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CHAPTER XVIII.
CASS TOWNSHIP-COMING OF THE PIONEERS-THE EARLY PREACHERS
MISCELLANEOUS INCIDENTS OF INTEREST-EARLY FARMING CUSTOMS -KING COTTON AND
QUEEN TOBACCO-INCIDENTS OF THE CHASE - THE FIRST :NI A IL- INDUSTRIES-THE
EARLY WEDDINGS-EARLY NEWBERRY- THE WAR AS11 & ERIE CANAL-NEWBERRY IN CANAL
TIMES -SCHOOLS OF THE TOWNSHIP-ST. PETER'S CHURCH-THE METHODIST CHURCH-THE,
CHURCH OF CHRIST-THE HIGH SCHOOL.
IT is thought that Isaac Doan was the first settler in the present Cass
Township, but the date of his location cannot be given. His log cabin stood
near the eastern boundary of the township on the creek which bears his name.
He settled at the Hattabaugh field, near the bridge, on the north side of
the creek. It is said that he was a famous hunter, not only of deer but of
bears and panthers, and was a dead shot with the rifle, an attainment of
which all the noted hunters could boast. Among the earliest settlers were
the Richeys, Mr. Howell, William Bynum, Samuel Bynum, John Bynum, Daniel
Bynum, William Bynum, Jr., James Bynum, John O'Neal, Benson Jones, Peter R.
Lester, John Slinkard, Andrew Slinkard, Frederick Slinkard, Moses Slinkard,
Henry Slinkard, John Slinkard, Jr., Daniel Slinkard, Robert Clark, Abner
Bogard, Samuel Ewing, the hatter, W. D. Lyles, Bazil Lyles, Nathan Chandler,
Joseph Beals, Dr. Dennis. Several of these became prominent and useful
citizens, whose descendants remain to honor their eventful lives. Henry
O'Neal, father of William and John F., came from South Carolina and settled
on the Skomp place, and then moved to Daviess County. His children and
grandchildren have been among the most respected citizens of all that
locality. John F. O'Neal became a leading politician of Greene County,
serving in the Lower House of the State Legislature, and in the Senate. He
had been a Democrat, but in 1856, at the Presidential election. he changed
his vote and was one of the only five in Cass Township to help the
"Pathfinder" toward the White House.
THE' OLD-TIME PREACHERS.
John O'Neal was a Quaker, and preached many of the early sermons in the
township. He was a man of strong personal magnetism, and possessed a rude
eloquence which found its way to the hearts of hundreds of his neighbors.
The Mormon Prophet, Joseph Smith, the founder of a religion which has become
strong in the land in more meanings than one, and which is yet destined to
cause serious trouble in the affairs of the nation, was one of the early
preachers of Cass Township. He endeavor to secure proselytes to his faith,
but so far as known did not succeed in Cass Township. One' wife was enough.
The people, though rude, ignorant and impulsive, could not accept Joseph
Smith as the Prophet of God or his Bible as the work of divine inspiration.
So the famous or infamous Joe sought other and greener pastures. He is said
to have been a speaker of unusual power and persuasion. Joe Wilson was
another early minister; so was William Plusky, and Ephraim Hall, and John
Lynn, and John Wilson, and William Roach, the latter being a resident of
Daviess County and a man of gigantic stature and stentorian voice. He was
well advanced in years, and is said to have been six feet and seven inches
high, and big and heavy in proportion. His voice was like a deep-toned
steamboat whistle, and could often be heard at camp meetings two miles away.
He wore number fourteen boots, which were prepared expressly for him, at
Louisville, Ky., but these were really too small for him, and he was forced
to wear moccasins made, it is said, by himself. The extraordinary size of
his feet, however, did not affect the vigor or pathos of his sermons.
INCIDENTS OF INTEREST.
In many respects, the Richey family were remarkable. The girls were pretty,
were wooed by the pioneer youth, and were the belles of the neighborhood.
The boys were of great strength and activity, possessing rare combinations
of nerve and muscle. They became noted wrestlers, and were rarely
vanquished. They were not quarrelsome, but when insulted or wronged could
and would resent with a force that was irresistible. It is said that several
of them could stand, and at three jumps forward, clear forty feet, and three
jumps backward clear thirty feet, and and at one running jump clear
twenty-one feet. You that boast of your activity take these measurements and
endeavor to equal these distances and see how easily and surely you will
"light too soon." The Richeys were Methodists, and were among the best of
the early settlers. The Bynums were prominent, and were connected by
marriage with the O'Neals and others. One of the boys, while carrying
pumpkins from a field on. a sharpened stick, fell, and in some unaccountable
way, ran the stick through his body, killing him almost instantly. Peter R.
Lester first came to Salem, Ind., but in 1820 moved to Greene County,
locating on the bluffs of White River near the mouth of Doan's Creek. He was
thus one of the first settlers in this locality. At this time, the township
was sparsely settled. It is probable that Doan reached the township as early
as 1817, coming, it is said, from Washington, Daviess County, near where he
had previously located. The main portion of the earliest settlers came from
1818 to 1824.
EARLY METHODS OF FARMING.
By 1823, there were probably fifteen cabins scattered over the present Cass
Township. All were of logs with the traditional cat-and-clay chimney, the
huge fire-place, the rude chairs, benches, floor and door, and the hanging
herbs, skins, dried venison and beef and the rifles and axes. The ground
when cleared was rich, and on the lower lands fifty bushels of corn could be
raised to the acre. The old wooden mold-board plow was the principal
agricultural implement, or perhaps that ancient implement, the hoe, was, as
the stumps and roots were too thick for plows. Corn was ground at Slinkard's
mill, or at Washington, Daviess County, where the settlers usually went,
when the winter's supply of flour was to be obtained and whore the marketing
was done, the trip consuming several days. There it was that the first plows
were sharpened. The cutter could be taken off and sharpened by a blacksmith,
and re-attached. The old wooden mold-board plow mostly in use was called "
Bull's Plow," and was regarded as a high type of art. Blacksmiths made them,
In a short time, shops were established nearer than Washington, and home
mills, stores, etc., as good as could be found any where iu the wilderness,
rendered useless the long and harassing trip to Daviess County. Wheat
was-raised in small quantities, and was threshed with the flail on a
puncheon floor, or in some cases tramped out after the custom so old that
the memory of the man runneth not to the contrary. It was the custom in the
reign of the Pharaohs of Egypt and in the old Assyrian and Babylonian
dynasties in times antedating authentic history. Cattle were driven round
and round upon the grain in the stock until all was cut in pieces, when the
grain was separated from the chaff by the tedious process of winnowing. Corn
was raised easier by the early settlers than wheat, and was the "staff' of
life." "Hog and hominy" have become household words in the Hoosier dialect.
Pumpkins were grown in large quantities and sweetened and prepared for the
table with maple sugar or syrup, or fed to cattle'. The peavine pastures of
early years were famous places for the herds of cattle. Cattle eagerly
sought this vine, and though it imparted a strong taste to milk and butter,
still it was not unpleasant after a few weeks' use. Hogs ran wild in the
woods, subsisting the year round on the rich " mast " which covered the
ground.
COTTON WAS KING.
It seems strange, but the fact is that in early years cotton was quite
extensively grown in Cass and other townships of Greene County. The early
settlers, many of them, had come from the Southern States, where cotton and
tobacco were the principal staples, and where it was thought that " cotton
was King," and tobacco Queen, and that their kingdom was bounded on the east
and west by the oceans, and on the north and south by the British
possessions and Mexico. It was not dreamed that the rich soil of the
Northern States was to create a revolution in farm proanets, placing corn
and wheat on the throne so long occupied by the justly illustrious cotton
and tobacco. So it came to pass that the early settlers brought seed of
cotton and tobacco with them to Tndiana. In a short time, a large number of
the first residents annually grew from one to five acres of cotton, and from
a few rows to an acre of tobacco, both of which products were mainly
consumed at home. The cotton was freed of seed by a neighboring cotton-gin,
and was then taken in hand, and in a short time, by various and mysterious
processes, transformed into garments of sundry sizes and hues. Before the
gin was brought in, the seed was picked out by hand in picking bees by the
girls and boys. Many a match of pioneer youth was struck and lighted into
fervid flame at these pickings. Yes, your father and mother; now old and
wrinkled, with palsied hands and tottering feet, were then young and rosy
and strong, with warm and loving hearts under linsey-woolsey and jeans and
tow, and with spirits " feather light" in the merry morning of their lives.
Soon you came on the stage in swaddling clothes, very red in the face,
lifting up your voice in doleful lamentations, and then father and mother
were never tired waiting upon you, tenderly watching your uncertain growth
and directing your energies ila healthful pursuits and curbing your abnormal
passions with the specific of Solomon. Can you do too much for them now?
They are standing on the brink of the river of Death, and can hear the surf
beat on the rocky shore of time, and can see the dark boat in the distance
coming for them. They know as the Arab beautifully expresses it, that " The
black camel named Death kneeleth once at each door And a mortal must mount
to return nevermore."
There is no evasion. When the camel comes one must go. There is time but for
a kind word, a clasp of the hand, a kiss, a last good-bye and the boat
leaves the strand and goes out into misty oblivion. Once the old loved to
pick cotton for your little form, loved to meet pioneer associates with
salutations of the backwoods; but now they live only in memory—in the happy
days of the dead past where their hearts lie.
WILD GAME.
Wild animals were very numerous, and were represented by some of the largest
and most dangerous. Bears were often seen and not infrequently encountered.
Deer were far more numerous than sheep, and could be killed at any hour of
the day or night. Their hides were worth about 50 cents each, and a " saddle
of venison" brought less than 'that. In some cases hogs were as savage as
bears, and were known to attack man when cornered, and when it seemed likely
that they were destined for the pork barrel. The tusks of the males
frequently attained a length of six inches, were turned up at the points and
as sharp as knives. Wolves were numerous, went in small packs, and it was
next to impossible to keep sheep unless they were guanied by day and
securely penned up by night. Foxes were killed once in awhile. Wild cats
infested the woods. Panthers frequented deer licks. Squirrels were a
nuisance. Corn had to be guarded constantly until the kernal bad sent up a
tall stock and rotted away. They were hunted and killed by the hundreds by
companies of men organized for the purpose. Turkeys, very large and fat,
were on every settler's table. Wild geese, ducks, brants, pheasants, otters
and a few beavers were also present to afford the hunter sport and the
settler subsistence. One day, Isaiah Hale, who had been away, returned home
through the woods, and while walking along suddenly came upon a large bear,
which had been concealed from him by intervening brush. He was so close to
it that lie could not escape, for it instantly reared up and struck at him
with its paw, catching his hand with its paw and badly lacerating it. He
then ran back, and bruin left, seemingly as glad to escape as he was.
MAILS, DISTILLERIES, FIRST MARRIAGES, ETC.
Mail was for the first few years obtained at Washington, Daviess County. In
about 1825, a mail route was established from Evansville to Indianapolis,
passing through Greene County, and the route lay through Cass Township. This
gave the settlers better facilities for mail. Tanneries were numerous. The
work done in them was called " hog-trough tanning." The process usually
required several months for completion. The vats were simply logs hollowed
out, and hence the name " hog-trough tanning." Thomas Plummer, after whom
old Plummer Township was named, owned and conducted a distillery. It was
started about the year 1826, and ran several years. It served a double
purpose—furnished the settlers with a market for corn, and likewise
furnished theM what was considered one of the necessities of life—whisky.
People actually thought they must have whisky, and no liduse was found
without it. One of the first marriages in the township was that of Joseph
Hepner and Susanna Bynum. The certificate was issued February 4, 1822, and
the marriage solemnized by Rev. 1. Stewart six days later. This was a
typical pioneer wedding, and a fine supper of substantials was enjoyed at
night. Another early marriage was that of Andrew Slinkard and Mary Westner,
the license being issued February 22, 1822, and the marriage occurring four
days later, Rev. Stewart performing the ceremony. James Adams and Anna Wolf
were united in the " holy bonds of wedlock" on the 3d of September, 1822, by
Squire Frederick Slinkard.
NEWBERRY BEFORE THE CANAL.
Old Newberry was first laid out in the fall of 1822 on land owned by that
time old Quaker gentleman, John O'Neal, and the first house was built by
Moses Ritter, it is said. The building was a log cabin, and was used a
little later as a store by Mr. Ritter, who afterward did an extensive
mercantile business at the county seat. In about 1827, Cary O'Neal opened a
store in the village, his stock, it is said, being worth about $500, but was
afterward increased to several thousand dollars' worth, and greatly improved
in quality. Peter R. Lester was also an early merchant in Newberry. He had a
good stock of dry goods, bringing supplies in wagons from Louisville, and
sometimes at Salem, then quite an important town. He also kept groceries and
a general assortment of store supplies used in the backwoods. O'Neal had the
leading store at Newberry for many years. A Mr. Hinds was in with goods at a
later day. Some flat-boating was done from Newberry by the early merchants.
The town was named for Newberry, N. C., whence some of the early settlers
came. Honey and beeswax were leading articles of exchange. Benjamin F.
Morse, it is said, succeeded the O'Neals in the mercantile business. He is
said to have been the first Postmaster. The town was very small and
inconspicuous until after the building of the canal, when it became an
important commercial point. The first doctor was probably Dennis. The town
before the canal days numbered about twenty families at its best, and had
blacksmiths, carpenters, coopers, tanners, shoe-makers, etc.
THE WABASH & ERIE CANAL.
Joseph Knight, Hugh Stewart and Alonzo Knight were contractors on the canal.
The work was commenced late in the forties and finished early in the
fifties. Their contract comprised the feeder dam, the guard bank, the locks
and five miles of excavation above, the estimated value of the contract
being $140,000. The survey of the canal was made in the fall of 1848, the
engineers being Whittle, Pope, Burdan and Hutchinson. The location of the
dam was selected by Jesse L. Williams, and W. H. Ball, chief engineer of the
Wabash & Erie Canal. The contracts were let at Point Commerce in 1848. The
survey and the letting of the contracts were great events, and large crowds
assembled to hear the bidding and the news. James Bouquet was one of the
architects. Owen and Bynum were treasurers, and John F. Slinkard was clerk.
A large store was kept at Newberry expressly for the workmen on the canal,
who numbered about 150. While the work was going on, life was infused into
all branches of business. The difficult work of extending the canal across
the river was easily effected by the skillful Superintendents.
NEWBERRY AFTER THE CANAL.
The canal no sooner became a certainty than Newberry " took a new lease of
life." Other merchants came in, mechanics appeared, and all kinds of
business multiplied. Livery stables, butcher shops, barbers, carpenters
appeared. The town was re-surveyed in the winter of 1848 by Benjamin F.
Cressy, and the public sale of lots took place the following spring. Many
were sold—some to those who became residents and some to speculators. Among
the leading business men were Hugh Stewart, Alonzo Knight, Joseph Knight, B.
F. Morse, Frederick Slinkard, J. Slinkard, F. P. Stark, John Basker, Daniel
A. Bynum, Walter Early, Dr. McDaniel, Thomas H. Johnson, John Lander and
others. A great deal of shipping was done as soon as the canal was finished,
and even steamboats came up for cargoes. Morse had a large warehouse, where
'grain was stored and thence shipped when markets were favorable. Early also
owned a warehouse, as did J. Slinkard. The shipments of produce were mostly
to New Orleans, and the journey required about six weeks. The town was very
prosperous from 1848 to 1858. Morse sent $9,000 worth of produce to New
Orleans every spring from 1848 to 1850. D. A. Bynum, Dr. McDaniel and Jonas
Slinkard also made shipments. Several of the early fairs were hold at
Newberry, as were also several of the early Teachers' Institutes. Since the
canal days, the activity has not been so great. The town is now considered a
good trading point by commercial men. If it gets the projected T. H. & S. E.
R. R., there will be a permanent revival of the old canal days.
THE TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS.
The Plummer Schoolhouse, three-fourths of a mile from Doan's Creek, and
Wesner Schoolhouse, one-fourth mile from First Creek, were the first built
in Cass Township. They were constructed of small poles, and the cracks were
left open probably for ventilation. The floors were of dirt, and there was
no fire-place nor window. David Bradford was the first teacher. He sat in an
old chair at one end of the room, and heard the scholars recite as they
arrived and mastered their lessons. The school was by subscription of $2 for
each scholar for the term of three months. School was taught in the fall
before the cold weather appeared. Recesses were not given; intermission, one
hour at noon. It was not long before other schools were started, and by 1830
there were three well-established schools in the township. Early in the
thirties, the first school money was obtained from the sale of the sixteenth
section, and early in the forties the first special fund was received. At
this time, there were five schools in Cass. The now law of 1852 greatly
improved the schools and schoolhouses. Emma and Eliza Ritter taught the
first schools in Newberry.
CHURCH INFLUENCES.
The chastening and hallowed influences of the Gospel followed close Upon the
footsteps of the pioneers. A settler's cabin was hardly up before an
itinerant was there with his Bible and hymn book gathering the family for
devotion around the altar in the wilderness. The first settlers were an
intensely earnest people; they manifested no half-way religious feeling, but
worked for their Master as they worked for themselves, with loud shouts and
heavy blows. The first meetings were held in the houses of the settlers.
They were soon removed to the log schoolhouse, and as the country became
more densely populated, a meeting house became a necessity, and had to be
built. The pioneers seemed to be inspired with a progressive zeal.
ST. PETER'S EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH.
At a meeting held at Andrew Slinkard's on the 23d of December, 1849, the
members present, resolved that they would organize a church. The following
persons were elected Elders: Frederic Slinkard, George Wesner and Isaac
Skomp. Mr. Slinkard had been an Elder of the Union Church of Greene and
Daviess Counties. It was decided that the organization should be known by
the name of St. Peter's Church. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments
formed the rule and guide of their church government. On the fourth Sunday
of January, 1850, Rev. Fairchilds preached at Andrew Slinkard's,. and George
Wesner was ordained Elder. Isaac Skomp being absent, was not ordained until
the fourth Sunday in February. At this time it was resolved that as many of
the members of the Union Church of Greene and Daviess Counties who desired
to connect themselves with the St. Peter's Church should order their names
placed on the church record. There were seventy-seven who ordered their
names recorded. In the spring of 1851, the church decided to erect in
Newberry a building which should be used for public worship and also serve
the purpose of a seminary. On the 21st of June, 1851, Frederick Slinkard,
John Slinkard and John Wesner were chosen Trustees. As a seminary, it was to
be free to all students who possessed' a good moral character. As a house of
worship, it was to be under the control of the Lutherans. The building was
to be forty feet long and thirty feet wide. Frederick Slinkard was the
contractor. The house was built by H. C. Owen, Sr., for $114. The job was
completed in July, 1852. On the 10th of October, the church secured the
services of Rev. Fairchilds, who agreed to preach once a month during the
year. He continued his work until the autumn of 1855, at which time he was
superseded by Rev. W. H. Deek, who had the church under his care until
February, 1858. Rev. E. S. Hinkle then assumed control of the church. The
others who have served as pastors of the church are Revs. Jacob Wesner, J.
E. Wesner, Emerson Hursh, Lauer, Eichelberger, Booher and Sappenfield. The
present membership exceeds fifty. In connection with the church there is a
Sunday school, which ranks with the best in the county. William H. Killian
has served as Superintendent for fifteen years. During this time the average
attendance has been upward of sixty. The building has not been used for a
seminary for several years. When it was used, R. C. Hilburn and J. G. M.
Hursh were the most prominent teachers. Mr. Hursh was an efficient teacher.
At the same time he was acting in the capacity of teacher, he was pastor of
the church on a salary of $450.
THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
In 1872, a church house was built in Newberry, but has never been dedicated
on account of indebtedness. Newberry Circuit was organized at the session of
the annual conference, at Rockport, in September, 1875. It embraced
Newberry, Scotland, Prairie Chapel and Simpson Chapel. It was formed from
the Bloomfield, Marco and Clarksburg Circuits. Simpson from Bloomfield,
Scotland from Clarksburg, Prairie Chapel and Newberry from Marto. Rev. John
L. Copper was first appointed to its pastorate. Its first Presiding Elder
was Rev. John Niger. Previous to the organization of the circuit, Rev. G. W.
Asbury was pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Newberry. He remained
so from October, 1873, to October, 1870; he was also pastor from 1880 to
1882. Rev. Johnson succeeded him; he died in January, 1883. Rev. Sharman, a
young minister just from England, has charge now. Membership, about. forty.
The first Sunday school organized after formation of circuit had the
following officers: H. C. Owen, Sr., Superintendent; Basil Hindman,
Assistant Superintendent; M. C. Owen, Secretary. Since then, Basil Hindman
has been Superintendent most of the time, and has been an efficient one.
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.
A church house was erected in 1871. The church was organized under the
ministration of Rev. Alfred Ellmore, February 5, 1871. The following
agreement was then made: "We, the undersigned, members of the Church of
Christ, do solemnly before God and in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, this day covenant together in forming the body, the church, to
propagate, maintain and defend the ordinances of the Lord's House, and to
keep them as they were delivered to us; that we will pray with and for each
other, to the upbuilding of our Master's cause, that it may finally triumph
and over every opposition prevail. " Alfred Ellmore, V. D. M.; W. L.
Hastings, Elder; T. B. Jones, Deacon; F. M. Gilbert, Clerk." The church has
a large membership. There is no Sunday school in connection with it. For a
number of years there was no regular pastors, on account of the inability of
its members to support a minister. Rev. McCormick has the church under his
care.
SCHOOLS OF THE TOWNSHIP.
Probably the first schoolhouse in the township was the small "log structure
" which stood for many years south of Newberry. One end was used for a
fire-place, and the floor was " ready-made." Lumber was too scarce, so the "
fathers" thought the ground would do. The window was an opening provided by
leaving a log out of the side of the house, and covering it with greased
paper. The roof was of clapboards, fastened down by means of a binder. The
seats were halves of split logs, with flat sides up, and wooden pins for
legs; the backs the children carried with them. There were no desks. Along
the side of the house, and below the window, that there might be as much
light as possible, was an eighteen-inch plank, used as a writing desk. Big
and little thus learned to write. Such was the primitive schoolhouse. The "
spellin'-book" and the "rethmetic " were stand-by's. The pupils recited each
in his turn. The teacher, with an educator three or four feet long in his
hand, would occasion the young idea how to shoot in a very lively•manner.
And thus the subscription school (for there were no free schools then)
hastened to its close but "to take up" again in about nine months from "
last day." However, after awhile these rude and unhewn logs were displaced
by more modern buildings of hewn timbers, and these again by frame edifices
that stand to-day. Cass Township is now divided into four districts. The
school building at Newberry is an honor to the township. Before the present
Trustee—Dr. Hilburn—was elected to that office, he told the people that if
elected he would erect a building in Newberry of which the people would feel
proud. The cost of the building, including furniture and other fixtures, was
about $3,000. The building will stand as a monument attesting the efficiency
of Dr. Hilburn as a township official and a public benefactor. His name will
be honored and respected by future generations. J. W. Walker was the first
Principal of the High School. His success is acknowledged by all. He
graduated the following students: Laura C. Killian, Maggie Killian, Mary E.
Ward, Mary Wesner, W. L. Slinkard, Lizzie O'Neal, John Hilburn and S. E.
Poulton.
This information is the research of many people across the United States and may contain errors. It is presented as the best information to date. Like all of those whose work I have incorporated herein, my research is a work in progress and subject to change without notice. A special thanks to Marlene Ricci of CA, Dwayne Meyer of CA, Jacqueline Bean of TX, Debbie Dick of IN, Milus Miller of IL, Carol Hendricks Miller of IN, Clarence Miller of IN, and Harold Glen Miller of IN. There are numerous others too; many of which are unknown, but their findings and stories are still much appreciated. Much of this would not have been possible with out their information. Also this website includes historical facts gathered from Washington County History, Indiana History, Rowan County and Salisbury North Carolina Historical sources and other US Historical sources.
James A. Miller- Great -Great -Great -Great Grandson of Adam Miller and Hannah Sheets.
©2007 The Millers of Washington County
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Last Updated 07/04/07 08:28:09 AM -0700