Shelby  County,  Indiana
Historical  Articles

Noble  Township



Noble Township, Shelby County, Indiana:  Township 11 North - Range 7, 8 East



This is Indian Rock, subject of Ron Hamilton's article in  The Shelbyville News.
It is located on county road 200 East in Noble Township.
Picture contributed by David Craig

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Bert McDonald, Deputy Treasurer, c 1910

The  Shelbyville  Democrat Tuesday, September 2, 1913 Page 2 -------oOo------- NO BIDS FOR BONDS.           County Treasurer Bert McDonald was offering $6,400 worth of Noble township bonds for sale today, but not a single bid was submitted. The money is needed for the improvement of the Norvell road ordered recently by the county commissioners. Copied by Phyllis Miller Fleming, Jan 2001 Image (left) scanned from Boetcker's  Picturesque Shelbyville.

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The  Shelby  Democrat
December 31, 1903
-------oOo-------

          The Sulphur Hill Knights of Pythias lodge will give a banquet in the lodge room Thursday evening.
Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming

The  Shelby  Republican
Friday, March 1, 1901
Page 6
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News  from  All  Over  the  County.
From Our Special Correspondents.
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CONFEDERATE  X  ROADS.
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          Mr. Scott Brown  was seen in this place Sunday.
          The ladies of this place spent quite a pleasant day with  Miss Ina Washburn  Thursday of last week.
          Noble township will have about one hundred and thirty days of school this year.
          Oscar Cox  and wife attended church at Waldron Sunday.
          Clyde Lowe  is sick.
          Mr. John Cox  is sick.
          Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Moore  entertained quite a number of guests Wednesday evening of last week. 
          The Cottage prayermeeting met with  Mr. and Mrs. Ora Jones  Tuesday evening.
          Mr. John Halloran  met with quite a serious accident Monday by being kicked by a horse.
          The snow is protecting the wheat in fine shape.  The farmers long for a good wheat crop.
          We appreciate the moral tones of  The Republican.  All praise  The Shelby Republican.
          We wish to inform Old Bachelor that he is located one-half mile south of the Red school house, twenty rods west of Noble township, and not Four Corners, Liberty township.

X.  Y.  Z.       

Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming

The  Shelby  Democrat
November 4, 1897
Page 2
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SLEEPY  HOLLOW
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Special Correspondence to The Democrat, Nov. 1, '97.
          Most of our farmers are cribbing corn.
          Mrs. Newton Smith  is quite ill at this writing with cancer.
          Miss Mary Colemeyer, of Middletown, is here visiting relatives.
          Miss Millie Bates  is keeping house for  Mr. John Shutz  this winter.
          Mr. Bryan Wilson  is assisting  Mr. Martin Goodwin  in his fall work.
          Miss Annie Emrick  was visiting her cousin at Shelbyville Wednesday.
          Mr. and Mrs. W. Kelly, of near Geneva, were in the vicinity Thursday.
          Miss Pearl Smith, visited relatives and friends at Shelbyville last week.
          Mr. Carey Smith  was visiting his son, Mr. N. J. Smith, here, this week.
          Peter Hey, Jr., who has been sick with asthma several months, is better.
          Mr. and Mrs. John Adams  visited  Rev. Charles McDonald  and family Sunday.
          Some of the farmers are resowing their wheat, owing to the recent dry spell.
          Mr. William Adams, of Hendricks township, was visiting friends here last week.
          Fred Meloy  Says he will not go through another winter without a companion.
          Mrs. Charles Newcomb, Smithland, was visiting relatives here last week.
          The school here is progressing nicely under the management of  Mr. H. W. DeBusk.
          Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Zeigler  were visiting friends and relatives at Shelbyville Tuesday.
          Miss Grace Lantz  went to Franklin, where she will teach a term of music school.
          Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Meloy  were visiting relatives and friends at Bengal Monday.
          Mr. Martin Goodwin  is improving the looks of his place by erecting several additions.
          Mr. and Mrs. Martin Yearling  and sons, Dannie  and  Charlie, of Smithland, were in our midst Wednesday.
          Mr. Abel Krise  will move to a farm in Johnson county.  May he enjoy his place of residence, and subscribe for the Democrat.
Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming

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"Early Settlements - Southeast Shelby County"
          It is probable that there were no squatters in the southeastern portion of the county, but soon after the land was surveyed Alexander Van Pelt came with his family and settled at the mouth of Conn's Creek, in what is now Noble Township.  Others who came about the same time were

Arthur Major
Isaac Avery
Josiah and Daniel Williams
William Major
Mathias Floyd
John and Anderson Winterrowd
Peter Bailey
Jonathan Paul

The last named was a conspicuous figure in the settlement of both Shelby and Decatur counties.
History of Shelby County, Indiana, Chicago, Brant and Fuller, 1887, page 303.
Copied by Judith Lucero

The  Shelbyville  Daily  Democrat
Tuesday, July 17, 1883.
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L O C A L     N E W S.
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          Billy Price  to-day commenced putting in the foundations for the Pleasant Hill bridge.  He met with considerable difficulty and has been a toa large amount of labor and expense, but as Billy long since abolished from his vocabulary the word fail, he pushed ahead and was successful in striking a good foundation to build upon.
Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming

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          Noble Township is bounded on the north by Addison and Liberty Townships, on the east by Decatur County, on the shouth by Bartholomew and Decatur Counties, and on the west by Washington Township.  It is the extreme southeast corner of Shelby County. The face of the country is rolling and undulating, and the land is well watered by numerous streams. Flat Rock, Conn's Creek, Lewis Creek, Tough Creek, and Duck Creek are the principal.  All varieties of soil found in the county are found here, and all of the best quality.  Much ditching and tilling has been done, and the land is everywhere rich and productive.  The houses, barns and fencing are equal to any in this part of the State.  Those of

Benjamin Buxton
Thomas Moore
Edmund Cooper
Andrew Winterowd
Halleck Vanpelt
George Cuskaden

and the estates of Mr. Alfred Major deserve especial mention.
          There are seven churches in Noble Township, and twelve schools.  Eight of the latter have handsome brick buildings.  The first settlers were

Arthur Major
Alexander Vanpelt
Isaac Avery
Josiah and Daniel Williams
William Major
Mathias Floyd
John and Anderson Winterowd
Peter Bailey

          In 1835, came the brothers William and George Reid, both men of energy and worth.  Alexander Vanpelt entered his land at the first sales in Brookville in October, 1820.  The following spring, he brought his family from Warren Co, Ohio, and settled at the mouth of Cam's Creek [Conn's Ck-plf].  He was from the start, and for many years, a prominent man. His father had been a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and lost his life in the battle of Long Island.  He himself had been in the Indian wars of 1812, under Gen. William Henry Harrison.  His first wife was the oldest sister of the celebrated statesman, Thomas Corwin, of Ohio.  He always took a deep interest in public affairs, and was one of the first County Commissioners and Justices of the Peace.  He was born April 24, 1773, and died in 1849. His sons, Matthias, Sutton, Halleck, Harvey and Squier L., became leading citizens.
          The late William Major, father of Squier Major, our present County Superintendent of Public Instruction, settled here in 1830, and was to the day of his death, in 1877, a man that commanded univeral respect and confidence. he was born December 24, 1807, in County Longford, Ireland; was married to Eliza, daughter of Alexander Vanpelt, July 8, 1836; elected Justice of the Peace in 1837; served in that office sixteen years, was Township Trustee a number of times, and was a member of the State Legislature three times --- in 1847, 1852 and in 1856.
          The first store in the township was on the place now owned by Mr. Alfred Major, and occupied by Mr. William Reid.  This was the second store in the county, Mr. James Wilson's, at Marion, being the first.  This was the settlement and home of Arthur Major, an Irish gentleman.  Here was the post office, called Morwen, and this for many years was the center of deep interest for a large section of the surrounding country.
          The town of Geneva, in the western part of the township, was laid off by Louis Kline, October 28, 1853.  It is situated on Flat Rock River, one mile from the western township line.  It contains two stores, a Methodist Episcopal Church, an excellent school building and a post office.  The town of St. Paul was originally laid out by Jonathan Paul, in Decatur County.  Mr. Paul was one of the pioneers of this region, and a man of remarkable wit and popularity.  He built the first mill in the early days, and from many miles around, the people came to it.  The part of St. Paul in Shelby County was organized April 24, 1856, by Stephens.  It has become a flourishing place.  It is advantageously situated on the Indianapolis, Cincinnati & Lafayette Railroads; is seventy-eight miles from Cincinnati, thirty-seven from Indianapolis, and is the half-way station between Greensburg and Shelbyville. It is on the west bank of the Flat Rock River.  At this point are located the famous limestone quarries, from which stone is being shipped all over the country.  The stone for the new State House of Indiana and for the United States Custom House at Cincinnati, is from this quarry.  The graded school, an excellent two-story building, having a corps of five teachers, is pronounced one of the best schools in the county.  There are three churches --- Methodist Episcopal, Catholic and Christian. All the usual branches of mercantile business are represented in its thirty-two stores and shops. Drs. F. M. Howard,  R. J. DePew  and  D.J. Ballard, represent the medical, and  I. W. Fugit and A. L. Sweet, the legal profession. In 1861 (April 18), an interesting local paper was started here by J.W. Haymond & Co., which continued for a number of years. J.W. Hankins is now publishing the St. Paul Register, a bright, entertaining little paper, in the interests of this place.
From the Atlas of Shelby Co., Indiana, Chicago: J.H. Beers & Co, 1880, page 14.
Submitted by Phyllis Miller Fleming.

The  Shelby  Democrat
March 5, 1879
News and Gossip Picked Up on the Fly,
By Our Vigilant Reporters.
-----0-----
ALL  ALONG  THE  WAY
----0----
"Sodom".
(Special Correspondence of  The Democrat.)

"SODOM,"  NOBLE TP., IND., MARCH 5, 1878[sic].    

          ---Our home theatrical troupe is progressing very finely.
          ---Mr. Arthur Crosby, of New York, is visiting his cousin, Mrs. Durbin.
          ---Mr. James Carter, of Waldron, spent last Sunday with his friend, L. W. Cooper.
          ---The wood chopping at  Mrs. Middleton's  last Friday, was a complete success, there being about twenty persons present.
          ---Quite a number of our young folds enjoyed themselves very much attending the elcures given at Waldron by  Joe Critchfield.
          ---On Tuesday last, the remains of the son of  Allen Major  were removed from the county burying ground and interred in the Ogden cemetery.

CLIO.                

----0----
Geneva.
(Special Correspondence of  The Democrat.)

GENEVA, IND., MARCH 5, 1879.            

          ---Smart child that knows its daddy.
          ---Freeman Seward  is making the fur fly.
          ---The tongue of slander has been busy of late.
          ---John Moore  is confined to his bed with sickness.
          ---David Griffin  has returned from quite an extended visit to Shelbyville.
          ---The boys are now shaking in their boots, all on account of the meeting of the Grand Jury.
          ---Mason Shane  is going to make his future home in Kansas.  Mason is a good young man and I wish him success.
          ---The protracted meeting at Pleasant Grove church, nder the management of  Rev. John Keeling, resulted in about twenty accessions to the church.
          --- There is a place in this town where a fellow sells liquor without license.  The attention of the Grand Jury is called to this hole as our people demand that it be suppressed.
[The article continues, but my copy stops here. - PMF] 
Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming

The  Shelby  Union  Banner
June 16, 1864
Page 3
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OFFICE INDIANA SANITARY COMMISSION, }
                                   Indianapolis, June 7, 1864.  }
          Mr. S. A. Gorgas --- Sir: We have received from Noble Township, Shelby county, the following lot of goods:
          20 lbs rags, 8 shirts, 175 yds bandages, 14 towels, 4 pillow-cases, 5 handkerchiefs, 1 pillow, 69 pads, and 12 cans fruit --- all in good order and very acceptable.
          We did not know who to address, but tho't you would know the donors.  If so, please notify them of the receipt of their shipment, and thank them kindly in the name of the soldiers for it.
          The demand for stores of every kind is very urgent.  Yours truly,

Wm. Hannaman, Pres't
Ind. San. Com

Copied by Phyllis Miller Fleming, Jan 2001

The  Shelby  Union  Banner
April 14, 1864
Page 3, col 2
Township Elections -- Official.
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NOBLE.
Trustee.
        Union                Copperhead     
Michael Theobalt....52 .....................
Constable.
John H. Kuhn........92 .....................
B. F. Vance.........96 .....................
Henry Neeb..........51 .....................
Albert J. Vance......3 .....................
Wm. Hester...........1 .....................

Copied by Phyllis Miller Fleming

Transcription of an early document about a church building in Noble Twp., Shelby Co.,
copy sent to me by Annabelle Kelly of Waldron. [Don T. Mitchell]

"We the undersigned subscribers do here subscribe our Names and the following amounts for the purpose of building a meeting house on the South West corner of  John Wrights  Land this the 21st February 1852.  Said Meeting House to be free for the use of all the Religious Denominations

William Buxton	$50.00		Mulford Corwin	$2.00
Benjamin Buxton	$25.00		Stephen Major	25.00
John Briggs	30.00		Johnathan Ogden	2.00
Wm. Wright	20.00		Sophia Avery	5.00
Joel Barns	2.00		James McCarty	5.00
Elijah Barnes	20.00		Washington Mitchell	5.00
John Reed	XXXX		John W. Benson	2.00
Joel Gregory	XXXX		R. H. Bentley	15.00
Charles Gregory	XXXX		John F. Lewis	XXXX
Peter Monfort	20.00		Wm. S. Kelley	3.00
Elisha Crosby	2.00		A. L. Ross	2.00
Asa Lake	5.00		Jos. L. Martin	2.00
John Weidner	35.00		Evan Lewis	10.00
Wm. Reed	5.00		Jos. R. Means
Green B. McCarty	5.00		half the lime for said meeting house
Wm. S. Briggs	25.00
Mrs. Briggs	5.00		Stephen Ridlen
Jos. Pierson	2.00		to give the privalege of rock in the
James Brinston	5.00		Pierson quarry so far as his Interest
John Wright	25.00		in the same
Wyette Barnes	5.00
Misses Major	5.00
Squire L. Vanpelt	5.00
William H. Downy	8.00

Notes:
1.  There are notations indicating which pledges were paid.  XXXX means the amount was marked over making it unreadable, but  "Paid"  was written by each of these names.
2.  The location of  John Wright's land would make this document for useful.
3.  George Washington Mitchell (1827-1855), Noble Twp. farmer and Geneva storekeeper, was my great great grandfather.  Submitted by Don T. Mitchell

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