P-2

P-2 Delaware County, Indiana KITH AND KIN CONNECTION

On Perry Township - Excerpts from Our County, Its History and Early Settlement by Townships, John S. Ellis, 1898

-------------------Start-------------------- The first permanent settlers that we have any account of in Perry township, were Cornelius Van Arsdoll, James Lee, William Blount, David and Aaron Richardson, who came with ox teams, cutting their road most of the way through the forest to their intended future homes, where they arrived in April, 1820. Arriving at this season of the year gave them the advantage of the spring and summer weather in which to clear off ground and erect their cabins. Their food at this early day consisted principally of bread and meat. The bread being often obtained by mashing corn between two stones, placing a large stone on a stump, then using a smaller one as a pestel. The mashed grain was then sifted and prepared for baking. Game being abundant, the pioneer had no trouble in procuring meat, and the question was never heard at the table as to whether you would have roast beef or loin of mutton. But instead it was squirrel, wild turkey, venison or opossum.---The records show that but two of these first pioneers ever entered land in this township, they being Cornelius Van Arsdoll and Aaron Richardson. The former locating land in Section 31, February 16, 1829, and the latter in Section 8 in August of the same year. Why it was that the early settlers were so indifferent about securing their titles we of today can hardly realize; but it is presumable that they depended largely on their pre-emption rights.---Among the first settlers of this township was Goldsmith C. Gilbert, who settled on Prairie creek, in Sections 32 and 33 at an early period, but through neglect or want of means, failed to enter the land which he had improved, and a man by the name of Wilder Potter, stopping with him a few days, and learning that Mr. Gilbert had not secured his title went to Indianapolis and entered it for himself. This was the east half of the northeast quarter of Section 32, and the northwest quarter of Section 33. Thus many men were wronged out of their hard-earned rights.---Hospitality being one of the cardinal virtues of the early settlers, it was no uncommon sight to find from two to five families in one cabin of fifteen to eighteen feet square, the proprietor and his good wife sharing their home with newcomers until they could build their cabins. Not only in dividing their homes did they display hospitality, but in many ways, such as assisting them in getting out house logs, hewing puncheons for floors, raising their houses, rolling logs, etc.---Many stories of adventure are told of the trips to the land office at Indianapolis. One which we now recall being of Aaron Cecil starting on horseback to Indianapolis to secure a tract of land in Section 32. It was a long, lonesome trip to make alone through the forest, the road or blazed path being around by old Strawtown on White river, below Anderson, in fact almost following the river all the way. Mr. Cecil started out, not dreaming that another settler wanted to enter the same tract, and taking his time, stopped over night on his way to rest himself and horse. But after he had been several hours on his journey, a neighbor (every one living within five, or even ten miles, was a neighbor then) heard of his errand, and wanting the same land, started on foot and traveled all night to get in ahead of Cecil. Just as he was going into the land office he met Mr. Cecil coming out, he having secured the title, not knowing how near he came being too late. Whether or not the footman secured other land we never learned, but we hope he did, for his efforts were surely worthy some reward.---Another instance was that of Samuel Simmons, who had improved land in Sections 5 and 32. Neglecting to make his entry it was entered from under him by Daniel Thompson and sold by him to Aaron I. Cecil in 1831, who entered 160 acres in Section 32 at the same time he purchased the Thompson tract. And thus it seems that in the pioneer days, as now, there were sharpers (or in other terms, dishonest rogues) on the lookout to swindle their fellow men out of their honest earnings.---One of the claimants to the honor of being the first white child born in Delaware county, being Isaac Van Arsdoll, son of Cornelius Van Arsdoll. The other claimant of this honor (which neither could have prevented had they so desired) is Rev. Scott Richardson, still living in Blackford county, Indiana, his parents living at the time in section 8. So Perry township certainly has the honor of being the birthplace of the first white child born in the county, as these gentlemen were certainly born, and both of them in Perry township. (Excerpts from pages 7-9) ----------------------------------------------------------- The first settlers who came to Perry township (the company headed by Mr. Cornelius Van Arsdoll) brought with them two Indians by the name of Jefferson (an Indian boy) and Kilbuck. They were very useful in cutting the road through the woods, which had to be done from somewhere in Wayne county to their destination. Old Beaver and Hunter are two well-remembered half-breeds of the early days, and as one of the old settlers remarked to me the other day, the only ones as he remembered that were considered drunkards in the settlement, although whisky was kept by almost every family and always plentiful at log-rollings and house-raisings.---A story is told of two poachers or thieves who harassed the early settlers until they were compelled to take the law in their own hands. The one was a colored man known as "Old Obediah," who lived on the north side of White river opposite Mr. Van Arsdoll and was noted as a chicken thief. To stop this the settlers chose John Reese judge, and Tom Hacket as constable, and convened a court in Van Arsdoll's log barn. The constable proceeded to arrest the accused, and after a short trial he was clearly proven guilty, but while the court was summing up the evidence the officer in charge of the prisoner purposely stepped to one side, when some sham friend (as the whole proceeding was a sham) suggested to the prisoner that "now is your chance," and away he went, closely followed by his dog and the yells of the pursuers, not hesitating for a moment when he reached the river (which was "high") but plunged in and was not seen in the neighborhood again for five or six years.---The other was a white man, known to the settlers as "Old Tom Hall," who was a noted bee thief, and who was arrested by Officer Hacket, tried by Judge Reese, and sentenced to two days' imprisonment in the "wolf pen." This was a pen built of heavy logs, covered with same, with a trap-door on top. This door was so arranged that the wolves would get into it to get the bate inside and would drop through, but could not get out. This pen was near the river, and also near the line dividing the east and west half of the northeast quarter of section 31, on land now owned by Mrs. Lavina Reese; and here the prisoner was kept the allotted time fixed by the court. It is said that "Old Tom" afterwards, in sticking his arm into another man's corn crib after night, got his hand into a steel wolf trap, and was found standing there on the next morning, even not coming into breakfast when politely invited by the owner of the corn crib. For this offense he was again arranged before Judge Reese's court, but as he had suffered a broken arm by the accident (?) the court thought the penalty sufficient.---Game was plentiful in these early times and almost everyone was a successful hunter. Almost every settler kept his hunting dogs, besides a watch dog for his home protection.---One of the staple articles, much depended upon as an article of exchange for merchandise, was coon skins, and consequently coon hunting was much indulged in, and a good coon dog was very valuable. The hunter would start out after dark, peeling the bark off of a hickory tree and lighting it for a torch, he would strike boldly into the woods. His dogs, anxious for the sport, would at once get down to business, and soon the baying would announce to the anxious hunter that a trail had been struck. Mr. Coon, hearing the dogs after him, would soon take to a tree, (most generally a very large one) but as timber was of little or no value, the hunter would at once proceed to cut the tree, without any thought as to the owner of the land on which it stood. Then as the tree would fall, some one or more of the company would be delegated to hold the dogs to prevent them from running under the falling tree, until about the time it struck the ground, then letting them loose they would rush onto the coon, which would frequently "put up" a big fight. At other times the coons would evade the dogs and succeed in reaching and climbing another tree, in fact, the writer has helped cut the third tree for one coon.---The experienced hunter could tell the moment the game was treed by the baying of the dogs, and you would hear the joyful exclamation of "he's treed." He could also tell you if the dog was running any other game than coon. As I have often heard the remark, "that dog's on a rabbit track," and the dog was very apt to get a whipping for so far forgetting his dignity as to trail a rabbit when out for coon. Among the noted coon hunters of Perry township was Garret Gibson, who entered the west half of the southwest quarter of section 31, in 1830, lived in the township many years and has many relatives living here now. (Excerpts from pages 11-12) --------------------End--------------------

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