The oldest of the Bartholomew County farms to be honored with the Hoosier Homestead Award this year was founded in 1856 by Henry Reinking.
He was a neighbor of the Arnholt family, living just a half-mile north of the Arnholt homestead near State Road 46 and east of U.S. 31.
It was Henry’s son, William Reinking, who would marry Clara Arnholt and join the two families.
While there are published mentions that describe Henry Reinking as a pioneer farmer, there is little on file regarding his life — with one exception.
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In July 1884, a group of farm workers carrying pitchforks crashed an outdoor birthday party for Henry Reinking in what appeared to be a dispute regarding stolen shirts, according to the Evening Republican, forerunner to The Republic.
As the result of a subsequent brawl, one man was severely beaten and three others were arrested for assault and battery, the article stated.
When Henry Reinking died in July 1905, one short paragraph was published in the newspaper to let readers know when the funeral would be held.
Although brief death notices — especially for members of the Lutheran faith — were not uncommon at the time, no subsequent biographical information was published about Henry Reinking. That was also the case when his son, William, died in 1929.
While religious customs likely played a role, Dwight Smith said there may have been another factor. The earliest members of the Reinking family in Bartholomew County were known to bear many children, which unfortunately led to legal battles and grudges over property ownership.
Such was the case when William Reinking, along with a woman named Caroline Scheidt, filed a lawsuit regarding the title of 20 acres of land against 60 defendants, according to a newspaper article published in early 1906. A number of the defendants in that lawsuit were also named Reinking.
The Reinking-Smith and Arnholt-Smith farms are not adjoining, which makes them separate entities for the purposes of the Hoosier Homestead award. Each farm has experienced separate claims by different family members regarding ownership, Smith said.
But largely due to the 1896 marriage of William Reinking and Clara Arnholt, it is Dwight Smith who manages both farms today, he said.
Smith, who married Sandy Harmon in 1990, said he is hopeful the land will remain in his family indefinitely.
