Nehemiah Hayden

NEHEMIAH HAYDEN FAMILY
-- T.A. Hayden

Among the early settlers of West Creek Township was Nehemiah and Harriet Kitchel Hayden who came in 1837. They were the parents of eight sons and five daughters. He had one son William, by second marriage.

The children were namely: Daniel, Nancy, Lucinda, Andrew, Phoeba, Jacob, Julia, Lewis, Edgar, Elizabeth, and Cyrus.

They all sought a living by farming and became a very prosperous family of well to do farmers. Each had a large farm, good buildings and took pride in owning and driving fine horses. All were very temperate, only one ever used tobacco.

They were all faithful followers of the Republican party.

The largest farm of 900 acres belonged to Reason Kyle who married Nancy Hayden. The second largest was Daniel's 700 acres. The farm of Cyrus was where North Hayden is now located. On the farm was a lone oak tree which the Indians used as a guide in crossing the prairie from the south of the township to Cedar Lake.

Cyrus answered the call of his country and served in the Civil War.

After retiring from active farming the following became residents of Lowell: Jacob, John, Lewis, Edgar, Phoeba, Elizabeth, and William.

The first bridge across West Creek was built by Nehemiah Hayden for which he received $400. The bridge was called the Torrey Bridge, so named because a family by the name of Henry Torrey, a neighbor and early settler, lived near where the bridge was built.

A treaty with the Pottawatomie Indians was made in 1832, and when the first settlers came, there were not many left.

All of the earliest settlers followed hunting and trapping but soon turned their attention to farming, going as far as Chicago for supplies as well as to sell their products but later were able to trade at Dyer and Crown Point.

The first school house was built of unhewn logs in 1838 near the Torrey Bridge. There were benches for the children to sit on and a long board in front of them to write on. The school house stood for 10 years, then school was held in private homes until 1854, when a frame one was built. The first teacher received $1 per week and had to board with the patrons of the school. In this family some times one pair of shoes had to do for two, so they could go to school only every other day during the winter.

If space would permit, many interesting incidents could be told about their experiences with the Indians as well as with the wolves, deer, and other wild animals.

Today we should not complain, if we had to revert to the days of the early settlers, we would surely more appreciate what we now enjoy.

NOTE -- Nehemiah Hayden's birth and death dates, as well as his wife's, are listed differ in various references. The West Creek Cemetery Index at the Lowell Public Library lists Nehemiah's life span as 1800-1856 and his wife Harriet's as 1802-1847. In Richard Schmal's "Pioneer History" column from Nov. 1980, Nehemiah Hayden's birth/death dates were listed as Oct. 27, 1798 to 1857, and his wife Harriet's were listed as 1802 to Apr. 16, 1847. A newspaper article on the first Hayden reunion list's Nehemiah's life span as Oct. 27, 1790-Apr. 20, 1856, and his wife Harriet's death date as Apr. 28, 1847.