The following is from "The Swiss Settlement of Switzerland County,
Indiana," by Perret Dufour, pp. 34 - 37
Let me know if anyone is interested in receiving more from this book.
Sincerely,
Ruth Hoggatt
<bhoggatt(a)seidata.com>
"In the spring of 1813 it having been decided by John Francis Dufour
to lay off the town of Vevay - the lots in the origanal (sic) part of
Vevay were laid out partly in the Woods, and partly in a "dead[e]ing" &
some cleared land. The town plat was made out and recorded in the
Recorders office of Jefferson County at Madison. Notice of the sale of
the lots, was given through the papers published at Cincinnati,
Louisville, Lexington and Frankfort -the sale took place in November
1813. The sale was cried by John M. Johnson, Elisha Golay acting as
clerk of the sale. At that sale persons from abroad purchased lots;
Jeremiah Smock of Fayette County, Ky. purchased lot No. 135 Jacob
Mikesell purchased lot No. 133 Wm McIlvain lot No. 124, Peter Mikesell
No. 134, John Patterson 129, John Hill of Scott County Ky No. 125, Joab
Madison No. 152 Jessee Lamme Nos. 165, 166, 167, and 168, Abner K. Starr
No. 123, John Scott Nos. 85, and 87, Joseph Noble Nos. 58 and 91. These
are the persons from abroad who purchased lots at the sale. The price
of lots varied considerably the lowest price being $22 for lot No. 26 -
the hig[h]est price being $92 for lot No. 66. Other lots were sold
during the fall and winter at private sale.
During the Spring and Summer of 1814 buildings were being put up
rapidly in different parts of the town. The first house put up was a
log house by Samuel Butler and his father, on the lot where the Thiebaud
house in which the Bank is now kept stands. The same spring Joshua
Jones who came down the river from about Grants Creek had a set of house
logs hewed at Grants Creek ready to put up a house there - but he rafted
them in the river, floated them down to Vevay, and built a house with
them on the lot now owned by James F. Bristow - on Main Cross Street -
and there commenced making split bottomed chairs.
John Scott the fatherinlaw of James Cole, build a hewed log house on
the lot where the New Baptist church now stands, and carried on his
trade of Tailor. During the spring of 1814 John Dumont came to Vevay
and built a house on the spot where the present building owned by Amie
Morerod stands. As the town had during the spring shown some permanent
signs of improvement - and the population of the territory which was
that year organized into a County had augment[e]d to 1600 and was
constantly augmenting, it was proposed to have a county organized off
the upper end of Jefferson county to suit the convenience of the
Citizens who were compelled to go from above where Patriot now stands to
Madison, to transact their ordinary county businesss - accordingly a
petition signed by the citizens was presented to the Territorial
Legislature praying for the organization of such county. John Francis
Dufour and Elisha Golay [who] were the most active and influencial
friends of the measure attended the session of that Legislature as lobby
members and had the satisfaction of having their efforts crowned with
Success.
It may not be generally known, that there is a part of this County
east of the first principal meridian line which runs north and south
from the mouth of the Great Miami river - the lands in this county were
surveyed in 1797, 1798, 1800 and 1801. The lands entered at the land
office at Cincinnati extended down to a line drawn from opposite the
mouth of [the] Kentucky river running in such a direction as to strike
Fort Recovery - and that line is called the Old Indian Boundary as that
was a line established by Waynes treaty by which the Indians ceded to
the United States their title to the lands to that line. Below that line
the lands were in the Jeffersonville Land district. There is I believe
only one entire Congressional Township of land in this county all the
others being only parts of Townships in the northern side of the county
and along the river and the Indian boundary there are many fractional
townships - I will now give the date of
Entry of some of the lands
in Town. 1. Range 1 E. Frac. Sec 31, entered July 2, 1801 by John
Hopkins containing 322 acres--Sec. 6, and frac. Sec. 5, 7 and 8. Decr 2
1806 containing 1507 acres by Oliver Orm[s]by--Frac. Sec 18 July 24,
1809 by John Andres, containing 360 acres. In town 2 Range 1 E. Sec 31,
Frac. Sec. 29, 30 and 32 entered April 26, 1804 by Patric[k] Donahoe
containing 1412 acres. In town 1 Range 1 W. Frac. Sec 5 and 6 entered
sept 10, 1804 by John Buchannon and William Philips containing 208
acres. In Town 2 R. 1 west Sec. 6, entered Sep 4 1804 by Patrick
Donahoe and containing 647 acres N. E. qr. of Sec 27 entered July 15th,
1805 by Lewis Jones containing 160 acres. Frac. Sec. 34, entered Sept.
18, 1804 by Martin Baum containing 376 acres - Frac Sec 35 entered Sept
4, 1804 by Patrick Donahoe containing 505 acres -- Frac. Sec 36 entered
July 2, 1801, by Thomas Hopkins, containing 626 acres --There was no
other lands entered in this Township until in 1812.
In Town. 1 Range 2w Frac. Sec. 1 and 2 entered by John James Dufour
April 10, 1801 containing 797 acres --Frac. Sec 3, entered by Thomas
Hopkins July 14, 1801 containi[n]g 303 acres. Frac. Sec. 7 and 18
entered by John James Dufour and his associates Sept 14, 1804. No other
lands entered in this Township untill 1813.
In Town. 2, R. 2w S. E. qr Sec 25 entered by William White December
25, 1809 contain[in]g 160 acres--N. E. qr. sec 36 entered Dec 14, 1809
by John Fenton containing 160 acres S. W. qr. Sec 35 entered March 16,
1810 by John Gullion containing 160 acres-- No other land entered in
this township until 1812. In Town. 3. R. 2w no land entered in this
Township until 1812.
In Town 2 Range 3w N.W. qr Sec 2 and S. W. qr Sec. 2 entered Oct 9,
1804 by Griffith Dickason and Stilwell Heady contai[nin]g 325 acres--Sec
12 and 15 and Frac Secs 13, 14, 22, 23, 27 entered June 11, 1802 by John
James Dufour and his associates containing 2,357 acres --Frac. Sec 32
and 33. Dec 12, 1809 by George Craig containing 432 acres--No other
lands entered in this Township until 1811.
In Town 3 R. 3w S.E. qr Sec 34 entered by William Cotton June 10, 1805
containing 164 1/2 acres
No other lands entered in this township until 1811
In Town 4, R. 3w. none entered until 1817.
In Town 1 R. 4 Frac Sec 1. entered Jany 11, 1810 by James McKay.
Frac. Sec. 2, entered Sept. 22, 1804 by Thomas Thompson. In T. 2 R. 4w,
the first entry was made in 1815 the last 1835 In T. 3 R. 4w, the
first entry was made in 1814 last in 1816
This comprises all the Townships and fractional Townships in
Switzerland County in the Cincinnati land district.
In the Jeffersonville District no entries of land in Switzerland
County were made until 1812 and the last in 1839.
It will be seen that the early entries of the lands in the county were
made in the bottoms along the Ohio river and near thereto."