Tipton County IN Archives History - Books .....Madison Township 1883
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Book Title: Counties Of Howard And Tipton, Indiana

MADISON TOWNSHIP.
BY G. N. BERRY.

   At the first session of the Commissioners' Court of Tipton County, held in
the month of June, 1844, it was ordered that the following territory be set
apart and known as Madison Township, to wit: "Begining at the southeast corner
of Section 32, Town 21 north, Range 6 east, thence north six miles, thence west
six miles, thence south six miles, thence east to the place of beginning." As
originally formed, the township comprised thirty-six square miles, but at the
September term of 1846, a strip one-half mile wide was taken from the western
part and added to Cicero Township, and at a subsequent session the northern
boundary was fixed so as to include eleven sections of the township of Wild Cat,
making the geographical area at the present time forty four square miles, or
28,160 acres. It occupies the southeast corner of the county bordering on
Madison County on the east, and Hamilton County on the south, while the
townships of Cicero and Wild Cat respectively form its western and. northern
boundaries. Duck Creek, the principal water-course, flows through the eastern
part and receives in its course a number of tributaries, chief of which are
Polliwog Creek and Prairie Outlet. The former enters the main 'stream in Section
7, while the latter forms a junction in Section 29 near the eastern border of
the township. The east prong of Bear Creek flows through the southern part of
the township and furnishes ample drainage for that portion of the country.

   The surface of the township is almost uniformly flat, with the exception of
the southeast corner in the vicinity of Duck Creek, where the land is of an
undulating nature, and in some places considerably broken. There are several low
tracts in the township which in early days were looked upon by the pioneer
home-seekers as of little value on account of the sloughs and quagmires. These
lands were purchased in later years and a thorough system of drainage
instituted, by means of which the rich soil has been reclaimed and its
productiveness developed. The soil of the broken part of the township consists
of clays, sand mixed in certain localities, and is not so well adapted for
farming purposes as the black soil of the flat lands. This black, loam which
comprises the greater part of the township is deep, very fertile and produces
abundantly all the cereals and fruits indigenous to this climate. It rests upon
a substratum of clay, is easily drained and gives to this part of the county
peculiar advantages as an agricultural region.

   The original territory of Madison was a wilderness consisting of dense
forests, with small, wet prairies at intervals, the whole covered with an
undergrowth of such density as to effectually shield the soil from the sun's
rays. The timber comprised the varieties common to this part oŁ the State, viz.,
walnut, poplar, oak, ash, elm of several kinds, sugar maple, soft maple, beech,
linn, sycamore, with a smaller growth of buckeye, spicebrush and willow. The
prairies, which are nothing more than large swamps, were named from their
peculiar shapes or from the part of the township where they are situated, as
Bound Priarie and West Prairie. The first named comprises several hundred acres
in the northeast corner of the township, with a corresponding number of acres in
the township adjoining on the north. West Prairie occupies the greater portion
of Section 15 in the western part of the township. There is a small tract •of
wet land in the southeast part, known as Wesall Prairie.

SETTLEMENT.

   The pioneers who first sought homes amid the forests and sloughs of Madison
found fields of labor beset with difficulties and discouragements, trials and
hardships, before which we of the present day would shrink appalled. An unbroken
wilderness met the anticipations of the hardy men and brave-hearted women who
left the comforts of civilization behind them for the purpose of securing homes
for themselves and heritages for their posterity. Theirs was no easy task, and
the years of constant struggle and the motives which animated them and nerved
their arms are no less deserving of praise or honorable mention in the pages of
history than the patriotism that fires the heart of the hero of the gory fray.
Their mission was to reclaim a large scope of wild country from a wilderness
state and transform it into fertile farms and happy homes; and nobly did they
perform their labors in the face of hardships which they were compelled to
encounter day by day, never giving lodgment to feelings of discouragement or
discontent. Their whole lives were the grand, simple poems of rugged, toilsome
duty well and uncomplainingly wrought out, and their examples and achievements
are among the richest legacies to a grateful posterity. The southern division of
Madison was opened up for settlement as early as the year 1830, being at that
time included in the territory of Hamilton County, while the northern sections
formed a part of the Indian reserve, and were not put on the market for a number
of years later; consequently the nrst settlements were made along the southern
boundary and as early as 1836 we find the following persons living in that part
of the township: James Shaw, Henry Etchison, Pleasant Allman and Henry Hobbs.
Shaw moved here from Rush County and settled about two miles south of New
Lancaster Village, on a farm where his widow still resides. He was a man of some
local prominence and took an active part in directing immigration to this
portion of the county. Etchison came to Indiana from North Carolina and
pre-empted a claim in Section 17, where be made some good improvements. He lived
in the township for a period of five years, when he sold his possessions to
Zadok Darrow and moved to Madison County. Allman located in the southeast corner
of the township, being the first pioneer to settle in that locality. He came
here from Marion County, and does not appear to have been of any great benefit
to the community, belonging to that thriftless class which usually precedes
civilization in a new country. He erected a diminutive cabin on his claim, but
being unable to enter the land, he sold his improvements one year after his
arrival to James Merritt and moved to Iowa, where he is living at the present
time. Hobbs came from Virginia and was a man of considerable note in the early
days of the township, being prominently identified with the country's
development and taking an active part in politics. He was his party's candidate
for the office of Probate Judge in an early day, but was defeated by a small
majority. The land which he entered lies in Section 15, near the southwest
corner of the township, and is still in possession of the family. A large number
of descendants reside in the county at the present time. Absalom Hobbs, a
brother of the preceding, came one year later and entered a tract of land in
Section 27, where one of his daughters still lives. He was a public-spirited
citizen, and soon had a good farm cleared and under successful cultivation. Like
his brother, he took an active part in political affairs, and ran for the office
of Sheriff in the year 1846, but, belonging to a party hopelessly in the
minority, he was unsuccessful in the race. He was identified with the township
until the year 1879, and earned the reputation of being one of its leading
citizens, acquiring a large amount of real estate, which at the present time is
in possession of his numerous descendants.

   Early in the year 1837, Joseph Henderson came to the township and secured a
home in the southeastern part, on land at present owned by Mr. Hobbs. Henderson
was a native of Ohio, but left his native State in an early day and joined his
fortunes with the Mormons under the leadership of their prophet, Joseph Smith,
with whom he seems to have been a favorite. He was with the Latter-Day Saints at
the time of their expulsion from Illinois, and was one of a small settlement in
Jackson County, Mo., where he lived until his immigration to this State in
the-year mentioned. He renounced the Mormon heresy before leaving Missouri, a
step which made him very unpopular among his former religious associates, and
which caused him to seek a more congenial home away from their influence. He
entered land in this township in the year 1838, and was a resident until about
the year 1875, at which time his death occurred. In 1837, Henry Hildebrand, a
Virginian, came to the township and purchased land in the southern part. He
proved a valuable accession to the community, being a man of rare mechanical
ingenuity, and finding plenty of work making chairs, bedsteads and other
articles of furniture for the early settlers. He afterward added the medical
profession to his other accomplishments, and became a noted practitioner among
the ague-plagued neighborhoods of Madison and adjoining townships.

   About the same time, settlements were made by Reuben Farlow near the eastern
boundary of the township, and William Orr, a nephew, and by Absalom and Henry
Hobbs in the southwest corner, a short distance from the Lilly farm. Philip
Letzinger came in 1S3S, arid was joined the same year by Mitchell and William
Goen and Joseph A. Wright. The Goens located near the Hamilton County line,
where they became the possessors of several tracts of real estate. Wright was
one of the permanent pioneers of this part of the county and worked diligently
for its prosperity. He came from North Carolina, where he left his family while
he made a tour of observation through the newly organized county of Tipton. He
selected a claim on Section 22, on which he constructed a small cabin. This
being completed, he returned for his family, who were soon settled with as much
comfort as the circumstances would permit. The struggle with the wilderness was
inaugurated by the father, who, during the following year, was kept busy felling
trees and preparing the ground for cultivation. He soon had a number of acres
ready for the plow, and was among the first settlers in this part of the country
to make farming self-supporting. He burned the first brick in the township and
erected the first brick house in the county on his farm about the year 1848.
This residence is still standing and is occupied at the present time by the
Widow Horton. Other early settlers, whose dates of arrival were not learned,
were Henry Harbit, a Kentuckian, who located a short distance south of New
Lancaster on land where his son still lives, and Reuben Harvey, who entered the
land now owned and occupied by William Carr in the eastern part of the township.
Harvey did but little in the way of improving a farm, not being very favorably
disposed toward- that kind of employment, thinking there were other means of
gaining a livelihood aside from felling trees, grubbing out roots and burning
logs. He took up the medical profession and became a physician of some repute in
later years. In connection with the healing art, he carried on the mercantile
business at New Lancaster in an early day, being one of the first merchants at
that place.

   In the year 1838, two brothers, Newton and Carter Jackson, came to the
township with their families and settled near Lancaster Village, the former in
Section 19 and the latter in Section 20, where both had entered lands a couple
of years previous. They were natives of Kentucky, but left that State in an
early day and settled in Wayne County near the city of Richmond, where they
continued to reside until they secured lands in Tipton, then Hamilton County. At
the organization of Tipton County in 1844, Newton Jackson took an active part
and was elected first Clerk. He moved to the county seat shortly after his
election and died there a few years later. Carter Jackson took a lively interest
in politics during the early days of the county, and was honored by being
elected its first Representative to the Legislature in the year 1845. He has
been a prominent citizen of Madison for over forty-five years, and is the oldest
settler living in the township at the present time.

   Among those who came to the township in an early day and secured their lands
from the Government by entry were Ansalen Ballard, John Rader, John Grooss,
Samuel Potoff, Ebenezer Douglass, Eli Wright, Enoch Worman, Sanford Daniel,
Alfred Daniel, Silas Mills, Lemuel Darrow, Obadiah Kinney, Henry Oldacre, Samuel
Heck, Solomon Dill, Jarrett Nugen, Martin Rogers, Daniel Miller, William Orr,
Jesse McAnally, Benjamin Baird and James Beeson, all of whom received their
patents prior to 1837, though but few of them became residents of the township.
The following two years' entries were made by William Sheets, N. Stanbraugh,
James Tate, S. N. John, Joel Stephenson, Frederick Waltz, Jesse Hankins, James
Armstrong, George L. Smith, Robert Stuteman, Jacob Smith, John Sharpe, Ransom
Mills, H. Mills, William Riddler, Jonathan Coffin, John Sleath, Zadok Darrow,
John Weylie, William Birch, Thomas Cooper, Samuel Neece, Nathan Baird and others.

   Among those who came in 183p was James Merritt, a native of Ohio, who located
where Green Lilly lives, in the southern part of the township. He bought the
place of Pleasant Allman, the original owner, and at once began making
improvements, among which was the planting of an orchard, one of the first in
the eastern part of the county. Several of the old trees of this orchard still
remain and present a venerable appearance. Merritt was in every sense of the
word a pioneer of the true backwoods type, being as much at home with his dogs
and gun in the forest as with his family around the cabin hearthstone. He was a
resident of Madison until the time of his wife's death in 1846, when he moved to
Hamilton County, selling his farm two years later to Green Lilly, the present
proprietor.

   Edward Sharpe settled in the southwest part of the township in the latter
part of 1839, and remained there until the year 1844, when, becoming tired of
the sloughs, pollywogs and ague, packed up his few household goods, left his
cabin and went back to Marion County, his former home. He was absent about two
years, when he returned to the township, cleared a good farm and has been one of
the well-to-do citizens ever since. The Darrow family, consisting of Lemuel,
Zadok, John and Simeon, came about the year 1839 and settled on Duck Creek, near
the eastern boundary of the county. They were natives of Massachusetts and men
of considerable business tact, being the first stock dealers in the township.
Lemuel's death, which occurred in 1843, was one of the first events of the kind
that transpired in Madison. John became involved in some business transaction
and left the county rather suddenly to escape litigation, while Zadok terminated
a miserable existence in the year 1858 by committing suicide.

   Another early settler worthy of special mention was John B. Cole, a native of
New Jersey, whose arrival dates from about the year 1840. He purchased land in
the eastern part of the township, made a good farm and became well known
throughout the county as a local politician. He was also a zealous Christian,
yet in spite of his Methodist piety, the pugilistic qualities of the man would
occasionally develop themselves, as the following incident will go to show. It
appears that a bitter feud had existed for a number of years between his and the
Hobbs family, resulting in many quarrels, and no occasion to add fuel to the
names was allowed to pass by unimproved. Cole met two of the Hobbs boys one day
peddling beef, and as usual an altercation ensued, during the progress of which
the young men drew their butcher knives and swore they would make mince meat of
the old gentleman. Now cowardice was an ingredient unknown in Cole's make-up,
and he refused pointedly to be intimidated by their bloody threat, but on the
contrary, with genuine old-fashioned Methodist grit, he rolled up his sleeves
and soon convinced the young gentlemen that they were dealing with the wrong
Tartar. Feeling a little uneasy in the presence of the old man's hard knuckles,
the boys thought it wise policy to ground their arms and beat a retreat, which
they executed in tine style. The following day, while Cole and his daughter were
on their way to camp-meeting, they met another of the Hobbs boys who refused to
show the white feather, and a rough and tumble knock down took place. The battle
was waged hotly for several minutes with doubtful success, but after awhile Cole
went down before the well directed blows of his enemy, who followed up his
supposed advantage with great cruelty, kicking and mutilating the head and face
of his prostrate foe in a horrible manner. The daughter, supposing her father
would be killed, entreated Hobbs to spare his life, which entreaties had the
desired effect and Cole was allowed to rise. But he was not so nearly dead as
one would suppose, for no sooner had he picked the clods from his eyes and taken
in the situation than he made a second rush for his enemy, who was soon
compelled to beg for mercy, which was dealt out to him in very spare quantities
by the indignant class leader. Hobbs retaliated by having Cole arrested and
brought to trial at a time when all the lawyers of Tipton but one had been feed
to leave the town. Not being able to procure counsel, Cole was defeated at the
trial and fined $40 and costs.

   A list of the pioneers of Madison would be incomplete without the name of
Benjamin Leavell, who came from Wayne County in the year 1841 and purchased land
of Newton Jackson, near the village of Lancaster. He was a man of more than
ordinary energy, a prominent farmer and an enterprising citizen. His son is the
present efficient Sheriff of the county. Green Lilly, while not one of the
earliest settlers in Madison, can be named with the pioneers of the county, as
he came to the county in a very early day, settling first in Cicero Township,
where he lived until 1849, when he purchased the farm on which he at present re
sides. He has been an active business man, participating in political affairs to
some extent, having served the county as Commissioner two terms and the township
as Justice of the Peace and Trustee. His place is a model of neatness, and is
said to be by competent judges the best improved farm in Tipton County.

GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS.

   The development of Madison during the early years of its history was very
slow on account of the absence of facilities for communication, mills, market
places, etc. The first wheat raised in the township had to be hauled to
Perkinsville and Strawtown, where but indifferent markets were afforded, the
farmers realizing but 45 and 50 cents per bushel for their grain. Some of the
settlers took the first crops to Lawrenceburg in the southern part of the State,
where better prices could be obtained, the grain merchants there paying as high
as 62 1/2 cents per bushel in trade, or 60 cents in cash. The nearest mills
where meal could be obtained were situated on Cicero Creek in Hamilton County.
They were rude affairs, being merely corn-crackers, and ground very slow, but
appear to have been well patronized by the citizens .of this and adjoining
townships. An inferior grade of flour could be procured at the Perkinsville
Mill, which for several years was the only source of supply for that commodity.
A fair market for grain and produce was offered by the Wabash Canal, but the
almost impassable condition of the roads leading to it prevented many of the
farmers patronizing the shippers. The manner of living was about the same as in
all pioneer communities, while the state of society was a great deal better than
in many new countries. Indians were numerous in the northern part of the
township, but gave the settlers no trouble further than an occasional fright
when they took their general drunks at Strawtown. They traded with the pioneers
such articles as moccasins, dressed deer skins, venison, bead work, etc., for
bacon, gun-powder and wearing apparel, oftentimes driving shrewd bargains with
the air of a modern speculator. It is related of one Indian that he went through
the early settlements and purchased all the dogs he could find, paying for them
a good round sum, but always taking care to have the owner recommend the good
qualities of the canine. He afterward came back, accompanied by two or three
stalwart bucks, and visited each house from which he had obtained a dog,
declaring that the brute did not come up to the recommendation, and demanding a
return of his pay. He took care, however, to make these calls in the absence of
the husband, and by threats of violence generally succeeded in getting the money
back or its equivalent in other articles. What he did with the dogs was not
learned.

   The first mill in the township was a saw mill erected some time during the
year 1848. It was the property of Gilbert Wright, and was located on the West
Fork of Duck Creek, from which it received its motive power. It was operated by
a large old-fashioned water-wheel, and furnished the lumber for many of the
first frame houses in this and neighboring settlements. Wright ran the mill
until the time of his death in 1854, when it passed into other hands, William
Stanley being the last owner. It was in operation until about fifteen years ago,
when the building took fire and was completely destroyed. In the year 1858, a
steam saw mill was erected at the village of New Lancaster by Messrs. Pickering
& Hess, who operated it very successfully until 1861, at which time it was
purchased by Riley Swope. The building of frame houses about this time created a
demand for lumber and the mill was kept running almost constantly in order to
meet the general want. Swope remodeled the mill, erected a good frame building
and supplied it with machinery for grinding flour and meal. This mill supplied a
long-felt want in the community, and obviated the necessity of traveling so far
to Perkinsville Mill, hitherto the nearest one accessible from this settlement.
It is still in operation; the present proprietor is Andrew Jackson.

   B. F. Marshall erected a good steam saw mill in 1868 at the village of
Curtisville, and did quite, an extensive lumber business at that place for
several years. He subsequently sold it to Goodwin & Colvin, the present
proprietors, who remodeled the machinery and added a heading factory. They
employ nine hands and do a good local business, besides shipping a number of car
loads of lumber and heading every month.

   One of the early industries of the township was the New Lancaster Tannery,
started in the year 1849 by a man by the name of Hillegas. Hillegas did no work
further than inaugurating the enterprise, selling out a few months later to
Martin Stevens, who conducted a very successful business until the year 1855, at
which time he sold it to a man by the name of Hubbard. The latter followed the
business for five years, when he retired and rented the yard to W. P. Gates, who
operated it until 1864, when an interest was purchased by J. W. Leavell. They
continued together one year, when Hubbard returned from the army and formed a
copartnership with Leavell, which was maintained until the year 1867, at which
time the entire interest was purchased by S. N. Dillman. Mr. Dillman operated it
until it outlived its usefulness, when it was abandoned.

   The first orchard in the township was set out by Carter Jackson on his place
a few weeks after his arrival in the new country. He brought with him about 300
small trees, which he raised from the seed in Wayne County, and started a small
nursery, from which all the early orchards in this and adjoining townships were
started. The second orchard was planted, by James Merritt, in the western part
of the township in the year 1840.

   The manufacture of tiling in Madison is of recent date, the first factory
having been established about five years ago by George Myerly and Frank Haines.
It stands about one mile east of New Lancaster, and is doing a good business at
the present time. Barney Georgner and Michael Welsh built the second tile kiln
near the western boundary of the township in the year 1881. It is operated at
the present time by Georgner & Hobbs, who have a large and lucrative trade.

EARLY ELECTIONS.

   The first election within the present bounds of Tipton County was held in the
year 1841, at the residence of Joseph A. Wright in the western part of this
township. This was while Madison was a part of Hamilton County, and the election
took place for county purposes only, no officers being chosen. Carter Jackson
was appointed Inspector, and the entire number of votes cast was eighteen. The
first election after the county organization was held at John B. Cole's
residence in the year 1844. Newton Jackson was chosen Justice of the Peace at
this election, but resigned that position a few months later to take charge of
the Clerk's office. The first Board of Township Trustees was elected in the year
1854 and comprised the following named gentlemen, to wit: Levi Colvin, Gilbert
Wright and Green Lilly. James Beeson was chosen Treasurer and Thomas S. Starkey
Clerk at the same time. Since the year 1859, the following persons have served
as Trustees of the township: Iredell Wright, John Essex, L. Jackson, James
Decker and Leander Goodwin. The present Trustee is James Decker, who has filled
the office several terms.

NEW LANCASTER.

   This little hamlet is situated in the southwest part of the township and
seems to have been the outgrowth of the general demand of that locality for a
trading point. The original site was owned by Carter Jackson, who sold small
portions of his farm from time to time to those who desired to locate in the
village. No plat was ever made, as it was not the intention of Mr. Jackson to
found a town. The first residence in the village was erected by Abraham Ressler,
about the year 1845, and soon afterward two more dwellings were built by
Granville Newly and B. R. Douglass. Charles Thurman brought the first stock of
goods to the place, which he kept in a little hewed-log house, which is still
standing. He did a good business for four years, with a general stock of
merchandise representing a capital of about $1,000. In 1849, he effected a
copartnership with Asa Dollahide, and together they ran the business until 1851,
at which time the stock was purchased by James Beeson, who sold goods until the
time of his death in 1861, when the stock was closed out. In the year 1850,
Isaac Harbit and Frank Balser erected a hewed-log store building, in which they
sold goods as partners until 1854, when they sold out to Reuben Harvey. Harvey
closed out four years later in order to give all his time to the medical
profession. Among the diiferent merchants of the place were F. M. Harbit, James
Correll, John Darrow, S. H. Dillman, Hefflin & Ballinger, George L. Shaw and
several others. There are two stores at the present time, kept by James W.
Harbit and James Wilson. The first blacksmith was Abraham Ressler, who opened a
shop as early as 1845. The present blacksmiths are Wesley Coates and George
Strennell. The following medical gentlemen have practiced their profession at
the village at different times, viz., R. R. Douglass, Grandville Newly, Reuben
Harvey, W. M. Sharpe, I. D. Armfield, T. O. Armfield, William Judd, Davis and T.
F. Cook. The present physician is Dr. N W. Doane.

CURTISVILLE.

   The town of Curtisville was founded about the year 1859, by L. B. Colvin, who
built a saw mill on the railroad in Section 31, and sold lots for the purpose of
securing a switch and station. Among the first to purchase lots were R. T. Moon,
John Balser, O. D. Colvin and A. B. Newman. The first stock of goods was opened
for sale by Newman, who erected a building for the purpose in the eastern part
of the village. About four years later, he disposed of his goods to Bratton &
Co., who continued business in the same building for several years, when they
sold to Jacob Stamm. Stamm occupied the room a little more than one year, at the
end of which time he was succeeded by John Tuttle, who afterward sold out to
John Starkey. R. T. Moon erected a business house north of the railroad in the
year 1862, which he occupied with a good stock of general merchandise until
1875. Leander Goodwin built a storehouse near the railroad in the year 1875, and
was in the dry goods business until the fall of 1882, when he sold out to
Charles Hall, who runs the store at the present time. W. W. Boyden engaged in
merchandising in 1875 and has been in the village ever since. The early
blacksmiths of the place were William Little, Joseph Leach and James Hamilton.
The present blacksmith is William Dix. The manufacturing interests of the place
have been represented by several steam saw mills, all of which were operated
rather extensively, and at one time the village became quite a shipping point
for lumber. Colvin's mill was burned in 1862, and one year later a second saw
mill was brought to the town by Samuel Bracken, who ran it a short time,
afterward selling out to Ogle & Otoole. It afterward passed into the hands of
Joel Redabaugh, who moved it from the place in the year 1866. In the meantime,
David Baumgardner brought a mill to the village and operated it with good
success for about four years, when it was also removed.

   A post office was established at the village in 1859, and Jacob Oldacre
appointed Postmaster. The office is kept at the present time by Leander Goodwin
at the store of Charles Hall. J. W. Manden and S. M. Conner were the earliest
medical men of the village; at the present time the healing art is represented
by Drs. S. S. Hazzard and J. T. Jessup. The village was surveyed and regularly
platted in the year 1873 for the following long list of proprietors: R. T. Moon,
Philip Staum, Boswell Colvin, William Spray, John Fouch, Samuel Harbit, W. W.
Colvin and J. W. Murden.

VILLAGE OF HOBBS.

   This is a small station on the Lake Erie & Western Railroad, with a
population of about fifteen or twenty families. It was located by Henderson
Hobbs, after whom it was named, on his farm in Section 10 about five years ago.
M. M. Hobbs keeps a good general store and is doing a thriving business. There
is one large grain house operated by Jerry Ressler, a steam saw mill by
Neidhamer & Correll and one blacksmith shop carried on by James Comer; M. M.
Hobbs keeps the post office and Dr. T. O. Armfield looks after the physical
ailments of the village and surrounding community.

CEMETERIES.

   The first ground consecrated to the burial of the dead is the old Pleasant
Hill Graveyard in the southeast corner of the township. It was laid out about
1838, and for many years served as a place of interment for the early
settlements of Tipton and Hamilton Counties. Among the first laid to rest in
this place was Lemuel Darrow, whose death has been alluded to in a previous
page. The New Lancaster Graveyard was laid out in the year 1845 by Samuel
Townsend and Michael Mitchell. The first interment was a son of Michael
Mitchell, whose death occurred some time during the year mentioned. The Hobbs
Graveyard was laid out in the southern part of the township at an early day, and
the first interment therein was the wife of Henry Hobbs. The second person
buried in this cemetery was a young man by name of Preston Edwards. There are
two other graveyards in the township in addition to those enumerated, one at the
village of Curtisville and one a short distance east of that place.

RELIGIOUS HISTORY.

   The first religious services in Madison were conducted under the auspices of
the Methodist Episcopal Church, about the year 1839, at what was known as the
Centre Schoolhouse. The first preacher was Rev. Sanford Williams, under whose
labors an organization was effected at the same place a few months later,
consisting of the following members, to wit: Joseph A. Wright and wife, John B.
Cole and wife, Miss Rebecca Cole, Sarah E. Wright (nee Lilly), Miss Mary Orr,
Absalom Hobbs and wife, Martha Goen, Malinda Goen, Allen Goen. Within a year,
although without a regular pastor, and having preaching only occasionally, the
number of members increased very rapidly and the class became a nourishing
organization. It continued with varied success until about the year 1880, when
the numerical strength had so decreased that it was thought expedient to
dissolve the church relationship, which was done accordingly. The first regular
supply was Rev. John Kelly, who preached at the residence of Joseph A. Wright
for one year. He was followed by Rev. Huffaker, under whose ministrations the
meeting place was changed to the Antioch Schoolhouse, which served as a place of
worship as long as the organization was maintained. The next in regular order
was Rev. Tansy, who was succeeded by Revs. Pentsen, Newton, Hollingsworth,
Cothron and others, the last pastor being the Rev. T. J. Elkin.

   The Regular Baptists organized a small society at the New Lancaster
Schoolhouse in an early day, and sustained it for a number of years, having
preaching only at rare intervals. Their membership was few in numbers, and no
steps were ever taken to erect a house of worship, the schoolhouse and private
residences being used for meeting purposes. The minister under whose exertions
the society was organized was Elder James Ralston, a man well known among the
pioneer churches of Tipton County. The organization was abandoned many years
ago, and no religious society has been in existence at the village since.

   In the year 1854, a Union Church building was erected in the southeast corner
of the township, and named Pleasant Hill, after the old cemetery in the same
locality. It was built by members of different religious societies and the
citizens of the community for general church and Sunday school purposes, being
thrown open to all-denominations alike. The house is frame, and was built at an
outlay of about $600, although its real cash value would represent more than
that amount, as much of the material and considerable labor was donated by
friends of the enterprise. It has been used principally by the Methodists and
New Lights, both of which denominations have sustained organizations here at
different times.

   An organization known as the New School or Anti-Methodists sprang into
existence under the preaching of a certain James De Hority about the year 1855.
For some time the new departure was favorably looked upon, and the zealous
preaching of De Hority attracted many hearers, a number of whom united
themselves into a society at the residence of Philip Litzinger. This
organization was kept up about four years, and was ministered to at intervals by
Revs. Ransom Smith, Jonathan Carey, Goff, and the founder, De Hority. Many of
the members, including the projector, afterward went back to the Methodist
Episcopal Church, and the remnant making no effort to maintain the society, it
was finally abandoned.

   The Missionary Baptist Church of Curtisville was organized by Rev. Henry Cobb
at his residence some time prior to 1860, the exact date not being learned. A
house of worship was erected in the village in 1861, and afterward moved to
Cobb's farm, where it is still standing. This building is a hewed-log structure
in very poor condition and poorly meets the wants of a congregation of
worshipers. Rev. Cobb, the founder of the society, preached for the church
during the greater part of twelve years. Other pastors were William Hughes,
Denton Simpson, J. A. Havens and Mr. Ellison. The society at the present time
numbers but few members and is in rather a dormant state.

   The United Brethren organized a society at the Oakland Schoolhouse about the
year 1873, and sustained it with a fair membership nearly four years. The
preachers during that period were Revs. Evans, McNew, John McNew and William
Bias. The organization was abandoned in the year 1877. In the year 1873, the
Christian or New Lights organized a church at the Oakland Schoolhouse under the
labors of Elder Vanness, who succeeded in securing a very fair membership.
Public services were held at the schoolhouse until the year 1875, at which time
the place of meeting was changed to the new Union Chapel Church building near
the southwest corner of the township, where the organization is still
maintained. The different pastors of this society were Elders William Hefflin,
George Boswell, De Bois and John Layman, the last named being preacher in charge
at the present time. The Union Chapel was erected in the year 1875 by the
general public for the exclusive use of no particular denomination, all sects
having the same liberty to use it for church purposes. It stands on ground
donated by Joseph Henderson. Is a substantial frame edifice and cost the sum of
$500.

SCHOOLS.

   The first school in Madison, so far as can be learned, was taught about the
year 1840 in a little cabin which stood in Section 32, near the southeast corner
of the township. This house was built by the neighbors for school purposes on
ground donated by James Beeson. Among the early teachers is remembered one Frank
Shortridge, who taught the winter of 1840-41. The building was a model of
simplicity, being about 16x16 feet in size, seated with rude puncheon benches
and lighted by a single window made by removing a log from the wall and
inserting into the aperture greased paper instead of glass. It was in use but a
short time, being soon replaced by a more commodious log structure, known as the
Darrow Schoolhouse, built in the same section on land belonging to Mr. Darrow.
This latter house was a decided improvement on the little cabin described, being
lighted with glass windows and supplied with various other conveniences, among
which was a large heating stove, added in after years. The first pedagogue who
wielded the scepter of authority in this primitive backswoods college was a Mr.
Cole Birch, an eccentric character well known by many of the old residents of
the township now living. Birch appears to have been a man of more than ordinary
intellectual attainments, and is remembered as a very successful instructor,
having been prominently connected with the early schools of this and adjoining
townships for many years. He was the handy man of the neighborhood, and no
log-rolling, corn-husking, house-raising or gathering of any kind was complete
without his presence. A universal favorite, his company was always in demand and
his many abilities could be usefully employed in every direction. Were any of
the settlers sick, he was the first to visit them in their affliction, and would
administer to their wants with his last penny if necessity required it. If a
musician was demanded for a backwoods "hoe-down," Birch was invariably the one
sought, and all the festive youth for miles around learned to trip the light
fantastic toe to the lively strains of his violin. At the shooting matches his
rifle generally won the prize, and in all athletic sports he ackowledged no
superior. It was his boast that he could kill more deer, market more coon-skins,
tell more yarns, sing louder at a camp meeting and stand up under more vile
whisky than any other man in the entire country. In all the above
accomplishments, to which may be added his skill as a scientific shuffler of the
eucher deck, or an engineer of a prayer meeting, he was the rare and only
original Cole Birch. The Darrow Schoolhouse was in use several years, at the end
of which time it disappeared and was replaced by another log building in the
Shaw neighborhood.

   The first building at New Lancaster stood a short distance north of the
village in the corner of Section 19, and like all the houses described was
constructed of logs on the pioneer plan then in vogue. The early teachers at
this place were Mr. Birch, Philip Ballard, Reuben Haney, Samuel Payne, Samuel
Harbit, Martha Starkey, Davi$ Tranberger and others. The little cabin stood for
a number of years, but was finally abandoned and a frame building erected in the
village. This was the first frame schoolhouse in the township, and is still
standing, though not in use for school purposes. Another early building stood in
Section 23, a short distance west of Lancaster Village. It stood on the farm of
Asbalom Hobbs, and was first used in the year 1844 by Levi T. Hobbs. Other early
teachers at the same place were Philip Ballard, Cole Birch, Samuel Payne, Samuel
Hobbs, Charles Miller, Dr. Clark, John Barnett, David Lilly and R. W. Wright.
The building burned some time prior to 1860, and was replaced by what was known
as the Oakland Schoolhouse, which stood near the spot occupied by the present
brick structure.

   A log schoolhouse was built on the land of Edward Sharpe in an early day and
was first used by Washington Newlin. Moses Smock and Stephen Brownson taught at
the same place a few years later. The Rhodes Schoolhouse was erected in the
northern part of the township in the year 1854, on the farm of George Rhodes. It
was a good building, constructed of hewed logs, and served its purpose well for
a number of years. Mr. Rice, Peter Lock and John Van Buskirk were among the
first pedagogues in that part of the country. Another house was built the same
year near the northern boundary of the township; on land belonging to James
Ressler. The early schools were all supported by subscription, and generally
lasted about three months in the year. In the year 1854, the question of taxing
the citizens of the township for school purposes was submitted and defeated by a
small majority. Public schools were supplied that year, however, and the
long-felt prejudice against them was gradually overcome by the success of the
venture. There are at the present time thirteen school districts in the
township, and as many good buildings in which schools, ranging from four to six
months, are taught every year. The teachers for the school year of 1882-83 were
W. B. Hazzard, L. A. Hanshew, D. C. Hobbs, W. A. Lowder, E. E. Larimore, J. W.
Hobbs, C. C. Decker, J. J. Zion, R. H. Cottingham, Amos White, Mary Gates, W. A.
Strong and S. S. Hazzard.

MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS.

   The progress of Madison Township from its first settlement to the present
time has been all that its friends could ask or desire. From a wilderness of
deep forests, marshy quagmires and malaria-breeding sloughs, among which the
brave pioneer carved his rude home, has been developed a country exhaustless in
its resources and rich in all the elements of a high civilization. Her farms
will compare favorably with the best cultivated portions of this and adjoining
counties, and when the waste lands have been reclaimed by the thorough system of
drainage now in progress, this division of Tipton will present an agricultural
region unsurpassed in point of fertility and productiveness. Among the best
cultivated farms of the township at the present time are those belonging to
Green B. Lilly, James H. Decker, John M. Hobbs, Jacob Yarling, Joseph Moore, W.
C. Hobbs, Lemuel Darrow, Edward Darrow, Jackson Hobbs, Elias Henderson, Carter
Jackson, D. C. Hobbs, W. P. Harmon, W. P. Gates and John S. Leavell.

   The tax duplicate of the year 1846, the earliest one accessible, shows the
total value of taxable property in the township at that time to have been
$67;624, and the amount of tax paid, $703.51. The number of polls returned by
the Assessor was seventy-one. In the year 1882, the citizens of Madison paid
taxes to the amount of $11,339.48, while the total value of taxable property was
represented by the sum of $508,815. There were 330 polls in 1882, and the last
census gives the township a population of 1,736 souls.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

COUNTIES OF HOWARD AND TIPTON, INDIANA.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL.
ILLUSTRATED.

CHARLES BLANCHARD. EDITOR.
CHICAGO: F. A. BATTEY & CO.
1883.

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