Indiana Canal Society Document on Hydraulic Canal and Indiana Central Canal

 https://indcanal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/IW-VOL-5-NO-3.pdf#page=4

Who knew there was an Indiana Canal Society? Another great find thanks to Google! They have an article which gives a history of the Hydraulic Canal in Madison County as well as information about the older Indiana Central Canal project. Including a cute map circa 1870:

The article includes a report from a field trip they organized to see what remains of the Hydraulic Canal could be found in modern times. They also give some interesting financial details, including how much was spent on the various sections of the older Indiana Central Canal, including the section between Anderson and Alexandria, which was one of the few that was completely or almost completely constructed before the financial collapse.

To keep things straight, the Hydraulic Canal used what was built originally as a feeder canal, supplying water to the Indiana Central Canal. It was never used, even after the local project turned it into the Hydraulic Canal. The Indiana Central Canal main line involved a section based on Killbuck Creek, going north from Anderson, through Moonville, to Alexandria. This section was mostly completed…one of the few…before the project collapsed.

I urge anyone interested in an overview of the Indiana Central Canal to use wikipedia. It turns out the northern terminus of project was the Wabash and Erie Canal, which was completed and profitable for around 40 years before the railroad system became cheaper to use. So not all bad. Just mostly.

History of Richland Township

 https://www.pendletontimespost.com/2023/04/27/history-of-richland-township-part-1/

https://www.pendletontimespost.com/2023/05/04/history-of-richland-township-part-2/

The two posts above on the website of the Pendleton Post provide a great history of Richland Township in Madison County, Indiana, where I grew up. I always felt that we lived in a special place, on a hard concrete former highway called a “Pike”. Plus, we had to cross a small bridge (now closed) over Killbuck Creek where there were many interesting stories about things that a used to exist off into the woods nearby. We also lived across the street from a corn field and we explored a little creek on the back (east) side of the corn field. I never knew that it was called Little Killbuck Creek.

So, of course, the name Killbuck was that of a Native American (“Indian” in our time and not really a term of disparagement). The Pike was Alexandria Pike, for obvious reasons even to us since we took the road into town (Anderson) and could ride our bikes north halfway or more to Alexandria and could picture in our minds how the road would have proceeded on to Alexandria before being replaced by the newer divided state highway, Indiana 9.

The last couple of crossroads going north also had interesting names, Prosperity Road and Moonville Road. And Moonville was an actual place, although there were no businesses there in our time. Prosperity was once a place too, but very short lived.

It turns out that Alexandria Pike was a part of a larger project called the Shelbyille to Fort Wayne Road. We’re talking dirt (barely) road here, of course. After that project failed, a fellow paid to use the path to create a toll road. Essentially the same concept as the Florida Turnpike, where you had to pay at the toll house (complete with gate) to enter the road. We’re still talking dirt road now, not even sure we’re talking gravel. The concrete came later, after the government took over the road again and once cars capable of higher speeds needed a better surface. We also learned how to use concrete to build a road! When I was a teenager running all over these roads, the county decided to pave the road with blacktop. Smooth, but maybe not a better surface over the long haul.

Today, across from our house at 2833 Alexandria Pike, are a small number of McMansions with a lake in their back yard. That’s because during our teen years a massive gravel pit was dug where the corn field was located and eventually….years and years later… the gravel pit was “reclaimed” and a beautiful, very small lake created. I remember swimming in the gravel pit (a huge no-no) and seeing a drowned body being pulled from the gravel pit (told you so!). Corn field or gravel pit, it was a magical place!

The articles also tell the story of Killbuck Creek and its history as a source of water power for mills. One of the mystery stories was that there was an amusement park or circus headquarters near the old bridge also.

The best story is a true one…that Killbuck Creek was an integral part of one of the biggest state infrastructure projects (boondoggles) of all time…the Indiana Central Canal. To be honest, it’s hard to predict the future and it had to seem like a good idea at the time (1830’s). The Erie Canal was a huge success, including financially. So the idea was to build a canal that would connect that canal to the Ohio River, and thus the Mississippi River. Interestingly, it was built in non-connected section’s simultaneously to save time. One of the sections was Killbuck Creek! Moonville was actually the site of a large camp for workers who were digging the canal. (Actually, widening and deepening the creek, by hand.) When the country went into a depression, the whole project went bust and the state owed a whole lot of money…like more than the total state budget lot of money…to folks over in England who had loaned the money. Needless to say, Indiana almost became a private property instead of a state and some really good negotiating barely allowed to state to avoid bankruptcy. They might had waited out the depression, but guess what…railroads came along and the canal stopped making any financial sense.

The Hydraulic Canal Right in our Backyard

 Madison county historian Stephen T. Jackson wrote an article for The Anderson Herald that was later posted on the web site of the Madison County Historical Society. The topic was “The Hydraulic Canal”. I grew up near it, and even canoed part of it, and never heard of it!

First, a little geography.

Blow up this photo by touching it or clicking on it if you're using a mouse.What you see is the White River as it winds through eastern Madison County. The Hydraulic Canal started just above Daleville, where the river was dammed to insure that water would be available when needed.. This just happens to be the spot where the great Mathias family canoe trip started. The canal follows the river’s path north and then west of Chesterfield, crossing Indiana 32 at the airport, and then turning as it goes past Mounds Park and then crossing the old Bypass just north of the old Mounds Mall. Notice how often I use the word “old”? 

And then it turns back north and west to the park where the city pool was located (start of the “new” Eisenhower bridge…it it’s still standing) and the Anderson Free Fair was held each summer (complete with horse races) and up to the “foot” of Alexandria Pike at Grand Avenue. The canal ended at this point, just a quarter mile or so from Broadway where the famous (or infamous depending on your ancestry…you’ll need to ask!) Frisch’s Big Boy was located.

The total distance of the canal was 8 miles. It was funded at $84,000 in 1868 and was completed in 1874! The purpose was to make use of the 40 foot fall over the length of the canal to provide power for mills and factories. Note that this was before the discovery of natural gas….the gas boom that led the Remy Brothers to move their fledgling starter motor company to Anderson.

The canal was dug by hand and was 40 feet wide at the top, 26 feet wide at the bottom, and 4 feet deep. They actually were able to use the remains of an older failed canal project, part of the Indiana Central Canal project, which essentially bankrupted the state in the 1830’s.

When they opened the flood gates, the sides of the canal immediately washed away….oops. The cleaned it up and tried again…same result. End of story! Apparently, there are remains of the canal (other than the river itself, still visible in several areas, but they are all on private land.

https://mchs09.wordpress.com/2009/04/24/hydraulic-canal/

To put some perspective on the geography of this, keep in mind that Bruce, Tonia and Kent spent their teenage years in a new (at the time) neighborhood just east of Rangeline Road, between Indiana 32 and East 8th Street. Curt and his brothers grew up living on East 10th Street east of the bypass (now called Indiana 9) and west of Rangeline Road near a shopping center that was anchored at the time by the Marsh Supermarket. All of these cousins could hypothetically walk to the river. (Any stories???)

Our family would often drive south on Alexandria Pike on the way to town, ending up at Grand Avenue. Whether heading to Frisch’s, heading to town, or to our other grandparents who lived on East 8th Street, we knew the route. My wife Teri grew up on North Street in Chesterfield, where walking to the river was no big deal. The campground there was known as North 40 at that time and provided great sledding hills in the winter.

Summary: The Nieces and Nephews of George and Della Dixon

 Some of the nieces and nephews have passed, as the oldest would have been well into their 90’s. However, several are very much alive… and have contributed to this family history blog. They are the source of many (never before seen) family pictures and some of the most interesting family stories.

I realized that my coverage of this group is very scattered. My uncle, Don Dixon, has been a major contributor and I have a few articles about him and Aunt Janet. Ditto for my Uncle Jim Dixon and Aunt Lois and for Aunt Wilma Thacker and Uncle Warren and my own folks, Jerry and Mary Alice Dixon. I’m sure there is more that could be said and a few more pictures and stories to discover. I also had published some information about the Illinois cousins who came to a very special Dixon/Fisher meeting in Albion just to share what they had with me and with each other. It was a special day!

Recently, I spoke with my dad’s cousin, Ray Elliott, by phone and he followed up with even more pictures and information.

I’ve shared a few obituaries of nieces and nephews…I got some of these from family at the 2008 meeting and pulled some from the web. Having done work on the family on Ancestry.com a few years ago, I didn’t follow up with detailed information about each of these folks in this blog. This is partly because I am more interested in the kind of information you can only get from those who really knew them. However, I’ve decided that I now need to at least make a listing of this group so I can tell which of the nieces and nephews have been documented in the blog in some manner.

So here goes:

The Children and Grandchildren of Joseph Freemont Dixon, Jr and Mina Kershaw Dixon 

Alice Ann Dixon (1888-1976) m. Thomas Jefferson Wick

Helen Susan Wick Ferguson

Herman Jefferson Wick 

Harold D. Wick 

Stella May Dixon Frankland (1889-1943) m. Benjamin Harrison Frankland

Bernadine Frankland Perrine

Thelma Frankland Tangea

Albert Frankland

Robert Frankland

Donald Dewey Frankland

Benjamin Frankland

Loren Ivan Dixon (1891-1909) had no children, since he died in a hunting accident on New Years Eve at age 18.

Sadie Ray Dixon Glover (1993-1935) m. Harry J. Glover

Virginia Glover 

Mildred Glover Everett

Royal Harry “Bud” Glover 

Janet Glover McKenzie

Herman Hobart Dixon (1896-1907) had no children since he died from complications from the measles at age 10.

George Dewey Dixon (1898-1982) m. Della May Fisher 

Wilma Jean Dixon Thacker 

Jarrett Denton “Jerry” Dixon 

James McClain Dixon 

Donald Dewey Dixon 

Lucy Mina Dixon Perkins (1901-1994) m. Carroll D. Perkins 

Ronald Perkins 

Faye Perkins Shaw

Son (name unknown)

Son (name unknown)

The Children and Grandchildren of John Rudolph Fisher and Marinda Myra Bell Fisher *and Maude Bell Fisher 

Della May Fisher Dixon b. 1903 (see above)

Mabel Avis Fisher Reid b. 1905 m. Earl W. Reid

Herschel Reid

Hubert Reid

Hazel Reid Mason

Vera Sylvia Fisher Elliott b. 1907 m. Virgil Elliott

Robert “Bob” Elliott

Vernon Elliott

Ray Elliott

Emily Marie Fisher Smerdon b. 1909 m. Ralph Smerdon

James Smerdon

Helen Smerdon Chalcraft

Margaret Ruth Smerdon Ellis

Ethel Smerdon Powell

Ina A. Fisher Shilling (daughter of J. Rude and Maude) (1923-1959) m. Roy Shilling

Linda Shilling

Betty Shilling

Note: I have not been able to find anyone who knows the whereabouts of Linda and Betty. Please let me know if you know how to contact them or their families.

I also have not identified the two boys of Lucy and Carroll Perkins. The obituaries for both parents indicate that two sons predeceased the parents. I have spoken to Faye, but not since our 2008 meeting.

This listing/summary is intended as an aide to the “work in progress” that is the section on the nieces and nephews of George and Della Dixon. To know if they are mentioned in the blog, just type their name in the search box in the top left corner of the blog.

Number of Kids per Generation

 I recently worked on a listing of the children of George Dixon’s and Della Fisher Dixon’s siblings. I met several of them in Albion in 2008, and had briefly documented some of their lives when I  realized they had passed. These are the cousins of my dad, Jerry Dixon. I had previously written about my Dixon cousins, the “boomer” generation.

Afterward, I realized there was a definite decrease in the size of the cousins cohorts. My dad’s generation mostly grew up during the Great Depression. Some, but not most, served in WW II. So partly the Greatest Generation! Here’s a summary:

(the number indicates the number of children)

Mabel Fisher Reid 3

Vera Fisher Elliott 3

Emily Fisher Smerdon 4

Ina Fisher Shilling 2

Alice Dixon Wick 3

Stella Dixon Frankland 6

Loren Dixon 0

Sadie Dixon Glover 4

Herman Dixon 0

Lucy Dixon Perkins 4

George and Della Fisher Dixon 4

So, my dad had 12 Fisher cousins and 17 Dixon cousins. Adding in the 4 kids in his own family, there were 33 cousins in the cohort. This is despite the fact that Herman and Loren Dixon died before becoming parents.

In contrast, I was one of 13 kids at Dixon family gatherings in the 1960’s and I also had 4 Wellons cousins on my mom’s side for a total of 17 cousins in my boomer cohort.

Grandpa Fisher, historian

 Ray Elliott, my dad’s cousin, sent me an amazing newspaper article about a talk given by Grandpa Fisher to the local historical society. Grandpa Fisher owned land on both sides of the Little Wabash river.

Ray also sent me a great picture of Grandpa Fisher.

The bridge was lost eventually, but still generates interest from family and bridge aficionados. I found an amusing story in the comments section of the post for The Old Iron Bridge over the Little Wabash. It has several photos of the remains, taken at considerable risk (so he says), by one of the bridge hunters. I’ll try to copy a link below, but make no promises.

https://www.bigdogadventures.com/1OldIllinoisBridges.htm

Scroll down 90 photos or so until you see the second day photos. The Old Iron Bridge was the second bridge he visited on the second day of the trip.

Vernon Elliott

 I don’t remember meeting my dad’s cousin Vernon, although chances are I did. He’s another nephew of my grandparents, George and Della Dixon. My uncle Don Dixon says he was closest in age to Vernon and spent more time with him as kids on the family trips to visit Albion area relatives.

I found an obituary to share. The web site had a nice photo of him, but it would not print with the text. I’ll ask Ray Elliott, Vernon’s younger brother to share a photo.

Bob Elliott

 

Click on the photo for a better view. Bob was a nephew of my grandparents, George and Della Dixon, and thus a cousin of Wilma, Jerry, Jim and Don. Bob seems to be the original genealogist for the Dixon and Fisher families. In another post, you’ll see that Bob shared some research he had done at a gathering of his cousins. My dad Jerry Dixon added a few comments and later passed the info on to my cousin Curt Thacker, who shared it with our wing of the family. That info, plus some family photos I retrieved from my mom when she moved to my brother Todd’s house in Pinehurst, were the basis for starting this family history blog.

I spoke to Bob when I started and enjoyed talking with him. I met Bob’s younger brother Ray and several of his cousins and other relatives on a trip to Albion in 2008. I recently talked again with Ray and his wife Rosalee and they sent me a few more amazing photos and a very interesting newspaper article from the 1950’s. He told me that Bob had passed earlier this year.

Warren Thacker

 My Uncle Warren, the “gentle giant” of family gatherings, actually has the most coverage in the family history blog. A well-documented World War II experience, that he never talked about with nieces and nephews, tends to lead to late in life stardom. Uncle Warren was very easy to talk with, even though I didn’t see him more than 4 or 5 times per year. He attended Spencer High School before going to war. He was born on December 10, 1922 and died on April 12, 2021… aged 98!

He seemed like the largest guy in the room at family gatherings, even though Uncle Jim was fairly tall. He became a cattle and hay grower part-time and worked full-time at Sears in the Bloomington Mall after they moved to Spencer in 1967. We would get to see him occasionally at Sears when we were in college at Indiana University.

Wilma Jean Dixon Thacker

 I noticed that my Aunt Wilma was underrepresented in the family history blog. I just realized that she passed 10 years ago on May 4, 2011 in Spencer, Indiana near her home. She was 85 years old.

Aunt Wilma was the older sister to three boys, including my dad Jerry and Jim and Don. She was also the mother of 5 boys. She took care of everybody. I remember vividly that she came to the house when we took dad home from the hospital on what was to be a very short Hospice experience. I hadn’t seen her for years since we live in Florida, but it seemed so completely normal that she and Uncle Warren would come. It was like dad had his mother by his side in the hours before he passed.

Aunt Wilma was best described as a blend of her parents. At family gatherings, she was the one who talked least and listened the most. She seldom expressed an opinion, other than to gently remind everyone to look for the good in a person or situation that was being talked about.

I didn’t know why the Thackers moved to Spencer, but realize now that Uncle Warren’s family was in the area and he probably wanted to get back to his farming roots after years of running a filling (gas) station in Anderson. I wish I had been able to spend more time with her, but even if they had stayed in Anderson, adding 7 nephews (and two nieces) to her own 5 boys would had been a load.

Alfred Dixon

Alfred Dixon was the youngest of John Dixon Sr and Anne Dixon’s five surviving children. He was born on 3 March 1835 near Leeds and was baptized on 29 March 1835 at St. Peter’s parish church.

He was about 6 when he sailed to America with two brothers and an older cousin.

He married Fanny Ann Christy (1840-1926) on 3 August 1859 in Crawford County, Illinois. They lived in Edwards County at the 1860 census and later moved to Olney in Richland County, Illinois.

They had two girls: Hattie A Dixon (1860-1937) and Lillie Ada Dixon (1874-1934). Both married and had children. See Ancestry for more details.

He was buried in Olney, but there are conflicting dates of of death. Either 24 July 1874 or 22 July 1871.

Joseph Dixon Sr

 Joseph Freemont Dixon, later known as Joseph Sr, was the fourth surviving child of John Dixon Sr and Anne Dixon. Much has been written about him and there are articles about his wife and children already in the blog.

He was born 15 September 1832 near Leeds and was baptized on 14 October 1832.

He traveled with two brothers and an older relative, John Hodgson, to America, landing in New York on August 16, 1841.

One of his children, known in the family as “Joe” Dixon, actually Joseph Freemont Dixon Jr, was my grandfather’s father.

Another child was Eliza Hannah Dixon, an ancestor of Gary Whisenhut, who is writing a book which will includes sections on many of our common ancestors.

Joseph Sr handled his father’s estate, took care of his mother, and helped many of his children throughout their lives, including having them live with he and wife Grace Shaw Dixon. His youngest child, Mary Elizabeth Dixon, was blind. He and Grace moved to be near her at the Illinois School for the Deaf and Blind, the only time that he lived anywhere other than in Dixon Precinct of Edwards County, Illinois.

He died on 8 November 1917.

John Dixon Jr

John Dixon Jr was the third child of John Dixon Sr and Anne Dixon. Or was he? There are records of a child baptized at St. Peter’s parish church on June 28, 1827 who dies on 25 October 1829. The child’s name is John Dixon. John Dixon Jr. was born on 25 October 1829, the same date as the other child’s death, and baptized on 27 December 1829. I have not been able to see these records, but if they aren’t both the children of the same couple, John Sr and Anne have a very unusual gap in childbirths.

John Dixon Jr was 12 or 13 when he sails with two younger brothers and an older cousin to join his parents and two older siblings in Edwards County.

He is 21 at the time of the 1850 census.

He marries Margaret Elizabeth Conner (1839-1875) in 1859 in Edwards County. He remains in Edwards County the remainder of his life. They have one son, John W. Dixon (1860-1892), who lives with John Jr. after his mother dies and then with cousin John H. Marshall.

John Dixon Jr operated a grain mill and lists his occupation as a “millwright” on a census report.

Land records indicate that John Jr. died sometime between August 1872 and 1875. Notice that his wife dies in 1875. His brother Joseph Dixon Sr folds his estate into that of their father which means that the funds would support their mother during her life and then be allocated to the heirs of John Dixon Sr, which includes the Dixons and Marshalls.

James Franklin Dixon

James Franklin Dixon is the second oldest of John Dixon Sr and Anne Dixon’s children. He was born near Leeds in July of 1823 and baptized at St. Peter’s parish church on 15 September 1823. He also presumably immigrated to America with his parents and older sister Hannah around 1840 when he was about 17 years old. His younger brothers came later in the company of an older cousin.

His history is a little sketchy, but much is known. He appears to live in Vigo County, Indiana in 1850 with another family, perhaps the family of his boss, and has a wife and son. His occupation is listed as “finisher”. The wife is listed as “Anna M” and the son is listed as “Charles H”. Nothing is known about them beyond this census data.

He marries Mary Ann Conour (1822-1915) on June 7, 1855 in Richland County, Illinois.

He lives in Edwards County at the 1860 census and dies around August 1867, just after the birth of his youngest child. His probate records are at the Gallatin County, Illinois courthouse according to Ancestry.

James Franklin Dixon and Mary Ann Conour Dixon have 5 children: John Alfred Dixon (1856-1941), Elizabeth J. Dixon (1858-1883), Hettie M. Dixon (1861-1936), Mary Adeline Dixon (1861-1943) and Ella Nora Dixon (1867-1920). All but Elizabeth live long lives, marry and have children of their own. See Ancestry for details.

Mary Ann Conour remarries fairly quickly, having many young children. She eventually follows one of her children to California.

I suspected for many months that James had died in a civil war battle near Atlanta in the Union army, but his probate and date of death indicate otherwise. It is possible that he was a coal miner, as southern Illinois, like southern Indiana, had some coal mining areas.

Hannah Dixon Marshall

 I have written previously about Hannah Dixon Marshall, the oldest daughter of John Dixon Sr and Anne Dixon, as her identification was a mystery that took time to solve without having the resources of Ancestry.com.

Here is a summary of what we now know about her life: 

She was born near Leeds and was baptized at St. Peter’s parish church on May 16, 1821. She was about 20 years old when she immigrated to America, presumably with her parents and one brother. Her other three brothers travel a year later in the company of  an older cousin. She lives in Edwards County the remainder of her life.

She marries William Marshall in Edwards County on March 16, 1848. Mr. Marshall dies in 1859. 

Her eldest son, John H. Marshall (1849-1914) is a newborn in the 1850 census. John H. Marshall becomes a steady source of support to both his Dixon and Marshall relatives and he provides a home for many of them throughout the years. He is relatively wealthy.

Sarah Ann Marshall (1851-1871) dies tragically at age 20, which is very rare in the Dixon family. The cause of death is unknown.

Lucy H. Marshall (1853-1914), Mary Lavina Marshall (1856-1920) and William Alfred Marshall (1858-1938) all live relatively long lives and have families.

Hannah Dixon Marshall was a school teacher and a single mom per the 1860 census. She dies tragically on June 19, 1863, leaving several young children. I’m not sure who raises the children, although her mother in law lives later in life with grandson John H. Marshall and it is possible that she helps to raise the kids. Her brother Joseph and wife Grace also help.

There is additional information about all of these individuals on Ancestry, including their marriages, their children, and there residences.

Photos of Joseph Dixon Sr and Grace Shaw Dixon

Jerry and Mary Alice and Grandkids

The first picture if of my mom and dad with just the six grandkids at their 50th reunion. The picture was taken in the hotel lobby of the old Hilton across from Grant Park in the Museum District. The other two are Christmas pictures from different eras taken at mom and dad’s house on Douglas Lane in Wooded Oaks subdivision just north of Huntsville. This is the only house the grandkids knew. It had a really large formal living room that was great for family gatherings. Those mostly only happened at Christmas, though, because Teri and I moved to Florida and never came back.

Questions to be Answered

I’ll amend this list as information comes along. I’m getting to the end of the story, so I thought I would share my list of loose ends. Let me know if you think of other unanswered questions.

What is the history of other land purchases and sales after the initial purchase of federal lands?

We lack information about the cause of death of several individuals prior to modern death certificates and when availability of local newspaper coverage is spotty.

Are there any other newspapers covering 1840 to 1929 that my have information about the family? Terry Harper of Edwards County Historical Society will know.

I have been working with Ancestry.com for a couple of years now and it is impressive. I pay for months of service without logging in, and I will eventually have to give it up, but it is very worthwhile when you actually use it. I’ve tried to put all of the key information in the blog so that others don’t have to pay or repeat the work on Ancestry. You need to pay extra to get access to many newspaper articles that they have put online and I have chosen not to pay extra for the international version. I have decided not to dig too deep into the past in England or Germany (pre 1840). His book will be out eventually and it will have lots of source information in England and Germany.

Note that half of my grandmother Della’s ancestors lived in America around or even before the Revolutionary War, something I did not realize for several months of early research. More than 50% of her tree originates in Germany.