Heathcock Genealogy Database - Person Sheet
Heathcock Genealogy Database - Person Sheet
NameEbenezer Jones 
, GGG Grandfather
, GGG GrandfatherDeath9 Mar 1862, Washington, Daviess Co IN364 Age: 99
BurialOdd Fellows Cemetery, Washington, IN366
BurialOld City Cemetery, Washington, IN367
FatherZacariah Jones (ca1735-1789)
MotherEllen Smith
Spouses
1Mary Wroten , GGG Grandmother
, GGG GrandmotherBirth8 Apr 1762, Frederica, DE
Death1829, Washington, Daviess Co IN Age: 66
BurialOdd Fellows Cemetery, Washington, IN366
FatherWilliam Wroten (ca1707-1789)
MotherSabra Brown (ca1738-<1795)
Marriage1782365
ChildrenWilliam (1784-<1790)
Enoch (1785->1860)
Smith (1786-1861)
Vance (1788-1850)
Lewis Milton (1790-1865)
Anna (1792-1880)
Jesse (1793-1812)
Hullum (1797-1870)
Wiley Roten (1798-1879)
Mary Jane (1799-1896)
Nancy (1801-1873)
Ebenezer Vincent (1802-1857)
Sarah (“Sally”) (1804-1859)
Deborah Elizabeth (Liby) (1806-1891)
Jincy Owen (1808-1891)
2Catherine (Katterine) Wentz , Step GGG Grandmother
, Step GGG GrandmotherBirthca 1775, Mecklenburg Co NC
FatherJohn Andrew Wentz
Marriage13 Jun 1831, Daviess Co IN368
Notes for Ebenezer Jones
The most definitive research on Ebenezer Jones has been carried out by Gilbert X. Drendel, who has written an important book called “Footprints in the Frontier.”369 This book clarifies many early myths, based on family traditions, that appear to have germs of truth, but to have been mixed up in many cases. The most important early work, which has shaped much of the thinking about Ebenezer Jones, was done by Mrs. Olive Smith, who wrote a book that was privately published and widely distributed in the early 1970s,370 and a great deal of work by Jesse Mattes Jones, who left reams of notes and wrote dozens of letters to other Joneses, but who had the unfortunate habit of not recording sources. It appears that much of what Mattes discovered and disseminated is truth, but some is speculation that has been taken as fact by the new “internet generation” of family searchers.
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The following tradition was originally written by Mrs. Olive Smith.371 More recent research by Gilbert S. Drendel suggests that Ebenezer Jones actually was not a Revolutionary War veteran.
“Ebenezer enlisted at Dover, Delaware in the Continental Army on January 20, 1776, in Captain Nathan Adams' Company.372 A family tradition, passed down by Ebenezer's grandson, Enoch Jones, is that "Ebenezer Jones was a husky lad, but wasn't quite tall enough to pass the lax requirements for the Continental Army. Being patriotic and resourceful, he just put padding in his shoes and was accepted. A boy of 13 was as expert with a gun in those days as any man. Ebenezer played a fife as part of his duties during the war. This battered instrument is still in existence somewhere among his descendants." Enoch Jones, son of Hullum Jones, lived to be nearly 99 and knew his grandfather Ebenezer Jones very well. The foregoing story, and others recounted in this essay, were told to Mrs. O. J. Smith. In a letter to the author, dated June 24, 1982, Mrs. Smith said "I knew my great uncle, Enoch Jones (b August 9, 1834 - d December 25, 1932) well, for he lived in Palmetto, Fla. with his daughter Bertha. I was in Palmetto in high school (1912-14) and I often talked with him. He was my favorite uncle! He told me about knowing and talking with his grandfather Ebenezer Jones (b January 21, 1763 - d March 9, 1862). These dates were from O. P. Estes' family bible. O. P. Estes was the grandson of "Gincy" O. Garten, Ebenezer's youngest child."”
Ebenezer Jones became a minister of the Methodist Church at the age of 18, according to family tradition. According to Rowan County probate records, Minister Ebenezer Jones and the trustees of the Methodist Church bought one acre of land on Cedar Creek in Rowan County for the purpose of erecting a church building. Ebenezer and Mary Jones had 15 children in the 26 years they lived in Rowan County. The entire family was recorded in a bible that was kept by the family in their early years in Indiana. The Bible is on display at the Washington Museum in Washington, Indiana. It was printed in 1816 and is five inches by seven inches in size. The writing in the Bible is very faded and its pages are brittle. Accompanying the Jones Bible is a letter that reads, in part, as follows:
"June 23, 1969
Columbus, Ohio
Dear Elva:
I received your letter this past week end, yes, I do have an old Bible that I am sure must have belonged to the Jones Family. Aunt Eula gave me the Bible sometime ago, it was with some things that have belonged to the Wallaces' for years. I imagine the old Bible came from the old Jones Fort which I think was also close to my grand-father Wallaces' house.
Sincerely, Anne Brown"
Because of the open warfare that existed with the Indians, the early settlers of the Vincennes area erected several forts. Although they normally lived in log cabins on their own farms, the settlers repaired to the forts for refuge during especially troubled times. Each of the forts was about 150 feet square and was constructed from timbers about twelve feet high with sharpened tops. There was a gateway for wagons in one wall. Within the enclosure was a two-story, hewed-log house, called a block house. Other block houses were built at the northeast and southwest corners of the fort. The block houses were about 25 by 18 feet in dimension and the second floors were reached by ladders. Some of the inhabitants lived in the three block houses, while others built huts of various size and form, according to their taste and means. In "forting times" the life was spartan, the settlers subsisting on stores of corn, potatoes, turnips, cabbage, pumpkins, and a little meat. One of the forts, called Comer's Fort, was on Ebenezer Jones' farm.373
In 1812, Jesse Jones, son of Ebenezer and Anna Jones, was killed in an altercation with Indians. The following account is abstracted from History of Knox and Daviess Counties.374 "In September of 1812, General Samuel Hopkins was assigned the duty of destroying the Indian settlements along the Wabash and Illinois River. With 2000 volunteers, General Hopkins accomplished the destruction of the Kickapoo town at the head of Lake Peoria. He then returned to Vincennes with his mounted forces, most of whom he proceeded to discharge on the grounds they refused to obey their commander. He then assembled a new force, mostly infantry, and sallied forth with the intention of destroying Prophetstown, which had about 40 cabins and huts, and the large Kickapoo village adjoining it on the east side of the river. On September 21 the force discovered a band of Indians on Wild Cat Creek. The Indians fired upon a scouting party and killed a man by the name of Dunn. The next day a party of 60 horsemen went forth to bury their dead comrade and scout out the Indian force. Approaching the spot where the slain man lay, they discovered a mounted Indian. The troopers dropped their burying tools and started in tumultuous pursuit of the Indian. Their quarry at first kept a northeast course, but gradually inclined to the north, until he arrived at the head of a ravine, which was quite steep at the sides, and covered with timber and thick underbrush. When his pursuers had proceeded about 300 yards down the hollow, they received a very heavy fire on both flanks. A general route ensued. Those who escaped the ambush had to cut their way through the enemy lines. The next day the whole army went out to bury the dead, of which there were eighteen, and found the bodies to be 'much mutilated.' Some who were reported missing were never found. Two of those who were killed in this ambuscade were from the settlement at the forks of the White River--Samuel Culbertson and Jesse Jones, a son of Ebenezer Jones." Family tradition holds that Jesse Jones' saddle girth broke, causing him to fall from his horse. It is said that he was scalped by the Indians. Jesse Jones' estate was probated in 1813.375
The Indian troubles subsided and had virtually ended by the end of 1813. Indiana was granted statehood in 1816 and Daviess County was incorporated in 1817. Its population, which had been but 300 in 1811 when Ebenezer Jones and Joseph Hobbs settled there, had grown to 3432 by 1820. One of the first official activities of the new county was the election of officials. Ebenezer Jones was elected County Treasurer in June, 1817 at a temporary log Court House in the new town. His first report, filed in 1819 showed receipts of $1,126.43 and expenses of $1,064.68. Another of the early activities involved in the establishment of the new county was the creation of a County Seat. The town of Washington was officially established in 1817. Building lots were sold at public auction to raise money for construction of the necessary county buildings. Ebenezer Jones and Joseph Hobbs purchased two of these lots.376
Ebenezer's wife Mary died in 1829, at the age of 67, near Washington, Indiana. She was buried at Washington in the Old City Cemetery, which was abandoned in the late nineteenth century; in 1936 it was levelled by the WPA to build a public Park.377 Two years later, on June 15, 1831, Ebenezer married the widow Kattarine Slinkard, of Green County, Indiana.368 In addition to being a Methodist minister in Washington, Ebenezer was a cabinet maker. The 1850 and 1860 Daviess County Indiana census records show that Ebenezer lived his last quarter century with his son Wiley.378 He died on March 9, 1862 at the age of 99, and was buried in the Old City Cemetery alongside Mary, his first wife.
Another account is given by Eileen Phipps:198
Living in Frederich County, Joseph Sr and Ann Hobbs were neighbors and good friends of the Josiah Roten family. After the Josiah Rotens moved to Rowan County, North Carolina, they maintained close contact with Joseph and Ann, encouraging them to join them in Rowan County. Joseph Hobbs Sr did eventually buy some land in Rowan County, but he and his family never moved there. Instead, they sold their North Carolina land in November of 1784.
The Josiah Rotens had a grown daughter named Mary who was married to Ebenezer Jones. Ebenezer and Mary Jones were living in North Carolina when they, along with some fifteen other families, decided to move to Indiana. In August of 1810 they formed a train of 35 wagons and headed west. Joseph Hobbs Sr seems to have found Indiana a more appealing destination than North Carolina, as he agreed to join the Ebenezer Jones Wagon Train somewhere in Virginia.
On this wagon train young Joseph Hobbs Jr met Ebenezer and Mary Jones's teenage daughter Anna. Joseph Jr and Anna began a courtship that lasted some ten months on the wagon train and culminated in marriage in Washington Township, Knox County, on July 12, 1811, about two weeks after the wagons reached Indiana.
A similar account was told by Mr. Jesse M. Jones, Jr., of Beaumont, TX:184
“Sometime around the last of August in 1810, the Ebenezer Jones Wagon Train, consisting of some 35 wagons, and 16 families left the Salisbury District of North Carolina, in Rowen Co and headed westward to Indiana. As the Jones family and the Roten family had been writing to one another, the idea of migrating westward to Indiana interested the Joseph Hobbs, Sr. family and they agreed to migrate with them. They decided to join the wagon train somewhere in Virginia. It was on this wagon train that young Joseph Hobbs, Jr. met Anna Jones and it was the beginning of a ten and a half month courtship which ended about two weeks after the wagon train reached Washington Township, Knox Co, Indiana when on July 11, 1811, Joseph and Anna were married.”
These last two stories appear to be based on family tradition, probably embellished somewhat by Jesse M. Jones. The part about “Joseph Hobbs Sr. and Ann Hobbs” refers to a Joseph Hobbs who was married to Ann Maynard in Frederich Co MD. Somewhere along the line, someone decided that this couple must have been the parents of the Joseph Hobbs who married Anna Jones. However, there is good evidence that Joseph Hobbs and Ann Maynard were not the parents of Joseph Hobbs; see miscellaneous notes under Joseph Hobbs for a full explaination.
********************************
The following tradition was originally written by Mrs. Olive Smith.371 More recent research by Gilbert S. Drendel suggests that Ebenezer Jones actually was not a Revolutionary War veteran.
“Ebenezer enlisted at Dover, Delaware in the Continental Army on January 20, 1776, in Captain Nathan Adams' Company.372 A family tradition, passed down by Ebenezer's grandson, Enoch Jones, is that "Ebenezer Jones was a husky lad, but wasn't quite tall enough to pass the lax requirements for the Continental Army. Being patriotic and resourceful, he just put padding in his shoes and was accepted. A boy of 13 was as expert with a gun in those days as any man. Ebenezer played a fife as part of his duties during the war. This battered instrument is still in existence somewhere among his descendants." Enoch Jones, son of Hullum Jones, lived to be nearly 99 and knew his grandfather Ebenezer Jones very well. The foregoing story, and others recounted in this essay, were told to Mrs. O. J. Smith. In a letter to the author, dated June 24, 1982, Mrs. Smith said "I knew my great uncle, Enoch Jones (b August 9, 1834 - d December 25, 1932) well, for he lived in Palmetto, Fla. with his daughter Bertha. I was in Palmetto in high school (1912-14) and I often talked with him. He was my favorite uncle! He told me about knowing and talking with his grandfather Ebenezer Jones (b January 21, 1763 - d March 9, 1862). These dates were from O. P. Estes' family bible. O. P. Estes was the grandson of "Gincy" O. Garten, Ebenezer's youngest child."”
Ebenezer Jones became a minister of the Methodist Church at the age of 18, according to family tradition. According to Rowan County probate records, Minister Ebenezer Jones and the trustees of the Methodist Church bought one acre of land on Cedar Creek in Rowan County for the purpose of erecting a church building. Ebenezer and Mary Jones had 15 children in the 26 years they lived in Rowan County. The entire family was recorded in a bible that was kept by the family in their early years in Indiana. The Bible is on display at the Washington Museum in Washington, Indiana. It was printed in 1816 and is five inches by seven inches in size. The writing in the Bible is very faded and its pages are brittle. Accompanying the Jones Bible is a letter that reads, in part, as follows:
"June 23, 1969
Columbus, Ohio
Dear Elva:
I received your letter this past week end, yes, I do have an old Bible that I am sure must have belonged to the Jones Family. Aunt Eula gave me the Bible sometime ago, it was with some things that have belonged to the Wallaces' for years. I imagine the old Bible came from the old Jones Fort which I think was also close to my grand-father Wallaces' house.
Sincerely, Anne Brown"
Because of the open warfare that existed with the Indians, the early settlers of the Vincennes area erected several forts. Although they normally lived in log cabins on their own farms, the settlers repaired to the forts for refuge during especially troubled times. Each of the forts was about 150 feet square and was constructed from timbers about twelve feet high with sharpened tops. There was a gateway for wagons in one wall. Within the enclosure was a two-story, hewed-log house, called a block house. Other block houses were built at the northeast and southwest corners of the fort. The block houses were about 25 by 18 feet in dimension and the second floors were reached by ladders. Some of the inhabitants lived in the three block houses, while others built huts of various size and form, according to their taste and means. In "forting times" the life was spartan, the settlers subsisting on stores of corn, potatoes, turnips, cabbage, pumpkins, and a little meat. One of the forts, called Comer's Fort, was on Ebenezer Jones' farm.373
In 1812, Jesse Jones, son of Ebenezer and Anna Jones, was killed in an altercation with Indians. The following account is abstracted from History of Knox and Daviess Counties.374 "In September of 1812, General Samuel Hopkins was assigned the duty of destroying the Indian settlements along the Wabash and Illinois River. With 2000 volunteers, General Hopkins accomplished the destruction of the Kickapoo town at the head of Lake Peoria. He then returned to Vincennes with his mounted forces, most of whom he proceeded to discharge on the grounds they refused to obey their commander. He then assembled a new force, mostly infantry, and sallied forth with the intention of destroying Prophetstown, which had about 40 cabins and huts, and the large Kickapoo village adjoining it on the east side of the river. On September 21 the force discovered a band of Indians on Wild Cat Creek. The Indians fired upon a scouting party and killed a man by the name of Dunn. The next day a party of 60 horsemen went forth to bury their dead comrade and scout out the Indian force. Approaching the spot where the slain man lay, they discovered a mounted Indian. The troopers dropped their burying tools and started in tumultuous pursuit of the Indian. Their quarry at first kept a northeast course, but gradually inclined to the north, until he arrived at the head of a ravine, which was quite steep at the sides, and covered with timber and thick underbrush. When his pursuers had proceeded about 300 yards down the hollow, they received a very heavy fire on both flanks. A general route ensued. Those who escaped the ambush had to cut their way through the enemy lines. The next day the whole army went out to bury the dead, of which there were eighteen, and found the bodies to be 'much mutilated.' Some who were reported missing were never found. Two of those who were killed in this ambuscade were from the settlement at the forks of the White River--Samuel Culbertson and Jesse Jones, a son of Ebenezer Jones." Family tradition holds that Jesse Jones' saddle girth broke, causing him to fall from his horse. It is said that he was scalped by the Indians. Jesse Jones' estate was probated in 1813.375
The Indian troubles subsided and had virtually ended by the end of 1813. Indiana was granted statehood in 1816 and Daviess County was incorporated in 1817. Its population, which had been but 300 in 1811 when Ebenezer Jones and Joseph Hobbs settled there, had grown to 3432 by 1820. One of the first official activities of the new county was the election of officials. Ebenezer Jones was elected County Treasurer in June, 1817 at a temporary log Court House in the new town. His first report, filed in 1819 showed receipts of $1,126.43 and expenses of $1,064.68. Another of the early activities involved in the establishment of the new county was the creation of a County Seat. The town of Washington was officially established in 1817. Building lots were sold at public auction to raise money for construction of the necessary county buildings. Ebenezer Jones and Joseph Hobbs purchased two of these lots.376
Ebenezer's wife Mary died in 1829, at the age of 67, near Washington, Indiana. She was buried at Washington in the Old City Cemetery, which was abandoned in the late nineteenth century; in 1936 it was levelled by the WPA to build a public Park.377 Two years later, on June 15, 1831, Ebenezer married the widow Kattarine Slinkard, of Green County, Indiana.368 In addition to being a Methodist minister in Washington, Ebenezer was a cabinet maker. The 1850 and 1860 Daviess County Indiana census records show that Ebenezer lived his last quarter century with his son Wiley.378 He died on March 9, 1862 at the age of 99, and was buried in the Old City Cemetery alongside Mary, his first wife.
Another account is given by Eileen Phipps:198
Living in Frederich County, Joseph Sr and Ann Hobbs were neighbors and good friends of the Josiah Roten family. After the Josiah Rotens moved to Rowan County, North Carolina, they maintained close contact with Joseph and Ann, encouraging them to join them in Rowan County. Joseph Hobbs Sr did eventually buy some land in Rowan County, but he and his family never moved there. Instead, they sold their North Carolina land in November of 1784.
The Josiah Rotens had a grown daughter named Mary who was married to Ebenezer Jones. Ebenezer and Mary Jones were living in North Carolina when they, along with some fifteen other families, decided to move to Indiana. In August of 1810 they formed a train of 35 wagons and headed west. Joseph Hobbs Sr seems to have found Indiana a more appealing destination than North Carolina, as he agreed to join the Ebenezer Jones Wagon Train somewhere in Virginia.
On this wagon train young Joseph Hobbs Jr met Ebenezer and Mary Jones's teenage daughter Anna. Joseph Jr and Anna began a courtship that lasted some ten months on the wagon train and culminated in marriage in Washington Township, Knox County, on July 12, 1811, about two weeks after the wagons reached Indiana.
A similar account was told by Mr. Jesse M. Jones, Jr., of Beaumont, TX:184
“Sometime around the last of August in 1810, the Ebenezer Jones Wagon Train, consisting of some 35 wagons, and 16 families left the Salisbury District of North Carolina, in Rowen Co and headed westward to Indiana. As the Jones family and the Roten family had been writing to one another, the idea of migrating westward to Indiana interested the Joseph Hobbs, Sr. family and they agreed to migrate with them. They decided to join the wagon train somewhere in Virginia. It was on this wagon train that young Joseph Hobbs, Jr. met Anna Jones and it was the beginning of a ten and a half month courtship which ended about two weeks after the wagon train reached Washington Township, Knox Co, Indiana when on July 11, 1811, Joseph and Anna were married.”
These last two stories appear to be based on family tradition, probably embellished somewhat by Jesse M. Jones. The part about “Joseph Hobbs Sr. and Ann Hobbs” refers to a Joseph Hobbs who was married to Ann Maynard in Frederich Co MD. Somewhere along the line, someone decided that this couple must have been the parents of the Joseph Hobbs who married Anna Jones. However, there is good evidence that Joseph Hobbs and Ann Maynard were not the parents of Joseph Hobbs; see miscellaneous notes under Joseph Hobbs for a full explaination.
Notes for Ebenezer Jones
The 1790 Rowan Co NC census lists Ebenezer Jones, adajacent to two other Jones families:
JONES, Ebenezer 1 4 1 0 1 entry # 1181
JONES, Isaac 1 2 3 0 0 entry # 1182
JONES, Joseph 1 3 5 0 0 entry # 1183
[Foregoing numbers = males over 16, males under 16, females, other free persons, slaves.] The census date for 1790 was August 2, the first Monday in August. However, by that date, five sons had been born to Ebenezer and Anna. As explained in the miscellaneous notes for William Jones, it is believed that he must have died before August 2, 1790. Therefore, the census recorded Ebenezer, Enoch, Smith, Vance, Lewis and Anna.
Ebenezer Jones is listed in the 1810 Rowan Co NC census (page 282) with the following count:
<10 - 1 male, 4 females
10-15 - 2 males, 1 female
16-25 - 2 males, 1 female
26-44 - 0 males, 1 female
>45 - 1 male, 1 female
This would indicate that three of the 16-25 year old sons were no longer living at home. Smith Jones is listed on the same census page, along with a female <10 and a female 26-44. The six daughters are all accounted for, and there is an “extra” female 26-44 years of age. It is not known who this extra female was.
In the 1830 census, he is listed in Daviess Co IN as the head of a household consisting of one male 10-15, one female 20-30, and one male 60-70. It is not clear who the young male and the 20-30 year old female were. Ebenezer’s youngest son would have been 28 and although he had three daughters who would have been 20-30, they were all married.
In the 1840 census, Ebenezer is listed in Daviess Co IN as the head of a household consisting of one male 10-15, 1 male 20-30, 1 male 70-80, and one female 60-70. He had married Catherine Slinkard in 1831, so she was presumably the female. Daniel Slinkard was 21 at the time of this census, but it is not clear who the younger male was.
In the 1850 census of Daviess Co IN, 86-year old Ebenezer Jones is listed as head of household that included his son Wiley and his wife Annie plus their six daughters:
Daviess Co.1850 Washington, Indiana
Jones, Ebenezer 86 Preacher born Delaware
Jones, Wiley R. 51 Farmer 500 born North Carolina
Jones, Annie 39 born Indiana
Jones, Laura 20 born Indiana
Jones, Emily 18 born Indiana
Jones, Huldah 15 born Indiana
Jones, Martha 13 born Indiana
Jones, Charity 11 born Indiana
Jones, Alice 7 born Indiana
1860 Daviess Co. Washington, Indiana
Jones, Wiley 61 Farmer 2000 400 born North Carolina
Jones, Ann 48 born Indiana
Jones, Laura 29 born Indiana
Jones, Hulda 24 born Indiana
Jones, Charity 19 born Indiana
Jones, Margaret 16 born Indiana
Burch, Mary 9 born Indiana
Purcell, Masion 6 born Indiana
Purcell, Sylvester 5 born Indiana
Purcell, Jane 3 born Indiana
Jones, Ebenezer 97 born Delaware
JONES, Ebenezer 1 4 1 0 1 entry # 1181
JONES, Isaac 1 2 3 0 0 entry # 1182
JONES, Joseph 1 3 5 0 0 entry # 1183
[Foregoing numbers = males over 16, males under 16, females, other free persons, slaves.] The census date for 1790 was August 2, the first Monday in August. However, by that date, five sons had been born to Ebenezer and Anna. As explained in the miscellaneous notes for William Jones, it is believed that he must have died before August 2, 1790. Therefore, the census recorded Ebenezer, Enoch, Smith, Vance, Lewis and Anna.
Ebenezer Jones is listed in the 1810 Rowan Co NC census (page 282) with the following count:
<10 - 1 male, 4 females
10-15 - 2 males, 1 female
16-25 - 2 males, 1 female
26-44 - 0 males, 1 female
>45 - 1 male, 1 female
This would indicate that three of the 16-25 year old sons were no longer living at home. Smith Jones is listed on the same census page, along with a female <10 and a female 26-44. The six daughters are all accounted for, and there is an “extra” female 26-44 years of age. It is not known who this extra female was.
In the 1830 census, he is listed in Daviess Co IN as the head of a household consisting of one male 10-15, one female 20-30, and one male 60-70. It is not clear who the young male and the 20-30 year old female were. Ebenezer’s youngest son would have been 28 and although he had three daughters who would have been 20-30, they were all married.
In the 1840 census, Ebenezer is listed in Daviess Co IN as the head of a household consisting of one male 10-15, 1 male 20-30, 1 male 70-80, and one female 60-70. He had married Catherine Slinkard in 1831, so she was presumably the female. Daniel Slinkard was 21 at the time of this census, but it is not clear who the younger male was.
In the 1850 census of Daviess Co IN, 86-year old Ebenezer Jones is listed as head of household that included his son Wiley and his wife Annie plus their six daughters:
Daviess Co.1850 Washington, Indiana
Jones, Ebenezer 86 Preacher born Delaware
Jones, Wiley R. 51 Farmer 500 born North Carolina
Jones, Annie 39 born Indiana
Jones, Laura 20 born Indiana
Jones, Emily 18 born Indiana
Jones, Huldah 15 born Indiana
Jones, Martha 13 born Indiana
Jones, Charity 11 born Indiana
Jones, Alice 7 born Indiana
1860 Daviess Co. Washington, Indiana
Jones, Wiley 61 Farmer 2000 400 born North Carolina
Jones, Ann 48 born Indiana
Jones, Laura 29 born Indiana
Jones, Hulda 24 born Indiana
Jones, Charity 19 born Indiana
Jones, Margaret 16 born Indiana
Burch, Mary 9 born Indiana
Purcell, Masion 6 born Indiana
Purcell, Sylvester 5 born Indiana
Purcell, Jane 3 born Indiana
Jones, Ebenezer 97 born Delaware
Notes for Ebenezer Jones
When these settlers arrived from South Carolina the Northwest Territory was sparsely settled. In 1810 there were no more than 300 persons in all of what is now Daviess County (per Goodspeed's page 620). Five forts were built in 1812. Comer's Fort was built on Daniel Comer's farm not far from the cabin occupied by Hezekiah and Nancy Ragsdale, in the forks of White River in Hawkins Twp., Knox County, Indiana.
Goodspeed's History of Knox and Daviess Counties, Indiana, 1886
Occupants of the Forts:
Comer's Fort - Friend Spears, James and Thomas Aikman, Ebenezer Jones, Alexander Stevens, Chris. Gregory, John Stringer, William White, John Wallace, the widow Wallace and two sons, the widow Ellis, Vance Jones, Ephraim Thompson, E. RAGSDALE, Thrice Stafford, and Alexander Stephenson. There were a large number of young men in this fort, among them Wiley R. Jones, Jesse Hallem, William Phillips, John and James Stafford, Samuel Aikman, John and Josiah Wallace; John, David, and William Ellis; Colman Morgan and Wesley Wallace; John RAGSDALE and John Thompson.
Ballow's Fort - John, Thomas and William Horrall, Jeremiah Lucas, Charles Sinks, Richard Steen, Thomas Scales and Nathan Davis. Young men and boys: George Mason and Fleming Ballow; John, James and Samuel Steen, and Salem Sinks. These names comprise a list of nearly, if not quite all the male inhabitants of Daviess County, at the breaking out of troubles with the Indians.379
For another account see “DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA, EARLY SETTLEMENT OF DAVIESS COUNTY.”380
Goodspeed's History of Knox and Daviess Counties, Indiana, 1886
Occupants of the Forts:
Comer's Fort - Friend Spears, James and Thomas Aikman, Ebenezer Jones, Alexander Stevens, Chris. Gregory, John Stringer, William White, John Wallace, the widow Wallace and two sons, the widow Ellis, Vance Jones, Ephraim Thompson, E. RAGSDALE, Thrice Stafford, and Alexander Stephenson. There were a large number of young men in this fort, among them Wiley R. Jones, Jesse Hallem, William Phillips, John and James Stafford, Samuel Aikman, John and Josiah Wallace; John, David, and William Ellis; Colman Morgan and Wesley Wallace; John RAGSDALE and John Thompson.
Ballow's Fort - John, Thomas and William Horrall, Jeremiah Lucas, Charles Sinks, Richard Steen, Thomas Scales and Nathan Davis. Young men and boys: George Mason and Fleming Ballow; John, James and Samuel Steen, and Salem Sinks. These names comprise a list of nearly, if not quite all the male inhabitants of Daviess County, at the breaking out of troubles with the Indians.379
For another account see “DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA, EARLY SETTLEMENT OF DAVIESS COUNTY.”380
Notes for Ebenezer Jones
A brief bio of Ebenezer Jones, differing in some details from what is normally published about him, is found on listing of Indiana Patriot Graves.381 [The idea that he was descended from Morgan Jones has subsequently been disproven by the reserach of Gilbert X. Drendel.] The bio from this source, provided by Paul L. Stone, is as follows:
EBENEZER JONES
Born: 21 Jan 1763 in New Castle Co. DE (then part of PA)
Son of Zacharian (sic) and Johanna Thomas Jones.
His great-grandfather David, grandfather Morgan and possibly his father Zachariah were born in Wales. They are buried at the Welsh Tract Baptist Church near Newark, DE.
Died: 9 Mar 1862, age 99
Buried: Supposedly buried in the Old City Cemetery in Washington, next to his first wife Mary. There is no official record of his burial. The Old City Cemetery has been destroyed and buildings built in the vicinity of where the cemetery was located.
Service: 20 Jan 1776: Enlisted at Dover, DE in the Continental Army in Capt Nathan Adams' Company of Col. John Haslet's Delaware Regiment. (Age 13)
He is also supposedly listed as a soldier & pensioner in Maryland. The records of the DE Regt show it was attached at one time to a MD Regt because of small numbers in the DE Regt. This might account for him being listed in Maryland records.
The oral family history says he played the fife as part of his duties.
Proof: Delaware Military Archives, Vol. I, p.52.
Maryland Revolutionary Records, p141 by Newman, Harry Wright 1938 reprinted 1980 by Geneological Publ. Co., Baltimore
Lived in North Cariolna from 1783-1811. Listed in the 1790, 1800 & 1810 Federal census in NC.
In 1810 he sold 247 acres in Rowan Co. NC and led a wagon train of 35 to Knox Co. Indiana east of Vincennes, arriving in 1811.
Purchased land in sec. #3 where South Washington, IN lies.
He was appointed the first treasurer of Daviess Co. when it was formed in 1817, and served as treasurer for 20 of the next 21 years.
Married: Mary Roten, Rowan Co, NC
Mary died 1829 in Indiana. When the Old City Cemetery was abandoned and made into a park by the WPA in 1936, records made of stones were found in the cemetery showing she was buried there.
Children:15 children were born to Ebeneezer & Mary in NC:
William
Enoch
Smith
Vance
Lewis (Indiana State Representative 1835-36)
Anna
Jesse (killed 1812 by Indians in Indiana)
Hullum
Wiley
Mary
Nancy
Vincent
Sally
Deborah
Jincy.
Married: June 15, 1831 the widow Katharine Slinkard.
The 1850 & 1860 census show he lived with his son Wiley and list his occupation as minister. Deed records in NC indicate he was associated with the Methodist church but may not have been an ordained minister as there is no record of him serving as minister of any church in IN. He was also a carpenter.
Directions: Old City Cemetery / Pioneer Park
Washington High School was built in 1967 over most of what was the Old City Cemetery. All that remains is a small memorial called Pioneer Park which contains a very few stones from the old cemetery. There are also about a dozen new "government" tombstones for Civil War Veterans who I assume were buried in the old cemetery. I am going to work on getting a Veteran's stone for Ebenezer to place next to those of the Civil War vets in Pioneer Park.
Information provided by Paul L. Stone
The National CD patriot index shows an Ebenezer Jones b. 1763 d. 1835 NY
The National Graves CD shows 2 Ebenezer Joneses born 1763 and buried out east. These same two appear on Heritages Pensions CD.
EBENEZER JONES
Born: 21 Jan 1763 in New Castle Co. DE (then part of PA)
Son of Zacharian (sic) and Johanna Thomas Jones.
His great-grandfather David, grandfather Morgan and possibly his father Zachariah were born in Wales. They are buried at the Welsh Tract Baptist Church near Newark, DE.
Died: 9 Mar 1862, age 99
Buried: Supposedly buried in the Old City Cemetery in Washington, next to his first wife Mary. There is no official record of his burial. The Old City Cemetery has been destroyed and buildings built in the vicinity of where the cemetery was located.
Service: 20 Jan 1776: Enlisted at Dover, DE in the Continental Army in Capt Nathan Adams' Company of Col. John Haslet's Delaware Regiment. (Age 13)
He is also supposedly listed as a soldier & pensioner in Maryland. The records of the DE Regt show it was attached at one time to a MD Regt because of small numbers in the DE Regt. This might account for him being listed in Maryland records.
The oral family history says he played the fife as part of his duties.
Proof: Delaware Military Archives, Vol. I, p.52.
Maryland Revolutionary Records, p141 by Newman, Harry Wright 1938 reprinted 1980 by Geneological Publ. Co., Baltimore
Lived in North Cariolna from 1783-1811. Listed in the 1790, 1800 & 1810 Federal census in NC.
In 1810 he sold 247 acres in Rowan Co. NC and led a wagon train of 35 to Knox Co. Indiana east of Vincennes, arriving in 1811.
Purchased land in sec. #3 where South Washington, IN lies.
He was appointed the first treasurer of Daviess Co. when it was formed in 1817, and served as treasurer for 20 of the next 21 years.
Married: Mary Roten, Rowan Co, NC
Mary died 1829 in Indiana. When the Old City Cemetery was abandoned and made into a park by the WPA in 1936, records made of stones were found in the cemetery showing she was buried there.
Children:15 children were born to Ebeneezer & Mary in NC:
William
Enoch
Smith
Vance
Lewis (Indiana State Representative 1835-36)
Anna
Jesse (killed 1812 by Indians in Indiana)
Hullum
Wiley
Mary
Nancy
Vincent
Sally
Deborah
Jincy.
Married: June 15, 1831 the widow Katharine Slinkard.
The 1850 & 1860 census show he lived with his son Wiley and list his occupation as minister. Deed records in NC indicate he was associated with the Methodist church but may not have been an ordained minister as there is no record of him serving as minister of any church in IN. He was also a carpenter.
Directions: Old City Cemetery / Pioneer Park
Washington High School was built in 1967 over most of what was the Old City Cemetery. All that remains is a small memorial called Pioneer Park which contains a very few stones from the old cemetery. There are also about a dozen new "government" tombstones for Civil War Veterans who I assume were buried in the old cemetery. I am going to work on getting a Veteran's stone for Ebenezer to place next to those of the Civil War vets in Pioneer Park.
Information provided by Paul L. Stone
The National CD patriot index shows an Ebenezer Jones b. 1763 d. 1835 NY
The National Graves CD shows 2 Ebenezer Joneses born 1763 and buried out east. These same two appear on Heritages Pensions CD.
Notes for Ebenezer Jones
For an interesting first party account of life in early Indiana, see the miscellaneous note attached to the person sheet of Mary Jane Jones Allison.
http://heathcock.org/genealogy/ps01/ps01_242.html
http://heathcock.org/genealogy/ps01/ps01_242.html
Notes for Mary (Spouse 1)
In the mid 1780s, Ebenezer moved to Rowan County, North Carolina, where he married Mary Roten at a little town between the forks of the Yadkin River. Mary Roten was born April 8, 1762, in Maryland. She is said to have been of Irish descent, very small, and red-headed.382 The 1790 census of North Carolina shows that Ebenezer and Mary lived in Rowan County, near the forks of South Radkin and Horse Shoe Creeks. At this time they had four children, all under 10 years of age.
Another Jones bible was found by Marie W. McCormick. This small Bible was printed in Philadelphia in 1813. Mrs. McCormick speculates that the Bible belonged to Ebenezer and was passed to his son Wiley when Ebenezer died. When Wiley died, the Bible must have gone to Laura Jones, Wiley's eldest daughter, as her name and date of birth are given following the birth records for Ebenezer and Mary Jones' children. An Anna Purcell, a granddaughter of Ebenezer Jones, placed the bible on sale in the Wallace Grocery store south of Washington, Indiana. The Bible now belongs to Mrs. Elva O'Brien Fisher, a great-great-granddaughter of Wiley R. Jones through his daughter Emily. In addition to the birth records for Ebenezer and Mary Jones' children, the following is written on the fly leaf:
"Daniel son of Nathaniel Roden (?) and
Sally his wife was born January 6th 1712.
this 19th of August 1816
Daniel Slinkard was born June the 24th 1819 (?)"
On the back of this fly leaf is written: "Bible (illegible) of E. and Mary Ro(illegible) Jones". It is not known who Daniel Roden was. It was long believed that this was Mary’s father, but recent evidence suggests that Mary’s father was William Wroten of Mispillion Hundred, Delaware.369 Daniel Slinkard was the son of Catherine Wentz Slinkard, Ebenezer's second wife, whom he married in 1831.
Another Jones bible was found by Marie W. McCormick. This small Bible was printed in Philadelphia in 1813. Mrs. McCormick speculates that the Bible belonged to Ebenezer and was passed to his son Wiley when Ebenezer died. When Wiley died, the Bible must have gone to Laura Jones, Wiley's eldest daughter, as her name and date of birth are given following the birth records for Ebenezer and Mary Jones' children. An Anna Purcell, a granddaughter of Ebenezer Jones, placed the bible on sale in the Wallace Grocery store south of Washington, Indiana. The Bible now belongs to Mrs. Elva O'Brien Fisher, a great-great-granddaughter of Wiley R. Jones through his daughter Emily. In addition to the birth records for Ebenezer and Mary Jones' children, the following is written on the fly leaf:
"Daniel son of Nathaniel Roden (?) and
Sally his wife was born January 6th 1712.
this 19th of August 1816
Daniel Slinkard was born June the 24th 1819 (?)"
On the back of this fly leaf is written: "Bible (illegible) of E. and Mary Ro(illegible) Jones". It is not known who Daniel Roden was. It was long believed that this was Mary’s father, but recent evidence suggests that Mary’s father was William Wroten of Mispillion Hundred, Delaware.369 Daniel Slinkard was the son of Catherine Wentz Slinkard, Ebenezer's second wife, whom he married in 1831.
Notes for Catherine (Katterine) (Spouse 2)
Ebenezer Jones married the widow Catherine Wentz Slinkard in 1831, about two years after the death of Mary Roten Jones. Ebenezer was 68 and Catherine was about 56. At the time, all of the children of Ebenezer and Mary Jones had grown and left home but Catherine Slinkard still had a 12-year old son, Daniel Slinkard. The following essay was written by a researcher of the Slinkard family.383
The Delaware Indians occupied the land that is now Greene County until 1810. In and around the vicinity of Newberry, evidence has been found of crude axes and well-formed arrowheads.
The first settlement was that of Chesterville, located on the North side of the White River in 1815. The chief business was that of a flour mill. A village of 15 families was destroyed by flood and the settlement relocated to the South bank of the river.
Newberry was founded in 1818 by pioneers from North and South Carolina. Having taken decided grounds against slavery was one of the reasons that lead John and Catherine Wentz Slinkard and their family to come from Lincoln County, North Carolina to Indiana in 1817. They first settled in Knox County, but in the spring of 1818 moved to what is now Cass Township, Greene County where residents of that family have resided since.
John Slinkard purchased land in Greene County in 1818, two years after Indiana was admitted to the Union as a State. Consequently the Slinkard family, among other pioneer families, helped to develop the state into one of the leading agricultural states of the Nation. Many of the early settlers of Greene County were from Southern states and brought with them seeds from that area. A large number of the first residents grew one to five acres of cotton and some tobacco, both of which were mainly consumed at home.
The town of Newberry was first located one-half mile east of the present location. John O'Neal, a Quaker preacher and Mark O'Neal, a surveyor, who came from South Carolina to Indiana in 1818, laid out and named to town for Newberry, South Carolina. Some time later the business section was moved to a location near where the old covered bridge was built crossing the White River on Section Street. John O'Neal's son, Gary, opened the first store at this site in 1827. In 1828, Reason Hilburn, Sr. became a partner in the business. John O'Neal and his wife Hepsabah are buried on a knoll near the location of the first store, East of the present location of the town. Jonas Slinkard and sons operated the New York Store and a general merchandise store was owned by John Slinkard, Jr. Andrew Slinkard and sons (Pierce and John) also owned a store. Perry and Riley Slinkard operated a drug store and Daniel Ward operated a wagon repair shop. Later Peter Lester opened a general store and Thomas Plummer opened a distillery. Benjamin F. Morse was assigned as the first postmaster in 1826. In 1855 the business section was located where it currently sits spanning Broad Street (Highway 57S).
John Jr. and Henry Slinkard owned mills on First Creek (named Furst Creek at the time), Southeast of Newberry, where wheat and corn were ground. Later John built a steam mill about 200 feet above the bridge on the North bank of the White River. Fred Slinkard also owned a mill. The belts of the mill were made of twisted rawhide and the wheels were constructed of wooden cogs
Pioneer homes of the time were built of logs with clay chimneys and huge fireplaces. Herbs, skins, dried venison and beef, rifles and axes hung from the ceilings and walls. Moses Ritter built one of the first log cabins and later used this structure as a store. In 1828 there were 15 homes in Cass Township.
The first canning was done in the Jonas Slinkard home. The fruit was packed in tin cans and a tinsmith was hired to come to the home to solder the lids to the cans. Bears and deer could be killed at any hour of the day or night. Panthers frequented the salt licks and wolves were numerous. Wildcats infested the woods and wild turkeys, geese and ducks maintained the food supply. There were also a few beavers, otters, pheasants and brants (a wild goose with a black head and neck).
In 1821, when Greene County was organized, Plummer Township was organized and named for Thomas Plummer who was the first township trustee. That same year, O. T. Barker and Frederick Slinkard were elected Justices of the Peace and Andrew Slinkard became the constable. One of the first marriages was that of Andrew Slinkard to Mary Wesner on February 2, 1822.
In 1830 the original plat of the town of Newberry was surveyed again. This new survey consisted of 58 lots which were bordered on the North by the White River. The street names were Warehouse, High, Ferry, Water, Main and Wall.
In 1849 the Wabash and Erie Canal was built. Flat boats were built at Neff's Mill by Robert Bratton from 1856 to 1859. They were used to transport grain and other goods to the south on the canal. Huge, three story warehouses were constructed on the South side of the canal by Jonas Slinkard and Benjamin Morse. The warehouses were built with the third floor protruding out over the canal to enable the boats to pass under the upper story for ease of loading. A trip from Newberry to New Orleans on the canal took six weeks. Newberry continued to grow steadily and many new businesses were established. There were four dry goods stores, two hotels, three churches, two schools, one tanner, one shoe shop, one millinery, a planing mill and a cabinet mill. The canal continued a fair business until 1859 and was revised up to about 1863, when it was finally abandoned. There were six locks in the county, one of which was West of Newberry. Most of the employees were Irish immigrants who were believed to be hardy drinkers. Their employers kept them "liquored up" because it was believed that was the only way to keep the workers around.
In 1855 the Evansville and Indianapolis Railroad was built along the old Canal toe path. After the canal was abandoned, the town was extended until the principal business section was one-quarter mile Southwest of the canal in its current place. At one time Slinkard Station was located about one mile Southwest of Newberry on the E&I Railroad.
For two years in 1859 and 1860 strong attempts were made to form a new county from portions of Daviess, Greene, Knox and Sullivan Counties. The proposed new County was to be called White River County with the County Seat located in Newberry. It was rejected.
Before 1879 when work began on the covered bridge spanning the White River, ferry boats were used to cross the river. The bridge was built at a cost of $12,000. The following articles were taken from the Bloomfield newspaper during its construction:
August 22, 1879 - "Our bridge is progressing slowly, but I think they will get along a little faster now they have plenty of stone on hand. They have the pier in the river on the North side, just above the water and can proceed faster."
October 3, 1879 - "The second pier of the bridge is finished and work has commenced on the other in the river. The hands struck for higher wages while in the water. They wanted $2.00 a day and $1.50 was offered. After a day or two, they made a compromise on $1.75, and all went to work again. Since that time, Kesler and the stone quarry hands have jumped the bounty so to speak and all quit work. Muhler is on the hunt of Kesler. He claims to have paid the latter more than he was entitled to. Thus the matter stands. Some few hands are at work, one pier is raised and the work will soon be completed, if the stone was at hand."
December 5, 1879 - "Our bridge is progressing finely, since the wood work has commenced. The Superintendent, Mr. Wheelock, and Mr. W. E. Wood, boss are pushing the men. They have the first span South up and weather boarded, floor down and lathing on, ready for shingles. (Amos Musselman, age 20, was to have tacked the first shingle on the bridge.) The middle span is nearly finished, the third span and last span North is on and the lateral braces in. I think by Christmas they will get this work done."
In December of 1940 a contract was awarded to Pioneer Company of Evansville for the construction of a new steel bridge on Highway 57 over the West Fork of the White River. It was to be constructed at the end of Broad Street in Newberry, running to the Northeast with a long high approach across the river bottom. In 1941 construction began and was ready for service in June 1942. The old covered bridge was torn down soon after, but the piers are still there.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION: Newberry data contained in this site was taken from the booklet on the Slinkard Family 1817-1940. Compiled by Winifred Slinkard Heidenreich, supervised and checked by W. L. Slinkard, Newberry, IN, Greene County, August 18, 1940. Greene County data contained in this site was taken from the History of Greene County, compiled in 1884, published by Goodspeed Bros., Chicago, IL. Other information furnished by descendants of the Slinkard family.
The Delaware Indians occupied the land that is now Greene County until 1810. In and around the vicinity of Newberry, evidence has been found of crude axes and well-formed arrowheads.
The first settlement was that of Chesterville, located on the North side of the White River in 1815. The chief business was that of a flour mill. A village of 15 families was destroyed by flood and the settlement relocated to the South bank of the river.
Newberry was founded in 1818 by pioneers from North and South Carolina. Having taken decided grounds against slavery was one of the reasons that lead John and Catherine Wentz Slinkard and their family to come from Lincoln County, North Carolina to Indiana in 1817. They first settled in Knox County, but in the spring of 1818 moved to what is now Cass Township, Greene County where residents of that family have resided since.
John Slinkard purchased land in Greene County in 1818, two years after Indiana was admitted to the Union as a State. Consequently the Slinkard family, among other pioneer families, helped to develop the state into one of the leading agricultural states of the Nation. Many of the early settlers of Greene County were from Southern states and brought with them seeds from that area. A large number of the first residents grew one to five acres of cotton and some tobacco, both of which were mainly consumed at home.
The town of Newberry was first located one-half mile east of the present location. John O'Neal, a Quaker preacher and Mark O'Neal, a surveyor, who came from South Carolina to Indiana in 1818, laid out and named to town for Newberry, South Carolina. Some time later the business section was moved to a location near where the old covered bridge was built crossing the White River on Section Street. John O'Neal's son, Gary, opened the first store at this site in 1827. In 1828, Reason Hilburn, Sr. became a partner in the business. John O'Neal and his wife Hepsabah are buried on a knoll near the location of the first store, East of the present location of the town. Jonas Slinkard and sons operated the New York Store and a general merchandise store was owned by John Slinkard, Jr. Andrew Slinkard and sons (Pierce and John) also owned a store. Perry and Riley Slinkard operated a drug store and Daniel Ward operated a wagon repair shop. Later Peter Lester opened a general store and Thomas Plummer opened a distillery. Benjamin F. Morse was assigned as the first postmaster in 1826. In 1855 the business section was located where it currently sits spanning Broad Street (Highway 57S).
John Jr. and Henry Slinkard owned mills on First Creek (named Furst Creek at the time), Southeast of Newberry, where wheat and corn were ground. Later John built a steam mill about 200 feet above the bridge on the North bank of the White River. Fred Slinkard also owned a mill. The belts of the mill were made of twisted rawhide and the wheels were constructed of wooden cogs
Pioneer homes of the time were built of logs with clay chimneys and huge fireplaces. Herbs, skins, dried venison and beef, rifles and axes hung from the ceilings and walls. Moses Ritter built one of the first log cabins and later used this structure as a store. In 1828 there were 15 homes in Cass Township.
The first canning was done in the Jonas Slinkard home. The fruit was packed in tin cans and a tinsmith was hired to come to the home to solder the lids to the cans. Bears and deer could be killed at any hour of the day or night. Panthers frequented the salt licks and wolves were numerous. Wildcats infested the woods and wild turkeys, geese and ducks maintained the food supply. There were also a few beavers, otters, pheasants and brants (a wild goose with a black head and neck).
In 1821, when Greene County was organized, Plummer Township was organized and named for Thomas Plummer who was the first township trustee. That same year, O. T. Barker and Frederick Slinkard were elected Justices of the Peace and Andrew Slinkard became the constable. One of the first marriages was that of Andrew Slinkard to Mary Wesner on February 2, 1822.
In 1830 the original plat of the town of Newberry was surveyed again. This new survey consisted of 58 lots which were bordered on the North by the White River. The street names were Warehouse, High, Ferry, Water, Main and Wall.
In 1849 the Wabash and Erie Canal was built. Flat boats were built at Neff's Mill by Robert Bratton from 1856 to 1859. They were used to transport grain and other goods to the south on the canal. Huge, three story warehouses were constructed on the South side of the canal by Jonas Slinkard and Benjamin Morse. The warehouses were built with the third floor protruding out over the canal to enable the boats to pass under the upper story for ease of loading. A trip from Newberry to New Orleans on the canal took six weeks. Newberry continued to grow steadily and many new businesses were established. There were four dry goods stores, two hotels, three churches, two schools, one tanner, one shoe shop, one millinery, a planing mill and a cabinet mill. The canal continued a fair business until 1859 and was revised up to about 1863, when it was finally abandoned. There were six locks in the county, one of which was West of Newberry. Most of the employees were Irish immigrants who were believed to be hardy drinkers. Their employers kept them "liquored up" because it was believed that was the only way to keep the workers around.
In 1855 the Evansville and Indianapolis Railroad was built along the old Canal toe path. After the canal was abandoned, the town was extended until the principal business section was one-quarter mile Southwest of the canal in its current place. At one time Slinkard Station was located about one mile Southwest of Newberry on the E&I Railroad.
For two years in 1859 and 1860 strong attempts were made to form a new county from portions of Daviess, Greene, Knox and Sullivan Counties. The proposed new County was to be called White River County with the County Seat located in Newberry. It was rejected.
Before 1879 when work began on the covered bridge spanning the White River, ferry boats were used to cross the river. The bridge was built at a cost of $12,000. The following articles were taken from the Bloomfield newspaper during its construction:
August 22, 1879 - "Our bridge is progressing slowly, but I think they will get along a little faster now they have plenty of stone on hand. They have the pier in the river on the North side, just above the water and can proceed faster."
October 3, 1879 - "The second pier of the bridge is finished and work has commenced on the other in the river. The hands struck for higher wages while in the water. They wanted $2.00 a day and $1.50 was offered. After a day or two, they made a compromise on $1.75, and all went to work again. Since that time, Kesler and the stone quarry hands have jumped the bounty so to speak and all quit work. Muhler is on the hunt of Kesler. He claims to have paid the latter more than he was entitled to. Thus the matter stands. Some few hands are at work, one pier is raised and the work will soon be completed, if the stone was at hand."
December 5, 1879 - "Our bridge is progressing finely, since the wood work has commenced. The Superintendent, Mr. Wheelock, and Mr. W. E. Wood, boss are pushing the men. They have the first span South up and weather boarded, floor down and lathing on, ready for shingles. (Amos Musselman, age 20, was to have tacked the first shingle on the bridge.) The middle span is nearly finished, the third span and last span North is on and the lateral braces in. I think by Christmas they will get this work done."
In December of 1940 a contract was awarded to Pioneer Company of Evansville for the construction of a new steel bridge on Highway 57 over the West Fork of the White River. It was to be constructed at the end of Broad Street in Newberry, running to the Northeast with a long high approach across the river bottom. In 1941 construction began and was ready for service in June 1942. The old covered bridge was torn down soon after, but the piers are still there.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION: Newberry data contained in this site was taken from the booklet on the Slinkard Family 1817-1940. Compiled by Winifred Slinkard Heidenreich, supervised and checked by W. L. Slinkard, Newberry, IN, Greene County, August 18, 1940. Greene County data contained in this site was taken from the History of Greene County, compiled in 1884, published by Goodspeed Bros., Chicago, IL. Other information furnished by descendants of the Slinkard family.