Page 1 My childhood was spent in Moral Township, Shelby Co. It is in the N.W. corner of the County bordered on the N. by Hancock Co. and on the W. by Marion Co. The old house where we made our home was a large 2 story frame front with a built on one story summer kitchen in the rear. This part of the house was still covered by an old clapboard roof. The house had been used as an inn in its early days. It faced the old Michigan Road, an early trail from Madison Ind. to Michigan City, Ind. Situated as it was, about half way between Shelbyville and Indianapolis, travelers frequently used it as a stop over before continuing their journey. Page 2 The old barn was used for a livery barn. There had been a small town here before the Rail Road came thru two miles South. After this happened Doble Town, as the place was called soon faded out. All that was left was the old home and Barn, and the Cemetery still on our farm. There was on old Bluff a few hundred yards North of the house, at this point the bluff curved to the East or S.E. The main bluff continued on N. for about half a mile. This made an ideal spot for the Wild life in the vicinity as it was protected from the winds and from the West and S. West our prevailing winds in severe weather. So situated as to catch much of the morning sun. Page 3 As a small boy this spot was to me a wonderful land. I could sneak up to the bluff, conceal myself in the shrubbery, and watch the Wild life put on a show. Red birds or Cardinals sunning them- selves in the lower branches protected from the wind and always the showy Blue Jay disputing his right to the spot. The ______ crow from his perch on a dead limb seemed to be acting as sentinel against intruders. Ground hogs emerged from their burrows and nibbled on the green sprouts, or just lay there basking in the sun. An occasional Raccoon spread out on the limb of a large tree enjoying the sun. Always the rabbits and chipmunks playing in the brush. A skunk burrowing under the leaves for grubs or field mice. Page 4 Early in the spring the place was blanketed by Blood Root, Crow Feet and Indian Turnip, followed by the Violet Leopard tongue and many other species of Wild flowers. Sugar Creek was a good sized stream, was only a few hundred yards to the East, glistened in the sun while the small meadow between it and the bluff was a feeding place for a variety of wild life, in normal times. In flood times the creek overflowed its banks and stretched to the very edge of the Bluff. At such times from the top of the Bluff you could look out over it seemed miles of water. I spent a lot of my time in this place always on the alert for the black snake. I was afraid of snakes but had learned that by throwing a rock or hitting the ground with a stick I could frighten it away. Page 5 The Turkey Nest: One morning my father came in from the field and asked me if I wanted to go with him to find a turkey nest. Of course I was ready to go. My mother raised a lot of poultry of all kinds. She made the trip to Indlps each Saturday with her produce, she had her regular customers and around the Holidays her buggy was loaded with dressed poultry. At other times it was mostly her butter and egg customers. Turkeys are of a wild nature and insist on hiding their nest and it was up to us to try and beat the crow to the eggs. My father had been in the field and had seen the Gobbler and hen going to the Bluff N.E. of the house, and so he put the team in the barn and came up to the house for me. We sneaked up to the hill, and looked for the turkeys. Finally we saw the Gobbler at the foot of the bluff, but couldn't see the Page 6 hen. We tried to keep hidden from the Gobbler and edged closer, knowing the hen wasn't far off. Suddenly we moved around a bush and heard a squak from the hen, she was directly under us at the foot of the hill. Well that settled that, the hen went back toward the house in disgust the Gobbler following echoing his disapproval on the way. My father decided that we had just as well go back. He didn't want to waste his time from his work, so he suggested that I watch the turkeys. Just west of the house was what we called the New Palestine road it ran at an angle and joined the London Road about 100 yards west of the house. There was an old rail fence along the road up to the point where the bluff ran S.E. to almost E. Father Page 7 suggested that I get on the W. side of the fence, sneak back near the spot where the Turkey had discovered us before, conceal myself and wait for her to try again for her nest. This I did, being careful that the turkey didn't see me, crawled under a bush, and waited. I dozed off. I was awakened by the Gobbler sounding off from the top of the bluff, and heard the crow from his perch on the dead tree. Altho I could not see him, I knew that he was watching the turkeys. I looked thru the leaves and saw the hen in the meadow below me, first picking along unconcerned, she kept edging in closer to the hill suddenly she darted in toward the hill. There was a small brush pile there and she headed right into it and I knew that I had found the nest. It seemed a long time as I lay there waiting for her to make her deposit, and leave. Page 8 The crow flew around for some time trying to find her again, but finally I guess gave up on the job and flew away. Finally the hen emerged, picked around a while in the meadow, and started back to the house. I then went down to the pile of brush. I found the nest in the middle of the pile. I could hardly reach it from the small opening, but I found 7 eggs covered with leaves. I had nothing to carry them in but an old felt hat and I had a hat full. As I went back to the house, my sisters saw me coming carrying the hat in my arms and ran to meet me. I was one happy youngster as I turned the eggs over to my mother. To me it was a great event. When Pa came in from the field he told me that I had done a good job. Page 9 Visit with Grandpa: My Grandfather lived about a mile from our home near the little town of Pleasant View, where I went to school and also to Sunday school at a small Baptist Church. There was also a Post Office in the town the Moral P.O. As Pleasant View was not on the Rail Road the mail was brought in daily from Acton, a small town in Marion Co. which was on the Railroad. An old Civil war vet usually went for the mail on his old horse. If he was late getting back, one of the boys would climb a pole and look down the road to see if they could locate him. If they saw his horse standing at the side of the road they would know that old Fletch was down and they would get a vehicle of some kind and go to his rescue. Page 10 The old man some time took one too many and would tumble off the horse. But the old nag wouldn't leave him, he would just stop there beside him and wait for some one to come for his master. I often stopped at grandpa's place, on my way and visited in bad weather. I would often stay all night and sleep with Grandpa. My Grand Father was a large man, above six feet high and big bodied, he weighed almost 300 pounds about this time. He had been blind for several years, he walked with a cane. He had a long white beard. He had a keen ear and would recognize me or friends who dropped in by their walk. He would sit out at the front gate most of the day and greet anyone who came along the road any one in the neighbor hood knew Page 11 Uncle Ben. His Grandfather had been one of those Germans that England hired to help whip the colonies in the Revolutionary war. He had been taken prisoner and after the war was allowed to stay in this Country. He married a German woman and settled in Va, in the Shenandoah Valley. Grandpa was born in 1821 in Va. and in 1828 his father brought his family to Indiana and settled in Moral Township, which at that time was a heavily wooded district. As he grew up grandpa had little use for Banks. When he got hold of a little money he bought more land, which was cheap in those days. At one time he was the owner of more than 2000 acres, all in Moral Township. Page 12 He could tell you a lot about early Indiana and the struggle of the Pioneer to clear the land. I remarked to him one day that it must have been a hard life. He laughed at that, and said he didn't think so. The woods were full of game, the streams were full of fish. Any man with any ambition could clear enough land to feed a cow and a flock of chickens, you didn't have to worry about range for them. Of course he said it was hard on the women in times of sickness, there was not a Dr. available at times. But he didn't think that he had such a hard time. He often talked about his house in Va. and how he regretted that he had not gone back to Page 13 see it again before he lost his sight. One day I told him, Grandpa you were only a small boy when you left Va. Surely you do not remember so much what Va. was like. Oh is that so he laughed and then he told be of occurrences I had been involved in a few years earlier and asked if I remembered them. Of course I did, but Grandpa that was only a few years ago, it has been a long time since you left Va. That's all true Harry he laughed but don't try to tell me I don't remember the Shenandoah. He started off on the Civil War one day. He had been a Democrat in early life, but when the South fired on Sumter, he changed his Politics. From then on he was a Republican. Page 14 He blamed Pierce and Buchanan for the action of the Southern States. Of Course he did not approve of Slavery. He couldn't understand why any man would want to own another. They couldn't be depended on to do a decent job unless you were there to see that it was done. They naturally wouldn't have much ambition. You had to feed and shelter them. Oh he said I would rather have my money tied up in a mule. Take my own Grandfather he said he wasn't actually a slave but he wasn't much better off. He owed so much military Service to his Lord. Who sold his Service to the English. I doubt that he intended to put up much of a fight. He was probably glad to be taken Prisoner. I know that he was glad to stay in this Country as a free man. Page 15 There was quite a difference of opinion in Shelby Co. when the South decided to Secede. Many of the early settlers of the Co. were from the South, mostly from Virginia the Carolinas and Kentucky. Of course my Grandfather was acquainted with most of the residents of the community. Feelings ran high on the issue, meetings were held to discuss it. Most of the settlers decided on a hands off policy, they thought that Indiana should remain neutral if possible or back up the Union if necessary. But there was also large groups of Southern sympathizers. When Governor Morton came out strong for the Union and promised President Lincoln the fullest support of Indiana, this group kicked up quite a Rumpus. Some of them decided that it was up to them to do something to hold Indiana for the South. Grandfather had a good laugh when he told this story. This group held a meeting and decided to move on the arsenal at Indianapolis and take it over. Page 16 Raid on Arsenal: Grandfather knew most of the men participating in this venture, and would call out the names of many as he told the story. On the day set for the maneuver, the men showed up at the meeting place mounted on horses and armed mostly with cap pistols. They would soon on their way to their objective about 15 miles away. But Governor Morton had news of their approach. When the group approached Pleasant Run, a little stream just outside Indlps, the Militia was there to meet them. According to Grandpa the soldiers disarmed the band, threw their cap pistols in the stream, took away their horses and herded the group into an open field, where they spent the night under guard. The next morning they gave them breakfast, after which an Officer lectured them on their folly, returned Page 17 their horses and told them to go back home and behave them selves. Grandpa got quite a kick over telling about this raid on the arsenal. He also could tell about how Sugar Creek Township directly S. of Moral thought they had Seceded from the Union. The friends of the South called a meeting at the School House in Boggstown. It turned out to be a one sided affair. Several of the speakers rose to praise the generosity and hospitality of the South, of their superior culture, and of their fair dealing. But they had no confidence in the Blue Bellied yanks, whom the Devil himself would not welcome to his domain. According to Grandpa there was only one man there who stood up for the Union. A man by the name of McFadden. A resolution was passed stating that although they were hopeful of a peaceful settlement and a United Nation, if they failed in this, then this Township preferred to go with the Southern States. Page 18 When news of Morgans raid was received, several of the young men from Sugar Creek Township set out to meet him and enlist in the Southern cause. They missed Morgan, but some of them managed to get into the Confederate Army. After the war at least 6 of them returned to Boggstown. Grandpa knew them all. He laughed as he told of their boast that Sugar Creek Township Seceded and never had been brought back into the Union. It was his opinion that the Government never knew that they were out of the Union. They continued to pay their taxes didn't they? After the Union soldiers got their Pension from Uncle Sam there were some serious disputes between the Veterans of the Blue and the Grey cause around Pension day. Uncle Sam took care of the defenders and old Confederates didn't like it. Page 19 Among the many friends who called on Grandpa and visited with him was an old German who had managed to do quite well in his adopted Country. I was with Grandpa when he dropped in one day and listened in on the conversation. The old man was in a reminiscent mood and was talking about his youth in the Fatherland. He expressed the hope of going back and seeing the New Germany since it was now a united nation. Grandpa listened politely until the old man was thru and had shook hands and said goodbye. After he had closed the door on him he came back and sat down and spoke to me. Harry it is all right for the old man to have a warm spot in his heart for the Fatherland, if we didn't have a certain pride in our blood we would be no different than the creatures of the field, but that Page 20 man knows that he is better off in the United States. He came here to get away from the Military Service. He didn't want his sons to spend the best years of their lives in the Army. He is a good man and has prospered here, and don't you worry he is going back to Germany, he knows when he is well off. From what I hear Germany is a much better country since it was united, there was no united Germany in my Grandfathers day. I know that here I am a free man. There was an old Swiss immigrant who lived near by and he would drop in and tell what a wonderful country Switzerland was, how they got along with their neighbors, and what a peaceful land it was. When he had gone Grandpa would remark about the large standing army required to maintain that peace and of the hired soldiers who served in other European Countries. The old man never mentions this he laughed. Page 21 A Trip with Grandfather: We had an old black mare completely trust worthy and I often drove her to an old spring seat buggy and took Grandpa for a ride along past some of his land, it was about a five mile drive, mostly bordering his land. We started out one morning and took the road at the edge of Pleasant View forded little Sugar Creek, and went to the end of the road, to the Old New Palestine road, headed north until we reached the road leading to Kings Ford, and crossed Big Sugar Creek. Grandpa always knew just about where he was. After going a short distance he told me to stop. He asked me how the levy along the creek looked, if it looked like it was broke in any place, or if the water had been coming thru. I told him it looked all right to me I didn't see any holes in it. That is fine he said, does it look like the current has been washing the top soil off. I told him I didn't know. How can you tell I asked. Well do see any low spots in it covered with gravel. I couldn't Page 22 any gravel there. He said we don't mind the backwater, it only brings in more fertile soil, but we don't want a current thru there washing the soil away. I told him it looked all right to me. He laughed and said let's move on. We hadn't gone far until he asked if we were not just about to a big woods. I told him it was just ahead of us. All right he said pull up there and stop. I stopped along the edge of the woods. He asked me how the grass looked in the woods and in the cleared field back of it, between the woods and the creek. I told him that the grass in the woods looked good, that there was lots of it there but I couldn't see the pasture. Well he said you go on over across the woods and look at it. I will hold the lines and I and old Bird will be all right. I climbed the fence and crossed the wood. There seemed to be plenty of pasture there, so I went back and told him so. Well he said, I'll speak to Charley about it, we don't want grass going to waste, maybe he should put some more Page 23 cattle on it. Uncle Charlie was aunt Mag's husband, and was managing the place for him and doing a good job of it too. My Grandfather always said that unless the ground was fertile ground, it was worth more to keep in grass. You plow it up he said and maybe get a crop or two off it, and it is not worth tending and then you have a hard time getting in back in grass. He always had young stock around and if the feed got short, he would send some of them to the Stock yards. We moved on past the old Breedford School House, about a mile, when he suddenly asked me what all that noise was. I told him that I didn't hear any thing except the noise of the buggy. Where are your ears boy, he said look back of you. I turned around then and could see a cloud of dust about a half a mile back of us. I told Grandpa what I could see. Get off the road he said, pull over by the fence, that is a run away team Page 24 I pulled over in a hurry. By that time I could see the team coming. I told Grandpa that maybe I could stop them he grabbed me by the arm and told me to stay right there and hold on to those lines. You can't stop a runaway team, and they have probably done all the damage they can do. By that time the team was passing us, pulling what was left of a cultivator behind them. About a half mile down the road we passed a barnyard, the team was standing there and two men were looking the cultivator over. We pulled up and one them came over and talked to Grandpa a while. He said he was glad the team wasn't hurt, and that there hadn't been any more damage. Grandpa gave me a lecture on how foolish it was to try and stop a frightened horse, keep out of the way of any panicked animal, they are so scared, that they haven't any wits left. So it is up to you to keep your wits about you. Page 25 Another trip we made was down South thru London and into Sugar Creek Township. We started out on the old Michigan Road, turned right on the old London Road, past the old Fansler place. My Grandfather's mother and William Fansler's wife were sisters, and made the trip from Va. with John Dake and his family. The parents of the two ladies, Daniel Bowman and his Wife Ann also were in the group. We forded Big Sugar Creek and went on thru the little town of London. Continued on S. until we reached the point where Sugar Creek flowed along the road at a place now used as a picnic grounds, now known as Broad Ripple. At this Grandpa asked if I couldn't see the creek from there. I told him I could, that it was only a short ways off. Well he said when you get around the next bend you look for a big tree growing right on the bank, stop there I want to tell you something. Page 26 The Deer Hunt: We rounded the bend and not far ahead I saw a large tree at the very edge of the bank. I pulled off the road and stopped beside the tree. Grandpa said "there is an island over there isn't there", pointing across the stream. The word island was something new to me. I told him I didn't know what he meant by island. He laughed "OH he said that is just a piece of land out in the stream". Look down the creek he said. Can't you see where another stream flows into the creek. I looked and could see where the two streams joined. So Grandpa started to tell me of an incident of his youth. As he told it, he and two of his brothers, Dan was one and I believe the other was Henry, had started out on a bear hunt that morning. A bear had carried off one of the shoats, and they were out to track him down. Page 27 They had lost the trail of the beast in a thicket below London, but continued on S. until they came back to the road. Grandpa said that he was of a heavy build and a leg injury, at an earlier date, slowed him up. So he was always trailing behind his lanky brothers. They were walking along the road him following the others until they approached this spot. He happened to glance across at the island and saw a deer lying in a small pile of brush. He pulled up his gun intending to shoot it, but the gun snapped on him, but didn't fire. Perhaps his powder was a little damp. At the sound, his brother Dan stopped, and seeing what he was aiming at proceeded to shoot the deer. Grandpa said that he was furious at Dan for shooting his game. There was a little skift of ice along the bank and the only way to get the deer was to strip off and wade the stream. Page 28 Dan offered to let Grandpa have the deer if he would go get it but Grandpa was mad and would have nothing to do with it. He said that Dan knew that it wouldn't do to leave the dead deer, because he knew that Grandpa would tell their Dad and he didn't stand for anything like that. So Dan stripped off forded the stream and brought the deer back. That water was cold and Dan was shivering as he dried off and got his clothes back on. The buck was a big one, about 150 lbs. Grandpa said. But he was still sore and wouldn't help carry it back. So Dan and the other brother carried it back and they were about 4 miles from home. Tears rolled from Grandpa's eyes as he laughed at this early experience which started out as a bear hunt and ended with fresh Venison. Page 29 I told Grandpa one day that it must have been dangerous living in those days, with all the wild animals around. He laughed "OH those animals were just as scared of us as we were of them. They didn't bother around the clearing much. Oh a bear likes pork and honey. It was hard to keep them away from the smoke house and they were always tearing up the bee hives, but we usually cut a bee tree for our honey. Oh once in a while a rogue would come along and carry off a shoat. Then we would just form a posse and hunt the creature down. The hardest to cope with was the panther, but you seldom saw him in the clearing, but you could hear him in the woods in early morning or shortly after sundown if he was around and when we heard his call we got together to kill him or scare him away. They were great rangers and covered a lot of territory in their forays. Page 30 A Fishing Trip: He told me of a fishing trip he had when he was a small boy. He had promised his mother a mess of fish for dinner. He went down to the creek where a fallen tree lay about half way across the stream. Out from the end of the tree was an old stump sticking up from the water. He had been fishing there for quite a while and had a nice string of Red eyes and a couple small bass, so he decided to go home. As he went back along the tree trunk I guess he was watching his footing and didn't look up until he approached the bank. When he did look up, there was a big bear standing by the tree. Grandpa said it startled him, so he just threw the fish at the bear, ran back to the end of the trunk, jumped in and swam to the other side. As he went up the bank he looked back. The bear was busy eating the fish, it wasn't interested in the boy, but had smelled the fish. Page 31 The Mouse Trap: Grandpa spent a lot of time shelling corn for the chickens. He would feed them each morning and again in the afternoon. One day he asked me to go down to the crib and bring him some corn to shell for the flock. He told me not to be afraid of the black snake in the corn, that he was harmless and he had him there to keep the rats and mice away, he was better than any cat he said. Well I didn't like snakes and couldn't understand how anyone could keep one as a pet. I was looking for him when I opened the door and had a couple of ears in my hand. Sure enough the snake was there, stretched out before a saucer that Grandpa had been feeding him milk from. I just let loose with a cob and he took off for a hole in the corn pile. I got the corn and went back to the house. Grandpa told me again about how harmless a black snake was and Page 32 told me of all the benefits in having them around. As the days went on and I went for more corn, I didn't see much of the snake. I would hear him scurrying away when I approached the crib. Grandpa must have noticed the change in his pet. He would tell me that I shouldn't bother the snake, how harmless he was and how he was glad to have him around. He didn't come right out and ask me if I had been frightening the snake and I never volunteered anything to that effect. I did tell him that I didn't like snakes. He just laughed and let the matter drop. I think he knew that I had been firing away at his pet, but just wouldn't insist on my admitting or denying it. I was glad of this, as I wouldn't lie about it and didn't like to do any thing to disappoint him, but I still don't like snakes. Page 33 The Cow Barn: But these excursions with Grandpa were soon cut short. I was getting to be a big boy now and there was a lot of work on my fathers farm and it was about time for me to lend a hand. The old barn was quite a ways down the road from the house. I would judge about 150 yards. Between the house and barn was a newer structure used for a cow barn for the milk cows. Most of the other cattle were fed and left out in the field, except in severe weather. There was usually a large straw stack for them to find shelter in and they didn't need much shelter at most times. But when a storm was brewing and the stock cattle would come up to the gates with their tail end headed into the wind, Pa would decide that there was severe weather coming. The tail end of a blizzard he called it, rolling in from the N.W. We didn't get so many weather reports in those days and the live stock were my fathers barometer. He would get Page 34 busy and herd them into the big shed under the ______ in the old barn and start getting in more fuel for the old fire place and the old heating stove in the parlor, and the beasts were usually right. We usually saw some weather. The cow barn itself, was a fairly large barn. As I remember there were stalls for 8 cows on the S. side. The east one was a box stall so the cow was able to move about in. There was usually a cow and calf in this stall, or a cow who was an expectant mother. The other cows were tied to the manger in their stalls. Over the stalls was a loft usually filled with shreaded fodder. In front of the cattle was a large opening. There was no hay in it at first. The clover hay was first dropped in the west end, some times piled almost to the roof. There were two gates separating the west end from the east. The east end of the building was used mostly as a kind of maternity Page 35 room. Sometimes there would be a sow and her pigs in there but usually the hogs were kept in the old barn. Usually there would be a heifer in there in the winter time. My father spent a lot of time with the stock at such times. If he found a new born calf that seemed to be too weak to stand on its feet and get to the milk supply he would hunt up some hen eggs. One or sometimes two eggs forced down the creatures throat would make a great difference in the animal. It would soon have the strength to stand, and once it got its fill of new milk it wasn't often necessary to help it further. In the spring of the year about lambing time it was a noisy spot. Sometimes there would be a dozen ewes in there, some with their lambs, others expecting. At such times my father watched the stock close. He liked to see the young ones get off to a good start. Page 36 I got my start in the old cow barn. My sisters usually done the milking. It was up to me to put the hay in the manger, give them grain from the feed box, and of course clean out the stalls and throw in fresh straw for bedding. My father would usually roll the hay down into the feed room. If the hay in the room was hard to handle, which it usually was, dropped in as it was, it was almost sure to bind. Between the cow barn and the old barn was a small lot, about an acre in size. In the winter this was usually a stock pen for milk cows. In the summer time it was used as hog pasture. Pa would break the ground usually late in the spring or early summer. The ground was usually packed down hard by the stock that had wintered there. Of course he would let it go until the other crops were in. It seemed that it was usually dry weather when he Page 37 plowed this up and believe me it was a chore. The plow pulled the team hard and did it turn up rough. I would ride an old drag over those clods and I was really shook up. I was always glad to see that job finished. Pa would usually put this plot in Rape, a cabbage like plant, for summer pasture for the hogs and the pigs liked it. It saved a lot of grain and the teeth of the shoats were in good shape when they went into the fattening pen. But my job mostly was with the cattle, driving them to and from pasture in the summer time. If the pasture was getting low I would herd them along the road in different directions letting them feed on the roadside grass. It wasn't often necessary to mow the road side along the farm, the cattle kept it well chopped down. As soon as I was big enough to stay on a horse I road bare back. Later I got a saddle for my mount. Page 38 When I was ten years old, tragedy struck our family. There was an epidemic of Typhoid. All of the children except me contacted it. My oldest sister Eva died of it about the same time President McKinley died. She inquired as to his condition a few days before she died. My uncle Addison, my mother's brother, also succumbed to the disease. To me this was a great blow. I could not understand why God would allow two young people, who were good people, die so young. I went up to the old bluff where I had spent so many pleasant hours, and told him how I felt. I had been taught that God could do anything. He made the world and all its beauty and I was sure that he had it in his power to help. My older brother Albert was expected to die and another sister was in bad shape. I prayed that he would spare their lives. Page 39 My Grandmother Fields: I had been staying at my Grandmother Fields most of the summer. My mother was a Fields. Since I had shown no indication of contacting Typhoid it was decided that I stay with Grandma until the disease had run its course. Grandma was quite different from Grandpa Dake. he was a great conver- sationist and was always either talking or listening and always seemed to take quite an interest in affairs of the day. Grandma usually didn't have much to say, she would sit and listen politely, but usually didn't have much to say. When she did it was to the point. She was quite ____ minded in her opinions. She was born in North Carolina and her childhood there must not have been to pleasant. She was quite frank in her admission the she never wanted to go back there. Where as she put it "if don't own slaves you were white trash", and her people didn't own slaves, and she added "They showed more respect to the slaves than they did to the white trash" Page 40 Grandma had a reputation in the neighborhood as a nurse. She seemed to have a remedy for most child ailments. They would call her first and depend on her judgment before calling a Doctor in many cases. In season she would go into the fields and wood lots and gather roots and plants and dry them and put them away. In time of sickness she would use them in her concoctions. She had quite a reputation for "drawing fire as some put it" in case of a burn or scald. She has told me many times of the use of various plants but I was to young to be interested in such things and don't remember many of the plants or the use she made of them. But I do remember that the old shed seemed always filled with drying plants or roots. Grandma was especially proud of her boys. Willard had been Trustee of the township for two terms and taught school for years. Uncle Addison who had died recently had been teaching too. Uncle Ira was visiting his brother Van in California so I was alone with Grandma that summer. Page 41 Grandma lived in a small log house on an 8 acre plot. About 2 acres was in garden and grass. The other 6 acres was tended by a cousin of her late husband, who had passed on before I was born. There was a cow, a flock of geese, and of course several chickens on the place including Banta chickens, something new to me at the time. Grandma liked the Bantas tho. They were about the right size for a stew when there were so few to cook for. Their eggs were small but big enough for her breakfast as a rule and of course they were all pets. The back room of the house extended from the East to the West side. The west end was the kitchen and dining room. In the east end was an old loom used mostly for weaving the old rag carpet so much in use at the time. It seemed that there was always a rug in the process of the making. I don't remember that room without the loom. Grandma never seemed to be in a hurry about anything. After a meal she would get her old stone pipe, fill it with old Green Frog tobacco, and have a smoke. Page 42 But she didn't smoke in public. It was always in the kitchen or in nice weather by the side of the house. When she had finished her smoke she would knock out the ashes and place it upon a small mantel. After this she would tidy up the place, feed the poultry, the cow and the pig if she had one, work in the garden then settle down at the loom and weave some more carpet. The neighbors were always bringing in rags for a new carpet. Of course while I with her I did many of the chores. I could milk the cow and feed the other live stock. Since pasture was low on the small place, I would herd the cow to graze on the road side grass. I soon made friends with the neighbors and spent an enjoyable summer with Grandma. If I herded the cow east, I passed the home of Uncle Jim Fields and his wife aunt Jane. He was really a cousin of my Grandfather, but we called them Uncle Jim and aunt Jane. Aunt Jane would usually invite me in for a while so I would put the cow in the barn lot, and visit. Page 43 There was usually a treat of some kind for me there, a cup of milk, and usually a piece of her sugar or vinegar pie, which seemed to be her specialty. If I went South toward Fairland I passed the old Tull place. They had been good friends of my late Uncle Addison, and when they found out who I was, they made a great fuss over me. Mr Tull would see me coming and would open the barn lot gate for the cow and insist on my stopping for a while. Mrs Tull and her daughter Mary always seemed glad to see me and one of them would take me out to the old spring house, get me some cool milk and a couple doughnuts, something I had never seen much of. It seemed that they always had a crock of doughnuts in that old trough, and I enjoyed my visits there immensely. If I headed West, I had more friends. There was a boy about my own age, two young ladies, to make over me, and Mrs Milner, who always Page 44 made me welcome. Mr Milner was friendly, but reminded Fred the boy that I shouldn't interfere to much with the chores assigned to him, but I was made to feel welcome and usually there was a glass of fresh lemonade for me. Of course I told Grandma about these visits and she would caution me about out staying my welcome. I told her that they seemed glad to see me and that I had no intention of imposing. I didn't stop in unless I was invited, but usually there was someone there to greet me and I was glad to accept the hospitality. But my visits with my new friends were soon to end. It was about time for school to reopen and I always liked school. I missed class but a few times over the years I attended. I never had a teacher I didn't like, and I got on well with my classmates, that is with the boys. I was a little bashful where girls were concerned and considered them kind of silly. But at same time I thought that most of them were nice. Page 45 Grandma did tell me one story tho that I remember. It was about my Grandfather Fields. She usually referred to him as Pop. Grandpa dealt in horses and he was mostly interested in good horses, driving stock. He liked to train young stock. If a neighbor had a colt to break he would train him for a fee or if he wanted a well broke horse he would swap him one for the colt. He took good care of the animals and always had some good driving stock. He had relatives over near Richmond Indiana and made frequent trips over there, usually starting in the afternoon and returning the next day. It was a long trip for a team and the horses had to be in good condition for the trip. This was back in the days of the under ground Rail Road and it was claimed by some that Richmond Page 46 was one of the stations on the route. Pop had made one of his excursions and was out around the barn doing the necessary chores when the Sheriff drove up. Grandma said he was with Pop about all morning questioning him about his trip. Of course Grandpa told him that it was not unusual. That he made the trip occasionally to visit relatives there. But the Sheriff wasn't satisfied, he continued his questioning. It seemed that the Sheriff had been notified that two slaves had escaped from their Master in Ky. and it was suspected that they were hiding in the vicinity of Richmond. I asked Grandma if she thought Grandpa knew any thing about it. Well she said he told the Sheriff he knew nothing about it Page 47 and he never said anything to me about it. He just told me what the Sheriff's visit was all about and of his visit with the folks back there. It was well known in the community that Grandpa didn't like slavery. He had seen it at first hand in North Carolina and wanted no part of it and he had on occasion expressed himself on the subject. But he was a Democrat and considered that party the party of the people. He was strong for local government and considered that the community should manage its own affairs. He said he liked to see where his tax money was spent. He would rather trust a man whom he knew than rely on a stranger, whom he had never met, but who was supposed to be a big man in Washington. He was of the opinion that the States should settle their own affairs. If you don't like the community you could always move on. Page 48 Grandma told me one story of her girlhood in Carolina. It was about two dogs they owned when she was a child. Grandma didn't know the breed but they were small heavy bodied dogs, bench legged, and built close to the ground, of a tan or yellow color, and they had good noses and were good trailers. They were of a Feisty disposition and always yapping at some thing. They were good watch dogs and were a busy pair. Grandma called them Tollers because she said they would Toll "as she put it" the deer into the clearing, where they offered the hunter a clear shot. Her maiden name was Ellis and according to her story they were "dirt poor". At times it was hard to find money for powder and ball. These dogs would find a deer close to the clearing. They would bark at the deer, and of course startle them into running away. But instead of following, the dogs would appear Page 49 frightened and run the other way yapping as the went. Deer are a curious animal according to Grandma and unused to this procedure. The dogs would follow the trail and when they found the game they would repeat their former procedure. Finally the deer would decide that the dogs were afraid of them and start chasing the dogs. The dogs of course would lead them back toward the clearing. Grandma said it some time took days to accomplish the task. The dogs would come back to be fed and rest awhile, then return to their task. She said she had seen those dogs toll a deer into the barn lot where they were an easy target. Those dogs saved men folk a lot of ammunition. All they had to do was to be patient. Eventually the dogs would toll them in. Page 50 Roads were a proposition in the early times. In Moral Township. Big Sugar Creek divided the Township and in flood times travel on the Michigan Road was at a stand still. The approach to the bridge would be blocked by water over the road on each side of the bridge. The old bridge itself needed a new floor and some repair on the abutments undermined by the swift current. Even in normal times most of the residents preferred to use the ford south of the bridge rather than use the rickety old structure, especially if they were pulling much of a load. Of course there were many who felt that the county should take care of the repairs since it was a thru highway. But the County was short of funds and didn't feel that they could make the necessary grades to the approach, quite a distance on each side of the bridge. They did agree to put in a new floor and repair the abutments if Moral Township would fill in the grade Page 51 to the approach on each side of the stream. Albert Graham was road supervisor at the time. He got up a petition and visited the residents of the Township requesting them to volunteer their time and the use of their teams for the project. The response was good and repair of the road got underway. At times during the harvest it was hard to keep a crew on the job, since the horses were busy in the fields, but by swapping work and helping in an emergency they were able to keep the road gang moving. A lot of dirt went into that road that summer. They would use a plow to break the old clay along the road then use a slip scoop to pull it onto the grade. Some of the time they used a wheel scoop but mostly it was the old drag type. In places the grade was 20 feet high. I volunteered my service as a water boy and believe me that gang used water. I staid with them until the West end of the grade was finished and helped some on the East approach. When my father decided that he had Page 52 other work for me. The pasture was getting short and I was to herd the dairy cows on the road side grass. But we did a good job on that grade. It is still there. Of course there is a new bridge and the road is paved instead of gravel top but it is still the old grade and the road has been open for travel since the volunteer workers of old Moral sweated out the task of curbing the overflow. Mr. Graham deserved a great deal of credit for this accomplishment. It was all voluntary and no dates were set for the service. The work was going on while the farmer always had work of his own to occupy his time. But Mr. Graham kept things moving and they were a good natured lot too. Of course there was lot of friendly ribbing and some bickering but nothing serious ever developed. Most of the rivalry concerned who had the best and most efficient team. Those men were proud of their horses and were careful to see that they were not overworked. Page 53 As I mentioned before, my mother made regular trips to Indlps with her produce. Some times I was allowed to go along. She drove an old black mare, perfectly gentle, and so accustomed to the trip that she could make the route with out guidance and then go to the livery barn on South Meridian St. where she remained while my mother did her trading. It was an all day trip with old Bird. She was a slow traveler and my mother never hurried her much considering the long trip. But when my father went along he drove old ___. She was a small bay mare, of trotting stock, and she covered the miles in a hurry. She had good wind and an easy gate and didn't seem to tire easily. She could cut hours off the trip and my father was proud of her. One night my father told me to go to bed early and get a good sleep Page 54 that we were getting up early in the morning, that I was going to town with them. We got on our way early the next morning and on the way Pa told me that Benjamin Harrison, the man for whom I was named, had died. He was lying in state at the State House and he wanted me to see him. Harrison had been a General in the Civil War, a United States Senator from Indiana, before being elected President of the United States. Of course this was quite an occasion for me. I remember my father lifting me up so I could see the body in the casket. I think that is the first time that I had ever looked at a body in a coffin and I thought that it looked very nice and peaceful as tho he was only sleeping. I was much impressed by the Page 55 Uniformed body guard and by the long line of troops out side the door standing at attention. General Nelson A. Miles, mounted on his horse, was in charge as they changed the guard while we looked on. This was a occasion for me. It was also the first uniformed group that I had seen and I was very much impressed. - Harrison Dake (1891 - 1967) McKinley, William, 1843-1901, 25th president of the U.S. (1897-1901); b. Niles, Ohio. As congressman from Ohio (1877-91), he strongly advocated a protective tariff, and the McKinley Tariff Act of 1890 cost him his congressional seat. With the support of Ohio political boss Marcus A. HANNA, McKinley was elected governor in 1891 and 1893. Again with Hanna's help, he won the Republican nomination for president in 1896. Running against William Jennings BRYAN on a platform advocating a protective tariff and endorsing the gold standard, McKinley was elected. His administration was marked by adoption of the highest tariff rate in U.S. history, annexation of Hawaii, the OPEN DOOR policy in China, and the Currency Act of 1900, which consolidated the gold standard. Foreign affairs were dominated by the brief SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR, from which the U.S. emerged a world power. McKinley was reelected in 1900. He was shot in Buffalo, N.Y., by Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist, on Sept. 6, 1901, and died on Sept. 14.