History of Fountain County, together with historic notes on the Wabash Valley PDF
Preview History of Fountain County, together with historic notes on the Wabash Valley
HISTORY FOUNTAIN COUNTY > rOOETlIER"WITH HISTORIC NOTES ON THE WABASH VALLEY, ILEANED FROir EARLY AUTHORS, OLD MAPS AXD MANUSORTPTS, PRIVATE AND OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE, AND OTHEt; ' AUTHENTIC, 'J'HOUGH, FOR THE MOST PART. OUT-OF-THE-WAY SOURCES. Ev II. W. BECiKWITII, WITH MAP AND ILLUSTRATIONS. CHICAGO: HILL AND N. IDDI^GS, PUBLISHERS. 1881. COPTBIGOT,ISSl, ByII.W.BECKWITII AND SON. PREFACE. 1117143 In presenting tinsHistorytotliepublic the editors iiiid ]iublislicrs liave had in view the ])reservation of certain valuable historical tacts and infoi-mationwhich without concentrated effort would not havebeenobtained,butwith thepassingawayoftheold pioneers, the failure ofmemory, and the loss ofpublic records and private diaries, would soon have been lost. This locality being compara- tively new, we flatter ourselves that, witli the zeal and industry displayed by our general and local historians, we have succeeded in rescuing fnnn the fading years almost every scrap of history worthyof—preservation. Doubtless thework is,in some respects, imperfect; wech)not presentitasamodel literaryeffoit, but, in that which goes to make up avaluable book ofreference for the present reader and the future historian,weassureourpatronsthat neither moneynor time has been spared in theaccomplishmentof thework. Perliaps some errorswill befound. With treacherous memories, ^jersonal, political and sectarian prejudices and prefer- encestocontendagainst,itwouldbealmostamiracleifnomistakes weremade. Wehopethat even these defectswhich maybefound to exist maybe made availablein so far as theymayprovoke dis- cussion and call attention tocori-ections and additions necessaryto perfect history. The "HistoryoftheWabash Valley"—necessarily the founda- tionforthehistoryofthis jiartofthecountry, byJI.W. lieckwith, of Danville-has already received the licarly endorsenient of the press, of the historical societies oftlu; northwestern states, and ot the most accurate historians in tlie country. Mr. Beckwith hasin his possession perhaps the most extensive private library ofrare historical works bearingontheterritoryunderconsideration in the world, and from them he iias drawn as occasion demanded. The general county history, written byJudgeT. F. Davidson, will be found byouri-eaderstobeinabold, fearless style, dealing infactsassomanycauses, and pursuing effectsto the end witliout turningtotherightorleft toaccommodate the opinions or prefer- ences offriend,partyorsect. The township histories, by Messrs. Peacock, Coen, Carnahan, Hyde, Turner, Kicker and Conversewill befound full ofvaluable recollections,which,butfortheirpatient research, must soonhave been lost forever, but which are now happily preserved for all ages tocome. These gentlemen have placed upon these counties and the adjacent countryamarkwhichwill notbeobliterated, but which will grow brighter and broader as the years go by. The biographical department contains the names and private sketches of nearly every person of importance iii each township. Afewpersons, whose sketcheswe should be pleased to have pre- sented, for various reasons refused or delayed furnishing us with the desired information, and in this matter only we feel that our work is incomplete. However, in most of such cases we have obtained, in regard to the most important persons, some items, and have woven them into the county or township sketches, so that, as we believe, we cannot be accused of either partiality or prejudice. TABLE OF CONTENTS. PART I. — CHAPTER I. phy ThedrainageoftheLakesandtheMississippi,andtheIndianand enchnamesbywhichtheywereseverallycalled 11 DrainageoftheIllinois andWabaCsHhA—PTThEeiRrtIIr.ibutarystreams—TheSportages connectingthedrainagetotheAtlanticwiththatoftheGulf 17 TheancientMaumceValley—GeolCogHiAcaPlTfEeaRturIeIsI.—TheportageoftheWabash andtheKankakee 21 CHAPTER IV. Therainfall—Cultivationofthesoiltendstoequalizerainfall,andpreventthe recurrenceofdrouthsandfloods 26 CHAPTERV. Origin of—the prairies——Theirformer extent—Gradual encroachment of the forest Prairie fires Aboriginalnamesoftheprairies, and the Indians wholivedexclusivelyuponthem 29 EarlyFrenchdiscoveries—JaquesICCaHrAtPieTr^EaRs—ceVnId.sthe St.Lawrence in 1535—— "SamuelChamplainfoundsQuebecin1G08 In1642]Montrealisestablished InfluenceofQuebecand—MontrealupontheNorthwestcontinuesuntilsubse- quenttothewarof1812 SpanishdiscoveriesofthelowerMississippiin1525, 37 CHAPTERVII. — Jolietand Marquette'sVoyage Father Marquette'sJou—rnal,descriptiveofthe journeyandthecountrythroughwhichtheytraveled Biographicalsketches ofMarquetteandJoliet 43 CHAPTERVIII. LaSalle'sVoyage—BiographicalsketchofLaSalle—SketchofFatherHennepin andthemeritofhiswritings 54 CHAPTER IX. LaSalle'sVoyagecontinued—HeerectsFortMiamis 63 CHAPTER X. Theseveralriverscalled the Miamis—LaSalle'sroute downtheIllinois—The KDca3nkPalkaeineesM—arTshheesI—llTihneoiFs-re"nFcohrtanCdrevIcncd.iTaunr"na—meTsheofwhtoheleKavanlklaekyeeofatnhde greatrivertakenpossessionofinthenameoftheKingofFrance 73 TABLE OF COKTENTS. CHAPTERXI. DeatmaMhinsdos1fi6hs9is9Lsi,apcpotSiloalo—lneeys,CthdaeiibnlscitasraghotoytCesedremtep—tetlkieSn—megecnTotthnosdeeosaontrtaitbgtelihminepshtofGoautfhlceFforn—laoanTncmyheee,n—ueWnaeLdrsaetrtSeahrMlelnoenmsaCo.suostmIabhspesaroivnfniaylttl—hee,ed Law'sschemeofinflationanditsconsequences 87 CHAPTERXII. Surr—TeKnhadneekrMakaoefuemL,eouCeihsiaicnaadngaoWatobCratesheehk,,FrtaehnnedchOthhCeiron,ouwtmnhbeienrM1aa7un31dme—oeriEgaairnnldoyfWraotubhteaeisrshsbeyvdeewrsaaclyrinobafemdteh—se Indianvillages 96 CHAPTERXIII. Aboriogriignianl—inThahbeitKaanstksa—skiTahse,CsaehvoerkailasI,llTi—naomiasrtoraibse,sP—eoOrifatsheanndamSleetUchhniogiasm,isa,nsduibt-s dRiivviesrio—nsTohfeitrhedecIllliinneoiasnCdonrfeemdoevraalcywestTwhaerdtroafditthieonMicsosnocuerriningttieIroquois105 CHAPTERXIV. TheTttopmMhfhhoieeevearitaymraEhlienndmscgewFifhe—leresi—seathntTtCacwehr—thasyehsr—eTiddMohiIinTsaerahpnoyomeoqdsfiiuiar,optrtiriehbseoPersniu—iaerp—avnoeTntlrnkhTacyeehnot—sdyenhshidetraiTrtiwhaMnitedoraieanaIurndlwmdlediieentacoWehilnesidt,anahendeIdi—bnfEBadWncDinugeaadlshnbsttsaia—rheuss,achTnwtahii—denvtidehTOrhehtisfehnifuieceporuceFtr—rVsriiteToolhhnfrleiecaitihganyrentasaegrnnme—ed-dr-119 CHAPTERXV. ThePottawatomies—OriginallyfromthenorthandeastofLakeHuron-Their Tmtmhihiegeeirnrac—teviOisoclonlcusautg—phebsyya—nwadaApyoetraotpfsietoaMnwcaeaocrfwkdiitt-nhheTahtwcehoieturoUnntgtihraetymeecodsfoSu—ttnahtteOrerysMiiwgaeaifnstmetirosoftfhateLlhoaewnkagenratoMmhfieec1h8PWi1oag2tbat—naa,wsCahaetndo—de- theu:lands TheirexodusfromtheWabash,theKankakeeandWabash... 137 CHAPTERXVI. TheWiWKniiascbc1kao7an1sps2hoio—n—s,IaiDnnnwdes1lo6Mlu7aet0srhcs—eoruonTtfhLeWtnihisresrcrepoesrnciaesdipiertiniaeob—noauonTtfdhteShinaerogrCitdanehtashetworrlnuBiccatIyflialoiitnnnhoei1ars6ts1——2t;hMeOinogsnritaehFtgeoeeMxoatfRouimvDteeerhe-,e t—HarroJnio.it'n^—oNnTe—aerclTuhymesdieerhstcrioonuyntatrhyeboIbdlelytin—woeiesTnhaenytdh,ePwiIialtnlhikneostihshaewasnW,dinaWnnaedbbaaogcsochueps—y,ThtheaetiitrraccrkoeusFnetomrr-yt blancetotheSacandFoxIndians 153 CHAPTERXVII. ThestASehrhteeatlwAsenuumebeenGdsltuaseiad—z—ned,aTnhMdDeaeiulrdarmiwveivaelerlneaasgnoe—udstWoObanryibgtaithnsheaehlBl—IyirgoTeqahuaseontidsDoe—fLliattTwhthlaeeeryeAMslilwa—emagirMhsaa,ondnytehteMwhoeoSumtAn.etmnMaeairronifysc'abs—n,y —theIroquois TheircountryonWhiteRiver,Indiana,andeastwarddefined They,withtheShawnees,sentwestoftheMississippi 170 CHAPTERXVIII. The Indians—Theirimplements,utensils,fortifications,mounds,mannersand customs 180 TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAFl'ERXIX. stonepeiamnpsl—emeIlnltussturasteidonbsyotfhvearInidoiuLsinksibnedfsoroeftshteoynecaimmeplienmceonnttsa,ctanwdithsutghgeesEtuiroon-s astotheirprobableuses 195 CHAPTERXX. — ThetpwheaearrNafonorcretthh—weefVsuatrl—utreaTdohefethbeuFfotf'ru.irmleotrr;aadtebhue;inridtarsnaincmgepeo,orftthaweinilcrdenatuonmiCbmaeanrlass,daanadudwaftienral-fdoiwslapi-n208 CHAPTERXXI. — — Thewarfortheempire EnghshclaimstotheNorthwest DeedsfromtheIro- quoistoalargepartofthecountry 224 CHAPTERXXII. Pontiac'swartor—ecoverthecountry fromthe.English—P—ontiac'sconfederacy fallstopieces ThecountryturnedovertotheEnglish Pontiac'sdeath..".^234 CHAPTER XXIII. Gen.cGtuoCerlnneav.srokCy'KlsoaafrsckkoEa—nnsqgkulHieiiasssth—mbaoTofnahutestschreasitu"prtItrhleelmnimedneomoriuosti"ohrf—oofVfTithnhhioeesenVRmneeaervrsmocil—hluitCoitanoopnttRah.irevyeHIrlewl—lainmroOi—rssg—uSarnkpHierzteiacstehcsiaopona-f ofthenorthwestterritoryintoIllinoiscountyofVirginia 21.5 HISTORY OF FOUNTAIN COUNTY. Territorialorganization 1 Earlysettlements ;) BoardofJustices 32 BoardofCommissioners 4() Countyofficers 43 Elections 4G Courts 5S Publicbuildingrs 65 Schools 70 Population,resources,etc 71 Militaryrecord 75 Earlysettlers 80 TroyTownship ' 85 Covington 90 Mills,postotfices,etc 100 Thepress 101 Removalofthecountyseat 104 Incorporation 105 Srhool. 110 Churches • Ill I-odges 115 Biograpliical 118 LopanTownship 170 Attica 173 Transportation 178 Manufactoriesandhotels 180 Water-works 161 Schools 182 Churches 183 Societies 186 Newspapers ISO Biographical 100 10 TABLE OF CONTENTS. RichlandTownship 213 Firstsettlers 214 Fires,etc 222 Churches 225 Biographical 232 VanBurenTownship 28') Earlysettlement 28G Progress 290 Presentstatus 291 Schools 294 Churches 295 Biographical 209 ShawneeTownship 340 Settlementsandorganization 341 RobRoy 342 Portland 343 Mills,schoolsandteachers 345 Churches 347 Societies 354 Biographical 355 WabashTownship 379 Churches 383 Biographical 385 MillCreekTownship 393 Religion 394 Biographical 397 FultonTownship 421 Churches 424 Biographical 420 DaviSschTooowlnsship , 443482 Mormons 445 Religious 446 Towns 447 Biographical 448 JacksonTownship 4G1 Jacksonville 405 Organizations 4G7 Biographical 408 CainTownship 472 Churches 477 Schools 480 Societies 481 Biographical 483 Good-bye 493 THE WABASH VALLEY. CIIAFrER I. TOPOGRAPHY. TnE reader will have a better understanding of the manner in which the territory, herein treated of, was discovered and subse- quently occupied, ifreference is made, in the outset,to some ofits moreimportanttopographicalfeatures. Indeed,itwouldbeanunsatisfactorytasktotrytofollowtheroutes ofearlytravel,or toundertake to pursue the devious wanderings of the aboriginal tribes,or trace the advance ofcivilized societyinto a country,withoutsomepreliminaryknowledgeofitstopography. Looking upon amap ofXorth America,it is observed that west- ward of the Alleghany Mountains the waters are di\ided into two great masses; the one, composed of waters flowing into the great northern lakes,is,bytheriverSt.Lawrence,carried intotheAtlantic Ocean; the other,collected byamultitudeofstreamsspreadoutlike avastnetoverthesurfixceofmorethantwentystatesand several ter- ritories,isgathered atlastintotheMississippi Piiver,and thence dis- chargedintotheGulfofMexico. AsitwasbytheSt.LawrenceEiver,and thegreatlakesconnected with it,that the Northwest Territorywas di.-;covered, and for many yearsitstrademainlycarriedon,amoreminutenoticeofthisremark- ablewatercommunicationwillnot beoutofplace. JaccjuesCarticr, aFrench navigator,havingsailed fromSt.Malo,entered,onthe10th ofAugust.1535,theGulf,whielihehadexploredtheyearbefore,and namedittheSt.Lawrence,inmemoryoftheholymartyrwiiosefeast iscelebrated on that day. This namewas subsequently extended to the river. Previous to this it was called the Iliver of Canada,the name given bytheLidiansto thewhole country.* Thedrainage of theSt.Lawrenceand the lakes e.xtends through14 degreesoflongi- tude,and covers adistance of overtwothousand miles. Ascending FatherCharlevoix' "Historyand General DescriptionofNew France;" Dr. John0.Shea'stranslation; vol.1,pp.37,115. ;;; 12 HISTOKIC KOTES OF THE NORTHWEST. thisriver,we beholditflankedwithboldcrags and sloping hillsides its current besetwith rapids and studded with a thousand islands combiningsceneryofmarvelousbeautyandgrandeur. Sevenhundred and fiftymiles above its mouth,the channel deepens and the'shores recedeintoanexpanseofwaterknownasLakeOntario.* Passingwestwardon Lake Ontario one hundredandeightymiles asecondriverisreached. Afewmiles aboveits entryintothelake, the river is thrown over a ledge ofrock intoayawningchasm,one hundredandfiftyfeetbelow; and,amidthedeafeningnoiseandclouds ofvaporescapingfromtheagitated waters is seen the great Fallsof Niagara. At Buflalo,twenty-two miles abovethefalls,theshoresof jSTiagaraRiverrecede andasecondgreat inland seaisformed,having an average breadth of40 miles and a length o—f240 miles. Thisis Lake Erie. The namehasbeenvariouslyspelt, Earie,Herie, Erige andErike. Ithasalsoborn the name of Conti.f Father Hennepin says: "TheHuronscallitLakeErige,orErike,thatistosay,theLake oftheCat,andtheinhabitantsofCanada have softened the word to Erie;"'vide"ANewDiscoveryofaVastCountryinAmerica,"p.77 Londonedition,1698. Hennepin'sderivationissubstantiallyfollowedb}'themoreaccurate andaccomplishedhistorian,FatherCharlevoix, whoatalaterperiod, in1721,inwritingofthis lakeusesthefollowingwords: "Thename itbearsisthatofanIndiannationoftheHuronlanguage,whichwas formerlysettledonitsbanksandwhohavebeenentirelydestroyedby theIroquois. Erieinthatlanguagesignifiescat,andinsomeaccounts thisnationiscalledthecatnation." Headds: "Some modern maps havegivenLake Erie thename ofConti, butwith nobettersuccess thanthenames ofConde,Tracyand Orleanswhich have been given toLakesHuron,SuperiorandMichigan.":}: AttheupperendofLake Erie,tothesouthward,isMaumeeBay, ofwhichmorehereafter; tothenorthwardtheshoresofthelakeagain *Ontariohasbeenfavoredwithseveralnamesbyearlyauthorsandmapmakers. Champlain'smap,1033,laysitdownasLacSt.Loais. ThemapprefixedtoColden's "HistoryoftheFiveNations"designatesitasCata-ra-qui,orOntarioLake. The wordisHuron-Iroquois,andisderived,intheirlanguage,fromOntra,alake,andio, bDe'aAuvtaifuuglo,urt,heAucgoumsptou16n,d16w03o,rdtomteheanMiinnigstaer:bePaaurtiisfuDlocluamkeen;tsv,idveol.Le9t,tpe.r1o6.f DBuaBrooins tL"haNiHseolwnatkVaeonyw,aagisnemshoitssotwNgooerrnktehraaAnlmldyeordniecstaih,ge"naavtcoelcd.omb1,pyaptn.hye2i1en9ag.rlmyAanFpdr,eFncarclohlnstweriinttaeLcra,sk,tehweaFnsroagnmiteveenbnayct;wohiviticidhne honorofthegreatCountFrontenac,Governor-GeneralofCanada. tNarrativeofFatherZenobiaMembre,whoaccompaniedSieurLaSalleinthe voyage westward on this lakein 1679;vide"Discovery and Exploration ofthe dMAeimsnes'risiscmsaiap,pp",i,vr"oelf.beyr1,reDpdr..t2o1J7io,nhanalpsGro.emvSiahoepuas,prneopft.iex9,0e.dde;sBiLagonrnaodtueosnLaietdHaiostnio"tnaL,na'k1s7e0"3E.Vroiey,CaagoderwsOakltsdowereNgoCoro.tl"h- tJournalofaVoyagetoNorthAmerica,vol.2,p.3; LondonEdition,1761.
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