PIONEER DAYS
The Territory of Indiana, which was set off from the Northwest Territory in 1800, included all of that district except Ohio. The separate territories of Michigan and Illinois were set off in 1805 and 1809, and on December 11, 1816, Indiana was admitted into the Union as a state. Its norther portion was then an almost unbroken wilderness, of which little was known, except that it abounded in wild game, and was the home of wandering tribes of Indians, whose ancient power had been broken by their defeat in the battle of Tippecanoe by General Harrison, on December 7, 1811. The possible dangers and certain hardships connected with the early exploration of Northern Indiana failed to deter those adventurous from the more eastern states who were pushing ever westward in search of new homes and better opportunities for material advancement.
GEOLOGY
by M. F. Owen
(Mr. M. F. Owen of Rome City hs for many years been collecting historical data in regard to Rome City and Orange Township and the publishers are indebted to him for most of the information regarding that part of Noble County.)
Physically Noble County is almost occupied and covered by what has been originally described by Chamberlain as the Saginaw-Erie inter-lobate moraine, an immense mass of drift about twenty-five miles wide, and from 200 to 500 feet deep. According to this scheme the territory of Noble County falls into three natural divisions: 1. the Salmonia, or Third Erie moraine; 2, the Mississinewa, or Fourth Erie moraine; 3. the region of the Saginaw drift. The Mississinewas, or Fourth Erie moraine, so called because its southern wing extends along the right bank of the Mississinewa River, is the most massive and pronounced of all the moraines of Northeast Indiana. It occupies the townships of Green, Jefferson, Orange, Allen and Wayne. In Green Township it is six miles wide, and ten miles wide in Orange and Wayne. It has an average elevation of 100 feet about the country on either side. Its crest forms the beautiful watershed of the country and the backbone of the whole moraine mass, against which the Third Erie moraine is banked up on one side, and the Saginaw moraine on the other.
From Brimfield to the south end of Waldron Lake (section 7, Orange Township) the border is a low but distinct beach. In Orange and Wayne townships the character of the moraine again changes and becomes more pronounced in all features peculiar to a moraine. High rounded domes, hills and ridges alternate with deep valleys with corresponding outlines. Lakes are numerous, though small, but are greatly exceeded in number by marshes which occupy the former site of lakes, many of which contain a small pool of open water.
Rome City Reservoir, now known as Sylvan Lake, is the seat of three or four of these small lakes, now an artificial lake caused by a dam built in 1837 for a feeder to the proposed Michigan canal. It covers 12,000 acres to the depth of 25 to 30 feet, and is extremely irregular in outline, with numerous points, narrows and islands. Its extreme length is about three and a half miles. Tamarack Lake, in section 1, Orange Township, and section 6, Wayne, formerly occupied a valley two miles long, but the removal of the dam and deepening of the channel has now drained it to about sixty acres. Railroad and canal surveys furnish the following elevation records of the Fourth moraine in Noble County; Summit, three miles east of Kendallville, 1,018 feet; Summit near Lisbon, 1,117 feet; Summit a mile and a half west of Avilla 1,015 feet; general level of watershed 973 feet; Rome City proper, 970 feet.
Thus the scattered patches of hills, and the more pronounced ridges round and about Sylvan Lake are probably all that escaped the action of the foot of water in this vicinity. The valleys themselves, originally cut to the dept of perhaps 100 feet below their present bottom levels, have since been filled up with silt and vegetable growth, forming areas of marsh and muck meadows, with frequent pools of open water.
The Diamond Lake hills east of Albion, the county seat, stand like the Egyptian pyramids and the ruins of an aged city, a monument to show us what the Saginaw River could do upon occasions when it tried to make good. The topographical structures and surface features of this part of Noble County may be briefly summarized as follows: The eastern half of the county is occupied by a massive ridge, composed of two contiguous Erie moraines, the crests of which were at an elevation of 400 feet above Lake Erie, or 973 feet about tide, rising at some places fifty feet higher, and form the divide between the basins of Lake Erie and Lake Michigan. The conclusion, briefly stated is: nowhere except at the north end would a line drawn north and south through the county be more than one mile from the boundary between the Erie and the Saginaw drift. The variance in the north would extend from Brimfield through Sylvan Lake to Tamarack Lake. This division is unexpectedly corroborated by Professor Van Gorder in his remarks on the flora of Noble County--the flora on one side of the line containing many forms not found on the other. This difference in flora is noticeable to observers who are acquainted with the upper end of Sylvan Lake, the north bank differeing much from the south bank. Especially is this noticeable at the grounds of the authoress, Mrs. Gene Stratton-Porter, on the south side and the narrow dividing line on the south line of Pleasant Point ravine.
PIONEER DAYS
The first settler to appear within the present limits of Noble County was Joel Bristol, who arrived in April, 1827, with his wife, and the six orphan children of Mrs. Bristol's sister, whose name was Tibbott. Mr. Bristol settled in what is now Noble Township, this county at the time being a part of Allen County, with the county seat at Fort Wayne, and it was not until nine years later that the present county of Noble was organized. For several years after the arrival of the Bristols there were but few immigrants. John Knight, who came in 1829, was probably the second, and in the following year Isaiah Dungan, Levi Perry and Richard Stone appeared. A few others came in 1831, including Jacob Wolf, Henry Hostetter, Sr., and family, Jacob Shobe and family, Adam Engle and family, Joseph Smalley and family, Henry Miller and wife, and Leonard Danner. The work of settlement went on slowly, and in 1836, when the county was organized, it probably contained less than one hundred families. More than one-half of these had located in Perry Township, attracted by the superior advantages of "Perry's Prairie" and the "Haw Patch," and it was in that township that the first land was purchased from the Government, in 1831, Isaiah Dungan, on June 11, that year, entering the northeast quarter of section 33, and Levi Perry, on the same date, the east half of the southeast quarter of the same section. In the same year Jacob Shobe took land in sections 31, 32 and 33; Susanna Hagan in section 34; Adam Engle in sections 27 and 28; Henry Engle in section 27; Jacob Wolf in section 28; John Iles in section 28; William Engle in section 34; Daniel Harsh in section 33; Joseph Smalley in sections 28, 32, 33 and 34; H. Hostetter in section 34; L. Danner in section 18, and Henry Miller in section 34. The total amount of land entered in 1831, all in Perry Township, was 2,120 acres. In 1832 the entries amounted to 3,320 acres; in 1833, 2,280; in 1834, 5,860; in 1835, 18,222; and in 1836, previous to the organization of the county in March, 1005 acres, making a total of 33,048 acres entered before the organization of the county, or about one-ninth of all the land embraced within its limits.
Probably the largest amount taken was in the year 1836, when there was a great rush of settlers to Northern Indiana, of which Noble County received her share. The genuine settlers were always welcome, and those already on the ground rendered them every assistance in selecting their land and putting up their cabins. In addition to these, however, many speculators came in, who purchased large tracts which they held for purchase at exorbitant prices, and were generally denominated as "land sharks" by the pioneers. The vicinity of the land office at Fort Wayne was also infested by a number of downright swindlers who would approach an applicant for land and extort money from him on the false pretense that he, himself, was intending to enter the same claim, but would give up his intention on payment of a certain sum. But in spite of these evils, much land was actually entered and occupied, and the civilizing of the wilderness had begun.
The first crop planted, if the settler arrived early enough in the season, was corn; if too late for corn, potatoes were planted; still later, turnips. The fall arrivals usually sowed their land with wheat, and were obliged to purchase supplies for the winter from farmers in LaGrange, Elkhart and Kosciusko counties, where a quantity of land had already been cleared. Much hardship was suffered by late comers who were short of means, as most of the pioneers were, but the neighbors were helpful, and there is no record of any cases of actual starvation. A more serious matter was the frequency of disease, for the county abounded in swamps giving rise to fever and ague, from which few of the pioneer settlers were exempt. Physicians were not to be had, and as there were no drug stores, the only resource was to such simple domestic remedies of which the settlers had knowledge. The winter months were devoted to chopping and making preparations for clearing more land in the spring. The frequent "log-rollings" provided social recreation, as also did the occasional dances, where all were on the same social level, equally lacking in wealth or high position, and snobbish jealousies had little room to intrude.
At that early day, there were, of course, no roads except the wagon tracks marked out by teamsters through the heavily timbered parts of the country. In such places, where the soil was soft, the frequent passage of vehicles soon worked up the ground into a state of mud and mire, when the teamsters would mark out another course. On the openings the soil was more sandy and the track first marked out was longer used, though it was seldom necessary to keep to it, as the ground on either side was equally available. The burning of the undergrowth by the Indians each spring not only cleared away obstructions, but also gae the settler a wider and more extensive view of the country, uninterrupted except by the larger trees. At that time, the oak openings, with the tender grass just springing up and spreading a carpet of green over the landscape, which was further beautified by multitudes of wild flowers, and perhaps in the distance a herd of deer, presented a scene calculated to inspire feelings of delight in every lover of Nature.
But Nature is not always a kind mistress. The spring of 1838 commenced with heavy rains, which continued with little intermission until about the middle of June, after which no more fell during the remainder of the summer and fall. Some wheat sown that fall did not germinate until after snow fell. The intense heat of summer rapidly evaporated the water in the ever-filled swamps and marshes, and fever and malaria prostated practically the entire population. Physicians were scarce, and the few who were in the settlements were themselves ill with the prevailing disease. Many of the settlers died, and many lay sick with none to care for them. In one house at Rochester thirteen persons were ill, and there were but two people in the village--Dorus Swift and Miss Achsah Kent--who were able to go from house to house and minister to the suffering, but these two did their duty right nobly. With the coming of the autumn frosts the disease was checked and the settlers began to recover, though a few old persons had been so enfeebled that they died during the ensuing fall and winter.
In addition to the evils due to natural causes, there were others of man's own contriving. Favored by the wild nature of the country--its dense forests, tangled thickets, its numerous lakes and swamps, the thinness of the settlements, and the difficulty of communication, owing to the lack of roads--gangs of outlaws had arisen who carried on their nefarious operations, not only in Noble and the adjacent counties, but also throughout Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan. The horses of the settlers and Indians were stolen, houses were burned, people were robbed, and counterfeit money was manufactured and put into circulation. The gangs were well organized and had stations at various places where they concealed their stolen property until they had a chance to dispose of it, and in some cases the place of concealment was the house of some apparently, respectable citizen and farmer, who was himself, unknown to his neighbors, one of the miscreants, or in confederation with them. Horse stealing was a particularly odious offence in those days, as upon his horses the pioneer settler depended largely for the support of his family. These crimes went on until the people realized that extraordinary measures must be taken to suppress them, as the ordinary processes of law seemed insufficient. Men dared not keep fine horses, and many were contended with animals too worthless to be bothered by thieves. Those who took any active part in attempting to apprehend the outlaws, were rewarded by having their barns burned , and men were attacked in their own cabins, and compelled at the muzzle of pistols to hand over their ready money. Peddlers were especially to be robbed, and there was even talk that murder had been committed. When any public meetings were held to devise measures for putting a stop to the evil, they were attended by some of the outlaws, several of whom took part in the proceedings and were loudest in denouncing the outrages and demanding protection for life and property.
Every township had some of these rascals residing within its borders, but perhaps the most notorious place was in and about Rome City, and a little farther north, at a spot known as "The Tamarack." It was there that the counterfeiters, had their principal rendezvous, though another place was also suspected, in Noble Township, and it was known that several citizens in that township were well supplied with counterfeit money, which they passed upon travelers and others. One of the most prominent, when approached by a man who wanted to borrow money of him, replied, "Yes, come over; I have plenty of it. I know it's good, because I made it myself." It is also stated that he bought a piece of land of the government agent at Fort Wayne, paying for it with bogus silver coin. Speaking of this transaction, he said, "The money was so damned hot it burned my fingers." In Noble Township there also resided an engraver of bills; also a signer of the same. These practices resulted in a general relaxation of public morality. The crimes of the outlaws were so daring that the name of "blackleg" became possesed of a sort ofromantic glamour, such as the names of pirate, bucanneer and highwayman have had for easily impressionable youths in this and other generations, and hundreds of young men became associated more or less directly with the criminals. Even older en, who would not themselves manufacture counterfeit money, had little scruple in passing it at par value when they had procured it for perhaps 25 cents on the dollar.
It is strange that for so many years the people suffered this state of lawlessness to continue. Honest men were not wanting, but they lacked any definite plan and unity of action. The outlaws, too, were cunning. Crimes of bodily violence were comparatively few. The law was broken stealthily rather than openly and boldly opposed. The situation was not like that which existed in California during the early gold mining days, when frequent murders necessitated the formation of vigilant committees and the drastic measures presided over by Judge Lynch. Yet the situation was sufficiently bad and called for organized effort on the part of the law-abiding portion of the community.
In the fall of 1838 two alleged horse thieves were captured in the Haw Patch, and having narrowly escaped lynching, and being in fear of their lives, they agreed to assist the officers of the law by giving up the names of some of their comrades. As a result of their revelations, warrants were issued for about twenty persons, some of whom were arrested, but others escaped by leaving the country. Those arrested were tried at Stone's Tavern, three miles south of Ligonier, before Nelson Prentiss, J. P., the trials lasting ten days. A large number of citizens were present, and precaustions were taken to prevent any attempt at rescue. The cases were prosecuted by an attorney from Piqua, Ohio, who happened to be passing through the county, and two lawyers from Fort Wayne, defended the prisoners. Nine were held to appear at the next term of the Circuit court, and, as none of them was able to find bail, seven of the number were ent to Fort Wayne and two to Goshen to be imprisoned, there being as yet no jail in Noble County. Those sent to Fort Wayne succeeded in breaking jail and escaping, while the two sent to Gosehn secured their release through alleged irregularity in the papers. These proceedings put a temporary stop to the depredations, but the trouble was not yet over. About 1841 or 1842 a meeting was held at Kendallville by a large number of citizens, to devise means for mutual protection, and to raise funds for the execution of the law; but a number of years elapsed before anything effective was done. In 1852 the legislature passed an act authorizing the formtion of companies for the detection and apprehension of horse thieves and other felons. The companies were to consist of not less than nor more than one hundred, who were to sign articles of association, giving the name of the company, the name and residence of each member, the organization to be approed by the county commissioners and put on record.
start at page 322.
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