Baber's Early History of Greene County Indiana Chapter XXIII Richland Township Township

We will give the following list of names among the first settlers in 1818: JOHN VANVORST and his tenant, DANIEL CARLIN, PETER C. VANSLYKE, JAMES WARNICK, REUBEN HILL, WILLIAM ROBINSON, WILLIAM SCOTT, CARPUS SHAW, SEN., Judge L. B. EDWARDS, Colonel LEVI FELLOWS, 1819, NORMAN W. PIERCE, OLIVER CUSHMAN, ELISHA CUSHMAN, RUEL LEARNED, ELI FAUCETT, ALEXANDER CLENNY, SAMUEL C. HALL, OLIVER LOCKWOOD, JEREMIAH LOCKWOOD, JOHN JONES, SEN., JOHN MASON, BARNEY PERRY, JOHN AND PETER HILL, ISSAC ANDERSON, ADAM STROPES, JOHN SHRYER, ORANGE MONROE, EBENEZER and WILLIAM WELTON, WILLIAM and J. WATSON, TIMOTHY JESSUP, ROBERT BABER, JACOB LAKEY, JACOB and JOSHUA DOBBINS, SOLOMON, JOSEPH and DANIEL BURCHAM, WILLIAM RUSSEL, BENJAMIN TURLEY, WILLIAM and JOHN WATSON, KELLEY HEATON, JOHN TERRELL, ABRAHAM WORKMAN, GEORGE MILAM, JOHN HERRAL, SAMUEL SMITH, CHARLES TURLEY, and DAVID HEATON.

WILLIAM and EBENEZER WELTON build the first water-mill below the mouth Beach Creek, and afterwards that mill burned down and then changed hands, and was rebuilt again by old ALEXANDER CRAIG, and sold by Mr. CRAIG to old Uncle BENJAMIN TURLEY.

Colonel LEVI FELLOWS built the next mill on that creek, near Bloomfield. We will yet give the family history of the late Colonel FELLOWS.

Old Uncle TIMOTHY JESSUP was a Friend Quaker, and came from North Carolina to Greene County in the year 1818, and settled on the old State road, on the north side of Richland Creek. He entered the land, built the house, made a good farm and set out the old orchard where Henderson Sarver now lives, seven miles from Worthington. Mr. JESSUP sold out that farm to old JOHN S. MOORE, and went to the Quaker settlement at White Lake, Hendricks County.

BENJAMIN TURLEY came to this county over fifty years ago, and built the house and made the farm of thirty-five acres on Congress land in the heavy forest of white oak and sugar-tree timber at the place where ALFRED KUTCH now lives. Mr. TURLEY and wife raised thirteen children- seven boys and six girls.

Mr. KELLEY HEATON built a house, entered the land and made the farm where Mr. CHARLES NEYMAN now lives. Mr. Heaton was drowned in Richland Creek, about one mile east of Bloomfield, in the year 1836. He was a good, honest farmer.

Mr. DAVID HEATON was born in Lincoln County, Kentucky, and came to Greene County about a half a century ago, and was married to Miss KERREN BURCHAM, daughter to JOSEPH BURCHAM, and commenced work on the farm where he now lives. Mrs. KERREN HEATON died, and a few years afterwards Mr. Heaton was married again to SALLY WATSON, daughter of JOHN WATSON. He is about sixty-three years old, and one among the best farmers in Greene County. He lives on the old State road, four miles east of Bloomfield. Mr. HEATON has had two wives and eighteen children- ten boys and eight girls.

JOHN TERRELL built a house and made a small farm and set out the old orchard at the place where PETER TERRELL now lives, on the south side of Richland Creek, east of Bloomfield. Mr. TERRELL was a noted an old pioneer bear and bee hunter, and he never bought lead for bullets. He always made bullets from lead ore found on Richland Creek, close to the old Welton mill seat. But Mr. TERRELL died without disclosing the secret where this lead mine is located.

JACOB DOBBINS settled the place owned by Mr. M. H. SHRYER. Mr. DOBBINS was a good citizen and served as a Justice of the Peace for fifteen years.

SOLOMON BURCHAM was a honest [end of pg. 66] orphan boy, and was raised by old Colonel LEVI FELLOWS and Mr. DARLING FULLER. Mr. BURCHAM married Miss REBECCA DOBBINS, and afterwards made a good farm, and is a number one farmer, on the old Jonesboro State road, about three miles east of Bloomfield.

JOHN S. MOORE died and was buried on his farm, many years ago.

WILLIAM SCOTT was a native of Guilford County, North Carolina, and married Miss ELIZABETH MASON, and they came to Greene County in 1818, built the house, entered the land and set out the orchard at the place now occupied by the poor farm. Mr. SCOTT and wife raised eleven children - eight boys and three girls. JOSEPH SCOTT, the oldest boy, was born in December, 1820, half a mile east of Bloomfield.

Old Uncle PETER LESTER built the first mill at the old Tibbett mill seat. Mr. LESTER is yet living in Greene County, near Newberry.

Judge L. B. EDWARDS was born on the14th day of August, 1796, in the vicinity of Burgoyne's consecrated battle of Saratoga plains. The Judge is now seventy-nine years old, and yet reads well without spectacles or glasses. His father came from Long Island, and is a direct descendant of the New England branch of the EDWARD' family. Judge EDWARDS has been married four times, and they have raised five children - two boys and three girls. The Judge has told us more of the early history of Greene County than any other man.

The first weddings were CARPUS SHAW and Miss SALLIE VANSLYKE, THOMAS WARNICK AND LYDIA GILAM, SAMUEL SMITH and LYDIA KOSSOLOW, JESSE BRANHAM and ELIZABETH JOHNSON, JAMES STONE and MAHALA HEATON, ANDY JOHNSON and ELIZABETH LAWRENCE.

Our old schoolteachers were JOSHUA DOBBINS and THOMAS WARNICK, with many little chaps at school, where the Richland Church now stands. Among the pupils we will name EDWARD WALKER, JOHN and JAMES DOBBINS, DAVE HEATON, CHARLES TURLEY, SALLIE ROACH, ELIZABETH DOBBINS and others.

The first blacksmith shop was built by Judge THOMAS BRADFORD, about one mile south of Bloomfield.

The first store was established by old Uncle JOHN WARNER.

The first horse mill and distill house was built by PETER C. VANSLYKE, at the place where Colonel ADIN G. CAVINS now lives.

The Gilam Branch, Burcham Branch and Ore Branch, are names for the same water course in the east end of this township.

Miss FANNIE CUSHMAN, daughter of OLIVER CUSHMAN, taught the first school near Colonel FELLOW’s, and Mr. ELISHA CUSHAMN taught the first school in Bloomfield. The old log schoolhouse was on the lot now occupied by the Democrat printing office.

Our first doctors were Dr. DEAN and old Grandmother FIELDS.

Early Recollections of ALFRED L. KUTCH

By request, I will give some of my recollections of my early days, and, in order to do so, I shall speak of my father. He was from the State of Maryland to North Carolina; thence to Kentucky; thence to Washington County, Indiana, near Salem; thence to Brownstown, Jackson County. I was born near Salem, in the year 1814, December 2nd.

Now it is but justice to the reader of this to note that the State of Indiana was only a territory at that time. After staying in Jackson County, Indiana, two years, father removed to Monroe County, Indiana; and as there was no road from Brownstown to Bloomington, only what was known as Bigger's trace, he took his family on horse-back to the place he settled on, one mile and a half south of JOHN KETCHAM's water-mill, and eight miles south of Bloomington, on clear creek. He then went back to Jack- [End of pg. 67] son county, and dug himself a large water craft, and landed it in the Muscatatak River, and made his way down stream, to where it empties into the east fork of White river; thence down White river to the mouth of Salt creek; thence up Salt creek to the mouth of Clear creek; thence up Clear creek within three quarters of a mile of Harrodsburgh. As that was as far up as he could get, for fallen timber in the creek, which had been fell by WILLIAM CHAMBERS, who had settled there one year before, he landed within four miles of where he settled. This was about the 17th of April, 1817. He built a small round log house, cleared and fenced the land, and raised a crop of corn that year. When he gout out of bread stuff, he went to Shakertown, on Shaker Prairie, and carried his meal on horseback. There were no mills there, at that time, and but few settlers, and not much else, except a howling wilderness. The most frequent salutation was the howl of the wolf, or the yell of the Indian. The early settlers were, WILLIAM, DAVID, JOHN and ANTHONY CHAMBERS; JACOB, JOHN and DAVID SAYERS.

JOHN KETCHAM built the first water mill in the county. He also built the court house in Bloomington.

The early settlers had a very hard time getting breadstuff, having to beat their corn in a mortar - a hole burnt in the end of a log of wood, such as beech or white oak; and the most of the time the corn was frost-bitten, which made poor bread. After the second and third years, they managed to have biscuits on Sunday mornings. Clothing, also, was very hard to get. They raised flax and hemp for shirting and overhauls for spring and summer wear, and buckskin for winter.

When the settlement became thick enough settled, they built round, log schoolhouses, cut out about seven feet of one end for a fire-place, and the scholars had the wood to get, the most of the time. There was one log taken from the side of the house, and paper pasted in to give light. The scholars had to go from one to three miles to school. The early settlers had a nice time killing deer, bears and turkeys. The range for stock was good.

When the writer was in his fourteenth year, his mother sent him to his aunt's on an errand; and it was in the winter season. I had to cross Clear creek and a mill pond. When I got to the pond there was a girl and boy there with a large dog, playing on the ice, and I thought I would spend a short time with them. When I was very near the middle of the pond, the dog came at me as vicious as he could, and sprang upon me and aimed to catch me by the throat, but missed his aim and caught my hat by the brim, jerking me down on the ice. Being a very large dog, he kept me down and bit several large holes in my leg, besides several wounds on my shoulder. I could have run my thumb in them. Finally I raised with him, and we had quite a combat for awhile. There was a lady heard the noise the boy and girl made, and she came to my relief. She was something over a quarter of a mile distant from where the dog and I were, and the fight was continued until a very short time before she got there. Some of the time I had him down, and some of the time he had me down. At last, I caught him around the neck, with his head under my breast, and held him down as long as I had strength; but being bitten and mangled so badly, my strength failed me so much that I was obliged to let him go. But before I let him lose, I thought he would be sure to kill me, because I could do nothing more. If I had been in possession of a knife, I might have used it to good advantage, but I had nothing at all with which to defend myself. I let him loose, however, and he arose to his feet as I did. He growled, showed his teeth, and then left me. I had nearly a mile to travel, before reach- [end of pg. 68] ing home, and when I arrived there I was not able to stand alone. These are recollections I will never forget.

My father was a farmer, and had eleven children - seven boys and four girls - and all except three lived to be married. The oldest girl was scalded to death, by falling into a tub of hot water, when she was two years old. One of the boys died form the effect of rheumatism. The youngest boy was a cripple, from birth, and died at about the age of thirty years. Father and mother belonged to the Christian Church, in which they lived until their death. Mother died at the age of sixty-one, on the farm where her and father first settled, in Monroe county. Father died December 11th, 1869, in his eighty-third year, at Harrodsburgh, within three-quarters of a mile of where he landed his water craft, in getting to his place of destination.

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SAMUEL R. CAVINS was born in Greene county, Kentucky, in 1792. Before he was of age, he went to Vincennes, and remained there several years. While at Vincennes he went on a hunting excursion (about they year 1813,) up White river, and the party landed in Greene county, just above the mouth of Richland creek, near the old Indian graveyard. After that he returned to Kentucky.

In 1814, he entered the army as a substitute, and served under General JACKSON, at the battle of New Orleans.

In 1822, he returned to Indiana again, and settled in Monroe county, near Harmony. In 1825, he moved to Lawrence county, near Springville. He moved to Greene county, in 1827, and settled on Indian creek, near Owensburg. In the year 1833, he settled on a farm in Richland township, adjoining the farm of DAVID HEATON. In 1835, he moved to Bloomfield, and resided there until his death, which was 1864.

In 1828, he was elected Associate Judge of the Circuit Court, and held the office until 1834, when he resigned. He was Assessor for the east side of White river for the year 1834.

In 1835, he was elected Clerk, and entered upon the duties of the office in 1835, and held that office continuously until 1855.

He raised nine chidren to be grown, and had several to die in infancy.

He was well known throughout the county for his hospitality and liberality, and especially remembered for the numerous instances in which he befriended the poor.

Honorable ELIJAH H. C. CAVINS, one of the best lawyers at the Bloomfield bar, furnished us with a correct copy of the records of the county for this book, for which he has the thanks of all the old pioneer settlers in our county. [part of pg. 69]