JEFFERS0N
COUNTY, INDIANA
HISTORY
(BY W. P.
Hendricks, Esq.)
The act of
Congress, passed July
13,1787, is the chief corner-stone upon which all of the history of the
State of Indiana must be founded, and is the first fixed point from
which we may start to inn a random line, and to which we must correct
back, in order to establish permanence in the way of the truth of our
statements, and in order to have them to consist with each other. Back
of that, are the uncertain and incoherent facts of French and English
occupancy, the tradition of Indian possession, and the relics of
prehistoric habitation. All of these are unstable, fragmentary^ and
impersonal, so far as Indiana is concerned.
As all life is of
the egg and comes
from the germ which is the hidden, and humanly unknown principle of it,
but which exists in however so infinitesimal and invisible a degree, so
Indiana was hidden in this ordinance of 1787, and in due season and
course of time came forth in 1816, and stands before the world to-day,
a State of which any man may be proud to call himself her son.
Article 5, of the
ordinance, provides, " That there shall be formed lathe
said Territory not less than three, nor more than five States, and the
boundaries of the States, shall become fixed and established, as
follows, to-wit: The Middle States shall be bounded by the said
direct line: the Wabash, from Post Vincents to the Ohio, by the Ohio,
by a direct line drawn due north from the mouth of Great Miami to the
said Territorial line, and by the said Territorial line; and whenever
any of the said States shall have 60,000 free inhabitants therein, such
State shall be admitted, by its delegates, into the Congress of the
United States on an equal footing with the original States in all
respects whatever, and shall be at liberty to form a permanent
constitution and State government, etc."
Here we have the
first definite lines
of boundary of the State of Indiana Subsequently the State of Michigan
was taken out of this body of land and the State of Indiana was left
with her present boundary lines.
Indiana Territory
was organized with
a specific name, by the act of Congress bearing date May 7, 1800. (1)
It provides: "Laws of United States," Vol. 3, Page 367.
"section 1. Re it
enacted by the
Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in
Congress assembled, That, from and after the fourth day of July next,
all that part of the territory of the United States northwest of the
Ohio river, which lies to the westward of a line beginning at the Ohio,
opposite to the mouth of the Kentucky river, and running thence to Fort
Recovery, (2) and thence north, until it shall intersect the
territorial line between the United States and Canada, shall, for the
purposes of temporary government, constitute a separate territory and
be called the Indiana Territory." In section 5 of this act it is
"Provided, That whenever that part of the territory of the United
States which lies to the eastward of a line beginning at the mouth of
the Great Miami river, and running thence due north, to the territorial
line between the United States and Canada, shall be erected into an
independent State, and admitted into the Union on an equal footing with
the original States ; thenceforth said line shall become and remain
permanently the boundary line between such State and the Indiana
Territory; anything in this
act contained to the contrary notwithstanding."
We find, further,
in an act of
Congress, approved March 26th, 1804: "Entitled an act erecting
Louisiana into two Territories, and providing for the temporary
government thereof. Section 12. Laws of the United States, Vol. 3, page
608.
"That the residue
of the Province of
Louisiana, (/. e., 'All that portion of country ceded by France to the
United States, under the name of Louisiana, which lies north of an east
and west line on the Mississippi river, at the thirty- third degree of
north latitude, and to extend west to the western boundary of the said
cession,) ceded to the United States shall be called the district of
Louisiana, the government whereof shall be organized and administered
as follows:
The executive
power now vested in the
Governor of Indiana territory, shall extend to, and be exercised in the
said district of Louisiana. The governor and judges of the Indiana
territory shall have power to establish, in the said district of
Louisiana, inferior courts, and prescribe their jurisdiction and
duties, and to make all laws which they may deem conducive to the good
government of the inhabitants thereof," etc. By reference to the map
you will find what an immense territory was comprised within the
jurisdiction of Indiana territory. It took in the whole of the States
of Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana,
and Michigan, Kansas, Nebraska, and Oregon, Dakota and Washington
Territory—in short an expanse of territory larger than any country in
Europe at that time.
Jefferson county
was organized by
virtue of the following act: An act for the division of Dearborn and
Clark counties, and for the formation of a new county out of the said
two counties.
1. Be it enacted
by the Legislative
Council and House of Representatives, and it is hereby enacted by the
authority of the same, That all that part of the counties of Clark and
Dearborn, included within the following bounds, viz; 'Beginning at the
mouth of Dog Lick Creek, on the bank of the river Ohio, thence to the
corner of sections five and eight, town four, range three, thence north
to the Indian boundary line, thence with the same westwardly to a point
opposite the northeast corner of Clark's grant, thence on a direct line
to the said corner of the said grant, thence in a direct line to the
Ohio river at the lower line of town two north, range ten east, thence
up the Ohio river with the meanders there >f to the beginning, shall
compose one new county, called and known by the name of Jefferson.
2. And be it
further enacted, That it
shall be lawful for the coroners, sheriffs, constables, and collectors
of the said counties of Clark and Dearborn, to make distress for all
dues and officers' fees unpaid by the said
inhabitants within
the bounds of the
said new county at the time such division shall take place, and they
shall be accountable in like manner as if this act had not been passed;
the courts of Clark and Dearborn counties shall have jurisdiction in
all actions and suits pending therein at the time of said division, and
they shall try and determine the same, issue process, and award
execution thereon.
3. And be it
further enacted, That
the seat of justice in and for said county shall be, and the same is
hereby established in the town of Madison, in town two north, range ten
east.
4. And be it
further enacted, That
this act shall commence and be in force from and after the first day of
February, one thousand eight hundred and eleven.
Dennis Pennington,
Speaker of House
of Rep.
Jas. Beggs,
Pres. of the
Legislative Council.
Approved November
23rd, 1810.
William Henry
Harrison."
At the Borough of
Vincennes, Indiana
Territory.
The boundaries of
Jefferson county
have been modified and changed since then, by the formation of the
counties of Switzerland, Ripley, Jennings and Scott. The present
boundaries are as follows, and contain about three hundred and eighty
square miles:
Beginning on the
Ohio river at a
point where an east and west line dividing fractional section number
twenty-nine, township two south, range ten east, strikes the same;
thence west through the center of said fractional section twenty-nine
and sections thirty and twenty-five, to the east line of section
twenty-six, township two, range nine; thence north to the southeast
corner of section twenty-three; thence west to the southeast corner of
section twenty- two ; thence north to the northeast corner of section
twenty-two; thence west to the southeast corner of section thirteen,
township two north, of range eight east; thence north to the southeast
corner of township three, range eight; thence north to the line
dividing sections twenty-four and twenty-five; thence west to the
northeast corner of section twenty-seven; thence north to the northeast
corner of section fifteen; thence west to the northeast corner of
section seventeen ; thence north to the northeast corner of section
eight; thence west to the northeast corner of section seven; thence
north to the township line; thence west to the northwest corner of said
township; thence north with the line, dividing ranges seven and eight,
to the line dividing townships four and five; thence east to the
northeast corner of section three, township four, range eight east;
reserving, however, all that part of the town of Paris, being the
northeast quarter of section four, in town
ship four north,
range eight east,
which is attached to the county of Jennings ; thence north to t':e
northwest corner of section twenty-six, in township five, range eight;
thence east to the range line dividing ranges eight and nine ; thence
north to the northeast corner of section thirteen, township five north,
range eight east; thence east to the southeast corner of section eight,
township five, range nine; thence north to the line dividing; townships
five and six; thence east to the northeast corner of section five,
township five north, range twelve east; thence south to the Ohio river;
thence with said river to the place of, beginning.
Townships.
The county is
divided into ten civil
townships, viz: Madison, Graham, Lancaster, Monroe, Milton, Saluda,
Shelby, Smyrna, Republican and Hanover.
Milton
township is bounded on the north by Shelby township, on the east
by Switzerland county, on the south by the Ohio river and on the west
by Madison township.
Shelby
township is bounded on the north by Ripley county, on the east
by Switzerland county, on the south by Milton and Madison townships,
and on the west by Monroe township.
Monroe
township is bounded on the north by Ripley county, on the east
by Shelby township, on the south by Madison township and on the west by
Lancaster township.
Lancaster
township is bounded on the north by Jennings county, on the east
by Monroe township, on the south by Smyrna township, and on the west by
Graham township and Jennings county.
Madison
township is bounded on the north by Shelby, Monroe and Smyrna
townships, on the east by Milton township, on the south by the Ohio
river and Hanover township, and on the west by Hanover, Republican and
Smyrna townships.
Smyrna
township is bounded on the north by Lancaster township, on the
east by Madison township, on the south by Madison and Republican
townships, and on the west by Graham township.
Graham
township is bounded on the north by Jennings county, on the east
by Lancaster, Smyrna and Republican townships, on the south by
Republican township and Scott county, and on the west by Jennings and
Scott counties.
Republican
township is bounded on the north by Graham and Smyrna townships,
on the east by Smyrna, Madison and Hanover townships, on the south by
Hanover and Saluda townships and Scott county, and on the west by
Graham township and Scott county .
Hanover
township is bounded on the north by Madison and Smyrna
townships, on the east by Madison township, the Ohio river and Saluda
township, on the south by Saluda township, and on the west by
Republican and Saluda townships.
Saluda
township is bounded on the north by Hanover and Republican
townships, on the east by the Ohio river and Hanover township, on the
south by Clark county, and on the west by Clark and Scott counties
History Of Townships.
In the beginning
there seems to have
been only three townships in this county, as is found by an entry on
the records of the Common Pleas Court, to-wit:
"Ordered (July 19,
1812), that Elisha
Golay be appointed as Inspector of Jefferson township at the next
general election."
By a second order
on the same day,
and for the same purpose, Jesse Gray was appointed as Inspector for
Madison township; and a third order on the same page appoints Thomas
Taylor as Inspector of Washington township. There is nothing on record
to show the bounds of these, and there is no other mention of the last
two. The next mention of townships is after Indiana had become a State,
and, under the law of the State, county business is under the
jurisdiction of a Board of County Commissioners. The first Board of
Commissioners for Jefferson county was composed of
James Stolt,
Nathaniel Hunt,
Ekillis Wilhite.
This board met at
the court house in
Madison on Monday, Feb. 10, 1817, and was organized according to law.
The first business
item on the records is:
" Thomas Stribling, Sheriff of the county aforesaid, filed his protest
against the jail of this county, which was ordered to be filed.
The court then
adjourned till the day
in course."
On the 11th day of
February, 1817,
the court passed an order forming and bounding Graham township, and
appointing an election for justice of the peace.
"An order forming
and bounding
Pittsburgh township and appointing time and place of election therein,
and appointing Inspector of election, was passed the same day."
Pittsburgh township commenced "Two miles east of the south-east corner
of Section 13, Township 4 north, Range 11 East, (at Switzerland county
line) ; thence west with the section line until you strike the creek;
thence west with the creek and meanders thereof, so as to include John
Griffin; thence with the section line west one mile to the range line;
thence north with the range line to the county line."
This is all of the
description on
record, but the intention, evidently, is to follow the county line east
to the corner of the county, and thence south along the county line to
the place of beginning.
This was before
the organization of
Ripley county, and the north line of Jefferson county was along the
Indian boundary (see act organizing Jefferson county in this volume).
This line commenced at a point in what would be the north-west quarter
of section 24, range XIII,
east town XI north, runs thence southwestwardly to the range line
dividing ranges VI and VII east, cutting off a part of the northwest
quarter of section 31, township VII, range VII. This line crossed just
about the point of junction of the counties of Ripley, Decatur and
Franklin. On the 13th day of February, 1817, an order was passed
forming and bounding Madison and Saluda townships.
Previous to this
time, Madison
township had contained all of what is now Saluda, Republican, Hanover
and Smyrna, and a part of Milton townships.
On the 5th of
March, 1817, Lancaster
township was formed, bounded, and an Inspector of election appointed by
order of the court.
May 12,1817,
Republican and Milton
townships were formed. Milton, from Madison and Pittsburgh townships.
Shelby township
was formed by an
order of the Board of County Commissioners, dated February 12, 1823.
Jesse Gray,
R. B. Mitchell,
Jacob Rhoads,
were County
Commissioners at this
time. Shelby township wiped out the portion of Pittsburgh township,
which was left.
Hanover township
was made by an order
of the Board, dated Tuesday, September 1, 1836.
Thomas Wise,
Joseph Wiley,
John Bowen,
comprising the Board at this time.
Monroe township
was ordered to be
formed from parts of Lancaster and Shelby townships on March 11, 1842.
Nathan Robinson,
Wm. Smith,
John Jewell,
constituting the Board at this time.
Shelby township
was formed by order
of Commissioners' Court, June 16, 1847.
Campbell Kinnear.
John E. Gale,
Nathan Robinson,
as the Board at this time.
