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1882 COUNTIES OF
LaGRANGE and NOBLE INDIANA HISTORICAL and BIOGRAPHICAL
Chicago F.A. Battey and Company Publishers 1882
JOHNSON TOWNSHIP
Part 1
By: Weston A. Goodspeed
Johnson Township-The Earliest Settlers-The First Election-The
Tamarack-Wright's Corners and
Valentine-Incidents and Adventures-Rise and Subsequent Growth of Wolcottville-Industrial
interests-
The Wolcottville Seminary-Miss Susan Griggs-Education and Religion.
Johnson is decidedly the lake township of the
county. No other has such a number nor such a variety, as there are some
fifteen either wholly or partly within the township limits. Oliver Lake
is the largest, covering about six hundred acres, while Adams is perhaps
second in size, though Witmer and Atwood are almost as large. Several
of them have fine gravelly, or sandy, shores, and all are bordered
by beautiful clusters of oak, maple or beech.
There is great diversity in the soil which, in some places, is deep
and black, like that in the states farther west,
while in other places it is sandy, gravelly, or even stoney.
Nelson Nichols and Peter Lampson
were the first two settlers in the township, both coming in June, 1834,
the former entering his land (160 acres on Section 34) on the 23rd
of the same month, and the latter (eighty acres on Section 33) on the 30th.
John
Adams came to the township in November, 1834, entering his land (on
the shore of the lake that took its name from him) on the 15th of the same
month. These three were the only men
who entered land in Johnson Township prior to January 1, 1835. Levi
Wright came to the township in the fall
of 1834, but did not enter any land until February, 1835, at which
time he purchased eighty acres on Section 13, and within the next two years,
over three hundred acres more. The following men also entered land in the
township in 1835: Samuel Benham, Peter Tillipaugh, George
Walker, John Hughes, Jeremiah Bidwell, Robert
Meeker, John Doty and Robert Latta. Several of these
men never resided in the township. Daniel Matin was in the township
in the fall of 1834, but he entered no land. Five men were present and
assisted in the erection of Mr. Wright's cabin in the fall
of 1834; they were John Adams, Nelson Nichols, Peter Lampson,
Daniel
Martin, and another whose name is forgotten. From the above it may
seem that Mr. Wright either built his house before he bought his
land, or his daughter, Mrs.Vaughan, is mistaken when she says the
house was erected during the autumn of 1834. It is probable that the house
was built in 1834, as stated. Following the
above men, there came in Thomas Oliver, Philo Taylor,
two or three Indian traders at the Tamarack, George Wolcott, Henry
Nichols, Almon White, Hiram Gardner, James Campbell,
John
Benham, Simeon Cain, John and Abraham Rowe,
Allen
Brundage, Stephen Pierce, William Dickinson,
Thomas
Koon, Nathan Sherman, William Hardin, Abraham Eiman,
Charles
Doty, Aaron Hill, John Parker,
Abraham Brayton,
George
Dickinson, Samuel Barnes,
Ozias Wright,
Levi Wildman,
Thomas
Higgins, Mr. Olin, James Oliver,
Selah Benham,
Joseph
Caswell, Anthony Dickinson, James Dunbar,
Erastus
Disbrow, William R. Hill, Samuel Koon,
Henry
Miller, Hiram Meeker, William McCollum,
Ira Nichols,
George
Noble,
James Parker, Ross Romine, Phineas Tillotson,
William
Taylor, John Vaughan, Alexander Vaughan, Isaac Wright
and others, all locating in the township prior to 1840.
The township of Johnson was created at the
March session, 1837, of the County Commissioners, and an election was ordered
the first Monday in April of the same year, at the residence of James
Campbell, Hiram Humphreys being appointed Inspector by the board.
At this election James Campbell was elected Justice of
the Peace; but who the other officers were is not remembered. Before
the creation of the township by the board, Johnson was attached to Bloomfield
for election purposes. During the years 1836 and 1837, the greater number
of the above men bought their land, and began the long and tedious
process of clearing. It is stated by several old settlers, and currently
believed in the township, that the first settlements of whites was at the
Tamarack, as it is called, in the southeastern part. This seems to be confirmed
by the statements of those who passed through the place at a very early
day. The facts seem to be about as follows: As early as 1833, and perhaps
1832, the trading-house of Comparet & Bowrie, or Comparet & Cuttieaur,
at Fort Wayne, sent to the Tamarack one or more Frenchmen to open a trading
station with the Indians. A small cabin was at first built, but later a
double log building designed for a hotel was erected, in which the traders
had a small stock of goods, including whisky,
which they sold to the Indians, who often came there in great numbers.
A man named Runeaux was one of
these traders. He is said to have been a brother-in-law of Comparet.
After his death, which occured quite early,
his widow (Comparet's sister) conducted the tavern for the Fort Wayne
firm. This tavern was built of tamarack poles, six or eight inches in diameter,
and was known far and near as the "Tamarack House". In July, 1836,
Burris & Durand, or Burris & Hitchcock, built
a dam and saw-mill just south of the Tamarack House. It was
a small, rough frame structure, in which was placed a sash and an old-fashioned
flutter wheel. The water-power was not very good, and the mill, at it's
best, could not turn out to exceed about 1,500 feet of lumber per day.
Hiram Hardy was one of the sawyers. The mill was owned by these
men until about 1838, when it and the land around there was purchased by
Comparet,
who, a short time afterward, opened a good store in another
building that was erected. During the time the saw-mill was owned by
Burris
& Co., the Tamarack House was also conducted by Mr. Burris.
His wife, in his absence, tended the bar. It is related that one day, while
she was thus engaged, several Indians came to the tavern bar and bought
and drank some whisky. One of them soon became half tipsy. He saw Mrs.
Burris leave the room for a moment, going into the other part of the
house on
an errand, and when she attempted to open the door on her return, the
tipsy Indian, who had stationed himself behind it, struck at her with his
knife. But she was too quick and dodged the stroke, at the same moment
leaping behind the counter and catching up a rifle that was standing loaded
there. The Indian had sense enough remaining to know what was coming if
he remained there, so, without waiting for the "order of his going", he
ran out of the door and off at full speed. Mrs. Burris ran to the
door and fired at him, but, of course, missed the mark, and the redskin
was soon out of sight in the woods. The others were ordered out, and peace
was soon restored.
In 1844, Comparet erected the grist-mill
that is yet standing, dismantled and abandoned, on the south side of the
river. It was a three-storied frame structure, and, in its day, was an
excellent mill, turning out large quantities
of excellent flour. It is said that Miss Jane Creighm of
Noble County, made the first bolting cloths. At the
death of Mr. Comparet, the property went to his sons,
and in 1856, was purchased by O. P. Grannis, in
whose possession it remained until 1879. It is said that, in 1866,
the mill cleared for its owner $3,000. In about
1845 (or at least just before his death), Comparet built the
second saw-mill near the old one. At his death, his goods were sold out
at auction. The Tamarack, in later years, became a noted resort for the
blacklegs, as they
had their hiding-places in the swamps and marshes in the vicinity.
Stolen horses were brought to the vicinity and secreted. Passers of bogus
coin and counterfeit bills found it a safe place when closely pursued.
Men living in the
neighborhood assisted them in the concealment of stolen property and
the disguise of their personal identity. Tamarack was truly a bad
place.
When the first settlers reached Johnson Township,
they found it a tangled wilderness, filled with wild animals and semi-wild
men. The latter had quite a large temporary village on the west bank of
Oliver Lake. They mingled freely with the white settlers, going to the
cabins to barter, to beg or to borrow. They often stopped to stay all
night and were perfectly satisfied to roll themselves in their blankets
and lie down until morning before the
fire-place. Two of them, one cold night, called at the cabin of Thomas
Oliver, and asked to remain until
morning, and was granted the privilege. Mr. Oliver was engaged
in some sort of work in his cabin that required the assistance of two additional
persons. He therefore enlisted the two Indians, placing them so near the
fire that
in a short time they were reeking with sweat. At last the work was
finished. The next morning, Mr. Oliver concluded he wanted more
help from his red brethren, as he had several instruments to be sharpened
at the grind-stone. So he called upon them to turn the stone, but the Indians,
true to their habits, shook their heads, wrapped their blankets around
them and walked away. They did not bother Mr. Oliver again. They
were in the habit of bringing venison to the settler's cabins. This
was traded for potatoes, beans, pumpkins, corn, etc. Occassionally a bear
steak was brought in. Bears were rarely seen, but sometimes stragglers
passed across the township, several of which were killed. It is said that
Serenus
Heibargen and Henry Randall were out hunting deer one morning
after a big snow, when they came across a fresh bear track. They started
in pursuit and finally found the animal in the middle of a swamp. They
fired, badly wounding it, and, after a little chase succeeded in getting
in a couple more shots which finished the animal. The meat was divided
up among the settlers. It was quite
a thing to have bear's lard in the house. One night after Mr. and
Mrs. Oliver had retired, the latter was
awakened by a strange noise in the door-yard. She arose, went to the
door and peered out, and saw that the
yard was full of deer, whose broad antlers could be seen against the
sky. She told her husband, who got up and dressed, took his gun, and going
to the door, shot one of the largest, whereupon the whole herd, including
the wounded one, ran off at full speed. The next morning a large fine buck
was found lying dead a few yards
outside the dooryard. Mr. Oliver, one day, had a severe fight
with a wounded buck. He shot it through the hips, and the animal fell on
the ground, to all appearance dead. Mr. Oliver, without loading
his gun, hurried up to cut
its throat, and while leaning over the prostrate animal for that purpose,
was suddenly kicked back by the deer, the knife flying off several yards.
The furious animal leaped up on three legs, and with head down, made at
the hunter.
The dog of the latter came to his assistance. Mr. Oliver seized
the buck by its antlers, and, by a little
maneuvering, succeeded in getting his knife, whereupon he immediately
hamstrung the enraged animal. It fought
on after that, standing only on its forelegs, but it was soon dispatched.
It is related that Abraham Eiman, one
day, set out a fire in the woods which soon got beyond his control.
The roaring flames swept southward and soon the Indian village went up
in smoke. It is stated that the fire swept them so closely as to destroy
some of their property. This roused them into retaliating for the injury
done them. A band of warriors presented themselves at
the residence of Mr. Eiman, demanding where the latter
could be found, but they were informed that he was not there, although
at that moment he was under the floor. Mr. Eiman kept close watch
for several days until the
wrath of the Indians had subsided. Many more incidents similar to the
above might be narrated. An amusing story is told of an old settler, not
a thousand miles from Valentine, who shall be nameless here. He was out
in the
woods one evening just at dark, several miles from home. Being a timid
man and unused to the ways of the
woods, his fears were naturally on the alert as he hurried on toward
home. Two of his neighbors, who had been
hunting and had become somewhat belated, saw him hurrying along, without
being perceived by him, and
knowing his disposition and weakness, resolved to give him a scare.
They therefore began to imitate the howl of the gray wolf. This had an
instantaneous effect on the settler. He glanced wildly around him, and
then started on a rapid run in the direction of his cabin. The others followed
fast after him, howling frequently, which had the effect
to greatly accelerate his traveling qualities. Excellent time was made
through the woods until the settler arrived panting and tired at his own
door, announcing that he had been chased by wolves and that he had just
escaped their clutches by the "skin of his teeth." The story is told
at the expense of the old settler even to this day.
Levi Wright entered his land in the
vicinity of Wright's corners, named thus in his honor. He had considerable
property, and, as a matter of course, had considerable influence. A few
years later, Joseph Head erected a
house at the corners; and still later Mr. Kimble built another,
which was thrown open for the entertainment of the public. In about the
year 1847, Vaughan & Wildman opened the first store at the corners.
Their stock was
worth several thousand dollars, and comprised about everything sold
at that day in country stores. They did not confine their entire attention
and capital to the store; but bought considerable country produce, which
was
shipped to distant and larger places. They also dealt to some extent
in live stock, buying the same from the
settlers living over an extensive scope of country. It is said they
made no little money in these various transactions. Two or three years
after they had begun, Wildman sold his interests to his partner;
but the latter continued until about the year 1851, when he too, retired
from the business. Contrary to the usual condition of things, Mr.
Wright was averse to the establishment of a small village at
the corners. Mechanics and artisans applied to him
for lots upon which to build their shops; but he obstinately refused
to sell, and was thus the means of preventing
the growth of quite a village at that place. Had he encouraged its
growth, as he alone could, the Grand
Rapids & Indiana Railroad might be running through the place to-day.
In spite of him, a small country village
sprang up, and has endured until the present. Other merchants have
been Messrs. Adams, Crandall, Strayer,
and the present one, Mr. Woodruff; there have been times when
there was no store. A post office was established quite early. Some milling
interests have been established there in later years. Mr. Wright
kept some twenty cows, and his wife manufactured butter and cheese. In
1836, Mr. Wright procured about fifty apple
trees and a number of currant bushes from a nursery on one of the neighboring
praries. These were set out at the corners, and, so far as known, were
the first of the kind planted in the township. The population of the village
has never exceeded eight or ten families. It has a fine schoolhouse and
a fine church, which will be described further along.
Valentine is yet in its infancy. Barney
Newell lived in the present Valentine House years before the village
was thought of. Some twelve years ago, or immediately after the Grand
Rapids Railroad was completed,
Sergeant & Clugston built a saw-mill at the place. Steam
and double circular saws have been used. The mill
has been an excellent one. It was conducted by Sergeant & Clugston
until about two years ago, when the latter sold out to his partner. George
Hobson obtained an interest in the mill a year ago. A considerable
quantity of lumber is shipped away by rail. They are manufacturing a small
quantity of Lath at present. Some six or seven
years ago, Albert Scoville, of Sturgis, Mich., erected a large
frame building and began the manufacture of all kinds of wooden handles
and staves for barrels, kegs, butter-tubs, etc. Four or five car loads
have been shipped annually. A planing-mill is connected with the factory.
Leonard
Butts has obtained an interest in the business. In 1874,
William
Painter placed a stock of goods (no dry goods), valued at about $800.,
in the office of the
present Valentine House. In 1877, when William Rowe opened his
store, Mr. Painter disposed of his stock,
and retired from the business. Rowe had some $700 worth of goods.
He did not remain long, and was
succeeded by James D. Clugston, who, with a stock worth about
$1,000, remained about a year. Then Oscar Gardner was in with a
stock about a year. He was succeeded by Albert Markel. Clark Betts
is merchand-
ising at present. The mercantile pursuit at Valentine has been extremely
fickle and uncertain. William is at present conducting a shoe shop.
George
Slack was the first blacksmith in the village. William Painter
opened his hotel (Valentine House) in 1874. Oscar Gardner also entertains
travelers and others. William Painter was appointed Postmaster in
November, 1873, retaining the office until April, 1881, when
William
Rowe received the
appointment. In April, 1879, James McKibben employed a surveyor,
and properly laid out Valentine,
recording the plat at the county seat. Twenty-one lots were laid out
on Sections 8 and 9. The present population
is some eight or ten families.
For a great many years, George Wolcott,
a native of Connecticut, was the leading spirit at Wolcottville. He was
a very energetic, hard-working, generous man, but burdened, as many of
us are, with a high spirit. He had considerable means at his command, and,
upon his arrival in September, 1837, began industrial enterprises on an
extensive scale. He immediately built a saw-mill that soon became known
far and near. It was completed in
1838, and a year or two later a small set of buhrs was placed in an
addition built to it. This building was standing just below the present
grist-mill. In about the year 1841, that portion of the building occupied
by the sawing machinery was vacated, and a new saw-mill was erected some
twelve or fifiteen rods farther up the race, the old room being fitted
up with machinery for carding wool. About this time, Mr. Wolcott
had in his employ many
workmen, as he was conducting quite a large farm in connection with
his industrial enterprises. Philo Taylor, who purchased a farm just
north of Wolcottville, in June, 1836, became a well known and prominent
man. Himself
and sons have done a great deal to render Wolcottville an attractive
place, and its present thrifty condition is
largely due to their efforts and those of L. L. Wildman.
In about the year 1839, Mr. Wolcott built a storeroom and placed
therein goods worth about $1,000, but subsequently greatly increased the
stock. Eight or ten years after beginning, he probably had on hand $7,000
worth of goods. At this period, his trade was large, and, of course, lucrative.
While he was conducting the old grist-mill, it is said he boarded, free
of charge, the men who came to him for flour. The old set of buhrs had
been obtained of Mr. O. P. Grannis, who had come to the county
in 1834, first locating near Lima, where he engaged in the milling business,
but subsequently removed to
the Tamarack, where he yet resides. In 1845, Mr. Wolcott erected
the present grist-mill, placing therein the old set of buhrs and two new
ones. This mill is yet in operation, and, in its day, has been one of the
best for miles around. With it, the owner did a large amount of merchant
work, besides custom work, over a large extent of country. In 1847, he
built a new storeroom to accommodate his stock of goods that had greatly
increased. It is said that at one time Mr. Wolcott was engaged in
seven different occupations- milling, sawing, blacksmithing, merchandising,
"coopering", farming and manufacturing potash. He probably had twenty workmen
employed at one time. He had erected some fifteen buildings in the village,
which were rented or sold as required. It is said
that his brother James had an interest in the property at the
village. No cloth was manufactured at the
carding-mill, which was conducted about four years. A small distillery
was conducted for a short time at Wolcottville, some say by Mr. Weston,
and others by Mr. Wolcott. Both, perhaps, had an interest in it.
The kegs, barrels, etc. manufactured at the small cooper-shop, were probably
intended for and used in this distillery. What liquor was manufactured
there was consumed about as fast as it was made. A considerable quantity
of pearlash was manufactured at the ashery, and shipped away by wagon.
O.
B. Taylor remembers of going there one night, when a boy, with a quantity
of eggs (he did not say where they were obtained), and of roasting them
in the hot ashes. He also well remembers that many of the eggs had
suffered severely by the process of incubation, and that he received the
full benefit (?) of that mysterious process. Is the trite axiom, "The way
of the transgressor is hard," applicable in this case?
Volunteer transcription by Pati Blowers May. Material for transcription
gathered by Barbara Henderson.
Continue to Part 2
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