A Portrait and Biographical Record of Hendricks County (Chicago: A.W. Bowen & Co., 1895)--pages 940-942
Daniel Hunt, of Marion Township, Hendricks County, Ind., is one of the oldest settlers and a pioneer, and springs from sterling English stock. Eleazar Hunt, grandfather of our subject, was a farmer of Guilford County, N.C., and a member of the Friends' Church. He married and reared a family of eight children, Asaul, Asher, Hiram, John, Stephen, Zimri, Zedick Ithamer and Beula. Mr. Hunt lived to be an old man and died in North Carolina, a respected citizen of devout religious character. Zimri Hunt, father of our subject, was born in Guilford County, N.C., received the common education of his day, and married Rebecca, daughter of Williamson and Rebecca Brown, and to Mr. and Mrs. Hunt were born eleven children, beula, Stephen, Mary, Asenath, Ithamer, Daniel, Annie, Lydia, Jeanette, Rebecca and Zimri. The first six were born in North Carolina and the remaining five were born in Marion Township, Hendricks County. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hunt were members of the Friends' Church. In 1827, Mr. Hunt came to Hendricks County, Ind., bringing his family, making the journey of about 700 miles in six weeks and arriving in November, sixty-seven years ago. The country was a wilderness, and they came with one four-horse and one two-horse team. He entered and settled upon eighty acres near where Henry Hunt now lives. He cleared up forty acres, when it was discovered ten years later that a mistake had been made in the number of his section, and he lost this land, receiving but $50 for his improvements. He then entered the next eighty acres east, at that time in the green woods, and began life over. He cleared this and lived on it for about twenty-five years, then bought land at what is known now as Billtown, and afterward moved to the 100 acres where his son Zimri now lives, and here he died at about seventy-five years of age. He had always been a hard-working, pioneer citizen, strictly honest and straightforward, and was respected by all who knew him.
Daniel Hunt, our subject, was born December 25, 1825, in Guilford County, N.C., and was not quite two years of age when he was brought by his parents to Hendricks County, Ind. He received the usual pioneer education in the old log school-house in the woods three miles from his father's home, finding his way by a blazed trail, going to school through the winter months for probably not over one year in all. He early began to work at burning brush, and as soon as large enough to handle an ax, he assisted to clear the land. The custom was to burn all this valuable timber, as no use could be made of it. The country was full of game, deer and wild turkey, and the settlers used a great deal of it. Mr. Hunt worked for his father until he was twenty years old, and then began life for himself, with nothing but a stout heart and frame. He began at farm work at $9 per month, which was increased one dollar per month for five years. He split rails at twenty-five and thirty cents per hundred, and made $1 per day, and scoring timber made the same price. At the age of twenty-five years, having worked by himself five years, he saved $550. Part of this he earned in saw-mills on extra time, by working one-half of the night, and thus made nine days per week. At the age of twenty-five years he bought 100 acres of land in the green woods, one mile north of his present farm, cleared this land with no help, and lived on it three years, having built a nice hewed log house.
In 1854 Mr. Hunt married Ellen, daughter of Charles and Susan (Hedden) Hunter. Mr. Hunter was from Kentucky, and settled in Putnam County as one of the pioneers in Floyd Township. He was the father of nine children, Eliza, Mary, Harriet, John, Catherine, Lucinda, Ellen, Isaac and Elizabeth. Mr. Hunter lived to be seventy-three years of age and died on his farm. He was a Regular Baptist minister and well known by all the old settlers in Putnam and Hendricks Counties as the pioneer preacher for many years. After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Hunt settled in their log house and lived there for eighteen years, and here all their children were born—Bedial J., Charles Z., and Lydia E. Mr. Hunt cleared up his farm and by thrift and patient industry, assisted by his faithful wife, added to his land until he owned 605 acres, a handsome property. Much of this property he has given to his children, and he has retained 365 acres for the homestead. Mr. Hunt came to his present farm in 1872 and built his present residence in 1876. He has always been strong and able, does as much as any man, and now, at the age of sixty-nine years, can do a good hard day's labor. Mr. and Mrs. Hunt are members of the Regular Baptist Church and he has been deacon five years, has always assisted his church liberally and has assisted every church within four miles of him when called upon. He gave all his children a good education, has been public-spirited, and assisted in having good roads and good schools. Politically he is a Republican. Mr. Hunt has made all he has with his own hands and by good management, assisted by his faithful wife, who has also done a vast amount of hard work and been a true helpmate and faithful mother.
Charles Z. Hunt, son of Daniel, married Anna Whicker, and has had five children born to his marriage. He is a farmer. Bedial J. married F.P. Wright, a farmer of Floyd Township, and has three children; Lydia E., the daughter, married Wm. Kelly, a farmer of Clay Township, and has two children. The children are well settled in life, all received a share of the home property, and remained among the respected families in Hendricks County.