CORNELIUS SUTTON, FIRST SETTLER— EARLY SETTLERS, VOTERS AND OFFICIALS— LAND ENTRIES BEFORE 1840— SWAMP LANDS PURCHASED-- GOOD ROADS— LIMESTONE DEPOSITS-- THE TIMBERED TRACTS— BIG AND LITTLE MONON CREEKS— FIRST MILLS BUILT— WEST BEDFORD--THE COOPER MILL— LAST GASP OF WEST BEDFORD— NEW BRADFORD AND MONON— FIRST EVENTS IN THE TOWNSHIP— SIMON KENTON'S DAUGHTEES AND GRANDCHILDREN— EARLY POSTOFFICES— OAKDALE, OR LEE.
In response to a petition signed by eleven citizens, the board of commissioners for White County created Monon Township on the 5th of January, 1836. It then embraced all of the county north of the line dividing sections 16 and 21, township 27 north, range 3 west and west of the line dividing ranges 2 and 3, and it did not assume its present area and form until Liberty Township was erected in 1837, Princeton in 1844 and Honey Creek in 1855. The first change in its boundaries was in September, 1836, when it was only about nine months old, at which time its south line was moved one mile to the north.
The first settler in Monon Township of whom there is any account—and that is rather unsatisfactory—was Cornelius Sutton, a wandering trapper, who, about 1835, located his shack and himself near the confluence of the Big and Little Monon creeks. He was chosen one of the two overseers of the poor at the first election in the following year; but that is not necessarily placing him in the list of really prominent men, as in order to fill the offices nearly all the residents of the township had to serve in some capacity.
During the year of the township's organization, 1836, the following became residents within its limits: John Cowger, Amos Cooper. Silas Cowger, Thomas Madden, John McNary, Joseph J. Reiley, John Parker, Harvey Sellers, Lycurgus Cooper and John Kepperling; and there were about as many more who had already located when the township was created. That is a safe statement, since at the first election held at the house of Mr. Sutton, on the first Monday (the 4th) of April, 1836, the following voted: Samuel Gray, David Berkey, Elihu Line, Thomas Wilson, Ira Bacon, James K. Wilson, Cornelius Sutton, John McNary, Elias Lowther, William Wilson, James H. Sutton, Melchi Gray, Silas Cowger and Isaac W. Blake. Melchi Gray and Messrs. Line and Baker acted as judges, and Samuel Gray and Mr. Berkey, as clerks. The officers elected were Silas Cowger for justice of the peace; Isaac W. Black, constable; Elias Lowther, supervisor; Cornelius Sutton and James K. Wilson, overseers of the poor, and Elihu Line, inspector of election. Samuel Gray and Joseph K. Sutton each received seven votes for fence viewer--a very important office in the early times--and the record does not bring down to us the ultimate choice.
The second election, in 1837, was held at the house of Silas Cowger, on the Monon, and the third, at the cabin of John Cowger. The Cowger family became both prominent and permanent, and its members are still factors in the progress of the township.
Among those mentioned, as well as others who came to the township previous to 1840, the following entered land in Monon Township, the earliest tracts taken up being in sections which include the present site of the Village of Monon and adjacent tracts to the east and southeast: In 1832 William Wilson entered claims in section 11; Thomas Wilson, Sr., in section 22; David Berkey, in sections 24 and 25; Ira Bacon, in sections 26 and 27; Thomas Murphy, in sections 25 and 36.
1833—Joseph Wilson, section 11; William Wilson, section 22; Elias Lowther, section 25.
1834--Joseph Wilson, section 22; Daniel Griffith, sections 22 and 28; Frederick Spilkey, section 26.
1835—John Britton, sections 18 and 30; John Sidenbender, section 31; John Pixler, same section; John Cowger, sections 1 and 18; Thomas Wilson, section 14; Thomas King, section 15.
1836—John Renner, section 17; Daniel Murray, section 18; Isaac W. Blake, section 19; Benjamin Ball, sections 21 and 22; Thomas Downey, section 25; Dennis Line, section 1.
1837—Michael Aker, section 8; Samuel Korn, section 17; Jacob Dibra, section 29; Harvey Sellers, section 30; Charles S. Lowe, section 1; Benjamin Ball, section 20.
1838--Ayres Peterson, section 19.
1839—John McNutt, section 18; Abraham Hershe, section 29; Samuel Peterson, section 29.
Although most of the land entered was eventually settled by residents, at a later day much of the so~called "swamp land" was purchased by non-residents. Some was really overflowed; other tracts were on the sand ridges, high and dry.
Three hundred and sixty acres in section 19 was purchased by I. and D. C. Chamberlain, Samuel Duncan and Marion Reed, residents, and Solomon Sturges, non-resident. Two hundred acres in section 30 became the property of John Duncan and James Johnson, residents, and of Mr. Sturges. The greater portions of sections 1, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, and 27 were entered as swamp lands, with smaller tracts in sections 2, 3, 33, 34, and 36. In other words, a large portion of Western Monon Township was entered as swamp lands. These entries, with scattering tracts, legally placed more than a quarter of Monon Township under water; that portion is far from the facts, although considerable of its area was low-land.
When the first settlers came to the township, before any effort had been made at drainage, a large area of the township was covered by water the greater part of the year. It was a favorite breeding place for aquatic wild fowl and fur-bearing animals and drew thither many bunters and trappers. Thus the settlement of the country by substantial farmers was slow.
Monon Township has not only spent largely of her means in the matter of reclaiming her swamp lands and bringing them under cultivation, but is among the foremost of the townships (third in the list) in furthering the good roads movement, through which the farming communities are brought into close touch with the markets, even though miles from the railroad. In the construction of gravel, or macadam roads, which has been pushed with such good results for the past twenty years, Monon Township has cheerfully incurred a bonded indebtedness of $58,280, divided among the different roads as follows: McDonald, $19,080; Jacks, $4,200; Graham, $4,800; Kentnick, $11,200; Porter, $8,000; Hughes, $5,000; Noland, $6,000.
A solid bed of limestone underlies much of the fertile soil of Monon Township, its most prominent outcroppings being in the vicinity of the Big and Little Monon creeks. The quarrying of this stone, the deposits of which vary in thickness from one to seven feet and the operation of kilns for the manufacture of lime, were carried on to a considerable extent in the pioneer times; but the limestone has been utilized, for some years past, in the building of highways, not only in many sections of White County, but in neighboring territory. Perhaps the largest crushing plant and lime manufactory in the county is now in operation about a mile south of Monon.
Originally, the southern half of the township was heavily timbered, and consequently, as in the case of the other townships, was first settled. There were also considerable tracts of timber land in the eastern portion, on both sides of Big Monon Creek, extending as far north as the second tier of sections from the northern line of the township. Most of the first growth has, of course, been removed, although these portions of the township are still the best wooded.
Monon Township is one of the largest in the county, being nearly equal in area to two congressional townships. The spelling of the name of the creeks, from which it is designated, was formerly Monong; the Indians even went further and called the Big Monon, the Metamonong--Meta being "big." These streams are the most beautiful tributaries of the Tippecanoe in White County, and have been a blessing to the township in every way.
As early as 1835 Elias Lowther commenced to build a grist mill on Little Monon Creek, near its mouth, and finished it during the following year. Whether Mr. Lowther made the buhrs himself or Dr. Samuel Korn, who was then a resident of Tippecanoe County, is not material; the main point is that they were well made and hung true and did the work required of them to the satisfaction of the settlers until 1840. In that year the mill shut down and the buhrs were purchased by Charles S. Lowe, a Miami County farmer and merchant whose homestead had been in section 24, about three miles east of the present Village of Monon, for several years.
Mr. Lowe erected a new mill on Big Monon Creek, near his homestead, using the buhrs of the first mill in his own enterprise; the same stones are said to have done good service afterward in Jasper County, and the old grist mill was subsequently transformed into a sawmill, which was operated by Larkin and Gustavus Lowe, sons of the founder. The Lowe Mill was one of the most widely known landmarks in Monon Township and the Lowe farm and residence were favorite centers of social life.
This brings us to the story of the founding of West Bedford, in the immediate vicinity of the old Lowther mill. The town was platted by David Berkey on the 21st day of April, 1837, on the north side of Little Monon Creek and the west side of the Big Monon, near the confluence of those streams with the Tippecanoe River. The survey was made by Asa Allen, county surveyor. The plat comprised 100 lots and the village flourished for fifteen years, or until it became evident that the Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railroad was going some three miles west of its limits.
In 1845 Amos Cooper and Nathaniel Hull threw a dam across the Big Monon three miles north of West Bedford and erected a large frame grist mill, at a cost of between $5,000 and $6,000. They also bought a large stock of general merchandise and opened a store. This combined enterprise was beneficial to the township, but rather detracted from the importance of West Bedford and drew business from such merchants of that town as Martin Judah and "Jack" Heaton. In the early time there were several saloons in the village, and, as the sale of liquors required no license then, the general stores sold whiskey, gin and other strong drinks. In fact, for a number of years West Bedford had, and firmly maintained, a bad reputation for sobriety.
The last revival of business at West Bedford was its death gasp, for while the railroad was in process of construction to the westward in 1853 its employees were obliged to depend for some time upon the board, provisions and lodgings, as well as the wet goods, which could be supplied of the merchants, hotel keepers and resident families of the village. But on the 18th of March, 1853, James Brooks, president of the Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railroad, platted the Town of New Bradford, and the exodus from West Bedford commenced in earnest. Within a few months, the old town had been virtually deserted for the new.
It is certain that President Brooks, of the railroad, meant that his town should be launched with eclat. The original plat contained 410 lots on either side of the Louisville, New Albany & Chicago line, and he at once commenced the construction of a large roundhouse. Residences and stores were rapidly built, and within a few months an addition of more than sixty lots was made to the original town.
It was more than forty yeats before the name New Bradford was legally replaced by that of Monon—designating the village as well as the postoffice. The name Monon was given to the first postoffice established in the township, about 1838, at the house of David Berkey on the farm afterward owned by Samuel Lowe. Mr. Berkey was also postmaster and continued as such until the office was moved to the house of James K. Wilson, just east of the present Village of Monon. The postoffice remained as Monon both under Mr. Wilson's administration and that of his successor, Lewis Chamberlain, who assumed its duties in 1854 as the postmaster at New Bradford. It was not until 1879 that New Bradford was incorporated under the name of Monon, thus making the name of the postoffice and the village uniform. The ambitions of its founder have been fairly realized, as it is the second center of population in the county and an attractive, brisk and substantial town.
The first white child born in the township was John Wilson, son of James K. and Nancy Wilson (nee Clayton), whose birthday was June 1, 1834. During the year 1835 the following were born in the township: Lavinia Lowther, Margaret Bacon, Dennis Blake, Elizabeth Wilson and Clarissa Barkey.
The first death was that of Mrs. Thomas Wilson, in the fall of 1834.
James Harrison and Elizabeth Ivers were the first to be married in Monon Township, about the year 1838. In the following year, Amos Cooper and Mary Edwards were wed, and about the same time, Benjamin Ball and Martha Kenton.
The last named was a granddaughter of Simon Kenton, the famed Indian fighter and frontiersman. Three of his daughters were also early settlers of the township. They married Daniel Murray, Jacob Meyer and James J. Brown, and all died within the limits of the township. Mrs. Murray and Mrs. Meyer were interred in the cemetery at Monon Methodist Episcopal Chapel, about three miles northeast of the village. Jacob Meyer died at an early date and his widow married Matthias M. Thornton, dying herself without issue.
Mrs. Murray had a large family, and five of her sons served in the Civil war, their records being such as were a credit to the family name. Lewis Murray rose to the rank of lieutenant in the regular army and died in the service at Indianapolis.
The first religious organization in Monon Township was probably the Presbyterian Society established at West Bedford in 1839. Reverend Williamson was its first pastor and the early members were Thomas Downey and wife, William Wilson and wife, and Mrs. Kepperling.
West Bedford also had the first schoolhouse in the township, built in 1840. Salome Bentley was the teacher of this pioneer school and was succeeded by Michael Berkey. The second schoolhouse in the township was erected, about 1852, at Cooper's Mill.
Outside of Monon, a number of postoffices have been established in the township, some of which have been discontinued because of a shifting of population, others moved into other townships and still others absorbed by the rural free delivery.
Cathcart postoffice was established about 1846, in the western part of the township, with Robert B. Overton as postmaster. It was situated on the farm afterward occupied by Thomas Jacks and was discontinued in 1863.
Flowerville postoffice was established in 1867, with A. A. Cole as postmaster. It was situated in the eastern part of the township on a tract of land owned by William Lowe and the heirs of John Berkey. In 1869 it was moved into Liberty Township on the east side of the Tippecanoe, with Rachel Karr as the first woman postmaster, and later was discontinued but a store is still located there.
The only existing postoffice in Monon Township outside the village is Lee, in the northwest corner, about a mile from the Jasper County line on the Louisville, New Albany & Chicago (Monon) Railroad. It became a postoffice, in 1882, with Calvin Anderson as postmaster, and although it was platted in 1886 as Oakdale it is generally known as Lee in honor of Uncle Sam's sponsorship.
In August of the latter year it was platted by Benjamin A. Linville and Noble J. York, who laid out 120 lots on fractions of sections 3, 10 and 11, township 28 north, range 5 west. It is about five miles northwest of Monon and is the center of a rich district of drained lands, admirably adapted to live stock. Eventually, it will also be surrounded by a productive grain district, numerous large farms having been opened of late years. Aside from artificial ditches, with which the adjacent country is well supplied, the land is drained by Pinkamink Creek, a branch of the Iroquois River flowing westwardly through the neighboring County of Jasper. Oakdale, or Lee, is an important shipping point for hay. Hundreds of tons are baled at the station every year and shipped abroad, and, with the improvement of the surrounding farming lands, it has become an equally good point for the marketing and shipping of grain.