WAYNE COUNTY
P. 554 FIRST SETTLERS AND EVENTS—
FIRST COUNTY SEAT—
IN THE WARS—
CAPT. THOMAS W. SCOTT—
FAIRFIELD—FARM VALUES
Wayne county was a part
of the following counties: Randolph, 1809 to 1812; Gallatin, 1812 to
1814. It was in 1819, March 26, created Wayne county. At that time
it included the south parts of Clay and Richland. It was reduced to
its present limits on December 23, 1824.
FIRST SETTLERS AND EVENTS
Wayne county as it is today was first settled by Isaac Harris and his brother Gilham Harris. They wintered in 1812-13 on the Little Wabash southeast of Fairfield. Until recent years—twenty odd—a daughter of Isaac Harris was living to tell all about those early days. Her name was Mrs. Goodwin. Bears were plentiful prior to 1820. Bear skins were plentiful and were useful in the homes. Joe Boltinghouse was massacred by Indians near Massillon on the Little Wabash in 1812 or ‘13. He was scalped and his body horribly mutilated. Three years later seven Indians camped at the place of this massacre. They had Joe Boltinghouse‘s pony. Word was sent around and a posse attacked these seven Indians and they were all killed. One was killed by Joe Boltinghouse‘s dog “Beve.” As late as 1816 only three “farms’ were opened in Wayne. The people were engaged largely in hunting, trapping, fishing and trading. The first horse mill was built by Joe Martin. He brought his mill stones from Barren county, Kentucky. A water mill was built south of Fairfield about four miles on a small stream. George Merritt, whose ancestors fought Tarleton at Cowpens, came in 1816. By 1818 there were scores of people in the county.FIRST COUNTY SEAT
When Wayne was created by the general assembly the commissioners met in the home of Alexander Campbell, who lived in the southeast part of the county, possibly just south of the present line, in White, The act of creation further provided that until the county was provided with a court house the county seat should be in the home of Mr. Campbell. The Borah family came to Wayne county in 1818 and 1820. They settled in Jasper township four miles northeast of Fairfield. They have P 555
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| A GLIMPSE INTO A CORNFIELD IN WAYNE COUNTY |
P 556 resided there now for nearly a century. William N. Borah, born about 1817, was an old and respected citizen of Wayne county at his death. He has preserved a great deal of the early history of this region. The present United States senator, William E. Borah of Idaho, is a descendant of the Borah family of Wayne county.
The first school house in the county was built in the Borah settlement. It was erected about 1824, had a dirt floor, and clapboard roof. Two slave women escaped from J. B. Thrasher of Kentucky and were found secreted about the town of Fairfield in 1822. Thrasher made affidavit that the slave women belonged to him and no one could deny it, so the two women were delivered over to Mr. Thrasher to be taken back to Kentucky.IN THE WARS
As late as 1840 there were five old Revolutionary soldiers living in Wayne county. They were: John H. Mills, Thomas Sloan, James Stuart, George Clark, James Gaston. The last named was buried in the Boyce cemetery. Sloan is also buried there; Stuart lies buried in the old fair grounds in Fairfield. During the war of 1812, Wayne county was a part of Gallatin county and the settlers were just beginning to come into Wayne. But many men who enlisted from the Wabash territory were later residents of Wayne. In the Blackhawk war Wayne furnished two companies. They were Capt. James N. Clark’s and Capt. Berryman G. Wells’ companies. These two companies belonged to the first brigade of the Third regiment. These two companies were in the entire campaign from Dixon’s ferry to Bad Axe. In the Mexican war Wayne furnished one company. This was Company F, Third regiment. The captain was John A. Campbell. This regiment was commanded by Col. Ferris Foreman. P 557 In the Civil war Wayne did her full duty, but space forbids an attempt to speak fully of her patriotic citizens. Wayne furnished twelve full companies in the Civil war.CAPT. THOMAS W. SCOTT
An interesting bit of Wayne county history is the part Capt. Thomas W. Scott played in the closing scenes of the war. Capt. Scott lived in Olney when he entered the service but lived in Fairfield many years after the war was over. The records of the war department show the following: “MACON, Ga., May 12, 1865, 11 o’clock a. m.—Hon. Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War, Washington, D. C.: The following dispatch announcing the capture of Jeff Davis, has just been handed me by Capt. Scott, A. A. G., Second division cavalry: H. WILSON, Major General. “HEADQUARTERS FOURTH MICHIGAN CAVALRY, CUMBERLAND, Ga., May 11, 1865.—Capt. Thomas W. Scott, A. A. G., Second Division Cavalry, Military Division of Mississippi: Sir—I have the honor to report to you that at daylight yesterday at Irwinsville I surprised and captured Jeff Davis and family, together with his wife’s sisters and brother, his postmaster general Reagan, his private secretary Col. Harrison, Col. Johnson aide-de-camp on Davis’ staff, Col. Morris Lubbec and Lieut. Hathaway; also several important names and a train of five wagons and three ambulances, making a most perfect success. “I have the honor to be your obedient servant D. B. RICHARDS, “Lieut. Col. Fourth Mich. Cavalry, Commanding.” Captain Scott was brevetted major by President Lincoln at the close of the war. He held many positions of trust and honor. For several years he was adjutant general under Governor Deneen. He died a few years ago.FAIRPIELD
Fairfield, the county seat of Wayne county, is a city of 2,479 people. It lies a little south of the center of the county in the midst of a fine agricultural region. It is a good trade center, has fine churches and schools, newspapers, banks and stores. The average corn crop for the county (census of 1910) was 24.5 bushels to the acre; average oat crop, 26 bushels to the acre; wheat, 13.4 bushels to the acre; potatoes, 95 bushels to the acre; hay and forage, one ton per acre.FARM VALUES
The distribution of farm values is as follows: Land, 69.5%; buildings, 14.15%; implements, 2.4%; animals, 14%. This shows that Wayne county has excellent farm buildings and first class farm stock. Considerable attention is being given to fine stock, orchards, etc. In addition to Fairfield there are several smaller towns in the county: Barnhill, Cisne, Goldengate, Jeffersonville, Johnsville, Keenes, Mount Erie, Orchardville, Rinard, Sims, Wayne City.
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