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PERRY TOWNSHIP

 PERRY TOWNSHIP. [1]

The township of Perry (so named in honor of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry) is the central one of the southern tier of townships of Marion County, being bounded on the west by Decatur township, on the north by Centre, on the east by Franklin township, and on the south by Johnson County. The principal stream (and the only one of any importance) in the township is White River, which flows in a general south-southwesterly direction, and forms the entire western boundary of this township against that of Decatur. Several inconsiderable tributaries of White River flow in westerly and southwesterly courses through Perry, among them being Buck and Lick Creeks, which have become a little more noted than other unimportant streams of this region from the fact that early churches were built near them and received their names. The lands of this township are bottom, second bottom, and uplands, the latter in many places rising into undulations. In nearly all parts of the township the soil is excellent, well adapted for purposes of agriculture, and yields an abundant return to the farmer for labor bestowed upon it. The population of Perry township in 1880 was two thousand five hundred and ninety-eight, as shown by the returns of the United States census taken in that year. Perry township was laid off and erected by order of the county commissioners of Marion County on the 16th of April, 1822, and on the same day and by order of the same board it was joined with Decatur and Franklin, the three to be regarded temporarily as one township, for the reason that none of the three were then sufficiently populous for separate organization. This union continued till Aug. 12, 1823, when the commissioners ordered Perry to be stricken off and separately organized. Then Perry and Franklin continued united until May 12, 1824, when the same action was taken with regard to Franklin, thus leaving Perry a separate and independent township.

When Perry township was laid out by the commissioners in 1822 its west line was a prolongation of the present line between Centre and Wayne, thus giving to Decatur township a large triangular strip of land lying east of White River, and now included in Perry. This original west line remained undisturbed until Jan. 7, 1833, when, upon petition of certain citizens of Decatur township living east of the river, the commissioners ordered "that all the part of Decatur township lying on the east side of White River shall be attached to and hereafter form a part of Perry township,” thus permanently establishing the river boundary.

Following is a list of township officers of Perry township from its formation to the present time, viz.:

JUSTICES OF THE PEACE.
Peter Harmonson, June 28, 1822, to June 6, 1827.
Henry D. Bell, Jan. 3, 1824, to April 18, 1828.
Thomas Carle, April 30, 1828, to May, 1831; died.
Peyton Bristow, Nov. 3, 1829, to July 4, 1834; resigned.
Thomas McFarland, June 18, 1831, to Jan. 6, 1834; resigned.
Jacob Smock, Feb. 21, 1834, to Feb. 21, 1839.
George Tomlinson, Oct. 18, 1834, to Oct. 18, 1839.
John Myers, April 6, 1839, to April 6, J 844.
George Tomlinson, Dec. 7, 1839, to Dec. 7, 1844.
John Myers, May 25, 1844, to May 25, 1849.
George Tomlinson, Jan. 15, 1845, to Jan. 15, 1850.
John Smith, May 25, 1849, to May 25, 1868.
Thomas C. Smock, Jan. 15, 1850, to Jan. 15, 1855.
Thomas J. Todd, June 2, 1854, to June 2, 1862.
William H. Boyd, Jan. 15, 1855, to Feb. 26, 1857; resigned.
Garret List, April 28, 1857, to April 18, 1861.
Thomas N. Thomas, May 26, 1858, to 1864.
John W. Riley, June 4, 1861, to March 18, 1864; resigned.
James Gentle, June 2, 1862, to April 1, 1863; resigned.
Thomas O. Smock, April 22, 1863, to April 22, 1871.
John Myers, Nov. 14, 1864, to July 20, 1882; died.
Jobn W. Thompson, Nov. 15, 1864; removed.
William T. Curd, April 13, 1867, to April 13, 1871.
Samuel Royster, April 13, 1871, to Feb. 27, 1872; resigned.
Joseph Henricks, June 14, 1871, to March 16, 1872; resigned.
William T. Curd, Oct. 21, 1872, to Feb. 4, 1875; died.
George Isaac Tomlinson, March 25, 1875, to Oct. 25, 1880.
Isaac N. Stackhouse, July 6, 1877, to April 9, 1878.
Samuel C. Ferguson, April 9, 1878, to April 9, 1882.
Levi A. Hardesty, Oct. 15, 1879, to Oct. 30, 1884.  


TRUSTEES.  
John McCollum, April 9, 1859, to April 18, 1863.
Robert M. Stewart, April 18, 1863, to Sept. 8, 1865.
James Gentle, Sept. 16, 1865, to April 18, 1868.
John E. Griffith, April 18, 1868, to June 3, 1871.
James Gentle, June 3, 1871, to Oct. 8, 1872.
Elbert F. Norwood, Oct. 8, 1872, to Oct. 26, 1874.
Charles Larsh, Oct. 26, 1874, to Oct. 20, 1876.
William R. Wycoff, Oct. 20, 1876, to April 10, 1880.
John S. Morford, April 10, 1880, to April 14, 1884.
 
ASSESSORS.
George L. Kinnard, Jan. 1, 1827, to Jan. 7, 1828.
David Marrs, Jan. 7, 1828, to Jan. 4, 1830.
Thomas McFarland, Jan. 4, 1830, to Jan. 2, 1832.
William H. Bristow, Jan. 2, 1832, to Jan. 7, 1833.
Samuel Alexander, Jan. 7, 1833, to Jan. 6, 1834.
William H. Bristow, Jan. 6, 1834, to May 5, 1835.
George Tomlinson, May 5, 1835, to March 7, 1836.
Jonathan Barrett, March 7, 1836, to Jan. 2, 1837.
George Tomlinson, Jan. 2, 1837, to Jan. 1, 1838.
Thomas N. Thomas, Jan. 1, 1838, to Jan. 7, 1839.
Jonathan Barrett, Jan. 7, 1839, to Jan. 6, 1840.
Samuel Alexander, Jan. 6, 1840, to Jan. 4, 1841.
Thomas N. Thomas, Jan. 4, 1841, to Dec. 6, 1841.
John P. Fisher, Dec. 8, 1852, to Nov. 21, 1854.
Isaac M. Todd, Nov. 21, 1854, to Dec. 9, 1856.
James Tharp, Dec. 9, 1856, to Oct. 13, 1860.
Archibald Glenn, Oct. 13, 1880, to Nov. 4, 1862.
John P. Fisher, Nov. 4, 1862, to Nov. 19, 1870.
Marion Kelly, Nov. 19, 1870, to Nov. 20, 1872.
David M. Fisher, Nov. 20, 1872, to Aug. 1, 1873.
Samuel C. Ferguson, March 27, 1875, to Dec. 2, 1876.
John S. Morford, Dec. 2, 1876, to April 10, 1880.
Wooster D. Cleaver, April 10, 1880, to April 14, 1882.
George C. Thompson, April 14, 1882, to April 14, 1884.
 
In the west part of Perry township the first settlers were Henry Riddle, his brother-in-law, William Kinnick, Peter Harmonson, and his brother, who came in November or December, 1821. They did not enter land, being merely squatters. Riddle built his cabin on the Vincennes trace, which led from Indianapolis to the Bluffs of White River. His location was on the south side of Buck Creek, and east of the present Bluff road. The Harmonsons located on the west side of the trace, and on the north side of Buck Creek. Their cabins were the only dwellings that there were at that time between Indianapolis and the Bluffs of the White River, where Waverly now stands.

There were a number of other settlements made during the year 1822. The first of these other settlements was made on Pleasant Run, directly south of Glenn's Valley, the settlers being Archibald Glenn, John Murphy, and John Smart. The first two located precisely on the line between Marion and Johnson County, and Smart on the Marion side of the line, the land belonging to Hezakiah Smart, his brother (who had entered the land some time before), and adjoining the land of Glenn and Murphy. This settlement was made in October, 1822, and at about the same time, or a little later, there came a colored family and located on land which now belongs to Archibald Glenn, it being at the crossing of Pleasant Run and the Bluff road, south of the run and west of the road. They were Mark Harris, a bachelor and the owner of the land (three hundred and twenty acres), and his brother Daniel and family, a wife and five children. They came from Ohio, and were the first colored family in the township, and perhaps in the county.

John Smart was a cripple, his left arm being lame, but he cleared between four and five acres of ground the first winter, leaving the logs on the ground, merely trimming off the brush, which he burnt, and having no horse of his own, he hired Mark Harris to lay off the ground, which Harris did with a shovel-plow, marking it (not plowing at all) off in furrows about four feet wide, jumping the logs. The corn was cultivated with nothing but a hoe, and the sacks in which it was carried to mill and the clothing which they had were made from nettles gathered and prepared by Mrs. Smart. Crippled as he was, Smart in a few years became the possessor of eighty acres of land, part of which is in the present village of Glenn's Valley, and now occupied by his son, Hezekiah Smart.

About a mile north of this settlement, on the sixteenth or school section, there settled a colony, coming from Dearborn County, Ind., consisting of three or four families,-James Martin and family, his brother-in-law, Samuel Smith, and family, Smith's son-in-law, William Stallcop, and Stallcop's brother. Martin did not settle permanently on this section, but soon after entered eighty acres of land half a mile north of his temporary location.

At about the same time that the above settlers came in John Myers located on the west half of the southwest quarter of section 9, which he and his brother Henry, mentioned below, had entered, it being the section just north of the school section, and Peyton Bristow, who had been here in the summer and put up a cabin, now returned (it being in the first part of December), and settled permanently on what was called Bristow's Hill, six miles south of the city, on the east of the Bluff road, which had then just been laid out. John and Israel Watts, with Benson Miner, from Whitewater, settled east of Myers, in the same section, David Fisher being the present owner of one of the farms, and Isaac Sutton of the other. This last-named settlement was made most probably in the spring of 1823, as were also a number of others, all so near the same time that it is difficult to tell their order. Among these settlers was Zachariah Lemaster, who settled on the hill, known among the pioneers as Lemaster's Hill, on the north side of Lick Creek, and east of the Bluff road, his cabin making the fourth between the city and Johnson County line, on this road, the first cabin built being Henry Riddle's, the second, Harmonson's, then Bristow's and Lemaster's, this being also the order in which they would be passed coming towards the city of Indianapolis.

Another settler was Martin Bush, who located on the south side of Buck Creek, near its mouth, he being the first settler on White River in this township. Joseph and Benjamin Snow located respectively on the southeast quarter of section 34 and the southwest quarter of section 27, in township 15, range 3. Larkin, John, and Henry Mundy, and their father, with their brother-in-law, Henry Myers, and Emanuel Glimpse, and others, — among whom were the Stevens family, — located north of the school section, between the Bluff road and the river, Watts and Glimpse being in the second bottom-land, and the others were in the first. From the north side of section 9 to Lake Creek was a section which was afterwards known as Waterloo, and had an unenviable reputation, a number of these settlers being squatters on government lands. Thomas Wilson was the next to settle on the Bluff road, his cabin being first on the east side, and afterwards on the west, the road having been so changed as to accomplish this, his being the next cabin built between Harmonson's and Bristow's.

Going back to the year 1822, when a settlement was made on the north side of the township, on the line of the present Three-Notch road, gives the time of the arrival of Rev. Henry Brenton, with his ward, George Tomlinson, his brother, Robert Brenton, and Adam Pense, who, though he did not come with the Brentons, settled there at about the same time. Robert Brenton settled in Centre township, on land immediately south of Pleasant Run, and extending from the Three-Notch line to the Bluff road. Henry Brenton first settled on land a half-mile south of the township line and on the east side of the Three-Notch line, but about two years afterwards he moved south to land on the south side of Lick Creek and  same side of the road. Pense settled on the north side of the creek, just across from where Henry Brenton afterwards located; and just across the road from Pense, late in the fall or in the next spring (that of 1823), Samuel True settled with his son Isaac. About 1825 or 1826 he put up a frame house, the first in the township, and which is yet standing. One half mile south of Lick Creek, and on the west side of the Three-Notch line, as it was called then, was the place of location of ------ Bowser; and on the same road, on the south side of Buck Creek, was the land of David Marrs, whose cabin, however, was on the west side of the road.

It may be interesting to give an explanation of how this road came to be so named. In laying out the road there were three notches cut in the trees which marked the line of the survey, to distinguish it from the Bluff road, on the west, and the Madison road, on the east; and it was also on the section line, hence the name Three-Notch line.

Going south on this road and coming down a little later in time, there was the settlement of the Dabneys, Samuel, James, and John, with their brother-in-law, John Smith, on the west side of the road, and the land commencing a half-mile south of the road running from Southport to White River. Just south of this road and on the east side of the Three-Notch line were the cabins of Samuel True, Jr., and Glidden True, who were just married, and had come out with their father, Samuel True.

We have now to go back to the spring of the year 1821, when some squatter, name unknown, located on land on the north side of Lick Creek, and through which the Shelbyville road now runs, being in the northeast corner of the township. This person had succeeded in clearing a small space and raising a small crop of corn by September, at which time the land and crop were purchased by John Graham. This place and that of Henry Riddle were the two first improvements in the township. Just across the creek on the south side was the place of the Widow White, who, with her two sons, Milton and Woodford, settled there the following year (1822). On the opposite side of the Shelbyville road from the Whites was the farm of Jacob Coughman, who arrived the following fall or the next spring, and just west of them was David Small, who came this year or the fall of 1822, and southwest of him was Henry D. Bell, who had the northeast quarter of section 143, and who came about the same time. There was a transient squatter or two between Bell's and Abraham Lemaster's, who settled about the same time, three-fourths of a mile south of the present town of Southport. Jacob Smock was next to settle, occupying the farm immediately north of Southport and east of the railroad, he and Lemaster coming probably in the spring of 1823. This same year Peter Canine located on the line of the present railroad and north of Lick Creek, on the Bluff. Henry Alcorn settled on the farm where Henry Riddle had squatted, and had entered the place in 1821. These settlements are all that can be positively located, both as to time and place, who came before the year 1824. During this year and the following there was a very considerable immigration, and the following settlements were made: Samuel Brewer, on the hill, west side of Madison road, north of Buck Creek, who came in 1825; Noah Wright, on the east side of Madison road and south of Lick Creek; Simon Smock, east side of Madison road, just over the line from Centre, his brother-in-law, Lawrence De Mott, just east of him, the farms adjoining. Immediately west of Smock, on the east side of the Three-Notch line, were John McFall and sons, — John, Benjamin, and David, — and just across the road from him was George Marquis. About a mile or a mile and a half east of Southport was a small colony, Isaac Coonfield, with his sons, John and James, his son-in-law, Archibald Clark, with his brother, Obadiah Clark, and northeast of these, on the present Churchman pike, were John Thompson and William Huey. These are about all the permanent settlers who came this year, 1824, but there were others whose names are not known who stayed but a year or so. This same thing happened every year, as there was an almost constant moving around. This being caused by the way the land was farmed. A man entering land and then sending some one here to put up a cabin, or leasing it to some one, who put up a cabin and stayed a short time, selling the lease to some one else, and thus a large part of the settlers were only
transient. The permanent settlers of the years 1825 and 1826 are given as near in the order of their arrival as is known, and are as follows: David Fisher (at whose house the Lick Creek Baptist Church was organized), on the north side of the Churchman pike, east side of the township; James Turner, and his brother Jacob, west of James, on the Shelbyville pike, northeast of Southport; Thomas Bryant, just west of Jacob Turner, on the south side of the Shelbyville pike, directly north of Southport; John Brewer, with his family, about half a mile east of Southport; Andrew Mann, on Buck Creek, south side, next to Franklin township; Stephen Hankins, with his family, half a mile east of the Madison road, north side of Lick Creek; Ephraim Arnold, near the Lick Creek Church; Archibald Bruce, immediately east of Henry Alcorn; Charles and Elijah McBride, with their father, on the Bluff road, west side, three-quarters of a mile north of Glenn's Valley:[sic] Samuel Brewer, west side Madison road, north side of Buck Creek; Purnell Coverdill, two or two and a half miles northeast of Southport; Jeremiah Featherston and family, three-quarters of a mile southeast of Southport; Benjamin McFarland, the first man who practiced medicine that settled in the township, and his two sons, Samuel and William, and soon after him his son-in-law, John McCollum, near Lick Creek, east side of the township; Moses Orme, on the Three-Notch line, next to Johnson County; Lambert Saulter, with his two sons, Garret and Elijah, and Page Rawlings, about one mile and a half southeast of Southport; Samuel Woodfield, five miles south of town, on the east of the Bluff road; Charles Neighbors and Scipio Sedgwick, on adjoining land to Woodfield, Neighbors being just west of him, and Sedgwick south of Neighbors; Thomas Richardson, one-half mile north of Southport, on the east side of the Madison road; Rev. John Ritchie, east side of the Bluff road, adjoining the Centre township line, just west of George Marquis; Noah Wright, on the east side of Madison road, south bank of Lick Creek; William Evans, on the
south side of Lick Creek, about three-quarters of a mile east of where the Madison road crosses; James Hoagland, with his sons, Richard, John, and William, one and a half miles southeast of Southport.

About this time William Tracy, his son-in-law, Peggs, and his brother, John Tracy, settled one mile west of Southport, south side of the present gravel road. Jacob Peggs is still living at Franklin, Ind., about ninety years old. He served as recorder of Johnson County two terms, and as justice of the peace in the same county several terms, and was the first miller at Smock's mill, spoken of elsewhere. On the west side of the township was Silas Rhoads, who settled just across the road from Henry Alcorn, but he remained only a year or so, leaving in 1827, and moving to the Wabash; and the same year Alexander Clark, after whom Clark township, Johnson County, is named, moved in, and after remaining about two years moved to the northeast corner of Johnson County. This completes the list of what might be called old settlers, those at least who were of any prominence, there being others whose names are not known and who remained, as a rule, but a year or so, and did not generally own the land.

About 1827, Isaac Kelly settled one half-mile north of Lick Creek, on the east side of the Three-Notch line; William McClain on the north side of the gravel road, one mile east of Southport; Jesse Dunn on the north side of Buck Creek, one half-mile west of where the Three-Notch line crosses it; Benjamin Harris (a tenant only), about a mile and a half northwest of Southport; William Jones, who came in 1828, and was the first Welshman, two miles west of Southport, on the south side of the gravel road.

The following is a list of those who were settlers, and who either remained but a short time or whose place of settlement is not known: Jesse Admire, Henry Brewer, near Southport; William Brenton, east of Southport; Lewis J. Brown, William H. P. and James, sons of Peyton Bristow, Isaac and Edward Brazelton, near the centre of the township; Allen Bost, Joel Boling, Richard Berry, Thomas Carle, northeast of Southport about two miles; Nicholas Cline, James Carson, Henry Coughman, Benjamin Crothers, Frederick Disinger (who was very probably the first German to settle in the township), Abram and Peter Ellis, David Fulson, Moses Frazee, Richard Good (the first Irishman who settled in the township), William Hall, Jacob Hill, John Heist, John W. Johnston, John M. Johnson, William and James Johnson (William living in Waterloo), John Jackson, Thomas Lewis (one mile and a half southwest of Southport, on the county road running east
and west, the farm now owned by the widow of Ezra Smith), Jacob and Ezariah Mosely, George McClain, two miles west of Southport on the county road; William Mentieth, William and James McLaughlin, in the northeast side of the township; Smith McFall, Charles Orme (who was a transient settler only), John Parker, a United Brethren minister, John Reding, Sr., Henry Rammel, John Russell (one half-mile west of Southport, north side of Buck Creek), Joseph Rosenbarg, Ephraim Robinson (who stayed about a year), William Rice, Thomas Richardson, a half-mile north of Southport, east side of the Madison road; John Seiburn (at whose mother's house the first Sunday-school in the township was organized, one mile and a half north of Southport, half-mile east of the Madison road), Thomas Shelton, northwest of Southport, on the north bank of Buck Creek; Frederic Shultz, Isaac Senoney, Daniel Stack, James Spillman, in the northeast part of the township; Francis Sanders (who lived to be over ninety years of age), one mile and a half east of Glenn's Valley; Robert Tomlinson, southwest of Southport, north side of the road; Thomas Lewis, Jacob Tumes, John Thompson, Richard Thomas, George Wright, one half-mile east of the present site of Centre Church; Primrose Yarbrough (northeast side of township), who married the widow of James Spillman.

Rev. Henry Brenton came from Trimble County, Ky., in the early part of 1822. He was a local Methodist preacher on Sundays and a farmer during the week; there being constant need of his services, as there was a meeting held either in the woods or in the cabin of some pioneer nearly every Sunday. He accomplished much in the field he had adopted, and was a pioneer of the church, as, on account of his solemn and earnest presence, he was called upon by the settlers of Johnson and Morgan Counties, sometimes riding twenty miles to perform the marriage ceremony or to conduct religious services, and few that saw him but were impressed by his brevity and earnestness. He had his own peculiarities, one of which was that he always prayed with his eyes open, and when remonstrated with, replied, “We are commanded to watch as well as pray.” He probably preached at more funerals and solemnized more marriages than any other pioneer minister in the county, for which latter service two dollars was almost invariably his largest fee. He died at his home on the Three-Notch line, in June, 1847, nearly seventy years of age, and was buried in his brother Robert's family cemetery, on the Bluff road where it crosses Pleasant Run.

After his death his wife, known as Aunt Esther, and family moved to Iowa. Most of them are now dead, his wife living to a great age and dying but a few years ago, after having been blind some ten years. He had five children, — James, now living in Iowa, Martha, another daughter, Mary, and Thomas.

Rev. Greenup Kelly was born in Estelle County, Ky., and licensed and ordained as a Methodist minister by the Kentucky Conference. A young man of fine promise and great zeal in his work, but his health failing him, he came out to his father, Isaac Kelly (who had settled here in 1827), and after suffering a couple of years, died of consumption, and was buried on a Sunday in December, 1830, in what is now known as Round Hill Cemetery, then known as the Camp Ground Graveyard, it being the place of the first camp-meeting in the county.

The Rev. John Belzer was the only New Light minister who ever settled in the township. His father, and brother Phoenix, settled with him on the school section, having purchased the lease of the Stallcops in the fall of 1824, having a blacksmith-shop on his farm. He organized a church of his persuasion, but it was a rather weak one. He was a superior man and was able beyond his opportunities, having had but little education. He was, in fact, an excellent man. In the fall of 1828 he removed with all his family to Southern Indiana.

Rev. John Ritchie, a local Methodist minister, was a Kentuckian by birth, but came from Ripley County, this State, in the fall of 1826. He was generally known as “Judge” Ritchie, having been an associate judge. He was a large man, of fine presence, and had a magnificently formed head, was very gifted, and though hindered by lack of education, was extraordinarily eloquent, and most forcible in logic, which made him remarkable and honored, both in the pulpit and on the stump, he taking part in the campaign of 1840. In the pulpit he was most remarkable, his appearance belying his abilities, and when he entered the pulpit, always being dressed in home-made jeans, gave rise to a feeling of disappointment, until he spoke, when the audience became spellbound, fascinated, by his eloquence and earnestness, and remained so until the last word was uttered. He died Aug. 24, 1841, and was buried in what is called the Lemaster's family burying-ground.

His children were Sally, Drusilla, Ann, Jane, James, Samuel, Arnold, Mary, Eunice, Adaline, Lucinda, and Lavina. Rev. Abram Smock, a Baptist minister, came from Kentucky in the fall of 1825, his brother John having preceded him some four years, returning to Kentucky for him. He organized the first Baptist Church in the township, at the house of David Fisher, in the spring of 1826. He was pastor of this church for a number of years, and also of the First Baptist Church of Indianapolis from December, 1826, to July, 1830, organizing more Baptist churches than any other man in
the county, and was a leading minister for many years. He was both eloquent and impressive, and in his work zealous and fervent, but retired from the ministry long before his day of work should have ceased.

The Rev. Jeremiah Featherston, a pioneer Baptist minister, came from Kentucky. He was a missionary most of his time, never having a church of his own. He was a zealous and upright man. He died in 1865.

Rev. ----- Monroe was a Revolutionary soldier, and came from Pendleton County, Ky., in 1830, with his son William, who settled in a southeasterly direction from Southport about one and a half miles. He lived part of the time with his son and part with his son-in-law, Joseph Wallace. At the time of his death, Nov. 20, 1842, he was eighty-seven years old, and had been in the ministry for more than fifty years, the greater portion having been spent in Kentucky. He was buried in the Southport Cemetery.

Henry Riddle came from Roane County, N. C, and lived in the township but a little while, when he removed to St. Joseph County, Ind., where he died some twenty years ago. He was a true pioneer, never allowing civilization to but just reach him, when he retreated before it. He had but a small family. He was very popular, and universally liked, so much so that if there happened to be a dispute in his neighborhood, he was always able to act as peacemaker. The Harmonsons were old neighbors of Riddle's, and came from North Carolina very probably with him. They stayed but a few years, and then went to the southern part of this State.
 
Hezekiah Smart was born in Nicholas County, Ky., where his brother John was also born. He was married in 1824 to Margaret Hinkston, of Harrison County, Ky. John was married in 1815 to Sally Earls. Hezekiah came to the township in 1823, to his brother, but went back to get married, after which he returned, and lived here until Dec. 25, 1867. He had four sons and five daughters, who all lived to maturity, — Humphrey, William, Martha, Elizabeth, Margaret, Comfort -----, Hezekiah, and Caroline. His wife died in March, 1879. John had four sons, — Hezekiah, Samuel, John, and Joseph, and four daughters, — Susan, Mary, Elizabeth, and Sally. He died in 1833. His wife died in 1875. Margaret, Hezekiah's wife, was a leading member and worker in the Methodist Church, and was very prominent in meetings for the part she took in prayer, an unusual thing for women of that day.

Thomas Carle came from Kentucky in 1825 or 1826, and settled in the angle of the road, two miles north of Southport, on the south side of the Shelbyville road, a half-mile south of Lick Creek. He established a tan-yard (the second in the township) the year he came. He was one of the first justices of the peace, having been elected in 1828, and died in office, in March, 1831. He was buried on his farm. His son, Holman Carle, still owns the old place, but lives in the city. James Martin, an early settler, died in 1843, leaving one son and one daughter.

Samuel Smith lived near Glenn's Valley till 1839, when he moved to Johnson County, near Greenwood, and died there in 1834.

John Myers was born in Kentucky, and moved to Brown County, Ohio, then to Whitewater Valley, near Brookville; remained there but a short time, and then came here in the spring of 1822 with Andrew Wilson (who lived in Wayne township) and his brother Henry, with one horse for all, on a visit to the site of Indianapolis, before he moved out. Soon after he married. [sic] He removed with his wife and a few household goods, and when his goods had been unloaded from the wagon of the teamster who had hauled them out, they were left alone in a dark forest, with his nearest neighbors, Henry Riddle and the Harmonsons, a mile and a half away. It was a heavy, unbroken forest, full of wild beasts, and their first night's rest was much disturbed by the howling of wolves and hooting of owls. His first wife died in 1850, and in 1852 he married the widow Comfort Hinkston, who is still living. He died July 20, 1882, eighty-four years old. He served as justice of the peace longer than any man in the county. He was a successful farmer, and, though starting with but forty acres, left an estate valued at thirty thousand dollars. He had two sons and four daughters. James Madison, his eldest son, born in December, 1822, is now living, the oldest resident of the township. His son, Vincent Myers, and his daughter, Mrs. Ed. Thomas, are also living.

Martin D. Bush came here from Dearborn County, Ind., in the fall of 1822. He had three children- Ann, Mary, and Henry — when he came. His wife was a sister of Col. Eggleston. Both he and his wife were noted for their hospitality and their kindness to the sick and needy. Their daughter Ann married Frank Merrill, a brother of Samuel Merrill; Mary married Amos Sharpe, brother of Thomas Sharpe; and Henry married a Miss Dryden. Mary died a short time before they left, and the remaining members of the family moved in the spring of 1853 to Northwestern Missouri. He
and his wife died some years since at an advanced age. Henry and Ann are still living.

Henry Alcorn came from the north of Ireland when quite a young man, and settled in Lexington, Ky. He moved to Ohio, then came to Indiana, by Muncie and Strawtown, to Indianapolis, prospecting in 1821, and then entered the land on which Henry Riddle and Peter Harmonson had squatted. He moved to Perry in 1823. His wife died in the winter of 1829-30. He had two sons and three daughters, — Henry, Melinda, Joseph, Elizabeth, and Mary Ellen. He married again in 1836, to Sally McClintock, who had come on a visit to her brother Thomas. Henry Alcorn, Jr., died soon after his mother, who died in September, 1847, in Kentucky, having returned there on a visit. He married again in 1850, and his third wife died in 1863. He died in 1875, at the home of his son-in-law, George List, who married his daughter Mary Ellen. His oldest daughter married Garret List. He was eccentric and stern, and a prodigy in arithmetic and mathematics, having had a very liberal education, and having a remarkable memory. He was also regarded as authority in questions of history.

Zachariah Lemaster came in the fall of 1822 or 1823 from Kentucky. He married a Miss Wright, and died about 1840, and left a widow and five children, — two sons and three daughters. The youngest daughter now lives on the old homestead.

Henry Myers, brother of John Myers, married a Miss Mundy, and came here in 1823. About 1846—47 he sold out and moved to near Peru, Ind. He was an earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and a man of unblemished character. He had a large family.

Mrs. Elizabeth Custard came to this township in the fall of 1828 with her son-in-law, David Hinkston, who had married her daughter Comfort. Her daughters, — Eliza, married soon after Elijah McBride; Margaret, married Larkin Myers, a son of Henry Myers; Mary, married James Tracy, son of John Tracy; and Amanda, married Saulsbury Jones, son of the Welshman, William Jones. They came from Harrison County, Ky., and purchased land on the sixteenth section from John Belger. Mrs. Custard is still living with her daughter, Mrs. Comfort Myers, the widow of the late John Myers, and she is now the oldest person in the county who was a pioneer, being nearly one hundred years old.

Peyton Bristow was a native of Virginia, born in Loudoun County the 29th of August, 1778, his parents being natives of Wales. His father died when he was but a boy, and soon after his mother started with the family, consisting of herself and ten children, for Kentucky. Though he was fourth in the family, he was the practical head, the older ones having left to work for themselves. In the wild forests of Kentucky he had but little or no chance for educating himself, and very little education did he have. He was married on the 16th of November, 1802, to Miss Mary Price. After his marriage he settled on a "claim" in Greene County, Ky., afterwards Adair County, and remained until the fall of 1809, when he sold out and went to Preble County, Ohio. He was a soldier of the war of 1812, though he was not engaged in any battles.

In the fall of 1821 he sold out, and, coming to this township, entered three hundred and twenty acres of land. He returned to Ohio to get the two oldest boys, who were to help him build the cabin, which they nearly completed, when the father and the younger son again returned for the family, leaving the elder son to finish it; but when they returned they found that he had been seriously injured by a falling tree a day or two after they had left, and the cabin was no nearer done than they had left it. This was about the 1st of February, 1822. Soon after this was the first township election, at which there were himself and four others, — Henry Riddle, Peter Harmonson, William Stallcop, and Elias Stallcop. He served as justice of the peace from Nov. 3, 1829, to July 4, 1834, from which he acquired the title of "Squire."  He lived a householder for over sixty-six years, and died Feb. 10, 1869. He was sternly and strictly honest, and liberal in his views. He was politically a Democrat and religiously a Universalist. His own death was the first under his roof. His wife survived him some eighteen months, and died in 1870. He had thirteen children, — William, James, Lucy, Margaret, Sally, Evans, Cornelius, Eliza, Mary, Martha, Powell, Henry, and Alfred, of whom four or five are dead.

Thomas Bryan came in 1825 from Kentucky, and was married to Miss Saunders, sister of Dr. Saunders, formerly of Indianapolis. He helped to organize the Lick Creek Baptist Church. He had two sons, John and Samuel, and three daughters. John died in 1840; Samuel is still living in Missouri; Mrs. Samuel Siebern living in the city; Mrs. Samuel McFarland living near the old homestead; and Mrs. James McClelland living at Franklin, Ind. Mrs. Bryan died in 1853; Mr. Bryan in 1857. Both are buried at Southport. The children of Thomas and Elizabeth Bryan were Samuel, Julia, Mertila, John, and Isabella.

Luke Bryan was born in Pendleton County, Ky., and came to the neighborhood of Southport in the fall of 1828, bringing with him his father and mother, of whom it is necessary here to speak. Samuel and Mary Bryan were the companions and relatives of Daniel Boone, the famous Kentucky pioneer, Samuel's mother being Daniel Boone's sister. When the pioneer started from North Carolina, in 1779, for the far-off land of Kentucky, Samuel and Mary Bryan accompanied him and his wife in the colony which went with him. Samuel had served in the Continental army, and
was married just before starting. They traveled on horseback and with pack-horses. When they came to the Cumberland River their goods were transported on a raft, and Mrs. Bryan, being in advance of the other women, was the first white woman who set foot north of the Cumberland River in Kentucky. This colony built on the Elkhorn what was called Bryant's Station, a place of historic note. There or in the vicinity Thomas and Luke Bryan, sons of Samuel, were born. Luke, after he came to this county, married a Miss Saunders, another sister of Dr. Saunders. Samuel Bryan died in 1837, in the eighty-third year of his age, and his wife died in 1840. They were buried on the farm of their son Luke, but afterwards taken to the Southport Cemetery, where rest two of those pioneers who passed through scenes and adventures which have become historical; and it is doubtful if persons more noted in pioneer history lie buried in the county.

Luke Bryan lived three-quarters of a mile northeast of Southport, on the farm now owned by Capt. Carson. He died March 5, 1857, and his remains lie in the Southport Cemetery. The children of Luke and Mary Bryan were Alphonso H., Sarah, Ethelbert W., Mary, Dorcas A., John S., Joseph M., James W., and Dr. Thomas N. Bryan, now of Indianapolis. Only one other of the sons is now living. Their mother died in June, 1862, in Clay County, Ill., whither the family removed after Luke Bryan's death.

Thomas C. Smock was born Dec. 31, 1808, in Mercer County, Ky., and removed to Indiana in 1825, in the seventeenth year of his age, making his home with his brother, John B. Smock, on the Madison road, two miles south of Southport. After his twenty-first year (1829) he made his home with his mother, Mrs. Ann Smock, two miles north of Southport, on the west side of the Madison road. In September, 1831, he married Rachel Brewer, daughter of John Brewer, who resided one mile east of Southport. She died Sept. 21, 1838. On the 22d of December, 1839, he married Sarah, youngest daughter of John Smock, who settled in 1821 on the Madison road, on the south bank of Pleasant Run, one mile south of Indianapolis.

From his first marriage until the time of his death, June 25, 1877, he resided on the same farm, one and one-half miles north of Southport, on the west side of the gravel road. As a citizen he was honored, having served several terms as justice of the peace for Perry township; as a husband and father he was a pattern, an example worthy of imitation; as a neighbor, and in all the qualities that make a good neighbor, he was unexcelled, as all will bear testimony, both rich and poor. Forty-six years of his life he was a church member, earnest and faithful. For more than thirty years he was a Sabbath-school superintendent. At his death he had eight children that survived him, — four sons and four daughters. His second wife died in January, 1872. He left to his family a noble legacy, — a character without spot or blemish. The writer of this knew him well for fifty-two years, and knows whereof he has written. His remains were deposited in the Southport Cemetery. Peace to his memory!

Simon Smock was born Oct. 8, 1792, in Mercer County, Ky. He was married in Kentucky, and moved to Perry township in 1824. He settled on the east side of the Madison road, adjoining the north line of the township, on the road from Indianapolis to Greenwood. Of the early pioneers there were nine Smocks and three Brewers on or adjoining the road, and it was a common saying, “If you meet a man call him Smock; if he fails to answer call him Brewer, and he will be sure to answer. “There was a colony of Smocks and Brewers moved from Kentucky, settling on or in the vicinity of the Madison road, from within one mile of Indianapolis south to the south line of the county, and extending into Johnson County two miles. As early settlers the Smocks and Brewers were men of a higher order for enterprise and morality than the average emigrants to a new country, and they contributed much to elevate the tone of society in the middle and eastern part of Perry township. Simon Smock, being one of the eldest, a man of convictions, and not afraid to stand by his convictions, played well his part in church and society. He had a large family, but was out down in the full vigor of his manhood, an irreparable loss to his church and his family. He died in 1854. Samuel Brewer was born in Kentucky; married to Ellen Smock, also a native of Kentucky. Soon after his marriage he emigrated to Indiana and settled in Perry township, on the west side of the Madison road, on the north bank of Buck Creek. In the fall of 1825 he built a cabin, commenced opening a farm, and started a blacksmith-shop. Between farming and blacksmithing he made a comfortable living. He had ten children, — two sons and eight daughters. His eldest son, Dr. Abram Brewer, entered the profession of medicine and made an able and successful physician. His health failed him and he retired from practice, and died at his father's house in the fall of 1869. The youngest son died in 1851, in childhood. Two single daughters died in early life, and afterwards two others (Mrs. Jane Todd and Mrs. Fanny McCalpin). Four daughters are still living. In September, 1876, his wife died, and two years after he married Mrs. Grube, a widow lady of the neighborhood. Mr. Brewer raised a very moral and upright family. He has some peculiarities that make him a marked man in his neighborhood. He was a pioneer in the temperance and anti-slavery causes. He is positive in his character. When he takes a position he adheres to it against all opposition. No one who ever knew him doubted his fidelity to his church and himself. These are the great ruling traits in his character.

The Dabney family was quite numerous in Perry township. They emigrated to the neighborhood from Shelby County, Ky., in 1823 or 1823, having formerly come from the State of Virginia to Kentucky. The Dabney family was and is to this day a noted family in the Old Dominion. These were a branch of the same family. Samuel Dabney and wife, with three sons and three single daughters and his son-in-law, John Smith, all settling on the Three-Notch line, seven or eight miles south of Indianapolis. The father died soon afterwards. John Smith, the son-in-law, was in after-years elected a justice of the peace for Perry township. He was a shrewd and thrifty farmer, and died at Greenwood in 1861. The sons of the elder Dabney (Samuel, James, and John) were as unlike as any three brothers could be. Samuel lived and died a bachelor. He was a great wit, full of anecdotes, and the centre of all the sport at the neighborhood gatherings. James, or Jimmy, as he was familiarly known, was the principal class-leader in the Methodist Episcopal Church in all the country, and in that special department he was successful. For fifteen years he carried the banner, caring nothing about the things of this life, leaving them all to take care of themselves if his brother Samuel would not look after them. John, or Jack, as the family called him, was a Nimrod, and more than that name would imply. In hunting and fishing he was unexcelled, and he furnished all the venison, fish, and honey for the family. It was said he knew every bee-tree for
miles around. He moved to Miami County in 1838, and the remainder of the family followed soon after. The female portion of the Dabney family were noted for their hospitality and kindness in sickness. They have now all gone to that bourne from whence no traveler returns.

Archibald Clark, with his father-in-law, Isaac Coonfield, Sr., his brothers-in-law, John and James Coonfield, and his brother, Obadiah Clark, came from Kentucky, and were among the early settlers east and northeast of Southport. They were of that class of people who preferred the frontier; not that they had any vice, but seemed to prefer the rude freedom of a frontier life. They remained in the neighborhood some fifteen or twenty years, when the Coonfields moved to Brown County and Clark to Madison County. Some years after Archibald Clark returned and spent a few years on the Bluff road, near Glenn's Valley, running a blacksmith-shop. About 1853 he moved to Jasper County, Ill., and died some ten years later. It was truthfully said of Archibald Clark that if he had but one meal in his house for his family he would divide that meal with friend or foe. Some of his family, after their removal to Illinois, developed considerable ability, and one of his sons represented Jasper County in the Legislature, and others of the family accumulated a considerable amount of property. They all inherited their father's marked trait, open-handed hospitality. Isaac Kelly came from Lincoln County, Ky., bought land on the Three-Notch line, and removed to it in the fall of 1827. He settled on the east side of the road, his farm including the ground now known as the Round Hill Camp-Ground Cemetery. His son, the Rev. Greenup Kelly, was the first person interred in that cemetery, in December, 1830. On that hill was the first camp-meeting ever held in this county, in 1831. There were no tents, all cabins of round logs, with clapboard roofs. People came for many miles around, with horses and ox-teams. It was then a dense forest with thick underbrush. The campers on the ground fed all visitors with corn bread, bacon, beef, and potatoes. No police were required to keep order. The early settlers were noted for their good behavior at church, both saints and sinners. They had no idle or bummer element in society. Methodism had a strong hold in this neighborhood. Such men as David Marrs, Father Kelly, Father Norwood, Eperson, and many other old-fashioned Methodists of sterling worth were the men that laid the foundation of society. All honor to their memory!

Alexander Clark was an early settler in what was known as the Clark settlement. Clark township, in Johnson County, took its name from Alexander Clark, Sr. The Clarks were a most respectable family and worthy citizens. "Aunt Sally," as she was familiarly known, lived to a great age, and was blind many years before her death. She was a remarkable woman for her sound good sense, patience, and piety. Alexander Clark, Sr., and all his sons and daughters have passed away except one, Sarah Kinnick, the wife of William Kinnick, an early settler of Perry township. Moses G. McLain, the present county clerk, is a grandson of Alexander Clark, Sr.

William Evans was born in Indiana County, Pa., in 1798. He married Margaret Elliott in Butler County, Ohio, in 1820, and they moved from Ohio in August, 1823, and settled on the farm of John Smock, on the east side of the Madison road, south of Pleasant Run. Being a brick-moulder and layer, he took the job of building a brick house for John Smock, the first brick house ever built on the Madison road south of the city. It was finished in 1824. In the same year he bought land on the south side of Lick Creek, a quarter of a mile west of where the Shelby pike crossed the creek. He remained there fifteen years, then moved to Sugar Creek, in Shelby County, adjoining Johnson County. After living on his farm for many years he moved to Indianapolis, where he died, Dec. 15, 1872. His wife survived him eleven years, and died in the city, Dec. 5, 1883. When Mr. and Mrs. Evans came to the county, in 1823, they had two children. They afterwards had born to them ten children, five of whom died in infancy, and seven lived to maturity, — Sarah, Andrew E., Thomas, Mary, Eliza, Rhoda, and Ann. The first-named two died after marriage; five are now living. Thomas, who was the first born after they came to this county, is now living in the city, one of the most popular and able ministers in the United Brethren Church. Mr. and Mrs. Evans joined the Lick Creek Baptist Church at its organization, in 1826, at the house of David Fisher. They were a very exemplary couple, lived a blameless and upright life. Their family followed in their
footsteps. At Mrs. Evans' death, Dec. 5, 1883, she had been a faithful and true follower of the Lord over sixty years. John Wade Thompson came to this county with his father, who settled on the east side of Perry township in 1824. The family came from Kentucky, and John returned there for a short time, but soon after came back and settled in the neighborhood of Lick Creek Church. He married a Miss Denny. He filled the office of justice of the peace for Perry township until 1867, when he moved to the city, where he was elected to the office of justice of the peace. It was said
of him that he broke up the Lick Creek Baptist Church, and the inquiry was made why he should do such a wicked thing. The answer was, “He moved away, and when he left the main pillar of the church was gone and it fell to pieces."

John Wade, as he is familiarly called, is a positive man, fearlessly follows his convictions, and is always found on the right side of every moral question. He is an upright and worthy citizen, and he has a family worthy of their parentage. The McBride family came to Perry township from Dearborn County, Ind., in the winter of 1825-26, settling on the west side of the Bluff River, one mile north of Glenn's Valley. They had five sons and three daughters. Elijah, the eldest, married Eliza Miller, and they had a large family. The mother and six children have passed away. The father and four children are living. Charles, the second son, married Julia Eddy, in the fall of 1828, and died some years after, leaving his wife and three children. The widow and one child are living. The third son, Nimrod, in early life moved to Illinois. Of the two younger sons, John is living; William died many years ago. Of the three daughters, Mrs. Nancy Hull died in June, 1840. Her youngest sister, Henrietta, died a few years after. Mrs. Catherine Christian is the only daughter now living. The father died in 1833, the mother two years later. Of all the early settlers in the neighborhood no family was attended by such fatality as the McBride family.

John Graham was born in Franklin County, Pa. He married Phannel McClain in 1820, and soon after his marriage started for the great Northwest, embarking on a keel-boat at Pittsburgh with his young wife to seek a home in the wilds of Indiana. He landed at Madison early in the spring of 1821, and leaving his wife there, he came to Indianapolis, the then new seat of government. Making some purchases, after spending the spring and part of the summer in Indianapolis, he returned to Madison for his wife some time in the month of August, and in September, 1821, he settled on what was known as the Madison or Morgan trace, on the north bank of Lick Creek, and on what is now the Shelby gravel road, the farm now owned and occupied by his son, Robert D. Graham. Some one had squatted on the land, put up a cabin, and made some little improvement. This was the first improvement in the northeast part of Perry township. There were born to this pioneer couple four sons and two daughters, as follows: Sarah, Mary, William M., Robert D., John J., and Thomas W., all of whom are now living but Sarah and Thomas W. They struggled along for eight years, and
made progress in opening a farm until October, 1829, when Mr. Graham died of bilious fever, leaving his widow with six small children.

John Graham was an earnest Christian man. He opened his house to the Christian ministers and made it a preaching-place. He died in the faith, leaving his family in the hands of a covenant-keeping God. They were not forsaken, his seed had never to beg bread. She who was the companion of his youth proved equal to her task. She reared a respectable family and died in February, 1880, having lived a widow over fifty years, respected and honored by all who knew her. John McCollum was born in the State of Kentucky March 9, 1796; his wife, Jane McFarland, was born Jan. 5, 1801, in the same State. They were married Nov. 6, 1823, moved to Ohio, and thence, in 1827, to Perry township, and located in the neighborhood of Mrs. McCollum's father, Benjamin McFarland. They had five children, — Thomas J., Benjamin C., John M., Martha G., and Sarah E., all now living but Benjamin C, who died May 6, 1864. John McCollum was a carpenter by occupation, and was the owner of a farm. When he was in the prime of his manhood he met with an accident that made him a cripple for life; but he succeeded in making a competency for himself and family. He served his township as trustee with great fidelity for many years. As age advanced he retired from active life, and after the death of his wife, July 14, 1870, he sold his homestead, divided his worldly effects, and made his home with his children. He spent the most of his time with his daughter, Mrs. Martha J. Fisher, at whose house he died March 11, 1882, eighty-five years and two days old. Few who trust to their children to care for them in old age receive such unremitting care as he received at the hands of his children. He sleeps in the Southport Cemetery, by the side of her who was his companion through a long life of toil.

Dr. Benjamin McFarland and family moved from Campbell County, Ky., in 1826, and settled on Lick Creek, half a mile east of the Shelby pike. He was the first settler in the township who practiced the healing art. He made himself very useful to the early settlers as a physician. He built the first saw-mill on Lick Creek, and soon after added a grist-mill, so as to furnish his neighbors both bread and lumber. He had two sons, Samuel and William, both living in the neighborhood, enterprising and respectable citizens. He had two daughters, — Jane E. (who married John McCollum) and Eliza (who married Thomas N. Thomas). Benjamin McFarland died at the house of his son, Samuel McFarland, in the year 1860, in the ninetieth year of his age, his wife having died some years previous. The McFarland family has a marked individuality. They have always been in the advance from a moral and educational standpoint. David Fisher came to Perry in 1825, and settled on the east side of the township. He was married to Elizabeth M. Hodges in the State of Kentucky, moved to Shelby County, Ind., and thence to Marion. He started the first tan-yard
in Perry township. It was at his house that the Lick Creek Baptist Church was organized in the spring of 1826. He was an enterprising pioneer, and did his part to advance the moral and material interests of the neighborhood. He always took a strong stand on the side of law, good order, and religion. He had a large family, consisting of four sons and five daughters, in the following order: John P., James W., Cynthia, Mary J., Benjamin L., Elizabeth R., Matilda, Joseph L., and Sarah E. Fisher. They all lived to maturity, except one daughter. They are now scattered from Indiana to Western Kansas, only two living in this county, — one daughter and Joseph L. Fisher, of Indianapolis. David Fisher died in 1836. His wife survived him four years.

Jacob Smock was born in Mercer County, Ky., March 8, 1797. Emigrating thence to Indiana in the fall of 1823, he settled in Perry township on a farm north of Southport. A part of the town plat is on the original quarter-section that he settled on, which was then an unbroken forest. It was in his cabin that the first Presbyterian preacher, Rev. John M. Dickey, first preached in the township. His wife was a member of the Presbyterian Church. He was not then a member of any church, but in after-years he joined the Baptist Church, and during his residence in the neighborhood he was one of its leading members. He was the first captain of militia in the township, and also served as a justice of the peace. At an early day he built a grist-mill on his farm on Buck Creek. It was one of the earliest mills of the township for grinding corn. Jacob Smock's family consisted of five sons — John, Henry, Simon, Daniel, and Thomas — and four daughters. He moved to Benton County, Iowa, in September, 1859, and died a few years after with cancer of the stomach. His wife survived him but a few years. He was an enterprising citizen and an upright man.

Henry Brewer was an early settler, coming to this township from Mercer County, Ky., in 1825 or 1826. He married and settled on a farm on the west side of the Madison State road, adjoining the Johnson County line. He remained there some twenty years, then sold out and moved to Jasper County, Ill. His wife died soon afterwards. He raised a large family. His patriotism was such that in the war of the Rebellion he joined the Union army when he was over fifty-five years of age, but his health failed him from the exposure of a soldier's life, and he lived but a few years after the close of the war. He died in Jasper County, Ill., respected by all, and without a personal enemy.

Archibald Bruce came to this township from Dearborn County in 1826, and settled on a quarter-section adjoining Henry Alcorn on Buck Creek, quarter of a mile east of the Bluff road. He had a wife, two daughters, and two sons, Robert and William. They soon returned to Lawrenceburg, their business being running the river to New Orleans. They both died in a few years. Mr. Bruce and his wife died some thirty-five years ago, leaving two daughters, Sydna and Eliza. The younger (Eliza) died a few years after her parents; the other daughter is the only survivor, and is now living in Indianola, west of the city, in her eightieth year.

Alexander Clark, Sr., was married to Sarah Glenn in Nicholas County, Ky., and soon after marriage moved to Muhlenberg County, in what was then known as the Green River country. In the fall of 1827 he migrated to Perry township with his family, consisting of three sons, — Archibald G., Alexander, and Moses, — and four daughters, Sarah, Nancy, Susan, and Polly. He settled on the west side of the Bluff road, on the south bank of Buck Creek (the farm now owned by Charles Orme), and remained there two years, when the family all moved to the northeast corner of Johnson
County.

Moses Orme settled on the Notch line, east side, adjoining the Johnson County line, in 1827. He was married to a Miss Elson, and they came from Lewis County, Ky. He lived there ten years, and then sold his farm to John H. Oliver, of Henry County, Ky. He bought an unimproved tract of land two miles north, on the same road, and opened a second farm. Moses Orme did as much hard work in clearing up land as any of the early settlers. He was a quiet, kind-hearted man, and his wife was of the same type of character. They had five sons, — Charles, Henson, Richard, Eli, and George, — and three daughters, Ruth, Elizabeth, and Nancy, all now living but Henson and Richard. The Ormes were all well-to-do farmers. Mrs. Orme died in 1860, Mr. Orme in 1862, leaving to his children a good estate and a worthy example of honesty and industry.

Samuel Woodfill came from Jefferson County, Ind., and settled on the Bluff road, east side, five miles south of Indianapolis, in the spring of 1826. He was a pattern farmer, and raised a large family. His wife died, and he then sold his farm and lived with his children. He died in the city some years since, and was buried with his wife in the Southport cemetery. He was an upright citizen, a kind neighbor, always ready to do a favor to those who asked or needed it, even at inconvenience to himself.

The first mill in the township was built about 1827, by William Arnold, on Lick Creek, three-fourths of a mile west of the eastern boundary of the township. It was used a few years, and then abandoned because the water supply failed. A grist-mill was attempted on the McGinnis farm by John McCormick, who dressed two “nigger-head" bowlders for the millstones, but it was found that the water supply was insufficient to make the mill successful, and the enterprise was abandoned. The stones were afterwards sold to James McLain, who added a grist-mill to his saw-mill on Buck Creek, about one hundred yards east of the Perry township line in Franklin township. This enterprise also failed for lack of water, and he sold the stones to Benjamin McFarland, who already had a saw-mill (built in 1827) on Lick Creek, about a half-mile east of where the Shelbyville road crosses. He added the grist-mill in 1829 or 1830, and it was for a time successful, but some years later both the grist-mill and the saw-mill were abandoned for the usual cause, — lack of water to run them a sufficient length of time in the year to make them profitable.

Jacob Smock built a grist-mill about 1828, on the present site of the village of Southport, on Buck Creek. It was kept in operation till about 1840, and then abandoned because of the failure of water supply. About one mile below Southport, on Buck Creek, a saw-mill was started about 1836, and was run a number of years by Nathaniel Beasley. The water supply diminished, and in 1866 a steam-engine was added as an auxiliary, but this proved a failure, and the mill was abandoned in 1870. A mill was built in 1846, a quarter of a mile north of Southport, by ----- Bonty, and was run by Bonty & Cotpeter for about six years in sawing timber for the railroad. It was afterwards abandoned.

There was also a saw-mill in existence and in operation from 1839 to 1855 on Pleasant Run, just below Glenn's Valley, on the farm of Archibald Glenn.

A steam grist-mill was erected and put in operation at Southport by Richard Smock about 1855. A few years afterwards he sold it to John S. Webb, who rebuilt and still owns it. There is also a saw-mill at Southport, built about ten years ago, and now owned by Isaac Grube.

There are within the township of Perry two small villages, the larger being Southport and the other Glenn's Valley, which is on the Bluff road, in the southwest part of the township, three-fourths of a mile north of the Johnson County line, and on the north side of Pleasant Run. The village was laid out partly on land of John Smart and partly on land of Robert Burns. The first house on the village site was built by Mr. Burns in the winter of 1830-31. The village was named for Archibald Glenn, one of the earliest settlers in the township. A post-office was established here in 1838. After a few years it was discontinued, but was re-established in 1856. The village has now a post-office, two general stores, one drug-store, a blacksmith-shop, a wagon-shop, a steam grist-mill, a Masonic lodge, an excellent school-house and graded school, one church (Methodist Episcopal), and about one hundred inhabitants.

The first settler at what is now the village of Southport was Jacob Smock, who came from Mercer County, Ky., in 1823, and bought land immediately north of the present town. In the same year, Samuel Brewer came, and bought eighty acres of his present farm, then returned to Kentucky, married, and came back to Perry in 1824. The first building erected within the limits of the present village was the old water-mill, which stood just back of Mr. Howard's present residence. The old race-way is still to be seen in the woods east of the railroad. The oldest house now standing is the one where Mr. Christian lives. It was built by Jacob Smock, on his farm, and when it became probable that the railroad then in progress of construction would have a station at Southport, the house was moved across the creek to its present location. Until the coming of the railroad, however, there was no village, nor any prospect of one, where Southport now stands. The first town-lots on the west side of the railroad were laid out by William Hooker, and on the east side by Dr. Merritt. The town plat was surveyed in 1852, and recorded April 5th in that year. In 1880 Southport had a population of three hundred and eighty-eight, as shown by the returns of the United States census of that year.

The Southport Baptist Church was organized as the Buck Creek Baptist Church, in or about the year 1838, at the Mud School-house, by persons previously members of the Lick Creek Church. About two years after the organization a meeting-house was erected, on land donated for the purpose by Jacob Smock. In the spring of 1838 a great protracted meeting was held at Lick Creek, and immediately afterwards at Buck Creek, under the leadership of the Rev. ----- Haine, a missionary, resulting in a revival, which added a large number of members to both churches. One of the earliest ministers to this church was the Rev. Henry Hunter, who was succeeded by the Revs. Thomas Townsend, Madison Hume, I. N. Clark, A. J. Riley, and others. The congregation grew until the old meeting-house became too small, when a new and much larger church building was erected on land purchased from J. H. Combs, adjoining the Smock donation on the east. The old meeting-house was then removed. Soon after the village of Southport was laid out the name of the Buck Creek Church was changed to Southport. It has always been a flourishing organization, and still has quite a large membership, being the only Baptist Church in the township. In connection with the old (first) meeting-house of this congregation a space was set apart for burial purposes, on the land donated by Jacob Smock. In this ground the first interment was that of John B. Smock, eldest son of Jacob, Aug. 10, 1842. The ground (about one and a half acres in extent) is now nearly full of graves, and arrangements are being made to obtain land for a new cemetery in a better location.

The Southport Presbyterian Church was organized in 1833. In January of that year the Presbytery of Indianapolis, in session at Greensburg, gave its consent to the formation of a Presbyterian Church in this community, and, on the 30th of March following, the Rev. W. W. Woods, then pastor of the Greenfield (now Greenwood) Church, effected the organization in the Mud School-house. It was first called the Providence Presbyterian Church, in honor of the older church at Providence, Ky., from which some of the members had come. The organization included twenty-four members, viz.: Samuel Brewer, Eleanor Brewer, Thomas C., Rachel, Ann and Abram V. Smock, Simon and Mary French, Benjamin, Mary, and Eliza McFarland, John A. and Lemma Brewer, Phannel Graham, Paulina White, Jane E. McCollum, Mary, Phebe, Samuel S., and John S. Siebern, Deborah W. Siebern, Andrew E. and Sarah Mann, and Otis Sprague. All were from Greenwood Church except the last named, who was from the only Presbyterian Church then in Indianapolis. Otis Sprague and John S. Siebern were chosen ruling elders, and Samuel Brewer deacon.

A committee appointed for the purpose selected a site for a house of worship on the northwest corner of Jacob Smock's land, but some disagreement arose, which resulted (though no reason can be given for the change) in the building of the meeting-house on the land of Samuel Brewer, opposite the site of the present school-house. In 1838, when the great division occurred in the Presbyterian Churches, although that at Greenwood remained united, this one was seriously affected. Of the thirty-eight members who composed it at that time, seventeen became adherents of the New School. Both congregations worshiped in the old Mud School-house for about four years, at the end of which time the majority composing the old branch built a frame church building, one and a half miles east, in which they worshiped until 1858, when the church was removed to Acton. In 1842 the New School branch built a church building at what is now Southport, and have worshiped there to the present time. Their first church at this place was a frame building about twenty by thirty-four feet in size. It was used for some time before being entirely finished, and, after about seventeen years' service as their house of worship, it was destroyed by fire, Nov. 18, 1859. In 1860 they erected the present church building, which is of brick, about thirty-two by forty-four feet in size, and cost originally about two thousand one hundred dollars. In the destructive tornado of July 12, 1883, the roof of this church was badly damaged, but the other parts of the building remained comparatively uninjured. In 1868 a parsonage was built at a cost of about one thousand dollars. At the present time (September, 1883) the church has one hundred and sixty-four members.

The ministers serving this church from its beginning have been the following named, viz.: Revs. Hilary Patrick, John Todd, Eliphalet Kent, William M. Campbell, James Brownlee, Benjamin M. Nyce, Philip S. Cleland, and Horace Bushnell, Jr. Mr. Cleland served the church for a period of twenty-one years.

The officers of the church since its organization have been: Ruling Elders, Otis Sprague (ordained and installed March 30, 1833; dismissed Nov. 16, 1833), John S. Siebern (ordained and installed at same time as Mr. Sprague; ceased to act in 1838), Simon Smock (ordained and installed June 28, 1834; died April 14, 1855), Samuel Brewer (Sept. 25, 1834), Robert N. Todd (Jan. 12, 1851), Thomas J. Todd (Dec. 12, 1852; died Sept. 28, 1864), John Calvin Woods (March 4, 1855; died Aug. 27, 1865), Isaac J. Canine (March 4, 1855; moved away in 1879), William H. Wishard (Nov. 11, 1865; moved to Indianapolis in 1876), Samuel Moore (Nov. 11, 1865), David Smock, R. G. Graydon, and Henry Alexander McCalpin. Deacons, Samuel Brewer (March 30, 1833; ceased to act Sept. 25, 1834), Andrew C. Mann (June 28, 1834; died Dec. 26, 1862), Thomas C. Smock (Aug. 8, 1841), David R. Smock, Richard M. Smock (Nov. 11, 1865; dismissed April 2, 1867), William B. Miles (Aug. 10, 1867).  

The Union Presbyterian Church, which is still standing on the Bluff road, was built in 1854, an organization having been formed in the previous year by Dr. Scott, Henry Alcorn, Garret List, William Boyd, and others. Services were held for many years with more or less regularity, but the number of members having become greatly reduced by deaths and removals, they disbanded in 1880.

The Southport (Methodist Episcopal) Circuit was originally a part of the Greenfield Circuit, Indiana Conference. In 1848-49 it was known as the South Indianapolis Circuit, consisting of the following-named appointments, viz.: Hopewell Methodist Chapel (Johnson County), Bowser's, Smock's, Fisher's, Tucker's, Brenton's, Greenwood, Marrs', and Asbury. At the annual Conference of 1849 the name was changed to Southport Circuit, E. R. Ames presiding elder, and H. M. Shafer, preacher in charge. The pastorate of the circuit has been supplied in the following order until the present time, viz.: E. D. Long, George Havens, J, W. T. McMullen, W. B. Taylor, Jesse Brockway, Thomas Ray, P. Q. Rosecrans, J. V. R. Miller, Jesse Chevington, C. G. Heath, J. A. Brouse, W. G. Ransdell, P. Garland, and (again) W. G. Ransdell. At the Conference of 1860 the circuit was reduced to the present dimensions by constituting the east half of it a new circuit, called Acton. Only four societies are now embraced in the Southport Circuit, viz.: Southport, Madison Avenue, Centre, and Fairview (Johnson County).

Southport Church was organized in 1845 by the Rev. H. M. Shafer, with Richard Smock and wife and five others as members. Their first house of worship was built in 1849, and dedicated by E. R. Ames. It is a frame building, still standing and used as a carpenter-shop. This old building was used by the society as a house of worship until 1868, when they built a large brick church, which was used about fifteen years, and was totally destroyed on the 12th of July, 1883, by a tornado which swept over the southern portion of the county. A new brick church was then erected on the
same site, and dedicated on the 18th of November following. It is the largest and in all respects the best church edifice in the town. The present number of members and probationers in the Southport Church is sixty.

The Methodists held meetings for religious worship in this township as early as any other denomination. The first preaching in Perry township was by Henry Brenton, who was a local preacher. The first circuit preacher was James Armstrong, who first came to preach in the fall of 1826; about the same time, or perhaps a little later, came John Belzer, a “New Light" preacher, who had a few followers and a temporary organization. He lived on the school section for a time, and moved away in 1828.

The first Methodist Church edifice in Perry was Asbury Chapel, a meeting-house of hewed logs, about twenty-four by thirty-six feet in dimensions, which was erected on the southeast corner of the eighty-acre tract now owned by the Talbot heirs, on the Three-Notch line. The land on which this building was erected (in 1829 or '30) was donated by \Henry Brenton. The first church organization at this place was composed of Henry Brenton and family, Robert Brenton and family, Isaac Kelly and family, David Marrs and family, Zachariah Lemaster's family, and several members of the Bouser family. The pioneer ministers of this church were Henry Brenton (local), Revs. Allan Wiley, Edmund Ray, James Hargrave, Thomas Hill, and James Havens, circuit preachers.

Rev. Allan Wiley was the presiding elder. Meetings were held in the hewed-log meeting-house for ten or twelve years, and then the place of worship was removed to the Marrs school-house on Three-Notch road. The old meeting-house being abandoned as a preaching-place, was some years later removed to the brick-yard south of Indianapolis, where it is still standing. After worshiping a number of years at Marrs school-house, the organization was joined with that of New Bethel, and formed the present Centre Church, which was organized with forty members. Their church edifice, built in 1848, was dedicated by E. R. Ames. The church has now seventy-four members.

The New Bethel Methodist Episcopal Church was organized as a class about 1826, with Andrew Hoover and wife, John Myers and wife, Henry Myers and family, several persons of the Mundy family, Mrs. Comfort Hinkston, Elizabeth Custard, David Fisher and family, and some others as members. Among the early preachers were Revs. ----- Long, George Havens, John W. T. McMullen, and Orlando Havens. The meeting-house was erected in 1831, on the northwest corner of the Andrew Hoover farm, near the present residence of George Harnese. It was the first frame church built by the Methodists in this township. It was never plastered or otherwise finished on the inside, but was kept as a preaching-place for many years. The land on which it was built, although donated by Hoover, was never deeded by him, but was afterwards deeded by Thomas H. Sharpe. After some years the organization, with that which worshiped at the Marrs school-house, was merged into the organization of the Centre Church, for which a house of worship was erected in 1848. Among the ministers who preached to this congregation were ----- Long, John W. T. McMullen, George Havens, and Orlando Havens. The old building is still standing on the lot surrounded by lands of Eli F. Ormes, on the Bluff road, about five and a half miles south of Indianapolis, and about one and a quarter miles south of Lick Creek, on the east side.

The Mount Carmel Church was organized and a church building erected in the fall of 1839, on the north line of Robert Burns' land, on the west side of the Bluff road. The members of this church were William Hall and family, James Orr and family, Nicholas Elson and family, the family of Robert Burns, Hezekiah Smart, Sr., and wife, and a few others. Their ministers were John V. R. Miller and William C. Smith. The old church building was destroyed by fire about the 1st of April, 1842, which accident had the effect to break up the organization, and the members scattered to the Marrs school-house, the New Bethel, and some to Pleasant Hill Church, in Johnson County.

The Madison Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church is the outgrowth of a mission founded and organized by Hiram Wright, a local preacher. Their first preaching was held in the school-house of the neighborhood until they were able  to build a house of worship. The church is now embraced in the Southport Circuit. The meeting-house is on land of B. Wright, three miles south of Indianapolis, on the Southport gravel road.

The Methodist Church at Glenn's Valley was organized some twelve or fifteen years ago. Their preaching was held in the school-house and in the Masonic Hall until they purchased the old brick school-house and converted it into a church edifice.

The Lick Creek Baptist Church (the first church in the township) was organized at the house of David Fisher (now the Ritzinger farm), in the spring of 1826, by Abram Smock. Among its original members were David Fisher and wife, John Chinn and wife, William Gott and wife, Thomas Bryant and wife, James Turner and wife, and James R. McLaughlin and wife. A church edifice was built within one year after the organization, and also established a burial-ground in connection with the church. The first person interred in this ground was David Judd, Oct. 17, 1827. The second interment was that of Richard Ferree, a lad about ten or twelve years old, who was killed by the overturning of a cart, the first death by accident or violence in Perry township.

The first minister of the Lick Creek Church was Abram Smock, who served the congregation for many years. About 1832 a large number left the church to organize the Buck Creek Baptist Church, which afterwards became the Southport Baptist Church. By reason of deaths and removals of members, the Lick Creek Church was disbanded in 1866, its building torn down, and the material removed to Indianapolis (in 1867 or 1868), and there rebuilt for the use of a colored Baptist Church.

A Christian Church was organized in Perry township in 1845 or 1846, George Shortridge and family, and ----- Robinson and family being the original members, to whom were soon afterwards added Peter Smock and wife, John Monroe, George Oldacre, John Shortridge and wife, and others. The organization continued till about 1863, when, having become greatly reduced in numbers, it was disbanded, and most of the members having removed to the vicinity of Greenwood, went into the church organization at that place.

Schools. — One of the earliest school-houses (and probably the first) in Perry township was built in 1823, on what is now the northeast corner of the land of Joseph Alcorn, a half-mile west of the Union Presbyterian Church. In that old log school-house the first teacher was Emanuel Glimpse, one of the earliest settlers in that region. A log school-house was built in 1826, on land of Archibald Glenn, and in it Michael Groves taught school for two winters. After him came as teachers, Samuel Hare and Elihu Hardin, the last named teaching there about 1830. About 1831 a small log building was erected for a school-house at David Marrs' farm, and another of the same kind near the site of Lick Creek Church. In this last mentioned a man named Thaler was one of the first teachers. In the vicinity of Southport the first school-house (a log building, of course) was erected on Jacob Smock's farm, its location being on the bluff north of Buck Creek. The second in that neighborhood was located where the residence of Mr. J. E. Phillips now stands, and was known as the Mud School-house, from the material which was largely used in its construction. This, as also the house at Marrs', was used not only for school purposes, but as a preaching-place for many years. A frame school-house which was afterwards built on the same site has long since disappeared.

All the pioneer school-houses of Perry, as of the other townships of this and adjoining counties, were of one and the same character, — small and low structures of logs, with puncheon floors, seats, and writing-benches; with a large fireplace of stones and mud, and with a log cut out from two sides for windows, the openings being covered with greased paper in place of glass. All the appliances of the modern school-house were lacking. The teachers were men who labored on the farm in spring, summer, and autumn, and in winter taught school for terms of six weeks' to three
months' duration. They were required to be able to teach (more or less thoroughly) reading, spelling, writing, and ciphering as far as the single rule of three, and for their services received a remuneration which the lowest class of laborers would now regard as trifling. After many years frame school-houses took the places of the old log buildings, the school terms were lengthened, and teachers of a somewhat higher grade of acquirements were employed. Finally came the formation of the present public school system, and its adoption by Perry as by the other townships of the county.

Perry township has now 14 school districts, and the same number of school-houses (2 frame and 12 brick), in all of which schools are taught, one being a graded school. There is also a colored school in the township. The number of teachers employed in 1883 was 18 (6 male and 12 female). The average daily attendance was 446. The whole number admitted to the schools was 662, including colored children. Five teachers' institutes were held in the township during the year. The valuation of school apparatus is $600; valuation of school-houses and grounds, $12,000. There is one private school taught in the township, with an average attendance of 84 during the year 1883.

Secret Societies.— Southport Lodge, No. 270, F. and A. M., was chartered May 28, 1861, William G. Lockwood, W. M.; Hezekiah Hinkston, S. W.; James Gentle, J. W. The officers for 1884 are George L. Thompson, W. M.; Joseph P. Bailey, S. W.; James A. Norwood, J. W.; William Worman, Treas.; Spofford E. Tyler, Sec. The present membership of the lodge is thirty-five.

Southport Lodge, No. 394, I. O. O. F., was instituted with the following-named original members: J. M. McLain, Isaac Grube, S. Graves, W. L. Berryman, Alfred Brewer, S. D. Moody, Aaron Grube, J. L. Fisher, E. S. Riley, W. P. Trout, R. R. Graham, Jackson Snyder. The lodge has now forty-five active members and the following-named officers, viz.: E. Kelley, N. G.; John S. Rene, V. G.; Chris. Grube, Sec.; Isaac Grube, Treas.; Charles Grube, Per. Sec. The lodge has twenty-three Past Grands.

Glenn's Valley Lodge, No. 514, F. and A. M., was chartered May 25, 1875, Hezekiah Hinkston, W. M.; Alexander C. Sedam, S. W.; Franklin L. Barger, J. W.

[1] By Dr. William H. Wishard.


Sulgrove, B. R., History of Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana; Philadelphia: L.H. Everts & Co., 1884, 785 pgs., pp. 575-594.