Jefferson Township, District No. 7 School [Switzerland County, Indiana] roll of honor appeared in:
Vevay Reveille – 1 Feb 1883 – Page 5, Column 3
Roll of Honor of School District No. 7, Jefferson Township, for the term ending Jan. 27th, 1883:
D. W. TRAFELET, Teacher
Jefferson Township, District No. 12 School [Switzerland County, Indiana] roll of honor appeared in:
Vevay Reveille – 1 Feb 1883 – Page 5, Column 1
Roll of Honor of District No. 12, Jefferson Township for the month ending January 26, 1883:
Grade 5—Sallie Reeves, Lenos Muret
Grade 4—Clara Ricketts, Frank Muret
Grade 3—Effie Bliss, Johnny Scudder
Grade 2—Fletcher Hewitt, Johnny Knouse
Grade 1—Willie Reeves, Ollie Peak, Willie Riely
EMOGENE E. SHADDAY, Teacher
District No. 12 School [Jefferson Township, Switzerland County, Indiana] roll of honor appeared in:
Vevay Democrat – 16 Nov 1882 – Page 5, Column 5
Roll of Honor of District School, No. 12, of Jefferson Township, for the month ending October 27th, 1882:
Vevay Reveille – 28 Dec 1882 – Page 5, Column 3
Roll of Honor of District School No. 12, Jefferson Township, for the month ending Dec. 15, 1882:
Fifth Grade—Zora Muret, Sallie Reeves, Mathew Hardin
Fourth Grade—Frank Muret, Clara Ricketts, Juliet Williamson
Third Grade—Clyde Muret, Johnnie Scudder
Second Grade—Fletcher Hewitt, Johnnie Knouse, Johnnie Ricketts
First Grade—George Muret, Willie Reeves, Tenie Ricketts
EMOGENE E. SHADDAY, Teacher.
The following article about military in Switzerland County, Indiana appeared in:
Vevay Reveille – 27 Aug 1868 – Page 2, Column 4
Jefferson Township Company of Fighting Boys in Blue.
The following is the “roster” of the Jefferson Township Company of Fighting Boys in Blue:
The following article about Jefferson Township, Switzerland County, Indiana appeared in:
Vevay Reveille – 26 Mar 1868 – Page 2, Column 2
Jefferson Township Union Republican Convention.
Pursuant to notice the Union voters of Jefferson Township, met at Grisard’s Hall in Vevay, on Saturday, March 21, for the purpose of nominating candidates to be voted for at the ensuing April election.
The Convention was organized by selecting Capt. Percy Rous Chairman, and L. W. Gordon Secretary.
After which they nominated the following candidates for the various Township offices:
For Township Trustee—Ralph Cotton.
For Justices of the Peace—John G. Anderson, Zadig Rous, David Miller, and Edward Abbott.
For Constables—Thomas Lazenby, Daniel Wilcox, Ostrum Boright, Thomas Thatcher and Samuel Barker.
For Road Supervisors:
The Secretary was instructed to furnish the Vevay Reveille with a copy of the proceedings for publication.
Then the Convention was adjourned.
PERCY ROUS, President.
L. W. GORDON, Sec’y.
The following article about the Jefferson Township, Switzerland County, Indiana appeared in:
Vevay Reveille – 19 Mar 1868 – Page 2, Column 2
Jefferson Township Democratic Convention.
Vevay, Ind. March 14.
Pursuant to notice, the Democratic and Conservative votes of Jefferson Township, Switzerland County, Indiana, met in mass Convention, for the purpose of nominating candidates, to be voted for at the ensuing April election.
The Convention was organized by electing Enos Littlefield, Esq., Chairman, and C. A. Brown Secretary.
The following ticket was unanimously put in nomination:
For Justices of the Peace—John Clendening, Enos Littlefield, Americus Benedict, Bennett Phillips.
For Township Trustee—John J. Paul.
For Constables—William Fessler, John Peters, Rodolph McMakin, James Wiley, Albion Jackson.
For Road Supervisers:
The following resolutions were then on motion adopted:
Resolved, That we heartily concur in the resolutions adopted at the Democratic Convention, held at Indianapolis on the 8th of January.
Resolved, That we endorse the action of the Young Men Democratic State Committee, in appointing Eugene M. LeClerc Chairman of the said Committee for this County.
Resolved, That a copy of the proceedings of this meeting be handing to the Editor of the Reveille for publication.
On motion, the Convention then adjourned sine die.
ENOS LITTLEFIELD, Pres’t.
C. A. BROWN, Sec’y.
The following article about a squirrel hunt in Jefferson Township, Switzerland County, Indiana appeared in:
Vevay Reveille – 16 May 1867 – Page 2, Column 3
Squirrel Hunt in Switzerland County in 1824.
Mr. Baird:–Last week I gave the result of a squirrel hunt in Craig Township. I will now give the result of a hunt in Jefferson Township, the result of which was ascertained on the 27th of March, 1824, on which day the hunters met and counted their game. But before giving the result, it may not be amiss to state how the hunts of those days were conducted:
The hunters met and appointed two captains, then selected the men who were to compose their respective companies; and on the day agreed upon to commence the hunt, each party sailed forth to their deadly work of extermination. In the hunt, of which the following result is given, the hunters were designated as “Stepleton’s men,” and “Cotton’s men:”
STEPLETON’S MEN.
COTTON’S MEN.
How long the hunt continued, I have no means of informing you. Four of these men, James Brown, John Stickler, John F. Cotton and Benjamin Picket, are still living in this county, and I think perhaps Samuel Peak, as I have not heard of his death. Lewis W. Beal is living near Madison, Ind., Miles Mendenhall at Napoleon, Ind., Zeras Sisson in Iowa or Illinois, and William Cotton, jr., near Louisville, Ky.
It may appear as a “big squirrel story” to most of your readers, who have never inhabited a squirrel region, but they can satisfy themselves as to the truth of the statement by calling on any one of the gentlemen who were engaged in that hunt, who may now be living. Would it not be a subject of interest and curiosity to your numerous readers, to read of some of the privations of the early settlers of this portion of Indiana? D.
It would without a doubt, friend D., and if you, or “any other man,” will furnish us sketches of the early history of our town and county, we will appreciate the favor.
Details about the Jefferson Township, Switzerland County, Indiana Democratic Meeting of 21 March 1840 appeared in
Vevay Times and Switzerland County Democrat – 28 March 1840 – Page 3, Column 4.
Consult newspaper for full article.
JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP
Democratic Meeting.
Pursuant to notice given in the Vevay Times, a very large and respectable meeting of the Democratic Republican citizens of Jefferson township was held in the town of Jacksonville, on Saturday the 21st inst.
The meeting was organized by appointing EDWARD PATTON, President, JOHN F. DUFOUR and MARTIN R. GREEN, Vice Presidents; and ISAAC STEVENS and GEO E. PLEASANTS, Secretaries.
[List of resolutions passed at meeting]
Resolved, That fifty delegates be appointed to represent this township in said Convention [to be held at Vevay on 25 April 1840]. Whereupon the following gentlemen were appointed said delegation.
Switzerland County, Indiana entries from:
The Indiana Gazetteer or Topographical Dictionary. Indianapolis : E. Chamberlain, 1849.
Digitized copy online at Internet Archive
ALLENSVILLE, a small town in Switzerland county, eleven miles north-east of Vevay, surrounded by a good country and a very industrious population.
BELMONT, a small town in Craig township, Switzerland county.
BENNINGTON, a small town in Pleasant township, Switzerland county.
BRYANT’S CREEK, a small stream in Switzerland county, running south into the Ohio near Warsaw.
COTTON, a northern township in Switzerland county.
CRAIG, a south-western township in Switzerland county.
FLORENCE, a small town in York township, Switzerland county, on the Ohio river, eight miles above Vevay.
GRANT’S CREEK, a small mill stream in Switzerland county, which runs south into the Ohio river, four miles below Rising Sun.
INDIAN CREEK, a mill stream in Switzerland county, rising in the north part of it, runs south into the Ohio two miles below Vevay.
JACKSONVILLE, a small town in Switzerland county, seven miles north north-east of Vevay.
JEFFERSON, the most populous township in Switzerland county.
LOG LICK, a small stream in Switzerland county, running south-west into the Ohio six miles above Vevay.
MOUNT STERLING, a small town in Switzerland county, four miles north of Vevay.
PLEASANT, a north-west township in Switzerland county.
PLUM CREEK, a small stream in Switzerland county, that falls into the Ohio two miles above Vevay.
POSEY, an eastern township in Switzerland.
QUERCUS GROVE, a small town in Switzerland county, 12 miles north-east of Vevay, sometimes called the “Bark Works.” It was first settled in 1816, by Daniel D. Smith, and others, who commenced grinding and packing oak bark in hogsheads to send to England for coloring matter. The experiment proved a failure, and was soon abandoned.
SWITZERLAND COUNTY, organized in 1814, derives its name from a settlement of Swiss, who came within the bounds of the present county in 1802, and commenced the cultivation of the grape there. It is bounded north by Ripley and Ohio counties, east and south by the Ohio river, and west by Jefferson, and it contains about 225 square miles. The civil townships are Craig, Jefferson, York and Posey, on the Ohio, Cotton in the north, and Pleasant in the north-west. The population in 1830 was 7,111, in 1840, 9,920, and at this time is about 14,000. As the Ohio river borders on the county 36 miles, there are many large and fine bottoms which are mostly rich and well cultivated. Back of these for an average distance of three miles, the river hills rise from 400 to 500 feet, and are interrupted at short distances by precipitous ravines. The timber and soil are, however, of a superior quality, and where the hills are not too steep to be farmed, first rate crops are produced. Farther back from the river the ravines disappear, and a high table land is reached, more clayey, yet well adapted to grass and small grain, and with proper cultivation, suited to any crop common to the climate. There are some of the best farms in the State in Switzerland, and every year large quantities of produce are shipped to the south from the numerous landings on the river.
There are in the county 10 grist mills, 15 saw mills, of which about half are propelled by steam the others by water, 40 stores, 20 groceries, 20 ware-houses, one printing office, 10 lawyers, 30 physicians, 25 preachers, and the usual proportion of mechanics. In the towns there are 12 Methodist churches, two for the Presbyterians, two for the Baptists, and one for the Universalians, besides others in the country. The taxable land amounts to 143,016 acres. There is none yet belonging to the United States.
John James Dufour was the enterprising leader of the Swiss Colony before referred to. By his indefatigable exertions, a grant of land was procured from the United states to him and his little colony on a long credit, and by this means about 200 acres of land was procured for each of the original settlers. They were industrious and prudent, and they and their posterity have generally been prosperous. See Vevay.
VEVAY, the Seat of Justice of Switzerland county, is situated on a beautiful bottom on the Ohio river, 70 miles below Cincinnati and the same distance above Louisville, and 96 south-east of Indianapolis. It constitutes a part of the tract of land sold on credit by the United States to the Swiss settlement, in 1802, for the cultivation of the vine. The town was laid out in 1813, by the brothers J. J., J. F. and Daniel Dufour, and received the name of a town in Switzerland from the vicinity of which they had emigrated. Vevay now contains over 200 houses, many of them built with much taste, and 1,200 inhabitants.
Switzerland County, Indiana entries from:
The Indiana Gazetteer or Topographical Dictionary. Indianapolis : Douglass and Maguire, 1833.
Digitized copy at HathiTrust Digital Library
ALLENSVILLE, a post town in Switzerland county, about ten miles north-east of Vevay, on a branch of Laughery creek.
BRYANT’S CREEK, a small creek which has its source in the northern part of Switzerland county, and runs south through said county to the Ohio river.
COTTON, a northern township in Switzerland county.
CRAIG, a western township in Switzerland county.
JACKSONVILLE, a small village in Switzerland county about seven miles north-east from Vevay, on the Lawrenceburgh road.
JEFFERSON, a western township in Switzerland county.
LOG LICK CREEK, a small creek in Switzerland county, running southward into the Ohio river.
MOUNT STERLING, a flourishing village in Switzerland county, three and a half miles north from Vevay. It has some trade and abounds with fine water.
NEW-YORK, a small post village in Switzerland county. It is situated on the bank of the Ohio river, eight miles east of Vevay.
PATRIOT, a small post town in Switzerland county, on the Ohio river, about fifteen miles by land, and twenty-five by water, north-east from Vevay.
PLEASANT, a post village in Switzerland county, twelve miles north of Vevay.
PLEASANT, a northern township in Switzerland county, including the village of that name.
PLUM CREEK, a small mill stream in Switzerland county, running southwardly into the Ohio river.
POSEY, an eastern township in Switzerland county.
QUERCUS GROVE, a post office in Switzerland county, about twelve miles north-east from Vevay.
SWITZERLAND, a south-eastern county bordering on the Ohio river. It was organized in 1814; and is bounded on the north by Dearborn and Ripley, on the west by Jefferson, and on the south and east by the Ohio river. Its greatest extent from north to south is about eighteen miles, and from east to west about twenty-four miles. It contains about 300 square miles, or 192,000 acres. Its population, in 1830, was 7,111. The face of the country, the soil, and timber, are variant. The bottom lands along the river are level. The timber consists of beech, walnut, cherry, honey locust, ash, elm, and buckeye. The soil is a dark loam with a heavy mixture of sand. Next to the bottom is a high, hilly land considerably broken, and the hills in some places very precipitous. On these hills the timber is not much different from that which is found in the bottoms; blue ash, and large buckeye abound on the steepest places. In this tract, which extends back from the river about three or four miles, the soil is a dark rich loam with a smaller proportion of sand than the bottom lands, and equally fertile where cultivation is practicable. In this hilly region, are vast quantities of limestone, and in some places high cliffs, from which detached masses of rock have fallen on the subjacent plain. Passing from the river a few miles back, the hills extend gradually, forming a high table land, covered with beech, gum, poplar, ash, hickory, and all varieties of oak. In this high land the soil is clayey and calcareous, and produces plentiful crops of small grain and grass. This county is washed by the Ohio river on the east and south. Its interior streams are Indiana creek, Plum creek, Bryant’s creek, Turtle creek, and Grant’s creek; all which run into the Ohio river. In this county the vine is successfully cultivated. The settlements along the river below Vevay, where the culture of the grape is principally attended to, present an appearance of industry and taste. This part of the county, is a compound of elegance and usefulness, where to one of the most delightful natural situations on the Ohio, is added the embellishments of art; and where art and elegance are made subservient to wealth and comfort. Here are also beautiful orchards, with a great variety of the finest fruits, and gardens cultivated in the most tasteful style. The wine of this county is of excellent quality, and with the advantage of age, would not be inferior to the European wine; but it is generally used before it is sufficiently matured. The citizens of this county are rapidly improving in their circumstances, and some of them have already become wealthy, chiefly by the culture of the grape. In addition to the culture of orchards, gardens, and vines, the ordinary branches of husbandry are carried on in this county, and large quantities of corn, flour, beef, pork, potatoes, hay, and poultry, are annually transported to the low country. Vevay is the seat of justice.
TURTLE CREEK, a creek in Switzerland, running southwardly into the Ohio river.
VEVAY, a post town, and the seat of justice of Switzerland county. The situation of this town is very pleasant; it is thought by some to be superior in beauty to any other town site on the Ohio river. The first settlers in this place were emigrants from Switzerland, who at an early period commenced the culture of the vine. By the industry and enterprise of those early settlers, the beauty of the natural situation was soon greatly heightened, and that beautiful rich bottom which but a few years ago was covered by a heavy forest, now presents to the eye of the passing traveler a pleasant flourishing town, surrounded by orchards, gardens, and vineyards, where taste and elegance are combined with use and comfort. The town contains upwards of a hundred brick and frame dwelling houses, a jail, a brick court house, three taverns, seven mercantile stores, three lawyers, three physicians, a printing office, and a variety of mechanics; with an aggregate population of about 400 souls. It is situated about twenty miles south-east from Indianapolis. N. lat. 38 deg. 40 min. W. lon. 7 deg. 49 min.