Thomas Cason & Family

A BRIEF MEMOIR OF THOMAS CASON AND FAMILY.

The name of Cason in the Northern States is uncommon, but in the Southern States it is a very common one. The family on coming to this country settled at an early day in the State of Virginia. Through works of genealogy the name is traced to the south of France, and from which place members of the family became refugees in Holland, and from where they joined William of Orange in his invasion of Ireland. At the time of emigrating to this country they had become mixed with Irish, English and Scotch blood.

Thomas Cason, the father of the family that settled in Boone County at an early date, was born in Virginia on December 8, 1759, and from there emigrated to South Carolina. Having been afflicted with the “white swelling” in one of his limbs in early life he became a school teacher, following it most of his life. He married Miss Margaret Neill December 30, 1794. Miss Neill was born March 24, 1762. She was a woman of excellent mental ability and great force of character. Her experience during the Revolutionary war, if written would read like a tale of romance. She was an ardent Whig, while a majority of her neighbors were Tories. She had to brothers, only one being old enough to enlist in the war. Several times her house was robbed and everything in it destroyed except one bed on which an invalid mother lay. One of these times her brother had come home from the army on Sunday morning and was relating the news to the family and some young ladies who had come in to see him, when they were surprised by the click of gun locks from a squad of Hessians at the door of the house. The girls ran in the face of the Hessians and the brother out at the other side of the house. One of the Hessians, seeing her brother would escape, ran around the house, while Miss Neill, seeing his intention, ran through the house and, meeting him, struck upon his gun just as he fired, undoubtedly by this act saving the life of her brother. On returning to the house her young brother became alarmed and ran out, and, climbing a high fence, was soon out of sight. The Hessians did not seem disposed to shoot, but followed after him, going to the bars instead of the fence, laying down the middle one; but when one of them would attempt to go through the girls would jerk him back. One of the Hessians became so exasperated at Miss Neill that he struck her across the head with his gun, severely wounding her, the scar of which she carried to her grave. The Hessians then went to the house and destroyed everything of value, not leaving Miss Neill a change of clothing. The house had been robbed in the same manner before. At another time her young brother and herself had “mowed” their wheat, and the night after a company of the enemy’s dragoons came and fed every sheaf to their horses. Her older brother was, before the war closed, murdered. His company was surrounded in an old house by a very much larger force of Tories. The captain of the Tories offered if they would throw their guns out of the house to protect them as prisoners of war. The captain of the Whigs accepted these terms and ordered his men to throw their guns out of the window. The men at first refused to obey, but as the house had been set on fire they yielded. The first thing the Tory captain did was to order the Whig captain and his lieutenants to be hung to a “fodder pole;” this breaking, he ordered them shot, after which the privates were also all shot. Miss Neill, hearing of the surrender, started immediately for the place, but arrived too late to save her brother; all had been shot and the captain was walking among the dead and hacking with his sword every muscle that moved.

Thomas Cason, owing to his crippled condition, was never molested by the Tories, although his brothers were in the service of the colonies. After his marriage he settled on a farm, but owing to having a large amount of security debts to pay, he had to see the farm (a valuable one), negroes, and all his other property, except a small amount of household goods, and then go to Ohio and teach school so as to secure money to move his family to that state. Their children, four boys and one girl, were all born in South Carolina, the daughter dying before they left that state. William, the oldest, was born September 19, 1797; John, May 30, 1799; James, February 13, 1802, and Samuel, March 5, 1804. Thomas arrived in Ohio April 5, 1804, and the family moved in August and September following. From there they came into Indiana territory in 1814 or 1815, settling in Union County on a farm and remaining there until October, 1831, when John, James and Henry emigrated to this county, all settling in the woods and opening up farms near Thorntown. William, who never married, remained with the old folks, staying on the farm until his death, May 16, 1850, aged fifty-two years, seven months and twenty-seven days. His father died October 12, 1835, and mother, July 25, 1846. William Cason was a man of excellent character and habits, and exerted an influence for good over the people of his county equal if not greater than any one who ever lived in it. He was probate judge over twenty years, and was regarded as one of the best probate lawyers in eastern Indiana.

John Cason married Fannie Burkhalter. There were eight children born to them – five girls and three boys – named Margaret, Elizabeth, Mary, Phebe J., Marion N., Ershula, Oliver and Samuel. Margaret, Elizabeth and Marion are dead. John Cason always resided on a farm and devoted his entire attention to opening and cultivating it, and lived to see the day, as also did his brothers James and Samuel, when the farms that had caused them so much toil and hardship in the early settlement thereon became prosperous homes of thrift and independence. He was a man of an unusual kind disposition, and always had a kind word for all whom he met and difficulty with no one. This was, however, a marked trait of character as to all of the older members of the family, and a law suit was a thing no one of the family was ever known to engage in, from Thomas, the father, to the death of his sons. John Cason departed this life in 1868, leaving surviving him his wife, now in her eighty-fourth year, and with the exception of a disease in her feet and limbs that renders walking troublesome, she is in excellent health. She has always been industrious and greatly devoted to her children, and for whose welfare she ever yet gives her constant attention.

James Cason married Margaret Rutherford December 13, 1827. Her family were of the old English stock of Rutherfords, the name originating from Ruther’s Ford, a stream near the line between England and Scotland, on which there was a ford on the land of a man named Ruther. Her mother’s folks were named Harper, her grandfather being the owner and giving the name to Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, which Old John Brown immortalized. Thus are united in one family the name of one branch originating from a ford and the other giving name to a ferry. James Cason resided on the land he first settled on in coming to this county until the fall of 1865, when he moved to Thorntown, where he lived until his death. He was a carpenter as well as farmer, and was a master of his trade. There are many houses, barns, bridges and other structures yet standing in this county which well attest the care and fidelity with which he did his work. Although a man small in stature, yet his physical strength and endurance was remarkable. He had a clear, incisive insight into most every subject before the people of his day, and with this he had most excellent “common sense,” giving to his opinions and judgments unusual correctness. He was outspoken and frank almost to a fault, and was extremely active and energetic – doing everything with all his might; and he was always ready to assist in every enterprise for the public good. He departed this life January 31, 1875, leaving his wife surviving him, now in her eighty-first year, and with the exception of rheumatism in one of her limbs is in excellent health and as active as most persons at fifty or sixty years old. Her life has been unusually active and industrious. She is frank, out-spoken and independent at all times, yet kind and genial to all who meet her, and liberal and tolerant in all her views. Her mental faculties are far above an ordinary person’s, and her devotion to her children has been untiring; and they owe to her much of whatever success that has attended them in life. There were nine children born to them – six boys and three girls – one of whom, William, died at four weeks of age. Of the others, Thomas J., Samuel L. and Sarah Ann are yet living; John O., Joseph N. and Margaret E. lived to be married and have children; Mary E. died in her eighteenth year, and James H. on September 11, 1850.

Samuel Cason first married Mary Burkhalter. She was an excellent woman, a prudent and careful mother, and it is largely due to her training and instruction, young as her children were at her death, that several of them have become more than ordinary men and women. There were nine children born to them – six girls and three boys. Jane, Mary and Cynthia are dead; the others, Elizabeth, Margaret, Fanny, William N., Joseph M. and John are living. She departed this life about 1844. Samuel Cason was much like his oldest brother, William, in his traits of character and mental ability, and like him he exercised and held an influence for good over the people of the county that few, if any, have ever attained. Soon after coming to this county he was made one of the associate judges of the circuit court of the county. Judge Cason became a good judge of law, and was treated with great respect by the presiding judge, who, upon all occasions, consulted him. Among the best lawyers of the circuit he was regarded as a sound lawyer and one of the ablest associate judges of the state. He always gave close, careful attention to his duties of every character, and had a clear, logical and incisive insight into most every subject brought before him, which, with the good common sense he exercised upon all occasions, caused his opinions to be received with great confidence. Like his brothers, he was of a positive, open, frank nature, and always straightforward in his intercourse with others. At the time of his death, and for some years prior thereto, he was president of the First National Bank, Thorntown. Under his management the stock, at the time of his death, sold at twenty-six per cent. premium. There was never a dollar lost to the bank while he was at its head. He had for several years been one of the directors of the Lafayette & Indianapolis Railroad, and resigned the position when he became convinced it was managed in the interest of a few directors instead of the stockholders. Both James Cason and himself had devoted much time, expense and labor in procuring the organization of the company and establishing the road through this county. Judge Cason was married the second time to Alphea Norris, and by this marriage there were three children – two girls and one boy – Lysia and Idia, and James. He departed this life August 6, 1871, at the age of sixty-seven years, five months and one day, his wife surviving him.

It required thirteen days to move their families from Union County to this county, the distance being only about one hundred miles. It rained every day or night while they were on the road. Swamping and breaking down was an every-day occurrence; and to cap the climax of all their troubles the wagon in which the family of James Cason was riding, when within five miles of their destination, overset in a creek, plunging them and everything belonging to them under water; and although it was cold and raining, they had to camp out of doors in their wet clothes and bed covers.

The winter of 1831-’32, after the three brothers settled in this county, was a severe one. It set in early, a heavy snow falling the last of November or first of December, and lay on the ground until about the middle of March next. They had all landed in the woods “without a stick amiss,” except Samuel, who had a small log cabin on his land when he came to it. It was spring before some of the chimneys were higher than the mantle-piece. Neither were there any doors in their houses until spring; old quilts and sheets had to be substituted, and when some of the doors were made they were of split boards from trees. No mortar could be made to stop the open space between the logs of the house, so split pieces of timber and old clothes were the only substitute. The howl of the wolf and other wild animals were heard nightly, and the writer remembers of their frequently driving the dog under the floor of the house where he would flee for safety. The feed for both man and beast had to be procured through the entire winter, spring and summer following their settlement in this county from Shawnee, Scott’s and Wea Prairies, the distance being about forty miles; and when procured the flour would often be sick, the corn so unripe and soft that when the cold came it froze and all had to be thawed out by the fire before it could be used for feed to either man or beast.

It would take a volume to recite only the more important part of the hardships of any family of early settlers of this county, and it would be impossible to go into detail in a brief article.
 

Source Citation: Boone County Biographies [database online] Boone County INGenWeb. 2007. <http://www.rootsweb.com/~inboone> Original data: Harden & Spahr. "Early life and times in Boone County, Indiana." Lebanon, Indiana. May, 1887, pp. 444-451.

Transcribed by: Julie S. Townsend - July 7, 2007