Posted on: Randolph Co. Indiana Biographies
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Surname: Trueblood, Coffin, Morris, Ryan, Cowan, Lindley, Fouts, Prather,
Denny, Thompson, Moody, Hobbs, Booth, Harrison, Tatlock, Young, Hibbard,
Lyon, DePauw
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Surname: Trueblood, Coffin, Morris, Ryan, Cowan, Lindley, Fouts, Prather,
Denny, Thompson, Moody, Hobbs, Booth, Harrison, Tatlock, Young, Hibbard,
Lyon, DePauw
Pioneer Pickings
The Salem Democrat
Washington County, Indiana
Indiana
March 31, 1880
Surnames in this are: Trueblood, Coffin, Morris, Ryan, Cowan, Lindley,
Fouts, Prather, Denny, Thompson, Moody, Hobbs, Booth, Harrison, Tatlock,
Young, Hibbard, Lyon, DePauw,
Sketch of James & Elizabeth Trueblood
The old people who knew James Trueblood used to tell that James was a very
small piece of humanity when he was an infant. Elizabeth's father became
his guardian, and thus the two children were raised mostly together, and
as soon as they grew up, became engaged to marry and the wedding was consummated
when Elizabeth was in her 17th year and James in his 21st year. James received
as good an education as the schools in that country could give him and
in early life became a teacher of others. Elizabeth had only spent three
months of her life at school, but made a thorough businesswoman since she
came to the Northwestern Territory. James's father 1eft him some property
in slaves, then with the help of his guardian, Joshua Trueblood, and his
mother, he made them free and paid their way to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In order to get away from what they believed to be the evils of slavery.
The families of James Trueblood, Nathan Trueblood, Mathew Coffin, Jehosaphat
Morris, and James Trueblood, Jr. came to Washington County, Indiana territory.
A Negro came along with them, who had been the property of Nathan Trueblood.
This Negro was named John Cowan, and he drove one of the eight wagons that
came along as this little band turned their backs upon Elizabeth City and
turned their faces toward Indiana Territory.........
They both belonged to Quakers or Friends..........
James Trueblood purchased a piece of land of William Lindley, a brother
of Samuel Lindley, and an uncle of William Lindley of later years. That
land was where a horse mill was erected near the Friends or Quaker meetinghouse,
and it was here that James Trueblood got his milling done. The deed to
the farm was written by David Fouts, Justice of the Peace, on the 10th
day of August 1815, and was recorded by Basil Prather, clerk and recorder.
The county at this time had no courthouse, and has not improved ver particularly
in that respect at present. The persons assisting James Trueblood in erecting
his cabin were Elisha Denny, Samuel Denny, father of Joel Denny, Levi Thompson,
father of James L Thompson, Lewis Moody, Joshua Trueblood, Nathan Trueblood
father of Joseph Matthew Hobbs, Jehosaphat Morris, father of Nathan, and
others
.
Joshua and Mi1es Tatlock sawed the weatherboarding, joists and sheeting's
for the Trueblood house with a whipsaw. Nicholas Hibbard and Joseph Young
were witnesses to the deed of the land. When James came to this county
his recollection is that John Owens and his brother had the only store
in Salem, and the next was Gen. John DePauw and Lieut. Gov. Christopher
Harrison. Then came Jonathan Lyon, the father of Dawson Lyon. The first
newspaper was the Tocsin, published by Patrick and Booth, and established
about' the time Newton Booth, the present Senator from California was born.
James Trueblood and Bebe Booth were warm friends, and both are still alive.........
He says that after he came to Indiana he used nothing that came through
slave labor, using no sugar but home made and his wearing apparel was generally
home made. About the year1840, a stranger on horseback with a pair of saddlebags
slung behind him was traveling along on one of the roads leading to Salem;
he met a young man and inquired if James Trueblood lived in the neighborhood.
As there were three of them the young man asked which one he meant. The
peddler replied it was Gentleman James from North Carolina. That peddler
was Peter Ryan, an old and respected citizen of this county at the time
of his death a few years ago, who amassed considerable wealth.