David Faulkner - Biographical Article

Interesting Story
About Life in the 1800's
By David Folkner

OWEN COUNTY JOURNAL (Indiana)
FEB.12, 1874

OWEN COUNTY AND EARLY SETTLERS

DAVID FOLKNER
was born January 7, 1811 in Wythe county,
Virginia, where I resided with my parents until 10
years of age, when I removed to Sullivan county,
East Tennessee. After remaining there two years my
parents bought land in Scott county, Virginia and
moved upon it.

I lived with them until I was 23
years old, when I took a notion to marry, and on the
12th of September, 1833 was married to Ceila Ann
Grizzle.

As the parents of both were opposed to the
match we eloped, she taking no clothing except
what she had on. After purchasing her a new calico
dress and procuring the license we went to
Methodist preacher who was about moving to
Illinois, were married and went with him as
members of his family, having at that time but $12
with which to begin life. Came through Spencer,
which at that time was a small village and when as
far out as Coles county, Illinois, were compelled to
stop on account of the severe cold weather.

The minister had rented a cabin which was so small
we had to strike out for ourselves. We rented a little
cabin three quarters of a mile north of Charleston,
bought a blanket, some tow linen to make a bed
tick, a skillet, coffee pot, half a set of knives, tea
cups and plates, and went to keeping house. Stayed
there until spring catching rabbits and prairie
chickens when a man got me to move to his farm
half a mile east of town.

I had everything furnished and tended the
farm giving one-third of the crop as rent. I made
considerable that year and in 1834 William Grizzle
and myself rented thirty acres, cut and hauled logs
and built houses for ourselves, made rails and
fenced out land, and got ten acres broke and
planted.

In July we took the ague and had it all
summer, when we became discouraged, having shaken
nearly everything we had into the doctor's hands and
sold what little we had left for an old mare and an
old one-horse carriage and all started for Virginia.

We came as far as Spencer where we had to stop for
want of means. We met with old Joseph Withers
here and stayed with him till spring, when we sold
our horse and carriage for $12 in trade, and went
to what is known as Flinn's Spring, and located on
Congress land. I cut logs and Grizzle and myself
carried them and built each of us a house. During the
day we would make rails for people at 25 cents per
hundred; and at night we would clear land for
ourselves. We cleared about two acres apiece and
raised corn on it one year.

I bought him out in the fall and in December a
man entered me out and never did pay, nor hasn't yet.
This made me a little mad, and I resolved that the
next Congress land I went on would be my own,
so in March I hired a yoke of oxen and moved up into
town 11, to old Mr. Allen's, who was sheriff of the
county at that time.

I moved into a cabin out in the woods, and stayed
there until fall, working some for Mr. Allen,
at 30 cents per day, and some for old Mr. Freeland,
clearing land in the green woods; and would
sometimes leave my wife and two children for a
week at a time and work for Mr. Samuel W. Dunn,
getting out timbers for a house on his farm abouve
town. I also worked for Mr. Dans in harvest, for 50
cents per day, and that year laid up $30 besides
supporting my family.

I was determined to make my word good and own a
house of my own, but lacking $20 of having money
enough to enter 40 acres of land so in September
I went to Mr. Allen and asked him to loan me what
I lacked. He made me no reply, but went to his bed
and got a stocking about as long as my arm which was
full of silver and counted me the money telling me
to send by mail and enter the land, and when I got
able I could pay him. I thanked him, and did as he said.

I came to Spencer and got George Dignan to send my
money and I entered a homestead. I had to build a
house and get ready for winter which I did. I had no
horse, cows, hogs and in fact nothing else but a wife
and two children; but I felt as big as the man did
who entered me out, so I went to work in good
spirits, having to earn what we lived on that winter.

I had nothing to raise any corn with, so I concluded
to crop with Sol Aley. But he had no horse nor
anything to farm with, so he bought an old blind
horse, we got two old shovels and welded them
together, got an old shuck collar and a pair of
hames, made traces out of ropes and raised a fine
crop of corn on about six or seven acres.

I bought two cows from S.W. Dunn for which I
paid $40 in work, cutting wood at 25 cents per cord,
and mowing grass at 50 cents a day, and afterwards
traded them for a mare, from which I raised a colt.

I cleared ground at night and at odd spells,
to raise corn and wheat on, and sold wheat to Mr.
Allison for 25 cents a bushel and sold hogs for
$1.50 net.

I got some in debt to Dignan and gave him my
note, which he sold where he bought goods and
when it was sent out for collection, I had no money
but stayed it and before the stay run out I got the
money and went to pay off the judgement, but
Dignan told me to let him have the money and he
would pay it for me. He used the money and they
came to me for the amount and I had to let them
have the last work horse I had to pay the debt.

I then left my wife to shift for herself about
four months and I went to New Albany.

While on the road I got a felon on my thumb
and being among strangers I was obliged to work
some, so I got an ax and went to chopping cord
wood at $1 per cord, all of which was
required to pay my board and washing. My thumb would
hurt so bad that I thought sometimes it would come off.

I went on to New Albany and entered the service of the
United States on a snag boat, and worked three months
taking snags out of the Mississippi River, for which I
recieved $30 per month. After being discharged I came
back to old Owen and went to clearing land and farming.
I made one trip to New Orleans on a flat boat for Mr.
Isaacs and Messer Secrest. During the trip we run our boat
into a drift and although we worked had to keep it out,
Mr. Secrest said it was "right where he wanted it."

I got $30 for that trip and came back but having got
in debt, I sold my 40 acres to get out and to buy
more land. I paid my debts bought 10 acres and entered
another 40 acres.

I worked on, cleared land of nights, made wood
choppings and log rollings and assisted my
neighbors as much as they did me. I went to twenty six
log choppings and rollings in one spring. I could lift
as much then as any of them and was the best man at
sport at night.

I had 80 acres of land and then bought
80 more, which I finally succeeded in getting well
fenced and over 100 acres of it cleared.

My wife died January 26, 1856, leaving me with
twelve children-- seven girls and three boys. I was
then like somebody lost; everything about the house and
farm seemed to be going to loss, so I sought another
companion and on the 8th of February, 1857 I married
Mary Ann Clark, who is still living and by whom I have
had seven children--three boys and four girls,
the youngest being 3 years old. My children are all
living except the oldest boy by my first wife and
the oldest boy by my second wife.

The children by my first wife are all married except
two, who are still at home. Some of my children are
in Texas, some in Vigo, some in Sullivan and some in
this county.

If anybody has succeeded in raising as
large a family of children as I have, with as little
of this world's goods to begin with, I would like to
hear from them.

My opportunities for getting an education were
limited as three weeks in all that I ever attended
school and all the learning I got was what I picked up
after I was grown.

I began without anything, and from nothing still
nothing remains.