Indiana General Assembly Enacts Formation of Tippecanoe County on January 26, 1826 - Part II
Lafayette Weekly Courier (Lafayette, Indiana) - Tuesday, October 31, 1882 - Part II Continued - The Movers and Shakers of Early Tippecanoe County - as told by Col. William Wilson
Do You See Any Recognizable Names?
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| Artist George Winter early painting of Wabash Valley area |
The first newspaper published in the county was the Free Press, which was issued as early as 1830.
In that beautiful tract of land known as the Wea Plains, was made the first settlement of the county. Helm says that Elijah Noore located on this prairie in the spring of 1822, and remained until winter, when he returned to Bloomington, Indiana, and that Peter Weaver, late in the year 1822 removed from the White River country, to establish a home better adapted to his inclinations on the Wabash, settling upon the Wea Plains, upon the land now occupied by his son, Patrick H. Weaver.
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| Peter Weaver Homestead |
Elijah Moore returned in 1823, and soon thereafter there settled in the same vicinity Lewis Thomas, John McFarland and John Coran. Southwest of them were Samuel O. Clark, Peter Chrisman, William Taylor, John Kennedy, John W. Odell, Samuel Rankin, John Dutton, Simon Crouse, Abraham Evans, Isaac Shelby, Jesse MeHarry, Thomas Marks, John Hiett, John K. McMillin, the Kirkpatricks and Graves. In the northeast of Wea Plains were the Kizers, Hollingsworths, Ewings, Ellis; and hear the High Gap were William Demant, John Bradfield, Moses Hocket, James P. Elis, Dr. Darkee, Andrew Hoover, Paul and John Sheridan. At the upper end of the Wea were James and Joseph Hawkins, Baker Gurst, the Foresmans, John Pravault, William Jones, Joseph Fell, Peter Hughes John Baer, Isaac Galbreath and Robert Sterret.
On the north side of the plains were Adam Kinser, Joseph Cox and Abel Janney; and just below Lafayette were D. F. Durkee, Newberry Stockton, Sr., Edward McLaughlin and Joseph Travis. Simultaneous with these settlements, locations were made in other parts of the county. Near the mouth of Indian Creek were Elijah Godfrey and John Buck; at Sam Creek Prairie were the Fosters, Nagles and Enos Moore; and on the edge of the Grand Prairie, Wingate Timmons, the Vannattas, Eastburn, Shambaughs, Gates, Bilderbacks, Rocks, Jordans, Pierces, Jennings, Kelloggs and Rawles,.
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| Newberry Stockton, early pioneer |
On the head waters of Burnett's Creek were John Clark, E. G. Layne, Jourdan Knight, Charles H. Marsteller, Johns Henderson, William Sims, Thomas Connolly, Newberry Stockton, Jr., David Stockton, David Johns and John Barnard. East of Indian Creek were Samuel Knight, Francis Sunderland, the Cuppys, Slarrets, James Emerson, the Laytons, Russels, Samuel Bringham, Hendry Oder, Peter Caster, and Benjamin Crist.
South of the Tippecanoe River, on the borders of Pretty Prairie, were William Kendall, Moses Rush and the Beekers and further south James Shaw, John Berget, Peleg Babcok, John Shaw, and John S. Forgey. South of Lafayette, in the vicinity of Columbia, (now Romney), were Enos Park, George W. House, Judge Allen, William Webster, John Fraley, the Talbots, John Kennedy, Martin Miller, the Buells, David Martin, and the Bruntons. East of this, in 1832, James B. Johnston laid off the village of Concord; and in this neighborhood were William Brady, Daniel Travis, Daniel Stoner, the Resors, Kirkendalls, Johnsons, and still southeast were Caulkins, Wells, Cole, Trickle, Bakers, Parvis, and Westlake.
On Lauramie Creek were Hezikiah Hunter, Alvin Pippen, Joseph Gladden, James Car, Wickerham, the Stingleys, Elliotts, LaRue, Keeler, Martin Rhodes, and James Cowley. Near Monroe were William and James H. Major, John Kilgore, Martis Lucas, James B. Hartpence, Michael Culver, the Brelsford, and Cooleys. Northwest of this settlement, in the direction of Lafayette, were John and Jasper Whetstone, William Heaton, the Kirkpatricks, Daniel Clark, Morgan Shortridge, Billings Babcock, Samuel Black, James Earl, Levi Thornton, John Hoover, James Cochran, David H. Cochran, Joseph Cochran, Matthew Orbeson, William Harter, David Patton and Michael Bush.
In the vicinity of Lafayette, east and north, were Peter hilt, the Knappers, Aaron Claspil, James Thornton, Jonathan Wolf, John Doylbe, the Gunkles, Gushwa's, Foresmans, John Cockerel, Peter Longlois, John Alien, Gerrit Seymour and John W. Smith.
In the neighborhood of Fairfield, now Dayton, as early as 1823, were John Thompson, the Paige family and the Bakers. They were soon after followed by Timothy Horam, Wm. Bush, Samuel Favorite, Joseph Barton, David Pedath, the Rizers, Tooles, Samuel McGeorge, Bartmes, the Strothers, Sterns, Stairs, John Robinson, Jesse Evans, the Cleavers, McCarthys, Dyes, James Wyhe and the Burkhalters. Near Americus were Jesse Jackson, John Burget, the Stair family, John Cunningham, the Richardsons, Schoolcrafts, Stevens, Stanfields, Gishs, McGlothlans, Benjamin Doty and the Browns.
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| William Digby |
On the 24th day of December, 1824, William Digby purchased at the land sales, conducted by John Wilson, at Crawfordsville, Indiana, the south fractional half of the southeast quarter of section 20, T23, N., range 4, west, and on the 25th day of May, 1825 laid out the town of Lafayette. Three days after laying off this town, Digby sold it to Samuel Sargent for $240 and soon after, Sargent sold five-eights of the odd numbered lots to Isaac C. Elston, John Wilson and Jonathan W. powers for $130, and on the 8th day of July, 1827, it was formally declared the seat of justice of Tippecanoe County.
Stay Tuned for Part III - Sanford Cox's graphic details of Tippecanoe County
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