Daviess County, Indiana History

County Farm Cemetery

smyrnatnhistory — Tue, 26 May 2009 00:55:12 +0000

Though a single stone exists to mark the final resting place of many of the residents at the County Farm, it is important that they be remembered. Here I will post the names of those known to be buried in the field behind the house. This may take several posts, so leave a comment if you need more info before I have them all posted.

Mathias Abbot 1874-1895
Ben Alford 1871-1901
Infant Algiers 1871-1871
Hannah Algiers 1850-1871
Joseph Allen 1853-1875
Anna Ash 1819-1907
August Baker 1859-1936
Mary M Barker 1834-1904
Perlina Barley 1806-1876
Frank Barter 1872-1897
Annanias Blackburn ??-1866
John W Boyloyns 1845-1901
Perry Brasfield 1842-1885
Polina Bratton 1842-1888
James Brown 1824-1877
John Brown 1829-1892
Catharine Burletz 1799-1873
Lewis Burletz 1843-1879
John Burletz 1818-1885
Angeline Butler 1843-1869

More to follow…..

John W Coats

smyrnatnhistory — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:48:42 +0000

John W Coats is a bit of a mystery. His grave is located at the Daviess County Farm. He was a Confederate Soldier…a member of the 19th Georgia Infantry and a Prisoner of War. According to research, he was captured and supposedly killed at James Island in 1861. However, according to his headstone, he died in 1866.

It is possible that he was a prisoner at Camp Morton in Indianapolis. There were some that escaped and were never recaptured. There were some that were released from the camp and left to find their own way home. Most were exchanged at designated sites far from Daviess County. There are many possibilities as to how he ended up here, but so far there are few facts. If you have any ideas to contribute, then please do so!

I am also working on a transcription of the known burials at the farm. Hopefully, that will be ready to post soon.

Elnora Post

smyrnatnhistory — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 03:26:57 +0000

Do you subscribe to the Elnora Post? It is a charming newspaper with lots of articles referencing the history of the town of Elnora. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should take a look…lots of great info to be found. We are great fans and look forward to each issue.

We are glad that we were able to point them in the right direction on the article (Last Civil War Soldier in County) which appeared in the 12-26 edition! (A mention of the blog would have been appreciated, though! )

Random Fact #2

smyrnatnhistory — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:55:14 +0000

The town of Elnora, Indiana was founded in 1885. It is the namesake of Elnora Griffith. Mrs. Griffith was the wife of an early, prominent merchant in the area.

Homer Capehart and a cornfield

smyrnatnhistory — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:22:40 +0000

One of the best known historical facts about Daviess County is that it was the home to the 1938 GOP cornfield conference. On August 26, 1938, Homer Capehart hosted the gathering at his farm in Daviess County, near Washington. Attended by 50,000 or so people, it was regarded as the revival of the Republican party in Indiana.

In 1944, Mr. Capehart was elected to the 1st of 3 Senate terms. He died in 1979 in Indianapolis, but will always be remembered for the gathering in his cornfield.

Last Soldier

smyrnatnhistory — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:08:47 +0000

In 2003, the Sons of Union Veterans embarked on a project to “locate and appropriately mark the final resting place of the last Civil War Soldier buried in each county/parish and in each state of this great country.”

For Daviess County, that soldier was William McNeeley. Mr. McNeeley was a member of the 43rd Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He passed away in May of 1942 and was buried at Walnut Hill Cemetery in Odon.

More info can be found here.

National Register of Historic Places

smyrnatnhistory — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:08:46 +0000

The National Register of Historic Places shows 9 listings for Daviess County. They are as follows:

Magnus J Carnahan House, Thomas Faith House, Glendale River Archaeological Site, Robert C Graham House, Jefferson Elementary School, Prairie Creek Site, Dr. John A Scudder House, Old Union Church and Cemetery and the Washington Commercial Historic District.

One of these listings, the Jefferson School, served as the location for the Daviess County Museum for a time. It was sold recently and a zoning change was requested. The change was denied by the planning commission so the future of the building is unknown at this point. What are your ideas for the perfect use for this historic building?

Random Fact #1

smyrnatnhistory — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:19:31 +0000

The first newspaper published in Washington was called “The Philanthropist”. William C Berry & Son began publication in 1836. “The Philanthropist” was succeeded by “The Chronicle” which was published by Mr. Berry until 1840.

Railroad History

smyrnatnhistory — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:37:04 +0000

Life was changed in Washington when the railroad came to town. Prior to its arrival, the Wabash and Erie Canals had been the main source of transportation of goods to markets in other towns. With the high cost of upkeep on the canals, the railroads were a welcome change. The Ohio & Mississippi Railroad laid the first tracks through Washington in 1857. During the construction phase, a large vein of coal was discovered on the east side of town.

In 1885, the Town of Washington donated 60 acres and $75,000 to the railroad company to “encourage” the construction of the railroad shops. Washington was a good location for these shops as it is midway between St. Louis and Cincinnati.

Welcome!

smyrnatnhistory — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 01:04:05 +0000

Well, here it is. The first post on Daviess County, History. Over the next few weeks, entries concerning the many historical aspects of the area will be added.

Daviess County was organized from Knox County on February 15, 1817. It was named to honor Col. John Hamilton Daviess, a lawyer from Kentucky who was killed at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. A seemingly quiet place, there is more history here than one might imagine.

Check back daily for little known trivia and well known facts. Leave a comment if you are so inclined. I appreciate your visit!