"You Git!" she said. . .
- Lawrence Lore
- Jul 10
- 5 min read
Don't forget the Donn Grenda program tonight 7:00 at the History Center!!!
The 104th 4th of July was celebrated at Bridgeport and Sumner on July 3rd 1880. Large crowds were said to have been in attendance, especially at Sumner. Addresses were made by various speakers. The BBQ at Sumner was a large spread of all the substantials. The County’s citizens seemed to be well-pleased with the patriotism shown. The 4th of July boom was over, and it left a great many fellows with heads about twice as large as nature intended with an accompaniment of empty pockets.
Farmers were putting the finishing touches on their cornfields. The gentle hum of the threshing machines was heard in this part of Egypt. John McBride cut the first watermelon on July 4th. Large squads of male and female blackberry gatherers could be seen on their way home from bramble patches with well-filled baskets and pails.
Times must have been good. Not one tract of land in Christy nor Lukin Township had back taxes to carry forward. The villages of Lawrenceville and Bridgeport had only one lot each on the delinquent list. However, the immense rains of the past week did much damage to the wheat shocks. Large quantities in the southern part of the county were badly demolished. A barn of James Sanders in Lukin worth $400 was destroyed by lightning.
Lawrenceville’s village authorities were putting down more new sidewalks. Street commissioner John H Roberts made quite an impression by way of a new sidewalk running from Ed Tracey's corner north toward the old brick church. Two of Lukin’s old residents, Elijah Gaddy and Julius Starkman, paid Lawrenceville their usual semiannual visit. Lawrenceville had two new attorneys; C J Borden of Colorado and T C Meserve of Robinson.
Charlie Judy was clerking in Ed Schmalhausen’s drug store. Ed Frazier of Bridgeport was to locate in Kansas to devote himself to the practice of law. Lawrenceville's Cornet Band was a thing of the past. Its members, or a good portion of them, had scattered to the four winds according to the newspaper. Daniel Swinehart was busy fitting up the brick storeroom immediately south of the T W Roberts store, erecting a new awning, shelving etc. preparing for the relocation of the large stock of SP Barton of Bridgeport. Miss Maggie Slater was once a typesetter for the Lawrence County News.
The following deaths were reported since the last issue: Infant of Samuel Shrader; Eliza Askren, Maria Fritchey and Rosa Brooks . Naomi Jones of Denison died first week of July aged 42
Births announced were a girl to John and Ella Gilbert Swineheart, a girl to Alexander and Matilda R Bird, a girl to James B and Nancy E Banks, a boy to William and ---Martin, and a boy to John N and Clara Geisler.
Mollie McDaniels of Summer was badly burned but was recovering. Miss Pearl McArthur, an accomplished lady of Olney was to take charge of the music class in Sumner. Dora Roberts of Lawrenceville was acquiring a musical education. Mrs. William Houston of Allison recovered from her recent tumble from a buggy that resulted in a broken arm and her sister, Miss Rose Abernathy, recovered from the bruises received. A young son of G H Corrie south of Sumner was slightly injured in a runaway. He was thrown in front of the cutter bar of a reaper, but just as it passed over him the machine was raised by running over a rail, a fact that saved his life.
Clinton Montgomery disturbed the minister and congregation at St Paul’s church in Bond twp. He was fined $5.00.
An affidavit was filed by George Huffman attorney for James Mushrush, administrator of the John Hutchinson estate, to sell the lands of the deceased to pay the debts and claims against the estate. Notice was given to Sarah Mushrush, Emma Decker, Albert Hutchinson, Charles Hutchinson, and Maggie Hutchinson, all heirs of John Hutchinson. The affidavit noted that Charles and Maggie Hutchinson resided in Bremen, Ohio.
Another racket occurred on the toll bridge to Vincennes. Michael Agan disputed Reimer’s authority to collect the toll. The fellow pulled off his coat and told the bridgeman to come and ‘take his toll out of him’ if he could; Joe did. An Officer arrested Agan on an attempt to provoke an assault. Agan said to the officer that he had more money than the blankity- blank bridge owners, but when the mayor called upon him for $10.20 in court, he was flat broke, his cheque book lost in the scrimmage.
Rain fell for 31 days in succession the previous July 1875 in this area.
Dr. Charles M Carter census enumerator for Lawrence township, furnished the following statistical information: Population 1712; number of voters 423; oldest inhabitant Henry Jones 91; three oldest females Esther Hennessy 85, Mrs. Elizabeth Kneff 85, and Mrs. Anna W Coburn 85. Most common male names were William at 83, next John at 82, next Charles at 52, and James at 50. Most common female name was Mary at 89 listed. 240 children were under the age of 6. The number of acres of wheat in 1879 was 4,691; the number of bushels was 70,088; average yield about 15 bushels per acre. The number of acres of corn in 1879 was 3,375; the number of bushels 99,525; just under 30 bushels per acre. The number of deaths in the township from June 1, 1879, to May 31, 1880, was 31. There were 36 births. (John King responded to my request: today’s average bushels of wheat per acre is 70 and bushels of corn is 175.)
In other census reports, the population of the county in 1880 was Lawrenceville 513; Sumner 921; Lawrence twp. 1712, Russell twp. 1286, Allison twp. 1068; Bond twp. 1272; and Bridgeport twp. 890. Robinson had 1371 people within its borders.
A small-bodied census enumerator with auburn hair and an incendiary nose tackled a one-story house on Main Street and came off second best. After he had knocked the skin off his knuckles on the door, two ragged children with forsaken noses who were spellbound observers of his performance, went around and ‘woke her up’ according to promise. A second later, the door flew open to the no small terror of the census person, who narrowly escaped delivering a thundering knock on a tall gaunt woman done up in faded and very ragged bombazine with a meat -ax expression, a surplus of neck, and a pair of visible shoulder blades that would have appeared to much greater advantage incognito. The young man had a superhuman impulse to get up a tree that grew at hand and his tongue lost its cunning under her mesmeric ferocious glare as he queried trembling, “What is your age?”
“You git!” she said.
“Where were you born?”
“None of your biz!” she offered menacingly.
“Got any children, cripples or half idiots?”
A screech of indignation echoed; a fence picket smashed itself on the spot where he had stood a second before, and a white- faced young man followed by an angry woman with hair and drapery flying out astern, lit out for 12th St. for a few mad minutes.
