Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 October 1897 — The Old Settler’s Meeting. [ARTICLE]

The Old Settler’s Meeting.

Abstracts Of The Addresses And RemeniscensesThe following brief abstracts of the various addresses at the old settlers’ meeting of last Saturday are not in all cases taken up in the order given, but in the order in which reports could be obtained of the stenographers. The proceedings opened by music by the Citizens’ band, then “America” sung by the audience, led by John E. Alter. Rev. Issac Sayler, the oldest person present, and in his day a well known Methodist local preacher, made an eloquent prayer, delivered clearly and plainly in spite of the four score and eight years of its author.

PRESIDENT NOWELS. W. R. Nowels, president of the meeting and the oldest resident son of the earliest living settler, made the welcoming address, and it was an eminently well-fitting and appropriate effort. He commended the idea of an old settlers’ meeting, and thought a permanent organization should be effected and meetings held regularly. In counties where this is done® the old settlers’ meetings are the most popular events of the year. People get to understand and appreciate each other better; old friends meet, that have long been separated ated, and the young people learn to better appreciate the conditions which surround them when they learn of the hardships which were the lot of their forefathers.

WM. W. WISHARD. Wm. W. Wishard had as his subject, “Early Newton County,” but preferred to talk of his early experience in Pensselaer. He came to Rensselaer in 1855, from Vermillion Co., and started a general store. There was a firm of Laßue Brothers, then, as now, also two Saylers in business and Archibald Purcupile. Rensgelaer was small then, and the town and country were wet and muddy. He sold about everything that people bought at stores in those days, and clothing and boots and shoes w T ere coarse but strong and durable. The women wore heavier and coarser shoes | then than men wear now. Nice times those days. People were clever and sociable. He knew a third of the people in the two counties. Now not one in a thousand. Hejmade a trip south; there was one house at Carpenter’s grove, but no Railroad and no Remington. The county was still a wilderness. There were a few houses in Morocco at that time, and they had a banker'who carried his bank in his hat.

JARED BENJAMIN. Jared. Benjamin talked about “Our First Settlers,” He spoke especially of ajneighbor, Win. Mai, latt. A ntian bf great kindness and hospitality. His house was open to all who came, and also for all who would preach the gospel. Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians or anyone. After the meeting was over, the whole congregation was asked to stay to dinner. There were manyjhardships in those days, but one pleasant circumstance was related. The year 1844 was very wet. and people raised almost nothing. The winter was a hard one,

and the next spring thqre was great destitution. A man in business at Pittsburg, Carroll Co., named Colton, sent word through the whole region for the people to come to him and gelnail they needed, and pay when they could. They went in large numbers, and Colton’s liberality was the salvation of Jaspercounty. In 1878 Mr. Benjamin met Colton at Battle Ground. The subject of Colton’s liberality was brought up, Colton said he did not lose a cent’s worth on what he had trusted out to people of Jasper county, but in White county he lost $3,000.

L. W. HENKLE. Mr. Henkle had been assigned to speak on the subject of “Farming in the 405.” He said that there was very little farming in this county at that time About 10 oxen would be hitched to a big breaking plow and the land would be turned over as smooth as it was before. Corn planted early on the sod would make a pretty good crop. There was no scientific farming. Harrows were triangular, often with wooden teeth. Corn was cultivated with a rude tool made by a blacksmith, the attachments being home made. In those days people did not farm much but put all their money into land and cattle. It was the best range country he ever saw. Hunting was a great business but farming was mostly in truck patches. When he came 56 years ago, there were two cabins at Carpenter’s grove, and one family at Morocco. He knew “old Jimmie Van Rensselaer,” but the town of Rensselaer he did not know.

JAMES T. RANDLE. Came here 62 years ago, when 3| years old. Indians were very thick. Would come to their cabin, 15 or 20 in a drove. They were peacable and sociable, and liked to trade with the white people. Such as venison for flour etc. • The Indians were very sorry when the government moved them west of the Mississippi. Theirs was the only cabin for miles, and when a covered wagon drove in view, his mother would begin to get a meal ready for the movers. The postoffice was at Monticello, 25 miles away. Letter postage was 25 cents. Finally White Post post-office, 7 or 8 miles away, up towards where Medaryville now is, was established; and finally in his own neighborhood Pleasant Grove post-office was set up, and behold it continues to this day. Corn sold at 10 cents a bushel, hogs driven to Delphi brought $1.50 to $2.00 per hundred. Cattle were scarcely worth anything. People now days don’t know the first letter of hard times.

NEWMAN SNOW. Said he had been here 52 years. Enlisted in Rensselaer for two wars, the Mexican and the Civil. Come nearer being done up in the Mexican, than in the other. RANSOM ELIJAH Came here an infant. The country was wild, people grew up without church privileges; good men went hunting on Sunday, when conditions were favorable, and the speaker grew up rather wild. Has settled down now. though and living a Christian life. DAVID I‘EOMAN Was bom on the Iroquois only 56 years ago and did not consider himself ‘‘in it” as an old timer," and left the speaking to the older people. DAVID NOWELS. David Nowels, the earliest living settler, spoke on the subject of Rensselaer as I First Knew It. He came here in tho fall of with his father John Nowels, his brother-in-law, Joseph Yeoman, and his sister Mrs. Yeoman. The

speaker was 13 years old. They came from Bunkum, now Iroquois a town southwest over the line in Illinois. They came in a cart, drawn by oxen. They liked the looks of things around the rapids of the Iroquois, and concluded to to stay. The Yeomans went back to Bunkum, while the Nowels father and son got together the material to build a cabin. His father cut the logs and he hauled them. After stuff for the house was ready the speaker took the oxen and alone followed the Indian trail down the river to Bunkum, to bring back the Yeomans. The country between was wholly uninhabited, and the grass often taller than his head. For “grub” he had a little corn bread and hominy. He started very early in the morning and reached Bunkum soon after night. He walked and drove the oxen. A man named Ensen, at Bunkum, took his team and helped move the Yeomans over here. Yeomans wealth was mostly in live-stock. He had a cow, a calf, a yearling, three sheep, 2 brood sows and a pony. A pen had to be fixed up to keep the hogs and sheep from wandering into the high grass and being lost. Over at the Kannal sulphur springs the grass was so high that it would hide a man on horseback. There was nothing to eat the grass but the deers. There was abundance of game to eat, but bread-stuff was scarce, as it was 35 miles to mill. Used potatoes, parched com and hominey to save the bread. Clothing was scarce. His pants were foxed with buckskin to prolong their usefulness. That is buckskin was put over the legs and on the part he sat down on. On their feet they wore home-grown hog-skin moccosins. Indians come to the rapids in great numbersto catch dog-fish, which they dried and sacked up for winter’s use. The Indians would boil up a whole deer at once, and eat everything but the hair and bones. Also the Indians would boil up a big kettle full of mud turtles, and when cooked eat everything but the shells.

The Indians were friendly, and he would go several miles to play with the Indian boys, there being no w’hite boys here. Where is now Rensselaer was a great meeting place for Indians. The next year his father and Mr. Yeoman went to mill, leaving no one at home but his sister and himself. There were many Indians around, but they made no trouble. He carried mail in 1838 between Logansport and Bunkum. It took three days to make the trip, or a week both ways. Mr. Yeoman was the Rensselaer postmaster. Among the other postoffices served was one about half way to Bunkum, where Geo. W. Spitler was postmaster. Frequently he carried an empty mail sack. In later years, when they drove their hogs to Chicago, some would wander off in the big grass, and hence came the wild hogs in this section.