This township was formed in the year 1843. Its shape is irregular.
The distance between its eastern and western bounds varies from 5
miles
to 2; the distance between its northern and southern bounds
varying
from 2 to 4 1/2 miles. Its area is less than that of any other
township in the county except Dalton, being only 19 square miles.
Green's Fork crosses the eastern part of it, about a mile and a
half
west of the east line; and the main branch of another stream
crosses
the two northern most and the three western sections of the
township.
Samuel Boyd, from Tennessee, settled, in the spring of 1811, about 2 1
/2
miles north-west of the present town of Jacksonburg. He was
probably the first settler in the township. He was probably the
first
settler in the township. His land was that at present owned by
Jacob
Metzker's heirs. In October following, John Beard, from N. C.,
after a
year's sojourn in Tennessee, and a residence of five years south
of
Hunt's settlement, within the bounds of the present county of
Union,
settled near the south-west corner of this township. He cut his
road a
great part of the way through the wilderness, without assistance,
having his family and goods with him and driving his team, and his
cow
and calf. His farm on which he resided the remainder of his life,
is
now owned by his son, Isaac N. Beard, who lives about a mile
north-east
from the old homestead.
During the winter and spring of 1812, Jesse Beard, Thomas Ray, Wm.
Irving, John McKee, Robert Leavell, Joseph Worl, and others, also
settled in the township. On the breaking out of the Indian war in
the
spring of 1812, a number left, and some of them never returned.
Those
who remained built a fort, with a block-house in one corner, in
which
they gathered at night, and in the day returned to their homes.
Most
of the women and children were taken to the east part of the
county, or
to the border of Ohio, and stayed until the war was over. The
fort was
on the ground of Henry Brown, now owned by Benj. Clark, a mile
west of
Jacksonburgh, and was built by Samuel Boyd and his sons Samuel K
.,
James, William, and Robert Boyd, Henry Brown, Wm. Irving, and
Thomas Ray.
The following are the names of early settlers in this township, and of
the present owners and occupants. Those named as early settlers,
however, were not in all cases the first settlers-----some of
them,
perhaps, were the second or third owners; Robert Leavell, in 1811
or
1812 settled near the present site of Jacksonburgh, the town being
on a
part of the quarter section, and a part of the land now owned by
Henry
Null. Jonathan Morris, on land now owned by his son Jonathan, and
resides with his son Elias Morris. Abraham Crum, (probably) where
D.
Reisor lives. Wm. Brown, where Lewis Bond resides. Isaac
Sellers,
where John Kensinger lives. Peter Roller, on land now owned in
part by
John Boyd. Peter Runyan, on land now owned by Washington Worl's
heirs.
James Wilcox, on land now owned by Jacob Allen. Samuel and Wm.
Boyd,
on land now owned by Joseph Lewis, of Green township. James
Ralston
and John Shank, on land now owned by Martin Worl. Joseph Charles,
on
land now owned by Silas Spitler. Sampson Nation, a native of S.
C.,
after a sojourn in Tennessee and Kentucky, settled near
Jacksonburgh,
1815, where Samuel Carr resides. He also lived near Germantown,
and
moved to Dudley, Henry Co., in 1825. His sons, Abel and William,
are
at New Lisbon. Ephraim Clark, a native of Pa., came from Ky. in
1814,
and settled on land first owned by Henry Brown, on which his son
Benj.
Clark now resides.
James Dougherty settled a mile south of Jacksonburgh, and worked at
farming and tailoring. His farm is now owned by Adam Rader.
Zadok
Dougherty made spinning-wheels in town, and afterward settled half
a
mile west, where his family now reside. George N. Holman, from
England, settled near James Dougherty; had a small farm, and was a
shoemaker. John McKee, from Ky., settled 1 1/2 miles south-west
of
town, where he died, land now owned by heirs of Ebenr. Eliason.
John
Scott, from Ky., in 1811, settled 1 1/2 miles north from town,
where he
died. His sons Harrison and John reside in the township; John on
the
homestead; Harrison, on a farm adjoining. Another son, Elias,
died in
the township.
Thomas J. Warman settled, first, south of town, afterward permanently 2
miles south-west from town, where he resided until his death. He
was a
member of the first board of county commissioners elected under
the
constitution of 1816, and was associated with James Odell and
Thomas
Beard. In 1815, Josiah Bundy settled on Warman's first place,
sold it
afterward to Abner M. Bradbury, and removed to Rush or Henry Co.;
the
farm now owned by Philip Binkley. Michael Swope, from Pa.,
settled
about a mile east from town, on land lately owned by Andrew
Eliason,
now by John Kepler.
Wm. Irvin settled 1/2 mile west from town, where John Mundel lives.
Andrew Cunningham, on land now owned by the heirs of Nicholas
Hipe.
David Bowers, where George Lichty lives, in the south-west part of
the
township. George Bundy, on land now owned by Charles Boughner.
Isaac
Morris, on land lately owned by A. Boyd, now by ________ Shanks.
Joseph Shanks, on the land now owned by his son-in-law, Enos
Beard.
Richard L. Leeson, from Va., in 1816, on the land now owned by his
heirs, on Green's Fork. He served in the war of 1812. School
section,
(16) now owned by R. L. Leeson's heirs, H. Hoover, Peter Kepler,
and
Henderson Hosier. P. Kepler owns lands in sections 10 and 15.
Lewis
Hosier settled early south of school section, probably on the
quater
owned by A. M. Hosier, J. Boyd, and A. Bond. Thomas Reynolds,
from N.
J., now in the south-east corner of the township; first settler
not
recollected. Isaac Kinley, father of Major Isaac Kinley, of
Richmond,
on the land now owned by M. Jarbow. On the south half of sec.
10,
owned by J. Beeson, P. Kepler, and S. Kitterman, first settlers
nor
remembered. Daniel Huff, where now C. Huff, his son, lives, on
the
east line of the township.
The first School is said to have been taught---probably in the winter
of 1814-15, in a log school-house on the bank of Martindales's
creek,
1 1/2 miles north of Jacksonburgh. It is supposed by others that
Jonathan Kidwell kept the first school in a log school-house 1 1/2
miles south-west from town. A whole log, says Isaac N. Beard, was
cut
out for a window, and the aperture closed by his father, John
Beard,
who pasted over it numbers of the Cincinnati Gazette.
The first Blacksmith was Joseph Rippey, 1 1/2 miles north of
Jacksonburgh.
The first Grist-mill is said to have been built as early as 1812, by
one Doane. The farm consisted of two sycamore trees felled across
the
stream. The bed stone was laid on these logs, and a shaft from a
tub
wheel passed up between the logs, and turned the upper stone.
Four
forks set into the ground supported the roof of split clapboards,
which
covered the millstones and hopper. Like many of the earlier
mills, it
ground only corn. Aaron Miller, about 1818, built, on
Martindale's
creek a saw-mill, said to have been the first in the township.
Several
years after, James Wilcox and Francis Brown built a saw-mill a
mile and
a half north of Jacksonburgh; and another was built by Jehu
Jones,
about the year 1825, a mile and a half north-west from town, in
the
place of a grist-mill burned some years before. Another saw-mill
was
built 2 miles south-west from Jacksonburgh, by Jonathan Morris.
On
Green's Fork, a mile east from town, a grist-mill was built about
the
1838, by Wm. McLucas, where a mill is still run by Henry Hoover.
On and near Green's Fork, Jacob Hoover settled where Beeson lives, and
near the land owned by H. Hoover. James and John Boyd settled on
the
land now owned by Henry Hoover, who lives on it and owns the
grist-
mill. _________ Knott, on land now owned by John Kepler, who also
owns
land adjoining.
John Holliday settled about 2 m. north-east from town; the land now
owned by his heirs. Samuel Holliday, where now Rankin Baldridge
resides, adjoining Jefferson and Clay townships. Nathaniel
Leonard is
believed to have settled on the land now owned by J. Alonzo Scott,
on
the north line of the township. David Beeson, from N. C. to Wayne
Co.
in 1825, settled in 1830 on the place now owned by his son Jabez,
in
the south-east corner of the township. He died in 1855, aged 61.
Solomon Kitterman, from Va., in 1838, on the place where he now
lives.
Jesse Hosier was born on Green's Fork, in this township, and died
in
1866, aged 51. His widow resides 2 1/2 miles north-west from
Centerville.
The Town of Jacksonburgh was laid out by Robert Leavell. The survey,
by Henry Bryan, was dated March 23, 1815, and recorded May 31,
1815.
Centerville is the only town of earlier date in the county.
Jacksonburgh was the place for holding elections in the township
of
Jackson until 1836, when it was changed to Cambridge. It was a
central
place for military parades, horse-racing, and somewhat signalized
for
fighting. For a few years it grew considerably. Abraham Elliott
settled in the town soon after it was laid out, and kept the first
Tavern in a log house. A Tannery was built by Josiah Bradbury; a
Hat-
shop was established by John Zatt; a Pottery by Zachariah Gapen;
one or
more Blacksmith-shops; a shop for making Spinning-wheels, by
Zadok
Dougherty. Jonathan Kidwell, also, who soon settled in town, is
said
to have been a wheelwright, and for a time a preacher in the
Christian
church, and later a Universalist preacher.
The first Physician in Jacksonburgh was Loring A. Waldo, about 1818,
who, about fifteen years afterward, moved to Delaware Co. The
next, it
is believed, was L. P. Pumphrey, who, after a few years, removed
to
Henry Co. Among his successors were Dr. Leggett, Dr. Taylor, and
in
1849, Dr. Samuel S. Boyd, now of Dublin. Present physician, John
R.
Mauk. Ezekiel Leavell is supposed to have been the first Merchant
in
Jacksonburgh, probably soon after the town was laid out. Who were
his
early successors has not been ascertained. Rifner & Hurst were
there
in 1841; and in 1843-45, Strattan & Wright.
Richard L. Leeson, a native of Pa., came from Eaton, O., settled a mile
east of town, and established a Tannery about the same time that
Josiah
Bradbury commenced his in town, and sold to his brother Abner M.,
who
continued it for many years.
The first Religious Society in the township is believed to have been
that of the Christians, then called by some Newlights, at
Jacksonburgh,
formed about 1815. They held meetings in dwellings, barns, and
school
-houses. In 1820, they built a frame meeting-house in town. The
society was formed by David Purviance, Samuel Boyd, John Scott,
and
others, who were afterward joined by John Beard, Richard L.
Leeson,
Robert Leavell, Elijah Martindale, and others. Another informant
names
as first members, Samuel and Isabella Boyd, Sarah, William, John,
and
Abraham Crum, Wm. Reynolds, Jesse Frazier, Henry Logan, Jonathan
Kidwell, and others ---- 60 or 70 in all. The society, he says,
was
organized as a Christian or Disciple church by James McVey and
Daniel
Winder. Among the members were Joseph Shank, Wm. Boyd, R. L.
Leeson,
Mary Graham, and others. Their house was destroyed by fire abuot
1840,
by an incendiary. It was replaced in 1841 by a brick house,
which was
remodeled in 1870; and a dedicatory sermon was preached by Elder
David
Franklin.
The Friends also formed a society about the year 1815 or 1816, at West
Union, 1 1/2 miles south of Jacksonburgh. Patrick Beard, Benj.
Morgan,
Wm. Saint, John Lacy, Lewis Hosier, Josiah Bundy, Jehoshaphat
Morris,
and Jonathan Morris, were early members. Meetings were held in a
log
house. The society existed about 15 years. (See Milford Meeting
.)
History of Wayne County, Indiana
Andrew W. young
Pages pg 231-237
