Leaving History Behind

Having spent some time here in Crawfordsville we have tapped my family.  For some reason it appears that my great great grandfather was here during the 1850 Federal Census.  He and the family moved on to Rooks County, Kansas sometime before the 1880 Federal Census.  They finally moved to the Yakima Valley in Washington.

I spent some time in the Crawfordsville library in the Historical section.  I read some of the historical information available for Parke County, Indiana and the township of Marshall.  I learned that Daniel Boone originally blazed a trail into Indiana for the settlers to follow.  Hardships were many and it is hard to look at the fields around the area and realize that the homesteaders had to clear all of that by hand.  The woods around here that haven't been cleared are thick with big trees and lots of underbrush.  I can't imagine what it must have been like to clear a field to the point that a crop could be planted.

There were stories like the gentleman who had a carpenter building a barn and he was almost out of nails.  The employer left for town some six miles away to purchase a 50# barrel of nails and carried them back to the farm.  He was walking.  Can't imagine anyone I know doing this.

Then there are the stories of the helping nature of these God fearing people.  A family stricken ed with flu, lost several members and the head of the household struggled with pneumonia and was unable to plant his fields.  His neighbors stepped in and did the work for him.  There was a picture of some 62 horses and 30 some pieces of equipment and 40 men ready to start the work.  While I am sure this still happens somewhere, it surprises me how much these folks cared for each other in their struggles to survive in this harsh land.

Tomorrow we head north to South Bend, Indiana.  We are hoping the weather will be cooler that what we have been experiencing here.  While it is super hot and muggy it is nothing compared to the tornados hitting the central states.  We hope to miss these storms as they seem to be heading east and we hope that everyone is safe.

Hope everything is well and thanks for stopping by.