In the year 1829 Washington township was originated,
and named after George Washington, the first
President of the United States. It is a full
congressional township, comprising thirty-six sections, and
is township to north, range 1 west, of the second principal
meridian, and is one of the four townships of Monroe county
which is crossed by the old Indian boundary. This
boundary was drawn at the treaty between the Indians and
Gen. William Henry Harrison at Fort Wayne, on Sept. 30,
1809, at which time all of Washington township, and all of
Monroe county south of the boundary, was received from the
tribes. The north portion of this township was
included in what was termed the "New Purchase," and was
ceded to the government by the Indians at the treaty of St.
Mary's, Ohio, on Oct. 3, 1818. This land north of the
boundary was not open to entry until all Indian title had
ceased, and the ground had been surveyed by Thomas Brown
in the summer of 1819. William Harris and
Arthur Henrie surveyed the land south of the boundary in
1812, and it was opened for entry in 1816.
The timber of the township was of excellent quality.
Red, black, white and chestnut oaks, black and white walnut,
maple poplar, cherry, chestnut, bech, elm, hickory,
sycamore, sassafras, dog wood and gum trees constituted the
forests of the township. Knob stone and the Keokuk
groups were the main rock beds of the locality, and
excellent specimens of these stones were shipped in large
numbers. Traces may be found also of the great glacier
which swept down from the north eons ago. Fossils of
all kinds, crinoids and geodes are in the deposits in
various places in the township.
SETTLEMENT.
Within the
borders of the present Washington township the first
purchase of land was made on September 2, 1817, by James
Bennington. He made the deal at the land
office in Vincennes, while Monroe county was yet a portion
of Orange county. His purchase included the northwest
quarter of the southwest quarter and the southwest quarter
of the southwest quarter of section 30, township 10 north,
range 1 west of the second principal meridian. John
Patterson bought the second tracts in the township on
August 11, 1823, the northwest quarter of the southeast
quarter, and the southwest quarter of the southeast quarter
of Section 31. The third entry was by Hugh Corr
on section 14, on January 30, 1824. Andrew Smith,
on section 6, and Jehu Buckner, on section 12, were
purchases in 1826. Samuel Gaskins
purchased eighty acres on section 28 in 1827, and Lee
Brown equaled his purchase in the same section on the
following year.
Other settlers during the days of formation were:
William and J. Millikan, section 30 in 1828; John
Turner, section 33, in October, 1829, and in the same
year Wylie Burns, section 13, and Richard Colier,
section 3; Isaac Gillaspy, section 34 in 1830;
Robert Walters and Jehu Bucker, section 28, and
John Weaver, section 5, in 1831; Thomas J. Nance
bought land on section 3 in 1832; John Bales,
section12; James Mulky, section 29; Allen Sims,
section 32; John Turner, section 33, and A. B.
Anderson. In 1833 came Goalson Steppe, on
section 2; John Weaver and Andrew Smith,
section 5; Job Johnson, section 14; John Neal,
section 17; John Bales, section 19; William
McNeely, section 29; Henry Putman, section 31.
In 1834 were Jehu Bucker, section 3; John Neal,
section 17; Thomas Gillaspy, section 21; James
Gaskins, section 28; David Paddock, section 28;
Lee Brown, section 32; Isaac Gillaspy, section
33; Andrew S. Tate, also of section 33; Benjamin
Marshall, on section 34; 1835 witnessed the following
entries: Job Johnson, section 14;
William Gaskins, section 29; Daniel Ray,
section 29; Emsley Wood, section 31; Allen
Sims, section 31; and Daniel Ray,
section 33. Numerous entries were made in 1836, and
they were: Jeremiah and Levi Colier,
William Tate and William Carlton on
section 16; Richard Colier, section 17;
Solomon Langwell, section 18; Benoni
Denny and William Carlton, section
19; Alexander W. Leland, section 19; Stephen
Gaskins, section 29; William Scott, William McNeely and
William Carlton, also on section 29; Alexander W. Leland,
section 30, in 1836; Emsley Wood and Jacob
Millikan, section 31; A. W. Leland and A. M.
Poe, section 32; Solomon Langwell and
A. B. Anderson, section 33. William
Scott entered land in section 16 in 1837, Washington
Smith on section 33, and David Browning
on section 34 in the same year. Caleb Colier
bought on the school section in 1838, Benjamin
Ridge, section 31, and Isaac Gillaspy and
William Scott, section 34. Thomas
Gillaspy bought on section 16, in 1839. These
entries were all made prior to 1840 and were those of the
earliest settlers. The government land was rapidly
taken up afterward in the forties and fifties.
SHARON WICK'S NOTE: I made a
diagram to show where they may have lived. See below.
6.
1826 Andrew Smith
|
5.
1831 John Weaver
____ John Weaver
____ Andrew Smith |
4 |
3
1829 Richard Colier
1832 Thomas J. Nance
1834 Jehu Buckner |
2
1833 Goalson Steppe |
1 |
12
1826 Jeho Buckner
_____ John Bales |
11 |
10
|
9 |
8 |
7 |
18
1836 Solomon Langwell |
17
____ John Neal
1834 John Neal
1836 Richard Colier
|
16
1836 Jeremiah Colier
1836 Levi Colier
1836 William Tate
1836 William Carlton
1837 William Scott
1839 Thomas Gillaspy |
15 |
14
1824 Hugh Corr
____ Job Johnson
1835 Job Johnson |
13
1829 Wylie Burns |
| 24 |
23 |
22 |
21
1834 Thomas Gillaspy |
20 |
19
____ John Bales
1836 Benoni Denny
1836 William Carlton
1836 Alexander W. Leland |
30
1817 James Bennington
1828 William Millilkan
1828 J. Millikan
1836 Alexander W. Leland |
29
____ James Mulky
____ William McNeely
1835 William Gaskins
1835 Daniel Ray
1836 Stephen Gaskins
1836 William Scott
1836 William McNeely
1836 Willilalm Carlton |
28
1827 Samuel Gaskins
80 acres
1828 Lee Brown
80 acres
1831 Robert Walters
1831 Jehu Buckner
1834 James Gaskins
1834 David Paddock |
27 |
26 |
25 |
| 36 |
35 |
34
1830 Isaac Gillaspy
1834 Benjamin Marshall
1837 David Browning
____ Isaac Gillaspy
____ William Scott |
33
1829 John Turner
____ John Turner
____ A. B. Anderson
1834 Isaac Gillaspy
1834 Andrew S. Tate
1835 Daniel Ray
____ Solomon Langwell
1837 Washington Smith |
32
____ Allen Sims
1834 Lee Brown
____ A. W. Leland
____ A. M. Poe |
31
____ John Patterson
____ Henry Putman
1835 Emsley Wood
1835 Allen Sims
____ Emsley Wood
____ Jacob Millikan|
1838 Caleb Colier
____ Benjamin Ridge |
TOWNS AND VILLAGES.
Wayport and Hindostan are
the two villages which have been founded in Washington
township. The former was laid out in April, 1851,
on sections 28 and 33, by Isaac Gillaspy, Thomas
Gillaspy, and G. W. Smith, proprietors, and
James Washburn, surveyor. Sixteen lots
comprised the town. One store, a post office, a
blacksmith shop are about all the town had.
Hindostan was laid out on the
northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section
14, in June, 1853, by Charles G. Corr,
proprietor, and James Woodburn, surveyor.
Twelve lots were laid out on the line of the
Martinsville and Bloomington state road, and just north
of the Columbus and Gosport state road. The
industries were on a par with those of Wayport.
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