Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2014 All Rights Reserved USGenNet Data Repository Please read USGenNet Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ =========================================================================== Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== Counties of Warren, BENTON, Jasper and Newton, Indiana; historical and biographical. by Ed. A. Mossman pub. F. A. Battey & Co., Chicago, 1883 [214-218] SETTLEMENT OF THE COUNTY The first settlements within the limits of the present county of Benton were made several years before the county was created. THOMAS TIMMONS, who, with his family, settled on Big Pine Creek, in the year 1831, on or near the farm now owned by his son BENJAMIN A. TIMMONS, is commonly supposed to be the first white settler within the present limits of Benton County. There are, however, good reasons for doubting this. THOMAS LEWIS settled in or near White Oak Grove, on or near the farm now owned by R. M. ATKINSON, in the fall of 1832. He purchased the farm on which he settled of JOHN FIELDS; and ISAAC W. LEWIS, a son of THOMAS LEWIS aforesaid, who is still residing at or near Oxford, says that there were trees on the farm on which his father settled, which had evidently been deadened five or six years before his father bought it. This he says was evident from the fact that the bark had fallen off, and the trunks of the trees had become very much blanched by exposure to the weather. About the same time that THOMAS LEWIS settled in the county, the following-named persons came: THOMAS NOLIN, MATTHEW TERWILLIGER, LEVI THORNTON, HENRY JENNINGS, PHILLIP WILLIAMS and others, and settled in the timber along Big Pine Creek. Also, there were two or three families, among whom were JAMES O. DENTON and WILLIAM DENTON, settled at Denton's Grove about 1832, although the exact date cannot be ascertained. From this time until 1835, a few families settled in the same locality, but the increase was very slow. In 1835, BASIL JUSTUS, with his family, moved to White Oak Grove, and erected a log-cabin on or near what is now known as the JUSTUS farm, at that time one of the most advanced posts in the county. On this farm MR. JUSTUS or some of his family have ever since resided until within the last few years. It is now occupied by JOSEPH ATKINSON. At the time of his first settlement there, there were only two or three families in the grove. During the fall of the same year, JOHN W. ROBERTSON and his family moved to Parish Grove, his sons, HENRY and SAMUEL having come the previous spring and raised a crop. There were living in Parish Grove at that time, ENOCH EVANS, JOHN FOSTER and WILLIAM DOUGLAS, who had settled there a short time before. ROBERT ALEXANDER came to the grove a short time thereafter, and lived for many years on the farm now owned by PARNHAM BOSWELL. At about the same time, there were living at Sugar Grove, HAMANIAH HUETT and family, and a family by the name of PECK. About the same time, there were a few families settled on the banks of Mud Pine Creek, in the southern portion of the county, among which were DAVID LANE, THOMAS MARTIN, PERIGRAN GARLAND, WILLIAM SMITH and JAMES SMITH and families, with perhaps a few others. In the spring of 1834, JUDGE DAVID MCCONNELL and his family moved to White Oak Grove, and erected a small log house on the very spot where he now resides, and has resided on the farm he first settled on from that date down to the present time. There were at that time five or six families on the east side of Big Pine Creek, and about four families in the south part of White Oak Grove. Those on the east side of Big Pine were PHILIP WILLIAMS, THOMAS NOLIN, AARON FINCH, JAMES HOLMES, JAMES THORNTON, JOHN EMERSON. Those in the south part of White Oak Grove were WILLIAM LEWIS, BASIL JUSTUS and THOMAS LEWIS. PHILIP WILLIAMS was then living on what is known as the old WILLIAMS farm. MILTON JENNINGS lived on the farm now owned by GEORGE H. JENNINGS, and THOMAS NOLIN was living on the farm on which his son, GEORGE W. NOLIN, now resides. About the same time, there were a few families settled in what is now known as MCCONNELL'S Grove, about four miles southwest of White Oak Grove, consisting of SAMUEL MCCONNELL and brother, and one or two others. In 1840, the first house in Benton County, on the road from La Fayette to Oxford, was the house of PETER JENNINGS, where P. P. GRIFFIN now lives; thence four miles west to houses of JUSTUS and MCCONNELL, in White Oak Grove; thence west, no house for ten miles, until you reached Parish Grove; then none for eight miles further to Sugar Grove; and then sixteen miles to Bunkum, Ill.; and not one house north of White Oak Grove to the Iroquois River, about twenty-five miles, this entire grand and now beautiful prairie being wholly wild and uninhabited. For although a few families began to now move into the county, they still kept in the timber portion, or close thereto, as the grand prairie was still considered a barren, bleak and dreary waste, and was known and spoken of as "The Lost Land," its principal productions being prairie wolves, sand-hill cranes and green-head flies. It has been farmed since, however, and its virgin soil has been yielding most valuable produce. Up to this time, and for a few years thereafter, the nearest market for Benton County was the village of Chicago, and the Benton County farmers would once a year load up their grain and produce in a lumber wagon, and, putting in two weeks' provi- sions, with an ox-team would start to market to sell their surplus produce, and lay in their necessary groceries for the coming year; and, after swimming rivers, wading sloughs and sleeping on the cold ground every night, would finally succeed in making the entire round trip inside of fifteen days. About the year 1845, a few set- tlers began to move into different portions of the county, and gradually to encroach on the confines of the hitherto unsettled prairie. On Mud Pine, about first were ISAIAH H. PERIGO and JOSHUA HOWELL, who settled on the prairie, just north of what was then known as the SMITH settlement, followed soon after by WILLIAM SMALLEY, the MCILVAINS, JACOB CASSELL, DAVID OGBURN, JESSE LUTZ, JOSEPH PIERCE, JOHN GAGE, JOHN HOPPER, JOHN C. ANDERSON, the MCDANIELLS, WILLIAM HUBBARD, the VANOVERS and others. JAMES S. CRAFORD settled near Hickory Grove, in what is now Hickory Grove Township, in 1846, and was probably the first settler in that township. He was followed soon afterward by HARVEY H. CRAWFORD, JOHN FRENCH and ENOS RUSH. About the same time the following-named persons settled in and near White Oak Grove: WILLIAM OILER, JAMES MCKINSEY, L. B. WATTLES, EZEKIEL DAVIS, FRANCIS BOYNTON, the LITTLERS, ISAAC RUNNER, the WAKEMANS, a man named BURCH, ROBERT and HARTLEY T. HOWARD, Dr. THEOPHILUS STEMBEL, THOMAS ATKINSON, WILLIAM COCHRAN and others. On Big Pine Creek, GEORGE H. FINCH, JAMES THOMAS, ISAIAH H. YOUNG, WILLIAM YOUNG, JAMES EMERSON and many others commenced breaking prairie for their future homes, all, however, up to this time clinging as closely to timber and groves as possible. In 1849, PARNHAM BOSWELL came to Parish Grove, buying the farm of ROBERT ALEXANDER, while ED SUMNER, a little more bold, pushed across the prairie eight miles further, to Sugar Grove, set- tling on lands previously bought. At North Hickory Grove, SAMUEL FINNEY had a little log cabin, and hurded his cattle close around him. Near Mount Gilboa, JOHN SOUTHARD, JACOB LUCAS, a man named JONES and others, located at an early date, probably some time in the forties. Among the first who located far out on the prairie, and far away from timber, about this time, were WILLIAM WISHER, on the farm on which he now resides; DANIEL BIRDSALL close by, on what is known as the ANSTILL farm; and a small colony of English people who had just come to this country, of which Mr. F. P. GREENWOOD was the van-courier, he having pre-empted some land, a part of which is known as the CARLISLE farm, on which he erected a rough hut on the banks of Mud Pine Creek, without doors or windows, some time before he was joined by his own family, or any other member of the colony. In a short time, he was joined by JOHN LATHROP, MATTHEW ARMSTRONG, JOSEPH BROMLEY, JOHN CAMPTON, JAMES JARRETT, WILLIAM MCQUEEN and GEORGE BONN, who settled on the land pre-empted by F. P. GREENWOOD, and made some improvements. After a few years of hard toil, great inconvenience, many hardships and privations, and being unable to protect themselves from the bleak prairie winds, the colony was abandoned, all except Mr. GREENWOOD leaving the county. Mr. GREEN- WOOD moved some four miles further south, nearer the timber, and settled on the farm on which he now resides, and is the only one of the colony now living in the county. THOMAS GORNALL and JAMES HAWORTH, both Englishmen, but not belonging to the colony, came into the prairie about the same time, both of whom now own beauti- ful farms. From this time forward, families began moving into dif- ferent portions of the county, as a market had opened up at La Fayette, which at that time was considered quite handy, as the round trip could be made during one-half of the year in two full days, allowing no time to stop for meals. JOSEPH DEHART settled in Pine Township in 1849, and there were at that time the following persons in that township; JOHN SHEETZ, HENRY YOUTZ, JAMES EMERSON, ROBERT HAWKINS, BENJAMIN HAWKINS (builder of the first house ever built in the township), JOSHUA TIMMONS, AMOS WHITE, THOMAS PARKER, the Widow TERWILLIGER and prob- ably others. The time of their settling in that part of the county is not known any more definitely than that it was before 1849. Among the early settlers in the vicinity of Oxford were JAMES N. HOLTON, ISAAC TEMPLETON, JOHN BURNS, JOHN CAMPBELL and many others. On Mud Pine, JOHN ROBERTS, J. D. ROBERTS, H. W. WILKINSON, WILLIAM WILKINSON, FORD, STANLEY, JARVIS and others. On the prairie be- tween the two places, JOHN E. MORGAN, J. F. MILLS, CHARLES AARON, JOHN WATTLES, J. N. KIGER and others. On Big Pine and eastern part of the county, EVAN STEPHENSON, J. W. SWAN, BENJAMIN HAWKINS, WILLIAM HAWKINS, W. J. TEMPLETON, THOMAS MADDUX, the DEHARTS, HAIGHS, BROWNS and others. There began to be some excitement about this time over the prospect of a railroad being built along the northern boundary line of the county, and in anticipation thereof, several settlers came into the northern portion of the county and commenced to improve farms, among whom were JOHN FLEMING, Sr., and family, A. D. PACKARD, E. C. GOULD, ANTHONY DEHNER and many others. After the completion of the railroad, the northern portion of the county im- proved rapidly, and settled up much faster than any other portion of the county, soon rivaling some of the early settled portions, and leaving the central portion still behind in improvements. The population of the county of the county at this time was about 2,450. The following, found among the files of the Auditor's office, probably shows who were liable to work the road in Pine Township in 1842: "July 2, 1842. List of persons who have performed labor on the public roads in Pine Township, District No. 1, for the year 1842, with the number of days each has performed: JAMES THOMAS, eleven; JAMES EMERSON, eleven; THOMAS SPRIGGS, eleven; JOHN ANDERSON, ____; WILLIAM R. JONSON, eleven; CHARLES TIMMONS, eleven; BENJAMIN TIMMONS, eleven; THOMAS GRIFFIN, eleven; JAMES GRIFFIN, eleven; JAMES PARKER, eleven; HENSON OWENS, eleven; ROBERT HAWKINS, eleven; ALLEN GILVAN, eleven; ABERT GILVAN, eleven; AMOS WHITE, eleven; JOHN WHITE, eleven; JACKSON GILVAN, eleven; JOSEPH HEFTER, eleven; ELISHA FREEL, eleven; JOHN SHEETZ, eleven; ELIJAH DENTON, eleven; JAMES DENTON, eleven; ELIAS SMITH, eleven." The foregoing document is not signed at all, nor even marked "filed." As no similar papers appear among the files, it is not probable that this one was filed in compliance with any statutory requirement. It was probably filed by some Road Supervisor, or Township Trustee, who conceived it to be his duty to file such a list somewhere. Whatever the fact may be, however, as to whether the filing was required by law, or was a work of supererogation, it probably is genuine, nevertheless, and is quite an interesting paper, as it not only shows who were residing in Pine Township at that time, but it shows the further interesting fact that they could be and were required to work as many as eleven days on the roads in those days. What would we, of the present day, who grumble at working two days, say to this? Each of the three town- ships, Pine, Oak Grove and Parish Grove, constituted a single road district at that time, there being but three districts in the county. =========================================================================== If you've reached this file through a SEARCH, you can access the more of our information about Benton County, IN, by going to the following URL: http://www.us-data.org/in/benton/ ===========================================================================