Baber's Early History of Greene County Indiana Chapter I

Prior to the year, 1816, no white man resided within the borders of Greene county; only stragling and strolling bands of Indians invade the territory or locality. They seemed to have no permanent home here, but passed through on war and hunting excursions.

On many of our hills, and in many of our valleys, they have left their rude and clumsy axes, made of stone, and their nicely formed arrow-heads, made of flint. These momentoes of another age and of former inhabitants, are often found to this day. There seems to be no place in our county specially noted for their rallies or congregation in large numbers. No field has been made a scene of carnage; no habitation seems to have been made desolate by their fierce, unrelenting tomahawk.

In the northeast corner of Richland township, near what is called Sleath’s Mill, there is a large rock, which was used by the Indians as a look-out. The rude steps, cut by them for the purpose of enabling their sentinels to ascend to the point of the look-out, are still visible to the passer-by, or to any whose curiosity leads them to the place.

In the year, 1813, perhaps the first party of white men visited Greene county. They were young men, one of them hardly grown, and at that time resided at Vincennes, Knox county. They came on a hunting expedition, more for novelty, curiosity and fun than for any other reason. They started out from Vincennes in a boat, went down the Wabash to the mouth of White river, and thence up the west fork to a point above the mouth of Richland creek, south of Bloomfield. At that point they landed and spent some time in hunting. One of that party afterwards became a resident of our county and resided here for more than thirty years. At the time of this excursion, a part of the old Indian grave-yard, near their landing in Greene county, was comparatively new. The Indian grave-yard was on the farm since known as the WARNICK farm. About thirty or forty years ago, it was a common thing for the boys from Bloomfield to dig up the skeletons of these dead Indians. Perhaps they were induced to dig into these graves from an idea that in those days very generally prevailed that the property of Indians was buried with them. While it was common to turn up skulls and other human bones, we never heard of any valuable discovery being made. Nearly all traces of this ancient burying ground have disappeared through lapse of time. The stalwart frame of may a savage whose war cry and tomahawk sent terror to the hearts of many an innocent victim, has doubtless returned to dust, and now forms a part of the soil of Greene county.

Many of our earliest settlers did not get over the deep and abiding hatred they had for the Indians, and especially those whose relatives had been cruelly and wantonly murdered by them. And after the treaty of peace had been made between the whites and Indians, occasionally an Indian would be found dead from gunshot wound. Perhaps the last Indian killed in Greene county, was killed a short distance below the mouth of Richland creek, on the east side of White river, in a ravine running up from the river into whit is known as the LESTER farm. It was a wicked and unprovoked murder. It was perpetrated at the time the United States survey of land was being made. An Indian had shot a deer in the ravine, and was dressing it. A hunter, who was employed by the surveying party to furnish them with meat, was in the immediate locality, and when he heard the crack of the Indian’s rifle, he at once understood the situation. Stealthily the white hunter stole upon his unsuspecting victim, and at the crack of his rifle, the Indiana fell, and in a few minutes expired. His body was concealed in the ravine and covered with rocks; and doubtless his decomposed bones are there yet, unless washed into the river. The deer become a part of the rations of the surveying party. It is possible that at a later day another Indian was killed, while drinking out of White river, or getting a pail of water, at a point near the line dividing Daviess and Greene counties.

In 1819, the Indians left the county to occupy their new homes beyond the Mississippi, after which there were none here except to pass thro’. At one time, a large body of Indians, while going west, camped a few days on A. J. NEWSOM’s farm, near the bridge across White river, on the west side of the river. Less than twenty-five years ago the trees were standing off of which they had taken the bark to cover their wigwams and to make their "light canoes".

Greene county was organized in 1821, and was named in honor of General Nathaniel GREENE, of Revolutionary memory.

The first settlement in the locality of Bloomfield was in 1818. In that year JOHN VANVORST, DANIELl CARLIN, and PETER C. VAN SLYKE settled here. In the year 1819, JAMES WARNICK, REUBEN HILL, THOMAS BADFORD, WILLIAM ROBINSON, WILLIAM SCOTT, CARPUS SHAW and LOUIS B. EDWRDS, settled in and around Bloomfield. Soon after there came LEVI FELLOWS, NORMAN PIERCE, OLIVER CUSHMAN, E. P. CUSHMAN, REUEL LEONARD, ElI FAUCETT, SAMUEL C. HALL, ALEXANDER CLENNY, OLIVER LOCKWOOD, JOHN MASON, JOHN JONES, BARNEY PERRY, PETER and JOHN HILL, ISAAC ANDERSON, JOHN SHRYER, ADAM STROPES, Dr. WILLIAM FREELAND, SAMUEL BROOKS, ORANGE MONROE, ABNER C. RAWLINS, EDMOND GILLMAN, WILLIAM ANDERSON, EDWARD SIMPSON (commonly called "Buddy,") SAMUEL BATEMAN, JOHN HARRELL, NATHAN DIXON (called "Little Nath,") ELIJAH ADKINSON, WILLIAM NORRIS, STEPHEN EATON, Dr. RUST, and many others whose names we have been unable to procure. Nearly all these have passed away; but we see the children and grand-children of many of them almost every day. We know of only three who are now living.

"Uncle" ALEX. CLENNY has attained a ripe old age, and is occasionally seen by our citizens, and exhibits wonderful vitality for a man of his years.

Judge L. B. EDWARDS, our fellow-citizen, has gone in and out before us even longer than our memory reaches. He has been our leader in all our efforts in Sabbath schools and Bible societies for more than half a century, and now, after having passed his three-score and ten years, and nearly attained his eightieth year, he still retains the vigor and sprightli- [end of page 2] ness, of his mind, hat has so often invited and retained our attention

Dr. WILLIAM FREELAND, younger than either one of the others, practiced his profession successfully for a great many of years, but in the decline of life, has given it up, and is now engaged in the peaceful and less active pursuit of agriculture.

At This point I will close this chapter. My next will be devoted specially to the organization of the county and matters properly connected therewith. [part of page 3]