The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-07-25
THIS COUNTY ONCE
LARGEST IN STATE
Interesting Records Found in
Old Home of Schuyler
Colfax, So. Bend.

way o equity, III 1e4o, paQ the lar
gest population of any county in the
state, but 1t has developed slowly in
this regard during the subsequent
seventy odd years and even vet can
not show hundred percent gain in
population. although from the stand
point of riches the county still ranks
among the first fifteen. Judging from
records its resources have DEVELOPED
entirely out of proportion to it's popu-
lation.
The farming communities in the
county were, seventy years ago. about
as thickly settled as they are now. 1t
has been in the city and the towns
where the growth has been apparent.
Interesting information, showing the
comparative growth of counties in the
state is contained in a South Bend dis
patch. There last week workmen who
We're dismantling the home of Schuy-
Ter Colfax. former vice president of
the United States and speaker of the
House of Representatives, found his
scrapbook with the early statistical
history of Indiana, also much other
valuable historical records The South
Bend account is as follows:
A Famous Serapbook.
Schuyler Colfax's famous scrapbook
on politics, which disappeared a few
years after his death. has been found
The old collection of clippings, care
fully preserved by the former Vice
President and speaker of the House of
Representatives, was brought to light
few days ago by workmen engaged
in demolishing the Colfax homestead
in this city. The book will be turned
over to the Northern Indiana Histori-
cal Society of South Bend
The scrapbook contains messages Of
the Presidents, reports of the Cabinet
officials and other information, which
from a historical standpoint, is unu-
sually important. A section of the book
is devoted to Indiana, the statistics of
the Hoosier state being filed with care
In this department are clippings on
population, commerce, navigation and
agriculture, showing that Indiana's dis
tinguished son was interested in other
things besides politics
Gives Population Table.
One of the most interesting things
in the scrapbook is a table showing
the population and some of the leading
products in each county of the state,
according to the census of 1870 The
clipping was from the Wabash Courier
and was prepared by Jesse L. Williams
at the request of the editors of that
publication. The population of the state
at that time was given as 6S3,314
Wayne, with 22,9S3, was the largest
county. The smallest county in the
state was Starke, which had only -48
persons
The census of 1910, seventy years
later, makes an interesting compari-
son, the population having increased
to 2,70O,S76 and Marion County having
gained from 1918 to .661, making
it the largest in the state. In 1910 it
was smaller than Dearborn, Jefferson,
Putnam or Wayne County. The latter
county, in 1910 the largest in the state,
has been slow in growth, having only
doubled it's population up to and in
Guiding the census of 1910, which
shows 43,757. In sharp contrast to this
lCCOl u 10 Iudl VI Ol. JO6cpu COuHLy,
which in fifty years has gained thir-
teen times the population of 1910.
Bartholomew county, in 1910, one of
the largest in the state, having a pop
ulation at that time of 1O,O36, now has
but $4,000. Clark county has only dou-
bled in the same length of time. Dear
born has gained only 1000 in the half
century and Decatur only 5000. Lake
county shows an advance from 1,46S
to S2,S64 and Laporte from S,1S4 to
45,797
Figures From Other Counties.
The population of other counties in
1910 was as follows: Fulton. 2,O13;
Kosciusko, 4,O42; Boone, 1894; Car
roll, 1880; Clinton, 1890; Daviess,
6,679; Delaware, S,4S8; Elkhart, 6,7O4;
Fayette, 9,s3s; Floyd, 9,454; Fountain,
11.174; Franklin. 13,444; Gibson, s.
$40; Greene, 1921; Hamilton, 1882;
Harrison, 12,459; Hancock, 7,457; Hen