Published Historical Information About Jefferson and Switzerland Counties Copyright June 2001 by Robert W. Scott This listing gives basic source material for both Jefferson and Switzerland County. The works included here are chosen because they have some genealogical value, and are not just general historical accounts. There are several more recent histories of Jefferson County, none of them very good in my opinion. Each work must be evaluated separately for its accuracy. Most county histories that were printed in the second half of the nineteen century offered biographical sketches. Since at least some of these books were sold by subscription, it appears that the writers tended to flatter subscribers. Sketches quite often picture the subject as one of the earliest pioneers in a particular county, even though such statements weren’t true. Genealogical material in these sketches is sometimes confused. Nevertheless, they represent some of the earliest published genealogical material in many counties in the Midwest. I have not included officials records, with one exception, in this list, or any church histories. One very good source of information was a series of columns in the Madison Courier in the 1930s and probably later by Charles E. Heberhart, which ran under the title, “They Say and Do in the Country.” If someone is looking for a good deed, it would very helpful to historians if these were to be collected in one volume, or at least one folder, in the way the Perret Dufour’s writings were collected. Biographical & Historical Souvenir for the Counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott and Washington, Chicago. 1889 Gresham, John M. & Co. This is the earliest printed history that touches on Jefferson County and because of the inclusion of other counties, it’s not as extensive as are other county histories of this type and era. It has general county history and a section of biographical sketches. The history appears to be largely accurate, although sources are not cited. Available at the Jefferson County library. Executive Journal of Indiana Territory. Edited and Annotated by William Wesley Woolen, Daniel Wait House, and Jacob Piatt Dunn. Published in 1900 as Vol. III No. 3 of the Indiana Historical Society Publications. Reprinted with revisions by the Family History Section of the Indiana Historical Society. This is the record of the official acts of the territorial government of Indiana from 1801 through1816 when Indiana became a state. Most of the information regarding individuals involves appoints of county officers, such as justices of the peace, and members of the militia. Avalailable at the Jefferson County library. History of Lancaster Township by George S. Cottman. This typewritten document is in the Jefferson County library. It gives a basic history of the township, along with a few biographical sketches. It’s not quite up to the level of detail of the similar histories of Milton and Shelby Township. History of Milton Township by the Jefferson County Historical Society. This document does not list either an author or a date published. It was published no earlier than 1908 because it mentions Isaiah Brooks of Brooksburg as living and Brooks died that year. It draws upon obituaries of some of its subjects and quotes two early petitions that are not on record elsewhere. I have found it to be generally accurate, although it has one real blooper in attributing the founding of the Manville Christian Church to members breaking away from the Manville Baptist Church (It should have said Milton Baptist Church). It contains some material that is attributed to James W. Lanham (the long-time minister of the Manville Christian Church) and to material from George Cottman, who reportedly planned to write a history of all townships. It contains a handful of brief biographical sketches. This history and the similar History of Shelby Township were both available at the Jefferson County library in typewritten form. I have both of these typed into my computer. History of Shelby Township by the Jefferson County Historical Society. Like the Milton Township History, this document does not give either a date or author. I believe that one author wrote both and that he was William Ryker, the president of the society. The Shelby Township history contains the following sentence. “George W. Buchanan, who, at an advanced age, was living there some years ago, stated to the writer that his father came about 1813...” I believe this refers to a 1910 interview that Ryker conducted with George W. Buchanan (1828-1911). Therefore, I conclude that Ryker wrote the Shelby Township history and probably the society’s Milton Township history. It contains a handful of biographical sketches. History of Switzerland County. This was original issued as the History of Dearborn, Ohio, and Switzerland Counties by publisher Weakley Harraman in 1885. The Switzerland County portion was reissued as the History of Switzerland County by the Switzerland County Historical Society in 1993. Much of the early history was taken completely from Perret Dufour’s writing without any attribution to Dufour. The major items not in Dufour’s writing include the biographical sketches at the end of the book and listings of companies of Civil War companies. It also includes sections on the various townships, while Dufour’s work generally concentrated on Vevay. Much of the information appears accurate, although no sourcing is given. The sketches are no more, nor less accurate than sketches from county histories of the late 1800s and some have very valuable genealogical information. Pioneers of Jefferson County by John Smock. Madison Courier, June 26, 1874. This is one of a number of accounts published in the Madison Courier. It gives an account by John Smock, whose family crossed the Ohio River in 1805 and settled near Hanover. Since Smock was born in Kentucky that year, before the family came, it obviously contains elements he learned second-hand. Smock’s mother Rachel was a sister to John Ryker, usually credited as the first European settler of Jefferson County. The account covers the period before 1820 and is one of the first accounts about western Jefferson County. Along with John Vawter’s account, this is one of two basic histories upon which much history of early Jefferson County has been based. The Postal History of Indiana, Hartmann, Leonard 1976, Philatelic Bibliophile, P.O. Box 213971, Louisville, Ky. 1976. Although this is not a genealogical work, it is a valuable research tool of astounding thoroughness. It lists almost ever post office that ever existed in Indiana (I have found one exception in Jefferson County) the dates they were commissioned and closed and the dates of service of known postmasters. If you know your ancestor lived at Wirt or any other town, you’ll know when they actually got mail under that address. Some Leading Facts of History of Canaan Indiana and Shelby Township, Jefferson county, Indiana, Written in 1961 by William J. Kremer. This history has a lot of Canaan, and not much of the rest of Shelby Township. The author lived 1890-1980. He is strongest in talking about events from the 1870s and on. For early history, he clearly drew on previously published work such as Gresham’s Biographical and Historical Souvenir. The narrative is not well organized, so unless you already know much about the area, it’s tricky to navigate. The Swiss Settlement of Switzerland County. This is a series of writings by Perret Dufour published in area newspapers in the 1869 and 1876 . It was assembled as a book and published in 1925. It was reprinted by the Switzerland County Historical Society in 1987 Dufour was an observer or participant in many events in the early 1800s. But he didn’t rely on his memory, his work gives evidence that he carefully checked his statements against official documents. If he made any errors, I haven’t found them. He wrote well and knew what he was talking about. Recollections of John Vawter. Vawter, son of pioneering minister Jesse Vawter, wrote these recollections in 1850. The facts have been recycled endlessly, generally without referencing the source. In fact, most of the material about early Jefferson County comes from these letters, printed in Madison newspapers of the time as Pioneers of Jefferson County. One of the most easily available versions of John Vawter’s letters (multiple accounts) is in The Vawter Family in America by Grace Vawter Bicknell, Hollenbeck Press, Indianapolis, 1905, Reprinted,Thorpe & Associates, Atlanta, 1969 Copyright by Robert W. Scott, 2001. Online Genealogical Workshop Jefferson County INGenWeb. Copyright 1996-2001. All Rights Reserved. This site is maintained by Ruth A. Hoggatt.