Marion, Do you have any information on any Webbs with land grants during
that time period.Would welcome any information you might have on any Webb.
Thank you. Shirley in Missouri
----- Original Message -----
From: "Marian Dunlap" <mdunlap(a)effingham.net>
To: <INDECATU-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Monday, July 28, 2003 11:03 AM
Subject: Re: [INDECATU] DRAKE, Robert, Benjamin, Jesse 1797-1821
ATLAS OF DECATUR CO INDIANA--1882 REPRINT
Page 5 -- THE LAND SALES
In the early part of the year 1820, the United States government
sent out her land surveyors to lay out the New Purchase, so as to bring
the lands into the market at as early a date as possible. The work in
this county was done by Thomas Hendricks and Samuel Hueston, assisted by
Jacob Stewart, Silas Stewart, John Gageby and Samuel Logan. A new land
office was opened at Brookville, and the land sales were commenced the
first week in October of that year. The lands in the northeastern part
of the county being rolling and drier than the other portions, also
finely timbered and watered and very rich in soil, were rapidly taken
up. From the certified record of the Government Land Office, on file in
the office of our County Recorder , we learn that the first land patent
issued in Decatur County was to John Shelhorn, for what has since been
and is still known as the Shelhorn homestead, between Little and Big
Flat Rock, on the Moscow road. This patent bears date October 3, 1820,
and the land has since continued in the possession of the Shelhorn
family. Six days after this (October 9), patents were issued to James
Hobbs and James Wise--the former locating one mile east and the latter a
mile south of where Clarksburg now stands. Between October 9 and
December 31, 1820, 153 patents were issued for lands lying in this
county; and among the names of the parties to whom they were issued are
many who subsequently founded worthy families, and who themselves, or
their descendants, attained honorable distinction in county affairs. We
mention Dr. Nathan Lewis, Rev. John Linville, James Saunders, Rev. J. K.
Rankin, Judge John Bryson, Thomas Martin, David Martin, William Lindsay,
Joseph A. Hopkins, Isaac Darnell, Thomas Throp, Jesse Drake, Daniel
Sweim, Dillard Drake, Richard J. Hall, William Custar, William Ross,
Thomas Doles, Benjamin Drake, Thomas Hendricks, John Mars, Thomas
Ireland, David Jewitt, Joseph Kimball, Abraham Heaton, Aquilla Cross and
Adam Rankin. From October 3, 1820, to December 31, 1825, (four years
and three months) 761 entries were made of lands lying in this county,
the largest number of any year being 273, in 1821, and the smallest
fifty-three in 1825. The character of the emigration of that period is
well indicated by the few names above given. That was a noble race that
felled our native forests, built our first churches and schoolhouses and
opened the way for making Decatur County what she now is--among the
foremost ones of the State in point of intelligence, thriftiness and
enterprise.
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