Notes from the White County Historical Society as they appear in "The Carmi Times."

Copyright ©2001 by "The Carmi Times" Permission to reprint granted to Cindy Birk Conley and the ILGenWeb by Barry Cleveland, editor, "The Carmi Times."

(Here continues the history of Indian Creek Township, as written by
Judge Ulys Pyle about 40 or 50 years ago.)

Nicholas Pyle (who had come to this area from Ohio about 1847) died Oct.
29, 1858. Asa Martin was administrator of the estate, and Reuben
Emerson, Benjamin Clark and W.H. Stokes were appointed appraisers of
his estate. R.S. Graham was court clerk. Whiting and McDowell were the
attorneys.

Listed among the assets of the estate were:

2 yokes of oxen, one valued at $50 and the other at $75;
50 sheep appraised at $1 each;
1 broad axe and 1 frow;

They had a public sale, and P.A. Pearce was the auctioneer.

Among the articles of personal property turned over to the widow were 1
spinning wheel, 1 loom, 1 cow for each of 4 members of the family, and
the widow was given 3 cows; 1 woman's sidesaddle and bridle; a year's
supply of provisions for the widow and family--valued at $142.50; feed
for the livestock for 6 months, valued at $32.

The widow selected and took on her widow's award in lieu of cash, 2
axes, 3 log chains, 2 pairs gears, 1 auger, 3 plows, 1 harrow and 1 yoke
of oxen. Found among the files is a tax receipt, dated Feb. 24, 1859,
embracing 504 acres of land, all in the vicinity of Stokes Station,
among which are four acres in the SE SW of Section 12, on which the tax
was 12 cents. I now own this whole 40 and in 1957 the tax was $40.
Raised from 3 cents per acre to $1.

Among the files are two store bills filed against the estate. One by
D.M. Porter, embracing various items of merchandise--shoes, yard
goods, etc. and 1 gross of pants buttons, at 25 cents. The other is a
bill by P.A. Pearce on which the first item listed is 1 gallon whiskey
60 cents. The next item, three months later, 1 gallon whiskey 50 cents.
Of the 15 items listed on the bill, 6 are for 1 gallon of whiskey.
Others are for thread, pepper, sulphur, a hat, sugar, molasses (1 gal.
50 cents), and 1 pair "spects" and case 70 cents.

In this connection, speaking of prices, it is interesting to note that
at a meeting of the County Court in 1820, it fixed the rate for
"entertainment and liquor" as follows: Breakfast, dinner and supper 37
1/2 cents. Rum 1/2 pint 50 cents. Whiskey 1/2 pint 12 1/2  cents. Horse
feed 25 cents. 12 1/2  cents per pint for whiskey is equivalent to $2
per gallon. Price went down considerably in those 38 years.

Among the early settlers to Indian Creek Township was a John Pond, who
settled there about 1815. In a few years he had neighbors, and the
community was called the Pond Settlement. One day Pond was away from
home, helping some of his new neighbors raise a cabin, and when he
returned in the evening he found the Indians had scalped his wife and
two little boys. Pond lost no time in calling upon his neighbors, and
before midnight a pursuing party of vengeance was formed composed of
Pond, Hosea Pearce and a Mr. Trousdale. They soon found their trail,
which they could easily follow by noting the disturbed condition of the
wild pea vines and prairie grass. Not till the fourth day did the party
discover a "fresh sign." Next morning at sunrise they found in the Okaw
bottoms three Indians, making their breakfast off of a wild turkey. Each
white man picked out his Indian and fired at him. One of the guns missed
fire. Two Indians fell dead. The other one got away by getting to the
river, where they lost his track.

(Continued next week)

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