'."..---'"..."~.l."'I_..-. . ... .. .. ~ --.~-S.~.r.

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t:as--kr. ~ N.-t:nk

SKETCHES OF THE WABASH VALLEY

67

-rMc.'~. Up

Water neighbors, altho we Iive lD a cabin twelve by sixteen, and there arc seven of us in the family, yet we made room for them by covering the lIoor with beds-no uncommon occurrence in backwooJs life. They all sueccedcd in getting the land they wanted without opposition. Weaver purchased at the lower end of the Wea prairie, Shelby west of the river opposite, Stan. ley on the north side of the Wabash, my father on the uor th side of the Wea prairie. It is a stirring, crowding time here, truly and men are busy hunting up cousins and old acquaintances whom they have not seen for many long years. If men have ever been to the same mill, or voted at the same election precinct, tho at different times, it is sufficient for them to serape an acquaintance upon. But after all, there is a genuine backwoods, log-cabin hospitality, which is free from the affected cant and polished deception of conventional life. Society here at present seems almost entirely free from the taint of ar is-

/.hI'YIeflu-....ei.l.tocracy--the only premonitory sy mptoms of that disease, most prevalent generally in old settled communities, were manifested last week, when John I. Foster bought a new pair of silverplated spurs, and T. N. Catterlin was seen walking up the street with a pair of curiously embroidered gloves on his hand~. After the public sales, the accessions to the population of Crawfordsville and the surrounding country were constant and rapid. Fresh arrivals of movers were the chief topic of conversation. New log cabins widened the limits of the town, and spread over the circumjaccnt country. We read of a land of "corn and wine," and another" flowing with milk and honey;" but I rather think, in a temporal point of view taking into account the richness of soil, timber, stone, wild game and other advantages, that the Sugar creek country would come up to, if not surpass, any of them.

The Rise and Decline of Maysville

Among those who bought land at the first land sale at Crawfordsville in this immediate locality was my maternal great- grandfather , George Worthington. He was a son of Thomas Worthingtou, who was the first United States senator and the third governor of the state of Ohio. He and his father had disagreed and it was impossible for them to make up their differences; his father paid him in cash the portion of his estate that he considered coming to him and with that George left the state of Ohio and his father's family. Learning of the land offered for sale at Crawfordsville he with Robert Milford, the Hemphills and a party of five or six others, came to the Wabash valley. He purchased four thousand acres of land in what is now Warren county; a portion of it is the old VanReed land, and a part of it the Hiram Bright land.

SKETCHES OF THE WABASH VALIJEY

8-e~
01 fifteen
campe

U~~
tho Bethel church. could and would have been one of the greatest factors for good and real Americanism in this .Iocality. 'I'h ey lost this opportunity, uud losing it lost the blessing of the Angel with whom they had wrestled. Altho the old church still atands the congregation and tile community is now but a memory, but indeed, it is a pleasant memory.' Not. only has its touch been of value to the Methodist church, it has been of value to this eonnnun ity, of value to all who have como in ccntact With it.

Iar
~C -L

.u. many
meetcamp

. a two.ut nine

ite well r,1 Hal" )01 very

. uly

thodists was 111'1' but .II who

parties; or of the Irish at Maysville. I took part in all of them. I was in no way related to the Germans, the Il'iHh or the Swedes and I speak only with tho experience of years in concluding' that, had the Methodist church at Bethel become a part of the great Arucr icau Melting Pot and tr ied to assimulate the German, the Swede and the Irishman, and to direct and eultivate their course in life away from the clannish ideas of Europe instead of beeom ing a clan itself with a caste almost as iron-clud as those of India,

,plenuid It! him IIe was he wife .1 father uipbell, John, i~hed a , being It great
I II

The Mills on Shawnee Creek

The first settlers in Fountain county rcal izcd tho vnluo of water power, particularly thc water power of Coal creek and Shawnee creek. llloomer White built the first mill on Coal creek south of Veedersburg and soon after this the Mullerys built a mill near the lime crushing plant on Shawnee creek. This was the first grist mill built on Shawnee. It WM a good mill and prospered for many years. Afterwards the McMillens, Book walters, Greenwoods and Burbriuges had grist mills on this stream. The proprietor of the McMillen mill was the grandfather of Mark and Briney and greatgrp.atgrandfather Dun. were all of them of advantage to Rob Hoy. Hob Roy was laid out in 1826 by Johu F'oater au.I he and Mr. Lopp operated a saw mill on Shawnee creek, near the town. Hiram Jones afterward platted an addition to the town. It is said that Mr. Foster was an admirer of the writings of Sir Walter Scott and named his town in honor of the Scotch outlaw Hob Roy, who figured in one of t'icott's taies. Mr. Poster afterwards moved to Iowa and Rob Roy became a prosperous place and finally the largest town in Fountain county. At one business time it had a buildings and row of

as he clear

ears of
i

L voice

~ Ire whom .un be which ed befamily ,'S the , much

JW,

or

people

brick went

as .iat ion .st of ir beer

Mrs. Fred S. Purnell. The Mallery mill was run by water power gathered from two large springs on the hill just above the lime plant. This mill was a very well built small mill and was operated by the Mallerys for perhaps thirty years when the mill and dwelling houses about it burned. These mills

from Attica and Covington to Rob Roy to trade; in fact, it became the center of the merchandising in the county. The town at that time (about 1836) had five dry goods stores, four groceries, a hotel, three doctors, and was the center of a very active community. SOllie fine horse shows were held there

142

SKE'rCrIES OF THE WABASH VALLEY

1te

We.S+'4'rJ

r: 'j-y1L--'f,-(J

VI

ship. lIMany of those who started early splendid heritage they have left to on the long, long journey across the posterityl Most of them have finished plains to the Pacific coast died on the their journey on earth, and gone the road and a very small percent of them way of all the world and we now reap ever returned. Hundreds of families the fruits of their labor. The turning spindles and flying shut- ,left the Wabash Valley to cross the plains in search of gold and it may be tles in the factories sing Labor's sweet said that the majority of them that song, while the carth answers in, abundreached the Promised Land prospered. ance to those who till the soil or herd In 1850 to 1852 a great many went to the cattle on a thousand hills. Even the Oregon over the Oregon trail, A Mr. tropical fruits of the sunny South, the Waymire, of Independence, left Indeforests in all their pristine beauty, and pendence with about five hundred men, the broad wheatfields of the western women and children to go to Oregon. plains and the great Northwest are all, When his colony reached the Platt river all of them but answering notes of the not a great distance from Ft.Kearney, labor of the generations that have prethey became afflicted with cholera and ceded us. From 1842 to 1849 there was a great many of them died. 'l'he rest of the influx of emigration from the eastern colony became so discouraged that they states into Inciiana and Illinois, the returned to Missouri, only two wagons emigrants coming in from almost every and five people of the five hundred that direetion, and in all kinds of conveystarted ever reaching Oregon. A few years later Mr. Longmyer started from ances used in that day. Many came up the river or down the river and later near .where Frank Martin now lives in many came over the national road, leavLogan township, with a colony of about ing it to go furtlier north. Many of three hundred persons; this colony went their descendants, having the pioneer thru without any mishaps. Longmyer spirit, crowded into the states of Iowa himself settled at the foot of Mt. Raiand Missouri. When gold was discovernier and his family still live there and er! in California in 1847 this furnished run a hotel at what is known as Longthe opportunity for the v ent.nresome myer Springa, at the foot of the mounspirits that had come early into the tain. Those that came back and told Wabash Valley and many of them, like the story of the plains saw the possi.Iudge Samuel Clark, fitted out ox wagbilities of what was then called the ons and started for the gold mining Great American Desert, and many coldistricts of the Pacific coast. There onies were made up to go to Colorado, was one colony of about twenty wagons Kansas and Nebraska in the fifties. that left At.tica and Wi ll ia msport to go There was a very large emigration from overland to California. This colony Davis township to Nebraska. The emiwas taken thru by a man named Davis. grants met in a schoolhouse near the John L. Foster" the father of George mouth of Grindstono creek and started and Daniel Foster, wcnt into this colony from that point after which this schoolwhen quite a boy with SOTll() two or house, and sometimes also the creek, three neighbors from Shawnee townwas called Nebraska. When the Wa-

ILLEY
I' Lexington, Ky., born. I there in 1832 and 10'ille, where he formed hip with Tighlman A. U. S. senator. Bryant senator from 1832 to from 1834 to '38, state :Pl to '39, and later he h ief justice of Oregon I position he filled for , his return to Indiana circuit judge in 185,2 osition until 1858, when cd by Judge C,Owan, to has already been made. -u it judges were Thomas ]~70-1882, Joseph M. ';, James T. Saunderson, Burton B. Berry, the
i'ut.

8KE'l'CIIES . ~7

OF TIlE WA13ARII VALU~Y

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, 187:3 there was a Iso a un pleas in addition to' i rt, which had jur iedie-:" . county. Its first judge .Is, and then followed in Hoyer, (an uncle of the .uborow) , Jsuac'Naylor,' who built t.h'e' house jn ,II which E. ~~. cCabe' Ie was provost marshal t during the Civil war judge only from Mardi ,(;7. Later. he was aI" to Aix~a' .\1. LnUue was ~theJalit ou rt of conunon pleas. .iu ized the circuit COU1't~ "I three ju.Iges, the cir1'!IIt judge, and two asin each county, who ocI

lawyers but men of sound common sense and judgement. N uthauiel Butterfield ':\nd Ballluci Clark, grandfather of O. S, Clark, of Attica, were the first of these associate judges in Warren county. 'l'hey were followed by Isaac Itn ius, James Crawf'o nl, David McConlIell, Hugh .1.1. King, \Vm. Allen, 'l'ho mus Col lins, Levi Jennings, William Cald ro n , Eleazer Pu rvia nce, Josiah Thorpe aml .8ilns Hooker. Judge Purviance . was. a g-rnndfather of Dr. E. D. Purv ia uce of Attica. From' lS~D to 18:;~ the matter of looking nftcr wills and the settlement of estates was hnn d lcd by a special rOllrt'lIIaiutainet! for that purpose and known as the probate court. There were ouly foul' probate ju.Igcs. Wm. Willmuth served from 1829 to 1836, ,.Iyhn B. King from 1836 to ]840, Edwn nl Mace from 1840 to 1846, and Peter Schoonover from 1846 till the ('olr\'t was aboltsht with the adoption of'tlte n ew const.itut.ion in 18:;2. The la;t' named was the father of 1. A. Schoonover, present judge of the Faun.tn iu Cil'clIit court. , It xl'ems a little remarkable, but is .douhtless true, no other coun ty in the state has hat! such a number of noted men euun ectud with its courts. In addition to the mcn tiun that has already

been made of the honors achieved by some of them there is Judge Jumes Me Cube, of the Wnrren county bar, who served as justice of the supreme court. Judge J. M. Rabb served on the Appellate bench. /I'h e list of men who served as, prosccu ting n ttoruey also co ntu ins a n umbor that afterwards bec.uue known to faille. Edward A. Ha.nnl'gall, was state senn tor, United States S"II;[t.OI', min ister t.o Prussia and a candidate fur the 1'J'{'siticucy. J. E. MeDonald, James Bi ug hrun and Ele Stansbury have been u t.to m ey general, Mr. Mc Do n a ld be iug the first to fill that office a f ter it wu s c reuted au.l MI'. Stn nsbu ry be ing the present Inoumbent. McDonuld also served as United States senator. Samuel C. Wilson and Robert B. F. Pierce became congressmen, the former being a friend and supporter of Lincoln. Lew Wallace made a notable m il itn.ry record in the Civil war and is known thruout the world as an author. He also served with credit as minister to Mexico au d to Turkey. Joseph A. Wright served twice as governor. J. Frank Hanly, who began his legal career in the War-ren bar, also served as state senator, congressman and governor, and later was a can.li.Iat for the prr-sidcu c y on the Prohibition ticket.

9rag~!l~'

Early Courts of Fountain County

The first enurt held in Fountain COUllty was held at the home of Robert Hettleldon the 14th day of July, 11>26, not far f'rom Aylesworth on the Strader fri r m in Sha wuee townsh ip. This court was presided over by Judge Lucas Nebeker, with Evans Hinton as associate judge. Lucas Nebeker was the father of George Nebeker and the graudfnt.hcr of Lucns Nebeker, the well known at-

"nclt with the prcsld ing u-t irnca held court all cert.hou t him being present. tI c. jUU;,(CR were seldom

HiO

SKETCIIE~ OF TIlE WA BASIl VALLEY "DII/'7 V~, 07,/rr:la...d

he had a with him way home, efficiency less some custom of taking a lantern to be sure he could find his having some doubt as tJ the of the street lights. Doubtof the middle aged girls of The in tho
cut

him that if he could not arrange to build the town at Chambersburg he would build it across the creek. Mr. Veeder then went to Mr. Keeling, who . owned the land across the creek, and as the land was hilly and not valuable for farming, Mr. Keeling was glad of the opportunity to let it go for a town site. Mr. Veeder took over the greater portion of the Keeling holrlings, built an elevator and a hotel which he called the Keeling House, and a flour mill. This old hotel still stands and was in the limelight this year as the scene of the Goddard murder. When he selected the site for the town his nephew, John T. Nixon, was with him. The site chosen was a corn field, and Mr. Veeder began operations immediately, giving his town the name of Veedersburg. Peter Veeder came to Attica on a canal boat about 1850 from Schenectady, N. Y., and engaged in the grain business. Soon after his arrival he built an elevator on the canal for handling grain, this being the old elevator torn down a few years ago, where the Waterman lumber yard is located. He was a bachelor and a very successful business man, and it was largely thru the influence of Mr. Veeder and James D_ Me Douald that the north and south railroad was built. George P. N. Sadler of this city was t.he chief engineer in the construction of the railroad from Attica to Veedersburg. One of Sadler ts assistants was a young engineer by the name of Myers who was quite popular with the girls in Attica. When he went" sparking"

J
torn l
sou th

Attica remember Mr. Myers an d his Ian tern. The project of the road from Newhurg to Cb icugo fa iled n n d afterwards Llen ry Crawford, a pro m in ent lawyer in Chicago, took over the" Dolly Varrlen." It was th ru his efforts and the assistn nce h e received from many persons along the right-of-way that the Ch icago a ml l url in n n ronl railroad f ro m the Bra z il coal Ii chl s to Chicago was coustructed. Crnwfor d had a good deal of labor trouble. lIe agreed to build r ou n dhouses nt At t i.-n and mn k u At t ien a .l ivis ion po in t, and for thi" cou si de rn t.iou a sum of money was voted by Logan township for the construction of the railroad. He did not carry out his contract in huilrling the round-houses or making thi~ a diviaion point and this appropriation was never paid. The road was put into operation in 1881 but it was heavily handicapped by debt and a few years later wus lensed 0 the Chicago & Eastern Illinois railroad wh ie h still operates it as the Brazil d ivixion of that system. It has never nch ieved the prominence that some other roads have but it has served this ser t ion of the Wabash Va lley woll and ha s I)('('n of g,('at vn lue ill its .lcvclop'nH'nt, rrpa.ving many tilllPs over the years of anxiety and eff'ort put forth by our c itizr-ns.

1IlCSSCII~!

cirlen ts of i and many ot n eg lccto.I gr ' forefnthers . note near t I tated iron f weeds and I, marbles ston thnt is the On this ston short inscri: of Doctor .J. Oil, Ohio, Chicago, Ll l., " three so n gra\'e died i by old residEvans was I from Ch ic.u;

'rhe

Evall:

among the I. munity. 1'1 John Evans. ren county, very extensi and friends. and Warrell practice in h the building by Horace erected a ho which was I way for the Charles F. Ii by his son. Thero bci

fi