William Diggs

As printed in 1914

WILLIAM DIGGS, JR., LATE OF WHITE RIVER, 1816.

"I was born in Anson county, N. C., December 17, 1793. In the year 01 1816, I came to Indiana to seek a home for myself. Paul, Henry H., William and Robert Way and I came across the country from North Carolina in a road wagon, crossed the Ohio river at Louisville, Ky.; came to Blue River, but not being pleased with the country, we came to Wayne county, made our temporary above at Charlotte Way's (afterward my mother-in-law), and looked around for suitable places. We finally selected our lands and built our camps about two miles west of Winchester. I remained there till the latter part of Ausust, when the Indians became so numerous that our friends advised us to abandon our claims and seek safety in the settlements.

I was married to Charlotte Way October 6, 1816, and returned to my claim in February, 181 7. At that time there was only one white settler nearer than twelve miles.

We moved into a camp and lived in it till I could cut the logs and build a small log house, which seemed a palace to us then. We saw no white man's face for eight weeks after settling there. But Indians were plenty, yet peaceable.

The first year, I cleared four acre of ground, and planted It m corn, but it did not ripen, and we had to go to Richmond, where settlers had been living for twelve or fifteen years, for all our breadstuff s. Wheat was then 75 cents a bushel, and corn $1.

When we were getting out of bread, I would start on horseback for the \Vhite ''ater, buy a sack of corn, get it ground, and take it home. In this way we lived till more settlers came. Xot long after, small hand-mills were introduced into the county, and as soon as the corn became too hard for roasting, we would take a small jack-plane, have the corn off the cob and dry it. We would take this corn to a hand-mill and grind it into meal. The nearest mill to my house was three miles.

Often I have worked hard all day, and then taken a sack of corn on my back to the mill, and gone home with it to furnish bread for my family next day.

In this manner we lived till the country settled up so as to afford better accommodations. We brought up nine children; all but one are living yet, and they were all born in Randolph county, and on White rier. The eldest, Fannie, now Irs. Alatthew Hill, lives at Jericho, Randolph county, Indiana; Anna, now Mrs. Jesse Reynard, lives east of Buena Vista, Randolph county, Indiana; Eunice, now I\Irs. Thomas Moorman, of Winchester, Indiana; Pleasant W., married Anna Peacock, and now resides at Earlham, Madison county, Iowa; Agnes, not living; Henry H., married Sarah 'right (now deceased), and afterward Lois Ann Carpenter. Their home is at Nora, Jo Daviess county, Illinois. Anthony Diggs married Elvira C. Thomas, daughter of George and Asenath Thomas, and they reside at Earlham, Madison county, Iowa. Ruth, married matthew W. Diggs, and they live at Farmland, Randolph county, Indiana. After our children left us, we sold the farm which had been our home so many years, and moved to Poplar Run, to be near some of our children. We remained there some years when my wife's health became poor, and the children had all left that neighborhood. We sold that farm also and moved to Winchester. In about sixteen months my beloved companion died. Since then I have made my home with my

KANDOLPH COUNTYj INDIANA. 267 cliildven, and am now residing at Earlham, Iowa. My age is now eighty-nine years.

Paul W. Way, Henry H. Way, William Way, and Robert Way and myself, came in the summer of 1816; Henry H. Way and myself were both single, and we married during the winter of 1816-17, he taking for his wife Rachel IManlove, of Wayne county, Indiana; Robert Way stayed, as did all the group but Paul Way, who returned to Carolina and brought back a large company in the spring of 181 7. During the spring or summer of 181 7, William Way went to the south and brought his father and mother to White River.

Paul Way and his company got to White River in the spring of 18 17, crossing the Ohio river on the ice with their wagons. [XoTE. — That winter was very cold.]

Henry, William and Robert Way built cabins for themselves and the rest. Persons from Williamsburg, fifteen miles away, came and helped raise the cabins.

Fanny (Diggs) Hill is the first white child born in White River, her birthday being September 11, 1817. she is living still. My wife died January 31, 1877. I went to Jo Daviess county, Illinois, in May, 1877, to visit my children, stayed there three months, went on to Iowa, and am in Iowa still. My health is good, I can walk around town and to church, etc. I am an Orthodox 'Body Friend,' never having gone with any "separation.'

I have voted at every presidential election since I was old enough to vote, casting my first presidential ballot for James Monroe in 1816, and having voted for president in all seventeen times. I was a Whig in the days of that party, and have since been and still am a Republican."

FANNY (diggs) HILL, 1817.

"I went to school first at Williamsburg, in Wayne county, Indiana, when eight or nine years old. I attended school also under Henry D. Huffman in a log schoolhouse three miles west of Winchester. For a wonder, that house had window sash and glass!

When my mother was getting me to sleep one day, she heard a noise outside the cabin door. Hurrying to the door, she looked out, and lo ! there stood a bear!

She scared it away, and it went to the milk-house, and tore the cloth off the milk-strainer, etc., but shortly went away.

268 RANDOLPH (fOUNTY, INDIANA.

Father for years had but one horse; mother has many a time gone out and cut an armful of wild grass to feed the horse.

My mother's father, Henry Way, of Wayne county, Indiana, was killed by lightning.

Mother used to tell me that we were the first family on White river, and that our cabin was fifteen miles away from any other dwelling, and that for six weeks she saw no white person's face but that of her own husband. She used to tell me that the Indians told her when they were at her cabin how easily they could have killed her and sister while the girls were milking, as the Indians lay hid in the brush."

As printed in Past and present of Randolph County, Indiana : with biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of many of the old families (1914). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.