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John Vawter, Jennings County collection

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: S1678

Scope and Contents

Folder one includes an 8-page mimeographed copy of "Biographies and Recollections of Early Settlers of Jennings County". Biographies included are of Thomas Pool; Darius Robinson; William Sage; Adam Brower; William Johnson; and William T. Scott.

Also included is a 3-page mimeographed copy of "The Early History of Jennings County", by Hiram Prather; a 9 page mimeographed copy of a play about John Vawter of Vernon, Indiana; and a 3 page mimeographed copy of a document titled "State Roads – Jennings County", covering the timeframe from 1822-1849.

Folder two includes a 1-page typed copy of deed records indicating the transfer of "indenture" of an African American, Alice Carr, from John Myers, of Knox County, Indiana, to John Vawter of Jennings County, Indiana, dated June 19, 1818, June 21 1818, and July 14 1818, and subsequently releasing all "indentured" claims to Alice Carr.

Dates

  • 1811-1849

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.

Biographical Note

Indiana pioneer John Vawter was born to Jesse and Elizabeth (Watts) Vawter in Orange County, Virginia, on January 8, 1782. A surveyor and Baptist minister, Vawter settled in Madison County, Indiana, with his father in 1807. Soon after, John Vawter was elected Sheriff of Jefferson and Clarke Counties, Indiana, and in 1810 was appointed United States Marshal for Indiana. Vawter founded the town of Vernon, Indiana, and served as its Baptist pastor from 1821-1848. From 1831-1835, Vawter served on the Indiana State Legislature, and in 1836 was elected to the Indiana Senate. In 1848, he moved to Morgan county, and founded Morgantown and its first Baptist church. Vawter married four times: Polly Smith (1781-1825), with whom he had three children; Jane Smith (died 1826); Ruth Minton (1805-1850), with whom he had three children; and Martha (McGannon) Pearce (1822-1892), with whom he had one child. John Vawter died on August 17, 1862, in Morgan County, Indiana.

Sources:

Ancestry.com. "John Vawter." Accessed May 11, 2017. http://search.ancestrylibrary.com.

Evisum, Inc. "John Vawter." Virtual American Biographies. 2000. Accessed May 11, 2017. http://famousamericans.net/johnvawter/.

Extent

0.02 Cubic Feet (2 folders)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged by subject.

Custodial History

This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation from Mr. Peirce on 1925/07/13.

Accruals

No further additions are expected.

Processing Information

Collection processing completed 2017/05/11 by Linda Gellert. EAD finding aid created 2017/05/11 by Linda Gellert. EAD finding aid revised 2010/01/03 by Brittany Kropf.
Title
John Vawter, Jennings County collection
Status
Completed
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository

Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671