Indiana Genealogist Vol

Indiana Genealogist Vol. 25 No. 2  June 2014

An Elusive Patriot  Society of Civil War Families of Indiana Induction  Indiana’s Veterans’ Homes  Using Alternative Indexes  Early Delaware County Schools  Notices from Allen, Decatur, Dubois, Hendricks, Marion, Miami, Ohio, Putnam, Randolph, Switzerland, Vigo, and Whitley Counties Indiana Genealogical Society P. O. Box 10507 CONTENTS Ft. Wayne, IN 46852-0507 www.indgensoc.org 4 Editor’s Branch Indiana Genealogist (ISSN 1558-0458) is published electronically each quarter (March, 5 John Clem: The Elusive Patriot, by Katherine Kemnitz June, September, and December) and is available exclusively to members of the Indiana Genealogical Society as a benefit of member- 8 Marriages of Indiana Residents Legalized by the ship. General Assembly, 1847 and 1850, extracted by Meredith Thompson EDITOR Rachel M. Popma E-mail: [email protected] 10 Society of Civil War Families of Indiana Inducts Seven New Members and Eleven New Soldiers, SUBMISSIONS by Ron Darrah Submissions concerning people who were in Indiana at one time are always welcome. 13 Caring for Indiana’s Veterans: State and Federal Material from copyright-free publications is preferred. For information on accepted file Soldiers’ Homes, by Meredith Thompson formats, please contact the editor. 22 IN-GENious! Have You Considered Alternative WRITING AWARD Indexes?, by Dawne Slater-Putt, cg The Indiana Genealogical Society may bestow the Elaine Spires Smith Family History Writ- ing Award (which includes $500) to the writer Northwest District of an outstanding article that is submitted to 23 Official Death Records from the 1830s?, either Indiana Genealogist or IGS Newsletter. by Harold Henderson, cg Submitters need not be members of IGS. To be eligible for consideration for the award, the article must be at least 1,000 words (or a series 24 Petition to Sell School Section, Monroe Township, of articles on the same topic that totals 1,000 Pulaski County (1854), transcribed by Janet Onken words). Abstracts, transcriptions, indexes, or other forms of genealogy data are not eligible for consideration. Articles must be submitted North Central District by 31 December of each year, and the winner 26 Notices from the Peru Evening Journal, 16 September will be recognized at the IGS annual confer- 1897, Part 3, submitted by Dawne Slater-Putt, cg ence in April. Multiple submissions are welcome. The IGS Publications committee will judge all eligible entries and make a decision Northeast District about the winner. IGS reserves the right not 30 “Has Money in Belgium: Inmate of Poor House is Heir to bestow the award in a particular year. to a Great Estate” (Whitley County, 1905)

DISCLAIMER While every precaution is taken to avoid 30 “Fell From Hay Wagon” (Allen County, 1905) errors, the publisher does not assume any liability to any party for any loss or damage West Central District caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, 31 Ending of an Elopement (Putnam County, 1897) accident or any other cause. 31 “Shelters Woman Who Fled Her Noisy Home” (Vigo County, 1908) PUBLICATION STATEMENT All works submitted to the Indiana Genealog- Central District ical Society (and its subsidiaries) for publication become the property of the Society and 32 Civil War Veteran Never Legally Married all copyrights are assigned to the Society. The (Hendricks County, 1914), transcribed by Society retains the non-exclusive rights to Meredith Thompson publish all such works in any format including all types of print, electronic, and digital formats. All materials in IGS publications 33 “Plenty of Causes Assigned by Martha J. Nowland in are copyrighted to protect the Society and to Her Divorce Complaint” (Marion County, 1900) exclude others from republishing contributed works. All individual contributors retain the right to submit their own work for publica- 33 Obituaries from the Indianapolis Star, 15 June 1912, tion elsewhere and have the Society’s per- (Marion County) mission to do so. The Indiana Genealogical Society routinely grants permission for other East Central District societies and organizations to reprint materials from our publications provided proper 34 Winchester Left Letters, 9 July 1862 (Randolph credit is given to the Society, the particular County) publication of the Society, and the contribu- tor. 35 Memorabilia of Early Delaware County Schools, submitted by Debbie Clawson Bowers MEMBERSHIP DISTRICTS

Southwest District 39 Marriage Licenses Issued in Jasper, July 1879 (Dubois County)

39 Kraus-Friedman Wedding in Jasper, 1879 (Dubois County)

South Central District 40 An Early History of Bloomington’s Postal Services, by Randi Richardson

Southeast District 44 “Death of Rev. C. W. Ruter” (Switzerland County, 1859)

44 Kenney Dodd Injured (Ohio County, 1881)

44 “Blind Fourteen Years” (Decatur County, 1897) NW = Northwest NC = North Central NE = Northeast 45 Once a Hoosier... WC = West Central ...Always a Hoosier C = Central 45 EC = East Central

SW = Southwest SC = South Central SE = Southeast Editor’s Branch

Military service forms a theme of this issue, appropriate for a year in which we continue to mark the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and acknowledge the centennial of the start of World War I. Katherine Kemnitz examines a situation that may seem familiar: family records say an ancestor served, but the service and pension records we’ve been able to find seem to say the oppo- site. In this case, a faulty recollection and federal bureaucracy combined to prevent a Revolution- ary War veteran’s widow from receiving her due, but careful sleuthing in the twenty-first century uncovered the truth about her husband’s service. The Society of Civil War Families of Indiana held its annual induction at the IGS conference in Fort Wayne in April, and this issue inclues Ron Darrah’s recap of the inductees and the soldiers they honor with their membership in the society. But what happened to those veterans after they returned home and as they aged? Military pension records tell part of the story, and Meredith Thompson’s article on federal and state soldiers’ homes works to fill in the gaps for some of our ancestors. In addition to explaining the history of the establishment of such institutions, the article describes how changes in legislation affected who was eligible for admission and what financial responsibility residents would bear, including how pensions helped fund the homes. The article closes with a list of resources for those seeking soldiers’ homes records. Other highlights in this issue include Randi Richardson’s brief history of postal services in Bloomington, Dawne Slater-Putt’s IN-GENious! reminder to not overlook those alternative indexes to sources we need, and Harold Henderson’s tale of locating information about 1830s deaths in an unlikely county source. Throughout the issue we also feature a selection of notices and brief items from around the state.

If you’re attending Midwestern Roots 2014 in Indianapolis this August, be sure to drop by the IGS table in the exhibit hall and say hello!

As always, I welcome your contributions, questions, and comments at quarterly@indgensoc. org. Thanks for reading and sharing your stories!

Rachel

On the cover: The old Gaston High School, Delaware County. From the collection of Debbie Clawson Bowers.

4 Indiana Genealogist John Clem: The Elusive Patriot

Katherine Kemnitz

In the fall of 2013, I was asked by a client to research the Revolutionary War service of her fifth great-grandfather, John (Johann/Johannust) Clem (Clemm, Klemm), as she believed he was a potential Patriot for a supplemental application for the Daughters of the American Revolution. Her research indicated that John Clem had moved his family circa 1805 from Fayette County, Kentucky, to Butler County, Ohio. This land had been part of the Indiana Territory until 1803. Her family records indicated that Clem was born circa 1756 (possibly in Germany), married a woman named Susannah in 1778, was the father of eleven children by 1804, and died 18 April 1827 in Butler County, Ohio. Family records also indicated that while the family believed he had fought with the Maryland Militia in the Revolutionary War, his widow’s application for a pension had been denied. John Clem was one of the signers of a petition to Congress, dated 19 November 1805. This document was signed by the “purchasers of lands of the United States in the now State of Ohio and in the Indiana Territory.”1 By virtue of this petition, John Clem and his family can be placed in the Indiana Territory circa 1805. The U.S. Census Reconstructed Records, 1660–1820, database shows John Clem living in Ohio in 1810.2 In The Clem Genealogy Work-Book, Walter Salts lists all of the children of John and Susannah Clem; namely, George, John Jr., Barbara, Henry, Jacob, Susannah, Samuel, David, Nancy, Michael and Peter.3 The birthplaces of these children all appear to be outside Ohio, as evidenced by their census records as adults, with most indicating that they were born in Virginia. Salts also states that, “After the death of John Clem, Sr. and the settlement of his estate, most of the family, including the widow, Susannah, moved to Indiana where they settled practically on the state line of Illi- nois and Indiana. They left many descendants who still live there.”4 On the Fold3 Web site, I located a digital copy of Susannah Clem’s original affidavit in support of the pension application with additional correspondence. The affidavit was prepared in Warren County, Indiana, on 16 November 1842, and states in part:

that she is the widow of John Clem who was a private in the War of the Revolution…that she thinks he served in the State of Maryland and for a portion of the time at least under Colonel Stricker…she further declares that she was married to the said John Clem on the eleventh day of February in the year seventeen hundred and seventy eight about ten miles from Cumberland in Maryland.

Susannah further stated “that she was not married to him prior to his leaving the service.”5 On 9 December 1842 G. G. Brewer of the Land Office in Annapolis, Maryland, responded to a request by J. L. Edwards, Commissioner of Pensions, as follows:

June 2014 5 The Elusive Patriot

I have examined very carefully the muster and pay rolls of the Revolution in this office, and they afford no evidence of the service of John or Job Clem. You say it is alleged that he served under Col. Stricker; there was no officer of that name that held the rank of Colonel in the Continental line in the war of the Revolution; I find a muster roll of a Company Com- mander by Captain Stricker, but the name of John or Job Clem does not appear upon it.6

This document seems to support the Pension Department’s rejection of Susannah’s application, but further research revealed John Clem’s name in a pay record for “Captain Henry Fister’s Company of Colonel Nicholas Haussegger’s Regiment of Continental Troops, commanded at present by Lieutenant George Stricker, for pay of said Regiment for first day of Dec. 1776 to the first day of March 1777.”7 He was paid 6-2/3 dollars for three months’ service. The last record seems to match the statements in Susannah’s affidavit, but why hadn’t either Edwards or Brewer located this information at the time of her application? “Colonel Nicholas Haussegger’s Regiment” was the German Battalion, German Regiment, or Eighth Maryland, an extra Continental regiment that General George Washington had asked the Continental Congress to authorize in May 1776. At that time, the Hessians were fighting for the British, and General Washington believed it would benefit the cause of the Continental Army to have German-speaking soldiers. The German Battalion consisted of ethnic Germans from Mary- land and Pennsylvania and served for approximately four and a half years, from May 1776 until 1 January 1781, when it was disbanded. The Continental Congress appointed Colonel Nicholas Haussegger of Pennsylvania to organize and command the battalion.8 Henry Fister of Baltimore, Maryland, served as captain, and George Stricker of Frederick County, Maryland, was lieutenant colonel.9 Colonel Haussegger was taken prisoner by the Hessians in early January 1777 and was later presumed to have defected to the British. He was removed from command in March 1777.10 Lieu- tenant Colonel Stricker became the field commander after Haussegger was taken prisoner. By the end of April 1777, Captain Fister had resigned his commission due to wounds he received, and Lieutenant Colonel Stricker had resigned his commission and returned to his family in Mary- land.11 Other than the payroll record dated 1 December 1776 through 1 March 1777, I could find no further records for a Private John Clem serving under Captain Henry Fister and Lieutenant George Stricker. While searching for records for John Clem, I found a “reference envelope” showing that the “cards” for Clem were filed with a John “Klein.” Many variations of the spelling of German last names exist; could this explain the filing of John Clem’s records with John Klein? I was concerned that perhaps a mistake had been made and that the name “John Klein” was being confused with “John Clem,” and vice versa. Further review of these payroll records indicated that a John “Klein” was also part of Captain Henry Fister’s Company and he had been paid similarly. The records on Fold3 are digital copies of the original records held by the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, DC. To better understand the digital records, I spoke

6 Indiana Genealogist The Elusive Patriot

with Arthur House, an archives technologist and information specialist at the National Archives with thirty years’ experience. He explained that from 1880 to 1900, the War Department hired clerks to compartmentalize the service records of soldiers from the Revolutionary War through the Civil War. The “reference envelopes” were created by those clerks to assist in that process, and many times, if there was only one record for a particular soldier, they would combine those materials in an envelope with another soldier. As both John Clem and John Kline were cited in the payroll records, House believes it is reasonable to assume they were different individuals. Susannah Clem’s memory of her husband’s service was that it was with the Maryland Militia, and that is what she presented to J. L. Edwards, the Commissioner of Pensions. Edwards then presented this evidence to G. G. Brewer of the Land Office in Annapolis, Maryland, who apparently limited his search for John Clem’s service record to only the Maryland Militia. Brewer could not locate Clem’s service record, which then precluded Susannah Clem from receiving the widow’s pension. It appears that John Clem’s Revolutionary War service record has been hiding in plain sight for over 235 years. In his book on the Clem family, Walter Salts wrote that genealogical research “has no begin- ning—just a starting point.”12 Many questions about the family remain unanswered, but one of the biggest mysteries appears to have been solved: John Clem served in the German Battalion under the command of Lieutenant Colonel George Stricker.

Katherine Kemnitz is a professional genealogist living in southern Wisconsin. She is a graduate of Boston University’s Center for Professional Education, with a certificate in Genealogical Research; a former Registrar for her local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution; a member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society; and a retired paralegal, having worked for twenty years in public interest law, litigation, probate and estate planning. She would like to express her gratitude to Arthur House of the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, DC, for taking time to share his expert knowledge of historical documents, and to Charleta Lou Beebe Affeldt for her friendship and without whom this research topic would never have come to light.

Notes 1. John Porter Bloom and Clarence Edward Carter, The Territorial Papers of the United States, vol. 7 (Washington, DC: 1934), 314; Hathitrust.org (http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/1157716. html : accessed 10 April 2014); Territorial Expansion, periodical, United States Dept. of State, vol. 2-14, National Archives and Records Service, 1934. 2. “U.S. Census Reconstructed Records, 1660–1820,” database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 8 February 2014), entry for John Clem, 1810, Ohio. 3. Walter Salts, The Clem Genealogy Work-Book, 1978–1979 ed. (West Lebanon, IN: 1980), 21; privately held by Charleta Affeldt, Beloit, Wisconsin. 4. Ibid., p. 29.

June 2014 7 The Elusive Patriot

5. Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application File, Case Files of Pension-Land Warrant Application Files, Susannah Clem, John Clem and Colonel Stricker, digital image, Fold3. com (http://fold3.com : accessed 5 October 2013); citing NARA microfilm publication M804, Pension Number R2040. 6. Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application File, Case Files of Pension-Land Warrant Application Files, G. G. Brewer, John Clem and Col. Stricker, digital image, Fold3.com (http:// fold3.com : access 5 October 2013); citing NARA microfilm publication M804, Pension Number R2040. 7. Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775–1783, Muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay and supply records of American Army units 1775–83, German Regiments or Battal- ions, John Clem and Lieutenant Colonel George Stricker, digital image, Fold3.com (http://fold3.com : accessed 5 October 2013); citing NARA microfilm publication M246, roll 0130. 8. “German Battalion,” Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org), rev. 08:52, 19 October 2013. 9. Shelley Arnold, “German Battalion,” German Marylanders (http://www.germanmarylanders.org/ profile-index/military/the-german-battalion : accessed 10 October 2013). 10. “Nicholas Haussegger,” Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org), rev. 02:53, 1 January 2014. 11. Arnold, “German Battalion,” German Marylanders. 12. Salts, The Clem Genealogy Work-Book, Foreword.

Marriages of Indiana Residents Legalized By The General Assembly, 1847 and 1850

Extracted by Meredith Thompson

Source: Local Laws of The State of Indiana, Passed at the Thirty-First Session of the General Assembly, Begun on the First Monday in December, 1846 (Indianapolis: J. P. Chapman, 1847)

[No County Listed] Acts of 1847, Chapter 211 [approved 21 January 1847] Mary Howell was once married to Jonathan Repp, who subsequently abandoned her. After he had been gone for six years and ten months, she believed him to be dead. Mary then married Wil- liam Howell and lived with him for some two years before he died. Because there is no evidence to believe Jonathan Repp is still living, Mary's marriage to William Howell is now legalized.

Daviess County Acts of 1847, Chapter 186 [approved 22 January 1847] Celia Lowder and Henry Perdue

8 Indiana Genealogist Marriages Legalized by General Assembly

Source: Local Laws of The State of Indiana, Passed at the Thirty-Fourth Session of the General Assembly (Indianapolis: John D. Defrees, 1850)

[No County Listed] Acts of 1850, Chapter 69 [approved 19 January 1850] William Starner and Elizabeth Perkins were married about 1820 in Knox County, Ohio, and lived together for twelve years, during which time they raised several children. Then Elizabeth left against his consent and became a common prostitute, and was reported to have died in a common brothel some years later. About seven years ago, William married Isabelle Copeland and they had several children. Lately William has been told that Elizabeth is still alive and living somewhere in Ohio. The General Assembly hereby legalizes William and Isabelle’s marriage, and the children they begot together are declared to be legitimate and equally his heirs as his other children. The bonds of marriage between William and Elizabeth are declared dissolved and forever annulled.

Daviess County Acts of 1850, Chapter 197 [approved 19 January 1850] Sarah Vaughan and Beverly Vaughan had married about thirty years ago in Tennessee, where they lived for about five years. They then moved to Indiana, where they lived together for about ten years. A large part of this time Beverly Vaughan spent drinking and gambling, and he then abandoned Sarah for parts unknown. A few years later Sarah and her friends were informed that Beverly was dead. About eight years ago, Sarah married William Brazzle of Daviess County, and they lived together happily until 1 November 1849, when she received information that Beverly was alive and had returned to Daviess County. At that point, William Brazzle and Sarah separat- ed, and since then she hadn’t lived with either man. The marriage between William Brazzle and Sarah Vaughan of Daviess County is legalized. The bonds of matrimony between Beverly Vaughan and Sarah Vaughan are declared to be annulled at the time of Sarah’s marriage to William Brazzle.

June 2014 9 Society of Civil War Families of Indiana Inducts Seven New Members and Eleven New Soldiers

Ron Darrah

At its 2014 Annual Conference, held on 5 April in Fort Wayne, the Indiana Genealogical Society inducted seven new members into the Society of Civil War Families of Indiana. With the addition of eleven new Civil War ancestors this year, the society now has honored 106 Hoosier soldiers.

M88 Dennis L. Babbitt: Honors Mark A. Clampitt Member M88 is Dennis L. Babbitt of Muncie, Indiana. He is honoring his ancestor, soldier C100 Mark A. Clampitt, of the 102nd Indiana Volunteer Infantry (Indiana Legion), Boone County. Clampitt is the society’s first soldier from the Indiana Legion. He was one of those reservists mobilized to chase after Con- federate General John Hunt Morgan in southern Indiana.

M89 Lisa Terri Milton: Honors Richard E. Plummer Member M89 is Lisa Terri Milton of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, who is honoring her ancestor, soldier C101 Richard E. Plummer, Eighty-Second Indiana Volunteer Infantry, Lawrence County. Plummer served for three years and was with General Sherman on the March to the Sea in Georgia. He ended the war as a commissary sergeant.

M90 Deborah L. Loveless: Honors Sampson Walker and John Mason, Jr. Member M90 is Deborah L. Loveless of Dugger, Indiana, honoring soldier C102 Sampson Walker, Tenth Indiana Volunteer Cavalry, Dubois County; and also soldier C103 John Mason, Jr., Fifty-Eighth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, Gibson County. Walker served in the Western theater; he was captured near Nashville, Tennessee, and was confined at Andersonville Prison in Georgia. He survived the war and drew a pension. Mason was the only soldier among this year’s inductees who did not survive the Civil War, as he died in the hospital at Nashville, Tennessee, of typhoid fever.

10 Indiana Genealogist SCWFI Induction

M91 Diane Kallenback and M92 Margie Kallenback: Honor Anton Zimmerman Members M91 Diane Kallenback of Chicago, Illinois, and M92 Margie Kallenback of Fort Wayne, Indiana, are a daughter and mother team, jointly honoring their ancestor C104 Anton Zimmerman of the Twelfth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, Allen County. Zimmerman was one of the numerous foreign-born Union soldiers, being a native of Bavaria in Germany. He immigrated in 1830, arrived in Fort Wayne in 1858, and was a shoemaker by trade. He survived the war, and both he and his wife received a pension.

Ron Darrah presents Diane Kallenback and Margie Kallenback (left) and Eric Koch (right) with SCWFI certifi- cates and medals at the SCWFI induction ceremony, held at the IGS 2014 annual conference in Fort Wayne.

M93 Eric Allan Koch: Honors Thomas Newton Pierce Member M93 Eric Allan Koch of Bedford, Indiana, is honoring his ancestor C105 Thomas Newton Pierce, Twenty-Second Indiana Volunteer Infantry, Randolph County. Pierce was one of those rare draftee soldiers in the Union Army and was a replacement in the hard-hit Twenty- Second Infantry. He served from September of 1864, as the Twenty-Second fought around Atlanta and Savannah and in the Carolinas, until the end of the war.

M94 Brenda Jo Hunt: Honors Simon Peter Waltz, William R. McCracken, J. Joshua Rushton, and McKendree Smith Member M94 is Brenda Jo Hunt of Mooresville, Indiana. Brenda is honoring four of her ancestors: soldier C106 Simon Peter Waltz, of the 140th Indiana Volunteer Infantry and Brown County; soldier C97, William R. McCracken, Seventieth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, Morgan County; soldier C98 J. Joshua Rushton, 117th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, Hendricks County; and C99 McKendree Smith, Seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry, Hendricks County. Simon Waltz was born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, survived the war, and is buried near Camp Atterbury. Joshua Rushton also survived the war and in later life moved to Gage County, Nebraska. William McCracken entered service as a private, but he worked his way up and was

June 2014 11 SCWFI Induction discharged a second lieutenant. McKendree Smith served almost the entire war, fought at Chicka- mauga and Cold Harbor, was captured at Gettysburg, and imprisoned at the infamous Libby Prison in Richmond. He survived the war and lived until 1931.

Lineage applications for this year’s class are now in the Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library and will soon be available for research with some privacy restrictions. If you are an IGS member who is a direct descendant of any person who served in an Indiana Civil War Union military or naval unit, or who was a resident of Indiana upon joining a non-Indiana Union unit, you are eligible to apply for membership in the SCWFI. Applications are due by 31 December each year, and proof of descent is required. Inductees are honored at the IGS annual conference in April. For more information about the society or to download an application, visit http://www. indgensoc.org/SCWFI.php.

Territorial Guard Society of Indiana

The Indiana Genealogical Society’s newest lineage society, the Territorial Guard Society of Indiana, was created in honor of the bicentennial of the War of 1812 (celebrated from 2012 to 2016) and the bicentennial of Indiana statehood (occurring in 2016). If you are an IGS member who is a direct descendant of someone who lived within the boundaries of present-day Indiana on or before 11 December 1816 (the date of Indiana statehood), you are eligible to apply for membership in the Territorial Guard Society of Indiana. Applications are due by 31 December each year, and proof of descent is required. New members are inducted in a ceremony during the IGS annual conference each April. Applica- tion materials of TGSI members are then stored at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne. For more information about the society or to download an application, visit http://www. indgensoc.org/territorial_society.php.

12 Indiana Genealogist Caring for Indiana’s Veterans: State and Federal Soldiers’ Homes

Meredith Thompson

The end of the Civil War brought with it a pressing problem: a generation of veterans who carried lasting wounds and diseases. This resulted in efforts on both the federal and state level to create a system to care for those veterans in the worst situations. On the federal level, Congress passed a law in March 1865 establishing in Maine the country’s first National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. Over the next few decades, twelve more national homes were opened at rural sites across the country. Veterans did not have to be a resident of a particular state in order to apply to live at a national home in that state. In the Midwest, branches of national homes were built in Dayton, Ohio (1867), and Danville, Illinois (1898), in addition to one in 1890 in Marion, Grant County, Indiana. When Congress created the Veterans Administration (VA) in 1930, these national homes then became part of the VA system, with the Marion, Indiana, location today operating as a VA hospital. Unfortunately, the national homes were not enough in and of themselves to care for all the Civil War veterans. For example, the branch in Dayton, Ohio, opened in 1867 with 361 residents, but by 1885, its population had ballooned to 4,149 residents, more than double its intended capacity.1 This burden was slightly eased with simultaneous efforts to establish state soldiers’ homes. Indiana’s first attempt to create a soldiers’ home came in March 1867, when the Indiana General Assembly passed Map of national soldiers’ and sailors’ “An act to establish a home for the maintenance of homes in and near Indiana. sick and disabled Indiana soldiers and seamen and their orphans and widows.”2 The law called for the purchase of up to 110 acres of land in the east- ern part of the state, in Knightstown, Rush County, and appropriated $25,000 to furnish it. When the Indiana Soldiers’ and Seamen’s Home in Knightstown first opened, admission was open to those who had been honorably discharged from the army and navy, using the following hierarchy:3 • Completely disabled soldiers • Partially disabled soldiers • Orphans of deceased soldiers whose mothers were also deceased • Orphans of deceased soldiers whose mothers were still living • Widows of deceased soldiers

June 2014 13 Caring for Indiana’s Veterans

The national veterans’ home at Marion maintained a register of inmates that included information about each inmate’s military service, vital statistics, medical condition, and personal background. The register also kept track of dates of admission and discharge for each patient. (FamilySearch, National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866–1938 database, FamilySearch.org)

If there were too many applicants, the board was to tailor its admissions in proportion to the number of soldiers that each county had furnished in the Civil War.4 When part of the Knight- stown home burned in 1872, all the soldiers and widows who had been staying there were moved to the national home in Dayton, Ohio. After that, the purpose of the Knightstown home became solely to care for the orphans of soldiers, and its name was changed to the Indiana Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphans’ Home.5 Twenty years passed before the Indiana legislature again took up the idea of a state soldiers’ home. In February 1895, the legislature passed a law establishing the Indiana State Soldiers’ Home near Lafayette, on land that belonged to the Indiana department of the Grand Army of the Republic.6 The legislature appropriated $75,000 for construction of the buildings.7 In 1897 those who were eligible for admission were:8 • A soldier who had honorably served the United States in any of its wars, and was now “disabled or destitute” • A wife of a disabled or destitute soldier • A widow of a soldier if she was over the age of forty-five

14 Indiana Genealogist Caring for Indiana’s Veterans

The law defined disabled or destitute as “persons without means of support, and physically disqualified to perform manual labor to the extent of earning a livelihood or persons depending upon charity.”9 When the home opened in 1896, applicants had to be a resident of Indiana for one year pre- ceding the date of their application.10 In 1911 the residency was raised to five years, but if the applicant had served in an Indiana military unit then subsequently lived in another state, the residency requirement was waived; they were considered Indiana residents.11 In 1921 the residency requirement was lowered to two years.12 In 1955 the requirement was raised, returning to five years.13 In 1905 the Indiana legislature recognized the role that women had played in the Annual Appropriations Civil War and more recent conflicts, opening for Indiana State Soldiers’ Home admission to the Indiana State Soldiers’ home to “disabled and destitute” nurses who had Year Salaries Operating Expenses served in any war.14 In order to be eligible, the 19151 none $100,000 nurses had to have been residents of Indiana 19252 $116,600 $125,500 at the time they had served and had to have 19273 $116,000 $140,000 been residents of Indiana for one year prior to 19324 $104,400 $135,000 5 application.15 1933 $95,000 $110,000 6 The Indiana State Soldiers’ Home in 1937 $105,000 $119,500 7 Lafayette received funding from local, state, 1941 $108,170 $120,000 19438 $130,000 $137,500 and federal governments as well as from sol- 19499 $175,000 $285,000 diers’ pensions. Locally, county councils could 195510 $371,648 $300,557 contribute money toward erecting cottages 16 for their specific residents. The home’s 1911 1. Acts of 1915, Chapter 102. annual report notes that Marion County’s 2. Acts of 1925, Chapter 211. contingent of 235 people was being collec- 3. Acts of 1927, Chapter 121. tively housed in a twelve-room cottage and a 4. Acts of 1932, Chapter 31. twenty-four-room cottage; at that time, there 5. Acts of 1933, Chapter 88. were fifty-three counties that had no cottage 6. Acts of 1937, Chapter 114. 17 of their own. At the state level, appropriation 7. Acts of 1941, Chapter 221. usually consisted of one amount for mainte- 8. Acts of 1943, Chapter 296. nance of the buildings, plus a separate amount 9. Acts of 1949, Chapter 257. for the actual care of the veterans, using a per- 10. Acts of 1955, Chapter 303. veteran calculation. When the home opened in 1896, the per-veteran appropriation was $12.50 per month; in 1908 the legislature

June 2014 15 Caring for Indiana’s Veterans

Pension Limits for State Soldiers’ Home Year Type of Applicant Maximum Monthly Pension 19111 married soldier $15 unmarried soldier $12 soldier’s widow $10 19132 married soldier $22 unmarried soldier $15 soldier’s widow $12 19173 married soldier $25 unmarried soldier $16 soldier’s widow $16

1. Acts of 1911, Chapter 101. 2. Acts of 1913, Chapter 50. 3. Acts of 1917, Chapter 51. increased the per-veteran appropriation to $16 per month.18 When the home had its brief existence at Knightstown, the per-veteran appropriation was $1.50 per week.19 The state of Indiana also received an annual subsidy from the U.S. Treasury for each veteran who was kept in the Indi- ana State Soldiers’ Home. In 1897 this subsidy was $100 per veteran.20 Residents’ military pensions were also a source of funding for the home. The home’s board believed that “The tax payers of the State bear the expenses of the Home, and it is but right and just to them that out of the money that is paid to the veteran by a generous Nation he should be willing to pay a portion of that pension toward maintaining the Home that shelters and provides for him so liberally.”21 In 1897 veterans who were receiving a government pension above $8 a month had to pay everything above the $8 to the home, to be used “toward defraying the expenses of maintaining said institution.”22 If the veteran had a wife or children to support, the board was to take this money and send it back to his dependents.23 In 1955 the law stated that unmarried veterans receiving more than $16 a month, married veterans more than $25 a month, and widows/nurses more than $16 a month were to pay the extra to the home.24 That residents were allowed to keep any of their pension was an improvement; when the home was in Knightstown, each newly admitted veteran had to sign a power of attorney turning over his entire monthly pension to the home.25 However, the various funding sources were not always sufficient to cover all of the home’s expenses. When the home opened in 1896, veterans who were receiving a pension were required to pay a $10 fee to the home if they needed a consultation with a doctor. This policy finally changed in 1900, when the home arranged for doctors from the Indiana State Medical Society to donate their time and services for these consultations.26 Also in 1900, the legislature approved

16 Indiana Genealogist Caring for Indiana’s Veterans

Population of Indiana State extra money for an expansion to the home’s hospital, owing Soldiers’ Home, 1896–19181 to the number of patients treated having doubled in one year.27 But even after this expansion was completed, the Year Men Women Total home still lacked some necessities. So in 1902, the home 1896 139 85 224 asked its residents for voluntary donations by authorizing a 1897 311 156 467 one-time deduction from their monthly pensions. A sizable 1898 326 191 517 percentage of the 759 residents—214 total—responded, 1899 394 242 636 donating a total of $463.50.28 These funds were then used 1900 380 260 640 to subdivide the hospital into extra rooms and to install 1901 409 285 694 extra plumbing.29 1902 424 335 759 A table showing the population of Indiana State Sol- 1903 453 358 811 diers’ Home (1896–1918) shows that 1906 was the first 1904 452 395 847 time that there were more women than men living there, 1905 507 486 993 a gap that only widened over time.30 Already by 1900, the 1906 536 600 1,136 1907 544 638 1,182 average age of the men at the home was sixty-two, while 31 1908 555 684 1,239 the average age of the women was sixty. Capacity and 1909 580 770 1,350 increasing demand were a problem almost from the begin- 1910 580 850 1,430 ning. By 1910 the home’s board of trustees reported that 1911 546 864 1,410 they had room for 1,075 people, but actually were housing 1912 510 876 1,377 1,430 (and this did not even include the 60 civilian employ- 1913 496 86 1,372 ees who lived on the site).32 There also was a waiting list of 1914 508 909 1,417 more than 300 people.33 The board constantly pleaded with 1915 510 951 1,461 the legislature for more money, noting that the veterans 1916 457 927 1,384 and their spouses “have made an honest and earnest effort 1917 472 953 1,425 to maintain themselves [...] they find themselves unable to 1918 405 898 1,303 continue the struggle [any] longer without deprivation and suffering [...] they are turning to us and asking if there is a 1. Annual Report of the Indiana home here for them.”34 State Soldiers’ Home, 1918. The Spanish-American War (1898) and the Philippine- American War (1899–1902) (sometimes referred to as the Philippine Insurrection) resulted in a new generation of veterans. In March 1903 the Indiana legislature waived the age requirement and the marriage-length requirement for the wives and widows of these veterans.35 The legislature went further in 1905, waiving the age requirement and the marriage-length requirement for the wives and widows of Civil War veterans.36 But the waivers did not last long. The home’s 1910 annual report complained that the waiving of the requirements for Civil War wives and widows was causing some women to marry much older veterans simply for the purpose of being able to stay at the Indiana State Soldiers’ Home, because they knew their husbands were

June 2014 17 Caring for Indiana’s Veterans

The annual report of the soldiers’ home included a roster of all inmates during that year. The example here shows those inmates originally from Monroe County. The report also contained information about deaths during the year, receipts and expenditures, and general conditions at the home. (Annual Report of the Indiana State Soldiers’ Home, 1914 [Indianapolis: Wm. B. Burford, 1914], 66. Available online at Internet Archive, www.archive.org.) eligible.37 They also alleged it was forcing some deserving Civil War wives and widows to apply to the national homes in the area instead of the Indiana State Soldiers’ Home, because the national homes still had some spots available.38 The Indiana legislature responded in 1911 by repealing the 1903 and 1905 laws and instituting a two-year marriage date requirement for wives and widows— their marriages had to have occurred at least two years before 1911.39 The two-year marriage proviso was eventually eased—a 1921 law waived this requirement for wives and widows of Spanish-American War and World War I veterans (referred to here as “the war with Germany”).40 In 1933 the legislature changed how the two-year marriage requirement was to be implemented for all wives and widows going forward. No longer was the requirement in reference to two years before 1911, but just two years before the person applied for admission.41 So someone who applied in 1933 would only have to have been married to a veteran before 1931. However, in 1955, this two-year marriage requirement before applying was increased to five years.42 The 1933 law also gave the board of the soldiers’ home the latitude to waive the age requirement (forty-five years of age or older) for “deserving destitute” widows of Spanish-Ameri- can War and World War I veterans.43 The Indiana State Soldiers’ Home in Lafayette is still in existence today, known as the Indiana Veterans’ Home.

Resources for Research on Veterans’ Homes FREE RESOURCES: • The Indiana State Archives has a free database of some 10,000 veterans who lived at the Indiana Veterans’ Home from 1896 to 1964 (http://www.indianadigitalarchives.org/Title- Info.aspx?TID=31). This database is an index to packets held by the archives; the packets

18 Indiana Genealogist Caring for Indiana’s Veterans

contain much more information. The Friends of the Archives has written about what kind of information can be found in the packets; visit http://www.fisa-in.org/news/articles/sol- diers_home.html.

Sample results page from search of the Indiana State Archives’ Indiana veterans’ home database. Infor- mation includes the resident’s home county, military service details, and whether the resident died or was buried at the home. Information about the veteran’s spouse may also be found in the search results.

• The Military Records section of the Indiana Genealogical Society’s Members-Only area (http://www.indgensoc.org/membersonly/military/index.php) has a free database of veterans at the national home in Marion when it opened in 1890. • FamilySearch has a free database, National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866– 1938, that includes digital images from the registers of the national homes (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1916230). • The National Archives-Great Lakes (Chicago) has a free finding aid for its records for the national home in Marion, Indiana (http://www.archives.gov/chicago/finding-aids/veterans-marion.html)

June 2014 19 Caring for Indiana’s Veterans

PREMIUM RESOURCES: • The Military Records section of the Indiana Genealogical Society’s Members-Only area (http://www.indgensoc.org/membersonly/military/index.php) has several databases about veterans at the Indiana State Soldiers’ Home: deaths (1901–02; 1905–06; 1908–09; 1910– 11; 1914–15; 1916–17); veterans admitted in 1896; residents in 1902 and 1906. • Ancestry.com’s database, U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866–1938 (http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1200), includes digital images of the registers of the national homes.

Meredith Thompson has been involved with the Indiana Genealogical Society since 1999, and since 1997 has maintained a Web site about Hendricks County genealogy for the INGenWeb Project. In her spare time, she indexes a variety of genealogy records.

Notes 1. Report of the Board of Managers of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1885 (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1886). 2. Indiana General Assembly, Acts of 1867, Chapter 101. 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid. 5. Agnes Tilson, “Survey of State Institutions,” Indiana Magazine of History 5, no. 3 (September 1909): 99–114. 6. Revised Statutes of Indiana: Containing all Laws of a General Character in Force September 1, 1897 (Chicago: Callaghan & Co., 1897). 7. Ibid. 8. Indiana General Assembly, Acts of 1897, Chapter 100. 9. Ibid. 10. Ibid. 11. Indiana General Assembly, Acts of 1911, Chapter 101. 12. Indiana General Assembly, Acts of 1921, Chapter 188. 13. Indiana General Assembly, Acts of 1955, Chapter 294. 14. Indiana General Assembly, Acts of 1905, Chapter 42. 15. Ibid. 16. Annual Report of the Indiana State Soldiers’ Home for 1911 (Indianapolis: William B. Burford, 1912). 17. Ibid. 18. Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Indiana State Soldiers’ Home for the Year Ending Septem- ber 30, 1909 (Indianapolis: William B. Burford, 1909). 19. Indiana General Assembly, Acts of 1867, Chapter 101.

20 Indiana Genealogist Caring for Indiana’s Veterans

20. Indiana General Assembly, Acts of 1897, Chapter 100. 21. Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Indiana State Soldiers’ Home for the Fiscal Year Ending October 31, 1900 (Indianapolis: William R. Burford, 1900). 22. Indiana General Assembly, Acts of 1897, Chapter 100. 23. Ibid. 24. Indiana General Assembly, Acts of 1955, Chapter 294. 25. Indiana General Assembly, Acts of 1867, Chapter 101. 26. Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Indiana State Soldiers’ Home for the Fiscal Year Ending October 31, 1900 (Indianapolis: William R. Burford, 1900). 27. Annual Report of the Indiana State Soldiers’ Home for the Year Ending October 31, 1902 (Indianapolis: William B. Burford, 1902). 28. Ibid. 29. Ibid. 30. Annual Report of the Indiana State Soldiers’ Home 1918 (Indianapolis: William B. Burford, 1919). 31. Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Indiana State Soldiers’ Home for the Fiscal Year Ending October 31, 1900 (Indianapolis: William R. Burford, 1900). 32. Annual Report of the Indiana State Soldiers’ Home for the Year Ending September 30, 1910 (Indianapo- lis: William B. Burford, 1910). 33. Ibid. 34. Annual Report Indiana State Soldiers’ Home for the Year Ending October 31, 1902 (Indianapolis: Wil- liam B. Burford, 1902) 35. Indiana General Assembly, Acts of 1903, Chapter 129. 36. Indiana General Assembly, Acts of 1905, Chapter 127. 37. Annual Report of the Indiana State Soldiers’ Home for the Year Ending September 30, 1910 (Indianapo- lis: William B. Burford, 1910) 38. Ibid. 39. Indiana General Assembly, Acts of 1911, Chapter 101. 40. Indiana General Assembly, Acts of 1921, Chapter 188. 41. Indiana General Assembly, Acts of 1933, Chapter 218. 42. Indiana General Assembly, Acts of 1955, Chapter 294. 43. Indiana General Assembly, Acts of 1933, Chapter 218.

June 2014 21 IN-GENious! Have You Considered Alternative Indexes?

Dawne Slater-Putt, cg

If you have searched a print or microfilmed index or an online database and have not had suc- cess finding the person you are seeking, have you considered looking for an alternative index? For example, if you do not find your ancestor in the published index to marriages that was compiled by a local genealogical society, remember that each original marriage volume in the courthouse usually includes an index at the front or the back of the volume. If you are not able to go to the county to look at these volumes, you might find them in the form of digitized images at FamilySearch.org, or on microfilm and available through the film lending program of the Family History Library. Or you might need to contract with a professional researcher in the local area to check the original volumes for you. The published index you are checking might not be the only one in existence, either. Particu- larly in the case of cemetery transcription books, the local Daughters of the American Revolu- tion chapter or the Works Progress Administration might have compiled a volume back in the 1930s or 1940s, and the local genealogical society might have done another in a more recent time period. Each may include information that the other does not if the recent volume did not use the earlier one as a springboard. The earlier volume might include stones that were no longer extant when the cemeteries were walked for the later book. And the more recent volume, of course, would include the markers of people who were not yet dead when the earlier one was compiled. If you have been searching the census in one of the online databases and not finding your target family or individual, remember that for pre-1880 census schedules, you could go back to basics and check the printed census index books, and for 1880 and after, a Soundex on microfilm is available for many years and locations. To locate possible alternative printed index books, try the catalogs of the Family History Library (www.familysearch.org), The Genealogy Center of the Allen County Public Library (www.genealogycenter.org) and WorldCat.org. Also try state-level libraries, genealogical societies, historical societies and archives; county- and local-level organizations of the same type; college and university library catalogs; and special interest Web sites, such as those for ethnic groups, military organizations, churches, and so on.

22 Indiana Genealogist Northwest District Official death records from the 1830s?

Harold Henderson, cg

Especially in early days, the rich and the poor often got the best records. As a rule the rich can take care of themselves, so I was pleased to find a few unanticipated vital records for the poor in the first minutes of the La Porte County, Indiana, commissioners:

• January 1836: The commissioners ordered that Anthony Torbert be paid 50 cents “for hauling the corpse of Solomon Pates, Deceased Pauper, to the grave.”1 • 4 January 1838: The commissioners ordered that “May and Jewell” be paid $20.25 “for coffin and sundries furnished for George S. Small a Pauper who died in Michigan City.” • 4 January 1838: The commissioners ordered that Haynes Denton be paid $86.50 “for keeping and attending Arthur M. Cauley [McCauley?] procuring coffin and c. for same a pauper in Michigan Township.”2 • 5 September 1838: The commissioners ordered that Rodney B. Field be paid “six dollars for coffin for John Scott pauper in Michigan Township.”3 • September 1838: The commissioners ordered that various individuals each be paid $2 “for Guarding the Jail on the night of the 14th June before David Scott was executed.”4 Scott killed a traveling companion for his money: more information can be found in Jasper Packard's history of La Porte County.5 • November 1838: The commissioners ordered that several people be paid for professional services “furnished John Wells and family, paupers in New Durham Township,” including $3.75 to Benjamin Underwood for “three coffins.”6 • 6 November 1838: The commissioners ordered that “Church and Dodge” be paid $2 for “horses and waggon to convey the corpse of John Forley to the Grave a pauper of Michi- gan Township.”7 • 7 March 1839: The commissioners ordered that Geo. W. Allen be paid $90 for keeping Jacob Deerduff for ten weeks, plus doctor bills and funeral expenses in Scipio Township.8

I would expect to find similar tidbits in other counties’ commissioners’ records. Two lessons from these:

1. Never assume that we've looked everywhere! 2. Look for records and receipts of payments. Sometimes the only record we can find of an event is actually a record of its “fiscal shadow.” If the county had not paid for these burials, there might well be no record of them at all.

June 2014 23 Northwest District

Harold Henderson has been a professional writer since 1979, a professional genealogist since 2009, and a board-certified genealogist since June 2012. He serves on the boards of the Association of Professional Genealogists and the La Porte County Genealogical Society and is the La Porte County Genealogist. An earlier version of this article appeared on his blog, Midwestern Microhistory (http:// midwesternmicrohistory.blogspot.com/2013/10/genealogy-of-rich-and-famous-not.html).

Notes 1. La Porte County, Indiana, Commissioners’ Record A:266; Recorder, La Porte. 2. Ibid., A:499. 3. La Porte Co. Commissioners’ Record B:11. 4. La Porte County, Indiana, Commissioners’ Record B:5; Recorder, La Porte. 5. Jasper Packard, History of La Porte County (La Porte: S. E. Taylor & Co.), 47; digital image, Internet Archive (http://archive.org/stream/historyoflaporte01pack#page/n27/mode/2up/search/packard). 6. La Porte County, Indiana, Commissioners’ Record, B:18. 7. Ibid., B:21. 8. Ibid., B:52.

Petition to Sell School Section, Monroe Township, Pulaski County (1854)

Transcribed by Janet Onken

“Commissioners Record Book *** page 390 In Vacation May 11th 1854

The Trustees of Monroe Township presents the following Petition as follows to wit. We the undersigned petitioners citizens of Monroe Township Pulaski County Indiana petition the board of township trustees of said Township to sell School Section No 16 in said Monroe as the Statute prescribes and that the same shall be offered for Sale up on the land and your petitioners will ever pray.

Petitioners Names Petitioners Names Jeremiah Hawes J. L. Whipple W. S. Huddleston D. E. Terry Jacob Lower Dan H. Hawes Andrew Keys John Conn H. W. Hornbeck A. D. Perry Thos. H. Keys J. O. Parrat Perry Campbell David Conn Hiram Nicol S. P. Hodges

24 Indiana Genealogist Northwest District

Jesse Hodges D. A. Farley C. D. Hathaway Jas. Mulvany Isaac Hodges Wm. R. Balinger John Louderback Philip Walters Stephen Dye John D. Lowrey John Taylor Robert Stotts H. P Rowan Rudolph Zellars Ezra Olds Jacob Nigh James Gill Joseph Garbison Cyrus Nigh George Crook George Shelhart D. F. Coats Joseph Shelhart Enoch Zellars Rudloph Hoch Richard W. Taylor John Meiser Henry Zellars Isaac Zellars John H. Conn Wm. C. Barnett Wm. Stailey F. B. Thomas Isac Olds L. W. Estes John Devenport Wm. Keys Charles Devenport T. J. Galbreth M. M. Dixon G. W. Taylor Abraham Rees Wm. N. Wall Jacob Kimbol Thos. N. Klinger Elijah Galbreth F. H. Williams Jacob Hartleroth Jesse Conn John Roberts George Keys Mark Falvey C. W. Dye Wm. Shay John Bliss John McDonald Charles Hathaway Humphrey Dood J. A. Hust Wm. Fuller Lemuel Stell John Cassey R. M. Clark John Stotts John Donalson John Gardner Daniel B. Philips Wm. Little J. W. Eldridge Lawrence Hartleroth R. T. Hedges Harrison Hoch David McDole R. F. Kabus Joseph L. Whipple Jas. W. Taylor

June 2014 25 North Central District

Richard Dunn Wm. Campbell Reuben Gundrum Thomas Woods Wm. H. Mills James Thomas Lewis Crim George Little Vance Chamberlain Jacob W. Little Godfrey Ginder Lyman Foss Arthur Hazen Adna Hazen John H. Gellaspie James McBudon

We the bord (sic) of Trustees of said Township do certify to the Auditor of said county that we the board have this day accepted the petition set forth by the citizens of said Township for the sale of school section 16 in said Township. April 29th 1854 John H. Conn, Jacob Hoch; Trustees Attest Laban W. Estes”

Janet Onken is the Pulaski County Genealogist.

Notices from the Peru Evening Journal, 17 September 1897, Part 3

Submitted by Dawne Slater-Putt, cg

The following notices were transcribed from the Peru Evening Journal, 17 September 1897, page 4. Parts 1 and 2 in this series appeared in the September 2013 and March 2014 issues of Indi- ana Genealogist.

“The Citizens band will give a concert tonight.

The Tornado Co. went to Muncie this morning.

George Lockwood came over from Marion last evening.

Tom Laboytean contemplates drilling a well on his west Canal street lot.

Mrs. George Sheldon returned last evening from Chicago for a visit at home.

Jacob Miller, Frank Webb and L. R. Elders are in Indianapolis taking in the state fair.

26 Indiana Genealogist North Central District

John Fornshell was called to Van Buren yesterday afternoon by the alarming illness of his sis- ter.

Si Sherrin, of Logansport, was in the city several hours last evening while going home from Indianapolis.

Will Hasset is on the express run between here and Indianapolis while Frank Dice is taking a vacation.

James Hensley and Grant Wilson are in Indianapolis to see the great race between Star Pointer and Joe Patchen.

Rev. E. E. Neal and wife returned home last evening from a trip to Richmond where he lec- tured Thursday night.

Walter Wilkinson went to Benton Harbor, Mich., last evening to purchase a quantity of lum- ber for the oil field business.

Charles Carpenter has given up his position in the Lake Erie car shops, and is going to Deca- tury, Ill., to work for the Wabash Co.

The county commissioners have adjourned. They continued a number of petitions, among them being the one for a new jail, sent in by the Humane Society.

Home seekers excursion West, North West and South-west are offered via the Nickel Plate road Sept. 21st, Oct. 6th and 19th at about one fare for the round trip. Enquire of agents.

William Reeder and Albert Kohls went to Indianapolis today to repair El. F. Davis’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin car, which was damaged at Noblesville.

Bearss’s oil well is expected to come in either tonight or tomorrow morning.

The Standard Oil Co. is erecting a derrick on Fayette Baber’s farm near the flax mill.

The Klondike Co. started a derrick on Ed. Reiley’s place near the Catholic cemetery this morning.

Henry Meinhardt and Harry West have leased D. M. Steel’s four acres just west of James Swift’s farm between the canal and river.

June 2014 27 North Central District

The company organized to drill in the basket factory grounds has given contracts for two wells and the derrick for one of them is already up.

W. P. Black, who has leased the P. M. Crume farm, has also leased Mrs. Clifton’s farm in South Peru and has agreed to have a well completed within thirty days.

“Uncle” Al Crowl has the oil fever so bad it is hard telling what he wants to do. He is figuring on sinking three or four wells on his property between the canal and river.

Another company has bounded into the field and the members are Charles Leebrick, Avery Tudor and Fred Davidson. They will drill on a lot in the western part of the city soon.

The Valley Co. has leased James Swift’s farm between the canal and river and has the timber for the derrick on the ground. The company has leased John Rentz’s land near the woolen mills also and will sink its second well there.

Four drills were started into the earth yesterday afternoon and no two of them belonged to the same company, one each for the People’s Co., Klondyke Co., Wall Street Co. and the Runyan Co. There will be a hot time in the old town if each strikes a good well the same day.

The Moeck Oil & Gas Co. was organized last night at a meeting held over 72 south Broadway, with a capital stock of $3,000. N. N. Antrim acted as chairman and W. R. Lehman, secretary. The board of directors consists of Frank Moeck, Dr. L. O. Malsbury, W. A. Woodring, William Belt and F. I. Delbert. There are forty members in the company.

Last night in A. J. Petty’s grocery in North Peru, another gas and oil company was organized with 120 persons as members. The selection of officers was as follows: president, Byron Worden; vice-president, Frank Hanson; secretary, Elmer Morris; treasurer, Pete Johnson; directors, A. J. Petty, Lorenzo Hoffman, A. K. Clarke, Richard Blakely and Pete Johnson. The company’s first well will be sunk on Lorenzo Hoffman’s place in North Peru.

Opening of the Opera House. The opera house was opened for the season last night with Lincoln J. Carter’s attraction, “The Tornado.” [A description and critique of the performance follows, with no names other than “The strongest and most satisfactory member of the company is Frank Holland,” and “Prof. Merrill was in charge of the orchestra.”]

A Brilliant Home Talent Production. W. D. Chenery, promoter and manager of the beautiful production of “Egypta,” which is being

28 Indiana Genealogist North Central District given in all leading places and was seen in Logansport this week, is in the city and has arranged to place it on the state here October 14th, 15th and 16th. The attraction is given by the aid of the best home talent vocalists and is costumed and set by Mr. Chenery in an elaborate manner. Alto- gether it is pronounced one of the finest affairs of its kind ever seen. Mrs. Will Sumner was a par- ticipant in a production at Richmond some time ago and it is due to her efforts and those of Mrs. Charles Leebrick and Miss George Ellis that the entertainment will be given here. The ladies went to Logansport to see it the other night and were so impressed with it that they prevailed upon Mr. Chenery to come here, though he had made arrangements to go at once to Ft. Wayne. They turned the management over to the Associated charities.

Mose Rosenthal is in Tipton today.

Joseph Larimer came home last night from Toledo.

W. B. Harvey, transacted business at Tipton today.

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Road are home from Indianapolis.

Mrs. Ed Newcom returned home from Marion last night.

Wanted – Good girl for housework. Address Box No. 828.

John Coyle, sr., returned from Patterson, N.J., last night.

Mrs. O. H. Brown and children are in Indianapolis for a few days.

Will Lockwood went back to DePauw university, Greencastle today.

Oil fever is raging. Protect yourself by buying groceries of Wm. H. Petty.

The women’s relief corps will give a dance in the G.A.R. hall Friday night.

Am oil company is being organized at Waverly. A number of Logansport men are interested.

Shaw Stevens was in Logansport yesterday. He contemplates starting to California next week.

Miss Tina Struble went to Logansport yesterday to visit for a week. Lucy Gyain accompanied her.

June 2014 29 Northeast District

The new telephone line to Macy is being built rapidly and will be completed here in about ten days.

Solomon Helvey, of Rich Valley, was badly hurt by a falling tree yesterday. It is thought he can- not recover.

Mrs. R. S. Miller is home from North Manchester, where she went a day or so ago to attend the wedding of a friend.

For Sale—House and lot in Peru. Ten rooms, good cellar, cistern, barn and stable and fruit. Address B. O. Weaver, North Grove, Ind.”

“Has Money in Belgium: Inmate of Poor House is Heir to a Great Estate” (Whitley County, 1905)

The following was transcribed from the Fort Wayne News, 8 July 1905:

“Columbia City, Ind., July 8—Mrs. Sarah Remer has returned from her trip to Belgium to make proof of her claim to a large sum of money left by her father when many years ago he emi- grated to America. He is over eighty years old and an inmate of the county poorhouse although his daughter believes he will soon come into possession of a large sum of money, probably $300,000. She lives in Wisconsin but learning of the facts of the estate last winter she set sail for Belgium to prove them up. She reports that her father’s money which he left in a government bank on his hasty leave to escape military service had grown in interest compounded until it has become a great fortune. She also ascertained that her mother, who died in Columbia City in 1873, was also heir to considerable property. It is supposed that the elder Turney feared to claim the money during the active years of his life through thinking that it might lead to trouble with the Belgian government.”

“Fell From Hay Wagon” (Allen County, 1905)

The following was transcribed from the Fort Wayne News, 15 July 1905:

“Last Evening at his farm home, a few miles south of the city, in Wayne township, William H. Oetting, a well-known young farmer, was very badly hurt. He was assisting in harvesting hay and was on top of the load when the horses wheeled suddenly and Oetting was pitched from the wagon. He was unable to catch himself and besides fracturing several ribs he also suffered internal injuries. Dr. Dinnen was called from the city to attend to the injured man. Mr. Oetting is suffering much pain and will be confined to his bed for several weeks at least.”

30 Indiana Genealogist West Central District Ending of an Elopement (Putnam County, 1897)

The following was transcribed from the Fort Wayne News, 20 July 1897, page 1:

“Greencastle, Ind. July 20—An elopement from Hendricks county, which presented many ludicrous features, wound up with a disastrous result here to-day. Wm. Thompson, a farmer, living five miles south of Clayton, near Hazelwood, was here on Sunday night looking for his daughter and her lover. He found no traces of them, but left a good description with Sheriff Bun- tin, who easily affected their capture at the Vandalia station yesterday. The man in the case was Chas. Fletcher, aged 20 years, and the girl is May Thompson, aged 15 years. Fletcher met her at the Friends’ church, near Hazelwood, Sunday morning, and pressing his suit induced her to elope. They drove to Amo, and missing the train, went on to Coatsville, staying all night. They took the morning train for Marshall, Ill., but their journey suddenly ended here. Fletcher’s entire baggage consisted of a revolver and a knife. The cruel officers of the law here fined him $1 and costs, amounting to $9, upon the charge of carrying concealed weapons. Fletcher had but $8 20, but squared the bill with that and walked homewards toward Clayton, broken in purse but not in spirit, as he vowed to have the girl the next time. Miss Thompson claims she had, on two occa- sions, had her father’s consent, and that last Thursday her father had agreed to go to Danville and get the license, but that an uncle had interfered and caused the old man to change his mind. Mr. Thompson arrived and took his daughter to his home.”

“Shelters Woman Who Fled Her Noisy Home” (Vigo County, 1908)

The following was transcribed from the Indianapolis Star, 17 October 1908, page 5:

“Terre Haute, Ind., Oct. 16—Learning that Mrs. Mary Donahue of Wabash, Ind., an Irish woman, 80 years old, had left the Soldiers’ home at Lafayette because of the chattering of other inmates of the dormitory, and had come to Terre Haute to seek a home, Mrs. Mary Murphy, a younger Irish woman, of 210 North Ninth street, decided that her chance to secure a boon companion had come. Mrs. Murphy, who is also a pensioner of the civil war, appeared at the Friendly Inn for a conference with the older woman, and as a result the two women arranged a compact whereby Mrs. Donahue will live with Mrs. Murphy as long as they can agree. Mrs. Donahue left the Soldiers’ Home at Lafayette early this week, as she could not sleep for the noise created by other old women in nightly gossip meetings. Being possessed of a pension of $12 a month, she set out for Terre Haute, where she expected to find a home. Her advanced age

June 2014 31 Central District made traveling difficult, but she held to her purpose and was taken into the Friendly Inn upon her arrival. When the story of her condition was made known through The Star telephone calls came from people who wished to keep the old woman for the pension she draws. None of the offers was accepted, however, until Mrs. Murphy called at the home and asked to see Mrs. Donahue. The interview was granted and the two Marys had a long chat. Finally the compact was made. Both have lived similar lives, holding to the Catholic faith and depending on their pensions for sup- p or t .”

Civil War veteran never legally married (Hendricks County, 1914)

Transcribed by Meredith Thompson

The following was transcribed from The (Danville) Republican, 22 October 1914, page 1, col- umn 4:

“PECULIAR CASE Tuesday, Mrs. Long went to the clerk’s office to arrange some matters relative to the affairs of her late husband, George W. Long, and the astounding discovery was made that there is no record of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Long. Mrs. Long produced a certificate torn off of the form of marriage license used at that time. This certificate was signed by Joseph S. Miller, a Justice of the Peace. But in the clerk’s office, there is no record of any return of the marriage having been made. Mrs. Long came to Danville from St. Louis to be married. She says the place was entirely strange to her, she knowing no one but Mr. Long. Her recollection is that they were married in the Watts block. This was in May, 1890. The lack of the proof of this marriage may seriously embarrass Mrs. Long in securing a pension and is additional proof of the care required to see that records are carefully made and details looked after.”

Transcriber’s Note: An obituary for George W. Long appears in this same issue of the newspaper, detailing his service in Company C of the Third Kentucky Cavalry during the Civil War. He was wounded four times, including a shell in his head and a severe cut on his arm from a saber. His wife’s name is listed as Sarah Davis. Ancestry.com has the index of Civil War pension applications (1861–1934), and it shows that he applied for a pension as an invalid on 5 January 1886, and that Sarah E. Long applied for a pension as a widow on 21 October 1914.

32 Indiana Genealogist Central District “Plenty of Causes Assigned by Martha J. Nowland in Her Divorce Complaint” (Marion County, 1900)

The following was transcribed from the Indianapolis Journal, 12 June 1900, page 3:

“Martha J. Nowland sued her husband, Edwin R. Nowland, yesterday, for divorce and $500 alimony. She alleges that when she married him he represented that he had considerable property, but she has found it to be untrue. She asserts that he has been cruel in his treatment, that he once threw a “filthy green frog” in her face, threatened to spit tobacco juice in her face, threw a silver basket at her, carried a revolver in his hand about the house in a menacing way, that she gathered the crop on the land while he rested in the house on the sofa, that he would gather up her poul- try and eggs when she was away and sell them for money to buy liquor and that he abused her because she did not buy his tobacco.”

Obituaries from the Indianapolis Star, 15 June 1912

The following were transcribed from the Indianapolis Star, 15 June 1912, page 3:

“Mrs. Margaret A. Maddox, 74 years old, widow of the late W. R. Maddox, who had been editor of the Brookville Democrat and the old Ben Review at Fowler, Ind., died yesterday morning at the home of her son, D. S. Maddox, 1014 Harlan street. The body will be taken to Lafayette and the funeral will be held tomorrow afternoon at the home of a son, L. E. Maddox, in that city. Mrs. Maddox is survived by three sons, all of whom are connected with newspapers. They are D. S. Maddox, who is with the Keystone Press; L. E. Maddox, with the Lafayette Journal, and W. B. Maddox, publisher of the Bloomfield News. She was the aunt of Theodore Portteus, Democratic candidate for sheriff of Marion County. She was born in Franklin County.”

“The funeral of Mrs. Cynthia M. Hollingsworth, wife of J. F. Hollingsworth, who died at her home near Traders Point Thursday night, will be held at the family home at 10 o’clock tomorrow morning. The burial will be in North Liberty Christian Church Cemetery. Ms. Hollingsworth, who was the daughter of Nicholas and Jane Hightsue, was 74 years old. Her parents came to Indiana in 1829 and entered land in Pike Township. Mrs. Hollingsworth had lived in Marion County all her life. Beside her husband, she is survived by three sons, Albert Hollingsworth of Terre Haute, Fred Hollingsworth of Mooresville and Frank Hollingsworth, who lives at the family home.”

June 2014 33 East Central District

“John Albright, 67 years old, a veteran of the civl war, died last night at his home, 3631 West Michigan street, from a complication of Bright’s disease and pneumonia. Mr. Albright was born in Germany, but spent the greater part of his life in this country. He was a retired gardener. He is survived by a widow and three sons.”

Winchester Left Letters, 9 July 1862 (Randolph County)

The following was transcribed from the Randolph Journal, 11 July 1862, page 5:

“A List of Letters Remaining in the Post-Office at Winchester, Ind., July 9th, 1862: A—Allen G W B—Behen James, Bowen T B, Boyd Emeline, Bailey E C—Case Jarvis 2, Cleveland Lucinda, Cooper J, Coddington Eliza, Clevenger R J D—Davis Samuel F—Fry Anna, Fraze Samuel 2 G—Gray Jonathan, George Mary, Gerard Thomas J, Green Ruth H—House John, Harrold Elisha, Huffman Andrew, Harris Phoebe I—Irvin Getty W J—James Jesse K—Keisling Isaac L—Lyle Amy, Longnecker Mary, Loux John, Life John, Langley John M—Miller Samuel, Miller Jacob, Miller Mary T, Morton William, Meck Daniel, McIntire John 2, Morris Louis, Mininger Jacob, Martin Joseph Rev O—Oyler Henry P—Parsons Martha, Pyle Sarah R—Robson Misses, Riner Henry, Rhody George, Robison Lydia A, Rinard Henry, Reeves Madison S—Smith John N, Stephenson John T—Thomas John, Turner Frank W—Wilkins Thos, Wright William, Williams Daniel B.

Persons calling for any letters in the above list will please say ‘Advertised.’ B. F. DIGGS, P. M.”

34 Indiana Genealogist East Central District

Memorabilia of Early Delaware County Schools

Submitted by Debbie Clawson Bowers

My great-grandfather, Claude Leigh Clawson, began his teaching career at Fairview School near Gaston, Indiana. Later he served as principal of the high schools in New Burlington (1902– 03) and Cowan (1903–06) before becoming superintendent of schools in Milford in 1906. Along with his wife, Mae, and one of his brothers, Orlistus T. (“Tom”), he taught at School #10 in Wash- ington Township, Delaware County. In 1912 he and his family moved to California. The photographs and documents below provide a glimpse into his career and family and the early schools of Delaware County. They all were part of the papers of my grandmother, Claude’s daughter-in-law.

These souvenir programs were given to Claude and Mae as keepsakes of the school year. Both feature the teacher’s photo- graph and names of school board members in addition to the names of the school’s pupils. Claude’s program, top, is from his 1898–99 year as the teacher at Fairview School (District School 2) in Washington Township, Delaware County. Mae’s program, bottom, dates to 1906, before her marriage to Claude, when she taught in Monroe County.

June 2014 35 East Central District

Fairview School students, 1899. Claude Clawson is pictured on the left in coat and tie. The reverse of the photo states the school was located 2 1/2 miles from Gaston and was a one-room school for grades one through eight. Figures in the photo are identified by number with names handwritten on the back of the photo:

1. Claude L. Clawson, teacher 17. Mark Rench 2. Effie Hooke 18. Orlando Eber 3. Oliver Stace 19. Gomer Young 4. Alma Parker 20. Lillie Moomaw 5. Cleo Needler 21. Anna Hooke 6. Esta Hooke 22. Ruth Crampton 7. Maggie Shoemaker 23. Chas. Parker 8. Manford Rench 24. Earl Williams 9. Clara Hooke 25. Iona Driscoll 10. Jesse Bond 26. Lula Hinton 11. Howard Moomaw 27. Jesse Driscoll 12. Grace Williams 28. Mark Needler 13. Gola Parker 29. Lora Rench 14. Ray McKinley 30. Jesse Cox 15. Milo McKinley 31. Ethel Crampton 16. Lizzie Rench 32. Maude Hayden

36 Indiana Genealogist East Central District

1908 commencement program for Washington Township Schools. Claude, Mae, and Orlistus are listed as teachers at School 10.

The date and location of this class photo are unknown, though the building behind the students appears architecturally similar to the old Gaston High School (pictured on this issue’s cover.

June 2014 37 East Central District

Above, two views of the Thompson Sharp family home in Gaston, 1899. In the second photo are Claude Leigh Claw- son, his uncle Zora (Ozora) Sharp, his aunt May Sharp, and his grandparents Christina Bowers Sharp and Thomp- son Sharp. The boy on the right is unidentified.

(Above, right) The four Clawson brothers: (seated) Claude, (standing, l–r) Clayton, Clarence, and Orlistus (“Tom”). (Right) Thompson Sharp with Claude Clawson, Jr.

38 Indiana Genealogist Southwest District Marriage Licenses Issued in Jasper, July 1879 (Dubois County)

The following was transcribed from the Jasper Courier, 18 July 1879, page 4:

“Marriage Licenses—The following persons have this month concluded to try it double, not- withstanding the hot weather: Enoch E. Inman and Martha J. Jacobs. Wm. M. Burton and Eliza Frentress. H. Kellams and M. J. Atkins. Jos. Eimes and Sarah M. Berry. Alex. Wood and Sarah E. Kemp. W. Stringer and M. A. Sullivan. Antony Kraus and Mary A. Friedman.”

Kraus-Friedman Wedding in Jasper, 1879 (DuBois County)

The following was transcribed from the Jasper Courier, 1 August 1879, page 5:

“The marriage of Mr. Anthony Kraus and Miss Mary Friedman took place at the Catholic Church on last Tuesday morning, and was witnessed by a large number of admiring friends. The beautiful ceremony of the church was carried through by Father Fidelis Maude, and his assis- tants, with more than ordinary particularity, while the music was fine. After the ceremony, and when the handsome wedding company, consisting of bride and groom, and bridesmaids Misses Schwartz and Jochim, and groomsmen Messrs. Chas Kraus, Jr., and Joseph Friedman, came out of the aisles of the cathedral, they were greeted by a wedding march, played in fine style, by the Star Brass Band, who escorted them to the residence of the bride’s father, Mr. Geo. Friedman, where a reception was held, and large numbers congratulated the happy couple. A bountiful dinner was spread on tables on the lawn, under the shade of trees, and over a hundred guests partook of the delighted viands, listened to the enchanting music of the brass and string bands, and held sweet converse, while many lovely eyes looked love to eyes again, and gave indication of another such an occasion ere long, which, of course, we, who ‘had been there’ mentally assented to, and wished we might be there to see. About 4 o’clock the young folks all followed the band to McNerney’s hall, where music ‘chased the flying feet,’ and all enjoyed themselves until the wee sma’ hours of morn. As the boys say it was a ‘big time.’”

June 2014 39 South Central District An Early History of Bloomington’s Postal Services

Randi Richardson

In 1818, when Monroe County was established, there was an immediate need for residents to communicate with the families they had left behind in distant places. And so it was that a postal service was created shortly after the birth of the county. One might think that the service would be offered from Mt. Tabor, one of the largest communities in the county at the time. It was, however, decided to establish the service at the county seat, Bloomington, a place described by his- torians as crude, rough, and muddy. It was chosen because of its central location rather than its population, which, by the end of 1818, consisted of about thirty families living in log cabins and makeshift frame houses situated on and near the courthouse square.1 Postal service was just one of the many needs facing the newly elected United States government and county commissioners, and many of those needs were much more urgent. Conse- quently, it was many years before the postmaster had a place to call his own, one dedicated to the sole purpose of sending and receiving mail. In the interim, and for many years, Bloomington’s mail service was conducted in the courthouse and a number of other places under the supervision of various postmasters. During the early years of the county, both Dr. David H. Maxwell and William Lowe served as postmasters while performing other duties related to their role as community leaders.2 Both of these men were also among the individuals who scripted Indiana’s constitution in 1816.3 During the first few years of Monroe County’s Bloomington’s first federal post office, funded by gov- postal history, a time when few roads intersected ernment dollars and specific to the needs of postal ser- with Bloomington, the mail is believed to have vices, was completed in 1913 at Seventh and College. been delivered twice monthly by stage or horse- Photo from the private collection of the author. back. In 1826, Aquilla Rogers, an early pioneer of Monroe County, was awarded a contract to carry the mail between Bloomington and Martins- ville.4 Until that time, the weekly mail from Salem was delivered by a “little old man” on horseback who announced his arrival with a blast from his long, tin postman’s horn.5 He traveled by way of Sparks’ Ferry on White River and Fairfax on Salt Creek with the mail tucked safely in saddlebags. Upon hearing the blast, people quickly thronged about him to receive their letters.6 A few years later, in 1836, John and Samuel Orchard, long-time residents and enterprising owners of the Temperance Inn in Bloomington, contracted to carry the mail and passengers between Louisville, Kentucky, and Indianapolis, partially by way of what is now known as State Road 37. When possible, they used stagecoaches especially built for service and durability. Mail,

40 Indiana Genealogist South Central District

in locked sacks, was stored in a locked box under the driver’s seat. Passengers were crowded inside “pressed together like dried apples in a packing box.” Four to six large, strong horses pulled the each stage, and it was necessary to change them at intervals of about twelve miles when they became fatigued. Each stage made one round trip a week stopping at towns along the route to pick up and deliver mail. Robert “Windy Bob” McPheeters was one of the drivers.7 In March and April the rain often made the roads impassable except by foot or horseback, because streams were swollen beyond their banks and mud was sometimes axle deep.8 Between Bloomington and Indianapolis, the bags were often too heavy to go by horseback and, if that was the case, the horses were hitched to a road wagon and the bags thrown on and wheeled to their destination.9 The mail consisted of newspapers, letters, and a few other items. Letters were typically written on a single sheet of paper and folded into the shape of an envelope.10 Postage was purchased from the postmaster in cash, after which the amount of the postage was written on the front of the letter and a unique cancel, purchased by the postmaster at his own expense, was affixed to the letter to indicate that the postage had been paid.11 Postage stamps did not become available until 1847.12 It was also possible to send a letter without postage, in which case the recipient was required to pay the postage assuming he or she had the means and interest to do so. Prepayment of postage was not required until 1855.13 Unclaimed letters sent without postage resulted in an uncompen- sated cost to the postmaster. Periodically, a list of unclaimed letters, frequently called “left letters,” was published in a local newspaper. Because residents living in the outlying area of the county were often limited in their ability to routinely visit the postmaster, it is possible that this was the first indication a recipient had that mail was awaiting him. Eventually, unclaimed letters were sent to the dead letter office in Washington, DC. In 1847, nearly two million pieces of mail were forwarded to the dead letter office, many containing money.14 Even by today’s standards, the cost of postage was prohibitive. In a time when criminal fines were occasionally as small as one cent, the least expensive postage for a single-sheet cover was six cents if the destination for delivery was under thirty miles; the most expensive price for the same item was twenty-five cents for anything sent to a distance over four hundred miles within the United States.15 Covers consisting of more than one sheet were substantially more expensive to mail. Federally-issued postage stamps were introduced in 1847 and envelopes a few years later. They were not initially required by law or particularly popular. Stamps added no convenience to the sender, who still had to make a trip to the post office to purchase them with cash rather than bar- ter, and then manage to attach the stamp to the cover (later the envelope) in some manner other than a self-adhesive.16 Bloomington postmasters, like a majority of postmasters in smaller communities, were sup- ported by the sale of postage rather than a salary from the federal government. The position was

June 2014 41 South Central District

This post office on Fourth Street between Washington and Lincoln served the needs of the Bloomington community from 1959 until 2011. It was demolished in 2013. (Wikimedia Commons) not a lucrative one. For this reason it was quite typical for the postmaster to combine the sale of postage with his other business interests. In 1841, for example, Dr. David Maxwell performed his postmaster duties from his “medicine shop.”17 More than thirty years later, this manner of doing business was still the norm. Deputy Postmaster J. G. McPheeters was selling postage from his book and stationary shop on College Avenue in 1872.18 Great changes in mail service arrived with the railroad in Bloomington in the 1850s. Post offices were established in more communities throughout the county and throughout the country. Mail delivery was more reliable and frequent. Rural delivery became available, and a receptacle at the door or entrance was required. All totaled, fifty-three post offices have existed in Monroe County. Some lasted only briefly, while others still exist today. During the past century, however, there have been no new post offices established in Monroe County.19

Randi Richardson is the South Central District Director for IGS.

Notes 1. Charles Blanchard, ed., History of Morgan, Monroe and Brown County, Indiana (Chicago: F. A. Battey & Co., Publishers, 1884), 466. 2. Dr. Maxwell was appointed Bloomington postmaster by President Tyler and served from 31 May 1841 to 30 December 1845. He also was postmaster from 1825 until 1829, when William Lowe became postmaster. Lowe served until 1833. See Louise Maxwell, “Sketch of Dr. David Maxwell” (read before the Monroe County Historical Society, January 1910), Reel 18, Local History Microfilm Collection,

42 Indiana Genealogist South Central District

Monroe County Public Library, Bloomington, Indiana; History of Lawrence and Monroe Counties, Indi- ana: Their People, Industries and Institutions (Indianapolis: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1914), 391; “The Late Dr. David H. Maxwell,” Bloomington Newsletter, 24 June 1854, p. 1; J. David Baker, The Postal History of Indiana, Vol. II, (Louisville: Leonard H. Hartmann Philatelic Bibliopole, 1976), 900. 3. James A. Woodburn, “Constitution Making in Indiana,” Indiana Magazine of History 10 (September 1914): 238. 4. J. David Baker, The Postal History of Indiana, Vol. 1 (Louisville: Leonard H. Hartmann Philatelic Bib- liopole, 1976), 66. 5. James Albert Woodburn, History of Indiana University, Vol. 1, 1820–1902 (Bloomington: Indiana Uni- versity, 1940), 39. 6. William Chauncy Langdon, The Pageant of Bloomington and Indiana University (n.p., 1916), 28. 7. Thomas Carter Perring, “New Albany-Salem Railroad—Incidents of Road and Men,” Indiana Maga- zine of History 15: 342-44. 8. Biographical Sketches and Review of the Bench and Bar of Indiana (Indianapolis: Bench and Bar Pub- lishing Company, 1895), 141. 9. Woodburn, History of Indiana University, 39. 10. Maynard H. Benjamin, The History of Envelopes: 1840–1900 (Envelope Manufacturers Association and EMA Foundation for Paper-Based Communications, 2002), 1–2. 11. “Significant Dates,” United States Postal Service, http://about.usps.com/who-we-are/significant-dates. htm; Louis Melius, The American Postal Service: History of the Postal Service from the Earliest Times (Washington: National Capital Press, Inc., 1917), 19. 12. “Significant Dates,” United States Postal Service. 13. Baker, The Postal History of Indiana, Vol. 1, 8; Nathan B. Williams, “The American Post Office,” United States Congressional Serial Set, Senate Documents, Vol. 61 (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1910), 24. 14. Bloomington Tribune, 2 January 1848, p. 4. 15. John McLean, List of Post Offices in the United States with the Names of the Postmasters (Washington, DC: Way & Gideon Printers, 1823), v. 16. Baker, The Postal History of Indiana, Vol. II, 709. 17. Advertisement, Bloomington Post, 9 July 1841, 2. 18. Advertisement, Cincinnati Enquirer, 27 March 1869, 1. 19. Marge Faber, Secretary/treasurer of the Indiana Postal History Society, verbal report to Randi Richard- son, November 4, 2013.

June 2014 43 Southeast District “Death of Rev. C. W. Ruter” (Switzerland County, 1859)

The following was transcribed from the Aurora Commerical, 23 June 1859, page 1:

“Father Ruter died at his residence, near Patriot, in this county, on Saturday, June 10th, at about 7 o’clock P. M. On the morning of that day he had preached a sermon at Florence, and seemed to be as well as usual. In the evening he was engaged in shaving himself, and fell dead upon the floor. He had been afflicted with a disease of the heart for several years, which probably was the cause of his death. Father Ruter was one of the oldest Methodist ministers in the State. He leaves a large circle of relatives and friends to mourn his departure, throughout the State. [Vevay Reveille]”

Kenney Dodd Injured (Ohio County, 1881)

Transcribed by Meredith Thompson

The following was transcribed from the Hendricks County Union, 20 January 1881, page 2, col- umn 6:

“Kenney Dodd, a young man of Rising Sun, had his hand badly burned by the explosion of some powder in his pocket. It seems that he had some paper caps, a bunch of keys and some matches in the same pocket with the powder, and the matches rubbing against the keys ignited and caused the powder to explode, with the above result.”

“Blind Fourteen Years” (Decatur County, 1897)

The following was transcribed from the Fort Wayne News, 17 July 1897:

“St. Paul, Ind., July 17—Theodore Eck, a prominent businessman of this place, who has been totally blind for 14 years, had his eyes operated on by a specialist a few days ago. A cataract was removed, and he is now able to see out of this eye almost as well as he ever could. The sight of the other eye was completely destroyed by a bungling operation 15 years ago. At that time the eye that has just been restored to sight was not affected. Mr. Eck is now walking about town greeting old friends.”

44 Indiana Genealogist Once A Hoosier...

Help IGS to help you and future generations by submitting submission forms for your ancestors to “Once A Hoosier” or “Always a Hoosier.” Publishing ensures that the information will still be available to you should anything ever happen to your own records. Publishing also pre- serves the information for future generations.

“Once A Hoosier...”

Researchers are urged to submit details of former Hoosiers—people who were born before 1930, who were in Indiana for some portion of their lives, and who died in another state. All entries become the property of IGS and will not be returned. Submissions are accepted on a roll- ing basis and appear in the Indiana Genealogist. Jennifer Cruse is the Once a Hoosier editor. To contribute, just fill out the “Once A Hoosier...” submission form at http://www.indgensoc.org/projects/Once_Hoosier_form.pdf, submit by e-mail at [email protected], or send a Family Group Sheet with an electronic or other photo and any additional information to:

OAH, c/o Jennifer Cruse 2145 S. Cottrell Ln. Terre Haute, IN 47802

“...Always A Hoosier”

“...Always A Hoosier” is a companion project to “Once A Hoosier…”. It is an ongoing project of the Indiana Genealogical Society to record information on ancestors who were born before 1930 and were buried in Indiana (they did not have to be living in Indiana at the time of their death). If your ancestor meets these criteria, we’d like to hear more about them! Some corroborating evidence of their Indiana burial is required. Examples of such evidence include a photo of the tombstone, an obituary that states place of burial, an interment record, or a published index of the cemetery. Nikki LaRue is the Always a Hoosier editor. All materials submitted become the property of IGS and will not be returned. To contribute, just fill out the “...Always A Hoosier” submission form at http://www.indgensoc.org/projects/Always_Hoosier_form.pdf, submit by email to AAH@ indgensoc.org, or send a Family Group Sheet with a photo of your ancestor (electronic or good photocopy), and any additional information to:

AAH c/o Nikki LaRue 67 Fox Run Way Arnold, MD 21012

June 2014 45 ...Always A Hoosier

Always a Hoosier: 10083

Sarah Robbins McCoy

b. 3 October 1811 at Adams Co., OH, daughter of John and Lydia (Hannah) Robbins d. 11 February 1869 at Cass Co., IN bur. Spring Creek Cemetery, Cass Co., IN

m1. ? to John Davidson, b. 6 August 1829; d. 12 April 1845 m2. ? to Samuel M. McCoy as his second wife, b. abt. 1826 in OH; d. 16 March 1901 at Hoover, Cass Co., IN; bur. Spring Creek Cemetery, Cass Co., IN, in unmarked grave next to Sarah

Children with John Davidson:

1. Clarissa Davidson (?–26 November 1886) 2. Elizabeth A. Davidson 3. Allen Bruce Davidson (29 September 1839– 3 October 1910) m. Mary Eliza Hensley 4. Lydia Helen Davidson (1842–2 February 1895) m. John Bunyan Winters

Children with Samuel McCoy:

1. Sarah Lucinda McCoy (14 April 1853– 3 September 1934) m. Johnson Ballou Skinner

Submitted by: Kathy Jones Stickney 33 Black Hickory Way Ormond Beach, FL 32174 [email protected]

46 Indiana Genealogist ...Always A Hoosier

Always a Hoosier: 10084

John Robbins

b. 29 May 1788 at Washington Co., PA, son of Daniel and Sarah Jane (Leedom) Robbins d. 5 February 1852, IN bur. Sand Hill Cemetery, Fulton Co., IN

m. 20 April 1809 at Adams Co., OH, to Lydia Hannah, likely daughter of William and Martha (Moore) Hannah

Children with Lydia Hannah:

1. James Robbins (20 January 1810–?) m. Mandy Hatch 2. Sarah Robbins (3 October 1811–11 February 1869) m1. John Davidson; m2. Samuel McCoy 3. William Robbins (4 November 1813–?) m. Roxana J. Town 4. Elizabeth P. Robbins (15 May 1817–?) m. Francis G. W. Irvine 5. Mary Ann Robbins (2 August 1819–?) m. William Tyler Polke 6. John H. Robbins (8 November 1821–2 June 1891) m. Nancy E. Whaley 7. Nancy Robbins (25 June 1825–2 August 1848) m. Samuel McCoy 8. Thomas J. Robbins (18 October 1827–7 February 1900) m. Elizabeth Cole 9. Harriet Robbins (25 August 1830–10 January 1880) m. George W. Surgery

Submitted by: Kathy Jones Stickney 33 Black Hickory Way Ormond Beach, FL 32174 [email protected]

June 2014 47 ...Always A Hoosier

Always a Hoosier: 10085

Lucretia Mable Skinner

b. 14 September 1881 at Howard Co., IN, daughter of Johnson Ballou and Sarah (McCoy) Skinner d. 1 December 1963 at Augusta, GA bur. Mt. Hope Cemetery, Logansport, Cass Co., IN

m. 20 August 1909 at Logansport, Cass Co., IN, to Henry F. Whitmyer (b. 14 June 1874 at Roann, Miami Co., IN, son of Henry and Catharine (Flohr) Whitmyer; d. 29 August 1927 at India- napolis, Marion Co., IN; bur. Mt. Hope Cemetery, Logansport, Cass Co., IN)

Children with Henry F. Whitmyer:

1. Helena Catherine Whitmyer (22 July 1910–12 August 1972; m. Ralph Sandige) 2. Mary Lucretia Whitmyer (4 May 1912–1 February 1994; m. Lewis W. Robinson Jr.) 3. Boy Whitmyer (23 November 1913–25 November 1913) 4. Elizabeth Evelyn Whitmyer (3 August 1915–4 April 1923) 5. Lois Caroline Whitmyer (30 September 1917–6 Feburary 2001; m. Warren J. Jones Jr.) 6. Alice Louise Whitmyer (22 September 1921–30 March 2003; m. Bernard Bobal)

Submitted by: Kathy Jones Stickney 33 Black Hickory Way Ormond Beach, FL 32174 [email protected]

48 Indiana Genealogist ...Always A Hoosier

Always a Hoosier: 10086

Henry F. Whitmyer

b. 14 June 1874 at Roann, Miami Co., IN, son of Henry and Catherine (Flohr) Whitmyer d. 29 August 1927 at Indianapolis, Marion Co., IN bur. Mt. Hope Cemetery, Logansport, Cass Co., IN

m. 20 August 1909 at Logansport, Cass Co., IN, to Lucretia Mable Skinner, daughter of Johnson Bal- lou and Sarah (McCoy) Skinner (b. 14 September 1881 at Howard Co., IN; d. 1 September 1963 at Augusta GA; bur. Mt. Hope Cemetery, Logansport, Cass Co., IN

Children with Lucretia Mable Skinner:

1. Helena Catherine Whitmyer (22 July 1910– 12 August 1972; m. Ralph Sandige) 2. Mary Lucretia Whitmyer (4 May 1912–1 February 1994; m. Lewis W. Robinson Jr.) 3. Boy Whitmyer (23 November 1913–25 November 1913) 4. Elizabeth Evelyn Whitmyer (3 August 1915– 4 April 1923) 5. Lois Caroline Whitmyer (30 September 1917– 6 Feburary 2001; m. Warren J. Jones Jr.) 6. Alice Louise Whitmyer (22 September 1921– 30 March 2003; m. Bernard Bobal)

Submitted by: Kathy Jones Stickney 33 Black Hickory Way Ormond Beach, FL 32174 [email protected]

June 2014 49