HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY
CHAPTER 3
WILD HOGS
In this section of the county "wild" hogs were plenty in early days and furnished the earlier settlers with all the pork they wanted. These hogs, were of course, the domestic breed but some escaping from their owners roamed wild in the woods, where they fattened on the abundant fruits of the forest. It is said that a great many were here, but why they should he more numerous than in other parts of the county is a matter of some curiosity. They may have wandered to this section from the White River Bottoms, as they are known to have been in large numbers along that stream, and fed upon the copious drifts of mast which the overflowing waters deposited upon the banks. Again the over-abundance of these swine may be a fiction that has grown with the lapse of time and repetition. Seth Halbert, the first visitor to John Pruett, and who paid the powder to find his home, was another of the hunters of this community, and some of the tales of his adventures are interesting and amusing. William Abel was a man who devoted much time to hunting. and was always accompanied by two large dogs. On one occasion he had wounded a large bear, but it was making its escape when the two dogs seized it, one at each side in the fleshy part of the ham or thigh. Just at that time the bear attempted to pass between two small trees not apart enough to allow both dogs to go through together. Maintaining their hold, the bear was held fast and he commenced his attack upon the dogs with great ferocity. While this was going on, Mr. Abel joined in the encounter, and with his small ax or tomahawk, succeeded in dispatching to his death this king of the American forests.
MILLS, TANYARDS, ETC.
In the north part of this township, Daniel Brooks had a horse-mill in very early times, that was frequently resorted to for grinding. He also had a "still-house," at the same place, and some years later a store was established there that continued to do a very creditable country retail trade for several years, but when Orangeville began to flourish this went down, never to revive. About 1845, Michael Ham began keeping a tan-yard near Orangeville, which was continued by his sons after his death. The old bark-mill is yet standing as a relic of this pioneer industry.
SETTLEMENT OF NORTHWEST TOWNSHIP
At the re-organization of Orange County in the year 1817 Northwest Township was made to include all of the present township of Orangeville and that part of Orleans lying west of the meridian line, while its northern boundary was the East Fork of White River. After several reductions in size it was fixed as it yet remains. Its area is thirty square miles, and, as its name implies, is situated in the northwest corner of the county. The five sections on the south boundary were originally reserved as saline land, excepting Section 16, which was reserved for school purposes. In the other ten sections of Township 2 north and Range 2 west that are situated in Northwest Township, there were but three entries of land prior to 1820. These were Adam Shirley in 1813, James Wilson, 1818, and William Batman, 1819. The other entries in this township prior to that year were Samuel Blair, 1816; William M. Blair, 1816; George H. French, 1817; George Held, 1817; Burton Southern, 1818; Thomas Brackenridge, 1819, and Thomas Reynolds, 1820. At an election held in Northwest Township, February 20, 1819, at the house of Samuel Glenn, the following persons voted: Robert Elrod, John Maxwell, Thomas Inman, John Jarvis, John Sanders, Benjamin Pinkley, George Head, George Pinkley, Zelek Fisher, Wright Sanders, Charles Shirley, James Donnell, Thomas Jervis, Joseph Pearson, Henry Shirley, Stephen Elrod, William Hoard, James Blair, William Kirkman, William Blair, John Cook, Samuel French, Burton Southern, David Hudson, Joseph Sanders, John Been, Adam Shirley, Simon Snyder, Charles Downs, Jacob A. Shotts, Lewis Byram, Henry McGee, Abel Robbins, William Bland, John Byram, James Wilson, William Batman and Joseph Wilson. Total number voting thirty-eight, Burton Southern receiving twenty votes for Justice of the Peace and John Cook eighteen. John Blair was Inspector, Henry McGee and Lewis Byram were Judges, and Charles Downs and Jacob A. Shotts were Clerks. At this date, however. Northwest included Orangeville Township, where a large number of these voters then resided. In March of the following year there was another election, and the list of voters shows the following names in addition to those just given: John Bryant, John Hinson. Jonathan Lindley, David Hudland, George Hinson, Levi S. Stewart, Jacob Shields, Thomas Wadsworth, Richard James, Michael Pipher, John Stewart, Samuel Scarlett, James Shields, Jr., Nathan Bond. Thomas Lindley, Pedigo Watson, Thompson Freeman and George Hoggs. Up to this date there had been land entered by only about forty four persons, and these two returns show a vote of fifty-six, and many more than twelve of these were then strangers to the land entry record. This would pretty clearly indicate the presence of a considerable number of squatters at that date.