of the night our large savage dog began baying at something. Betsy (as I called her) got up and built a fire, and stepped to the door and raised the blanket that hung up for a shutter ; she hissed the dog so as to drive away the intruder, but the coarse growl from a bear frightened her very badly. She stepped to the fire, took a burning stick in her hand to singe him if he came in. Suddenly the dog was boxed into the middle of the room, but rose instantly and fought so hard that the bear was driven away. On another occasion when I had been away from home to do a day's work, I returned by the light of the stars, ate my supper, and went to doing my chores ; and as corn was always scarce in the fall we fed pumpkins until they would freeze. This time I took my pumpkin stick, went to the field, got my load and came to the house to feed my horse and cow. Sud- denly I heard a rustling behind me, and I pitched my load off of my shoulder, turned around and saw a very large wild boar just ready to jumpat me. I jumped the little yard fence, went into the house and got my gun and came out and "settled" with him.

We had a very hard time in the wilderness, as it might be called. Coming away from a locality where everything was plenty and market near. The nearest dry goods store or grocery was at Indianapolis, fifteen miles away. About three years after we came to this county, William Miller put up a few dry goods in an old cabin in old Eagle Village about two miles away.

We struggled on in life, striving to raise our family, which had to be clothed by our home production, which was flax and tow linen for summer, and jeans colored with walnut bark for winter. Wool was carded by hand and spun on a little spinning wheel.

We had eleven children born to us - eight sons and three daughters - six sons and two daughters still living. But my devoted companion bid adieu to earthly friends and went to her heavenly home on the morning of March 28, 1879; but ere long I too will have gone to meet her, for Iam now seyenty-nine years old, having been born July 3, 1807, and my companion, Elizabeth Simpson, January 19, 1801.

Communication From Geo. B. Richardson

The esbject of this sketch was born August 24, 1828, in Decatur Vounty, Indiana, eight or nine miles north of Greensburg, consequently a Hoosier by birth. At the age of nine years my father moved to the State of Boone, being the fall of 1837, 'Chis carries us back half a century, when this country was almost au unbroken wilderness, and to. the time when there were but few residents in Marion Township, and from the best information that I can gather, the man that my father bought out was probably the first white man that ever settled in Marion Township. His name was Isaac Srite. He moved on north where it was not so thickly settled. There were but few families, to my knowledge. I will name the most of them. They were Jacob Parr, Sr., John Parr, Wm. Parr, John Hollingback, Caleb Richardson, Moody Gilliam, T. J. Linsy, John F. Johnson, Jonathan Scott and my father Jonathan Richardson, and James Richardson. This, so far as I know, was about the number of citizens of Marion Township. This may suffice for the names of the early pioneers. Probably it would be more interesting to refer to the condition that things were in fifty years ago. Then our county was almost an unbroken wilderness. Game was abundant, such as deer, turkey, wolves, wild cats, and there was said to be some bear and panthers, though I never saw any of the last two named; and as -to small game, such as squirrels, pheasants, coon and oppossum, [ suppose Boone could have taken in as many to the square mile as any county in the state. And then there were some bad snakes, such as the black rattlesnake, the red belly, the water moccasin, the chicken or cow snake, and a number of other different kinds. Some were said to be very poisonous. One thing I know, I was always a little afraid of a big snake ; I did not like his looks, especially when he was reaching for fight. But about the most dangerous thing we had to contend with were the wild hogs. Some of them, old he fellows, with tusks four or five inches long, were formidable foes, and the best way you could manage was to shoot them down or to keep entirely away from them. They could kill a dog too quick. There were but few dogs that had any business to tackle him in those days. They were troublesome in leading the tame ones off. Some had their hogs belled so they could find them in the woods. I have known hogs to live out all winter without a grain of corn, and it was no uncommon thing for us to kill our meat off the most fat and nice without feeding them one ear of corn, which was a good thing for most of he early settlers. It it had to have been fattened on corn we would have had some very thin meat. And asto all the hardships and privations through which my father and all the early settlers had to pass, I am perfectly familiar with. Our houses were generally built of round logs, about 18x 20 feet, pole joists, clapboard loft and roof, with the boards held on the house with poles called weight poles, and a puncheon floor, a fire-place in one end of the house, six or seven feet long, back and jam made of dirt, the chimney was sticks and clay, the door or doors were made of long boards and hung on wooden hinges, a wooden tack or a pin to hold it shut. The windows were generally one or two logs cut out and paper pasted over it and greased, so as to let the light shine through the paper. Now, when you get the house chinked and daubed, you have the honse ready to move into. You move into your new house with six or seven children, and this has to serve as parlor, bed room and kitchen, and sometimes as shoe shop and cooper shop. Then comes your cooking vessels, which were about this: a skillet and lead teakettle, stewkettle and a frying pan. Your water shelf was made by boring two holes in the house and driving pins in them, and then putting a load on the pins. Your cupboard, or dresser fur your dishes, was gotten up much on the same style. Your table was either made of split boards or a slab split out of a big log and holes bored in each corner and legs drove in them I have not yet said anything about the bed and bedstead. Some few had bedsteads with turned posts, or fancy post bedsteads, as they were called in those days. The most of them were made by splitting out the posts and dressing them up with a draw knife and boring holes for the rails. But then there was a cheaper class of bed than this, which was constructed on this plan, by putting two poles in the cracks of the house and one leg with holes bored in it to fasten the other end of the poles in. This was called a one-legged bedstead. I have had many a good night's rest on the last kind spoken of that [ know of.

named he had to buy, but when he got them he then had a complete outfit. The next thing was to knock the brush away, fence in your yard and clear up a garden patch. Then came the heavier work; then all our clearing had to be done in the green; the grubbing was no small item, but when it came to taking the green timber down, trimming and peeling the brush, chopping the logs so they could be rolled, and rolling and burning them, was something that the present generation knows nothing about. And then the next thing is to get your little patch broke. The roots and stumps are so thick that you can hardly get your plow into the ground until it would strike a root or stump. The fact is, it took a mighty good Christian man to plow in those days. We raised a little corn, but we had to watch it mighty close, both spring and fall. The squirrels would dig it up in the spring if you did not keep them out or feed them ; we have caught hundreds of them. 'hen they were ready for the corn just as soon as it was in roasting ear, and then there were -black birds by the thousand; so you see we had a great many things to contend with. .I have even seen the gnats and mosquitos so bad that you would have to build up a fire, to make a smoke, to milk the cows. They would almost blind a person ; and, as I said, we raised but little corn and no wheat for a few years, so our biscuits were all corn dodger or Johnny cake.

It will not do to narrate or detail hardly anything that comes up in my mind; but to return to the subject. In those days we had no roads except paths blazed or hacked out from house to house; and when you started to go to your neighbors living some distance away, you would take the path that would lead to one neighbor's house, and then take the path from his house to the next, and so on until' you would reach the desired point; and you would hardly ever see a man going from place to place without his gun on his shoulder. It was no uncommon thing for a man to take in a deer or a turkey ; as to squirrels and pheasants, they would not waste their ammunition for. I might say something more about our roads, if there had been any to speak of. The next thing I shall notice is the schools and school houses. It was some time after we came to Boone County before I heard anything said about a school district. The citizens generally lived in settlements, so they would select some central point to erect a school house; then they would set a day to meet, clear off the ground, cut the logs, haul them in, and probably the next day they would rear the structure. Now it would just do you good to see one of those model colleges. I will give you a description of the first school house that was erected in this section of country. It was about eighteen by twenty or twenty-two feet, of round logs and very rough at that, and each log about from eight to sixteen inches too long, leaving very rough and ragged corners; cabined off and covered with clapboards, which were held on the house with poles. The door was cut out in one corner; the shutter was made out of long boards and hung on wooden hinges, the fireplace was eut out in the end, and it came very near taking the whole end of the house out, some six or seven feet at least. The fireplace was made of dirt, the chimney of sticks and clay, with a good bunch of mud on the top piece on each corner of the chimney to hold them from blowing off. The floor was puncheons split and hewed and laid down green, and when they seasoned there were some fearful cracks. 'The seats, or benches, were made by splitting slabs twelve or fourteen feet long, then boring four holes in them and driving legs in. The writing tables were made by boring holes in the logs, driving pins in and plank or slabs on them. The windows were constructed in this wise: by cutting and taking out the half of two logs, one above the other, then pasting paper over the space and greasing it so as to let the light shine through. There was not a pane of glass nor a pound of nails about the whole house.

Well, the next thing was to get some one to teach a school, as the house was built and furnished and ready for business. They would go at it in this wise: They found some one that could spell, read, write a pretty good hand, and if he was good in arithmetic and would lick the scholars if they did not keep order, were all the qualifications necessary for a teacher. They would draw up an article of agreement something like this: I, George B. Richardson, propose to teach - -naming the branches, generally spelling, reading, writing, and arithmetic. That was as far as they would go. We had no use for grammar in those days; and they would teach so many days for so much per scholar, to be paid at the expiration of said school. So this was the way we got our edncation in those days, and this was the way it generally turned out: when you started to school if you was large enough to do much work in the clearing would go to school all the bad days and stay at home and work all the nice weather. I have given you a description of our school house; it was not only a school house, but a church also. J have seen as great revivals carried on in that old log house as I have ever seen since, and I have always believed that those old men and women knew. just what they, were talking about, and I don't. think the preachers then preached for the money alone, for there was not much money in it fifty years ago. It would do some of the folks good to hear some of the old-time preachers; but the most of our upstarts would call them old fogies and likely make sport of them, Well, I might say something of the markets: In the first place, we had very little to sell, but what little we had, must be hauled to the river - Madison, Lawrenceburg or Cincinnati. I have known my father to haul wheat from here to Lawrenceburg, and be gone nine or ten days, and then could get only forty cents cash or forty-five cents in goods per bushel ; not only him, but all the neighbors. Sometimes four or five would go together, take their provisions and horse feed, and camp out every night, and would have a happy, good time of it. Some years thereafter a wheat market opened up at Latayette. Then they thought that we had a market right at home and cuuld go there and back in four or five days. My mind has been somewhat drawn out in thinking of the past, and to the youths of the present day I have no doubt that what I have written will seem incredible, but those of my age can testify whether the things I have written are correct or not- I will now compare the present with the past, or speak of a few of the changes that have taken place within my recollection, which will carry. me through a period of about fifty-six years, as | am now near sixty.

Fifty years ago this was a wilderness or a dense forest with scarcely any inhabitants. I doubt wh ther there were over three or four towns in the county, and I do not suppose there were a dozen houses in the city of Lebanon, and it was well enough, for it was hard to get there and a harder matter to find the place when you got there. And if it should be at a wet and gloomy season of the year, you would conclude of all the places on earth Lebanon was the most disagreeable, especially in the spring of the year, for about six weeks you could hear nothing day or night but about ten thousand frogs all yelping at once. This was music to the sinner's ear, but not much joy or peace about it. There were no roads, either to the city or away from it. Now Lebanon isa desirable place to live in, with her hundreds of nice, comfortable dwellings, and it is nicely situated.. If it could have been so that a person could have foreseen fifty years ago and pictured out what it is to-day, he would have been thought to be a fit subject for the insane asylum, if there had been any such place. Then gravel roads were not thought of in this country, let alone the idea or thought of railroads running all through the country, bringing our markets right to our doors. The former we needed fifty years ago; but yon could not have broken a man or company up quicker than to have given hima railroad and compelled him to run it with what money he would have gotten out of it. In the first place there was no travel to amount to anything; the pioneers had neither time nur money to spend in that way; and as to freight, there would not have been more than six or eight carloads in the whole county outside of what few hogs that could be gathered up, and they were generally in good shape for traveling. As to our improvements, we just simply had none to amount to anything; true, what little we did have was highly prized. Our mills were very unhandy, and such mills as they were at that, all water mills, and too much water would wash out the dam, and of a dry time you could not grind, or perchance it might be frozen up in the winter season. Our nearest mill, about four miles distant, belonged to a man by the name of John Koontz, and if the mill was in good running order, it would grind from two to four bushels per hour, and as there were but few wagons in the country milling was done on horseback. A wagon-load would almost have been a week's work. When the water began to fail they would grind an hour or two in morning and shut down and gather a head, and so on.

Time has worked wonders since my recollection, in the milling business as well as in every thing that you can think of. There were no sawmills in the country to amount to anything, and to undertake to put up a frame building was a awful undertaking in this section of country. When the ante frame house was built in this community the logs were hauled about nine miles to get them sawed ; the studding and rafters were all hewn and the shingles were split and dressed down with the draw-knife, and good carpenters were hard to find ; all other material was scarce and hard to get, and money was very scarce, so the improvements of this kind progressed very slowly for fifteen or twenty years. I might say something about our tools and farm implements. Well, the ax, the maul and wedge and the grubbing-hoe are pretty much as they were fifty years ago, though considerable improvement has been made on our ax. Our plows were the old Cary, or bull plow, as they were called, with iron shares and wooden mouldboard, and, by the way, I have seen some mighty good results brought dbout by the use of this old pioneer, and then there were three or four two-horse harrows to my knowledge. We generally sowed our wheat and plowed it in with the shovel-plow. The next thing I might mention is our implements to take care of our harvest. To cut our wheat we used the side or reaphook, as they were called, and if a farmer had six or eight acres of wheat he had his hands full during harvest time. After they would get their wheat cut they would stack it, and at some leisure time clean offatramping flour and lay their wheat down, and then get all the horses and boys they had to ride them around over the straw till the wheat was all shelled out, then take off the straw and put down another floor full, and so on. This I thought was fun when I was a boy. Then they would get a fanmill and clean it up. Sometimes you would have a load to haul off, and sometimes you would not have more than enough for seed and bread. As to grass, we cut that down with a mowing scythe, then seattered it to cure, then raked it with forks, shocked it, and then hauled it in and stacked it out. We had no barns to mow our hay away - nothing but log stables, and the mow would not hold more than two or three loads. Our pitchforks were all wood, and a good one was thought to be worth taking care of. I have not said anything about the way we generally spent our time from the time winter broke till crop time. The first was to go into the sugar business, which was no little business if properly carried on. We used to open from three to five hundred trees and make from three to six hundred pounds of sugar and a lot of molasses, which did not go bad with pancakes. Then the next thing was to take the dead timber down and get our logs burned down and the trash piled so that the logs could be rolled. It was no uncommon thing for a man to put in from ten to twenty days rolling logs, and go as far as three or four miles to a log rolling or house raising. In short, there have been no changes in this county for forty-nine years but have been under my observation, but it has been so slow and gradual that it is hard to tell when or how it was all accomplished. It has been like planting a small tree; you will not perceive the one year's growth, but let it stand and cultivate it for fifty years and you have a large tree, and it don't seem possible that it was the same tree you planted fifty years ago. So has been the growth of our county since I first came into it. There was nota hay rake, hay fork to unload hay in the barn, threshing machine of any kind, reaper, binder, mower, wheat drill, corn planter, double shovel plow, riding break plow, spring tooth harrow, hay loader nor anything of the kind in the county, I don't suppose, nor for a good many years after, let alone what is carried on by steam power, and I do not think that there were but few steam engines in the state fifty years ago, let alone Boone County, and now there is scarcely anything done but what is done by horse or steam power. Now we can thresh from six hundred to one thousand bushels per day, although I can recollect when my father beat it out with a flail and cléaned it up with a sheet. This may seem strange to the young people of the present day, but what I have written is not overdrawn. I don't know but that 1 ought to say something concerning the manner that parents trained their children in those days. There were but few drones and loafers lounging around and doing nothing.

The training of children was very strict. They were not allowed to swear or make use of any profane or unbecoming language, and one decisive answer would settle any question that might be asked. The boys were generally in the clearing from Monday morning until Saturday night, week in and week out, grubbing, chopping, splitting, hauling and laying up rails. This was their daily business ; and the girls' tuition was in the kitchen. The girl that did not know how to cook, wash, iron, spin, weave, dress flax, cut and make any garment that the family had to wear, was not the girl that the young men were looking after. You would hear them talk that this or that girl could spin so many cuts a day, or weave so many yards of cloth, or dress so many pounds of flax per day, after doing up their morning's work. Such girls were said to be worth their weight in gold to any man that wanted a wife. It was the grit and get-up that was looked at, and not the old man's pocket-book, which I fear is the cause of so many unhappy marriages at the present day. You must not infer from the above that the old folks were idle. The old women would sit at their spinning wheels from morning till bed-time, spinning flax or tow to weave into cloth for our every-day and Sunday wear; and the old men would have to break out and dress the flax and get it ready for the hackel. I doubt whether there is one young man in twenty that would know a flax break if they were to meet one of them in the road, let alone knowing how to use one, and but few that would have any desire to do so if they could, and but few girls that would know how to rig upa spinning wheel, or could spin one skein of sewing thread in six months. I would like some one of them to try their hand and bring it to the county fair and make a public exhibit of it. Probably I had better say no more, for fear you may get tired of my scribbling, though I have only hinted at a few things.

I have not said anything as to myself. I stayed at home with my father till I was twenty-one years old, and helped him clear a large farm where the village of Big Spring is situated. Then I began to think it was not best to start out in the world alone, so I concluded I would get some one to make the trip with me, and my affections had been set on one | Margaret L. Parr, daughter of William Parr, who was then living in the neighborhood and one of the early settlers. She was born in Tennessee, in 1831, and moved to this county in 1833. So we agreed to cast our lots together through life, and were married on March 7, 1850, and have been living together thirty-seven years, raising a - family of twelve children. There are eleven living; our oldest son died when twentyeight years old. We have seventeen grandchildren living and six are dead. My political and religious views might not suit everybody, but they are the best that I know anything aboat, according to the way I have looked at things for the last fortyfive years. I suppose I was a Democrat when I was born, as my father and mother were. The first presidential canvass that I can recollect was between Jackson and Clay, in 1832, and I was a Jackson man when I was but four years old, and

TI have not yet seen any good reasons for changing my opinion. My religious views are those of the old Regular Baptists. This, I know, don't suit everybody, but I can not help that. And it is of no use to add any more to this, as everybody can not see alike. I served four years as justice of the peace, have lived in Marion Township for forty years. I shall add no more.

Marvin

The subject of this sketch was born in Wayne County, Ind., February 5, 1826; born and raised on a farm, only having the advantages of pioneer life, from which I wish to contrast the past with the present and let the present generation of children see the change. In the first place we had no school system, therefore the consequences was three months of school for summer and three months for winter, all subscription. The school buildings were made of round logs schutched off and daubed with clay mortar. One end of the building was about one-third cut into to make way for the chimney, which was made of sticks and clay; lighted by a window on each side; a slab, into which legs were put, for their seats; a broad board fastened to the wall for writing desks ; the books were no two alike, so there was as many classes as books, excepting the spelling classes, the big and little spelling as it was called. As time passed there was some improvement in the books, which made way for classing. The girls when arriving at the age of fifteen or sixteen concluded that their school days were about over, and their minds were directed in another direction, not to music or teaching school ; it was the big and little wheel, of which they spun their two hundred pounds of wool during the summer season ; and I must say that those days were the happiest days of my life. But since time has passed and the improvements that have taken place reminds me of that old adage, " When ignorance is bliss it is folly to be wise." As we had nothing better we were perfectly happy, so our days glided along until we were grown up. In the year 1844, on the 1st day of December, I was married to Henry M. Marvin, and on the morning of my nineteeth birthday we bade adieu to the parental roof and started out in the world to try the realities of life. We came to this place, where I have lived ever since, with the exception of two years. I have lived in the same door-yard for forty-two years, protected and guarded by our Heavenly Father, who knoweth all things and what is for our good, "and finding we have realized the trials of our ups and downs. Up to the present time our family consists of nine children, only four living, the other five having gone to try the realities of another world.

Some Early Reminiscencfs Told By A. Pioneer In Lebanon

In the year 1834 my husband, William Zion, and I came to Lebanon and settled in the wilderness among wolves, squirrels, snakes and many other pests. Mr. Zion entered what is now the William Stephenson farm, cleared the timber off and built a cabin and a blacksmith shop, he being a blacksmith and wagon amker. Soon after we had got our shop built, a land speculator came along on his way from Cincinnati to Chicago ; when near our place he broke his carriage wheel, and did not know where to go for repairs. Some one told him of Mr. Zion being a wagon maker, and he came to our shop to get a new wheel made. My husband took a large oak rail from the fence to make a hub, and a smaller one for the spokes, and with the assistance of myself to turn the crank, on something similar to a grindstone, he fixed for the work and made him a new wheel, and the traveler went on his way, feeling relieved, as a breakdown in these swamps was a serious matter.

Hon. Henry M. Marvin Emma Elizabeth Marvin

postmaster, and carried the mail in his hat, consequently. the office was not always in the same place. Abner H. Shepherd came to Lebanon in 1836, and the following year, at the age of fourteen years, carried the mail from Indianapolis to Lafayette, by the way of Piketown, Royalton, Lebanon, Thorntown, Frankfort, Jefferson, Prairieville, Huntsville and Dayton. He rode on horseback through the wilderness and mud, with nothing to guide him but the blazed road where the trees were chipped on one side to show the way to go. Mr. Zion was the contractor on this route. James Richey, the father of J. E Richey, was the first tailor in the town, and for several years cut and made the garments of our earlier inhabitants. John Peterson erected his cabin on the ground where Brown's opera house now stands and engaged in the tavern business. William Smith, familiarly known as " Uncle Billy," had a cabin where the Rose House now is. He was a "tavern keeper," too, but carried his more extensively by selling liquor. It was no uncommon thing to see hunters, with their dogs and guns, come in on Sabbath day and go in and get a drink. But Iam glad to say he afterwards joined the M. E. Church and lived a christian life. One of the miracles of his conversion was that he could neither read nor write until "wisdom from on high " taught him, and he soon learned to read the bible and had a good understanding of the same. David Hoover was the first clerk of the court, and was also recorder, holding both offices at the same time, and was not always kept employed. He was not troubled with parties running after him for deputyships. John Forsythe was selling dry goods on the lot known as " Zion's Corner," south of the square, and in 1855 William Zion bought him out, and continued in business until 1862. 'The first court house stood north of the square, court being held twice a year, lasting three days. Jacob Tipton, of Jamestown, was the first elected sheriff of the county, and was succeeded by William Zion, who held the office four years. I sometimes acted as turnkey, and one night at the late hour of

12 o'clock, went to the jail and let a relative of one of the prisoners out. Colonel Hocker was the first attorney and county surveyor. Dr. McConneha was the first practicing physician who located here. Before his coming people had to go to Thorntown for a doctor. Even before his arrival sometimes an undertaker was needed. Calomel was the cure for all things those times, and in one case it was a kill. A woman who had come here from Kentucky, did not feel well, but was able to do her house work; she went to a doctor and he prescribed calomel as being the thing to climate a person coming from another state, but the dose proved fatal.

The first church organized was the Methodist Episcopal, in the winter of 1835-6, with a membership of seven, as follows: Josiah Lane and wife, Addison Lane and wife, Amelia Zion, Rebecca Bradshaw and Steven Sims. The organization took place in the log court house, Rev. Thompson, of Crawfordsville, being the minister. But previous to this, a man by the name of Mills was sent out to this uncivilized country to preach to the heathens as a missionary. The New School Presbyterian was the second organization, with Rev. Bird as pastor. Soon after this, Rev. Ferguson, of Thorntown, organized the Old School Presbyterian Church. The Christian Church was organized in 1838, at the house of James McCann, on Main street, with Gilbert F. Harney as pastor, James McCann and wife, John Shulse and wife, Zachariah Pauley and wife, Jane Forsythe and Susan Dale members. Elizabeth Shulse is the only one of the charter members now living. This organization held meetings in the court house for awhile and then commenced to build a church on west Main street. The roof was on but no weather boarding, when one windy night the whole roof was blown off. Not being satisfied with the location, as it was on a street, they soon bought more ground where J. C. Brown's residence now stands, and built a house on the commons, where nothing would disturb them but the frogs, as there was a pond full of these musicians close by. This building was afterwards sold to the Catholics and moved on Indianapolis avenue, where it was repaired and called the St. Charles Catholic Church. It stands there and is occupied by that denomination at this time. The Baptists had preaching for several years before they organized. The United Presbyterians had an organization for some time and held their meetings in the court house, The Christian Union also had a few members and held their meetings in the old Methodist Episcopal Church.

The first school teacher was a Mr. Kimble, who taught in the court house. The first school house was the "Seminary," now the Pleasant Grove House, where many of our middleaged men and women received their common education. W. F. W. C. Ensminger taught many years and was considered the best instructor we had ever had. Spelling was the one principal study, as the whole school would have,.to spell at the same time, and a prize was given for the best speller. Joseph Lewis, then a young man, and Mary Zion, eleven years of age, were the closing contestants, the latter carrying off the prize, a book of " Payne's Poems." The seminary was afterwards converted into a residence, Dr. Perkins living in it for several years. Chauncy King then bought it and commenced the hotel business, continuing the same until his death. Mrs. Bray, then his widow, is yet successfully carrying on the business.

People had to go two miles below the Quaker Church at Thorntown for their flour and meal, the amount of the former being limited, however. After some two years Mr. Longley and Col. Hocker told the people if they would donate enough money to buy an engine and boiler they would build a "corn cracker." That was the first piece of machinery in the town, and it almost frightened the natives to death. When the steam was blown off for the first time they ran for their water buckets to put out the fire. The mill was a great help to the people, as the roads to Thorntown were almost impassible in those days, and even the streets in this town were so the women had to wear boots or ride on horseback. We had then an elegant residence called the "Steamboat." It stood where the Rat Smith property now is. It was oval shaped, standing east and west as though it was. ready to start up street through the mud and water we had them, One time we had a concert jn the court house and everybody must go. It rained and rained, but go we must. We gotall the umbrellas (not many) we could find, and some of us appropriated our plaid gingham parasols. The night was as dark, the mud as deep and the rain as copious as was ever known. On our way home I lost my parasol, but fortunately the next morning Wilson's boys looked up Main street, about opposite the Collier residence, and there it stood stretched out over the street unharmed, except the part under mud. We had no sidewalks or ditches to carry off the water.

Uncle Sammy Strong had the only tannery here for a number of years, and he accumulated a handsome fortune at the business. His vats were where the elegant residence of Mrs. J. C. Daily now stands.

The 12th of August, 1852, the first train of cars reached the depot. Whatacelebration! Everybody and their children, old and young, were present. Some were frightened at the locomotive, and ran back and kept at what they thought would be a safe distance. There was a big dinner free to everybody. Mr. Zion had a long table spread in our yard, with green bushes for a covering, and fed two hundred for dinner and supper. After the railroad was completed, Mr. Zion donated to William Jenkins and Moses Hall, Sr., four acres of ground south of the railroad, on which to build a flour mill. In 1880

Roads And Bridges By Chas. F. 8S. Neal

Thirty years ago it was not then known that sufficient gravel could be found here to construct a system of gravel roads in the county. In 1864 a company was organized to construct a gravel highway from Thorntown to Darlington, to connect and extend to Crawfordsville. This was the first gravel road enterprise in the county. It and the Rosston gravel road, on the old Michigan road, are the only toll collecting highways in the county. In the year 1867 the Lebanon and Royalton and the Lebanon and Sugar Creek Gravel Road companies were organized. At first these two roads were toll collecting, but in the year 1884 were bought by the tax-payers living along them and turned over to the county. as a part of the free gravel road system. Under the legislative act of 1877, petitions for free gravel roads were filed before the board of commissioners, at a called session held August 6, 1879. The first road ordered constructed under this act was the Lebanon and New Brunswick, followed in quick succession by the Lebanon and Dover, Middle Jamestown, Lebanon and Noblesville, Thorntown and Bethel, Kirk's Mill and Sharon, Kirk's Mill south to Crawfordsville road, Lebanon and Thorntown, east end Noblesville, Elizaville, éleven roads, which exhausted the limit allowed by law, the limit being one per centum of taxables of the county. "In the construction of these roads gravel was found in sufficient quantities to build and maintain them with only one exception. The roads constructed were highly satisfactory. The contractors on the Lebanon and Elizaville found materials of the poorest and in smallest quantities. Bad as it was when completed, it is now by careful management as good as the best. Gravel road building was started anew by the bond limit being increased from one to one aud a half percentum and the Thorntorn and Sharon and Whitestown's two roads, and Zionsville's two, the Lebanon and Fayette, Dover and Shannondale, Lebanon and Ladoga, Lebanon and Slabtown and Thorntown, Hazelrigg and Lebanon roads were ordered constructed. At this time twentyfour free gravel roads have been built, aggregating 181 miles, costing $189,100. The first issue of bonds for this public improvement was redeemed by the treasurer in February, 1886, and from his report he has ample means to redeem all that become due during the present and ensuing years. It will be seen that where gravel was considered so scarce, with many other seeming obstacles in the way, our roads have cost on an average of $1,181 per mile. Much of this can be attributed to the good management of our county board. Once constructed, the keeping of so many miles of road in proper repair has been no small task. These roads are managed by the county commissioners as a board of free turnpike directors. They first organized as such July 15, 1881, being Nathan Perrill, William Curry and James Coombs, with Charles L. Wheeler asclerk. This board meets quarterly. Hach commissioner has especial charge of all free pikes in his district, and each road has its superintendent of repairs. Once each year these superintendents meet with the turnpike board and receive orders for repairs for the year. The present board of directors are W. C. Crump, Ben. C. Booher and Jacob S. Miller. The expenditures on account of repairs to the several roads in the county, to the present time aggregates $46,824.71, which includes the re-building of the Lebanon and Royalton and Lebanon and Sugar Creek roads. Including the extensive repairs to the roads last named, our roads cost us near $60 per mile each year.

The peculiar location of our county, being situated at or near the headwaters of numerous streams of central Indiana, makes the matter of bridging quite light to the tax-payers, compared to our neighboring counties. Singular as it seems, prior to 1870 only a few small bridges were erected, and these were only makeshifts compared with the handsome structures erected in the past ten years. As the county developed and products fast came marketable, good roads and easy carriage to market was demanded ; and to have good roads with deep, dangerous fords greatly hindered at all seasons of the year the carrying of loads such as our farmers now start to market with. Our county board soon recognized the necessity of better crossings over the streams of the county. At the June session of 1870, seven thousand dollars was appropriated to erect a 130-foot iron span bridge on stone work near Thorntown, over Sugar Creek; also five thousand dollars to erect a similar structure over Eagle Creek at Zionsville, and four thousand dollars for one over Sugar Creek at Mechanicsburg. The erection of these three structures were all made out of general county revenue. For ten years our county fathers were content without further bridge accommodations.

In 1881 the legislature authorized county boards to create a special bridge fund, and since that time a fifty-foot iron bridge, on stone work, has been erected in Marion Township over Eagle Creek. In Clinton Township two iron bridges have been erected, one over Mud Creek near Elizaville, fifty feet long, and one over the same stream near Hugh Wiley's, seventy-five feet long; Washington Township has a good bridge near the Bird, seventy-five feet long, and at the present time a 144-foot span on stone work is being erected over Sugar Creek at Crose's Mill. This structure, when completed, will be the largest, as also the most expensive, in the county. A bridge ninety feet long is also being erected over Brush Creek.

Sugar Creek Township has two bridges, one north of Thorntown over Sugar Creek, and one east over Prairie Creek. Center Township has three good iron bridges, fifty feet long, all over Prairie Creek. Union Township has an eighty-foot iron bridge over Eagle Creek. Eagle Township has three iron bridges over Eagle Creek. Jackson Township has an eighty-foot span over Eel River and a fifty-foot span over Raccoon Creek. In all, eighteen good bridges in the county, fourteen of which are of wrought iron, costing in the aggregate $40,200. Large as this seems, many counties have expended half the amount on one structure. -As much more expended on good, substantial structures and Boone County will have the streams crossing her highways well bridged.

In its native condition, a large portion of Boone County consisted of marshy lands, much of which during the wet seasons, was occupied and covered with extensive sloughs and lagoons of water. At an early day these lands were estimated to be of little value, as it was then thought that it was impracticable to drain them. As the improvement of the county progressed, a partial and very imperfect system of artificial drainage was commenced in some localities. Without giving the details of the early progress of drainage, we may state that up to the year 1879 much ditching had been done. Probably as much as three hundred miles of large open ditches had been made, and more than six thousand miles of small, mostly covered, drainage had been made. Take the.number of farms in the county and estimate an average quantity of ditching on each, and the highway ditching, and the above estimate will not appear to be too great, though the exact amount can not be given. Since 1879 it is probable that more drainage has been done than prior to that date. Many of the open ditches that had been cut prior to 1879 have been re-cut and much enlarged so as to'increase their efficiency in the capacity of drainage; besides many new drains have been made, and many thousands of rods of covered tile drains have been put in, the exact quantity it is impossible tu give, and yet there is no abatement in ditch improvements, but it is on the increase every year. Fresh impetus was given to drainage by the legislative act of 1881, which gave a new method of procedure by giving the circuit court law, under which James Nealis and George Stoltz were appointed Drainage Commissioners. They were succeeded by Thos. J. Shultz and S. F. Cox, and they in turn by I. S. Adney and Joseph Etter. During the first fifteen months, beginning with September, 1881, forty-three large drains - about one hundred and seventy-five miles - were constructed. Sinee that time as many miles more have been constructed, until at the present time as much as four-fifths of the large drains of the county are constructed. The construction of so many large drains gave ample outlet to many deep ponds and sloughs that heretofore the imperfect outlets had failed to drain. One singular obstacle to the drainage of our county is that on most all of the ditches is a backbone, or high place; on these the beaver and muskrat built their dams. On the removal of these obstructions many thousand acres became dry land. Not until 1883 were any provisions made to keep such valuable public improvements in repair, which now is: placed in the hands of the county surveyor. The first large ditch in the county was constructed by-Fordice & Devol, followed by Eel River, Sanitary Raccoon, Grassy Branch and many others. In proportion to the number of acres of wet land originally, probably Perry Township is the best drained of any in the county, while Harrison has the largest number of main drains according to area. At this time, by estimate, there are near four hundred miles of open drains and seven thousand miles of underground ditching in the county.

The Old-Time School Master

As carly as 1720 the French traders had established a trading post at Thorntown, being one of the system of posts extending from the valley of the St. Lawrence to that of the Lower Mississippi. In 1800, it is said, the town included thirty-six trading houses or stores, and was the home of a branch. of the Miami Indians. The white population up to this time seems to have included only males, and no attempt was made toestablish society or to found schools and churches.

In 1828, when the Indians sold their reservation of Thorntown to the Government, the entire population, French as well as Indian, abandoned the place and the new town of Thorntown, laid out in 1830, was located upon the west or opposite side of Prairie Creek from the site of the old town. It may be said then that the first Anglo-Saxon settlement was that of the McCord brothers, who settled east of the present site of Zionsville, in 1821. Other settlers came in each year and about 1826 the first school in the county was organized in an abandoned cabin on the east bank of Eagle Creek near the Marion County line and about one and a half miles south of the site of Zionsville.

Beclar, in Eagle Township, and about the same time a log school house was built in the new town of Thorntown, and Jefferson Hillis was engaged as teacher at the latter point. These two were the first houses erected, built especially for school purposes, within the county. The same year the first school in Washington Township was taught by Daniel Ellis, in a deserted settler's cabin, on the south bank of Sugar Creek just a few rods south of the subsequent site of the Chase or Ben Crose mill. In this same winter of 1832, the first school in Marion Township was taught in a eabin on the farm of John Pan, just north of Big Springs. It was not till 1836 that the first public schoo] house was built in Marion Township, being situated upon the farm of John Wright, not far from the present site of School No. 2. Within these years, from 1832 to 1837, private schools were carried on in all the new settlements. In Jefferson and Union townships as early as 1833, and in the southwest part of Jackson Township in 1835, schools had been established, and rudimentary instruction was given pupils who came through the tangled forests and swampy by-ways to gain what knowledge was then opened to them. Allof the schools in the county were at this time carried on by subscription on the settlers who, from their seanty means cheerfully gave, and, each in turn, boarded the teacher for the sake of giving their children a measure of preparation for the wider range of duties to devolve upon them with the development of the country. In 18385 the first school in Clinton Township had been established in a deserted cabin in the Mud Creek settlement, northwest of Elizaville, with J. H. Sample as teacher. The following year witnessed the first school in Perry Township, being in a cabin in the northwestern part of the township. In the year 1837 the first school in Worth Township, and probably the first free school in the county, was taught in a cabin on the farm of James McCord, the teacher being Henry Lucas, and the teacher being paid by the county. In the autumn of this same year a subscription school of two or three months' duration was taught by Pleasant Crawford in Harrison Town- ship. This was the first school taught in that township. From this time on the growth of the schools in the county kept pace with that of the population. In 1824 the legislature had enacted a law to establish school houses, of which two provisions were as follows:

Sec. 6. Each able-bodied male person of the age of twenty-one or upwards, being freeholder or householder, residing in the district, shall be liable equally to work one day in each week until such building may be completed, or pay the sum of thirty seven and one-half cents for every day he may so fail to work, and provided, morever, that the said trustees shall always be bound to receive at cash price, in lieu of any such labor or money as aforesaid, any plank, nails, glass, or other materials which may be needed about such building.

Sec. 7, That in all such cases such schoo! house shall be eight feet between the floors, and at least one foot from the surface of the ground to the first floor, and finished in a manner calculated to render comfortable the teacher, pupils, etc.