Judge John R. Porter was born in Berkshire county, Massachusetts, February 22, 1796, and attended the Episcopal Academy in Pittsfield, of that State. He entered Union College, New York, under the presidency of Dr. Nott, in 1813, from which he graduated in 1815, taking the first honors of his class. He then entered upon the study of law, and in 1818 became a partner of his preceptor. At that time reports filled the air of fortunes easily made in South America, and he sought passage to Rio Janeiro. But before he got off a revolution broke out in Buenos Ayres, which changed his plans, and the spring of 1819 found him on his way to the far West.

Armed with letters of introduction to Henry Clay and others, he landed in Louisville, Kentucky, in December, 1819. Finding nothing to induce him to remain there, he struck out for Indiana, stopping at Paoli, in Orange county, where he put up his law "shingle" to vindicate the rights of the people.

Soon after this he made the acquaintance of Charles Dewey and others of the bar, who became his life-long friends. Clients came and business followed, though at that period the labors of the bar were arduous, as those who practiced law had to travel the judicial circuits on horseback, and often over the most miserable of roads.

Mr. Porter was commissioned Postmaster at Paoli in 1822, which was the first office he ever filled. In 1825 he was appointed Circuit Judge, and the same year was one of the commissioners to locate the seat of justice of Fountain county, which was formed from the counties of Montgomery and Wabash. He was married to Miss Mary Worth, November 13, 1825. The legislative changes of his judicial circuit were so frequent and so great, that he held courts during his term of

service from the counties on the Ohio river to those of the lakes. In 1832, he assisted in making a treaty with the Indians, where, surrounded by three or four hundred red men, some dressed in the richest of clothing, artfully and elaborately ornamented; while others, in squalor, rags and vermin, gathered in the crowd, while one of them in his speech wrought himself into such a rage that he seized the minutes of the council from the secretary's table and tore them furiously into fragments. Fortunately his ire was subdued, and he was brought back to stolid equanimity of temper again by a few trifling trinkets, which greatly diverted the Judge, as he thought it the finest forensic farce he had ever witnessed.

Many of the early courts of Judge Porter were held in private residences, selected by the Legislature. With such men as Law, Blake, Dewey, Bryant, Blackford, Hannegan and Evans, Judge Porter assisted in laying the foundation of Indiana jurisprudence, and of these and other distinguished associates he ever spoke kindly until the day of his death.

In 1833, by an act of the Legislature, organizing the Eighth Judicial District, he was greatly relieved by having his Circuit cut down to a civilized boundary, which gave him more time to be at home with his family, which he loved so well.

His term as Circuit Judge expired in 1837, and he was afterward elected Judge of the Court of Common Pleas for the counties of Parke and Vermillion, which office he held at the time of his death, April 23d, 1853, aged fifty-seven years. He was a citizen of this county from 1826-twenty-seven years. His sons, John W., Isaac and C. D., are among the most prominent and wealthy citizens of the county. They still retain the pater

nal inheritance, which is one of the richest and most sightly farms in this broad and beautiful valley.

Judge Rezin Shelby who was, while living, one of the prominent citizens of this county, came here about the year 1824. His wife was a Thompson, and came to the county in 1822. They lost a valued son in the army of the war of 1861, Major David Shelby, who was a gallant officer, and did his duty fearlessly and faithfully up to the period of his death. His widowed mother, Mrs. Jane Shelby, still resides on the old place. Their lands are among the most valuable of the Wabash Valley.

There are many other families in this county whom we would have been glad to see enrolled in this connection, but we have no notes of their history and therefore are forced to silence even where worth and virtue have been prominent. In our township histories we have others to speak of who were taken in that order, and we can not now transfer them.

Judge John M. Coleman was at one time known as a prominent citizen of this county, and though he did not die here, he left behind him a record of honor and usefulness which should give him a place in Vermillion county history. His father, James Coleman, was a soldier in the Revolution of 1776, and also in the war of 1812, and in fighting with the Indians it is said that he received seven balls in his body and clothing in one day's battle. Judge Coleman came to this place from Virginia, and was long intimately associated with the old Collett family. He helped to lay out the city of Indianapolis and also the town of Terre Haute, and built the old Court House of the latter city. Afterward moving to Iowa, he took the job and finished the State House of Iowa City. He subsequently died in Iowa City and was buried there.

Lieutenent Henry Groenendyke, a son of James and brother of John, moved by the impulses of patriotic ardor, enlisted in the war of 1861, and went out with one of our Indiana Regiments to do battle for the Union. The arduous services and many privations of the camp and field wore heavily upon his constitution, but still being unwilling to quit the field he was detailed by General Sherman and placed in the Signal Corps at Sherman's headquarters. But disease had already made such inroads upon him that even his more favorable position failed to give him back his health again, and he sank to death among the war victims of 1863. His mortal remains were brought back to this, the place of his birth, where amid the deep emotions of those who loved him and had known him from his youth, he was solemnly interred in a soldier's grave.

CHARACTER OF THE TIMBER.

When these broad bottoms were first settled they were covered with heavy timber, except parts of the terrace land, which being free from trees, was termed "prairie." It is probable, however, as we have already intimated, that these ancient clearings were a portion of the civilized progress of the Aztecs, or mound builders. This seems to have been the conviction of Prof. Bradley, an able geologist, who assisted Prof. Cox in making a survey of this county in 1867. We are indebted to the Professor for many valuable suggestions and observations, which we have freely used, as the result of his inspections has become the common property of the State. The Professor thinks it probable that during the period when the Indians occupied this country, their annual fires prevented the growing up of these clearings. We think this possible, if the annual fires of the

Indians were not of themselves the primary cause of the prairies. The Wabash river, running from north to south through the county, with most of its tributaries coming in from the west, has given rich alluvial bottoms, which once, perhaps, were heavily timbered. These bottoms are from one to three miles wide. The first bottom is from twenty-five to thirty feet above low water mark. The tributaries have bottom from one-half to a mile wide. These were originally clothed with giant oak, wal

nut, cotton-wood and hickory trees.

The small blue grass prairies, interspersed along these bottoms, being exceptions to the general rule of timber, made the work of clearing very arduous to the primitive settlers. But now that they are mostly cleared, they make one-tenth of the county. The second bottoms, which are termed "terraceprairies," beginning at the north, are called Walnut, Mound, Eugene or Sand, Newport and Helt's Prairies, and are, with the brushy lands around them, from thirty-five to sixty-five feet above low-water mark. The soil is black, sandy loam, producing the richest crops of wheat, corn and grass, and in these respects is considered the most reliable in their annual products of any lands in the county. The well known "Walnut level," at the outskirts, is bordered with walnut, sugar, maple and cherry trees. These terraces comprise three-tenths of the county.

The center part of the county is heavily timbered with good choice growth of hickory, sugar, maple, beech, white oak, walnut, etc., and has an elevation of two hundred and fifty to two hundred and seventy feet above low water mark.

GRAND PRAIRIE-FRUIT, ETC.

The Grand Prairie region skirts the county on the west, and is rich and gently rolling, and produces good crops of corn, oats