Baber's Early History of Greene County Indiana Chapter XXVIII Stockton Township Township

This township was named by WICKLIFF WINES, because of its great place for grass and stock range. Among the first settlers was THOMAS BREECE, who build a little log cabin where Linton now stays.

ROBERT HARRAH and sons built the next cabin, on the old TERHUNE farm, half mile north west of the Harrah Chapel. Afterwards came WILLIAM OSBORN, JOHN OSBORN, Grandfather Hale, M. POOL, STEPHEN STONE, J. ROBINSON, WILLIAM HUMPREYS, etc.

ROBERT HARRAH was born in Virginia, and married Miss ELIZABETH BALDWIN, and came to the Nine-mile prairie, in Greene county, about fifty years ago. Mr. HARRAH and wife had six children- four boys and two girls. The old people are both buried in the Terhune grave yard.

The first person that died in this township was ELIZABETH HARRAH, daughter of ROBERT HARRAH, and she was buried just south of the Methodist Chapel, in Scaffold prairie, where those graves are being plowed over by ISAAC DAYHOFF'S work - hands.

Rev. AQUILLA MOSS first settled on the MC NAUGHT farm.

Grandfather HALE built a log cabin about five miles from Linton, in the Buck neighborhood, this township.

Old Uncle JESSE POWELL built the first house on the farm where ALEXANDER BEASLEY now lives. Several of the POWELL family yet live in Greene County.

HONORABLE BUTLER was among the leading cattle dealers in this county. He was a common farmer, and was a member of the Constitutional Convention of our State, and a faithful servant of the people. Mr. BUTLER and wife had four sons - George, John, James and Simeon.

WILLIAM ELLIS is also one of the [end of pg. 77] old settlers in the township. He is a good farmer, about seventy years old.

Old Uncle BILLY STEPHENS, the man that fought at the battle of New Orleans and rode the old General's horse, could just beat any body spinning out long yarns - WILLIAM MOSS not expected.

The Goose pond, near Mr. JORDAN's, is a great place for wild-geese, raccoon's, mink, otters, wolves and bears.

Hart's trace was the name of the old road from Smith's ferry to the Shaker mill on Busron.

Nine-mile prairie was nine miles from the election precinct at Fairplay, fifty years ago.

Buck Creek was the best place for the old settlers to kill deer. Bee-Hunter Creek was a great place for milk and honey, plenty.

Wagon Hollow, over near the JESSE WALKER farm, was named on account of the fire in the prairies - burning up the old wagon, where a fellow left it stuck in the mud.

Many years ago, the horse of ROBERT HENSLEY was found mired down in the Lattas Creek marsh, near where Mr. LEWIS DOWELL now lives, and it took six men to get him up to the top of the ground.

The three first log school houses in Stockton Township, were all burnt down, by fire set out in the prairies by haunters.

There never was a distill house in this township.

WICKLIFF WINES built a horse-mill and tan-yard at Linton. He also established the first dry goods store.

The olden-time elections were all held at Frairplay.

The first weddings were JAMES ARMSTRONG and Miss EVELINE HARRAH, WILLIAM OSBORN and ELEANOR WINES.

AQUILLA MOSS was one of the first settlers of Stockton township, Greene county. He was a farmer and a Hard-shell Baptist preacher. He had several sons and daughters, respectively, NATHANIEL MOSS, C. M. MOSS, STEPHEN MOSS, W. G. MOSS, J. J. MOSS, JAPHTHAT MOSS, LABAN MOSS, D. H. MOSS, JOSEPH MOSS, ELIJAH MOSS, MARY MOSS AND SARAH MOSS.

AQUILLA MOSS was born in With county, Virginia, and was raised in Flemman county, Kentucky.

C. M. MOSS came to Greene county in 1826. He is a farmer and hunter. He killed eight grown deer at four shots with a rifle-gun, in his hunting excursions. He hunts in southeast Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, and Wisconsin. He has ten living children - four boys and six girls, all of which are mainly grown. His wife's maiden name was Miss SARAH P. DOUGHERTY, daughter of WILLIAM DOUGHERTY. CHARLES MOSS is fifty-six and his wife fifty-three years of age, and live two miles northeast of Linton, on the Linton and Worthington road.

Mr. THOMAS MASON is rather an old citizen of Greene county, having came to Linton when a young man, and commenced business with WICKLIFF WINES, in a tan-yard, which he carried on a number of years successfully. He married Miss FIELDS, whom WICKLIFF WINES raised. He is about forty-five years of age.

ANDREW HUMPHREYS came to this county about the year 1835. He was formerly a citizen of Putnam county. He is oldest son of HENSON HUMPHREYS. He first commenced business in Wright Township, in a blacksmith shop of his own, and made shovels and plows for the boys, and shod their horses. Finally he set up a one-horse distillery, and made a few runs of whiskey for the natives; but it did not do so well as politics, so he quit it and practiced the latter. He married Miss LOUISA JOHNSON, OF PUTMAN COUNTY, THIS STATE.

MARTIN WINES, Esq. Was an old citizen of Stockton Township, and a very useful man. He died on his farm at a ripe old age. He was a Mason and was buried by that Order, at the Linton grave-yard. A monument of marble seven feet high, marks his resting place. [end of pg. 78]

SANDERS PIGG, one of the oldest settlers of Wright township, came from East Tennesse with his father, JAMES PIGG, about the year 1826. SANDERS PIGG has three sisters and two brothers, respectively CARROLL PIGG, ANDREW J. PIGG, JOSEPH PIGG, SUSAN PIGG and ALZENA PIGG. SANDERS PIGG has been a citizen of Wright Township thirty-eight years. He married Miss HANNAH GAMBELL, old grandfather GAMBELL's daughter, who emigrated from East Tennessee about the year 1827.

Old grandfather BARTLETT GOODMAN lived west of Linton, on the headwaters of Black creek and west of the Goose Pond. He came here at an day, and had several children, viz: JOHN GOODMAN, WESLEY GOODMAN, JAMES GOODMAN, WASHINGTON GOODMAN, Narcissus, Matilda and others.

Old Uncle BILLY HUMPHREYS came to this country about the year 1825. He located and made a farm one mile north of the Goose Pond, which lies south of Linton three miles. He was a wagon-maker and a carpenter in trade. He had three sons and one daughter, namely, MADISON HUMPHREYS, WILSON HUMPHREYS and ANSLE HUMPHREYS [part of pg. 79]