The Shelbyville
Republican
Monday October 20, 1947
Page 3 column 2
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YOUR TOWN OF BENGAL
By Hortense Montgomery
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PIONEER VILLAGE
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While Bengal is shown on the map of Shelby county we have not been able to
find why neither the Sluter nor the Chadwick histories of Shelby county have
made even a mention of this tiny village. It’s there for we visited it and
most people have passed through it.
We found out from our postmaster and others more than we will be able to
include in this brief sketch. With Mr. and Mrs. Thurston and their
grandchildren, Betty and North, we drove over the streets of the
village and wound up at the home of Mrs. Amanda McCain, where we found
out most of what you read here. Mr. Thurston grew up in the village and he and
Mrs. McCain, widow of John McCain, recalled that Henry Tucker,
her grandfather, was one of the very first pioneers of Hendricks township, one
of the most colorful and one of the wealthiest pioneers in the township. He
and his bride migrated to Indiana from Ohio, and right there is a bit of
romance. Mrs. Tucker’s parents were loathe to have their daughter go to
Indiana "with the Indians and wild panthers." She had to make her
choice between staying with her parents and civilization or going with her
young husband into a wild country. Things came to a point where he, with wagon
and team, was ready to leave and he gave her just ten minutes to decide
whether she was staying with her parents or going with him. When she saw he
was almost ready to drive away she went running to him, mounted the seat
beside him and together they arrived in the wild and wooly west—Indiana.
With just their wagon and team, one chest, their two hands and a load of
pioneer energy they acquired 1,200 acres of Shelby county’s best land. Mrs.
McCain has in her possession a sheepskin deed to one of the properties of her
grandfather.
The date of the settlement and the platting of the village we were not able
to learn but the two reminiscers thought it must have been in the early 1840’s.
The Thurston family was another pioneer family and it was a saying back in
the early days that if you met anyone it would be quite safe to say "Good
morning, Mr. Tucker" or "Good morning, Mr. Thurston" for it
would most likely be one or the other. And it was told too that both Mr. and
Mrs. Tucker were buried in their wedding clothes. And we feel sure that the
young bride never regretted her choice.
At its peak Bengal has approximately twenty families, about half of whom
made their living from a sawmill which was the big industry of the village.
Its owners at various times were John McCain, a Mr. Birely, and
together Rominger and Richmond who went there from Hope.
A general store was always a first must in a new settlement; with bad roads
or no roads, merchandise had to be available in the center of small
communities. A blacksmith shop was another of Bengal’s industries, and later
there were two. A general store, the only business in the village now, is
owned and managed by Bert Thurston.
Gordon Thurston and his parents went to live in Bengal in 1886, and
lived first in a log cabin that is no more. He began his first schooling there
in a frame school house which also is no more. It was replaced by a two-story
brick building; there were a lot of children in those days. It has been
vacated for the new township consolidated school and is now used as a
dwelling, like many other discarded school buildings.
When the Grange was a popular organization in rural communities Bengal had
one but when they went into decline its hall was used for a church and Sunday
school. It next became a recreation hall with a stage built at one end and
plays were given. The young people of the community became quite noted for
their play acting and were dated at a number of places over the county.
As a youth Mr. Thurston hauled logs from the sawmill to Shelbyville and for
his labor and his team he received two dollars a day. But each of all those
trips meant all the sights and excitements which Shelbyville then offered for
the eyes and ears of a small village boy.
Bengal was at one time a post office village, mail being brought to it from
Marietta via horseback and saddle bags, and distributed from there.
Bengal, with its countryside adherents, has two churches, a Methodist and a
Christian church, the latter of which has just been modernized and made a
quite attractive village church.
Mr. Thurston has fond memories of his early home—thinks Hendricks
township is the finest township in the county and once composed a eulogistic
poem which he uses in speaking at public gatherings in the township.
Contributed by Barb Huff
Your Town ... of
Bengal
(by Hortense Montgomery,
Shelbyville ...
as told by Gordon Thurston and Mrs. McCain)
Henry Tucker, grandfather
of Mrs. Amanda McCain, was one of the very [early?] pioneers in the township....He
and his bride migrated to Indiana from Ohio, and there is a bit of romance. Mrs. Tucker's parents were loathe to
have their daughter go to Indiana with its Indians and wild bears. She had to make a choice between staying with her parents and civilization or going with her young husband into a wild country. Things came to the point where
he, with wagon and team, was ready to leave and he gave her just ten minutes to decide whether she was staying
with her parents or going with him. When she saw he was almost ready to drive away she went running to him, mounted the seat beside him and together they arrived in the wild and woolly west -- INDIANA. With just their wagon and
team, one chest, their two hands and a load of pioneer energy, they acquired 1200 acres of Shelby County's best
land. Mrs. McCain has in her possession a sheepskin deed to one of the properties of her grandfather.
The date of the settlement and the platting of the village (Bengal) we were not able
to learn but the two reminiscers thought it must have been in the early 1840s.
The Thurston family was another pioneer family and it was a saying back
in the early days that if you met anyone, it would be quite safe to say "Good morning, Mr. Tucker" or
"Good morning, Mr. Thurston" for it would most likely be one or the other. And it was told too that both
Mr. and Mrs. Tucker were buried in their wedding clothes. And we feel sure that the young bride never regretted
her choice.
At its peak, Bengal had approximately twenty families, about half of whom made their
living from a sawmill which was the big industry of the village. Its owners at various times were John McCain, a Mr. Birely, and together Rominger and
Richmond who went there from Hope.
A general store was always a first must in a new settlement; with bad roads or no roads, merchandise had to be available in center of small communities. A blacksmith shop was another of Bengal's industries, and later there were two. A general store, the only business in the village now, is owned and managed by Bert Thurston.
Gordon Thurston and his parents went to
live in Bengal in 1886 and lived first in a log cabin that is no more. He began his first schooling there in a
frame school house which also is no more. It was replaced by a two-story brick building; there were a lot
of children in those days. It has been vacated for the new township consolidated school and is now used as a dwelling,
like many other discarded school buildings.
When the Grange was a popular organization in rural communities, Bengal had one,
but when they went into decline, its hall was used for a church and Sunday School. It next became a recreation
hall with a stage built at one end and plays were given. The young people of the community became quite noted for
their play acting and were dated at a number of places over the county.
A a youth, Mr. Thurston hauled logs from the sawmill to Shelbyville and for his labor
and his team received two dollars a day. But each of all those trips meant all the sights and excitements which
Shelbyville then offered for the eyes and ears of a small village boy.
Bengal was at one time a post office vllage, mail being brought to it from Marietta
via horseback and saddle bags and distributed from there.
Bengal, with its countryside adherents, has two churches, a Methodist and a Christian Church, with the latter of which has just been modernized and made a quite attractive village church.
...
Caveat: This article was found by Maureen Sheehan in the family files of the Shelbyville-Shelby
County Library. We don't know if it is part of a larger work or when it was written.
Shelby County Newspaper
Democrat
Special Correspondence of the Democrat:
Bengal
June 8, 1885
------
David Chappelow is some better at this writing.
Mrs. Sarah Moore, of Smithland attended Sunday School here Sunday.
Henry Bitely has traded for the forty acres of land near here formerly owned by J. T. Murphy.
George Ropp is attending school at Danville this term. He is making preparations for teaching.
We wish him success.
Madison Hayes will complete his building soon. He will then become a citizen of Bengal, where he will be hailed with a hearty welcome.
Monroe Dritt is improving his dwelling by building an addition to the front.
Mr. D. is one of our most enterprising farmers and stock raisers.
Miss Carrie Williams, Anderville Shaw, F. M. Sexton,
J. G. Sexton, and Miss Angie Atwood have returned from school at Danville.
They will all return for the next term but Miss Williams.
Sunday school here every Sunday 12:30 p.m., Jas. William, superintendent.
Preaching every other Saturday night, Sunday morning and Sunday night by Rev. McCain, of Franklin.
Our Sunday school should be encouraged more by our older citizens.
Contributed by Linda Ellis
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