242                 HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY

rural districts of the state of New Jersey petitioned the governor and
legislature not to permit its being used, as it would ruin the state by run-
ning over and killing them and their stock. April 20, 1906, he died at
the ripe old age of ninety-one years, six months and twelve days. He was
the father of George B. Ferguson, of the firm of Moore & Ferguson,
Brazil, and of William H. Ferguson, Washington, Daviess county.

    Thomas Hyland, a native of Baltimore county, Maryland, was born
March 4, 1850, the family coming to Indiana in 1856, and locating in
Clay county, on a farm purchased from Daniel W. Hays, lying in both
Perry and Sugar Ridge townships. Here Thomas attended the district
schools until 1867, and in 1870 began teaching, in which he continued
until 1886, when he was nominated on the Republican ticket for county
auditor and elected, defeating his competitor, Winfield S. McGregor, by
the small majority of forty votes. During the time of his teaching, in
1880, he was elected county surveyor over his competitor, Thomas B.
Robertson, by the majority of ninety—eight votes. While in the auditors
office, his deputy for the first half of the term was Commodore P. Eppert,
and for the latter half,ex—Auditor Hezekiah Wheeler. After retiring
from office Mr. Hyland  returned to the farm,where he continued to
reside for fifteen years, when he removed to Terre  Haute November 9,
1905. He is unmarried.

    Martin Bowles, for many years a well known pioneer and farmer
citizen of  Posey township, has written his own biography in the follow-
ing contribution to The National Index, Brazil, which appeared under
date of March 28, 1879—-

    Editor Index: As I have been in Clay county fifty years or more,
I shall give you a column of facts on Early Times. I was born in
Franklin county Old Virginia, on the 15th of June, 1805, and emigrated
with my parents to Mason county, in the western part of that state, in
1817. On the 6th of April, 1826, I married Jemima Harpold and came
to Clay county in 1828, settling near the site of the town of Cloverland
on the 5th day of December. We were accompanied by four other
families—Nicholas Harpold, Isaac Hyde, John S. Hyde and Isaac Hall.
The hardest time of all my life was experienced in crossing the rapids
of the Wabash river. The water was too low to float our craft and we
worked one whole week in water, in the month of November, in getting
our boats over.At the same time we came, Isaac Kruzan, father of the
Kruzans in business at Brazil, came overland, bringing with him his
family and the horses belonging to our party. When we landed here
there were but three families within what is now Posey township, who
had preceded us — William McBride, Jacob Goodrich and Caleb Vest.
At that time Posey township embraced all the territory now included
within Posey, Dick Johnson, Van Buren and Brazil townships. The
first election for justice of the peace for Posey township was held in
the spring of 1828, when William McBride and Mark Bolin were the
candidates, the former receiving five votes and the latter three. McBride
lived near the site of the town of Cloverland and Bolin near the site of
the town of Harmony.
    I settled in the woods and went to work to improve my land
From this time on settlers came in greater numbers. I took a hand in