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Preface
The writing of this history has been a self-assigned, pleasing task. If the reader gains from it as much satisfaction as the author has enjoyed in gathering and compiling the material he will consider himself amply repaid.
For more than twenty-five years the author has, at every opportunity, secured and preserved data with a view of preparing a history of his adopted county that would accurately set forth not only its present conditions, but also the dominant factors that have developed them.
The period covered is not far from a century. On its pages are the names of the builders of the county. Not only is it an epit_Qni£, of the silent past — it is also a story of the splendid life of an ambitious, growing county, hardly yet conscious of its ever expanding strength.
In presenting this history the author desires to say that the work has been performed with extraordinary care, and at no small expense. The writer has been upon practically every farm in the county, and in every ■church and school house. He has penetrated its mines, explored its caves, and followed the meanderings of its principal rivers. Within its confines he has traveled over every highway. He knew personally hundreds of its pioneer families, from whom much valuable information was obtained. He examined thousands of pages of its local official records, original muster rolls, famil}^ Bibles, wills, newspapers, old personal letters, passports, commissions, land patents, deeds, and scores of inscriptions upon gravestones and monuments. He surveyed mile after mile of its original boundary lines, traversed thousands of its acres, and ran the level of many of its streams.
Add to this, his researches into the original official treaties, records and ■documents, at Frankfort, Vincennes, Springfield, Bardstown, Indianapolis, and Washington, and the reader will have a fair idea as to the means by which the writer arrived at his conclusions.
If this opportunity should not be improved, a large amount of interesting data concerning Dubois county might be lost.
This book contains twenty-one chapters. Each chapter is a unit in itself, covering one subject, or one line of thought upon a subject. In a sense each chapter is a separate book.
In the writer's opinion the book should be read as the chapters are numbered, but any one chapter treating of a specific subject may be read m^ithout reading the others.
The chapter on Military History, after covering the record up to iS6i, considers the record made in the Civil War, bj' regiments, and this is, in a measure, self-indexed. The chapter on Church History, after covering the count}' as a unit, takes up, in detail, the local church history b}' townships ; hence, this is also, in a measure, self-indexed. The same plan prevails in a few other chapters. An examination of the book will soon show that it may be readily used as a local book of reference.
The philosophy of the local history, as well as the history itself, is often considered. The institutional life of the people has been given special consideration.
To many people, history is a dull, dry study. It is a difficult task to arrange a mass of data in such a manner as to hold the reader's atttention, unless the reader himself is a student of history, and searching for information.
This history is from the pen of one who knows his count}' at first hand, and interprets its story in a spirit of sympathy.
Jasper, Indiana, April i, igro.
CHAPTER I. The Origin of Dubois County
PAGE.
Primeval forests 25
25 25 25
Animals
Waters
Rocks
Scenery 26
Settlers 26
Traces 27
Settlements 28
Hosea Smith 29
Indiana Gazette 29
Western Sun 29
Gen . Washington Johnson 32, 29
McDonalds 30, 38
Piankishaw Indians 30
Fort Butler 31
Fort Farris 31
Dubois county created.. 31
Portersville, the count j' seat 32
John Niblack 33
Jasper, the county town 33
Dr. Simon Morgan 33
Dubois county library 34
Seal 34
Organization day 34
List of land owners 34
Census of 1820 '. 35
Record of McDonald family 38
Captain John Sherritt 39
Coroner Robert Stewart 39
CHAPTER II. LocAu Geology
Knowledge of natural objects add to our appreciation of them 41
Exact location of Dubois county 41
Of the soldiers' monument 42
Size of Dubois county 42
Altitudes of a few places 42 lo WILSON'S HISTORY OF DUBOIS COUNTY.
PAGE.
Patoka river receives the surface drainage 42
Slope of hills; cause 42
Report of State Geologist Cox 43
Of State Geologist Blatchley 43
The highland home of Mrs. L. L. Cooper in Boone township 43
Level tract northwest of Jasper 43
The glacial drift 43
Probability of oil and gas in Boone and Madison townships 43
Patoka river during pre-glacial times; high banks of river on the south and
probable cause 44
Frog Island 44
Enlow's mill 44
Patoka Lake Plain 45
Government ditches 45
Lime stone deposits in Columbia township 45
-Stone coal 45 . 46
The great book of Nature, open and free, in Dubois County 46
CHAPTER III. Local Geological Observations
Patoka mound 47
Infusorial earth 47
Sand stone 47
The Silver Well 47, 48, 49
Annuity salt 48
David Dale Owen appoinced State Geologist 48, 49
Report of 1838 48
Vowell cave in Columbia township; mouth and interior 50
Description of Vowell cave 50, 51. 52, 53
■Geological data 53- 54. 55, 56, elc.
CHAPTER IV. Natural Scenery in Dubois County
An ideal spot for the artist, the poet, the scientist, and the novelist 63
Buffalo trace and Buckingham's base line 63
Southern railroad ; unfair to judge county from car window 63
Totem rocks and Saltpeter cave with Indian relics 64
Raven rocks near the line between Columbia and Hall townships ; size and
color, nests of ravens 65
Raven rock near the line between Dubois and Martin counties; discovered in
1804 66
Description of Wild Cat rock 67
Blue Bird rock 68
Hanging rock 68
Piankishaw rock ■ 69
Indian Kitchen rock in Hall township 69
Indian relics and mortars 69
Cliffs in their winter beauty 70
WILSON'S HISTORY OF DUBOIS COUNTY. ii
CHAPTER V. Dubois County as a Primeval Forest
PAGE.
'The Barren 71
Buffalo Trace 71
Gigantic iceberg • 71
Three peculiar discoveries 72
Cooper hill 72
Patoka Lake Plain 72
Value of county's original timber 72
Topography of county 72
Natural forest trees 72, 73
Tulip poplar 73
Thick, dark forests 73
Forest undergrowth 73
Swamp land in Madison township 74
Corduroy roads 74
Forests of Dubois count)' one hundred years ago 74
List of indigenous trees 74-75
Milk sickness; cause 76
A day of public prayer 76
List of smaller varieties of vegetation 76, 77
Effect on climate of the removal of vegetation ; on health 77
Abraham Lincoln 78
Daniel Boone 78
CHAPTER Vi. Early Bird and Animal Life in Dubois County
Forest birds 79
Water birds 79
Eagles 79
Swans So
Ducks 80
Woodpeckers 80
Turkeys . . 80
Ravens 80
Paraquets ■ • • 80
Pigeon roosts at Huntingburg; at St. Henry Si
Bee hunting 82
Honey 82
Bee habits 82, 83
Survival of the fittest 83
Deer 83
Deer paths S3
Black bears 83
Wolves • 84
Wild hogs 84
First entry on existing official records 84
Other entries 84, 85
Native products ■ • ■ 85
Fox hunting 85
PAGE.
Pioneer hunters 86
Indian burials 87
Piankishaw Indians 87
CHAPTER VIL
Indian Titles and Original Surveys.
Piankishaw 88
Patoka ... 88
Chipkawkay 88
Vincennes tract 88
Indians and French at Vincennes 89
Wabash Land company . ' 89
William Rector's base line 91
Government surveys 91
Buckingham's base line 92
Second principal meridian.. 92
Initial point 92
Rectangular system 93
Printed instructions given the government deputy surveyors 93
Government's knowledge of Dubois county land 94
Surveyors 94
Flagmen 95
Surveyor's compass 95
Blazed tree 95
Surveyor's blaze 96
Congressional townships 96
Area of Dubois county 97
Donations 98
Three flags in Dubois county 98
Chapter VIII
Epitome on Pioneers and their Ethnography in Dubois County.
Life in Dubois county 99
Water, the great highway upon which pioneers traveled 99
Creeks bear the names of early settlers 99
Blazing a path through the forest 99
The Buffalo trace and its importance as an overland route 100
Buffalo Pond 100
The first paper in Indiana loi
Corduroy roads, forts and taverns loi
Buckingham's base line loi
The settlers in the north half of Dubois county. loi
In the south half of Dubois county loi
Neglected graveyards loi , 102
Religious history of Harbison township 103
Piankishaw Indian villages 103
Isolation of Dubois county 103
Wedding invitations 104
German accent 104
Chapter IX
The Pioneers of Dubois County. Their Homes, Social IviFE, Labors, Characteristics and Nativity.
PAGE.
Building sites 105
House raising 105
Dinner at house raising time 105
Puncheons 106
Clapboards 106
Divorces 106
Neighborly calls lo?
Spinning 107
Industry of pioneer women io7
Homespun clothing lo?
Stick chimneys 108
The sugar camp.. loS
Spelling matches ^08
Block houses lo^
Fort McDonald, Fort Farris, Fort Butler 108
Oldest map of Dubois county 109
The character of the pioneer of the Irish settlement 109
Courts 109
Judges 109
Hon. Wm. E. Niblack "o
The pioneer doctor no
Pioneer doctors at Jasper, Huntingburg, Ferdinand, Holland, Haysville, in
Madison township I 'o~i ^ i
Fear of Indians before War of 1812 1 1 1
Friendship m
The first adopted Red Man in Dubois county 112
Pioneer merchants • ^ ' ^
Court house at Jasper destroyed by fire 112
Territorial penal laws 112-113
Negroes ^ ^ ^ 3
The first newspaper in Dubois county 1^4
Fires destroy valuable papers. ^^4
The six townships and population of each Ii5
Exports of county. ^ ' 5
Our pioneers came from Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia,
Tennessee, Maryland, Georgia, Ohio and Pennsylvania 115-116
CHAPTER X. Pioneer Life, Pastimes and Sports
Christmas festivity ^^7
New Year ^^7
The first Thanksgiving Day proclamation 1^7
Independence Day • 1^7
The spirit of 1776 i^7
Revolutionary pensioners i ' 8
Indian wars. i'^
PAGE
Observance of the Fourth at Jasper 1 18
Program of the day 119
Father Kundeck's guards i j 9.
Vigo, the fire engine 119
Natal Day celebrations by the German settlers 1 19-
Log rollings 120
Quilting bees ; names of patch work 1 20
Corn husking 120
Dancing 1 20
Early fiddlers and some of their selections 120-121
Character of the pioneer fiddler 121
Games, 122
Shooting matches 1 22
Drill days for the local militia 122
Militia laws 122
Militia officers 122-123
Election day at Jasper 123
Fights ] 23.
The pioneer politician 123
County clerk and recorder 1 24
Goodlet Morgan's letter 124-125.
Jonathan Walker 125,
Two-wheeled vehicles 125
First white boy born in Dubois county — Allen McDonald 126
Chapter XI
Pioneer Ways and Customs. Incidents of Pioneer Days.
Character of the local pioneer 127
The dress of the pioneer hunter 128
Charms 128
Cooking 128
Light 128
The mansion house 1 29
Wedding costumes of 1 840 129
Wedding feasts 129
Coffins ] 29
Extract from a German book 1 29
Friedman 1 29
Horse-back riding r 30
Mills 130
Brick houses 130
Frame houses 1 30
Beds 131
Extract from Morgan's letter; schools, pupils, mail, Irish settlement, population, lawyers, physicians, various occupations, religious denominations, flat
boats, log court house at Jasper, whiskey 131, 132, 133
Apprentices 133
Character of the pioneer blacksmith 133-134
Products of the blacksmith , j 34
PAGE.
Charcoal burning 134
Pioneer blacksmiths in Dubois county 135
Pioneer days at Huntingburg I35-H3
CHAPTER XII. Pioneer Highways and Means of Transportation
Natural land marks as guides to travelers I44
Buffalo trace '44
Ox teams i45
Caleche T45
State roads I45
Old Troy road T45
Taverns I45> 146
Mail routes 146-
Revenue for State roads 146-
Road tax 146-
Ferries I47
Patoka river, a highway 148
Navigation in Dubois county 148
White river 148
Flat boats 149
Products carried on flat boats 149
Trips made 149
Stories told by flat boat men 150
Difliculty of travel 150
Early citizens of Dubois county who owned flat boats 151
Flat boat pilots 151
Dangerous points in the Mississippi river 151,152
Steamboats 152^
Jokes 152
Pork 155
Indentured servants • • • • ^SS'
CHAPTER XIII. When, Why, and How Jasper Became the County
Town. Complete List of Real Estate
Owners Up to December 31, 1830.
Removal of the county seat from Portersville to Jasper i54
Copy of the Act appointing commissioners to re-locate the seat of justice in Dubois county 154
Supplement to said act '. I57
Population of Portersville in 1S30 158
Jacob Drinkhouse, the pioneer hatter ■ I59
Reasons why Jasper was made the county town ^59
The original town of Jasper I59' '^^^
Court house fire 160
Survey made of the county seat 160
The Enlows 161
PAGE.
Why the name "Jasper" was chosen i6i
Writing sand i6i
Erection of the first house in Jasper 161
Mrs. Nancy Weathers 161
Record of Testimony 162
Court held at the house of James H. Condict 162
At the Cumberland Presbyterian Church 163
First two story brick residence in Dubois county 163
Real estate owners in Dubois county up to 1831 163
Esquire Henry Bradley's account of early days at Jasper 169
CHAPTER XIV. Educational Work in Dubois County
The early schools, teachers and pupils 170
Early books, methods and educational opportunities 171
Rev. A. J. Strain and other school officials 173
Old licenses 177
Township libraries 179
Legislative enactments 180
Graduates 184
Prominent teachers. . . . 184
Education in general 185
Parochial schools 185
Jasper College 185
Ferdinand Academy 1S7
Hon. A. M. Sweeney 191
Chapter XV
Very Rev. Joseph Kundeck, Vicar-General of Vin- CENNES, Missionary to Dubois County.
General appearance of Father Kundeck ; birth, education, missionary work in
America; received by Dr. Brute, of Vincennes ; sent to Jasper 197
St. Joseph's Hall 199
First German Catholic church in the State of Louisiana 200
Ferdinand; deed for the town of Ferdinand; engraved map 200
Celestine 201
Court house at Jasper; petition; price paid for labor 203
Board of school examiners 204
Sisters of Providence 204
Visit to Europe; result 205
St. Meinrad 205
Death of Rev. Kundeck ; burial 206
Loss to the community 206
CHAPTER XVI. Church History of Dubois County
PAGE.
Early church services 207
Early ministers 208
Early church houses 209
The Rev. A. J. Strain 210
lyist of early ministers of various denominations 210
The Rev. John Strange 210
The Rev. Wilson Thompson 210
Early church deeds 211
Impressive language used in church donations 212
William Clark Kendall on pioneer days 213
Kundeck, Strain, Shively, Goodman, Nix, etc., leaders of their church creeds. . 214
The Baily church house 216
Origin of the Reformed Methodist church 218
The Rt. Rev. August Bessonies, V, G 219
St. Joseph's Cross at Jasper 220
Early Catholic services. 220
The Sheritt graveyard 221
Moral, religious and educational forces of pioneer ministers 222
Detailed history of various churches in Dubois county arranged by townships —
Columbia 222
Harbison 224
Boone 225
Madison 227
Bainbridge 230
Marion 236
Hall 237
Jefferson 239
Jackson.. 240
Patoka : 241
Cass 247
Ferdinand 253
CHAPTER XVIL
Dubois County— Her Courts, Officials and Quasi- Officials for One Hundred Years.
County court organized 255
Early county ofl&cials 255
Early court scenes. ... 255
Jury spring 255
Early president judges ^S"
Fines remitted 256
Early prosecutors . . 256
Early law terms 256
Mill dams 256
Common law forms 256
Adoption of the code 256
(IK)
PAGE.
Pioneer officers' salaries 257
President judges, side judges, squires 257
Court attractions 257
List of early lawyers 257
Biographies of early judges 258
Names of judges 260
Probate courts 261
Common pleas court 261
List of prosecutors in the court of common pleas 261
Walker murder trial 262
Death of Sheriff Woolridge. 262
Weaver and Thurman trials 262
A death penalty verdict 262
Death of deputy sheriffs ; the Reeves case 262
White Caps 263
Judge Welborn 263
List of prosecutors 263
List of attorneys 263
County officials 264
John McDonald, a justice 265
Barly elections 265
Republican county officials ". 265
Voting power of the county in 1849 266
Associate judges 266
Probate judges 266
Notaries public 267
Swamp land officials. 267
SherifTs 267
Clerks 268
Recorders 269
Coroners 270
Overseers 271
Surveyors 271
Treasurers 272
Auditors 273
Councilmen 274
Justices 274
Commissioners 278
School officials 278-280
Appraisers 278
Assessors 278
County Board of Health 279
Judges 279
Superintendents 280
Truant officials 280
State Senators 280
Representatives 281
State officials ; 283
Congressmen 283
Elections 284
Leading Democrats of 1850 284
Voting power of the county 284
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