Planned by Dr. H.H. Martin
Prepared by Several hundred LaPorte Citizens
Edited by Miss Edith J. Backus
A manuscript at the LaPorte Historical Society
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF E.J. TEETER
225 E. Lincoln Way
LaPorte, Indiana
My paternal grandfather, Philip Fail, was born in Maryland. At an
early age he was bound out to a man who was very severe with him and who in
many ways treated him worse than a slave. However, while he was in this
man's service he was taught the Miller's trade.
When grandfather was about nineteen years old he decided, on account
of this man's severity, to run away. He started one night, taking with him
just his threadbare clothes. He could always get plenty to eat, as southern
people were very good in that respect, but they didn't like to keep strangers
over night. My grandfather made up his mind that if he ever got to be a
wealthy man he would never turn a stranger away. This resolution he lived
up to in later years.
When Grandfather Fail got into Virginia, he commenced looking for
work. An old miller by the name of Nuzum, who was a widower, hired him.
The miller had a grist mill, a castor-oil mill, a distillery, a farm and a
coal mine. He had several children, the eldest a daughter named Sarah. My
grandfather fell in love with Sarah and ascertained that she reciprocated
the feeling. He thereupon asked the old miller for his daughter's hand, but
was indignantly refused. The young folks then made their own plans.
On a dark night Sarah took her clothes and climbed out of a window to
the young man waiting below. A preacher had been engaged in advance and he
promptly performed the ceremony. The next morning when they came back to
Mr. Nuzum he refused to admit them. Within a few days, however, he had
reason to regret his action. His daughter had been the head of his house-
hold, while his son-in-law had run the grist mill. He soon found that his
house was not being properly managed, while his mill was piled full of grain
waiting to be ground, and no miller to do it. He therefore sent sent word for the
young couple to come back.
In 1828 Grandfather Fail left Virginia. Mr. Nuzum, who was a slave
holder, offered to give him some slaves, but grandfather wanted to get away
from the slave country, so he refused the slaves and started for Indiana.
Grandfather made a flat-bottomed boat large enough to accommodate his
family, consisting at that time of five girls. He also took along a horse,
a cow, chickens, etc., as well as furniture. He launched his boat onto the
Little Monongahela, which ran past the door of Mr. Nuzum's stone house,
then polled into the Big Monongahela, then into the Ohio to Cincinnati where
he sold the boat for lumber. From there he went to Franklin County, Indiana
where he stayed two years.
In Franklin County he met and became a staunch friend of Aaron Stanton.
When grandfather planned to move to the Wabash River, Mr. Stanton persuaded
him to come with him to the "St. Joe Country" as this region was then called.
By 1829 LaPorte County had already been surveyed, and three families
had moved in during the fall of that year - Eahart, Clyburn, and Shirley.
Grandfather arrived here on March 10, 1830. The first night he built
a log heap and camped where the brickyard north of LaPorte now stands. The
next day he got out to look for land. Austin Cutler's grandfather was here
at that time, living on what is now the Warnecke farm. He had plats of all
the farms in the county. There was a land office here, but no bank, so
soldiers were sent to guard the money. About one hundred of them stayed
here until the land was sold, after which they took the money to Indianapolis.
Grandfather located where the Fail schoolhouse now stands. He entered
on 160 acres and pre-empted 80 acres across the road. A log cabin was
immediately built on the timber piece.
My grandfather, Philip Fail, built the plow that plowed the first fur-
row in this country. It made a furrow about two feet wide and six yoke of
oxen could be used. It was still in existence within my memory.
The first white boy born in this country was Philip Fail's son, Benajah
F. Fail, born October 30, 1830.
When grandfather came there were a good many Indians here. Mother was
twelve years old at that time, and one day was left in the cabin to take care
of the younger children. Three Indians came in, sat down, stirred up the fire,
brought out two little mud turtles, threw them into the coals, and after they
were cooked, removed the shells and ate them. Up on the shelf stood a bottle
of sweetened water which grandfather used when hunting bees. The Indians
thought it was whiskey and insisted upon having it. The terrified little
girl took the bottle down and handed it to one of them. He took a swallow
and without changing expression handed it to the second. He did likewise
and when all three had tasted it they looked at each other and laughed and
then went away.
One of my mother's little brothers had a double crown. That is, the
hair instead of growing around the center of the head, had two centers, each
slightly to one side. The Indians were much interested in this phenomenon
and left discussing how the little boy could have provided two scalps.
The Indians left this country in 1837, but I remember seeing them when
they would come back on their way to Detroit for their annuities or pensions.
When my mother, Caroline Fail, was just a young girl, a County Fair
was held in LaPorte. She exhibited a coverlet which she had woven and for
which she had carded and spun the wool. For this she was awarded the prize
of six solid silver teaspoons. These have been handed down to some of her
grandchildren and one is in the possession of my son Philip.
My father, Henry L. Teeter, was born in Columbia County, New York, in
1812. In 1834 he came to LaPorte County as a single man. He lived with the
Cutler family just east of town on what is now known as the Warnecke farm.
While there he met Caroline Fail and in 1837 they were married.
About a year later father purchased 120 acres in Galena Township at
$1.25 per acre. Later he acquired additional land across the road, paying
$300.00 for a 40-acre tract and $7.00 per acre for 120 acres over by Hog
Lake. The land was covered with poplar, walnut, ash, beech, maple and
basswood. You could stand in one place and touch with a ten-foot pole four
poplar trees which would now be worth $100.00 apiece.
On the land, now known as the Rosa B. Teeter Garman farm, he built a
log cabin. Much of the furniture for this home was made by hand, although
he had brought some from New York. The cabin was about twenty feet square
and had a lean-to on the back of it. It contained two rooms and a garret.
On the east end ofthe cabin was a big fire-place with a hearth made of flat
stones. In a corner outside of the cabin was a bee-hive and bees occas-
sionally would sting us. We had a rain-barrel made out of a poplar tree,
which held about ten barrels. There was a well about fourteen feet deep
with a sweep to pull the water out. A poplar trough had been made for the
horses.
In this cabin I was born in the year 1843. My parents had seven
children. One of my brothers was killed in action in the civil War;
another was in the legislature in 1872. I have been a farmer most of my
life and have served as Justice of the Peace, Township Trustee, etc.
The settlers of those early days were much more troubled by wolves, which
would come to the cabins, especially when the ground was covered with snow,
to steal sheep, chickens and pigs. Every settler kept one or two dogs to guard the domestic animals. I remember we had two mastiffs. When they got to barking we usually found big gray wolves in the road in front of the cabin.
The first schoolhouse and church in the district was built in 1844 in my father's land. It was made of logs and had a big fireplace. The little folks sat on split logs hewed off smooth and set on pegs. At the east end of the schoolhouse was a set of desks on which the larger children could write.
The first school teacher was an old bachelor named Marshall. Later there was a lady named Lyddie Love, who afterwards married a man by the name of Galbreath, father of the County Superintendent here at one time. There was another teacher by the name of Martha Van Order, who afterwards married my father's brother, Zachariah Teeter. Among those who attended this school were the Martin Bates family and two Shedd families. Kellogg Shedd, who was a brother-in-law of Maryann Heckman Fuller, had a large family of boys.
I do not know much about my paternal grandfather, Zachariah Teeter, as he died in New York when my father was only seven years old. However, I have been told that he was 6' 7" tall.
Grandmother Teeter came here shortly after my father did, and I remem-
ber holding many interesting conversations with her when I was a small boy.
The stories that interested me most were those she used to tell about having
seen George Washington.
Her father, whose name was Thomas, kept an inn in Columbia County,
New York, during the time of the Revolutionary War. George Washington
sometimes stayed at this inn. My grandmother, Polly Thomas, was about
fifteen years old at this time and she used to meet General Washington.
Sometimes during the quieter periods of the war he would bring his wife,
Martha, with him. They nearly always rode on cream-colored horses, followed
by a third horse on which rode a colored man. When Mrs. Washington wanted
to mount her horse, George Washington would kneel on one knee; she would
step on the other knee, and so up onto the horse. I have been told that
George Washington was about 6' 2" tall.
At this time my great-grandfather had a conch shell which was blown as a horn to summon the guests to their meals. Of course, George Washington was at different times among those guests This shell came from Holland, with the family, and is now in my possession.
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