William Wallace was born Feb. 22, 1786, coming to Indiana on his wedding journey in 1808. While crossing the Alleghany mountains in their emigrant wagons in ascending a steep and dangerous grade one of the horses balked. Young William Wallace believing the remedy for balkiness to be a whipping applied the treatment vigorously. His father, Rev. John Wallace, by way of reproof, told him that he ought to be hitched to the wagon for a while instead of the horse.

One of the sons of Rev. John Wallace, William, with his young and beautiful bride (Sarah Horrall, daughter of William and Priscilla Houghton Horrall) whom he had brought with him from the east, soon left the roof-tree, re-crossed White river and settled near Vincennes. Several months passed when one day quite a number of men from the neighborhood for miles around were gathered at his home to arrange for scouring the surrounding country in search of a saddle which had been lost or stolen. A saddle in those days was very highly valued and none could afford to lose. During the forming of their plans they were surprised at the appearance of a great, fierce-looking Indian, heavily armed, who asked the object of their meeting, on being told seemed anxious to join in the search. Instructions were given him and soon all departed in various directions.

Mrs. Wallace had engaged the company of one of the neighbor friends during the absence of her husband but before the friend arrived and indeed only a short time after the departure of the men, who should darken her door-way but the fierce-looking Indian. Poor Mrs. Wallace! Her heart sank within her but she must not let the Indian know that she felt alarmed so she prepared him some food, consuming as much time as possible in its preparation, earnestly hoping that her expected friend would soon arrive but the time passed slowly.

When she saw that he had about finished his meal, the thought seized her to take the horse to water, and reaching for the bridle, which hung on the gun rack near her, imagine her horror on being intercepted by the Indian who came up behind her and began to jabber [sic] something about making her his "Squaw." She quickly unclasped and threw off his hands, faced about, seized an ax and bravely told him not to touch her again or she would kill him and said "William had better not find you here."

The Indian began flourishing his bowie knife, a horrible looking weapon, while at his belt glistened his tomahawk and near him was his gun. Pointing to the sun, high in the heavens, then low to the west meant that William would not return until sundown. Mrs. Wallace felt that he surely would kill her unless she could calmly outwit him in some way and that very quickly. She immediately left the room and shut the door. Then she thought, he can shoot, so she opened the door. When he came out she went in and secured the bridle and the ax, telling him not to touch her and that "If William finds you here he'll shoot."

She went to the stable nearby and, strange to say, met with no opposition in bridling the horse, which was unusually stubborn, spirited, fractious and always hard to bridle. She led him out to the fence, the Indian following and jabbering [sic] all the time. She had placed herself on the horse and was ready to start when he seized the bridle. She told him to let go or she would - he then drew his bowie knife and muttered something, but just then a noise was heard in the underbrush nearby (probably the noise was made by the falling of a nut) "There! Now!" she said. He dropped the bridle and ran. She turned and fled in the opposite direction as fast as her fleet horse could carry her to the home of her neighbor, Mrs. Hogue."

In 1835 the townships of Daviess county were Washington, Veale, Reeve, Barr, Bogard, Elmore and Wallace."

The first children born in the county were Priscilla Houghton Wallace, born Dec. 9, 1809 and Eleanor Morgan Wallace, born Feb. 23, 1811, daughters of William and Sarah Horrall Wallace. William was the son of Rev. John Wallace and Eleanor Morgan Wallace. The Aikmans claim the first child was John Aikman. He was the first boy born but was born later, about 1811, I think. These families were all in Comer's fort during the war of 1812-1814, in which William Wallace was a soldier in engagement at Ft. Harrison. The first son of William and Sarah Horrall Wallace was born in the fort January 9, 1813, while his father was fighting Tecumseh. The son was named Harrison. William Wallace belonged to "The Rangers" and had charge of the military protection of the five forts in Daviess county.

During the severe winter of 1835 as State Senator, William Wallace made the trip to Indianapolis on horse, and during the session he made a speedy journey home to purchase a great tract of land offered for sale, then returned. From exposure during the trips to and from Indianapolis he contracted a deep cold which resulted in fever terminating in hemorrhage of the lungs causing his death Feb 1st, 1835. As this was before the time of railroads and telegraph it was one week before his widow learned of his passing, as there was a state funeral in the old State House, Indianapolis first, and the courier sent to tell his wife of his death lost the way, and was met at Bloomington by the son, Harrison, they arrived less than an hour in advance of the cortege accompanied by fellow statesmen. The weather was intensely cold and to convey the remains from Indianapolis to his home was a difficult and sad undertaking, requiring four days and nights to make the journey. The squeaking, grinding noise made by the passing of wagon wheels on the cold, frozen snowy roads will always remind the writer of the long funeral train and the mournful days following the sad burial of Hon. William Wallace. The widow said, 'if ever a woman met her true mate I met mine in William Wallace.