312                 HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY

of round logs. The country was then in its primitive wildness,
turkeys and wild game of all kinds being abundant. There were no rail-
ways in this part of the country for many vears thereafter, and he used
to take his produce on a flat boat down the Eel, White, Wabash,Ohio
and Mississippi rivers to Natchez or New Orleans. He also made several
trips with a team to Chicago,, carrying in loads of earthenware made at
the pottery which stood upon the present site of Clay City. Clearing the
greater part of his land he replaced the original small log cabin with a
two story hewed log house in which his son John Henry was born,and
there lived a number of years. He subsequently removed to Middlebury,
and spent his last days at the home of his daughter Mrs. Amanda Sutton,
who resided near the old homestead. His wife whose maiden name was
Sarah E. Dalton, was born in Orange county Indiana where her father,
William Dalton, was pioneer settler. She reared ten children, namely:
Elizabeth, William, Sarah, Thompson, Amanda, James, Rachel, John H.
Francis Perry and Lydia. William and Thompson served in the Union
army during the Civil war, and both died in service. James died soon
after the breaking out of that war.
After the death of his brothers, John Henry Horton became the
main stay of his parents, although he was but a young boy. He was edu-
cated in the typical pioneer log schoolhouse, the benches being made of
split logs which were fastened together with wooden pins, while as a
substitute for desks a board was placed along the sides of the cabin for
the pupils to write upon. Leaving home on attaining his majority,he
went to Illinois in search of work, and found employment on a farm in
Douglas county, where he remained a short time. Being then seized with
a great desire to become a landholder, he went to Nebraska, and on the
extreme frontier, one hundred and ten miles northwest of Grand Island
bought three hundred and twenty acres of land. Breaking fifteen acres
Mr. Horton planted corn, and in July, just as the corn had begun to
tassel, and the prospects for a good crop were encouraging, the grass-
hoppers came, and in the short space of two hours completely stripped
the field, coming in such numbers that when in the air they obscured the
sun. Returning to Clay county in the fall of that very year, Mr. Horton
subsequently traded his Nebraska land for the farm where he now
resides. Here he has one hundred and eighty acres of well improved
land, and a substantial set of frame buildings, and in addition he owns
farm of one hundred and fifteen acres in Lewis township, in the Eel
river valley, and that has valuable improvements, including excellent
farm buildings. As a successful and progressive agriculturist he stands
well in the community, and as a man and a citizen is highly esteemed.
    Mr. Horton married, in 1877, Sarah E. Fulk, a daughter of Henry
Fulk, a pioneer of Marion township, Owen county. She died leaving six
children, namely: Harley E., who married Jessie Kress, has two chil-
dren, Claude and Lucille; Leroy; Charles; Cansada, wife of John
Brothers, has two children, Arthur and Mary; Iva is the wife of Oscar
Reagan; and John Wesley. Mr. Horton married for his second wife
Mrs. Mary (Notter) Burns, daughter of David Notter and widow of
John Burns, who left her with one son, Carl Burns. Mr. and Mrs.
Horton are members of the Missionary Baptist church. Mr. Horton is
an ardent supporter of the Populist party and is a man who stands firm
on his own principles.