Deming, Indiana

In 1833, David Anthony, Joseph Hadley, William Pickett, and Jesse Beals became the first recorded American pioneers to permanently inhabit the region that is near/at the present site of Deming, Indiana. Later that same year, Hansil Bartholomew, Peter Lowrance, Jacob Hadley, William Ramsey, Levi Cook, Elihu Pickett, James Fisher, Jacob Crull, Joseph Moon, John Countryman, Daniel Lane, Samuel Pickerill, Squire Tucker, and John Hatfield also settled in the area. From then on, a steady stream of pioneers trickled into the community.{{Cite book |last=Helm |first=Thomas B. cn |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofhamilto00helm/page/303/mode/2up |title=History of Hamilton County, Indiana : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers : to which are appended maps of its several townships |date=1880 |publisher=Chicago : Kingman Brothers |others=Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center}} During this time the Land Office of Indianapolis, which was managed by the General Land Office, sold land in the locality in 40-acre blocks for $1.25 ($47.00 in August 2024) an acre.{{Cite web |last=IARA |date=2021-02-25 |title=Land Records |url=https://www.in.gov/iara/divisions/state-archives/collections/land-records/ |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=IARA |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=$1.25 in 1833 → 2024 {{!}} Inflation Calculator |url=https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1833?amount=1.25 |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=www.officialdata.org |language=en}} This early wave of settlement ended with the Panic of 1837 and the subsequent failure of the Indiana Mammoth Internal Improvement Act.{{Cite web |last=Devadasan |first=Neil |date=2021-04-25 |title=Hamilton County |url=https://indyencyclopedia.org/hamilton-county/ |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=Encyclopedia of Indianapolis |language=en-US}}

The aforementioned early settlers found that the soil of this region had enough sand in it to make for naturally well-drained land. The surrounding forests were thick with poplar, sugar, walnut, and oak trees, which denoted fertile soil. This combination made for easy cultivation and bountiful harvests.{{Cite web |title=Nov 20, 1929, page 5 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353676931/ |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} Surrounding the community to the north and east was Hinkle Creek.{{Cite web |title=Map of Hamilton County, Indiana |url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4093h.la000148/?r=0.4,0.432,0.067,0.041,0 |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA}} On the western side of the community, the upper part of Lick Creek—named so for a salt spring that deer enjoyed licking—formed a swamp known as “The Dismal.” Springs and quagmires made The Dismal a bad place for farming.{{Cite web |title=Mar 25, 1904, page 5 - The Hamilton County Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353566213/ |access-date=2024-10-20 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} The fact that it was infested with wolves and panthers made it even less appealing.{{Cite book |last=Shirts |first=Augustus Finch |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofformati00shir/page/156/mode/2up |title=A history of the formation, settlement and development of Hamilton County, Indiana, from the year 1818 to the close of the Civil War |date=1901 |others=Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center}} Although these predators were of little threat to the pioneers themselves, they were known to prey on the livestock that the pioneers kept.{{Cite web |title=Sep 01, 1983, page 10 - The Sheridan News at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1058031480/ |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} The Dismal stretched diagonally southwest for the three miles between Deming and Hortonville{{Cite web |title=Dec 05, 1930, page 2 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353564890/ |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} until it was drained in the late 1800s or early 1900s by a network of drainage ditches.{{Cite web |title=Oct 06, 1934, page 9 - The Indianapolis News at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/314430482/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Oct 17, 1940, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353687998/ |access-date=2024-12-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}

The community that is now Deming was laid out on August 10, 1837, by Elihu Pickett, Solomon Pheanis, and Lewis Jessup.{{Cite web |title=Mar 01, 1941, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353696056/?match=1&terms=deming%20laid%20out |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{cite book |author=Haines, John F. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z8wWAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA262 |title=History of Hamilton County, Indiana: Her People, Industries And Institutions, Volume 1 |publisher=B.F. Bowen & Co. |year=1915 |pages=262}} It was originally called Farmington. When the first post office in the community was established on April 7, 1846, the community was renamed to Penfield as there was already a Farmington post office in Indiana.{{Cite web |title=Feb 21, 1996, page 5 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/354113660/ |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} The name of the community and post office were once again changed, this time to Deming, on January 14, 1854. As many of the inhabitants of the community were abolitionists, it is believed that they renamed the community in honor of the Liberty Party's 1843 Indiana gubernatorial election candidate, Dr. Elizur Deming.{{Cite web |date=2024-03-21 |title=Dr. Elizur Deming |url=https://urbanmatterslab.com/black-heritage-sites-project/dr-elizur-deming/ |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=Urban Matters Lab |language=en}} The Deming post office ceased operations in 1902. Below is a list of all of the postmasters who were appointed to the community's post office:{{Cite web |title=U.S., Appointments of U. S. Postmasters, 1832-1971 |url=https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1932/ |access-date=2024-10-18 |website=www.ancestry.com}}

Elihu Pickett opened the first store in the community and Joseph Hadley the second. Meanwhile, the first blacksmith shop was operated by B.F. Holliday, and the second by Allen Meek. The first tan yard was constructed by Henry Willits; he operated it for about 15 years. Milton Stanley later made a tan yard too.{{Cite web |title=Sep 30, 1941, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353665265/ |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=May 23, 1975, page 2 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353804813/ |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=page121 |url=https://cdm17475.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/HEPL/id/1970/rec/8 |access-date=2024-10-18 |website=cdm17475.contentdm.oclc.org |language=en}} A grist and sawmill were built by Daniel Haskett; he sold it near close of the Civil War.{{Cite web |title=May 02, 1945, page 4 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353767594/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}

About half a mile to the west of Deming was the West Grove Friends Church. Many of its founders and members lived in the Deming neighborhood. The church was organized in circa 1837 as a preparative meeting under the leadership of White Lick Friends Church of Morgan County, Indiana.{{Cite book |last=Burris |first=E. Frank |title=History of Hinkle Creek Church |year=1986}} The church also laid out the West Grove Friends Cemetery.{{Cite web |title=West Grove Cemetery - Hamilton County, Indiana |url=https://www.interment.net/data/us/in/hamilton/westgrove/index.htm |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=www.interment.net}} The congregation met for worship in their homes and continued to do so until the church constructed a meeting house in 1853. That same year the church became an established meeting. Jesse Beals donated the land that the meeting house sat on, while Charles Hiatt gave the land that was used for hitching purposes.{{Cite web |title=Jul 18, 1953, page 3 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353737931/ |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Oct 12, 1974, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353802071/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} A tan yard at the crossroads to the east of the church provided the oak bark strips that were used to insulate the meeting house. The meeting house was a frame building with a partition through its center to separate the men and women during their business meetings. Raised platforms or galleries held the heads of the meetings. At a later date, the church replaced this meeting house with a new one.{{Cite web |title=May 07, 1953, page 5 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353771555/ |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} In 1855, the church began to prepare for its own monthly meetings under the guidance of the Hinkle Creek Friends Church.{{Cite web |title=West Grove mm Page |url=http://robbhaasfamily.com/Misc/Quaker%20Files/West%20Grove%20mm%20Page.htm |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=robbhaasfamily.com}} It would take until July 28, 1873, for the church to host their first monthly meetings. The church would go on to have its first quarterly meeting on September 1, 1873.{{Cite web |title=Jul 28, 1930, page 4 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353556949/ |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} When the church was dissolved in 1963, a small number of their members went to Hinkle Creek Friends Church, some to Sheridan Friends Meeting, a handful dropped their names from membership, and others joined different denominations."{{Cite web |title=Oct 12, 1974, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353802071/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} The former meetinghouse was razed in 1964.{{Cite web |title=Oct 12, 1974, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353802071/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}

{{Blockquote|text=The Civil War came on and stripped the villages and the hamlets of all their young men large enough to bear arms. Many of them never got back. The ones that did, looked upon life with a new slant. And the town that seemed so large and promising when they went away, looked little and dull to their more experienced eyes.|author=Excerpt taken from an article written by Robert "Bob" Wimborough}}

As the Deming neighborhood was "known as one of the most patriotic towns and communities," many of the able-bodied men from the region either volunteered or were drafted into the Union army during the Civil War.{{Cite web |title=Jul 19, 1943, page 4 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353748301/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} Among them were Nehamiah Baker,{{Cite web |title=Web: Indiana, U.S., Civil War Soldier Database Index, 1861-1865 - Ancestry.com |url=https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/175573:9762 |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=www.ancestry.com}} Martin Davis,{{Cite web |title=Web: Indiana, U.S., Civil War Soldier Database Index, 1861-1865 - Ancestry.com |url=https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/21459:9762 |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=www.ancestry.com}} Peter Phenis,{{Cite web |title=Web: Indiana, U.S., Civil War Soldier Database Index, 1861-1865 - Ancestry.com |url=https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/58710:9762 |access-date=2024-10-13 |website=www.ancestry.com}} Joseph Hadley,{{Cite web |title=Joseph Hadley |url=https://www.ancestry.com/offers/join?dbid=1555&gsfn&gsln&h=2471128&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ancestry.com%2Fdiscoveryui-content%2Fview%2F2471128%3A1555%3Ftid%3D%26pid%3D%26queryid%3Da99b0bed-461d-43fe-b9f6-3c31b0511d2c%26_phsrc%3DJBi235%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=www.ancestry.com}} and Hugh Lee.{{Cite web |title=Web: Indiana, U.S., Civil War Soldier Database Index, 1861-1865 - Ancestry.com |url=https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/87362:9762 |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=www.ancestry.com}} One notable man who was recruited from Deming was William Smith. While a sergeant in the 57th Indiana Infantry Regiment, he was captured in the Battle of Franklin. Soon afterwards, he was sent to Andersonville Prison. Towards the end of the war—April 1, 1865, to be exact—Sgt. Smith was exchanged back to the Union army at Camp Fisk near Vicksburg, Mississippi. On April 24—after spending three weeks recuperating from his time in Andersonville Prison—Sgt. Smith departed for home aboard the Sultana. He was killed when the Sultana exploded on April 27; his body was never identified.{{Cite web |title=57th Indiana Infantry in the American Civil War |url=https://civilwarindex.com/57th-indiana-infantry.html |access-date=2024-10-13 |website=Civil War Index |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=cahaba records search results |url=http://civilwarprisoners.com/searchresults.php?fname=William&lname=Smith&database=cahaba |access-date=2024-10-13 |website=civilwarprisoners.com}}{{Cite web |title=andersonville records search results |url=http://civilwarprisoners.com/searchresults.php?fname=William&lname=Smith®iment=57th+Indiana&database=andersonville |access-date=2024-10-13 |website=civilwarprisoners.com}}{{Cite book |last=Burgess |first=J.H. |title=Hamilton County and the Civil War |year=1967}}{{Cite web |title=Web: Indiana, U.S., Civil War Soldier Database Index, 1861-1865 - Ancestry.com |url=https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/35071:9762 |access-date=2024-10-13 |website=www.ancestry.com}} Sgt. Smith left behind a wife and a young son.{{Cite web |title=William Smith marriage license |url=https://www.ancestry.com/offers/join?dbid=60282&gsfn&gsln&h=96864&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ancestry.com%2Fdiscoveryui-content%2Fview%2F96864%3A60282%3Ftid%3D%26pid%3D%26queryid%3Dd05e6007-0435-4ba5-a71a-020844f7c4eb%26_phsrc%3DJBi187%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=www.ancestry.com}}{{Cite web |title=Pension record |url=https://www.ancestry.com/offers/join?dbid=4654&gsfn&gsln&h=2029795&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ancestry.com%2Fdiscoveryui-content%2Fview%2F2029795%3A4654%3Ftid%3D%26pid%3D%26queryid%3Dc0589d2f-9068-4644-8b40-87b9286cf612%26_phsrc%3DJBi176%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=www.ancestry.com}}{{Cite web |title=The son of William Smith |url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-D1FS-TXZ?view=index&personArk=/ark:/61903/1:1:VXP5-M1B&action=view&cc=1410397 |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=www.familysearch.org}} Numerous other men from the Deming neighborhood became fatalities of the war; some of their gravesites can be found in local cemeteries.

It was noted in The Noblesville Ledger that a North Carolinian man, William Perry, came to Deming to avoid being drafted into the Confederate army.{{Cite web |title=Sep 02, 1919, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353639586/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}

At the conclusion of the Civil War, the men from the Deming neighborhood who had survived their time in the Union army returned to their homes. Other veterans found their way to the area during their search for an occupation. An example of the former group is James Jennings; after serving in the 2nd Indiana Cavalry Regiment and 136th Indiana Infantry Regiment, he was left with a withered hand and severe asthma. Despite his handicap, Jennings was able to find work in Deming's logging industry and sawmills. Even after moving to Tipton, Indiana around 1870, The Noblesville Ledger described how Jennings was still "well known in the Deming neighborhood [and] among the Civil War veterans of Hamilton County."{{Cite web |url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9P8J-71G?view=index&personArk=/ark:/61903/1:1:VH4X-JTV&action=view&cc=1916230 |access-date=2024-10-13 |website=www.familysearch.org}}{{Cite web |title=Feb 21, 1917, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353608289/ |access-date=2024-10-13 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Web: Indiana, U.S., Civil War Soldier Database Index, 1861-1865 - Ancestry.com |url=https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/137239:9762 |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=www.ancestry.com}}

On May 9, 1863, a dozen or so Master Masons gathered in a store in Deming to apply for a charter from the Grand Lodge of Indiana.{{Cite web |title=Jul 22, 1976, page 22 - The Indianapolis News at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/312391356/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} The charter was granted, and Hinkle Lodge No. 310 was organized in Deming on May 26, 1864. The Noblesville Ledger stated that "the lodge prospered vert fast in an early day, meeting every few nights and sometimes during the day to initiate members. A great many were hurriedly received in order that they might answer Lincoln's call for troops."{{Cite web |title=Feb 23, 1916, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353612349/ |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} Fellow Mason and Wesleyan preacher Jabez Neal was paid $1,450 by Hinkle Lodge for the construction of a Masonic Hall in Deming. Beginning in 1865, Hinkle Lodge met on the second floor of the hall while the Deming Wesleyan Church gathered on the main floor. Prior to this, the Masons had met in B.F. Holiday's store.{{Cite web |title=page124 |url=https://cdm17475.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/HEPL/id/1973/rec/10 |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=cdm17475.contentdm.oclc.org |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jan 15, 1932, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353557352/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Apr 08, 1939, page 4 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353634503/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jul 22, 1976, page 22 - The Indianapolis News at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/312391356/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} To cover the costs, member dues were raised from 10 cents to 75 cents a month. In May 1898, the Deming Wesleyan Church sold Hinkle Lodge the land that the hall was on for $35.{{Cite web |title=May 27, 1898, page 1 - The Hamilton County Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353601950/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} As of October 2024, Mason's still meet at Hinkle Lodge in Deming.{{Cite web |title=Hinkle Lodge No. 310 |url=https://www.indianafreemasons.com/lodge/hinkle-lodge-no.-310 |access-date=2024-10-20 |website=Indiana Freemasons |language=en}}

{{Poem quote|text=How sweet my child-hood memories,

Of trees and flowers and rill,

of wild-flowers and woodland lot—

And Deming on the hill.

Down the road we'd barefoot go

On past the water mill;

With errands bent to the country store—

And Deming on the hill.

A little town, serene and quiet,

And there you find it still,

Although we've wandered far away

We love Deming on the hill.

Seasons come and seasons go

With summer heat and winter chill,

To fame and fortune, but we return

To Deming on the hill.

Sweet Childhood memories we would not chide,

But let thee have thy fill

And dwell upon the dearest spot—

Of Deming on the hill.|sign=Poem by Bertha Billingsly}}

A Wesleyan Church began meeting in Deming in 1865 on the main floor of Hinkle Lodge. However, for several years prior to that, the congregation had met for worship in the Deming school.{{Cite web |title=Dec 28, 1936, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353582128/ |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} The congregation began construction on a new church building in circa 1898; it was dedicated on August 13, 1899.{{Cite web |title=Oct 21, 1898, page 1 - The Hamilton County Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353588546/ |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Dec 02, 1898, page 1 - The Hamilton County Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353588735/ |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Aug 18, 1899, page 8 - The Hamilton County Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353591842/ |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} By the time the mid-1970s rolled around, it was noted that the Deming Wesleyan Church membership had dwindled to practically zero.{{Cite web |title=Jun 21, 1977, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353812470/ |access-date=2024-10-20 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} On August 27, 1976, the church placed their final invitation in the local newspapers.{{Cite web |title=Aug 27, 1976, page 8 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353803962/ |access-date=2024-10-20 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} Beginning six days later, ads were run in newspapers that listed the former church building for sale at $13,000 ($72,000 in 2024){{Cite web |date=2024-10-10 |title=Inflation Calculator {{!}} Find US Dollar's Value From 1913-2024 |url=https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/ |access-date=2024-10-20 |website=www.usinflationcalculator.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Sep 02, 1976, page 15 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353799805/ |access-date=2024-10-20 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} An artist named Carol Bochoski eventually purchased the building and turned it into her home studio.{{Cite web |title=Sep 08, 1978, page 3 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353819806/ |access-date=2024-10-20 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Sep 19, 1978, page 3 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353820008/ |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}

In was noted that a Masonic lodge for African Americans had been established in Deming by 1869.{{Cite web |title=Dec 31, 1909, page 1 - The Hamilton County Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353528847/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Feb 22, 1939, page 4 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353633663/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} The Masons of this lodge met on the second floor of a building that was located "on the southwest corner [of Main and Cross streets]". By 1871, the lodge was no longer there.{{Cite web |title=Mar 21, 1871, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353605597/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}

In the summer of 1875, Mr. Holloway moved to the community after purchasing the Deming flouring mill.{{Cite web |title=Aug 19, 1875, page 4 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353877306/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} In 1876, John Holloway Jr. was running a mill.{{Cite web |title=Feb 23, 1926, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353667707/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} The mill was still in operation in 1885.{{Cite web |title=Jun 26, 1885, page 5 - The Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353586207/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}

In 1870, Jacob Bartholomew constructed a steam grist and sawmill in the southern part of the community.{{Cite web |title=Mar 21, 1871, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353605597/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} In early 1873, he traded his mill for a farm that a Mr. Keisling owned.{{Cite web |title=Apr 05, 1943, page 4 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353748200/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}

In the summer of 1870, B.F. Holiday moved his general merchandise business into a new store.{{Cite web |title=Jul 05, 1870, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353605087/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} In 1889, B.F. Holliday ran a store called "B.F. Holliday & Son."{{Cite web |title=Jun 28, 1889, page 7 - The Hamilton County Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353572464/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}

In 1875, Deming started a baseball team.{{Cite web |title=Nov 18, 1875, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353877673/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}

First build around 1855, the Deming school—located on the eastern side of Deming—was where many of the children in the Deming neighborhood got their education.{{Cite web |title=Jun 22, 1906, page 8 - The Enterprise at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353605040/ |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} In the fall of 1881, the Deming school moved to a newly constructed two-room brick schoolhouse. The Noblesville Ledger described how in the cornerstone of the "magnificent building," numerous articles were deposited: B.F. Holliday left a "Stoddard Mental Arithmetic" book, while a school manual and a history of Deming were also placed within the cornerstone.{{Cite web |title=Oct 27, 1881, page 6 - The Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353602398/ |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Dec 01, 1881, page 1 - The Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353602504/ |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Oct 25, 1941, page 4 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353665712/ |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} On most maps from this era, the official name of the Deming school was Public School No. 18.{{Cite web |title=Feb 15, 1889, page 1 - The Hamilton County Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353571390/ |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} Throughout the summer of 1906, the 1881-schoolhouse was demolished.{{Cite web |title=Jul 13, 1906, page 1 - The Enterprise at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353605112/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Aug 03, 1906, page 4 - The Enterprise at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353605216/ |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} It was replaced with an all-brick schoolhouse that was two-stories tall—plus a basement—and had eight rooms. Classes began there on March 1, 1907.{{Cite web |title=Feb 22, 1907, page 2 - The Enterprise at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353606033/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Mar 08, 1907, page 5 - The Enterprise at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353606073/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Sep 08, 1931, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353560025/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} A tennis court was added to the school's playground in 1915.{{Cite web |title=Oct 21, 1915, page 2 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353604900/ |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}

The Foster Scott Telegram Company built a telegram line to Deming in circa 1898.{{Cite web |title=Dec 09, 1898, page 6 - Hamilton County Democrat at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353586103/ |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}

{{Blockquote|text=As to where I am now, I am in some place in Europe. That is all I can say now, for if I said more, the censor would not permit it. But I am a long way from home and have been across England and parts of France, but have not yet seen Paris. I have seen some country and also some historic that are three or four hundred years old... a year ago I would not have believed it if somebody should have told me I would be in this part of the world now. This is a great country.|author=Floyd Griffin in a letter home to his parents in 1918}}

File:Harry_Leeman.jpg

At the beginning of the United States involvement in World War I, forty-five men registered for the draft in Freemont Holloway's store in Deming during the first mandatory registration on June 5, 1917.{{Cite web |title=May 30, 1917, page 6 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353609436/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jun 13, 1917, page 4 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353609580/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} One of those men was Harry Leeman; he later enlisted in the United States Army and was subsequently assigned to Battery B in the 103rd Field Artillery Regiment. Pvt. Leeman was killed instantly on July 28, 1918, after a shell from a German airplane landed near him during the Second Battle of the Marne. He is said to have been the only soldier who registered for service in Deming to be killed in the war.{{Cite web |title=Aug 30, 1918, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353610062/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jan 02, 1919, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353630549/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jul 25, 1921, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353658974/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Commission |first=Indiana Historical |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=48sMAAAAYAAJ&dq=harry+cornelius+leeman&pg=PA737 |title=Gold Star Honor Roll: A Record of Indiana Men and Women who Died in the Service of the United States and the Allied Nations in the World War. 1914-1918 |date=1921 |publisher=Indiana Historical Commission. |language=en}} An American Legion post in nearby Arcadia, Indiana, was named in his honor in 1921.{{Cite web |title=Sep 19, 1940, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353686922/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jul 23, 1949, page 4 - The Tipton Daily Tribune at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/545755656/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}

An interesting event took place at the church during WWI: a night or two after the West Grove Friends Church refused to fly the American flag for an event on June 23, 1918, four carloads of men showed up and placed multiple American flags on the church's property. On the front door a warning was nailed against the removal of the flags.{{Cite web |title=Jun 25, 1918, page 5 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353619120/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jun 28, 1918, page 1 - The Sheridan News at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1012921103/ |access-date=2024-09-03 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jun 29, 1918, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353619316/ |access-date=2024-09-03 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}

The Hinkle Creek Friends Church, located near where Hinkle Road and 215th Street intersect, was organized in 1836 by settlers in the Deming and Bakers Corner area who moved here from North Carolina and Virginia because of their opposition to slavery. The church is active to this day.Pwsadmin. (2023b, April 26). From time to thyme. TheTimes of Noblesville. https://thetimes24-7.com/2023/04/from-time-to-thyme-6/

File:The_Deming_school_in_1901._Deming,_Indiana.jpg

For a time, there were two schools that served the students who lived in/around Deming. One was known as the Deming school. First built around 1855 on the eastern side of the community, it was originally a small one-room schoolhouse. In 1871, The Noblesville Ledger described how the Deming schoolhouse filled the place of "seminary, church, town hall, and club room."{{Cite web |title=Mar 21, 1871, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353605597/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} In 1881, a two-room brick schoolhouse was constructed to replace the older schoolhouse. The architect and builder of the new schoolhouse was Ira Shoaf, while the brick work was done by Philip Leace and George Deerwester.{{Cite web |title=Deming School, 1901 |url=https://iuidigital.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/HEPL/id/333 |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=iuidigital.contentdm.oclc.org |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Deming School, 1901 |url=https://iuidigital.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/HEPL/id/299/rec/2 |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=iuidigital.contentdm.oclc.org |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Oct 25, 1941, page 4 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353665712/ |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} Classes began there later that same year.{{Cite web |title=Dec 01, 1881, page 1 - The Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353602504/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} It was officially known as Public School No. 18, but most people still referred to it as simply the Deming school. A stable was built for the student's horses in 1905. During the summer of 1906, the 1881-schoolhouse was demolished. It was replaced with an all-brick schoolhouse that was two-stories tall (plus a basement) and had eight rooms. 75 students began classes there on March 1, 1907. All of the students at the school were between the ages of 5 and 25 years old. In 1915, a tennis court was added to the school's playground. The last recorded school activities at the Deming school took place in the spring of 1930.{{Cite web |title=May 03, 1930, page 6 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353683517/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} In September 1931, the schoolhouse was sold for $160 (approximately $3,310 in August 2024) to a nearby property owner by the name of Mrs. Griffin. Mrs. Griffin planned to "convert the building into a stable and use the basement for hogs and cattle. Feed will be stored in the upper rooms."{{Cite web |title=$160 in 1931 → 2024 {{!}} Inflation Calculator |url=https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1931?amount=160 |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=www.in2013dollars.com |language=en}} The former schoolhouse was partially dismantled and then razed in circa 1939, with the lumber from the building being sold to a sawmill owner in an auction.{{Cite web |title=Sep 16, 1938, page 6 - The Sheridan News at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1025151213/ |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jan 07, 1939, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353632837/ |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jul 22, 1946, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353678717/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} Beginning in 1941, the former students and teachers from the Deming school held annual reunions so that they could reminisce together about their days at the school. Many of their decedents and friends also attended the reunions. During the reunions, participants would enjoy "special music, entertainment, [and] prizes." From 1941 to 1945, the reunions were held in mid-to-late July at Forest Park in nearby Noblesville. In 1946, they met at the Wesleyan Church in Deming.{{Cite web |title=Jul 21, 1941, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353664326/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jul 13, 1942, page 3 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353743432/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jul 20, 1943, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353748309/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jul 21, 1944, page 4 - The Sheridan News at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1025150068/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jun 06, 1945, page 4 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353769087/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jul 20, 1946, page 5 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353678711/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} Again from 1947 to 1950, the reunions were held in July at Forest Park. On average, between 90 and 125 people were in attendance during the 1940s.{{Cite web |title=Jul 11, 1947, page 6 - The Sheridan News at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1034077753/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jul 06, 1948, page 4 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353677672/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jun 11, 1949, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353693436/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jul 17, 1950, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353705090/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} In 1951 and 1952, the reunions were held in July at the Hinkle Lodge in Deming. After that, the gatherings took place in August. The number of attendees dwindled in the 1950s, and at the last recorded reunion in 1958, only 15 former students and 8 guests attended.{{Cite web |title=Jul 13, 1951, page 4 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353700688/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jul 18, 1952, page 7 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353674099/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jul 27, 1953, page 5 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353738107/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jul 19, 1954, page 5 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353738092/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jul 30, 1955, page 5 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353685741/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Aug 03, 1956, page 7 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353698493/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jul 27, 1957, page 5 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353693115/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Aug 20, 1958, page 3 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353755966/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} The second school used by the Deming community was generally referred to as the West Grove school, though it was officially known as Public School No. 20. It was located next to the West Grove Friends Church.{{Cite web |title=West Grove Cemetery - Hamilton County, Indiana |url=https://www.interment.net/data/us/in/hamilton/westgrove/index.htm |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=www.interment.net}}{{Cite web |title=Nov 11, 1904, page 3 - The Sheridan News at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353535098/ |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} The original schoolhouse was constructed sometime before 1867, with a second schoolhouse being built at an unspecified time and for an unspecified purpose on/near the location of the original.{{Cite web |title=Map of Hamilton County, Indiana |url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4093h.la000148/?r=0.343,0.382,0.166,0.103,0 |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA}}{{Cite web |title=May 07, 1953, page 5 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353771555/ |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} The fate of the school remains unknown, though in 2003 it was noted that the "school buildings are no longer there."

The last recorded school activities at the Deming school took place in the spring of 1930. In September 1931, the schoolhouse was sold for $160 (approximately $3,310 in August 2024) to a property owner by the name of Mrs. Griffin—the original property had been taken from the Griffin property. Mrs. Griffin planned to "convert the building into a stable and use the basement for hogs and cattle. Feed will be stored in the upper rooms."

Lick Creek, which was an offshoot of Hinkle Creek, once ran along the northwestern and western side of Deming. Sometime between 1909 and 1919,https://www.newspapers.com/image/353631729/?match=1&terms=jones%20ditch {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}} the creek was rerouted and renamed to Isaac Jones Ditch. The ditch was likely named for a local named Isaac Jones Jr. In 1936, the community was put on the electrical grid.{{Cite web |title=Aug 08, 1936, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353576161/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} Less than a mile upstream from where Issac Jones Ditch and Hinkle Creek split, the Revis-Carson ditch was dug into Hinkle Creek. Based on satellite imagery, it is believed to have been constructed sometime between 1956 and 1962.

When the town was first laid out, a "corn cracker" mill was in operation a half mile to the east of the community.{{Cite web |title=Sep 30, 1941, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353665265/ |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jul 17, 1944, page 1 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353744669/ |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} It was known as Cook's mill. For a time, the people of Deming had their corn grounded at this mill. This mill only lasted a few years, and S. & G. mill was later constructed in 1865 near or on the remains of Cook's mill. The mills were located a half mile to the east of the community on Hinkle Creek near where Hinkle Road meets 225th Street.A history of the formation, settlement and development of Hamilton County, Indiana, from the year 1818 to the close of the Civil War : Shirts, Augustus Finch : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (1901b). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/historyofformati00shir/page/150/mode/2up?q=demingA history of the formation, settlement and development of Hamilton County, Indiana, from the year 1818 to the close of the Civil War : Shirts, Augustus Finch : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (1901c). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/historyofformati00shir/page/156/mode/2up?q=deming

Many inhabitants in and around present-day Deming were actively involved in assisting runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad. In 1837, runaway slaves John and Louann Rhodes, along with their daughter Lydia Rhodes, arrived in present-day Deming via the Underground Railroad. The family recuperated in preparation for continuing their journey to Canada at the home of Joseph Baker, which was located to the west of Deming. Finding the area to their liking, the Rhodes family settled in nearby Bakers Corner. In 1844, they were involved in the Rhodes family incident. After the incident was resolved, the family continued living as before on their homestead.A history of the formation, settlement and development of Hamilton County, Indiana, from the year 1818 to the close of the Civil War : Shirts, Augustus Finch : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (1901e). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/historyofformati00shir/page/248/mode/2up?q=bailey

By 1940, Deming had had seven stores.{{Cite web |title=Nov 25, 1940, page 4 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353689148/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} One was run by Birney Willits.{{Cite web |title=Apr 26, 1943, page 4 - The Noblesville Ledger at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/353748401/?match=1&terms=joseph%20hadley%20deming |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}

In circa 1835, a building was built in Deming.{{Cite web |title=Apr 24, 1952, page 7 - The Tipton Daily Tribune at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/545759736/ |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}} It was torn down in circa 2018.

{{Hamilton County, Indiana}}

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Category:Unincorporated communities in Hamilton County, Indiana

Category:Unincorporated communities in Indiana

Category:Indianapolis metropolitan area