Meantime Father had rented a small dwelling house on the west side of the main street of the town. The line of the two counties extended north and south through the town and was a few feet west of the street and ran through the lot on which the house Father had rented was located, and part of the house was in Putnam and part in Park County. There was an old grist mill, on the creek at the north extremity of the town, which had been there many years and from which it was said the town in part took its name. There was another town in Indiana the name of which was Portland, and the people of this place also wishing to name it Portland added the word Mills, to distinguish it from Portland. The mill had long been one of the best in the country, and its machinery, from time to time had been improved and it was making good flour and meal. The miller was Mr. "Waxie" Cook who had a number of boys, one of whom, Joe, was a hunchback, but a very bright, intelligent lad.

Father’s cousin, Dr. Jack Slavens, had a large practice and as he was getting old (several years older than Father) he desired Father to assist him in his practice, and it was his solicitation that induced Father to locate in Portland Mills. Before long they were both busily employed every day and often at night, we had moved into our rented house, which, though of only five rooms, was very comfortable. There was a fair sized lot with room for a garden, and at the back end a small barn. After we had been at Portland Mills two or three months Dolph’s school term expired and he and his wife and little daughter came to live with us. Dolph was not employed at any remunerative occupation after they came to Portland Mills and they did not feel able to rent and furnish a house and finance a separate household expense.

It was near the last of November 1861 when we located at Portland Mills, and I soon began to attend the public school at the district schoolhouse just across Raccoon Creek from town. In going to school we crossed the creek on a covered wooden bridge. The schoolhouse was a white painted frame building and was similar to the schoolhouse where Dolph taught in Aunt Sarah Slavens’ school district, being equipped with desks, seats and black board. There was a big box stove with a drum on top of it which, with plenty of wood provided for fuel, kept the house comfortable on the coldest days. I had become acquainted with several boys in town about my size among whom I remember were George Baker, Albert Sigler, Len Radcliff and Joe Cook, a hunch back. There were others whose name I have forgotten, as well as the names of some boys who attended school but lived in the country.

I have a very distant recollection of George Baker, who was always trying to play pranks on other boys. He was very overbearing especially with boys smaller than he was and was always teasing the little girls and making them cry. I did not like him and he tried in various ways to get me angry and cause me to quarrel or fight him, which was against the teacher’s rules and I would get punished. One day, at recess in trying to provoke me, he, having become very angry at me without any cause, hit me a hard blow on the stomach with his fist knocking the breath out of me and I could not get my breath for several seconds and felt dreadfully bad. Cousin Horace who was a husky lad had seen the cowardly act of my tormentor, came to my relief and told George if he continued his abuse of me he would give him a thrashing. Some of the other pupils, who saw it all and sympathized with me, reported the matter to the teacher, who after an investigation, gave George a well-deserved whipping. After that, George never molested me again, as long as I lived in Portland Mills.

One of the games we played at school was leap frog. One of the boys would stand stooped over and another boy would jump over him and stop a short distance away also stooped over and the procedure would continue until a number had “leaped the frog." Sometimes a boy would stumble or fall as the leap was being made and the leaper would catch a fall, but if not hurt all would join with him in a hearty laugh. But sometimes a boy would get a hard fall and bloody noses, and bruised heads or faces frequently occurred. Another game was "Anthony Over" played by throwing a ball over the schoolhouse. The pupils divided into two divisions, one on each side of the house. One side threw the ball over, which someone of the opposite side caught and concealing, ran around the house and hit someone.

During the fall and winter of 1861-1862 we heard frequently from Brother Tom who was still in St. Louis, Missouri at Benton Barracks with his regiments. They expected to be sent further south in the Spring. Sometime in March, I think, a letter from him stated that he had been ill of measles and was then able to sit up. That was the last we heard directly from him. The next letter we received was from Captain Haggard. He stated that just about the time Tom was ill of measles, his regiment, with others at Benton Barracks, was ordered to proceed down the Mississippi River to Cairo, Illinois and later to mobilize with the Federal Army near Pittsburgh Landing, Tennessee. Brother Tom was too ill to go with his regiment and was left in the military hospital at St. Louis. Later when he had only partially recovered he was permitted to go with others to join his regiment. In going on a steamboat down the river he took cold and suffered a relapse of the measles which resulted in pneumonia. He reached the regiment in a very critical condition and although everything possible was done for him by the attending surgeons he died in the camp hospital the evening before the Battle of Pittsburgh Landing, and was buried on the ground which became the battlefield. The news of his death was a great shock to us all. Although we had not heard from him for some time, we supposed he was still in St. Louis. Owing to imperfect mail facilities in consequence of the war, letters frequently miscarried or were delayed in being transported or delivered and we were confident he had written and we would hear from him soon. The sad news of his death nearly prostrated Mother and it was the greatest sorrow of my life, the most heart rendering grief I had ever experienced. Being only a few years older than we, Tom, more than any of my other brothers had been especially, when I was a younger boy, my playmate and was always so ready and anxious to join in my plays, and to console me so affectionately in my childhood troubles. We were all greatly troubled when he joined the army and went away with the other soldiers. He was well and hearty then and we hoped he would soon be home again as most people thought then that the war would not continue many months longer, still after he had gone and as time passed, it became more and more evident that the war might continue for a long time, we realized that we might never see him again. Now we knew that he had passed from mortal vision forever, that never again on earth would we see him. We were heart broken and it seemed that our sorrow was too great to be borne. Our bereavement was so sudden, and to me at least so unexpected that we were overwhelmed with grief over the death of the dear boy. He was so young, only nineteen years old, and when he left us, and all the time when we were enroute from Missouri to Illinois seemed so cheerful and to enjoy life so well, that it seemed dreadful to us that his precious life should end while he was so young. We were consoled, though, to know that he had died in a noble cause and as surely in defense of his beloved country as though he had been killed in battle, and although he slept in an unknown soldier’s grave in what became a great battlefield of the war, we were consoled by the assurance that he died with full hope of immortality, a Christian soldier. This word came from his captain who was with him until he passed away, and who tenderly laid him to rest in a soldier's grave. Tom was always a generous kind hearted boy, and a Christian young man; had a splendid sunny disposition and it could truly be said of him that all who knew him were his friends.

Chapter seven continued...