The Old Settlers' Society of Howard County, Indiana

The first formal meeting of the Old Settlers' Society of Howard County, Indiana was held at the fairgrounds September 11, 1875. The Middlefork Fair was being held at the same time, which "kept away many citizens from the West end of the county, but the East end was well represented". The attendance by the afternoon was estimated at 3,000. The meeting was called to order, and the minutes of the previous meeting (held in August) were read. The Constitution and by-laws were reported.

The secretary requested that the Executive Committee collect "such incidents, reminiscences, biographies &c, of all old settlers of the county" to be revised and read at the next meeting. It was also requested that "every person in the county who is entitled to a registry on the Secretary's book as an Old Settler" furnish his date of birth, age, and the time and place of his settlement in the county. Plans were made for the next meeting on the first Thursday of September 1876, "at which time a complete history of the county will be read".

After the business meeting adjourned, the following Old Settlers gave speeches : Dr. Corydon RICHMOND, Willis BLANCH, D. FOSTER, Henry B. HAVENS, J.H. STOVER, Joseph BROWN, Joseph HEATON, Benjamin COSAND and Jonathan REEDER.

The listing below is a transcription of the register which was a result of the formation of the "Old Settlers' Society of Howard County Indiana". The members of the society filled in the register in their own handwriting, starting on September 16, 1876 through 1883. Unclear names, words and/or dates are followed by [?] or listed as [indecipherable]

The actual register is located at the Seiberling Mansion in Kokomo; while the Kokomo-Howard County Library has a photocopied version. Photocopies of some of the pages can be found in the following back issues of the HCGS Newsletter: Vol.5, #3; Vol 6 #1; Vol 6 #2; Vol 6 #3. (available from the Society for $3.00 per issue). The following entries are presented in the same order as in the newsletter, with the pages not copied in the newsletter listed last.

Names of Pioneers	When Born	Where Born	Age	Years in Indiana	Years in Howard County	Present Residence	Remarks
April 1989 - Volume 5 number 2 - page 22 - 23.
Richard NIXON	1 Sep 1820	North Carolina	59	49	34	Kokomo
Wm D BOWEN	6 Jun 1825	Kentucky	54 [?]	35	25	Harrison Twp.
James O’BRIEN	8 May 1828	Ohio	51	49	8	Kokomo
C.S. BOGGS	10 Apr 1824	Butler Co Ohio	55	46	13	Center Twp	“Settled at Middlefork IN [indecipherable] Co. in 1833. Lived there til 1866 and moved to Kokomo.”
P. B. KENNEDY	23 Nov 1807	Tennessee	72	62	32	Kokomo
A. F. PHILIPS	16 Oct 1850	Hamilton Ohio	29	25	25	Kokomo
James T. DYAR [sp?]	30 Jan 1824	Wood Co West Virginia	55	21	21	Taylor Twp.
A. L. SHARK [sp?]	8 Jun 1834	Chester Co Pennsylvania	45	34	34	Center Twp 1 mile south of Kokomo
Wm P JONES	10 Apr 1840	Miami Co Ohio	39	29	29	Taylor Twp Fairfield
Wm JACKSON	18 Nov 1803	Chester Co Pennsylvania	76	29	29	Center Twp.	“Moved from Penna in the year 1834 to Ohio & from there to Howard Co in the year 1850. Always voted the Whig and Republican Ticket. Married in 1832 to present wife & both living.”

Names of Pioneers	When Born	Where Born	Age	Years in Indiana	Years in Howard County	Present Residence	Remarks
February 1990 - Volume 6 Number 1- Page 9-11
Thomas M. KIRKPATRICK	2 May 1820	Brown Co V[?]	59	45	36	Center Twp.
Margaret J. KIRKPATRICK [same handwriting as Thomas]
James M. REEDER	21 May 1805	Warren Co. Ohio	74	50	36	Kokomo	Married in the year 1829 to first wife & moved to Ind Sept 17 1830. Married Jan [cut off on copy] BURBRIDGE, his second wife Aug 27 1843[?] and is the father of 17 children, 8 of whom are living.
Irvin TENNELL	13 July 1827	Jessamine Co, Kentucky	52	41	30	Union Twp.
James I. CALDWELL	10 July 1814	East Tennessee	65	62	32	Howard Twp.
Thomas VERNON	15 [?] September 1829	Miami Co, Ohio	50	40	39	Clay Twp.
Gideon VERNON	29 October 1808	Miami Co., Ohio	71	40	39	Monroe	Settled in Monroe Twp. in the 4th day of March, 1840, when there was but three familyes west of New London to Burlington, Carol Co.
William WRIGHT	14 Feb 1823	Vermillion Co, Muncie [?]	56	39	39	Honey Creek Twp.	Settled in Honey Creek Twp, then a part of Clinton Co, August 1841. Still live in the farm I first settled.
John LORTS	5 January 1818	Sullivan Co, East Tennessee	61	35	34	Union Twp.
William F. GORDON	30 April 1835	Clark Co., Ohio	44	43	30	Monroe
Corydon RICHMOND	22 Nov 1808	Onondaga Co., New York	71	47	34	Kokomo
[NOTE: The following 4 names all appear to be in the same handwriting
Jacob EARLY	25 July 1806	Rockingham Co., Virginia	73	30	30	Ervin Twp.	An old Henry Clay Whig and Republican and want to vote for Grant for third term.
Hiel [?] HAMILTON	4 May 1811	New York	68	64	33	Ervin Twp.
Matthew MURDEN	27 June 1815	England	65	46	28	Kokomo
H. C. STEWART	21 August 1805	Giles Co., [?] Virginia	74	43	37[?]	Kokomo
S. E. STRATTON	30 August 1833	Richmond, Indiana	46	46	31	Monroe Twp.
R. M. LONG	16 Dec 1824	Kentucky	55	52	38	Clay Twp. .
Rossetter GRAY	21 December 1818	Warren Co., Ohio	60	43	30	Greentown
William SCOTT	22 April 1831	Green Co., Ohio	48	41	23	Kokomo
Milton GARRIGUS	27 Sept 1831	Wayne Co., Indiana	48	48	32	Kokomo	Came to Howard Co. February 23, 1847. Married by R. GRAY J.P February 24, 1853 to present wife. Served 3 years and 11 months in the War of the Rebellion.

Names of Pioneers	When Born	Where Born	Age	Years in Indiana	Years in Howard County	Present Residence	Remarks
May 1990 - Volume 6 # 2, Page 20 -21
Benjamin DEARINGER	21 Jan 1831	Madford [?] Co, Kentucky	49	36	26	Ervin Twp.
Tence LINDLEY	11 June 1809	Clinton Co, Ohio	70	67	34	Kokomo, Center Twp	I first settled in Liberty Township six miles east of Kokomo when the [indecipherable] of the county was [indecipherable] snakes and polecats.
David WRIGHT	30 Sep 1837	Vermilion Co, Illinois	42	39	39	New London Monroe Twp.
Thomas A LONG	16 Oct 1796	Lexington, Kentucky	84	52	38	Harrison Twp.	Jan 14 1881 - T.A. LONG and wife, with his children & grandchildren celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary.
Walker M THORN	13 Jan 1834	Tippecanoe Co In, Rockbridge Co	46	46	32	Harrison Twp.
Wm M GEARHEARD	4 Jul 1800	Virginia, Clay Co	80	55	39	Clay Twp.
Wm HUTSON	8 Oct 1818	Kentucky	62	42	34	Howard Twp.
G.W. BROWN	17 Jan 1838	Clark Co Indiana	42	42	41 and 8 months	Ervin Twp.
James MCCOOL	16 July 1818	Miami Co, Ohio	62	38	38	Center Twp.
Aaron COSAND	11 Oct 1823	Washington Co Ind.	57	57 or 52 [?]	30	Honey Creek Twp.
Shadrach STRINGER	26 Jul 1815	Franklin Co, Ind	68	68	23	Center Twp.	Eli STRINGER, my father, settled in Ind. Territory. Early in the year 180[?] one mile south of Brooksville. [indecipherable] first a Whig, then a republican. Lived in the reserve 33 years.
David FAWCETT	29 Mar 1833	Clark Co, Ohio	46	43	36	Howard Twp.
John TARKINGTON	28 Oct 1804	Williamson Co, Tennessee	75	64	30	Center Twp.
C. C. SOLLENBERGER	17 Nov 1821	Franklin, Pennsylvania	58	33	33	Kokomo	have been out of the State 1 year since I came here and one year in Clinton County Indiana.

Names of Pioneers	When Born	Where Born	Age	Years in Indiana	Years in Howard County	Present Residence	Remarks
August 1990 – Volume 6, Number 3, Page 34-35
T. V. GIFFORD	12 Nov 1831	Paoli, Orange Co, Indiana	48	48	34	[unreadable] Kokomo	Kindled the first [indecipherable] bonfire in New London, helped to clear the trees from off the streets of that village [indecipherable] old time ABBOTT [indecipherable]
John HEINMILLER [?]	2 Feb 1825	Germany	55	31	30	Ervin Twp.
Isaac D. STEVENS	8 Feb 1818	Butler Co, Ohio	62	51	2	Kokomo	Served in the Union army in the war of the Rebellion. Have been married three times, the father of 16 children 4 of whom are living.
John GOLDING	19 Feb 1807	Union Co, Indiana	73	73	24	Liberty Twp.
Charity HEADY	27 Mar 1805	North Carolina	75	60	20	Taylor Twp.
G.P. PITZER	20 Nov[?] 1820	Virginia	59	33	33	Harrison Twp
Henry B. HAVENS	10 May 1823	Highland County, Ohio	58	32	32	Kokomo	mustered in Col BLANCHE Co at Richmond IN by Major CARPENTER the [rest is indecipherable]
Ahifa B JONES	20 Oct 1832	Miami Co, Ohio	44	Sept 1851	29 years	Taylor	The father of A.B. JONES settled on Little [indecipherable] near the Randolph [?] Baptist church when he was 65 years old. A.B. JONES has since resided in Taylor Twp.
Martin OSBORN	15 Nov 1828	Wayne Co, Indiana	51	51	33	Liberty Twp.
Enoch TAYLOR	2 Jul 1837	Miami Co, Indiana	43	43	42	Monroe Twp.	Born July 2 1837 in Miami Co & moved to Howard Co the following April 14 being the first white child in what is now Howard Co.
Joseph M. LOOP	26 Oct 1818	Clermont Co, Ohio	62	27	27	Liberty Twp.
Francis B. MACY	18 Sep 1810	Montgomery Co, Ohio	70	55	15	City [Kokomo]
James GRIFFIN	5 Nov 1801	Randolph Co, North Carolina	79	74	9	Taylor Twp.

Names of Pioneers	When Born	Where Born	Age	Years in Indiana	Years in Howard County	Present Residence	Remarks
The remaining entries were not published in previous HCGS newsletters
David M. MARTIN	26 Nov 1825	Wayne Co Indiana	55	55	10	Taylor Twp.	Served in Union Army during the ward in the 16th Indiana Vol.
Robert CHAMP	25 Mar 1829	Sangamon Co Illinois	51	48	21	Howard Twp.
Solomon C HOOVER	19 July 1828	Miami Co Ohio	52	31	31	Ervin Twp	always voted Whig & Republican tickets
Saml L [?] MCLAUGHLIN	16 Feb 1812	Madison Co Kentucky	68	60	22	Center Twp.
Clara KEELER	7 May 1803	Stanstead, Lower C [?]	77	64	24	City
Milton COX	11 Nov 1833	State of NH[?]	46		31		I was born in Id Mounty [?] by county in the year 1833. been citizen of Howard Co 31 years was a solger [sic] in the late reblion of the war. I am now a minister of christ in the friends church.
Geo W[?] FRANCIS	14 Jun 1826	Licking Co Ohio	54	30	25	Harrison
Levi R RICH	27 Sept 1848	Hamilton Co Indiana	31	31	30	City
J. H. SIMITT [?]	8 Dec 1824	Kentucky	55	36	36	Harrison
Silas STOUT	16 “7 mo” [Jul?] 1816	Orange Co Indiana	63	63	30	Monroe Twp.
J. McLean MOULDER	4 Feb 1850	Howard Co Indiana	30	30	30	Kokomo, Center Twp.
Peter RYAN	25 June 1846	Ireland	34	10	10	Kokomo, Howard County
James PALLOOK [?]	1 May 1815	Pennsylvania	48	33	15	Kokomo
Henry L MORELAND	18 Aug 1824	Franklin Co Pennsylvania	56	32	23	City	Married to Almira J BURR May 8 1849 who died March 1 1870 Aged 38 yrs 6 mo 26 days. Married to Margaret M NEIL Sept 18 1870. Elected auditor of Howard County 18?? re-elected 1878.
Jacob S JACKSON	13 Sep 1824	Fleming Co Kentucky	56	44	37	Clay Twp.
James HENRY	1 Feb 1813	Ohio Co West Virginia	67	59	7	Taylor Twp
Robert JOHNSON	20 Aug 1806	Nasemon [?] Co Virginia	77	27	27	Honey Creek	Married Nov 7 1832 who still survives ages 72. with six sons and two daughters and all are yet surviving this Aug 20, 1880.
Thomas BATEY	8 Mar 1824	Montgomery Co Kentucky	58	57	36	Taylor Twp.	married 1 Feb 1845 who died 1861 Married 2nd 1863 the father of 18 children
J.C. KENNEDY	25 Mar 1820	Trumbull Co Ohio	62	30	30	Kokomo
Daniel ZOOK	25 Jul 1842	Holmes [?] Co Ohio	38	30	30	Liberty Twp.
J.W. LEARNER	7 Feb 1848	Howard Co Indiana	34	34	34	City
James W DE HAVENS	23 Mar 1833	Green Co Ohio	49	20	20	City	Sheriff 1882
Denis KERN [?]	4 Jun 1831	Batetomb [?] Co Virginia	50	43	36	Kokomo	I landed in Richardvillle Co Feb 18 1846. G.M. SNODGRASS [?] B. COSAND [?] [indecipherable] was there almost al the white people living in the Settlement where Alto now stands. I and J.H KERR [indecipherable] and improved the land now owned by J.L STRIPE [?] where I resided until I moved to Kokomo in 1878.
C. S. WILSON	1 Jan 1834	Warren Co Virginia	49	34	34	Harrison Twp.
J. T. LONG	10 Aug 1838	Marion Co Indiana	44	44	41	Harrison
D. M. HEATON	21 Sep 1839	Clinton Co Indiana	43	43	42	Harrison
John STEWARD	18 May 1813	New Jersey	70	23	23	Kokomo
Elam A. GIFFORD	23 Oct 1833	Park Co Indiana	50	50	38	Monroe Twp.	at this date Dec 28 ’83, I am the oldest resident of the twp. Came to Monroe Twp Dec 18 1845.