Jackson Prairie, which properly includes about 2000 acres of land, attracted the first settlers to Steuben County. The story of its good soil and beauty was carried to Ohio by travelers and land lookers, where it reached the interested ears of John and Jacob Stayner, who were then living in Richland, Ohio.

It was the spring of 1831 that John and Jacob Stayner and a neighbor, George W. Wyrick, started for the prairie of which they had heard such glowing reports. John Stayner and his wife, Sarah, and their children were well in the lead of the other two wagons and were the first to reach the prairie. Hence, he became the first white man to settle in Steuben County.

He struck camp at 10:00 a.m., June 18, 1831, on the west half of the southeast quarter of Section five in what is now known as Jackson Township, three and a half miles south of Orland. Being an industrious family, the Stayners began at once to carve out a home for themselves in the new land. They built a fire and the little girls went about getting dinner. Mr. Stayner got his plough out of the wagon, put it together, and ploughed "quite a patch" of the rich mellow soil before he was called to dinner. Mrs. Stayner with a grub hoe had dug up ground and planted the first Steuben County garden with lettuce and cabbage seed that had been brought with them.

Before nightfall, this pioneer family had made a shelter for themselves by making a tent of the wagon cover. This they used until the crops were all in, when they built a log cabin. There was no sawed lumber so they split boards for the roof and floor.

The first crops consisted of corn, potatoes and buckwheat. Fortunately the frost was late that year and Steuben County’s first crops produced a good harvest. The winter was severe, however, and the gristmill was a long way away and the roads were covered with ice. It became necessary to pound the corn with a wooden mortar. The finest of this they used for soup and hominy. But with turkey and venison, which were plentiful, there was no real lack of food.

With the passing of that first winter, the hardest of pioneering was over. The cattle had wintered on the prairie grass but most of the sheep which had been brought from Ohio, were killed by wolves. There were many Indians in the area but except for setting an occasional fire, which threatened their crops, they caused the settlers no trouble.

On April 27, 1832, Zephaniah B. Stayner was born to John and Sarah, the first white child born in Steuben County.

The first election was held in the Stayner dooryard in 1832. A hat was passed for a ballot box; nine votes were cast – all for Andrew Jackson. At John Stayner’s suggestion, the name Jackson was given to the township. The returns were taken to Lima (Howe), then the county seat of LaGrange County, which included Steuben County.

The market place for these settlers was three days travel each way; they took wheat and got 60 cents a bushel for it. Flax was raised from which they made their clothing.

The Stayners built a small log cabin, which was used for a weaving room; they also used it for extra beds because in those first years every settler’s home became a shelter or hotel to care for the incoming settlers. There were many who stayed in the Stayner home from time to time. Among them were surveyors, whom were sent out by the government in 1832 to straighten the boundaries of the newly acquired land.

In 1833 John Huntsman, John Parmeter and Joseph Morgha entered land in Jackson Township. In 1836 this place had a real boom.

It was at the Stayner’s home that the settlers gathered to discuss the building of a school- house. It was agreed that the cost of the house was not to exceed $50.00 including material and labor. The expense was to be pro-rated to the patrons. John Stayner and Adolph Town built the first schoolhouse on the north side of the prairie, on property owned by Town. That farm is now owned and occupied by the Lincoln Booth family; it belonged for years to his maternal grandfather, William Booth.

The building was built of tamarack poles with one window, with a 6x9 inch glass, and one door made of shakes and a puncheon floor. (Puncheon floors are split logs, laid down.) The first teacher was Hannah Davis, who received $8.00 a month salary and boarded around with the patrons.

While living in the John Stayner home, she was courted by James Huntsman. They were married in 1833 in the little weaving room. This was the first wedding in the country.

Dr. James O’Connell was the first practicing physician in the county. He was elected county clerk and recorder. His first office was in the Stayner weaving room where for a time he made deeds, settled disputes, and married several couples, the first being the schoolteacher, Hannah Davis and James Huntsman. Later he moved his office to Angola.

One might say that the John Stayner home was the cradle of Steuben County history. Nothing remains of the old log house or the famous weaving cabin. Even the substantial structure that was built later has long since burned to the ground. But as one stands in the spacious dooryard, it is easy to visualize the early settlers gathering there over a hundred years to settle the many problems that faced them. This is the spot where John Stayner pulled his wagon and livestock so many years ago.

Jackson Township is congressional township 37, north range 12 east and lies in the western tier of the county. It is bounded on the north by Millgrove Township, on the east by Pleasant Township and on the south by Salem Township, and on the west by LaGrange County. It has nearly 36 sections or 23,000 acres of land and about 1000 acres of which are covered with water. Many lakes are found there, the largest lake in the township is Pigeon creek, it is a beautiful stream, which flows irregularly north and west through the Township.

The first marriage there was James Huntsman and Hannah Davis. The first death was Mrs. Gideon Langdon, wife of the first settler to file on his land, and hers was the first grave in Jackson Prairie Cemetery.

By act of the Indiana Legislature, January 18, 1837, Steuben County was set off from the LaGrange County. It was given the name of "Steuben" in honor of the Prussian General, who gave such valiant aid to the colonists by drilling the armies in the Revolutionary War. After the county was separated from LaGrange County an election was again held in the Stayner yard to elect county officials.

Crossing the U.S. Highway #20, driving north along the highway #327 and turning east to the Lake Gage, one reaches the large dwelling long known as the Ensley Place, it is now occupied by the Harold Rude Family. This is the spot where John Stayner pulled up with his covered wagon and livestock so many years ago.

By 1840 Jackson Township and Steuben County were thoroughly organized and officered. There was a blacksmith shop near the tamarack schoolhouse—the first in the county. A gristmill was opened at Mongo, a distance of only six miles. Life for the settlers was growing easier. They even had a Justice of the Peace. A long mail route was established, it crossed Jackson Prairie going from Lima to Defiance. Letter postage was 25 cents.

A FEW ITEMS OF INTEREST TOLD BY JACKSON PRAIRIE PEOPLE

"I heard often of the Indians who came one day and demanded the loaves of bread that a mother had just taken from her oven, they often camped along the lakes; they were peaceable enough but this grandmother never learned to trust them. When the door of her basement kitchen opened silently, without warning, and the room was filled with the dark-skinned visitors, she remembered the many stories she had heard of Indians stealing white children, her own children were cowering in fright in a far corner of the room. So when the Indians demanded the bread, she gave them the whole eight loaves she had just taken from the oven, although there was a shortage of flour in her larder. Satisfied with the bread the Indians departed as silently as they had come."

Many churches began to build houses, ox teams were out-dated; people went to church in wagons and took all their neighbors. But soon the horse and buggy days came and there wasn’t room for all of the neighbors. There was a clan of Vandelers who tried to destroy and rob churches of money as well as fixtures. Spiritualism flourished in the Township in the early days and had many followers.

Education was the rule at this time in Jackson Township. New buildings were begun, religious work began to flourish and as soon as the first church house was ready for service another house sprang into existence. Almost coincidental with the first church service, the first saloon nosed its way into Flint. A man by the name of Carpenter, decided he wanted a saloon there too, and he prepared a house he owned for that purpose. He went to Toledo, Ohio, bought a stock of liquor and transported it to Flint; opened his doors and did some business. The better people of the place and surrounding country did not want a saloon in their midst. The resultant battle is an oft-told tale. Meeting after meeting was held to decide what could be done about matters; finally a committee was appointed to call on Mr. Carpenter and they offered to buy his stock and wreck it. They also promised their trade if he would go into a better business. Carpenter refused both suggestions.

So the women of the community decided to take matters into their own hands. Twenty- one of them got together on June day; met at the home of Pint Synder, the blacksmith, and the meeting got under way. They were well organized with leaders and captains, and were armed with axes, hammers, hatchets and ropes. Eleven of the group went to the front door and ten to the rear. The saloonkeeper had an inkling, of what was about to happen so he had several of his friends on hand. But in spite of the friends and barricaded doors the women made an entrance and threatened to tie the men up if they inter-feared with their plans. No one but Carpenter tried to stop them; he threatened to strike the leader, but was ordered out of the way. They worked until every drop of liquor was emptied out on the floor. Then they rolled the barrels out into the street and burned them. Carpenter brought an attorney from Toledo to investigate the case but nothing was ever done about it. So later, Carpenter started a store and the "wrecking saloon women" gave him their patronage and there was no more saloons ever flourished in this town.

Many great improvements have been made since the early days, of the Stayner Brothers advent in Steuben territory; where the early settlers clutching the handles of crude ploughs, followed the oxen with down cast eyes. Today the farmers with uplifting eyes sit on the seat of their tractors and listen to the motors hum and look at the skies for the great BIRDS who hum and whine up there in the distant clouds. Then we can see a stream of white, still hanging far behind and know that a jet plane has taken its flight and breath-taking course in that direction.

On the western side of the County of Jackson Prairie where the first settlers of Steuben County came and built their homes, these brave pioneers had been most courageous with faith and hope, but within a short time they needed a burial ground. Mrs. Langdon was the first to occupy a spot in what is now this cemetery.

An acre of ground was set aside for a place to bury their dead, and later more ground was added. Many graves of early settlers are found throughout the cemetery in newer sections. There is a monument of John Stayner 1870, and his wife, Sarah Stayner, 1873. Also a rather late marker of the brother Jacob and the veterans of the War of 1812. It gives many dates and names of veterans of the war of 1812. Then the pioneers of 1831.

In 1850 this cemetery was organized by the Jackson Prairie Graveyard Society and is active today with Harry Beers in charge. In 1926 a new addition was purchased from William Lincoln and Marion R. Lincoln, whose farm joins this cemetery on the north. The flags wave over the graves of the veterans in this well-kept cemetery, located on State road #327. It lies as a pretty prairie amid the trees, planted by early settlers.

CONCLUSION

Now someone reading these pages may ask "Why all this from Steuben County?" I will tell you!

Grandmother, Sarah Jane Huntsman Lewis was born there in the year of 1834. She married Samuel Lewis and they had a family of twelve children. Her father, James William Huntsman, was the son of Jesse Huntsman. Now two of James William Huntsman’s sisters married two Stayner brothers. John Stayner married Sarah Huntsman and Jacob Stayner married her sister, Nancy Huntsman---the Stayners were the first settlers in Steuben County. Nancy and Sarah were born in Delmont, Ohio. They are blood relation to us, hence we feel like it is an honor to have a small background of some of our very distant relations. The Steuben County history gives an interesting account of these Huntsman girls and their husbands in those early pioneer days in the state of Indiana.

Not much is said of Jacob and Nancy but a lot about John and Sarah. We are proud to have a copy of the doings of these, our relatives of so long ago. Thanks to someone for keeping and preserving these histories.

Here is another cry from a granddaughter saying, "Oh, why didn’t I ask grandmother a lot of questions about her early life?" She could have told me so many things – just where they lived in Steuben County. I call these "lost opportunities." We should all learn a lesson from these pages and put down our own history and doings so our children won’t be left wanting when our day is past.
By Laura McBride Smith

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