Shelby County Indiana Genealogy, History, Towns

Shelby County Indiana
Historical Articles
Populated Places

Cynthiana / Blue Ridge

Liberty Township
Township 12 N, Range 8E, Section 4

The Shelbyville Republican
Monday, October 27, 1947
Page 3 column 3
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YOUR TOWN OF BLUE RIDGE
By Hortense Montgomery
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The subject of our sketch today was not born Blue Ridge but Cynthiana, a name given to it by James Marshall, one of the earliest pioneers, in honor of his home town in Kentucky. One will find in going through the history of our county that many of the earliest pioneers came from that state; and one finds too, that natives from ‘Old Kaintuck’ still have a fondness for us and keep coming.
When Cynthiana became a post office station the government gave it the name of Blue Ridge because there was another Cynthiana in the state and a confusion of mail came about just as it did in the case of Marion. But in contrast to Marion which held fast to its pioneer name the name of Cynthiana passed out and the name of Blue Ridge stuck.
Why the name “Blue Ridge?’ We found no reason given and so, using our imagination, we decided it was because the village is situated on a higher tract of land than the surrounding country and from its vantage point the blue skies could be seen in all directions.
Village was founded August 19, 1835, by the Youngman brothers and Thomas Spurgeon. By the time it was platted all the land in its township of Liberty was taken over by the settlers, showing that it must have had many advantages such as fertility of soil, good location and natural resources. Mr. Spurgeon, named above, divined the possibilities for fruit growing and was the first man in the county to start an orchard. Perhaps Johnny Appleseed had left some traces of his wanderings. In any case Mr. Spurgeon must be given credit for giving a start to fruit growing in Shelby county.
The pioneer merchant of the village was John Youngman, who sold goods there as early as 1833 and thus preceded the town’s platting by two years. D. Fox built a sawmill there in the early 1830’s. Clearing the forest lands for agriculture brought about the early selection for sawmill sites and this brought the first families to the site; then a general store was established to meet the need of the families.
First school of which we found any mention was a three room brick building; for a number of years there was an excellent high school and a three-year term; Mr. George Meltzer was a teacher here and one of the teachers at Waldron and Addison, but that is a story to come later.
The first church was a Methodist church built probably some time during the sixties; a number of years later the Christian Union Church was organized and built its church. This was a thriving congregation and the Methodist Church was closed several years ago and the building sold. Blue Ridge prides itself on one of the loveliest cemeteries to be found anywhere; it is located at the west edge of the village.
Mr. Chadwick in his history, published in 1909 lists the following as enterprises of the village: Two general stores, two confectionaries, a farm implement store, a telephone exchange managed by William Ensminger, a straw mill, a saw mill and grist mill. managed by Richard Marshall, a blacksmith shop owned by N. Yager, a harness and shoe repair shop owned by John Gahimer, a hotel owned by Oliver Harlan. At one time it had a Grange and an Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias lodges. Blue Ridge is still a thriving village and has some excellent stores. Lawrence Creed now owns the lot on which the Methodist Church stood and has his home and a thriving garage business there. Wendling and Marshall have a hardware store and garage; Virgil Doles has an exceptionally good grocery and meat market; Harry Fox has a thriving business as a driller of gas and water wells; he owns the property on which an old mill stood and has built a large building in which he houses his trucks and well rigs and does repair work on the rigs.
Blue Ridge has excellent telephone service but all calls go through the Waldron exchange, which has recently had the dial system installed.
Discussing a small village one finds the names of the farmers in the community about, often mentioned with it as indeed they should be for the farmers and the town are too intimate linked together to be separated. Among the earlier and middle years of the village we found the names of Powell, Query, Seely, Waggoner, Wilken, Cotton.
Contributed by Barb Huff

The Shelbyville Republican
Wednesday, April 16, 1924
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BLUE RIDGE NEWS.
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Mrs. Morlis Childs of Shelbyville is suffering from an attack of the mumps. She is at the home of her parents Mr. and Mrs. Clell Mann.
Mr. and Mrs. Russell Fagel and Mr. and Mrs. Roy Fox and son, Wallace, were business visitors of Greensburg Tuesday evening.
Miss Della Calahan [Callahan], of near Fairland was the week-end guest of Miss Gladys Meltzer.
The Ladies Aid of the M. E. church added about $22.00 to their treasury Tuesday. The proceeds of the dinner served at the George Meltzer sale.
Mr. and Mrs. Sam Fessler entertained Sunday Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Northern and daughter, and Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Fessler and children.
Mrs. Earl Hauk who has been quite sick for the past week is some better at present.
Mr. and Mrs. Roy Fox have moved to their new home here. They have purchased the residence property of William McMullen.
Mrs. Melissa Tillison who has been quite poorly is able to be up again.
In honor of their thirty-sixth wedding anniversary, which occurred on Tuesday, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph O'Dell entertained about fifty relatives and members of the Blue Ridge M. E. Sunday school at their home in Blue Ridge. A pitch-in dinner, served cafeteria style, with all the good eats imaginable, was one of the main features of the day, and very much enjoyed. Several musical selections were given by Misses Beulah Marshall, Vivian Gahimer, and Elizabeth Tillison; also several songs by Mrs. Harry Marshall, Elizabeth Tillison, Mary Nell Kennedy, Josephine Smeltzer, with Vivian Gahimer at the piano, and Beulah Marshall with violin. Those present to assist Mr. and Mrs. O'Dell in celebrating the event were their son, Walter O'Dell, daughters, Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Mains and children, Mr. and Mrs. Nobel Winton and son; also Rev. and Mrs. O. E. Haley and two sons, John Thompson, Loren Jackman, Winfield Thompson, Sam Shackleford, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Smeltzer and daughter, Mrs. Thomas Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Loren Tillison and children, Mr. and Mrs. Hayes Marshall and children, Mrs. Samantha Tinsley, Mrs. Melissa Tillison, Mrs. P. D. Lewis, Mr. and Mrs. Bert Whitinger and son, Bernard; Mr. and Mrs. Louis Gahimer and daughter, Vivian; Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Day, Mr. and Mrs. Irvin Thompson, Mr. and Mrs. George Neeb and children.
Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming

The Shelbyville Daily Democrat
Tuesday, February 20, 1906
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BLUE RIDGE.
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Our schools will close in about four weeks.
Quite a number of our citizens are on the sick list.
Balis Coy and family spent Sunday with friends at Adams.
A little child of Joe Baker's is quite sick at present with pneumonia.
The condition of Phil Apple is very much improved and his recovery is now assured.
A number of our young men attended the play at Shelbyville on Monday night.
Adam Richey and wife, of Rush county, spent Sunday the guest of Alf Owens and family.
Nathan Youngman, who has been confined to his house for several weeks, is able to be on the streets again.
Mrs. Redinbaugh was called to Moscow last week on account of the serious illness of her sister, Mrs. Jones.
John Marshall is not so well and a specialist has been called from Indianapolis to consult with his physician.
Franklin Wagoner and wife living east of town, are spending the week with their daughter, in Madison county.
Harry Query and Harley Yager were recently initiated into the mysteries of thet[sic] Masonic Fraternity at Waldron.
Two of our young men engaged in a fistic encounter Saturday night, but were separated before either was seriously hurt.
William Baker has purchased a team of horses from Yager and Marshall and will engage in farming as will also Sam Fisher.
Samuel Henderson, who lives alone was found quite sick last week by his neighbors. Dr. Inlow was called and he is now much better.
One of our carpenters says that a young professional man of our town has contracted with him to build a house, but wants it kept secret. Ask Maud.
Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Cynthiana was laid out by Andrew Snyder and Isaac Sprinter, August 18, 1835. Surveyed and platted by J. B. Nickel same date. It contained fifty lots arranged as follows: Twenty-five on the north side of Main Street laid off for Andrew Snyder and twenty-five on the south side for Isaac Springer. Main Street fifty feet wide, occupying the county road running east and west; Walnut Street fifty feet wide,and North and South Streets each thirty-three feet. All alleys ten feet wide. The lots fifty feet front on Main Street 100 feet back. This village is situate near the northeast corner of Liberty Township, and Main Street extends east to the county line between Shelby and Rush Counties. It is eight miles east of Shelbyville, and about one-fourth mile east of the crossing of Conn's Creek, on the county road running west to Shelbyville. Cynthiana itself is "set on a hill," and is remarkable for the high hills north, south, and west of it; whilst to the east is a broad level plain extending far into Rush County. The post office at this place is called Blue Ridge. The land upon which the greater part of the town has been built was owned by Andrew Snyder. It was named by James Marshall in honor of his native town Cynthiana, Ky. John Youngman, was the first merchant and probably sold goods there as early as 1833. S. Robinson was the second. Then came John De Vaul, M. Crail, and A. Jerrell. D. Fox built a saw mill late in the thirties. The present business of the town is conducted by W. C. Yeager, I. W. Inlow, Jacob Querry, I. W. Marshall, J. N. Marshall, Aaron Austin, and James Stead.
Blue Ridge Lodge, I.O.O.F., No. 554, was established at Cynthiana November 22, 1877. The charter members were: M. L. Waggoner, N.G.; Arrass Jones, V.G.; E. T. Jones, Secretary; S. H. Yager, Treasurer; Asa Forsythe, Smith Solomon, Stanfield Marshall and David Solomon. The present membership is twenty-two, and the treasury has about $900 on hand, showing vigorous growth. In the hall of the lodge hangs an old clock that has been marking the course of time for more than fifty years, and is still counting the hours with a melancholy tick that echoes through the lonely room. The present officers are: Pliny Hungerford, N.G.; J. C. Marshall, V.G.; E. W. McDaniel, Secretary, and S. H. Yager, Treasurer. A grange flourished here at one time and had upwards of sixty members. A store was kept by the society a short distance west of Cynthiana, but it was discontinued four or five years ago.
History of Shelby County, Indiana, Chicago: Brant & Fuller, 1887, page 448-449.
Copied by Phyllis Miller Fleming

The Shelbyville Daily Democrat
Thursday, January 28, 1886
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C Y N T H I A N A.
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Special Correspondence of the Democrat.
CYNTHIANA, Jan. 28, 1886.
On Tuesday night, the 26th, a horse thief entered the barn of John A. Wagner, three miles east of this place, took a valuable horse and escapted. As to the thief or horse, there has been no clue found yet.
ROSE BUD.

Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming

The Shelby Democrat
Special Correspondence of the Democrat:
Cynthiana
June 8, 1885
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Rev. Mellender will preach here Sunday afternoon.
Rev. Wolf will preach here Saturday night and Sunday.
Scott Fox , who has been sick for sometime, is improving slowly.
Mrs. William Zoble has been very sick for several days, but is now better.
Mrs Flora Whaley has gone to spend a few days with her husband in Ohio.
Joseph Stewart had his arm badly broken Saturday by a fall from a road cart.
On Wednesday night last, lightning struck Lucy Ensminger's house, near this place. Damage slight.
Mr. A. J. Jones and wife, of Zionville, Boone county, are here on a visit to friends and relatives in this place.
Uncle Peter Nebb paid our town a visit Saturday. He will be ninety years old in September, and he says he can walk to Shelbyville and return the same day.
Charley Jones, of Madison county, who has been spending a few days with relatives and friends here, returned Saturday, accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Garson Marshall , of this place.
The good people of this place met at the M. E. Church Sunday last and organized a Sunday School. James Tillison was elected superintendent. The school will no doubt be a success. Parents are requested to come out to Sunday school, accompanied by their children.
Contributed by Linda Ellis

The Shelby Democrat
March 12, 1885
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CYNTHIANA CULLINGS.
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Special Correspondence of the Democrat.
CYNTHIANA, March 10, 1885.
--- W. C. Yager is on the sick list.
--- Uncle Dick Shaw injured himself somewhat by a fall a few days ago.
--- "Tony" Galimore will work for Philip Slifer, of St. Omer this year.
--- Rumor has it that a Government licensed saloon will start in this place soon.
--- Wm. Farrow remeved[sic] to W. J. Duxton's farm in Noble township yesterday.
--- Mrs. Aaron Austin, who broke a limb in January, by a fall, is improving very slowly.
--- Aunt Patsy Jones fell with an arm-load of wood one day last week, breaking the larger bone of the forearm. It is not a serious, but a very painful accident. She is almost eighty years of age.
--- Quite a number of our youths were summoned before the grand jury last week. As no one knew of any misdemeanor of any kind, their trip resulted in nothing but showers of imprecations upon the heads of the men who had them summoned.
--- The joke seems to be on a couple of our resident lumberers, who cut a slippery-elm for a black walnut on R. M. Wagner's farm last week. Mr. Wagner says he could have borne the loss of the elm patiently had there not been a valuable fox-grapevine attached to it, which was also demolished.
--- The bridge excitement was booming last week. A subscription paper for money to build approches for the proposed bridge over Conn's creek at this place was circulated and $450 subscribed in a short time. If the Commissioners will pay for the bridge our good citizens will pay for the approaches. We do not believe there is another place in the county needing a bridge worse than this. In times of high water our mails are always delayed and all kinds of travel entirely suspended. Our farmers take their grain and other produce to other markets than our county seat, thereby taking from it a vast amount of trade that by virtue of distance and a pike should belong to it. Our Rush county neighbors have been the most liberal with the paper, as they would find it much more convenient to do their trading in Shelbyville than in Rushville, where they must of necessity go with the present condition of affiars. By all means let us have a bridge.

GROVER.

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BY ANOTHER CORRESPONDENT
--- Mrs. Jane Yager and Mrs. Jane Shaw are sick.
--- Rev. Wolf will preach at the M.E. Church next Sunday morning and evening.
--- Grandma Jones, while getting a load of wood one day last week, fell and broke her arm.
--- Mr. Thomas Trackwell and wife were visiting their friend, Fred Friday, one day last week.
--- Nathan Youngman and Barney Yager have the New Mexico fever in the worst stage, but I think they will get over it.
--- I understand that Mr. Moak, of Toga, will move here soon. He is a clever fellow, but I would inform him that we want no saloon here.
--- Jacob Query has hired Jefferson Fox and Curtis Mayhood for the coming summer, to work in the tile factory and you bet they will move things, as they are both first class hands.
--- I see my Republican friend, known as "Snuff Thompson," is troubling himself about my firend Bill Mann. I would ask him if he remembers the time he hauled fodder, or in other words the little brown jug.

BALL.
Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming

The Daily Evening Democrat
Wednesday, September 12, 1883
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CYNTHIANA CULLINGS.
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Special Correspondence of the Democrat.
Cynthiana, Sept. 12, 1883.
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--- George W. Brown has sold one hundred acres of his farm to Philip Haehl at $85 per acres and the remaining sixty acres to John theobald at $50.50 per acre and will start for Kansas soon where he has purchased one hundred and sixty acres of improved land within three miles of Columbus for $5,500. May success attend him.
--- The old toll house was removed back J. W. Marshall's mill lot Saturday and will be occupied by the miller
--- Miss Otie Fisher will teach the intermediate department at Manilla instead of in Hendricks township, as reported last week.
Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming

The Shelby Democrat
May 8, 1879
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CYNTHIANA.
(Special Correspondence of the Democrat.)
Cynthiana, Ind., May 7, 1879
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--- Daniel Query is on the sick list, but is getting better.
--- Howard does the painting for the citizens of this place, and does it well.
--- Bud Hungerford was here on a visit to friends during the present week.
--- Daniel Query has rented the corner next to the post office for another year.
--- Rev. John Scull, of Moscow, will preach at the M. E. Church in this place on Sunday next.
--- Our new string band is learning to play very fast, and now makes quite passable music.
--- William Farrow has joined the temperance society, rented a farm and gone to work like a little man.
--- Mr. Austin has moved into his new house and seems to be very happy with his pleasant surroundings.
--- Mr. James Ray, of Fairland, has opened a new store here, and is doing well as he is a popular merchant.
--- Geo. Higgins, of your city, was on a visit to this place on Saturday last. George has many friends in this neighborhood.
--- Aaron Austin is building a new house in this town. He has five hands at work on it, and expects to complete it at an early day.
--- Michael Youchim, otherwise known as the "Flying Dutchman" of this burg, has quit farming and gone to making cigars for a living.
--- Rev. Henry Fisher preached a good sermon at the M. E. Church in this place, on last Sunday night. He is improving and will soon make a first-rate preacher.
--- Doctor Inlow is building an addition to his house. He still does a thriving buisness at his popular drug store, and when he is absent his wife makes an excellent clerk.
--- Nathan Youngman claims to have the best store in Cynthiana, and William Yager does the clerking for him in good style. Billy has been suffering with the neuralgia of late.
--- On Sunday next, at 6 o'clock p.m., Mr. Jacob Kney, of this place, will be married to Miss Jane Hawkins, daughter of Cline Hawkins, who lives in Union township near Manilla.
Maurice Yager is the crack musician and champion whistler of our town. He plays on the fife like a revolutionary soldier, and can [my copy ends here - PMF].
Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming

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