Henry County, Indiana
Genealogy and History
History of Henry County, Indiana : together with sketches of its cities, villages and towns, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens : also a condensed history of Indiana, embodying accounts of pre-historic races, aborigines, Winnebago and Black Hawk wars, and a brief review of its civil and political history. Chicago: Inter-State Pub. Co., 1884, 944 pgs.
Liberty Township is a large, wealthy and prosperous portion of Herny County. Its main industry is agriculture, and the land is well suited to a variety of crops. The farms and improvements will compare favorably with other portions of the county. The people are intelligent and thrifty. The township is watereed by Flatrock and Symon's creeks and their tributaries. The surface is generally level. Liberty Township was formed by order of the county commissioners, Feb. 12, 1823, and an election ordered to be held at the house of Ezekiel Leavell on the first Saturday in May, Leavell to serve as inspector. The township as orginally formed was smaller than at present. One tier of sections was taken from the east of henry and added to Liberty in 1825. In the same year the house of Samuel D. Wells was made the election place of Liberty Township. At the first townskhip election held in May, 1823, John Smith was chosen Road Supervisor; Jacob Tharp and Cyrus Cotton, Overseers of the Poor
Forty-four entries of land in Liberty Township were made in 1821, as follows: Aug. 16, William Roe, Andrew Shannon, William Yates, Thomas Badson, Jesse Martindale, Moses Robertson, John Beard, Jeremiah Strode, William Bell, Daniel Wampler, David Brower, Joshua Hardman, John Leavell, George Handley, Samuel Southron, Robert Thompson, Micajah Chamness; Aug. 20, John Daugherty; Aug. 21, Henry Brower; Aug. 31, Thomas Raleston, Daniel Miller, Prosper Mickels; Sept. 4, Jacob Rhinehart, Peter Rhinehart, Jonathan Pierson, John Beeman; Sept. 12, George Koons; Sept. 20, Enoch Goff; Oct. 20, Elisha Long, Jeremiah Long; Oct. 22, John Baker; Nov. 4, Keneker Johnson; Nov. 12, Jesse Forkner; Nov. 30, Dilwin Bales; Dec. 5, Jeremiah Hadley, Richard Conway, Watson Rowe, John Koons; Dec. 6, George Hobson, John Marshall, Thomas Hobson, Thomas Mills; Dec. 7, John Stapler, Dec. 20, Josiah Clawson.
Settlement seems to have begun in this township as early as in any part of the county. Nearly all of the foregoing purchasers of land were actual settlers at the time of purchase or became so soon after. Christopher Mann is said to have been the first settler in the township. Other pioneers from 1819 to 1822 were: Elisha Long, Thomas R. Stanford, Ezekeil Leavell - all prominent in the early official history ofthe county; Moses Robertson, David Brower, John Leavell, Jesse Forkner, Robert Thompson, John Baker, Jacob, Peter and James Rhinehart and others. The township settled up quite rapidly, receiving immigrants from North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kekntucky and other States.
In 1822 Peter and Susan Wise, natives of Pennsylvnaia, settled one-half mile east of where David Wise now lives. he died in 1876, and his wife in 1880
David Shell, born in Pennsylvania, in 1806, settled in 1823 on the farm where he now lives.
Joshua Hoover, who died in 1876, came from Pennsylvania to Ohio, and thence, in 1826, to Liberty Township.
John Odom and family were among the first settlers in the county, coming to the farm now owned by John H. Hewit while the Indians were still here
Benjamin Clark, who died in 1878, settled in this township about 1823.
William Dixson and family, from Virginia, came to Indiana on horseback, and settled on Flatrock, three miles east of new Castle, in 1823.
Robert Boyd, a native of kentucky, came from Wayne County, Ind., to this township in 1825. He died in 1854. His widow is still living, aged eighty-seven. Her son, Wm. L., an ex-County Commissioner , was born in Wayne County in 1822.
Wm. Bond, a native of North Corolina, and a member of the Friends' Society, came to this township with his family in 1827. His son John lived and died here.
Wilson Wisehart, son of Benjamin Wisehart, was born in Virginia in 1811. His parents came to Henry County in 1820, and settled on Symon's Creek. The family afterward removed to Liberty Township, thence to Fall Creek. Wilson is an old resident of Liberty.
John McShurley and family, from Kentucky, settled in this township in 1828. he died in 1840.
Isaac Brown was an early settler. His son Samuel was born in this township in 1833, and still resides here.
Enos Bond, a member of the Society of Friends, was a native of Wayne County. In 1830 he settled in Liberty Township, Henry County. he died in 1833. He was a successful business man and a worthy citizen.
Daniel Rhinehart, who died in 1864, was born in Virginia in 1807; settled in Liberty Township about 1832.
James Peed, from Kentucky, settled in this township in 1835; died in 1861.
Elias Pickens, an old settler, was born in New Jersey in 1812; passed his boyhood in Hamilton County, Ohio; visited Indianapolis when it contained only about a dozen house, and helped hew the logs for the first store in that place; settled in Henry County in 1833.
Augustus Batchfield, a native of Germany, settled on Flatrock in 1834; moved to his present farm in 1866. Adam Wellser, Jr., settled in 1834, on the farm where his widow now lives. Mrs. Jane Wilson and family, from Kentucky settled in this township the same year. Charles G. Wilson, Esq., is a prominent farmer.
Probably the first death in the township was that of Sarah Long. She died Sept. 11, 1822, at the age of sixty-six. Her husband, Christopher Long, a Revolutionary soldier and pioneer settler, died Aug. 14, 1829, aged eighty-three years.
A school was kept on the farm then owned by Peter Wise, as early as 1834. Other early schools were maintained in different neighborhoods, sometimes in a room of a log cabin, and at other times in rude log buildings erected for school purposes.
In 1880 the population of Liberty Township was 1,839; of the village of Millville, 114.
The township officers for 11884 -'5 are: W. H. Wilson, Trustee; Richard Smith, Assessor; A. Welker, Justice; Augustus Batchfield, Constable.
Flaterock Meeting - Flatrock Friends Meeting was organized in 1824 with the following members: John Marshall, Isaac Brown, Wm. bond, John Davis (still living), George Hobson, Mordecai Bond, Stephen Marshall, Isaiah Huff, Luke Wiles, Sr., Luke Wiles, Jr. and their wives. The first meeting house was a log structure erected on the banks of the Flatrock. In a few years it became too small for the meeting and a frame house twenty-five feet square was erected on the same lot. It was afterward moved one mile northwest and an addition built to it. It was then used for the Monthly Meeting for fifteen years. This having been destroyed by fire, a new meeting-house, 26 x 40 feet, in a very pretty grove, was erected in 1883 at a cost of $800. The first ministers were Rhoda Wiles and Joseph Stanley. The present ministers are Samuel Brown and several other members of the congregation. The present membership is eighty-five. A flourishing Sabbath-school was organized in September, 1883. Emma Allen is Superintendent. The school numbers over forty pupils.
The Lutherans erected a church in the eastern part of the township in 1883. The organization has been extinct for several years.
Universalist. - The Universalist church in Liberty Township (the only one in the county) was organized in 18__, by Wm. Bland, George and Thomas Runyan, Elias Pickens, John Williams, Dr. A. J. Batson, Dr. Isaac Baker and others, with their wives and families. The first services were held at the houses of Wm. Bland, Ths. Runyan, Geo. Runyan, and other members of the congregations. The first association was held at the old "horse mill," on the farm where Wm. Boyd now resides. Among the first ministers were Judah Babcock, Jonathan Kidwell and others. The house of worship was erected in 1845, and has since been remodeled and enlarged. The building and grounds are worth $1,500. Membership, Seventy. Pastor, T. S. Guthrie. Officers: Frank Phelman, Moderator; John H. Hewit, Clerk; J. D. Wilson and Charles Hamilton, Deacons.
German Baptist - Locust Grove german Baptist Church was organized by Lewis Kinsey, Daniel Hardman, John Crull, David Harman and other early settlers. Meetings were held for many years in barns, dwellings and school-houses. The present church was erected in 1864 at a cost of $800. The membership is 400. The present church officers are John Roher, Henry Eschelman and Jacob Ehebarger. There is a flourishing Sunday-school of about eighty pupils, organized in 1870. Lewis Teeter is Supintendent, and John Hoover, Secretary.
Flatrock Christian Church - located in the southwestern part of the township, was organized as early as 1840. Rev. Elijah Martindale was one of the first ministers. The church property is a good one, ample for the wants of the congregtion. No statistics obtainable.
A small village on the Chicago division of the C., St. L. & P. Railroad , east of New Castle, was founded about 1854 and a post-office established soon after. Joshua Johnson built and kept the first store. The first Postmaster was George Evans; the present is John Netz. Ashland contains one general store, one saw-mill, one blacksmith shop, one grain wareouse, one church and a small population.
This is a small village situated near the center of the Liberty Township, on the C. St. L. & P. Railroad. It was founded in 1855, by John Hershberger, and has grown, but slowly. In 1880 its population was 114. It is now nearly twice that number. Millville has one general store, one drug and grocery store, one agricultural implement store, one grain ware-house, one saw-mill, one hotel, two blacksmith shops, one wagon shop, one minister, one church, two physicians and one graded school. Thomas Hood and Robert Becket opened the first store at Millville. The postoffice at this place was established about 1859, J. A. Stafford being the first Postmaster.