I found this information in the or History of Atlas of Grant Co., Indiana,
and The History of Grant Co., IN
My William Henry Harrison was a teacher and a shop keeper here in the
earliest days of settlement. My William was a Friends member and came from
Clark Co., OHIO. I can't relate him to this Luther S. Harrison but then
again I haven't disproved the relationship either. I had not seen the name
Luther and could not find him in the repository but . . .???
<<
If you can find any Harrison connection to anyone here I'd appreciate a
message from you. Thank you, [email protected] (yes the same one who sent the
attachment last time; my apologies. It's taken me a lot to show my face
again.)
History of Grant Co.,
810
> Luther S. Harrison. Now enjoying prosperity and the esteem of
> friends and neighbors, at a comfortable country estate oil section two
> of Fairmount township Luther S. Harrison is one of the older native
> sons of Grant county, was born here during the later pioneer epoch,
> and is a graduate of one of the old-time log school houses, which some
> fifty years ago were so common throughout this part of the state. His
> life has been led along lines of industry, thrift and honesty, and
> practically every one in Fairmount townships knows, and has a word of
> kindly regard for Luther S. Harrison.
> His grandfather, John Harrison was a native of Virginia. From
> there he moved to Ohio, and while there his death occurred in the
>
> HISTORY OF GRANT COUNTY 811
>
> prime of life as the result of an accident. In endeavoring to rescue his
> son John, Jr., from underneath a falling tree, he was stricken down
> and killed. This branch of the Harrison family is thought to be related
> more or less closely with the family which produced William Henry
> Harrison, president of the United States during the forties. John
> Harrison had three children: John, Jr., Sarah, who married William
> Leach, and lived and died in Grant county, both of them passing away
> in advanced age, and after acquiring a large estate in Fairmount
> township .
> Louis Harrison, father of Luther 8 was born in Ohio between the
> years 1808 and 1810. During the Mexican War he served in Captain
> Ramsey's Company from Indiana, then reenlisted to drive pack horses
> in the same war, and on his return from the war settled and lived for a
> time in Franklin county, whither he had first settled with some kinsmen
> from Ohio a number of years before. When he was still young he
> moved to Grant county, and his first home in this vicinity was built
> of split rails, and was little more than a shed covered with bark. That
> house stood on land now occupied by his son Luther. After a little while
> the rail hut was replaced with a good log house. Louis Harrison owned
> one hundred and sixty acres of land attained directly from the govern-
> ment? and spent the rest of his life in its clearing and cultivation. He
> died in October, 1860. His church was the Methodist, and in politics
he
> was a Democrat. About 1841, he was married in Fairmount township
> of Grant county to Elizabeth Searls, who was born in Kentucky in
> 1814 or 1815, coming of Kentucky parents and family. She was a
> young woman when she came to Grant county, and a few years later her
> parents left Indiana, and lived the rest of their lives in Illinois.
Mrs.
> Louis Harrison survived her husband many years and received a
> pension for her husband's sevices in the Mexlcan war. Her death
> occurred in February, 1897, and she was likewise a member of the
> Methodist church. Of their five children three grew up. John Harrison
> died in 1901, and his son Lawrence is now living in Henry county. The
> daughter Rachael is the wife of Henry DeShaun of Fairmount town-
> ship.
> Luther S. Harrison, second in age of the three children, just
> mentioned, was born in Fairmount township of Grant county, January
> 13, 1845. His early years were spent on his father's farm, and his
> schooling was obtained by attendance at a log cabin school. The light
> was admitted to the rooms through greased paper windows, and all
> the facilities of that primitive temple of learning were exceedingly
> crude, while the instruction itself was confined largely to the three
> R's. After reaching manhood he bought some land from his father,
> gradually acquiring more until his place amounted to one hundred and
> thirty acres. This is now one of the fine country estates of Fairmount
> township nearly all of it under cultivation, and its buildings are of
the
> very best comprising a large red barn and a comfortable white house.
> He is a general farmer, growing large crops of grain and forage, and
> feeds all the farm products to his hogs, horses and cattle. In cattle
> his specialty is the short-horn breed.
> Harrison was first married in Fairmount township to Miss Sarah
> Richards who was born in Jefferson township in 1863. She died in
> the prime of life from lung trouble, and left two children: Louis, born
> August 12, 1890 lives at home; Bessie, is the wife of Urshel Kimes, a
> farmer in Jefferson township, and they have one son, Thomas. In 1897,
> Mr. Harrison married for his second wife, Mrs. Emma Leach, whose
> maiden name was Ailes. She was born in Franklin county, Indiana,
> and is the widow of George Leach, who was killed in a saw-mill
>
HISTORY OF GRANT COUNTY 812
>
> boiler esplosion. Her children by Mr. Leach were: Rev. Perry B.
> Leach, a minister of the Methodist church, living south of Indianapolis,
> and having one son and one daughter; Lulu is the wife of Carl Mittank,
> employed in the post office at Marion, and they have three children;
> Arthur, aged twenty-five lives at home with Mr. and Mrs. Harrison.
> Mr. and Mrs. Harrison are members of no church, and in politics he is
> an Independent Democrat.
>
HISTORY 0F GRANT COUNTY 237
night's slumber. In the cabin the election was held in 1838 and
Silas Parks was the first justice of the peace. Edwin Brown was the
second justice of the peace, elected in 1839.
I here give a more fully tabulated statement of the first settlers and
date of their settling in their new homes in a wilderness, to-wit: Andrew
Patterson settled at Farmington in October, 1835; Silas Park settled
in 1835;� John' Jacks settled in 1836; Josiah. Roberts settled in 1836;
Moses Adamson settled in 1836; Green B. Jacks settled in 1836; Daniel
Dwiggins settled in 1836 and built the first steam sawmill in the town-
ship; Pen Hillman, in 1836: Paul Roberts, in 1836; William Harrison
settled in 1836, and was one of the school teachers; Robert Marshall, in
1836; Mark Gage settled in 1841; Joel Long, in 1838; Jesse Oren, in
1841; Charles Atkison, in 1828; Phillip Cole, in 1837; George W. Leon-
ard, in 1837; Stephen Studevent, in 1838; Samuel Hodson, in 1841;
George Phillips, in 1839; Israel Jenkins, in 1840; John B. Palmer, in
1837; James Bird, in 1837; Edwin Brown, in 1837; William Mitchell,
in 1837; William Long, in 1841, and cleared forty acres for forty acres;
James Wilson, in 1844; James Haines, in 1848; Samuel R. Thompson,
in 1842; George Strange settled in 1841 on the land entered by his father
in 1836, and resides on the same spot where he built his cabin in 1841,
and now lives in the third house he has erected in the same yard, and
he and his wife, the writer's father and mother, enjoy the distinction
of being the only pioneer couple now living and the longest married
couple in the county, having been married sixty-nine years the thirteenth
of last February, 1909, George Strange being eighty-nine the twelfth
day of November, 1908, and Lydia, eighty-nine on September 18, 1908.
Levi Lunday settled in 1840; Simon Goodykoontz settled in 1846; Jacob
Goodykoontz, in 1839;Absolom Thompson settled in 1846; James Hults,
in 1842; George W. Hults, in 1838; T. J. Hults, in 1842; John Wicher-
sham, in 1839; James Lundy, 1840; Joel Green, in 1840; Abner Wicker-
sham, in 1840; David Wall, in 1840; Daniel C. Keever, in 1840: Sephas
Atkinson, in 1840;John Simons, in 1838; Thomas Smith, in 1845; James
Gillespie, in 1838; Garrett Bird, in 1837; George I(Kessinger, in 1837;
Mathias Stotler 1840; Henry Smith in 1846; Zimri Leonard is the
oldest citizen living in the township that, was born is it. He was born
July 6, 1838, and lives on the farm where he was born over seventy
pears ago.
The first death in the township was Virginia Lugar in 1838. The
first marriage was Elam Hiatt and Louisa Patterson on October 25,
G. B. Jacks and Cinderella Cole were married on September 6,
The first village was Farmington, laid out in 1848 by Andrew
Patterson and Benjamin Hillman. Isaac Truax and Elam Hiatt were
the first merchants. Later on Truax sold out to Hiatt, Hiatt to Beck-
ford, Beckford to Daniel Hiatt, Hiatt to Alfred Hiatt, then to Samuel
Patterson and the latter closed out the mercantile business and the
lots have long since been vacated and the village of Farmington has
lost its identity.
The village of Monroe was platted by John Ratliff in 1852. The main
streets were called Washington street, running north and south, and
Thompson street, running east and west. The writer has the plat. The
first building was a frame containing two rooms, twelve by sixteen, and
the first school in the district was taught in the west room, the teacher
lived in the other room. The first teacher was William Harrison. The
house was on the southwest corner of section 10. The first school was
in 1860. The patrons got together the next fall and built a hewed log
schoolhouse about eighteen rods east of the above named corner on
the north side of the road. labor donated. In that log schoolhouse in the
238 HlSTORY OF GRANT COUNTY
good old by-gone happy, happy happy school days, the writer grad-
uated under the following instructors, to-wit: William Harrison, two
terms; William Chapman, one term; Bennet Spencer, one term; Jacob
Mewmaw, one term; Stephen Harrison, one term; Alien Forquer, one (Stephen
term; Robert Tedrick one term; Miss James, only two months; Lafayette was
Ayers, one term; George W. Roush, two terms; Rebecca Oren two, theWilliam's
terms being sixty and sixty-five days.
son)
The plat later on was abandoned and upon the establishing. of a
postoffice in 1852 the name was changed to Arcana, as there was another
postoffice in the state by the name of Monroe, and to the rising genera-
tion the name of Monroe has lost its identity. The first store was owned
by William Harrison and-he sold out: to Robert Gilbert and he was the
first man to establish a trade with the country people in butter, which
dates back to 1852. His successors were Zimmerman, Barley & Line,
Daniel Patterson, Bonham & Overhizer, Tate, A. Thompson, Boles &
Berguson, George Strange, Jr., Adamson & Green and Ferguson & John-
son. Patrick Gregan established a tannery on the northeast corner of
section 16 and Bold to John Eling. Samuel Thompson operated a tannery
one-half mile west of Arcana in the forties on the branch west of thehouse.
He built the first brick house in the township.
In the township's early history there were three trustees. Some of
those that filled a position on the board of trustees were David Wall,
George Leonard, Mark Gage, George Strange, T. J. Hults. About 1861
the law was changed to one trustee and George Strange succeeded himself
for eleven years out of twelve years. Hugh Woody served one gear and
then came E. Oren, James Baller, J. B. Strange, F. 8. Fleming, William
Gage, L. 13. Oliver, Henry J. Connelly, William Hayes and Alva Nesbitt.
Among the early teachers of Monroe township were Pearson E. Rob-
erts, Fornshell J. Bugher, Harrison Mumaw, Chapman Patterson, AIex
McMillan, A, Goodykoontz and John Embree. In those days "licbin'
and larnin��' " went as bosom companions.
The style of the early schoolhouses was not very artistic, usually
made of round logs with long open places, with about six feet of a
front opening and made of mud and sticks and a log cut out large
enough for an eight by ten glass in a row between the logs to light the
house. The seats were made of poles split in the middle and legs put
in the bark side and the split side tnr4ed up to sit on. Holes bored in
the wall and pins about two feet long put in and boards put on for
a writing desk, and to lay books and slates on. Teachers in those
pioneer days were called "masters."
Those pioneer schoolhouses were used for a double purpose and
school grounds were occasionally donated for church as well as for
school purposes. Church business and services in the main were held
in the school houses, but in some instances regular preaching was at
private homes. The writer has attended church at private residences.
Among the pioneer ministers of local talent were James Hults, Sr.,
George Gillespie, Mathias Statelier, Silas Parks, who laid in a trance for
three days, and Phineas Roberts, Thomas Maddox and Joseph Meredith,
transient.
The first church house was Rama, built about 1868 by the Metho-
dists and was constructed of hewed logs �on the Cumberland and
Warren road on section 1, about eighty rods north of the Marion
and Eastern gravel road. The second was Oak chapel, built
in 1876 on the Cumberland road fourteen miles south of Jadden
on the Cumberland and Warren gravel road at the cemetery m
section 13. At the raising of this church when the structure was
partly up, the frame collapsed and fatally injured George Robb, seriously
HISTORY OF GRANT COUNTY
trict No. 1, James M. Ellis, supervisor Joseph Hill, Jesse Harvey,
John Carey, Thomas Harvey, Jr., Henry.: Winslow, Linden Osborn,
Joseph Carey; Robert Carey, Robert Corder, :Samuel Radley, Allen
Wright, George Rich, Samuel Dillon and Seth Winslow. District No.
2, William Pierce, supervisor--Clarkson Pierce, Thomas Newby, James
Harrison, Andrew Lytle, John Phillips, Joel Phillips, Jesse Pemberton,
Mordecai Davidson, Moses Larkin, James Davidson, Milton Winslow,
Jesse Dillon and John Knox. District No. 3, Hopkins Richardson,
supervisor William Winslow, Isaac -Wright, Henry Leavell, Aaron
Kaufman, Charles Stanfield, George Lewis, John Benbow, Isam Portice,
Walker Winslow, Daniel T. Lindsey, Henry Winslow, Jonathan D.
Richardson, Zimri Richardson, Simon ECaufman, Isaac Roberts and
James Quinn. District No. 4, Phillip Patterson, supervisor--Andrew
Buller, Carter Hastings, James Nixon, Judith Smithson, Daniel
Thomas, John Seale, Nathan D. Wilson, Jesse E. Wilson, Jonathan
Baldwin, Nathan Little, Isaac Hawkins, David Baldwin, Mahlon Cook,
John Henley, Joseph W. Baldwin, Isaac Stanfield, James Cammack,
William Hundley, William Wright, Nixon Rush, Sr., Nathan Vinson,
Seberry Lyons, William Hall, Solomon Parsons, Joshua Foster, Andrew
Leverton, Calvin Dillon and Iredell Rush. District No..5, Lindsey
Wilson, supervisor--Hanley Broyles, Renry Wilson, Eli Neal, Micajah
Wilson, Henry J. Reel, Andrew J. Maun, Albert Dillon, James Lytle,
Calvin Bookout, Clayton L. Stenciled and Alfred Waldon. District
No. 6, William Fear, supervisor-John Smith, John W, Ridge, Aaron
Cosand, James WiLLLiams, Isaac Thomas, William Parsons, Isaac John-
son, Clark 8. Johnson Jr., Henry Osborn, Jonathan Osborn, Charles
a. Johnson and Nelson Thomas.
On April 7, 1856, Phineas Renley was elected justice of the peace,
William Hall, treasurer, A. R. WiIliams,.clerk, and Samuel Dillon,
Daniel Thomas and Micajah Wilson were elected to the board of town-
ship trustees. In 1858 Thomas D. Duling, Samnel Dillon and Seth
Winsllow were elected to the board of township "trustees John S.
Carey, township clerk, and William Hall, township treasurer. This
was the last year that a board of township trustees was elected.
In 1859 the law was amended so as to provide for the election of
one township trustee to serve one year. On April 4, 1859, Henry
Harvey was elected, being the first man to serve under the new law.
The following township trustees have served the township: 3860 to
1865, J. P. Winslow; 1865, M. C. Wilson; 1866, J. P, Winslow; 1867,
Samuel Dillon; 1868, J. P. Winslow; 1869, J. F. Jones; 1870, Morgan
O. Lewis; 1871, J. Nixon Elliott; 1872, J. Nixon Elliott; 1873, Joseph
Wilson; 1874, Joseph Wilson; f875, Eli Neal; 1876, Eli Neal; 1877,
Eli Neal; 3880, Lemuel Pearson; 1884, Joseph Ratliff; 1888, Lemuel
Pearson; 1890, John E;elsay; 1894, Joseph Ratliff; 1900, doel 0. Dul-
im; 1904, Alvin J. Wilson; 1908, John R. Little.
Prior to 1854 there had been but little, if any, agitation for the im-
provement of the roads. Such highways as had up to that year been
opened for travel had been built along the ridges, where the land was
high and dry. This accounts, to a large extent, for the angling, crooked
roads of the early day. It was not until several years after work was
started on a more extensive scale that effortl were made to build roads
on range and tomnship lines, making travel easier and the highways
straighter. The Jonesboro and Fairmount turnpike was projected in
1S60, being the first gravel road constructed. Jesse E. Wilson and
Jonathan P. Winslow were among the promoters and organizers of
the company which built this pike. The work progressed rapidly after
these pikes were built, and has ever since occupied much of the atten-
-