James and George Parks, George Sharp, Coleman Pratt, Lewis Noel and two or three other heads of families erected rude log cabins on their respective farms late in the fall of 1816 or during the winter of 1816-17, and the men lived in the same ("bached") all winter, clearing in the meantime land for the crop of 1817.  Barly the next spring the families of these men arrived and became residents in the log cabins.  Among those who came in 1817 were the families of Parkes, George Sharp, Lewis Noel, Coleman and Joseph Pratt, William Milligan, Jonathan Gilbert, Joseph Reeves, Samuel Ellett and probably half a dozen others.  Johnston Sharp, yet living, says this was the first settlement of the township.  James Parks, Sr., then about thirty-six years old, was the leading man of the settlement.  He lived to the remarkable age of one hundred and one years and over, will be read with interest:

    "I was born in Wilkes County, N.C., next the Yadkin River, September 26, 1781.  My Grandfather, John Parks, moved from Virginia to thisplace before the Revolutionary war, but how long before I do not know.  My grandfather was of Irish descent, and my grandmother of Dutch.  They raised to be men and women fourteen children, seven boys and seven girls.
    "My father, George was raised and married in the same settlement.  My mother's maiden name was Milly Davis.  They had six children: all lived to have families except one.  I lived in the neighborhood until I was fifteen years old, when my father, with his family, moved to Burke County N.C.  I lived with my father until I was about twenty-five years of age, when I married Nancy Moore on the 30th of November, 1806.  We settled and lived in Burke County for several years.  We had ten children, all of whom lived to be men and women except two.  Nancy, my wife, died June 26, 1826, and I married Frances Kendrick August 27, 1860.  By her I had one son, James.
    "Now, for some of the incidents of my early life.  Commence ninety years ago, just after the close of the Revolutionary war.  I remember grandfather had a roan horse.  He went for his horse one morning, to find that he had been stolen.  Great lamentions folled, but a few mornings afterward the old horse stood at the gate well-rigged out with new saddle and bridle-all complete.
    "When granfather's property was sold, after his death, a family of his slaves were exposed to sale, which, by his will, were not to be sold out of the family.  That was humane in those days.  Father brought a boy named Moses, and he and I were raised together.  The people of those days were thrown upon their own resources.  No labor-saving machinery.  All came out of the ground-both eating and wearing.  The men would raise the cotton and flax, the women would card, spin and weave clothing for themselves and children.  They had dresses of different colors and stripes.  They got their colors from indigo of their own raising, copperas and various kinds of blossoms.  The first claico dress I ever saw father bought for my sister, then about sixteen years old.  He gave a three-year old steer for six yards, which completed the dress.  I suppose if the ladies nowadays were confined to six yards for a dress, they would think it rather tight.
    "Education was quite limited, Our schoolhouse was inside of round logs, with a dirt floor.  Split logs with legs put in for seats.  Large cracks were left to admit the light.  Our books consisted of first a primer, then Dike's spelling book, then Dilworth's then Webster's first edition, completed one list of spelling books.  Our first reader was called Psalter, some old English concern, then the Texstament and Bible.  These completed our reading books.  No grammer, geography nor history was in use that I ever heard of till my education was completed.  I learned to cipher as far as the rule of three, and some in fraction' could write and tolerable hand; and was considered a fair scholar for those days.  Our schoolhouse was also used for a church.  When young people walked to meeting together, the girls would tie their shoes and stockings in their handkerchief, and carry them on their arm until within sight of the church, when they would put them on, and so march up in style.  (We boys were spared that trouble, from the fact we had none).  The girls dress in winter was of woolen goods called linsey, in the summer, cotton stripe.  Boys dress for winter was buckskin breeches and shoes-no boots.  The custom was for almost every farmer to tan his own leather, and make shoes for himself and family.  Our diet was hog and hominy for breakfast, vegetables for dinner, and a hearth full of roasted sweet potatoes for supper.  Sugar and coffee for only special occasions.  Fruit abundant.  Peach brandy and honey tolerably plenty, whisky scarce.  There were very few drunkards.  No doctors or lawyers.  I never saw either, that I know of, until I was fifteen years old.
    "Soon after the war of 1812 when things had somewhat settled, my father and family with enough others to make a right smart colony, concluded to emigrate to some new country.
    "The Territory of Indiana was the place chosen, and we landed in Lawrence County, on the Eat Fork of Whit River, October, 1815.  The land was not yet in market, but was surveyed off ready to be sold.  We chose our lots, and settled on the, built our cabins, and cleared a considerable amount of land.  As the sale was to come off the nest season at Jeffersonville, a dozen or more of us went down.  The land was to sold to the highest bidder.  When the sale took place, a man by the name of Bulslett, had a longer pole than ours, and 'knocked the persimmons.' sweeping the entire settlement.  Not the first mand saved his land or improvements.  So we marched home, feeling as if we had lost a friend.  I had about eight acres cleared, surrounded by a good fence.  The part of the territory where we now live did not come into market until the next season, so we concluded to make another trial.  So we moved and again selected our lots."  The next sale took place at Vincenues in October 1816.  By this time we became somewhat acquainted with fever and ague.  I was the only one able to attend the sale, and I took the chills while there, I purchased for nearly the entire colony - about a dozen ( ) in all.  After the sale we went that winter and built cabins on our lots and cleared some ground.  I got in about six acres of corn, which was our sole dependence for the year.  But lo! in October there came a frost which bit the ear (so with the whole settlement)!  Then we were in a fix.  We had no mills to grind our corn, so we were compelled to pund it into meal.  There was one hand mill in the settlement.  But the corn was so soft it would neither beat nor grind until it was kiln dried.  I made a scaffold up in the chimney and dried mine, then I had my choice to go a mile to the hand mill, or to pound it.  Many a time I have worked hard all day, and at night taken one-half bushel of corn to the hand mill and ground it.
    "I had myself, wife and five children to feed.  That would be throught pretty hard these times.  Nevertheless, we never suffered from hunger.  I was considered a good shot.  In a few hours I could bring in venison or turkey.  We also had plenty of milk and butter.  So we passed the season safely.  When we first moved here, Delaware and Pottawatomie Indians were plentiful.  They were quite friendly, and would often come with their squaws and papooses to stay all night with us.  They had a trading house within a half mile of where I now live.  In early days we had grand times at log rollings.  When we got our ground ready for rolling, we would invite our neighbors to the frolic.  Choosing our captains, they would in turn choose their hands, and at it we would go.  If ever you saw logs come together, it was about that time.  Before we commenced work we had to tak a little of the 'critter!'.  It is not worth while to say we did not feel what we drank, for that was what we drank it for!  We had non who might be called drunkards.  Such was the custom of the country at that time.  Oh, what a thing custom is when rightly considered, weather good or bad.
    "The year after we moved to the Territory, delegates were elected for the purpose of forming a State constitution.  Counties were then laid off and established.  Before Monroe County was organized, and election was ordered to choose three Commissioners, a clerk and a Sheriff.  B. Woodward, Michael Buskirk and myself were elected Commissioners.  we proceeded to organize the county.  We purchased a half section of land, where the courthouse now stands.  we laid off the public square, and had a court house and jail built thereon.  Lots were surveyed and sold, bringing a considerable revenue.  We were now ready to hold court, and the county machinery ready for action.  It now became necessary to have a School Commissioner.  I offered my services and was elected.
    "In order to put the school in operation, it became my duty to sel all the sixteenth sections to the highest bidder.  By this means, a large fund was raised, and the school placed upon a firm basis (I have to make long strides on account of my records being burned up).  In the year 1832, I offered for the Legislature (Lower House), and was elected.  I served my time at $2 per day, and boarded myself.  Finding that there was not much money in such warfare, and perhaps less credit, I would not offer any more.  Some years afterward, I was again elected School Commissioner for the county.  At the expiration of my term of office, I retired from public life.  (I never was beaten for any office I offered for).
    "The first President I ever voted for was Thomas Jefferson for his second term of office.  I have been a straightforward Democrat ever since - voted for all the candidates for office except Greley.  I thought the Democrats got off the track there, and I would not follow them.  I have lived on the farm where I now live for Sixty-two years.  I have been the ancestor of eleven children, fifty-six grandchildren, eighty great-grandchildren, and five great-great-grandchildren, thus being at this time, the representative of five generations.
    "I joined the Baptist Church in North Carolina abou the year of 1807.  I was one of the charter members of Old Vernal Church, the first congregation organized in this county, Monroe, and was Deacon of the church for quite a number of years.
    "I have endeavored to live peaceably with all men and to live in accordance with the will of my heavenly Master, to the best of my knowledge.  I have fought the good fight, have almost run my race, and am now patiently waiting for the good Lord to call me home, where there is a heavenly mansion prepared for me not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens.