INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS Volume XIX INDIANA BOUNDARIES
INDIANA LIBRARY AND HISTORICAL BOARD Lyman S. Ayres, President John P. Goodwin, Vice-President Mrs. Benjamin Saks, Secretary Mrs. A. T. Carpenter John E. Horner HISTORICAL BUREAU Hubert H. Hawkins, Director Dorothy Riker, Editor In view of the continued interest in this volume, a second printing, by offset process, has been authorized. April, 1967
INDIANA BOUNDARIES TERRITORY, STATE, AND COUNTY BY GEORGE PENCE and NELLIE C. ARMSTRONG Reprinted by the INDlANA HISTORICAL BUREAU Indianapolis, 1967
BY THE INDIANA HISTORICAL BUREAU STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION INDIANAPOLIS: WM. B. BURFORD PRINTING CO, CONrXACTOR FOR STATE PRINTING AND BINDING 1933
PREFACE T HE object of this volume is to show as exactly as may be the boundaries of the State of Indiana, the territories preceding it, and the counties which have been organized within it. The knowledge of the limits of political units at different times is essential to the use of public records, election returns, land records, or genealogical data. It has not been practicable to extend this work to cover congressional, judicial, and legislative districts nor civil townships; it is to be hoped that these less permanent political units may be covered later. The boundaries described in this volume were determined primarily by executive and legislative acts. In cases in which the action of local authorities, such as county commissioners, was required, it has been taken into account. There have been cases, doubtless rather numerous in the earlier history of the state, in which local usage and jurisdiction of courts did not follow with precision boundaries fixed by law. Some county lines were not surveyed. These and other instances of deviation from the statutes cannot be given recognition here. The maps represent the boundaries of a given unit as in existence upon the date when the statute governing formation or change became effective. Organization of a government within a county, when provided for in the same act as the formation, usually took place at some later time, under specific provisions of the law. When organization was carried out under a separate law, it should be noted that the "effective" date given is the date on which the law was put in force, not the date on which organization was completed. The publication of the volume has been delayed by the death of the original author, George Pence, on September 13, 1929, not long after he had finished the preliminary work upon this volume. His lifelong interest in the his- (vii)
viii INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS tory of Indiana and its counties made possible its cornpilation. As civil engineer, county surveyor, and field examiner of the State Board of Accounts, he had accumulated during a long and useful life detailed information of records and practices, the recording of which was one of the reasons for this publication. No tribute can be too great to the industry and the patience which, under severe physical handicap, he gave to its development. Mrs. Ruth Williams Spilver, formerly of the Historical Bureau staff, aided in the repeated and arduous checking of text and maps necessary in the compilation of these records. Her carefulness and persistence not only resulted in the elimination of many errors, but brought to settlement numerous baffling points. Mrs. Spilver and Miss Dorothy Riker, of the present staff, assisted in the examination of House and Senate Journals for records of legislation regarding the boundaries of counties and their attachments, and Miss Riker has shared the task of seeing the voiume through the press. The completion of the volume by Miss Nellie C. Armstrong involved not only the difficulty of picking up the work of another person, but protracted research. and most exacting work both in the text and on the maps. The Bureau is indebted to the Indiana State Library for permission to use its collection of eariy maps and the rare volumes of the early laws; to the library of the Indiana Supreme Court, which made available the early laws from neighboring states; and to the department of land records in the office of the Auditor of State, for the use of survey field notes and maps. County officials have been most generous in supplying information from the commissioners' records, particularly concerning changes made in boundaries after the General Assembly delegated to the counties authority to make transfers of territory; in many cases they have also provided survey maps of disputed areas. CHRISTOPHER B. COLEMAN, Director of the Historical Bureau
CONTENTS OUTLINE OF BOUNDARY LEGISLATION Territorial and State Boundaries............................ 1 Territorial Counties........................................ 20 Counties of the New State.................................. 28 The Northern Counties..................................... 57 Later Counties.,........................................... 83 Changes under the Second Constitution......................I03 TERRITORIAL AND STATE MAPS Northwest Territory, 1787..................................I36 Indiana Territory... 138 I. 1800; 11. 1802; 111. 1805; rv. 1809 State of Indiana..........................................I46 I. 1816; 11. 1816-17; 111. 1817-18; Iv. 1818-19; v. 1819-20; VI. 1820-21; VII. 1821-22; VIII. 1822-23; Ix. 1823-24; X. 1825; XI. 1825-26; XII. 1826-27; XIII. 1827-28; XIv. 1828-29; xv. 1829-30; XVI. 1830-31; XVII. 1831-33; xvin. 1833-34; xrx. 1834-35; xx. 1835-36; xxi. 1836-38 ; xx11. 1838-39 ; XXIIr. 1839-40; XXIV. 1840-42 ; XXV. 1842-44; XXVI. 1844-52 ; XXVII. 1859-73 ; xxvnr. 1923-33 RELATED COUNTIES Randolph County, Northwest and Indiana Territories.........202 I. 1795; 11. 1801; 111. 1803 St. Clair County, Northwest and Indiana Territories..........208 I. 1790; 11. 1795; III. 1801; rv. 1803 Wayne County, Northwest and Indiana Territories...........216 I. 1796; 11. 1803 TEMPORARY COUNTIES Wabash County, New Purchase, 1820.......................220 Delaware County, New Purchase, 1820......................222
x INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS COUNTIES OF INDIANA Adams County. 1835... 224 Allen County. 1823... 226 Bartholomew County... 228 I. 1821; rr. 1828; 111. 1836; IV. 1838 Benton County. 1840... 236 Blackford County. 1838... 233 Boone County. 1830... 240 Brown County. 1836... 242 KEY TO SECTION Carroll County... 244 NUMBERS I. 1828; 11. 1839 Cass County... 248 I. 1828; 11. 1832; 111. 1834; IV. 1838 Clark County... 256 I. 1801; 11. 1802. Jan. 1803; 111. Mar. 1803; IV. 1808; v. 1810; VI. 1813; VII. 1815; VIII. 1819; IX. 1820; x. 1824; XI. 1836; XII. 1837; XIII. 1839; x ~v. 1843; xv. 1844, 1846; XVI. 1873 Clay County. 1825... 288 Clinton County... 290 I. 1830; 11. 1859 Crawford County... 291t I. 1818; 11. 1827 Daviess County... 298 I. 1816; 11. 1818; III. 1820; IV. 1821; v. 1828 Dearborn County... 308 I. 1803; 11. 1810; 111. 1814; IV. 1816; v. 1844; VI. 1845 Decatur County, 1821... 320 DeKalb County. 1835... 322 Delaware County. 1827... 324 Dubois County... 326 I. 1817; 11. 1818; 111. 1820 Elkhart County... I. 1830; 11. 1832; 1x1. 1836 Fayette County... 338 I. 1818; 11. 1821; 111. 1826 Floyd County... 844 I. 1819; 11. 1823; 111. 1828; rv. 1844
CONTENTS Fountain County, 1825... 352 Franklin County... 354 I. 1810; 11. 1818; 111. 1820; IV. 1821; v. 1826 Fulton County... 364 I. 1835 ; 11. 1838; 1x1. 1840; IV. 1843 ; v. 1844; VI. 1846 Gibson County... 375 I. 1813; 11. 1814; III. 1815; IV. 1816, 1817; v. 1818; VI. 1821; VII. 1823; VIII. 1824; IX. 1825; x. 1843; XI. 1844; XII. 1847; XIII. 1852 Grant County... 402 I. 1831; 11. 1838 Greene County, 1821... 406 Hamilton County, 1823....408 Hancock County, 1827... 410 Harrison County... 412 I. 1808; 11. 1810; III. 1813; IV. Jan. 10, 1818; v. Jan. 29, 1818; VI. 1819; VII. 1823; VIII. 1824, 1852 Hendricks County... 428 I. 1823; 11. 1831; 111. 1868 Henry County... 424 I. 1821; 11. 1823; III. 1824; IV. 1827 Howard County (Richardville)...442 I. 1844; 11. 1845; III. 1859 Huntington County, 1832.....448 Jackson County... 450 I. 1815; 11. 1816; III. 1818; IV. 1820; v. 1821; VI. 1822; VII. 1824; VIII. 1828; IX. 1836; x. 1843; XI. 1859 Jasper County... 472 I. 1835; 11. 1839; III. 1840; rv. 1841; v. 1859; vr. 1923 Jay County... 484 I. 1835; 11. 1838 Jefferson County... 488 I. 1810; 11. 1813; 1x1. 1814; IV. 1816; v. 1816; VI. 1820; VII, 1830; VIII. 1835, 1836; IX. 1837 Jennings County... 506 1. 1816; 11. 1820; 111. 1830 Johnson County, 1822... 512
xii INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS Knox County... 514 I. 1790; 11. 1796; 111. 1798; IV. 1801; v. 1802, 1803; VI. 1808; vn. 1809; VIII. 1810, 1813; IX. 1814; X. 1815; XI. 1816; XII. 1816; XIII. 1843 Kosciusko County... 540 I. 1835; 11. 1840; 111. 1843; IV. 1846 LaGrange County, 1832... 548 Lake County... 550 I. 1836; 11. 1923 LaPorte County... 554 I. 1832; 11. 1842; III. 1850; IV. 1925; v. 1931 Lawrence County... 564 I. 1818; 11. 1822; 111. 1859 Madison County... 570 I. 1823; 11. 1824; III. 1827; IV. 1831; v. 1838 Marion County... 580 I. 1821 ; 11.1831 Marshall County... 584 I. 1835 ; 11. 1836 Martin County... 588 I. 1820; 11. 1828 Miami County... 592 I. 1832; 11. 1834; In. 1838; IV. 1844 Monroe County... 600 I. 1818; 11. 1821; III. 1828, 1831; IV. 1836 Montgomery County... 608 I. 1822; 11. 1824; 111. 1825 Morgan County... 614 I. 1821; 11. 1861; 111. 1868 Newton County... 620 I. 1835; n. 1836; 111. 1859; w. 1923 Noble County... 628 I. 1835; 11. 1859 Ohio County... 632 I. 1844; 11. 1845 Orange County... 636 I. 1815; 11. 1818; 111. 1818 Owen County... 642 I. 1818; 11. 1821; 111. 1822; N. 1825
CONTENTS Parke County... 650 I. 1821; 11. 1824 Perry County... 654 I. 1814; 11. 1816; 111. Jan. 10. 1818; IV. Jan. 29. 1818; v. 1827 Pike County... 664 I. 1816; 11. 1817; 111. 1824; IV. 1825; v. 1826 Porter County... 674 I. 1835; 11. 1836; 111. 1923 Posey County... 680 I. 1814; 11. 1815; 111. 1817; IV. 1818; v. 1821; VI. 1823 Pulaski County. 1835... 692 Putnam County... 694 I. 1821; 11. 1822; 111. 1824; N. 1825; v. 1861 Randolph County... 704 I. 1818; 11. Jan. 1820; 111. Dec. 1820; N. 1824 Ripley County... 712 I. 1816; 11. 1821 Rush County. 1821... 716 St. Joseph County... 718 I. 1830; 11. 1832; 111. 1835; N. 1836; v. 1850; VI. 1931 Scott County... 730 I. Jan. 1820; 11. Dec. 1820; 111. 1830; IV. 1839; v. 1843 Shelby County. 1821... 740 Spencer County... 742 I. 1818; 11. 1825 Starke County... 746 I. 1835; 11. 1842; 111. 1925 Steuben County. 1835... 752 Sullivan County... 754 I. 1816; 11. Jan. 1818; 111. Dec. 1818. 1819; IV. 1821; v. 1825; VI. 1843 Switzerland County... 766 I. 1814; 11. 1821 Tippecanoe County. 1826... 770 Tipton County. 1844... 772 Union County... 774 I. 1821; 11.1826 Vanderburgh County. 1818... 778
xiv INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS Vermillion County, 1824.....780 Vigo County... 782 I. 1818; 11. 1819; nr. Jan. 1821; IV. Dec. 1821; v. 1822; VI. 1825 Wabash County... 794 I. 1832; 11. 1838 Warren County, 1827...,... 798 Warrick County... 800 I. 1813; 11. 1814; 111. 1818; rv. 1824; v. 1825; vr. 1826; VII. 1843; VIII. 1844; IX. 1847; x, 1852 Washington County... 820 I. 1813; 11. 1814; m. 1815; IV. Jan. 1820; v. Dec. 1820; vr. 1839; VII. 1843; VIII. 1846; IX. 1873 Wayne County... 838 I. 1810; XI. Jan. 1818; 1x1. Dec. 1818; IV. 1821; V. 1823; vi. 1824; vn. 1827 Wells County, 1835... 852 White County... 854 I. 1834; 11.1838; III. 1839; w. 1841 Whitley County... I. 1836; 11.1859 862