Kriel’s deed

Looking at the “Cosby & Moore Subdivision East” one sees the name Mary (Brushfield) Kreil on the map to the west of that land, and Anna Brushfield to the east. Mary Brushfield was the wife of William Kriel (Kreil). The  directories at the library make a jump in years, so the first  available that I can show with the Kriels is 1875, with the listing, Kriel, William, butcher, ss Lawrenceburg Road, e of Ferry. That would be a Park Avenue address. No way to cross reference for that year or how much earlier they were living there since the census was five years earlier and showed them one street down. I’m pretty sure that’s 1016 Park Avenue at that point.

It would appear the house is at least within the period of significance, not that anyone seems to care but me.  I’m pretty sure every single house in Madison that is in the historic landmark district has not had a deed check nor did they have to, they were just included, while this end was excluded. At least I am trying to date these by more than one resource. I found the property had been gone through the hands of M.G.Bright and William Burkitt, the deed description saying it was the same premises conveyed in 1874. So if they were living there in 1875 there had to be a house there.

In the 1890-91 Madison, Indiana city directory  Mr. Kriel was listed as living with children  Bessie and Henry and a relative, Samuel Roll, who has been mentioned in other posts.  An 1887  listing shows: Kriel William, meat market, 317 W. Main and then another shows him at 325 w Main, res 1016 Park ave.

I think the addresses changed on W. Main. This old photo shows Peter’s drugstore at the corner  (at 327 W. Main) so the Kriel Meat market would have been in a  building to the east (left) of the corner building.

Anyway…

After Benjamin Brushfield (Mary’s father) died, his land was divided with most of the children staying in the neighborhood.The plat  map of his subdivision is at the eastern most part of the city of Madison, Indiana, to the east of the six Cosby & Moore  shown above. Brushfields lived in a number of houses on Park, some to the east and west of that shown above, some on E. First (High), Filmore and Fulton (Front).

I mention the Kriels again because I made another connection today for William Kriel, who lived at 1016 Park Avenue at the time of that directory listing. I decided to do a search again on him, and came to see his name on one of the myindianahome.net pages for churches, under the heading for the Otterbein Chapel, United Brethren (Madison Twp., Jefferson County). The site mentioned the Madison Courier of Nov. 9, 1869 noting that “Otterbein Chapel located at Bee Camp” would be dedicated “that Sunday”. Further, there is the mention that there was a hunt for another building.

I was a bit confused reading that trustees had voted to buy the Eagle Hollow School House (Miscellaneous Records Book 1 p. 331.) and then the church elected trustees to get a deed, (Miscellaneous Records Book 1 p. 530.) saying they were “finally successful in purchasing the school house, identified as located at the corner of Ferry and High Street.” 

I had to read that twice because there was no school at Ferry and High Street, unless we’re talking someplace else, but there was the old schoolhouse at the time on High Street just east of Ferry, in Madison. The newer school building at Park and Ferry was not yet in existence.  I figured I would have to look that one up, because if that was the case, that meant the old schoolhouse on High Street, east of Ferry Street.

I had my doubts so I looked the Otterbein Chapel up on Wikipedia, and at the moment (as things may change on that site), there was this, “ Otterbein Chapel, a congregation of the United Brethren, formed in 1867 and a stone building was constructed for its use by Nov. 9, 1869 when its upcoming dedicated was mentioned in the Madison Courier. However, the church apparently lost ownership of the building and on March 18, 1873, its trustees voted to buy the Eagle Hollow School House in nearby Madison.”

I couldn’t find much else out after looking at the two Miscellaneous Records Books, and decided to look for the names of the trustees individually for a purchase because the reference  on myindianahome.net said, “School trustees sold the property to William Kreil, Daniel Grebe, Nathan Schoolcraft, Joseph Gray and George Peters for $300. The church was still in existence on April 5, 1902 when George Davis and J.H. Drennen, were elected trustees. L.L. Schoonover was presiding elder and F.W. Cole was secretary.  

None of that was making sense to me at the time and I was about to give up but then ran across William Kriel’s deed, a few pages and a few sheriffs later. A.D.D. set in; I left the search for the UBC, figuring it went elsewhere. I had no idea what they bought for their church or if or where they had bought anything.

This is part of the page  found, in Sheriff’s book 2, page 428:

 I  recognized the property description of the William Kriel deed as starting at that northeast corner of the property to the west, the Joseph Thomas property, (which was identified in the 1014 Park Avenue post) and running east along Lawrenceburg Road then south, then east along High Street and north to the point of beginning. Yeah, now what?

Well, it was four o’clock and the recorder’s office was closing. I was done for the day. I figured out the description was not for the schoolhouse building but it was right next to it, at 1016 Park Avenue.  1016 is where Richard B. Brushfield lived, and where the Kriels lived, so obviously it stayed in the family a little longer, since Richard (the son) was there until the 1950’s. That property went to the Wesleyan Church of Brooksburg, IN, then to the present owner who has it for sale. I pretty much have that one done.  

Stumbling my way through all these things, I’ll have to go back to the recorder’s office, though, to see what else turns up. I know there are two other Kriel deeds in the neighborhood.