Y< II rs Truu ,

JOHN S. BUMS.

[

OUR COUNTY

Its History and Early Settlement By Townships.

ENTRY OF PUBLIC LANDS,

PRESENT OWNERS,

Reminiscences of Pioneer Life, Etc.

WITH ORIGINAL POEMS.

By JOHN S. ELLIS.

• . ' • . •

NOTE.

I have no apologies to offer for what follows, but offer the following note of Dr. Green as one of my reasons for presenting this book to the public. — The Author.

Muncie, Ind., July 19, 1898. Dear Friend, Ellis:

I am glad you are writing the early history of Delaware county. We have had two previous attempts to write it. Both have been failures, neither being accurate or truthful.

Having been reared in the county your knowledge is so superior and so far your history has been good. Every teacher should file away the News for future school use as no such facilities for teaching local history and geography have been offered them. I hope you will later find it possible for you to place your history in book form so that it may be the better preserved. Many of the incidents I know personally and many more I have heard from my father who, you will know, was one of the early settlers and pioneer teachers of the county. Truly,

GEORGE R. GREEN.

When Delaware Lodge Was Born.

The following poem was read before Delaware Lodge F. & A. M., on the occasion of its fifty-third anniver- sary, March 19, 1896, by the author, J. S. Ellis, a copy of which was ordered printed on white satin, framed, and is kept in the lodge room:

Turn back if you please just fifty-three years,

To the time when our fathers, the old pioneers,

Threshed grain with a flail and plowed with their steers

When the ring of the axe and the thud of the maul

Was heard in the woods from spring until fall,

When the woodman was cheered by the old dinner horn,

That is when Delaware lodge was born.

When the woods were lit up by great burning logs, And acorns rained down to fatten the hogs, When log-rollings, raisings and quiltings were rife, Where many a Jehu courted his wife. When " folks went to meeting " in a wagon or cart, And log school houses were miles apart; When boys went to mill on the old gray mare And waited for hours for their •' grinding " there; Their saddle a sheep skin and a big sack of corn, That is when Delaware lodge was born.

When dense forests covered the face of the land, When roads had no gravel, but settlers had sand, When teachers boarded 'round with scholars, and when Preachers "rode circuits" on horseback like men. When coon skins were traded for sugar and tea, When a dance was a "frolic" and a drunk was a "spree." When women wove home-spun their forms to adorn, That is when Delaware lodge was born.

*In a large frame house — it stands there yet — A room was prepared, and Delaware met; No painted emblems bright and fair Adorned the walls of the lodge room there. No jets of gas in glittering glare, Emblazoned the G o'er the Master's chair. No carpet covered the old oaken floor When the Tyler first stood at Delaware's door.

What changes have come all over the land!

Where cabins once stood, great mansions now stand;

Where the crack of the ox whip was heard, is where

The locomotive whistle rings out on the air;

And thus, great changes, all over the earth,

Have been brought about since Delaware's birth.

But the same old landmarks, the same old rules, The same old emblems, Masonic tools. The same old words, in language sublime, The same old steps for tne craftsmen to climb. Each brother must travel the same old line. Give the same old grip and the same old sign; The same old Bible our alters adorn That was used when Delaware lodge was born.

But where are the brethren who met in that hall And took their seats at the gavel's fall ~> Gone! gone to the lodge on the other shore, Where they meet on the level, but part no more.

*The building referred to is No. 116 South High street, the former residence of Dr. Samuel P. Anthony, an upper room of which was used as a lodge room when Delaware lodge was organized in March, IS4 '..

Perry Township*

Webster defines History as a "Written statement of what is known." Therefore in writing the history of Delaware county we must confine ourselves to facts already known to some one. We have been able to gather information from many different sources, and by compiling them, to interest and .benefit our readers without going into detail regard- ing the first surveys of public lands which was made by the government in 1822 when the congressional townships were laid out, a township being six miles square. These are all numbered, beginning at a base line running east and west through the south part of the state, and as the south part of Delaware county is in section 19 it must be nineteen times six miles or one hundred and fourteen miles north of the base line. However our townships as they are named and generally known, are civil townships, laid out in 1827 when the county was organized.

In the organization of these there seems to have been but little attention paid to the congressional lines, as we find them running into each other in every case. Our congressional townships therefore are not used except in the description of lands. Hence in these articles we will have reference always to the civil, and not the congressional, townships, in speak- ing of them.

Perry township occupies the southeast corner of Dela- ware county, being bounded by Liberty township on the north, Randolph county on the east, Henry county on the south, and Monroe township on the west. Its dimensions are five tiers of sections (or five miles) north and south, and six sections (or miles) east and west, thus containing thirty sec- tions or square miles. Counting 640 acres to the section gives us 19,200 acres in round numbers.

The sections are numbered from 1 to 24 and 31 to 36 in- clusive.

The surface of the township is undulating, (or what, in this generally level country, might be termed hilly,) How- ever, the hills of Perry can be easily cultivated, and add .beauty to the prospect and benefit in the manner of drainage.

PERRY TOWNSHIP. 7

The hilliest portions of the townships are in sections 3, 4, 5,

8, 9, 16, 18, 19 and 20, or in the central and southwestern sections of the township. The soil is a clay loam with an ad- mixture of sand in some portions, and a sub stratum of gravel. Good gravel for making roads is found throughout the township. A large portion of the township was originally covered with a heavy growth of timber, consisting of various oaks, hickory, white and black walnut varieties of ash, beach, etc. A small portion of the territory is prairie, which we find along the small streams, and which the writer believes could be utilized to great profit in growing celery, as the soil seems identical with that in the Kalamazoo celery fields.

The largest water-course in the township is White river, which drains a small portion of the northwest corner.

Touching Section 32 it flows west along or near the township line between Perry and Liberty until reaching Sec- tion 31, where it takes a more southerly course through the northwest part of Section 31 and into Monroe township. The next in size is Prairie creek which enters the township in Section 19, flows east of north, draining Sections 19, 17, 8,

9, 4, 33 and 22, and empties into White river near the Liberty township line.

A tributary of Prairie creek, familiarly known as "Shave Tail," has its source in Section 1, and flows almost west to its mouth, near the southwest corner of Section 4, draining Sections 1, 11, 3, 9 and 4. Stony creek flows north through the center of Section 23, northeast across the southeast cor- ner of Section 14, the noathwest corner of Section 13 and southeast corner of 12, into Randolph county. So there is not a tier of sections either running north and south or east and west which is not drained by one or more of these streams. This, in connection with the natural undulating surface of the land, makes drainage very easy, which the land owners have generally made very complete.

In matter of altitude Perry has the highest point in the county, that beng on the northeast quarter of the northwest quarter of Section No. 13, owned by Mr. J. A. Mills. Although there are other points of almost equal elevation in the township, one of them being just south of the village of New Burlington and near the home of Hon. John Linville. This hill has been denominated Bald Hill by some of our surveyors, and from which one can get a fine view of the surrounding country.

The first permanent settlers that we have any account of in Perry township, were Cornelius Van Arsdoll, James Lee, William Blount, David and Aaron Richardson, who came with ox teams, cutting their road most of the way through the forest to their intended future homes, where they arrived

8 HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

in April, 1820. Arriving at this season of the year gave them the advantage of the spring and summer weather in which to clear off ground and erect their cabins. Their food at this early day consisted principally of bread and meat. The bread being often obtained by mashing corn between two stones, placing a large stone on a stump, then using a smaller one as a pestel. The mashed grain was then sifted and prepared for baking. Game being abundant, the pioneer had no trouble in procuring meat, and the question was never heard at the table as to whether you would have roast beef or loin of mut- ton. But instead it was squirrel, wild turkey, venison or opossum.

The records show that but two of these first pioneers ever entered land in this township, they being Cornelius Van Arsdoll and Aaron Richardson. The former iocating land in Section 31, February 16, 1829, and the latter in Section 8 in August of the same year. Why it was that the early settlers were so indifferent about securing their titles we of today can hardly realize; but it is presumable that they depended largely on their pre-emption rights.

Among the first settlers of this township was Goldsmith C. Gilbert, who settled on Prairie creek, in Sections 32 and 33 at an early period, but through neglect or want of means, failed to enter the land which he had improved, and a man by the name of Wilder Potter, stopping with him a few days, and learning that Mr. Gilbert had not secured his title went to Indianapolis and entered it for himself. This was the east half of the northeast quarter of Section 32, and the northwest quarter of Section 33. Thus many men were wronged out of their hard-earned rights.

Hospitality being one of the cardinal virtues of the early settlers, it was no uncommon sight to find from two to five families in one cabin of fifteen to eighteen feet square, the proprietor and his good wife sharing their home with new- comers until they could build their cabins. Not only in di- viding their homes did they display hospitality, but in many ways, such as assisting them in getting out house logs, hew- ing puncheons for floors, raising their houses, rolling logs, etc. Many stories of adventure are told of the trips to the land office at Indianapolis. One which we now recall being of Aaron Cecil starting on horseback to Indianapolis to se- cure a tract of land in Section 32. It was a long, lonesome trip to make alone through the forest, the road or blazed path being around by old Strawtown on White river, below Ander- son, in fact almost following the river all the way. Mr. Cecil started out, not dreaming that another settler wanted to enter the same tract, and taking his time, stopped over night on his way to rest himself and horse. But after he had been

PERRY TOWNSHIP. 9,

several hours on his journey, a neighbor (every one living within five, or even ten miles, was a neighbor then) heard of his errand, and wanting the same land, started on foot and traveled all night to get in ahead of Cecil. Just as he was going into the land office he met Mr. Cecil coming out, he having secured the title, not knowing how near he came be- ing too late. Whether or not the footman secured other land we never learned, but we hope he did, for his efforts were surely worthy some reward.

Another instance was that of Samuel Simmons, who had improved land in Sections 5 and 32. Neglecting to make his entry it was entered from under him by Daniel Thompson and sold by him to Aaron I. Cecil in 1831, who entered 160 acres in Section 32 at the same time he purchased the Thompson tract. And thus it seems that in the pioneer days, as now, there were sharpers (or in other terms, dishonest rogues) on the lookout to swindle their fellow men out of their honest earnings.

We propose in these articles to give the original entries of lands and also the present owners by sections. Commenc- ing at the northwest corner of the township, we find that sec- tion 31 was entered by Cornelius Van Arsdoll, George Ribble, Lewis Reese, Thomas Hacket and Garret Gibson, the first entry being made in November, 1822, and the last in October, 1830. The present owners of this section are W. W. Rees, Lavina Rees, James T. Page, J. Rees, Sr. , W. R. Moore, J. M, Lenon and G. Hughes. White river flows in a south- westerly course through the northwestern part of the section. The Muncie and New Burlington free gravel road passes through this section east and west near the center. In this section was born one of the claimants to the honor of being the first white child born in Delaware county, being Isaac Van Arsdoll, son of Cornelius Van Arsdoll. The other claimant of this honor (which neither could have prevented had they so desired) is Rev. Scott Richardson, still living in Blackford county, Indiana, his parents living at the time in section 8. So Perry township certainly has the honor of being the birthplace of the first white child born in the county, as these gentlemen were certainly born, and both of them in Perry township.

The lands in section 32 were entered by Wilder Potter, Daniel Ribble, Daniel Thompson, Aaron Cecil, John W. Cecil and George Ribble, the first of these entries being dated December 16, 1822, and the last September 1, 1833.

This section (32) is now owned by S. R. Cecil, W. R. Cline, S. E. Cecil, S. G. Cecil, L. Whitney, P. Whitney, S. and E. Jordan and John Rees, Sr. The section has two gravel roads through it.

io HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

Section 33 was entered by William Poff, Isaac Jackson, Martin Keesling, Wilder Potter and Jacob Marshall. The entry made by Wilder Potter was the first, December 16 1822, and was the tract of land before mentioned as that on which Goldsmith C. Gilbert had settled and improved. The last entry in this township was made by William Poff, March 12, 1836.

As shown by our latest authority the land in this section in now owned by M. J. Cline, Lewis Keesling, W. R. Cline and W. A. Cunningham. Prairie creek crosses the south- west corner of this section, and the Smithfield and Selma pikes the eastern part.

The first entry of public lands in section 35 was made by Loring Waldo on June 29, 1830, and was eighty acres, being the west half of the northeast quarter of the section. The balance of the section was entered latter on, up to August, 1834, by Michael G. Carver, Albert Robinson, Hilda Adkins and Peter Halstead. This section is now owned by M. Dun- kin, A. H. Ratcliff.. M. A. Murray, E. C. Clark, W. A. Clark, Lewis Keesling and A. C. Duncan. Good gravel roads extend along both the east and north lines of the section.

Section 35 seems to have been some later in getting into the market than the sections west of it, as the earliest entry of any of its lands were not made until July, 1830, and the last entry July, 1836. This section was entered by Henry Row, Joseph Derr, Ira Main, Thompson Stansbury and Peter Derr; the present owners bing M. C. Moore, M. Helm, G. Helm, W. S. Helm, C. Swingley, T. Brewer, J. Brooks, S. Helm, A. H. Ratcliff, L. E. Chenoweth, M. A.'Andars and G. T. Helm. The Blountsville and Smithfield pike runs along the west line, and a gravel road on or near the north line of this section.

Section 36 is in the northeast corner of the township. The first entry of land was by Joel Drake, in August, 1833, and was only forty acres. Mr. Drake entered another forty acre tract joining the first, the following February, 1834. The balance of the section was all taken up in 1836 by Martin Dye, Alexander Nisbet, Henry Dye, James Barr, William Baird and Robert R. Barr.

This section is now owned by T. M. Amburn, J. L. Re- mel, E. Thompson, E. Sample, J. and D. Sample, E. and J. Brooks, H. Will, M. E. Cline and J. Brooks. It is well drained, laying as it does about middle way between White- river on the north and Stony Creek on the southeast, and less than a mile from either of them.

The six sections above described being the north tier, is the only Portion of Perry township in Congressional town- ship twenty, north. The other four tiers of sections being in

PERRY TOWNSHIP. n

township nineteen. The entire civil township of Perry, how- ever, is in range eleven, east, the range lines being the town- ship lines at both the east and west boundaries. The east line of Perry, being also the east line of range eleven, makes that point eleven times six miles, or 66 miles east of the base range line.

The first settlers who came to Perry township (the com- pany headed by Mr. Cornelius Van Arsdoll) brought with them two Indians by the name of Jefferson (an Indian bov) and Kilbuck. They were very useful in cutting the road through the woods, which had to be done from somewhere in Wayne county to their destination. Old Beaver and Hunter are two well-remembered half-breeds of the early days, and as one of the old settlers remarked to me the other day, the only ones as he remembered that were considered drunkards in the settlement, although whisky was kept by almost every family and always plentiful at log-rollings and house-raisings.

A story is told of two poachers or thieves who harassed the early settlers until they were compelled to take the law in their own hands. The one was a colored man known as "Old Obediah," who lived on the north side of White river oppo- site Mr. Van Arsdoll and was noted as a chicken thief. To stop this the settlers chose John Reese judge, and Tom Hacket as constable, and convened a court in Van Arsdoll's log barn. The constable proceeded to arrest the accused, and after a short trial he was clearly proven guilty, but while the court was summing up the evidence the officer in charge of the prisoner purposely stepped to one side, when some sham friend (as the whole proceeding was a sham) suggested to the prisoner that "now is your chance," and away he went, closely followed by his dog and the yells of the pursuers, not hesitating for a moment when he reached the river (which was "high") but plunged in and was not seen in the neigh- borhood again for five or six years.

The other was a white man, known to the settlers as "Old Tom Hall," who was a noted bee thief, and who was arrested by Officer Hacket, tried by Judge Reese, and sen- tenced to two days' imprisonment in the "wolf pen." This was a pen built of heavy logs, covered with same, with a trap-door on top. This door was so arranged that the wolves would get into it to get the bate inside and would drop through, but could not get out. This pen was near the river, and also near the line dividing the east and west half of the northeast quarter of section 31, on land now owned by Mrs. Lavina Reese; and here the prisoner was kept the allotted time fixed by the court.

It is said that "Old Tom" afterwards, in sticking his arm into another man's corn crib after night, got his hand

12 HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

into a steel wolf trap, and was found standing there on the next morning, even not coming into breakfast when politely invited by the owner of the corn crib. For this offense he was again arranged before Judge Reese's court, but as he had suffered a broken arm by the accident (?) the court thought the penalty sufficient.

Game was plentiful in these early times and almost everyone was a successful hunter. Almost every settler kept his hunting dogs, besides a watch dog for his home pro- tection.

One of the staple articles, much depended upon as an article of exchange for merchandise, was coon skins, and con- sequently coon hunting was much indulged in, and a good coon dog was very valuable. The hunter would start out after dark, peeling the bark off of a hickory tree and lighting it for a torch, he would strike boldly into the woods. His dogs, anxious for the sport, would at once get down to busi- ness, and soon the baying would announce to the anxious hunter that a trail had been struck. Mr. Coon, hearing the dogs after him, would soon take to a tree, (most generally a very large one) but as timber was of little or no value, the hunter would at once proceed to cut the tree, without any thought as to the owner of the land on which ii ~tood. Then as the tree would fall, some one or more ol the company would be delegated to hold the dogs to prevent them from running under the falling tree, until about the time it struck the ground, then letting them loose they would rush onto the coon, which would frequently "put up'" a big fight. At other times the coons would evade the dogs an succeed ind reach- ing and climbing another tree, in fact, the writer has helped cut the third tree for one coon.

The experienced hunter could tell the moment the game was treed by the baying of the dogs, and you would hear the joyful exclamation of "he's treed." He could also tell you if the dog was running any other game than coon. As I have often heard the remark, "that dog's on a rabbit track," and the dog was very apt to get a whipping for so far forgetting his dignity as to trail a rabbit when out for coon. Among the noted coon hunters of Perry township was Garret Gibson, who entered the west half of the southwest quarter of section 31, in 1830, lived in the township many years and has many relatives living here now.

Section No. 1, in Perry township, was settled and the land entered by William King, John Fetters, Bowater Bates, John Connor, William Locke, Thomas Clevenger, William Baird, Norris Flemming and Joseph Whitacre. The first of these entries was made by John Connor October 31, 1822, and the first or earliest entry made in the township. This

HOME AND STORE OF ELI W. WALRADTH, Tasel, (Old Mt. Pleasant). Perry Township.

	&
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	*pw
	/jkmT
m *4	-*^BrW

WM. BARNES,

(Deceased). A pioneer carpenter of

Mnncie.

MRS. EVELINE WACHTELL BARNES,

Of Muncie.

BUGGIES ((HARNESS

THE WACHTELL BLOCK,

West Washington street, north of Court House.

PERRY TOWNSHIP. 13

was the east half of the southeast quarter of the section, and is now owned by L. Lindsey, S. Reese and S. M. Warner. The last entry in the section was made by Joseph Whitacre in March, 1837. The present owners of section 1 are R. Brew- er, J. J. Fetters' heirs, H. Fetters, S. M. Warner, A. Reese, L. Lindsey, M. E. Cline, W. Terrel, J. E. Clevenger and T. G. Clevenger.

Section No. 2 was entered by Robert R. Barr, Henry Way, Andrew McAlister, William Dilts, James Barr, John Brooks and Nelson Thayer, in the years of 1832-35-36 and 37, and is now owned by P. A. Helm, H. Kennedy, |. M. Lenon, M. H. McCormick, E. J. Halstead, P. R. Clevenger and J. L. Ullom. The Blountsville and Smithfield free gravel road runs along the west side of this section. The Christian church stands near the southwest corner on section 11, and school No. 1 near the northeast corner on section No. 1.

All the public land in section No. 3 was taken up in six entries, four of which were made in 1830 and the other two in 1836. The parties making these entries were William M. Clark, Lyman Halstead, Peter Halstead, Joseph Walling, Samuel Halstead and David Hoover. The present owners of the lands of this section are W. A. Clark, C. Clark, G. W. Keesling, L. E. Doughty, John Williams, Jr., and W. C. Scott. This section has good roads along the east, south, half of the west, and through the center east and west. School No. 2 is near the west line of the section, in section No. 4.

Section four might be termed one of the early settled sec- tions of the township, as the first entry of land in this section was made in December, 1822, but a short time after Mr. Conner made his entry in section one, and was made by James Bryson. The other settlers entering land in this sec- tion were Joseph Walling, David Hoover, William N. Rowe, John Will, Louisa Thayer and William J. Cecil.

This section is now owned by John Williams, Jr., Wm. J. Williams, W. and B. Gilmore, A. R Holloway, George W. Keesling, and J. B. Cecil; A road runs through the section, north and south, near the center, and Prairie creek crosses the west side.

The earliest land entry in section No. 5 was dated Octo- ber 9, 1826, and was made by Daniel Thompson. From then until October 25, 1834, all the land in this section was taken up by Aaron Cecil, Benjamin Walker, George Ribble and William J. Cecil. Relatives of some of the first settlers still own and occupy a greater portion of this section.

The present owners are S. G. Cecil, Z. W. Cecil, J. B. Cecil, S. and E. Jordan and John Rees, Jr. The southeast quarter of the section joins the village of New Burlington,

i4 HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

from which place a gravel road runs north through the section; also the Muncie and New Burlington free gravel road angles across the section.

Section six was entered in the years 1830 to 1836, inclu- sive, but the records show no entries in either 1833 nor 1834.

These entries were made by Samuel Cecil, Joseph Keesling, James Cecil, John YanArsdol, Daniel Keesling and Henry Mulkins, and now owned by J. Rees, Sr., M. C. Will, S. and E. Jordan, A Keesling, John Rees, Jr., John Will, R. Rees and C. Cunningham. This section we find short of 640 cares, as in fact, are all the sections of the township bordering on Monroe.

Section seven was entered in the years 1834 and 1836, and all but two of these entries were made in the year 1836.

The names of the parties taking this section from the government were James Cecil, David Robinson, John Kirk- patrick, Sr., William Drum, Isaiah Gandy, Samuel Hutch- ings, Joseph R. Pratt and Keder Homan. This is also a fractional section and now owned by Jane Felton, H. Temp- lin, L. Rees, O. Ladd, John B. Jackson, E. D. Jackson, G. W. Helmick, Jacob Keesling, E. J. Jackson and James Car- michael. A good road passes through the center of the sec- tion, east and west; another angles across the western half and another along the greater part of the north line.

The public land in section eight was entered by Aaron Richardson, Benjamin J. Blythe, Solomon Johnson, Calvin Cecil, James Cary, William Cecil, Almron Spencer, William Drum and Ephraim Cary, in the vears of 1829, '31, '32 and

The lands are now owned by S. Jump, ]. B. Cunning- ham, T. P. Iron, J. and W. Williams, A. Shockley, E. Cary, R. J. Carey, C. W. Cecil, James Carmichael and W. R. Moore. The village of New Burlington occupies a portion of the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter, and school No. 4 is located on the southwest quarter of the northeast quarter. This section is in a high state of cultivation, with good roads.

Section nine was entered by William Powers, William R. Roe, Eli Hoover, William Baltimore, William J. Cecil and Stephen Bunnell, during the years of 1829, '30, '31 and '35. The eastern portion of the section is high, or hilly, and along Prairie Creek, which drains the western portion of the section, is low, rich prairie land. The land is now owned by A. B. Cunningham, W. and B. Gilmore, F. M. Gates, A. L. Gates, A. G. Gates, L. G. Gates, J. and B. Cunningham, J. H. Shroyer, N. Howell and S. Carmichael. The Muncie and Blountsville pike crosses the section and school No. 9 is on the southeast corner.

PERRY TOWNSHIP. 15

The government land in section ten was entered by John Buck, Samuel Halstead, William Locke, William Ball, Joseph Fifer, Thomas Edwards, Martin Hoover, Henry Hart and Stephen Bunnell, during the years from 1831 to 1837, and is now owned by I. W. Swingley, C. Swingley, E. H. Valentine, J. Hawk, R. B. Linsey, J. C. F. Thornburg, P. A. Helm, O. F. Bowers, W. L. Linsey and A. J. Blount. This is the only section in the township that can lay claim to a good road on each of its borders and entirely surrounding the section.

Section eleven was entered by Moses Hudson, Benjamin J. Blythe, George Holloway, Charles Miller, Paul Way, John Buck and Henry Way, in the years ig32> '33, '34 and '36. The present owners are E. C. Sutton, H. A. Sutton, G. W. Keesling, T. C. Reese, J. A. Mills, J. C. Turnboldt, W. A. Jordan, L. and R. Gates and O. O. Linsey. The Chris- tian church is located on the southwest corner; gravel road along the south and west lines.

Section twelve borders on Randolph county, and is the center of Perry township, north and south. Its lands were entered by Thomas Clevenger, Norris Fleming, John Thorn- burg, Jacob Branson, Joseph Whitacre, Solomon H. May, Samuel Rooks, Evan Jay, John Helms, Henry Hill and Ephraim Emmons, and is now owned by John Linsey, L. Linsey, S. M. Warner, S. Hackman, L. Gilmore, T. C. Reese, J. Mills and J. Thornburg. School No. 8 is on the south quarter and a cemetery on the northwest corner.

The earliest entry of land in section 13, Perry township, was made June 4, 1822, and the last on February 1, 1837. The original purchasers were Benjamin Carr, Edward Thorn- burg, Sr. , Isaac Thornburg, Joseph McClurkin, Isaac W. Beeson, Alexander Thornburg and John A. Locke.

The present owners of this section are G. H. Thornburg, E. W. Thornburg, L. Gilmore, A. Gates, J. H. Thornburg, R. B. Lindsey, J. A. Mills and C. E. Tr^es. The highest point of elevation in the county is in this section, in the west half, and near the center of the section north and south. The section has three gravel roads and the northwest part is crossed by Stony creek.

Section No. 14 was entered by James Warren, David Stephens, James Livingston, Robert Hindman, William Locke, Michael Wolfe, Jackson Brewer and Isiah Templin. These entries, with the exception of the one made by Isiah Templin (1835) were all made in the year 1836.

The present owners of land in this section are M. and A. Yockey, R. B. Lindsey, S. Hindman, C. E Trees, J. C. Thornburg, A. Yockey, M. Cunningham, J. E. Fletcher and D. Fletcher. The section is surrounded by gravel roads

16 HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

with the exception of three-fourths of a mile. Stony creek crosses the southeast corner of this section.

The lands in section 15 were entered by Michael Wolfe, William C. Ball, Henry Way, James Hart, Jesse Pugh, Jona- than Warren, William Locke and Leonard Stump in the years of 1835-36 and 37; and are now owned by I. S. Cleven- ger, J. Clevenger, I. V. Thornburg, J. E. Fletcher, S. A. Thompson, D. Fletcher, A. G. Gates, A. H. Hiatt, R. P. Shanklin, L. Gates, C. Hart, F. M. Hewitt and William Beall. School No. 6 is located on the southwest quarter and the section has gravel roads on the south and east lines.

As early as 1803 there were petitions presented to our national congress, asking for changes in our system of dis- posing of public lands, whereby would-be purchasers of small tracts could be accommodated, and where sections were be- fore sold, they could be divided and sold into half sections, half sections in quarters, quarters in eights, result of which was to cause a rapid settling up of government lands, the government, at the time of the settling of Delaware county selling land in quantities of forty acres or more. Another wise provision was the reservation of one thirty-sixth part of all public lands, (or one section in each township ') which the government gave in perpetuity for school purposes. Then for convenience, it was determined that section 16 (it being near the center of each township) should be designated and re- served as such school section. For our purpose, suffice it to say that the Indiana State Legislature passed all sections numbered sixteen in this State into the hands of officials whose duty it became to rent, sell, or otherwise dispose of these sections for the benefit of the schools of the respective townships in which they were located. This explanation, we trust, fully accounts for section numbered sixteen never being entered, but sold to settlers by the officials having the proper authority, and the purchase money used for the education of the children of the township.

Therefore, section 16, in Perry township, was sold on August 14, 1830, as follows: East half of northeast quarter, 80 acres, to Samuel Harvey, at S2. 50 per acre; west half of northeast quarter, 80 acres, to John Armentrout, at S2.50 per acre; northeast quarter of southeast quarter, 40 acres, to Israel Shoemaker, at $1.25 per acre; southeast quarter of southeast quarter, 40 acres, to Leonard Stump, at Si. 25 per acre; west half of southeast quarter, 80 acres, to Leonard Stump, S1.87J4 per acre; northwest quarter, 160 acres, to John Reese, at Si. 20 per acre; east half of southwest quarter, 80 acres, to Jesse Delaney, at Si. 75 per acre; northwest quarter of south- west quarter, 40 acres, to Stephen Bunnel, at Si. 25 per acre; southwest quarter of southwest quarter, 40 acres, to William

PERRY TOWNSHIP. 17

H. Underhill, at $1.25 per acre. Thus the entire section sold for the sum of $890. While that may seem a small amount for a section of land in the rich region of Perry to us, yet the amount would go further toward educating the children of the township than many times that amount would now.

The present owners of land in section 16 are E. D. Jack- son, A. Hiatt, R. P. Shanklin, L. Hewitt, F. M. Hewitt, J. H. Reese, L. Johnson and Thomas Marshall.

The pike running from Muncie to Blountsville (the old State road) passes through the section near the center, and Scott's run crosses the eastern portion. The eastern portion is convienient to two school houses; No. 6 being near the southeast corner and No. 9 near the northeast corner of the section.

Section No. 17 was settled early in the twenties, and its land taken up in 1823 to 1836. These entries were made by Solomon Sanford, William Underhill, William Bunnel, Her- vy Bates and Jesse Jackson.

The present owners of 17 are L. A. Linville, L.Odle, M. J. Felton, L. Johnson! G. M. Reese, J. B Howell, J. Jack- son, R. Felton, F. H. Linville, J. Linville, James Car- michael, J. S. Hutchings and James H. Jackson.

The road from New Burlington to Mt. Pleasant passes through the section near its center, being on the half section line from the north line to the center, at which point it angles to the west of south. Another road crosses the section east and west on the half section line.

1834 is the earliest entry of land in section 18, and dur- ing that and the two succeeding years all the public land in the section was entered by Martin Galliher, Thomas C. An- thony, Jesse Jackson, Isaac Branson, Elijah Harrold, Mor- gan Thornburg, Joseph Cheeseman and Jonathan Thorn- burg.

The present landlords of section 18 are E. D. Pommel, M. Masterson, D. Jackson, F. H. Linville, S. J. Hutchings, James H. Jackson, Lewis Keesling, Jacob Keesling, P. Turner, O. F. Nelson and Mrs. H. Shuttleworth. A road crosses the section east and west on the half section line, and another almost north and south, east of the center.

Section 19 is the southwest section of the township. This section was entered by Mahlon Branson, John Lewis, Samuel Poff, Peter Dragoo, Isaac Branson and Robert Franklin from 1830 to 1836, inclusive, and is now owned by Lewis Keesling, P. H. Chalfant, S. J. Dragoo, M. Taylor and O. C. Dragoo. The village of Mt. Pleasant is located on the line between this section and section 20.

Section 20 was entered in the years of 1833-35-36-37, by

18 HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

John Armantrout, Isaac N. Delaney, William Honnell, David Fetrick, Elias Burkett, Henry Riggs, William Heaton, Abra- ham Slover and William P. Mathews, and is now owned by R. Felton, E. Reese, Elijah Felton, M. Shockley, G. Chal- fant, J. S. Huffman, W. A. Acker, J. Acker, P. H. Chalfant and P. Oxley.

The first public land in section 21 was entered as early as September, 1829. Others in 1830-31-33-34-35 and 36. The names of the parties availing themselves of homesteads in this section at government prices were Leon- ard Stump, James Lindley, Thomas Keener, Hosea Sisk, Joseph Cowgill, Hervey Bates, William Lindley, Rachael Dummit, Daniel Kessler and Charles Lindley. The land is now owned by A. M. Ofterdinger, R. Marshall, M. Marshall, S. Parks, E. Bird, E. Marshall, T. Marshall and H. Acker. The Muncie, New Burlington and Blountsville pike (old state road) passes through this section, while other good roads run through and along the borders of the section.

Section 22 was entered by John Elliott, Ebenezer Elliott, Leonard Stump and William Locke, all of whom made their purchases in 1836, from March 7 to December 16. This sec- tion has gravel roads on the east and north lines. The land is now owned by W. Lindsey, D. and A. Fletcher, J. S. Jor- dan, W. A. Jordan, John Daugherty, W. E. Daugherty, C. Howell, G. Paul, C. Daugherty, William Beall and A. J. Cross.

Section No. 23 was entered in the years from 1829 to 1836 by Tarah Templin, John Lenington, Eli Fox, Robert Templeton, lohn Elliott, Michael Wolfe, Isaac Blount, Cal- vin Ball and Robert Worrell. One of these first purchasers, Eli Fox, was the possessor of the shortest name we ever remember of having seen or heard, six letters spelling both his first and last name. The owners of land in this section at this time are William A. Jordan, H. Ofterdinger, J. A. Jordan, John Daugherty, M. C. Worl, and S. M. and S. Linville. This section has two gravel roads running north and south, one on the west line, the other eighty rods west of the east line.

Section 24 is the southeast corner section of both the county and the township, and its lands were entered in 1832- 35-36 and 37, by Hugh McCune, Lemuel Hamilton, James Lindley, Jr., William C. Swan, Abraham Lenington, John Beckelshymer, Isaac Wrightsman and Samuel Bedwell, and are now owned by J. H. Thornburgh, James Davidson, B. Bird, C. E. Trees and William A. Jordan.1 This section has one gravel road that passes through the section north and south, eighty-three rods west of the east or the Randolph county line. School house No. 7 is located on the northwest

PERRY TOWNSHIP. 19

corner. Perry township has nine school districts, and each have substantial brick school houses except No. 1, which has a new frame building. School building No. 1 is in section No. 1, building No. 2 in section No. 4. No. 3 in section 32, No. 4 in section 8, No. 5 in section 20, No. 6 in section 15, No. 7 in section 24, No. 8 in section 12 and No. 9 in section 9.

THEN AND NOW.

Then, the forest covered old Liberty's lands;

Then, the red man roamed at will; Then, the chieftain met his warrior bands At the place where the modern mansion stands,

On the sunny slope of the hill.

Then, the hunter came from the rising sun,

His home on the eastern shore; With muscles of iron, and trusty gun. And built his home where the waters run,

Where the red man romas no more.

Then, his family came his cabin to cheer, Then, the latch-string hung at the door, Which said to the passing pioneer: " Come in, you are always welcome here; " But he's gone, we see him no more.

Now, orchards bloom on every hand,

Foretelling the coming fruit; Now, towns and villages dot the land; Now, people dress in garments grand

Instead of the buckskin suit.

Now, carpets cover the parlor floor

Where once the puncheons lay; A silver bell on the great front door. Must we stop at this? Is there nothing more?

Are we wiser and better than they?

LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 21

Liberty