64 INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS 



young man, and Mr. Livinggood, whose names are not on 

 the list have died, and an old man by the name of Simons 

 perished near the mouth of Deep River — He was said to 

 be a very steady temperate man, but being much exposed 

 to cold and wet on a raft, yielded to the temptation of 

 drinking whiskey, which deranged his intellect & de- 

 stroyed a very useful life. 



At the election in March, 1837, there were 78 votes 

 polled. At the last August election 327 — but owing to 

 sickness, this was far below the whole number, for at the 

 Presidential election in 1844 there were then 325 votes. 



The assessment of 1846 has 54,421 acres of land, which 

 of course is only what has been entered 5 years — this is 

 valued at $78,742, an average of a fraction less than 

 $1.45 an acre, the improvements on the same are valued 

 at $43,445, total land value $122,287, a fraction less than 

 $2.23 an acre including improvements — Amt. of personal 

 property assessed at extremely low prices, $95,849 — mak- 

 ing a total of $223,713 upon which a tax of $2754 was 

 levied, including polls & for State, County & road pur- 

 poses. Now let us resume our chain of events. 



You that think building so expensive now, may do well 

 to learn some of the prices then. 



Oak lumber I have told you was $15 a thousand — The 

 pine lumber in these buildings & the original part of the 

 house where I now live, which was built the same sea- 

 son, cost us $35 a thousand. Nails 15 cts. a pound — 

 Glass $4 1/2 a box — Shingles $3 a thousand. Provisions 

 at the same time were $10 a barrel for flour; $25 a barrel 

 for pork and 12 1/2 to 20c a pound for bacon — 27c a pound 

 for butter — 7 & 8 cents a pound for fresh pork, fatted 

 upon white oak acorns, and about as dry & hard as what 

 it was fed upon — $25 to $40 a piece for cows. These were 

 prices we actually paid that year. 



During this season we had preaching several times at 

 our house & in the present court room after that was fin- 

 ished ; and by the manner that every body far and near 

 turned out to attend meeting, and by their apparent en- 



