Centennial history of Rush County, IndianaHistory is a systematic record of past events; especially the record of events in which man has taken part. "The perfect historian," says Macaulay, "is he in whose work the character and spirit of the age is exhibited in miniature." A glance at the Table of Contents of this "Centennial History of Rush County" will disclose a design on the part of the publishers of this work to set out here a systematic record of the events which have led up to the present state of development of this favored region, beginning with the time when white men first set foot on this territory, and in carrying out this design the historians have sincerely sought to preserve something of "the character and spirit of the age." so that there shall here be preserved a faithful chronicle of the aspirations and the achievements of the pioneers, at the same time tracing and recording the social, religious, educational, political and industrial progress of the community from its inception. The context will reveal the sincerity of purpose upon which the motive for the present publication is based; a purpose to preserve facts and personal memoirs that are deserving of perpetuation for the information of coming generations and which shall serve as links uniting the present to the past. To those who have so faithfully labored to this end, the publishers desire to extend their thanks. An expression of obligation also is due to the people of Rush county for the uniform kindness with which they have regarded this undertaking, and for their many services rendered in behalf of the historiographers. It is believed that it will be found that this unselfish collaboration has secured to Rush county a history that will stand as a standard in this field for the next generation and as an authentic guide to future generations.
Table of Contents
Read the Book - Free Download the Book - Free ( 37.6 MB PDF) VOLUME II
Read the Book - Free Download the Book - Free ( 30.9 MB PDF) Centennial history of Rush county name index VOLUME II
Read the Book - Free Download the Book - Free ( 3.9 MB PDF) By the treaty at St. Marys, October 2 to 6, 1818, the land which now comprises Rush county was ceded to the United States by the Delaware Indians. Immediately the government surveyors began their work, and by April 29, 1820, it was completed, and the land was opened to buyers October 1, 1820, at the Brookville land office. But even prior to this time squatters had gone into the new country. Probably the first of these was Enoch Russell. This man lived in Franklin county, where the town of Sommerset (now the town of Laurel) was laid out in 1818. In the fall of that year, a few days after the treaty with the Indians was effected, or as soon, at least, as the news reached him, Russell and a man named Zach Collins went out into the new purchase and put up a cabin in order that they might hunt through the winter. It had been usual for citizens along Whitewater river to go out to hunt in the Indian land, in what is now Rush county, prior to the signing of the treaty, but this cabin was probably the first permanent structure erected in the county. It was built about one and one-half miles north of the present town of New Salem, and during the first winter was used only as a hunting cabin. In the spring of the year, however, Russell moved his family in, and Collins built himself another cabin not far distant. In the fall of the same year, 1819, Isaac Williams built a cabin near by, as did Isaac Phipps and one Merryman. All this region was then known as "Congress land," and those who moved into it before the land sales did so for hunting purposes. When the Brookville office opened in the fall of 1820, John Smith entered the land on which the Russell cabin stood, and when Smith died, his heirs sold the property to General Robinson. |