Irene Carson <genie(a)nauticom.net> asked on the Indiana-L list about the
Fugit family. Because it's of broader interest, and because it shows up
the difficulties in dealing with inconsistencies in Lewis Harding's History
of Decatur County Indiana (1915), I'm posting my response to Indecatu-L.
I'll also post it on the Decatur Co biographies page.
In 1819 the US government acquired the eastern and central part of Indiana
by the Treaty of St Mary's with the Delaware Indians. Harding relates that
"All along the border were bold spirits waiting for this unknown country to
become the property of the government. No sooner had the Indians renounced
all claims to it than the settlers flocked into it. . . .Probably the first
to reach Decatur County was John Fugit and his son, John." (p70)
"John Fugit, who was born in the mountains of Russell county, Virginia, in
1770, came in March, 1819, with Guffy Griffiths and Elias Janett from
Franklin county to Decatur county, Indiana, and settled one mile east of
the present site of Clarksburg at the forks of the road. John Fugit, after
his marriage, had moved to Floyd county, Kentucky, from Virginia and from
Floyd county, in 1808, to Hamilton county, Ohio. Two years later the
family had moved to Cedar Grove, Franklin county, Indiana, where they lived
until 1818, when, owing to the hostility of the Indians, they were
compelled to seek safety in the old fort eight miles west of Brookville.
The next year they came on to Decatur county, Indiana" [p608].
"Decatur County originally formed a part of Delaware County, an immense
tract of land ranging east to the Ohio line and north to, and including the
present county of Delaware. But in 1821 the state Legislature provided for
breaking up this territory into smaller units, and appointed commissioners
to locate county seats for Decatur, Shelby and Rush counties. In the days
when Decatur county was a part of Delaware . . . [t]here were no courts of
justice; no vested police powers, each man being a law unto himself.
There is a tradition, however, that the elder Fugit had been a justice of
the peace in Franklin county and that he brought his commission and docket
with him, performing marriages and dispensing justice to all coming of
their own accord to seek it. Those wishing to enter the matrimonial state
were compelled to go to Brookville to secure the marriage license." (p73)
"Fugit Township was one of the three original townships laid off by the
board of commissioners on May 14, 1822. The other two townships were Adams
and Washington, the latter of which embraced considerably more than the
southern half of the county." (p119) Most early settlement was in the
northern tier of townships, which were better served by streams.
"It is taken by common consent that the Fugit family were the first real
settlers in what is now the township bearing their name. John Fugit, and
his two children, John and Mary, came to the township in the latter part of
February, 1819. They selected a site for their cabin and, while engaged in
putting it up, were joined by Griffy Griffith, his wife and son, Ishmael.
The Griffiths located one mile west of Clarksburg, where they lived until
the death of the father and mother.
After Fugit and his son had their rude cabin ready for occupancy,
the whole family, consisting of the father, mother, four sons and two
daughters, made this township their permanent home for a number of years.
The Fugits entered no land and citizens of the township have never agreed
as to the exact spot where the old Fugit cabins stood. Some have
maintained that they settled northeast of Clarksburg, while others hold
that they located one mile east of Clarksburg on land entered by Benjamin
Snelling. Still others believe that the Fugits squatted on the old Luther
Donnell place. Strange to say, neither James L Fugit, one of the sons of
the old pioneer, nor Mary, a daughter (who became the wife of David
Garrison), could identify the exact spot where their father had settled.
They had removed to Clay township in 1825 . . It is probable that it was on
the Donnell farm, which had been entered by Thomas Donnell, Sr. . . John
Fugit['s] daughter, Sarah, married Joseph Webb, and this was the first
marriage in the county. The license was secured in Brookville in the fall
of 1819 and the marriage took place presumably in the log cabin in Fugit
township. John Fugit died and Milford (Clifty) in 1844. At the present
time the Fugit line is not represented by any male bearing the name in the
county." (p121)
In the first county elections, held May 14, 1822, John B Fugit was one of
four candidates for the positions of Clerk of circuit court and Recorder,
but was defeated; he was also one of eight candidates for associate judge
of the circuit court and received the highest vote, so he and Martin
Adkins, of whom there are several stories of scandal, were elected.
(pp74-75). Under the state constitution of 1816, and until that of 1852,
presiding judges for each circuit were chosen by the state legislature and
they sat with two judges elected in each county on all the civil and
criminal business of the county.
"In 1824, John Fugit, afterwards associate judge of Decatur county, settled
in the central part of [Clay] township, on Middle Fork creek. He held the
office of judge for a number of years, and died in the year 1846." (p114)
"In 1825, the Fugits moved to Turner's Corner in Clay township, where they
lived until 1839, when John Fugit moved to Milford, where he died in 1844."
(p608)
"He was tall and thin, with broad shoulders and an eye as bright as an
eagle's. When his six years on the bench were over he served one or two
terms as a justice of the peace in Clay township. He had three sons who
attained local eminence. Hugh was an attorney at Milford; James L. was a
justice of the peace and later deputy sheriff and Isaac W. was also an
attorney, and served for a time as postmaster at St. Paul." (pp279-280)
"It was a daughter of John Fugit, Mary (Fugit) Garrison, the mother of the
late Joseph W. Garrison, who was known, during her time, as 'the
washerwoman for all Decatur county,' there having been at this time only
three families in the whole county. The Fugits were noted not only for the
important positions of trust and responsibility which they held in the
early history of the county, but they were also noted for being the tallest
family in this county, each member averaging over six feet in height. The
children of David and Polly (Fugit) Garrison were John Q.A., Silas W, James
L.F., Isaac N., Joseph W., Jesse F., Benjamin F. and David G. Four
children among the six sons and thre daughters born to Judge John Fugit and
wife, are: Mrs. Mary Garrison; Isaac W. of St Paul, Minnesota[?]; Mrs.
Rachel McCallister, of Windfall; Mrs Celia Wilson, of Boone county,
Indiana, and James, of Greensburg. These children are all deceased as are
the remainder of the family." (p608-609) There follow a few paragraphs of
genealogy and biography on Mary's son, Joseph W Garrison, who married
Martha E Tanner on 16 Feb 1865, and mention of their daughter Minnie, who
married EF Roszell on 6 Dec 1905. (p609-610)
Rachel Fugit married Dr Lewis McAllister of Milford in about 1850; they
moved to Windfall, Howard County IN in the spring of 1865 and he died there
in 1890; they had no children and she was active in the Methodist church.
(p354).
"The first mill [in Clay Twp] was established by Jesse Fugit, a son of
Judge Fugit, in 1825, and was run by horse-power. . .Milford is the oldest
town in this township. It was platted and laid out by James Edwards,
August 25, 1855, and was originally known by the name of Needmore. . .Later
additions to the original plat were made by . . James L Fugit [among
others]" (p116)
James M Fugit was among the first recruits from the county in April 1861,
probably serving with Co B, 7th IN Regt (p425). Isaac W was one of the
charter members of Greensburg Chapter 8 of the Royal Arch Masons in 1848
and Isaac L was high priest in 1872, (p308) as well as a leading member of
Greensburg Commandery No. 2 of the Knights Templar(p310). In 1877 the
Methodists of Greensburg split and several families, including that of
James L Fugit, formed the Methodist Protestant Church, which was disbanded
in the 1880s. (p215)