The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-11-18

In the spring of 1906 David Hoover,
an elder brother who had remained on
Saltwater with some others took a
section line some ten miles north OF
Dayton and traced it until it lead
them onto Whitewater, near where the
city of Richmond now stands. He af-
forwards impaired to my father the
discovery which he had made. and ar
rangements were Immediately made
for a future reconnaissance of the
newly discovered region. Jeremiah
Cox, having just arrived with his fam
lily from Carolina entered into this
speculation.
Discouraged by Wilderness.
On the sixth of June, 1906, when
the light of the sun was almost OBJ
scured by the great eclipse of that
year, my father, |. Smith, J. Cox and
some other friends, with their pilot,
B. Hoover, left Warren county for
Whitewater After an absence of near
ly a week they returned. They were
pleased with the appearance of the
country but discouraged with the dis
| lance from mills society, etc. Another
| exploration was afterwards made and
various lots of land selected and en-
| tries made In August of this year, |
!
purchase in a small cabin built by 10
seph Woodkirk of whom he had sec
ond hand purchased one-half section
of land, embracing all of that portion
I of Richmond, north of Main street.
David Hoover, Frederick Hoover
and William Bulla, E. Wright and my
self with a team and plows accom-
panied him to Whitewater We built
| four cabins on four different lots of
! land, sowed one acre in turnips and
after an absence of three weeks, ar
rived at our several homes. In October
of this year, Frederick Hoover, and
Elijah Wright, moved into their cabins
and John Smith moved his family and
settled down on the lot Cf land south
of Main street.
Eaton Had House.
1t might not be amiss here to re
mark that at that time there was q
little village on the big Miami. called
Franklin, but there was no Spring
borough, there was no Germantown
but there was an Eaton, with one los
house, built for tavern by DaviC
Hendricks. The town had just beer
laid off and new stakes and blaZes
were all the evidence we had of the
fact
Warren county and landed on the hill
near Frederick Hoover now lives. The
night after our arrival it commenced
showing and continued until it wa:
fifteen inches deep and lay on the
ground until the tenth of April NJ!
father then staked off five acres o
woods for me to clear for the pillow
and five acres for Henry Co8att, ;
hired man, to whom he paid twent.
dollars per month. Now commenced
work in earnest. Root Hog or Die,
was the motto. Our only dependence
, for bread was the proceeds of Wha
we might be able to plant or cultivate
Immigration from various parts cheer
ed us on in our trials. jeremiah Cox
John Smith and my father, bein;
prominent men among the Quakers
caused others to come and examin
the country, who generally gave up
! good report of the Whitewater val
ley. A little meeting was set up in
/ small cabin, near Cox's house.
: Trials of Early Settlers.
The emigrants had to travel som
forty miles through almost wilder
ness for grain to support their fam
lies. 1t would scarcely be credited i
, this day, that a single individual
would leave his family in a camp
mount his only horse, and with fift
2 cents in his pocket, which neighbo
had loaned him and relying on tn
= range for horse feed and a piece c
Y corn dodger for himself, he woul
start for the nearest point where cor
2 could be obtained. procure his tw
1 bushels and wend his way back an
when night overlook him, hobble hi
l horse, make a pillow of his sack {
: corn, and the heavens for his counte
: pane, and there repose until day, Q
/ the rising of the moon would fghte
his path