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1882 COUNTIES OF
LaGRANGE and NOBLE INDIANA HISTORICAL and BIOGRAPHICAL
Chicago F.A. Battey and Company Publishers 1882
CLAY TOWNSHIP
By: R.H. Rerick
Clay Township- Swamps and Marshes-Journey to the Wilderness-Early
Homes and Labors-
Appalling Mortality in 1838-Growth and Improvement-Churches
and Schools
In 1843, there was a school begun in the Taylor
Schoolhouse, just over in Clearspring, which was taught by Elizabeth
Sanburn, daughter of Eliphalet Sanburn, and afterward the wife
of Andrew Ellison, Esq. In 1844,
a schoolhouse was built on Taylor's farm, in which Hannah
Parker was the first teacher. A school was maintained here until 1858,
when the house was destroyed. It was in this house that the body of Charles
Wolford, who, in a moment of derangement, cut his throat in
a wood near by, in early days, was laid out to
await the coroner. A saw-mill in this neighborhood, owned by Davis
& Fought, and afterward by William Hudson, was burned during
the war. Christian Plank built a saw-mill in Section 33, in 1866.
The early trading of the settlers was done
at Lima, and that town and LaGrange continue to be the markets of the township,
there being no stores or taverns in its limits. The first road to be laid
out was the Baubaga road, running directly west from LaGrange through the
center of the township, and about the same time the Pigeon
road, following in part the old trail past Buck Lake. About 1840, the
road running north and south past the
Fleck Mills was opened. Between 1840 and 1850 the population
increased at a good rate, and it is impractical
to give an account of the progress of the settlement. The later history
of the township, further than that given in our sketches of the churches
and schools, gives but a few points of notice. In 1843, there was a memorably
severe winter; provisions were very scarce in the settlement and no way
of getting supplies. The snow lay on the ground
continuously from the middle of November until the 3d of April. A great
many cattle and horses died for lack of food. This was a discouraging
time, and the necessity of eating corn-bread as a regular diet created
earnest longings for the wheat fields of the East.
Among the industries of the township years
ago was iron mining in a small way. There are considerable
deposits of bog-iron ore, or limonite, in Hobbs' Marsh, which were
for a time mined and the ore taken to the old forge in Lima Township; but
the business soon proved unprofitable and was discontinued some time before
the war. One of the most important establishments in the county is the
Fleck
Mills, upon the site of the original
saw-mill built in 1837. E. Fleck, in 1881 the sole owner of
the mills, was born in 1834, in Tuscarawas County, Ohio.Upon his coming
to age, he went to La Porte County, to learn the trade of carpentering,
and then returned
to Ohio, where he was married in 1857. In 1865, he came to the township
with his father, bought the old mill property, and rebuilt the saw-mill
in 1867. In 1871, the flouring-mill was completed, which grinds the grists
for a
great part of the population west of LaGrange. The mills have never
suffered from fire and no accident has occurred, save an occassional washing
away of the dam.
In that long-to-be-remembered year of conflagration,
1871, there were destructive fires in the marshes of
Clay. One started in the marsh southwest of Fleck's Mills, and
came sweeping up in that direction with the fury
of a cyclone. The whole population turned out to meet and keep out
the flames, and all other work was neglected. A great many fences were
destroyed and a barn belonging to Widow Latta was burned. It was
so throughout
the township, and if it had not been for the heroic efforts of the
people, much valuable property would have gone up in smoke. A funeral was
being conducted at the Sayler Schoolhouse at the time when the fire came
up in that neighborhood. The sense of danger and the demand for help
at the fire overcame every other feeling, and in a
few moments scarcely enough were left to attend to the burial. The
early settlers have had much experience in fighting fire, but none equal
to that in 1871.
A startling deed of violence took place on
the evening of December 18, 1861, which resulted in the arrest of
Hiram
Springer, Daniel Rowan, Whiting Phillips and several
other young men on the charge of murder. The party of young fellows and
Mr.
Jacob Beam and several members of his family became engaged in an
unfortunate conflict at Mr. Beam's house, in which he was struck
down and his neck broken, resulting in his immediate death. The men above
named were indicted for murder, but all were discharged except Springer,
who was found guilty of manslaughter, but was ultimately discharged.
On the afternoon of January 20, 1876, an appalling
accident occurred in the township, the saddest in the
history of the county. A steam saw-mill belonging to William Price
and Joseph Kennedy, and located two
miles northwest of LaGrange, was blown to pieces on that day, and three
men instantly killed. The mill was totally demolished and scattered over
an area of ten acres. The proprietors and employees were in the mill at
the time of the explosion, and Price was thrown some distance, bruised
and stunned. Kennedy was so badly torn and bruised that he breathed
his last as soon as picked up. Sebatian Goss, the sawyer, was instantly
killed and
Henry Corwin, the engineer, was terribly mangled. To add to
the horror, a little child of Mr. Kennedy's was so badly scalded
that its life was long despaired of. The proprietors had been residents
of Clay for about three years. The terrible event produced a profound sensation.
It was one of those mysterious explosions for which no one
can be blamed and cannot be explained.
Clay Township is now populous and becoming
well developed. The marshes are being drained and cultivated, fine roads
traverse the township in every direction, the fertile soil is well tilled
and yields abundantly, and many
fine residences attest the comfortable circumstances of the farmers
who have made Clay what it is, and now have
a right to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Brief sketches of the churches and schools
of the township will serve to indicate its social development. The
first religious meetings in the township were held by a Methodist Episcopal
minister, stationed at Lima. The same denomination have at present small
classes at Green's and Roy's Schoolhouses, whose pastor is
Rev.
B. H. Hunt. The Rev. James Latham, a very earnest and fiery
circuit preacher of the Protestant Methodist Church, began to preach at
Sayler's Schoolhouse about the middle of August, and as the settlers
had been without religious services for some time, he met with great success,
in spite of the unfavorable season. A regular old-fashioned revival was
the result; people crowded to the meetings, and a great many conversions
occurred.
The Bethel Church, which continues to be the leading society, was organized
at this time. Before this time, there had been an organization of the Methodist
Episcopal Church at the Sayler Schoolhouse, near the present home
of Milton Bingham,which was ministered to by Revs. Miller,
Fairchild
and others. The Bethel society, at its formation, had thirty-five members;
there are now sixty-six.
Among the early ministers were S. F. Hale,
B.B.
Newell, James McKinlay, H. H. Hulbert,
D. B.
Clark and Stephen Phillips. The Bethel Church continued its
meetings in the Sayler Schoolhouse until 1880, when it was proposed
to erect a church. The work was commenced at once with great spirit, the
brick was drawn during
a busy season from a yard several miles distant, and, in eight months,
one of the neatest and most commodious
churches in the county was erected, and the debt raised. The church
is in dimensions 36x48, is comfortably
seated, and accomodates an audience of 400. About one thousand persons
attended the dedication services in January, 1881, and the sermon was delivered
by President George B. Michelroy, of Adrian college. At this meeting
$1,285 was raised. A pleasant feature of the enterprise was the absence
of all discord among the members. Among those who were active in the building
of the church were Josiah Eaton, Franklin Davis, Michael
Gerrin, Hiram Carnahan, Samuel Carnahan, Samuel Crowl
and
Ephraim Latta. The Methodist Protestant Church also has societies
meeting at Robbin's Schoolhouse (seventeen members). Rev. L.
F. Hutt is the present pastor (1881). Josiah Eaton has been
for some time Superintendent of the Sabbath school in Bethel Church, and
is Vice President of the County Sabbath School Association. A short time
before the Latham revival, the Baptist Church had an organization at the
Robbins
Schoolhouse, but it is not now maintained. At Roy's Schoolhouse
there is a Lutheran society at present. The Amish and German Baptists have
a small following in the western part of the township.
The earliest schools have already been referred
to. All of those first built in the various school districts have been
torn down and replaced by new and commodious houses, except Poynter's
Schoolhouse, which is of
recent erection. The present houses are known as Shirley's,
Sayler's,
Ford's, Beatty's, Green's, Rowan's, Robbin's,
Miller's, Walter's, Everett's, Roy's and Poynter's,
all of frame, and valued at $6,500. Twelve teachers are at present employed,
and receive $1.40 per day on the average, if of the sterner sex, and $1.13,
if
women, for an average term of 140 days. The average attendance for
1880-81 was 221, out of an enrollment of 384. The first division of the
township into school districts was made January 5, 1844. The following
is a list of Trustees for the township: First, Michael Sprague,
George
Hood and Frank Gould; Second, John
Merriman, Elisha Thorp and Obadiah Lawrence; Third,
Eliphalet Sanburn, Erastus and Samuel Clark;
Fourth, William B. Elliott, Jared O. Chapman and Reuben
Hays; Fifth, Michael P. and James M. Sprague, and Samuel
Carnahan.
Following is a list of the Justices of the
Peace since 1842, as shown by the records: William Woodward, 1851-56;
Sylvester Davis, 1850; Hugh Finlay, 1849; Levi Knott,
1847-49; J. S. Merriman, 1845-50; Kiah Gould, 1844-49;
George Hood, 1842-44; James Finlay, 1855; William Lewis,
1854-58; Josiah T. Bowen, 1854-58; Thomas Snyder, 1860-72;
Emanuel Fleck, 1868-76; George D. Rockwell, 1872-80; Lewis
Lisher, 1876-84; John Robbins, 1879-81; Sheldon Robbins,
1880-84. By the census of 1880 the following persons over the age of seventy-five,
were shown to be residents of the township: James Boyd, seventy-nine;
John Brindley, eighty-three; Jerusha Eatenger, seventy-six;
George Eatenger, seventy-six; Jacob Erb, eighty-three; Frederick
Labold, seventy-seven; Jacob Mosher, eighty-two; Arethusa
Mosher, seventy-seven; Eleanor Norris, eighty; Hetty Sprague,
seventy-six.
Volunteer transcription by Pati Blowers May. Material for transcription
gathered by Barbara Henderson.
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