Lafayette Daily Courier
Tuesday, November 8, 1859
OLD SETTLERS
"In October 1827, ISAAC SHELBY, a distant relative of Governor SHELBY of
Kentucky, laid out the town of LaGrange, on the lower line of Tippecanoe
county, on the west side of the Wabash River.
In giving a list of the old settlers in Division No. 2 of Tippecanoe
county, as made in my last, I will begin at LaGrange.
When his town was first laid off, its proprietor considered it a hopeful
rival of LaFayette, Attica, Covington, and other river towns. At first
it gave fine promise of becoming a place of considerable business, and
for several years kept pace with the other villages along the river.
Owners and masters of Keel Boats and Pieronges, in ascending and
descending the Wabash, invariably made it a point to stop at LaGrange,
and exchange bacon, salt, flour, and fever and ague medicines for
bees-wax, feathers, fur-skins, and whisky, in which articles the
proprietor kept up a pretty active trade.
A polemic society was organized in this town, which was strongly
attended by the debaters from WEAVER's neighborhood east of the river,
Judge SAMUEL L. CLARK's neighborhood on the river below, and the MACE,
DAVIS, and FENTON neighborhood in Warren county. At one time there
appeared to be a strong probability of a Lyceum and Academy being
established there. But a few cabins, and small frame houses, soon
brought this village to it culminating point, and it was in a few years
entirely wiped out--and like ancient Greece and Rome, it lives only in
history and story.
There were in that neighborhood, besides SHELBY's family, JESSE DOUTHIL,
HARVEY H. LYONS, NOAH GRIGGS, L.S. WESTGATE, WM. WILLIAMS, DANIEL GOODEN
and IMMEL.
Near the mouth of Indian creek was ELIJAH GODFREY, JOHN BUCK, WILLIAM
PAYNE, ALEX. CROY, MICHAEL JONES, BOXLEY and JEHU STANLEY. Near Slim
Prairie was ENOS MOORE, AARON DAWLEY, FOSTERS, COON, NAGLE and BURNS.
Northwest on the edge of the Grand Prairie and in the timber, lived
VANNATTA, EASTBURN, SHAMBAUGHS, ELICONHONCE, McCRAY, GATES, BILDERBACKS,
ROCKS, JOURDANS, PIERCES, JENNINGS, KELLOGG, RAWLES, and others.
North of this settlement, on the head waters of Burnett's creek, was
another neighborhood composed of several families, viz: JOHN CLARK,
ELISHA G. LAYNE, JOURDAN KNIGHT, CHARLES H. MARSTELLER, JONES HENDERSON,
WILLIAM SIMS, THOMAS CONNELLY, NEWBERRY STOCKTON, Jr., DANIEL STOCKTON,
DAVID JONES, JOHN BARNARD, and JAS. GRIFFITH.
This locality was long famous for large quantities of wild game. Many
an extensive deer hunt and wolf hunt has come off along the border of
the Grand Prairie, and in the timber about the head of Burnett's Creek.
Two or three miles east of the mouth of Indian Creek was another
neighborhood consisting of JAMES BEDWELL, ROBERT WILLIAMS, THOMAS W.
TREKELL, WILLIAM, BENJAMIN, and SAM'L KNIGHT, FRANCIS SUNDERLAND, CUPPY,
STARRET, SUITS, JAMES EMERSON, H. OILAR, LAYTONS, and RUSSELS.
In this vicinity, on the Wabash river, opposite the mouth of Wea creek,
D. PATTON and others, in an early day, laid off the town of Cincinnatus,
which entered the list of river towns with a spirit that, for awhile,
promised a prosperous future. But its race was not so long or glorious
as that of LaGrange and there remains not a vistage to mark the place
where the town of Cincinnatus stood.
A few miles below this defunct village, I had an adventure many years
ago, the recollection of which still chills my blood with horror. An
account of the truly fearful adventure I will give in my next number."
INCOG