VILLAGE PLATS OF MONROE COUNTY.

     The subjoined is a list of various original plats for villages within this county.  Some of these have long since become defunct:
     BLOOMINGTON - June 22, 1818, by Benjamin Parks, agent for the county.  The public square was described as being two hundred seventy-six feet each way.  The associate judges who acknowledged the survey were Hons. Lewis Noel and Jonathan Nichols.

     CHAMBERSVILLE was platted February 25, 1893, by J. H. Louden, William P. Rogers and H. Henley, on the north part of the east half of the west half of the southwest quarter of section 29, township 9, range 1 west.

     CHAPEL HILL was platted October 11, 1856, on the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section 31, township 7, range 1 east, by David Miller and John Smith.

     ELLETTSVILLE (or RICHLAND). - On the northeast quarter of section 7, township 7, range 2 west, February 13, 1837, by Reuben Tompkins.

     FAIRFAX - On the east half of the southeast quarter of section 26, township 7, range 1, by Z. Long and his wife, Mahala Long.

     FRIENDSHIP was platted October 19, 1857, by James Fleener, on section 21, township 8, range 1 east.

     FLEENERSBURG (Unionville now) was platted on the southwest corner of the southwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section 9, township 9, range 1 east, June 5, 1847, by Nicholas Fleener.

     HARRODSBURG (originally known as NEWGENE) was platted on the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 29, township 7, range 1 west, Decembr 16, 1836, by Alexander Buchannon.  It was re-platted May 22, and 23, 1866.

     HINDOSTAN was platted August 18, 1853, on the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 14, township 10, range 1 west, by Charles G. Carr.

     HINSONBURG, situated on the northeast quarter of section 31, township 9, range 1 west, by James and Caroline Hinson, Riley Sanders and William E. Bizzard, September 24, 1892.

     LIMESTONE (now SANDERS) was platted in Perry township, by Newell and Carinne Sanders, July 14, 1892, on the west half of the southwest quarter of section 34, township 8, range 1 west.

     MT. TABOR was platted April 21, 1828

     OOLITIC was platted by the Oolitic Stone Company, on the east half of the southeast quarter of section 33, and the west half of the southwest quarter of section 34, township 8, range 1 west.

     PALESTINE was platted February 17, 1845, by Thomas Shipman, in township 7 north, of range 2, and is now defunct.

     ROCK CASTLE, in the west half of the wets half of the southwest quarter of section 29, township 9, range 1 west, by Gilbert Perry, Henry Perry, Fred Mathews, W. H. Wicks and others, July 20, 1872.

     SMITHVILLE was platted November 26, 1851, on the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter and the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section 3, township 7 range 1 west, by Mansfield Bennett and George Smith.

     STANFORD was platted July 29, 1838, by H. A. Tarkington.

     STINESVILLE, platted April 5, 1855, on the southeast quarter of section 17, township 10, range 2 west, by Ensebieus Stine.

     UNIONVILLE, same as old FLEENERSBURG.

     WAYPORT, platted April 12, 1851, on sections 28 and 33, all in township 10, range 1 west, by Isaac Gillaspy, George Smith and wives.

POPULATION.

VILLAGE, TOWN AND CITY POPULATION - 1910

THE OLD SETTLERS' SOCIETY.

     The first steps to organize an old settlers' society were taken in 1852, when a call was issued at Bloomington for a public meeting.  However, this meeting was not held, and nothing further was done until 1857, at which time an old settlers' society was formed.  The Republican of Bloomington had the following notice in regard to it:

OLD SETTLERS' MEETING

     "In pursuance of previous notice for an old settlers' meeting, quite a large number of the old gray-headed fathers and pioneers of Monroe county met in mass at the court house in the town of Bloomington, on Monday, the 26th day of April, 1857, for the purpose of organizing a society to be called the Old Settlers' Society, and make suitable arrangements for its permanent organization.  The meeting was called to order.  On motion of Matthew M. Campbell, Jacob B. Lowe was called to the chair, and Marton C. Hunter appointed secretary.  Colonel Campbell of Washington township, moved that a committee of five be appointed by the chair to make all necessary arrangements for an old settlers' meeting on the 4th of July next.  Prof. M. M. Campbell moved to amend the motion by striking out the word 'five' and inserting 'one from each township in Monroe county', which amendment was accepted by Colonel Campbell, and the motion was amended passed.  Whereupon the chair appointed the following gentlemen to serve as said committee:  Colonel Campbell, of Washington township; John Hubbard, of Marion; David Barrow, of Benton; James P. Ellis, of Salt Creek; John Hanson of Polk; Colonel Ketcham of Clear Creek; Joseph S. Walker, of Indian Creek; M. M. Campbell, of Perry; Ellis Stone, of Van Buren; Judge Reeves, of Richland; James V. Buskirk, of Bean Blossom; Elias Abel, of Bloomington township.  To which was added Paris C. Dunning and Austin Seward.  Eli P. Farmer of Richland township, moved that twenty-five years' residence in Monroe county entitle a man to membership.   George A. Buskirk, Esq., moved to amend the motion by requiring each member to be fifty years old, and have resided in the county thirty years, which amendment was accepted by Mr. Farmer.  The motion as amended passed.  Samuel H. Buskirk, Esq., moved that a committee of nine be appointed to make all suitable arrangements for the meeting of the old settlers on the 4th of July, and to prepare refreshmens for the occasion.  The chair appointed the following gentlemen such committee:  Samuel H. Buskirk, F. T. Butler, P. L. D. Mitchell, Jesse T. Cox, William Ward, Aquilla W. Rogers, William C. Sadler, Col. L. Gentry, George A. Buskirk.  The object of organizing the Old Settlers' Society is, that the old gray-headed fathers may be called together at stated periods for the purpose of enjoying a social repast with each other, and in their own way entertain the meeting by the narration of anecdotes, as well as the hardships and perilous scenes that transpired during the early settling of the country, in the planting of civilization, clearing up of the lands, and subduing the red man of the forest, as also the dangers, perils and hardships of the war of 1812, that the rising generation may be kept in remembrance of the debt of gratitude that is due from them to their pioneer fathers for the blessings they now enjoy, and that the pen of the historian may record those scenes for the benefit of generations that may come after us.  All will therefore come prepared to narrate the various incidents that came under their observation.  The various committees above named will meet at Bloomington on Saturday, the 19th day of June, to make all necessary arrangements for the meeting, which is to take place on the 4th of July next.  No committeeman should fail to attend.  On motion, the proceedings were ordered to be published in the Bloomington Republican.  On motion adjourned.

     On the 4th of July there was held a meeting, but no adequate record was kept of the happenings, hence the incident cannot be described.  It is true, however, that great crowds of people were in town, and a big dinner given to the old people.
     The second meeting of the old settlers occurred on September 17, 1858, and the Republican said of it:
     "Pursuant to previous notice, the old settlers of Monroe county met at the court house, in the town of Bloomington, on the 17th day of September, 1858.  The meeting was organized by calling Col. John Ketcham to the chair, and appointing Milton McPhetridge, secretary.  The proceedings of the meeting were opened by an appropriate prayer by the Rev. Eli P. Farmer.
     "On motion of Austin Seward, Benjamin F. Rogers was admitted to all the rights and privileges of the old settlers, he being forty years of age and the first white male child born in the county.
     "The chairman requested every person who was fifty years old and upward, and who had resided in the county thirty years, to come forward and have their names, ages and places of nativity registered, whereupon eighty-eight came forward and were duly registered.
     "General Lowe, who was selected by the committee of arrangements to deliver an address, not being present, Rev. Eli P. Farmer was called upon, and addressed the meeting in a brief, appropriate speech, detailing many interesting incidents connected with the early settling of the county.  He was followed by Col. John Ketchem, M. M. Campbell, John M. Saddler, James V. Buskirk, Rev. Solomon Lucas, and others, each giving an account of his trials and hardships in the settling of the county, and of their bear, wolf, deer and panther hunts, many of which were truly amusing, and were listened to with much interest, not only by the old settlers, but by a large number of citizens who had assembled on the occasion.
     "On motion of Mr. McCollough, it was resolved that the next annual meeting of the old settlers be held at the same place on the 17th day of September, 1859, and that each member bring his wife, and those that have none are requested to get one, or bring a widow; also, that all old settlers who have not registered their names are requested to do so previous to the next meeting; and, on further motion of Mr. McCollough, Col. John Ketcham was appointed chairman, and Milton McPhetridge secretary, to serve until the next annual meeting.
     "At half-past one o'clock, a procession was formed, and after marching around the public square, the old settles, with many others, repaired to 'Young's House,' and sat dow to a sumptuous dinner prepared by mine host, John Young.  The tables were well filled with everything necessary to satisfy the most fastidious.
     "The best kind of feeling prevailed throughout the day, no incident occurring to  mar the harmony of the meeting.  After dinner was over, the old men got together, in groups, and talked over bygone scenes.  All seemed to enjoy themselves, and will long remember the happy meeting of this day.  The company dispersed at a late hour without any formal adjournment.
     "Places of nativity:  Kentucky, 30; Virginia, 24; North Carolina, 10; Tennessee, 8; Maryland, 6; Pennsylvania, 4; Indiana, 3; Ohio, 1; Vermont, 1; Delaware, 1.
     "By order of the committee of arrangements.
                                              "JOHN KETCHAM, Chairman.
                                              "MILTON McPHETRIDGE, Secretary."

     Meetings were held annually after this until the opening of the Civil war, when they were discontinued.  In 1866 the society was reorganized and held meetings until 1870, when it was joined to the district society at Gosport.  This alliance had short life, and soon the old society was reformed.  Its existence ...................MORE TO COME

THE MONROE COUNTY, INDIANA, HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

EARLY STAGES AND RAILROADS.

NEW ALBANY AND SALEM RAILROAD.

THE INDIANAPOLIS SOUTHERN RAILROAD.

PIONEER TALES.
(By Margaret J. McCullough)

     When I was a little girl I used to see some of the old people who were still left of the pioneer days of the twenties and thirties of the last century.  A child, being heedless, I recall now but little of their talk.  I do not think, either, that most of their talk was of the past.  They were people who make history, rather than recite it.
     I remember how they looked.  The old ladies wore caps.  Caps were put on in the earlier part of the last century, not as a mark of old age, as some think, but a badge of the married woman.  My grandmother, who was married at the age of sixteen, put on a cap to wear to what was called "the infair dinner" the next day after her wedding, and she wore caps till the day of her death.  Some of these old ladies wore under their caps smooth, dark, think false fronts or half wigs, which were called "braids."
     Their best dresses were usually of black silk or lustre, with full straight skirts, the kind built for service, and not considered worn out until they had been turned upside down, wrongside out, and perhaps redyed in the family dye-kettle.  The bonnets they wore were bonnets in fact, as well as in name.  Some of them used tobacco, which they usually smoked in pipes, though I could name one who preferred to chew, and another who took snuff, not "dipping" in the Southern style of today, but snuffing the stuff up the nostrils in a way to cause a good sneeze.
     The good names their parents had given them had in the early years of the last century been fashionably nicknamed; Polly for Mary; Patsy for Martha, Betsy for Elizabeth, Sally for Sarah, and Peggy for Margaret.  These were the names they, in their old age, still called each other.  When these old ladies came with their knitting to visit my grandmother, I would sometimes listen to the talk of the knitters.
     It was "Cousin Patsy Baugh" who told this story:  The first year the peach trees they had planted bore fruit, they got some flour from Vincennes, and she made a peach pie.  She sent invitations to her neighbors to come in and eat peach pie, which they did.  She thought it was the first peach pie ever made in the county.  The peach pie of that day was of the deep kind, known as a cobbler, and baked by the fire place in probably an iron oven.
     My grandmother moved here without bringing along a broom.  My grandfather had bought lots here and paid a man to build a cabin for him while he went back to Kentucky after his family.  When he got back the man had not built his cabin.  An abandoned cabin stood on the corner of Seventh and College avenue, on the lot where now stands the Ousler home.  Into that they moved temporarily.  The rough puncheon floor became so dirty that she was in despair.  Back of the cabin a garden had been planted, but the weeds were as high as her head.  One night she dreamed that she searched among the weeds in the back end of the garden and found broom corn growing.  She looked the next day, finding the broom corn as in her dream, and cut it and made her first broom to use here.  Brooms were then made at home, and a patch of broom corn was a necessary part of every garden.  I have seen a few of these old-time home-made brooms.  they were always tied into a round bunch.  I never saw one made flat and fan shaped as are the factory-made ones of today.  Then there were turkey-wings spread out and carefully dried in shape, that were used not only to fan the fire, but to sweep the hearth and to brush up litter generally.
     Wild turkeys were not uncommon then, and even as late as the forties the price of a fine tame turkey delivered at your door was twenty-five cents.
     Mrs. Elizabeth Dunn, known as "Cousin Betsy," had been a Miss Grundy, of Kentucky.  Sometime after she and Mr. Dunn were settled in their first little home near Hanover, her brother came out to visit her.  He found her taking care of three little babes put down before the fireplace in three little sugar troughs.  Two of these babies were the twin sisters, Lucinda and Clarinda, afterwards Mrs. James Carter and Mrs. Joseph McPheeters, and the third one became the noted lawyer, George G. Dunn.
     The primitive sugar troughs, scooped out of little logs and set to catch maple sap, have one out of use, and the sugar trees themselves are fast disappearing.  Sugar making, candle making, soap making, fruit drying, starch making, the during of meats, may now all be classed with the lst arts, along with spinning and weaving, so far as family industries are concerned.  I do not know that there is any flax grown in Monroe county today, but that industry made a fair beginning.  The spinning and weaving of wool, both at home and in small mills, lasted much longer than the weaving of flax and cotton fabrics, which industry died out as merchants brought more and more of factory-woven cotton goods from the Eastern states.  The factory-made cotton cloth was first sold under the name of "steam-loom" and also known in the market as "factory."  I cannot myself see why either name is not as fitting as to call it "domestic," as is done today.
     Speaking of the factories of that day, recalls an odd fact.  When the college building, that burnt in 1854, was under consideration, there was some perplexity as to a plan for the building.  One of the merchants had brought on some "steam-loom" with the picture pasted on it of the building where it had been woven.  The men on the committee and leading citizens were so taken with the design of the factory building, that they said it was the very thing they wanted for the college.  Accordingly the college building was put up to look like it, and became an ornament to the town.  Another ornamental and substantial building was the court house.  The gilt cup, and ball and fish that were mounted above the round tower or dome came from Louisville.  I have heard that in the ball were enclosed papers of that date and a letter from the man who made them.  My grandfather, Austin Seward, mounted them.
     The able-bodied men of the early days were required to assemble at stated times and receive military training.  I think the time was once a year - it was called Muster day.  Great-grandmother Irwin, who had been a young girl in Virginia at the time of the Revolutionary war, and who had seen Washington in command of his army, would make most unfavorable comments on the drilling of the raw Hoosiers on muster day.  "They are getting that wrong," she would say.  "Washington did not do it that way."  There are still living a few who remember her, though she was at the time of the war old enough to spin, weave and cook with her own hands to feed and clothe the soldiers of the Revolutionary war.  But she died many, many years before I was born.
     In 1832 scarlet fever made its first appearance here in a very malignant form.  Every child that had the disease, but two, died.  Among the children who died was my mother's baby brother, Austin, and of the two who lived, one, Mrs. Mary Maxwell Shryer, is still living.
     Although at first without a church building, the preaching of the Gospel was not neglected.  When my grandmother's cabin was built, meeting of the Presbyterians was often held at her home because she had so much room.
     The itinerant preacher had always a welcome in Monroe county in the pioneer days that Eggleston has in the "Circuit Rider" well called the "Heroic Age."  The work of the early preachers will come up for review in connection with the different religious denominations, but I wish to recall that in the late twenties the famous and eccentric Lorenzo Dow in his travels stopped in this place and preached.  I cannot give his church connection, if he had any.
     Later, in the forties, Alexander Campbell, in his old age, was here twice, and Henry Ward Beecher, at the beginning of his public career, addressed Bloomington audiences.  I think they spoke in the chapel of the old college building that burned down in 1854.
     Water for these early settlers was first obtained from springs.  An old well on West Seventh Street, out in the street, and called in my childhood the public well, was, I think, perhaps one of these springs walled up and made deeper.  The well at the Slocomb House on the corner of Third and Walnut, was dug in 1820 and later the town became fairly well supplied with wells.  three of these early springs deserve special mention, Dunn's, Hester's and Stone's.  What child ever grew up in old Bloomington who never went to one of these springs?  For they were all favorite places for picnics.  The first picnic in this place that I have heard of was one at Hester's spring.  It was for Mr. Perring's school, and the girls marched up what is now Walnut street, two by two, wearing white dresses, with pink muslin sashes, or perhaps they were blue, fastened over their shoulders.  Hester's spring was later known for many years as Labertew's spring.  The name LaBoyteaux was corrupted into Labertew by the people of the town.  Judge Creaven B. Hester was perhaps one of the first trustees of the Monroe Seminary.  This school for a considerable part of its history was wholly given to the education of the girls, during the most of Mr. Perring's administration and perhaps all of Mrs. McFerson's, but buoys went there at first and during the last yeas of its history.  One of the first, if not the first, churches of the place was a log building which was built on what is now the home of Mrs. Nancy Blair McQuiston;  I think one of the foundation stones can still be located in her yard.  In this building, with oiled paper fastened over openings in the logs for windows, was taught one of the first schools of the county.  The name of the teacher I cannot give, but I understand that spelling was the chief thing taught.
     On the corner of Eighth and Walnut, now the home of Henry Gentry, once stood an old brick house where a school was taught, or at least started, by a woman who lived in the house, but her name I cannot give.  My mother was sent to this school.  The first day she seeded cherries.  The second day she filled candle moulds.  the third day her mother kept her at home.  There is mention made in the "New Purchase" of a school for girls which I cannot tell anything more about than is told here but the facts given in that book are true, so I have been told.
     At the time the first edition of that book came out, my grandfather had inflammatory rheumatism.  He lay on a trundle-bed in front of the fireplace in the parlor of his home, and my mother read the book aloud to him.  He laughed heartily at the book, and said the incidents related were true; in many cases, he could relate a god many more points to the stories.  I once heard a great aunt speak of a party when a pig was put into a window by some of the uninvited, who resented the drawing of a social line of division.  This is a tale that will be recalled by those who have read the New Purchase.  I have heard this same grand-aunt tell of a singing held at a farm house east of town; it must be now seventy-five years ago.  Some interest appears to have been taken in music from the very first.  The history of the Bloomington Band will, no doubt, be written out so far as known  I think I may claim for W. R. Seward that he has the distinction of being the youngest member ever belonging to a band in the state, serving as he did as a drummer boy when he was so little that he still wore dresses.  Once, during a political campaign, he was taken, much against his mother's judgment, to another town with the band, where it was thought amazing that a baby could beat a drum for a band and keep time, which he could do.  The piano was taught at the seminary during Mr. Perry's time, but now early introduced I cannot tell.  Miss Kate Baugh was something of a celebrity in that she "played the fiddle."  Singing schools I know were common and popular, meeting "at early candle-light," the pupils each taking along his own candle.  I can give the names of none of these old time singing-masters before Mr. Saddler.  His singing schools were perhaps the most noted of any ever taught in this county, but they were too late to be classed with the pioneer singing schools.
     I wish to refer to one old-tie song that my father would sing for me, not for its elegance, but because it positively settles a much disputed historical question.  The son ran, "Humpsey dumpsey, Colonel Johnson killed Tecumseh."
     Quiltings were popular social entertainments of those early times, the women coming early and getting the quilts out of the frames if possible by supper time, when the men came in for supper, and "saw the girls home."   Society was divided on the subject of dancing.  Some regarded every kind of dance with abhorrence, while the dancers derided the dullness of what they called a "settin' party."  Mrs. McFerson, who was progressive and up-to-date in her ideas, introduced calisthenics into her school.  These simple exercises were laughed at and called the Presbyterian sheepdance, Mrs. McFerson being a Presbyterian.
     The itinerant shoemaker was an important person, going as he did with his tools from house to house where he stayed till he had fitted out each member of the family with shoes, though by no means were all shoemakers itinerants.
     One of the early families of the place was that of James Clark, whose farm on South Walnut street, now perhaps within the limits of the town, was the same afterwards so long known as the Ruddy place.  The old long house, the home of Clark's, was known to be one of the stations on the underground railroad.  The Clarks moved away to Iowa, the Hester family to California, and the Boughs to another part of the state, if my memory is accurate.  All were influential in the early building up of this community.  Disagreement between Dr. Wylie and Rev. Bayard Hall also led to the removal of the Hall family, to some town in Connecticut, I think.  When they left they rode by my grandfather's house and stopped to bid good-bye, and my grandfather gave Mr. Hall, as a parting gift, a gun he had made for him, which he said was his masterpiece of work, mounted as it was with silver trimmings which he had made out of silver dollars.  Mr. Hall used to write to him, but it would seem miraculous if one of those old letters could be found.
     I hardly think that these pioneers who brought to the wilderness the Bible, and the industrial arts, who established churches and schools and courts of justice, fully realized the value of the work they were doing in laying the foundations of a great state.  A leading citizen of this work was Colonel Ketcham.  I will close with a characteristic story about him.
     In August, 1833, my grandfather McCollough died of the cholera.  The January following my grandmother McCollough died.  This left a family of five orphan children to be scattered among kin in Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri, and the household effects were sold at auction.  As my father, a ten-year-old boy, saw the family horse sold and led away, he cried so hard it moved Colonel Ketcham to pity.  He tried to quiet him and told him when he grew up to be a man he would give him a horse of his own.  And when my father grew to manhood, one day Colonel Ketcham came bringing him a horse.  My father did not wish to take it "Why," asked the Colonel, "don't you remember my promise at your father's sale?"  My father said he did remember, but he did not expect a promise made years ago to quiet a crying child to be kept.  But the Colonel said that he meant to keep the promise when he made it, and that he made it a point to keep his word, and he made my father take the horse.