BEAR-Martin - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

Martin BEAR, a retired farmer, now residing in Aledo was born in Northumberland County, Catawissa Twp, PA April 6, 1808 and moved with his father at an early date to Pickaway Co OH where he was raised and educated at a common school and resided till his marriage with Miss Catherine DODSON, Sept 8, 1831. In the same month they were married they emigrated to Covington, Fountain County, Indiana and after a residence of four years, there they came to Mercer County in 1836, arriving May 10th and settling near Eliza Creek in what is now Eliza Twp. Jacob Bear, his brother, then a single man, accompanied and settled near him. In 1835 Mr. Bear first came out to look at some land and travelled pretty much all over northern and central Illinois and bought a claim from Thomas Morgan. In 1836 he went to Galena an dentered the tract, with some other pieces to which he had obtained the choice number. When Mr. Bear came out here in 1835, somewhere about the head of the Edwards River, night overtook him and the darkness was not relieved by moon or stars. No house could be seen, so without anything to eat, he slipped the reins over his horse's head and sat down in the tall grass to hold his horse while he was grazing. He fell asleep and in the morning when he awoke found that his horse had gotten away from him. After finding his horse he journeyed on and the following night reached Major Lloyd's at Camp Creek a little below Millersburg. That was the only house around. Mr. Bear felt at home here. The major was bragging about the fat of the land, which the good housewife illustrated with a very fat coon for supper the first Mr. Bear had ever tasted. In early times Mr. Bear used to go to Spoon River to get his milling done, and to Knoxville to get his plows sharpened and general smithing done. When Mr. Bear first came here he found the following persons living in the neighborhood: Isaac Dawson; John Drury; Daniel Noble; DF Noble; Aaron Mannon; Elisha Essley; John Shaunce; Isaac Drury; William Fisher; Jesse L. Adams all from Indiana; David Shaunce from Carolina; Abijah Wilson from Connecticut; John Shaunce and Thomas Morgan from Ohio; Martin Fisher father of William; Jacob Bear and john Pratt from Indiana in 1836; Thomas Miller came about 1837; Wm. Retherford in 1840; James Laure 1842; JJ Huston arrived about 1847; Edwin Bishop in 1850; William Irvin about 1849; AB Chilas still residing in the township settled here jUne 1838 at which time there were residing in the northern part of the township, John Glancy; William and John Fisher; Valentine Boruff and his sons, Felty and John; MIles Boyd and Martin Bear. In the northern part of the township was Daniel Strauss, who fell from a tree while gathering hickory nuts and was partly devoured by hogs before found. John Shaunce lived near Boruff's. Mr. Chilas was a blacksmith and worked at this trade; was a smith in New Boston; he sharpened plows and shod horses for 20 miles around.