Hartford City

    Hartford City was designated as the county seat in 1837, when the county of Blackford was set off from Jay. As usual, there was some difference of opinion at first as to where the capital of the county should be located. Abel Baldwin, the founder of Montpelier, and others in that part of the county, naturally desired the county seat to be located there, and a re-location was ordered, resulting again in fixing it at Hartford. Although Montpelier was laid out a short time previous to Hartford, Licking Township, in which the latter is situated, was settled up in advance of the country around Montpelier, and most of the population was in the southwestern part of the county.

    The ground upon which Hartford is located was owned by John Hodge, James Russey and John Trimble, all of Muncie, and they set aside forty acres for the plat, which was surveyed by John J. Cook. Every alternate lot in the plat was donated to the county, for the purpose of public buildings, and this was a bid made by the proprietors in order to get the county seat located on their land.

    In 1839 the county commissioner named the place Hartford, but it having been afterward ascertained that a village of the same name existed elsewhere in the State, that is, in Ohio County, at the suggestion of Mr. S. R. Shelton the word "City" was attached to the name of Blackford County's seat of government; but even yet some confusion in the mails is suffered.

    The first merchants of Hartford were William and Jacob Payton, William McKay and F. H. Graham. John M. Marley was the first blacksmith, Elijah Spangler the first tanner, and John Symington the first cabinet-maker.

    The first frame hotel building was erected about 1843-'44, by William H. Russey, who conducted it as a public house for a number of years. He never kept whisky for sale.

    The first meeting house was a log structure on the northwest corner of High and Franklin Streets, erected by the Methodist some time previous to 1845. This year the Presbyterians erected their first church.

A Pen Picture of Hartford City in 1842.

    This was in the year in which Mr. S. R. Shelton located here, and from him the following description of the place, as it then appeared is obtained:

    The location of the town being in the track of a pre-historic "windfall," there were nearly as many logs as trees, and the tangled mass was a formidable obstacle to encounter, and the second growth of timber soon began to hide the houses. Instead of paved streets and sidewalks, mere paths from house to house were cut. Mr. Shelton was the first to place a fence around his premises. He and David Branson were carpenters and joiners in partnership, and put up the first two or three frame buildings in the place, and made coffins, cupboards, etc.

    Following is a "city directory" of Hartford City in 1842: Jacob Brugh, clerk and recorder of the county; William Payton and F. H. Graham, merchants; S. R. Shelton and David Branson, carpenters and joiners; John Marley, blacksmith, and William Turner,  -seven families in all, and all occupying log houses, in the brush of an almost unbroken wilderness. John Symington had been a cabinet-maker here, but soon moved away. Payton afterward moved to Illinois; Graham, who was also a Methodist local preacher, went West; Branson moved away; Brugh remained here until his death, and Mr. Shelton is the only living "land-mark" of that primitive period.

    Payton & Graham's log store building was on the lot occupied by Winters & Gable. They subsequently devoted the building to the business of pork packing, but suffered financial disaster.

    Butter and honey then were four cents a pound, and eggs three cents a dozen, while calico and muslin were twenty-five cents a yard, and postage on a letter, for 500 miles or less, was also twenty-five cents. Average wages for a day's work being only fifty cents, it required a half a day's work to earn money enough to pay the postage on one letter. Contrast that with the present day, when five to eight minutes work, at average wages, will sufficient to carry a letter from Main to California, a distance of 3,000 miles, or more!

    No whisky was sold in Hartford City in 1842.

    The first tannery in Hartford City was erected by George Delong, some time between 1845 and 1850, which afterward became the property of James E. and Washington Ervin.

    In Methodism, during those early days, Hartford City belonged to the Marion Circuit, on which were two preachers, one "in charge" and the other "junior", and they preached here once a month each, alternating, Methodist fashion, every two weeks. Services were held in private houses until the log church was built, before alluded to.

    Elder Abraham Buckles was one of the first ministers here of the Missionary Baptist denomination.

Modern History (1887)

    Now look at this picture. Hartford City now with a population of about 1,800 was incorporated as a town under the law in September, 1867. The names of the officers for several years we are not able to ascertain; but since 1872 the presidents and clerks have been as follows:

Presidents -T. S. Briscoe, 1873; L. O. Edson, 1874; William B. Hart, 1875-'76; J. N. Dowell, 1877-'79; B. A. Van Winkle, 1880; William H. Gable, 1881-'82; R. W. Reasoner, 1883; S. J. Emshwiller, 1883-'84; J. Willman, 1884-'85; Alexander Gable, 1885; Hiram R. Sinclair, 1886-'87.

Clerks -Lewis Willman, 1873; William H. Wheeler, 1874 -'77; J. E. Williamson, 1878-'81; Benjamin A. Van Winkle, 1882; Frank G. DeLaney, 1883-'84; John A. Bonham, 18840'87.

Present Officers -Hiram R. Sinclair, President; John A. Bonham, Clerk; Michael Schmidt, Treasurer; George W. Younts, Marshal. Trustees, First Ward, David Kessler; Second Ward, H. R. Sinclair; Third Ward, F. L. Mercer; Fourth Ward, Aaron Groves; Fifth Ward, Jobe McEldowney.

    The board meets the first and third Friday evenings of each month.

    Under the auspices of the corporation most of the walks and streets have been macadamized with good gravel, obtained within a mile of town. Last year a number of cisterns were built for the use of the fire department.

    The fire department comprises a good hand engine, purchased in August, 1884, at a cost of $1,300; also 1,000 feet of hose, and a hook and ladder tackle. Chief of the Fire Department, F. Werner; Secretary, A. Groves; Foreman of the Hose Cart, E. Waters. They occupy the old jail building on the public square, where they have erected a conspicuous tower in which to drain the hose.

    The three greatest fires suffered by Hartford City, have been: First, in the autumn of 1871, when the entire row of buildings along the south side of the public square were consumed; secondly, in the fall of 1880, when the west side, from the alley south to Washington Street, was burned; and thirdly, the very next year, when the corresponding corner on the east side of the square was burned out. These places have since been entirely re-covered with a superior class of business buildings.

Business

    In 1873 two banks were started in Hartford City, one by J. V. and James Swe4etser and Philip Matter, which was re-organized by a joint-stock company in 1879, as the Citizens' Bank, and continues as such till the present time. The officers at present are H. B. Smith, President; C. Q. Shull, of Montpelier (where they have a branch), Vice-President; E. M. Stahl, Cashier; S. M. Briscoe, Assistant Cashier. Bank east side of the public square, in a building owned by the company.

    The other bank was named Hartford City Bank, was started by a Mr. Bradley, and afterward sold to Ransom & Bro., who failed in 1880, and have since both died.

    A wild-cat bank was started here in 1857, the period so rife with such institutions throughout the country. The parties issued bank notes and slopped away before redeeming them.

    The Hartford City Gas and Oil Company was organized about the first of February, 1887. The enterprising men of the place who led off in gas mining operations were Fred Campbell, W. B. Colley, H. B. Smith, I. Cortright and J. H. Dowell. The capital stock of the company was fixed at $25,000, the shares of which were readily sold, and the stockholders elected a board of directors. as follows: J. H. Dowell, President; Isaiah Cortright, Vice President; H. M. Campbell, Secretary; H. B. Smith, Treasurer; B. M. Boyd, W. B. Cooley, William Carroll, Abraham Weiler and S. M. Patterson.

    The company commenced drilling immediately, about 100 feet southeast of the east depot, and on the second or third of March there gushed forth a flow of gas yielding about a million cubic feet per day! Thus their first stroke proved a bonanza, and the stockholders are happy. The company are (May, 1887) laying mains throughout the town, are patronized by about seventy-fie consumers, and are putting in burners at the rate of fifteen or twenty a day.

    During the first part of May the erected a derrick south of town, on the land of J. P. A. Leonard, preparatory to sinking a second well.

Source: Biographical and Historical Record of Jay and Blackford Counties, Indiana by The Lewis Publishing Company, 1887.