James and Hannah Kingsley Paige arr 1823
(1773-1830; 1781-1860)
James b. NH, Hannah b. Rutledge, VT
James Paige was born in New Hampshire. He was raised a Presbyterian
and studied to become a Presbyterian minister, but became interested
in Universalism and ended his studies when he converted to Universalism.
He married Hannah Kingsley, who was born in Rutledge, Vermont. Their
surnames suggest they were of English descent.
Came to Indiana, Strawtown, lost land
James and Hannah settled in Rutledge, Vermont, where James was employed
in a mill, and started a family. In 1819 they moved to Strawtown, Hamilton
County, Indiana. The area was part of the New Purchase, the 8.5-million-acre
piece covering most of central Indiana that had been purchased from
the Indians by a series of treaties the preceding year. They settled
on land that had not yet been surveyed or offered for sale, opening
a mill there. When land sales were begun, the Paiges discovered that,
contrary to local custom which gave the resident first chance at the
plot he had settled and improved, someone had bought their land, refusing
even to pay for their improvements. This sounds like an incident involving
John Connor, an Indian trader who had a trading post at Connorsville.
The Paiges were forced to move on. Several other families who came to
Dayton about the same time were listed on the same page of the 1820
census: Paige, McGeorge, Bush, and Horram. Perhaps all four came here
because of this incident.
Moved to Sheffield twp, spring 1823
In the spring of 1823, the Paiges moved to Sheffield township, settling
near an Indian village called Wyandott. There were two families already
there whose names were not recorded. The Richard Baker family arrived
about the same time as the Paiges. Since Baker is in Switzerland county
in the 1820 census, it appears that they did not come together but just
happened to arrive at the same time.
Problems in swamp
After selecting a home site, James returned to Hamilton County to load
up his household goods and with three of his sons, Charles (18), Phineas
(11), and Edward (9), started back west. They probably followed the
Strawtown trace, which approximated the later route of State Road 38
as far as Frankfort, then took a route that became what is today called
Newcastle Road into Tippecanoe County. In the Black Swamp in present-day
Boone County, the overloaded wagon became mired in the mud. It was decided
to unload part of the goods and leave the two youngest sons, Phineas
and Edward, to guard them. James and Charles would take the wagon with
part of the goods on to the chosen site, then return for the belongings
left behind and the two boys. James had to go to act as guide, and Charles
was needed to drive the wagon and, probably, to help unload
Settled in Indian village
They delivered their load and returned to the swamp for the two boys
and the rest of their household goods. They built a cabin at the Indian
village. This has always been thought to have occurred at Wyandott,
but actually the Indian village was about a half mile north of the eventual
site of Wyandott, at the mouth of a small spring or run in Indian or
Kingston Hollow. The Paige cabin was either at the Indian village or
at the location of the future town of Wyandott. About where Wyandott
cemetery is today there was a trading post run by Simon Peter Langlois,
either a French trader married to a Potawatomi woman or their son. The
Indians probably had access to trade goods, and therefore would have
been using some metal and pottery utensils and have had some cloth garments.
Their village was a combination of wigwams (the traditional rounded
hut) and cabins without chimneys.
Left Phineas at Indian village while others went back
for rest of family
After building the cabin and planting some corn, Paige returned to Strawtown
for the rest of the family. Phineas was left alone in the cabin to keep
an eye on things. Presumably his neighbors kept an eye on him. Land
owned by Richardville children; trip to Fort Wayne to secure land When
the time came to secure ownership of his land, Paige discovered that
it was not government land after all, but was owned by the children
of a Miami chief, Jean-Baptiste Richardville, son of a French trader
and a Miami woman, the sister of Chief Little Turtle. Paige contacted
Indian agent John Tipton and made a trip to Richardville's village at
Fort Wayne and made arrangements to stay on the land. No record of a
deed to James has so far been found. Perhaps he decided to have the
land put in his son's name, for Charles took title to a plot, but it
is not on the Richardville Reserve, although it is on the northern border
of the Reserve. Or perhaps he merely made some arrangements to stay
on the land without legal ownership, for the entire reserve was sold
in 1829 to Samuel McGeorge. Paige died in 1830.
Firsts
The Paiges are given credit for several firsts: first ground broken,
first corn planted, first wheat planted, first Fourth of July celebration
(1824), first religious services in their home, first deaths in their
home (the Thompson family), first brick house (1827), first rail fence.
In addition, Mrs. Richard Baker delivered the first white child born
in the township and taught the first school (a subscription school in
her cabin) and the first Sunday school.
--Bibliography prepared by Susan Y. Clawson from censuses,
local records, published treaties, and Tippecanoe County, Clinton County,
and Hamilton County published biographies, and bios of John Tipton and
William Henry Harrison. Corrections welcome.
William and Elizabeth Stevens Bush arr 1824
(1780-1854; 1784-1846).
William Bush was born near Sheffield, Mass. He married
Elizabeth Stevens, and about 1812, with three children, the family moved
to Oswego County, N.Y., where two more children were born. About 1816,
with Elizabeth's mother, Abigail Fairchild Stevens, they moved to Indiana,
settling at Connorsville, now in Fayette County. There Bush erected
a mill. In Indiana, Bush came into contact with the Connors, two brothers
who had grown up knowing Indian culture and had married Indian women.
John Connor had a trading post at Connorsville. In 1819, Bush and several
families left the Connorsville area and moved 60 miles northwest to
land occupied by John's brother William, south of Noblesville, near
the site developed today as Connor Prairie. Where Stony Creek flows
into the White River they established a settlement known as Horseshoe
Prairie. Bush was elected Justice of the Peace, met at William Connor's
house to set up the Hamilton County government, and served on the first
grand jury. The 1820 Indiana census lists Bush on the same pages (pp.
25 and 26) as others who later settled Sheffield township: James Paige
(arrived 1823), Samuel McGeorge (arrived 1824), and Timothy Horram (arrived
1824). Their proximity on the census suggests the families were acquainted
before they arrived and may even have encouraged each other to come
to Sheffield township.
The Move to Sheffield Township
Bush and his neighbors had established their settlement before land
sales were opened. When the land was put up for sale in 1822, John Connor
bought several sections of land on which families were already living.
The settlers, who by custom should have had first chance at the land,
were unaware of the transaction until they were notified that they must
leave. In addition, Connor refused to pay for the improvements the settlers
had made. Surviving stories about James Paige suggest this may have
been the cause of his move to Sheffield township, and it may also have
been the reason Bush, McGeorge, and Horram came. In the fall of 1824,
the Bush family (now with six children) moved to the area where Dayton
is now located. Here their last two children were born. DeHart, local
biographer, states that Bush bought 1500 acres of land in Tippecanoe
County, although records show only 160 entered in Sheffield township.
One of his descendants, Ralph Bush, asserts William bought land near
Dayton from the Indians. The 160 acres he bought in 1825 and 1826 were
north of Richardville Reserve (Indian holdings in Sheffield township),
and therefore did not legally belong to the Indians. Perhaps Bush made
a sort of double arrangement, one to satisfy any possible Indian claims,
the other to secure the title in the American courts. It is possible
that Bush also owned
land at Peru, Indiana, since two of his sons made trips there. If so,
this may have been the land referred to as purchased from the Indians,
since there was a large Indian presence there.
Built House Overlooking Wild Cat Valley
Soon after their arrival in the fall of 1824, the family constructed
a log cabin overlooking the Wild Cat Valley. Nearby they established
the family cemetery. Home and cemetery were on land that today lies
south of the railroad.
Settled at Area Now Known as Dayton
Others settled near the family, and soon a small settlement had developed
that would eventually be known as Dayton. It appears that Bush sold
small parcels to several individuals without recording the deeds, for
several families claim to have settled in Dayton in 1825, before the
town was platted or any deeds recorded. Among these are John S. Heaton
and a man named Fancher.
Founder of Marquis (Dayton)
The traditional date for the founding of Dayton is 1827, and it seems
likely that settlement began at that date, at least along Bush's side
of the road, making him the founder of Dayton. In 1829 he platted the
town of Marquis de, a single row of houses along the south side of present
State Road 38, called Lafayette Street in his plat. On the same day
Dr. Timothy Horram platted the town of Fairfield on the north side of
the road. Since Horram had just purchased the 80-acre piece containing
his plat that same year, perhaps he determined to lay out a town across
from the existing settlement and invited Bush to join him by platting
his side of the road. This was the beginning of Dayton. In the middle
of Bush's 16-lot plat was an unplatted block known as Fancher's Acre,
probably a field or farm which had been transferred informally to Fancher
and which for some reason was not included in the plat. The Dayton town
hall sits on the northwest corner of this piece today. Bush must have
been interested in history and politics, for he named the town Marquis
de, and the two streets included in his plat Lafayette and Washington.
Offices
William, who was know as "Squire" Bush, was elected Justice
of the Peace at the first election, probably in the spring of 1825.
He was elected president of the county Board of Justices when the county
was organized in 1826. When Sheffield township was set up in 1829, he
may have suggested the name, since it was the name of his birthplace.
He was a Mason and a Whig. The Bushes were Methodists, and visiting
Methodist circuit riders usually stayed in their cabin.
Family
Son Jared died from pneumonia, and Luther in a mill accident, both at
Peru, Indiana. Another son, John, died in Placerville, Ca., where gold
was discovered. Perhaps he was a casualty of the Gold Rush. Orlando
became a doctor and practiced in Dayton before moving to Illinois. Ezra
ran a tavern for a while, farmed south of Dayton with second wife, Martha
McGeorge, and finally moved into Lafayette and engaged in the monument
business. Daughter Elizabeth married Thomas Toole, and the couple lived
in Dayton. Little is known of David, who died at age 32, or William,
Jr. Elizabeth died in 1846, and William, who was living with the James
Cole family in the 1850 census, died in 1854.
--Bibliography prepared by Susan Y. Clawson from censuses,
local records, newspaper clippings, and Tippecanoe County published
biographies. Any corrections welcomed.
Posted to Rootsweb INTIPPEC at http://www.ingenweb.org/intippecanoe/BushCemetery.htm
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Last updated 14 September 2012.