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GREENE
COUNTY, Indiana
History
<-> Genealogy
*First created in 1821.
*County
seat: Bloomfield.
Located in southwestern Indiana.
*Cities, Towns & Communities
include: Beehunter, Bloomfield,
Bushrod, Calvertville,
Cincinnati, Dixon,
Doans, Dresden,
Ellis, Fawcetts,
Gilmour, Hashtown,
Hendricksville, Hobbieville,
Hoosier, Island
City, Ilene, Jasonville,
Johnstown, Koleen,
Latta, Linton,
Lone Tree, Lyons,
Marco, McVille,
Midland, Midland
Junction, Mineral City, Newark,
Newberry, Owensburg,
Park, Plummer,
Point Commerce, Redcuff
Corner, Ridgeport, Rincon,
Scotland, Solsberry,
Sponsler, Summit,
Switz City, Tanner,
Tulip, Vicksburg,
Vicksburg, Victoria,
White Rose and Worthington.
Select this LINK to see GENERAL Greene
County information and links.
Select from the TOWN
list above to learn which township the community is located in, and
view information and links specific to that area.
Select
from the TOWNSHIPs Table below to view
information and links specific to the township.
Please note:
Though the information on this web page is believed to be correct,
the possibility of error remains. Please notify the webmaster
should an error be found.
Townships in Greene County
(North = Top)
Surrounding
Counties:
NW = Clay
County, IN NE = Owen
County, IN
W = Sullivan
County, IN GREENE COUNTY E
= Monroe
County, IN
SW = Knox
County, IN S = Daviess
County, IN SE = Martin
County, IN
GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA
Established in 1821, from unorganized land and Sullivan
County; County seat is Bloomfield.
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MAPS
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Interactive Census Bureau Map of Greene County, Indiana
1875 Map of Greene County, Indiana, from Higgins Belden & Co. (see citation)
1895 Map of Greene County, Indiana, by Pam Rietsch at: prietsch@ismi.net
Use the query form, at USGS, to map features including cemeteries, churches, populated places, and more. Please note that the map town listed with a feature may be used as a map reference for the site, and may not be the town where the feature is actually located...Select a map to see the location of the actual feature. This database may not be complete, and, as with any database, there may be errors.
NATIVE
AMERICAN
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The following information concerning the Native Americans in Greene County, is primarily quoted from: History of Greene and Sullivan Counties, State of Indiana, From The Earliest Time to the Present; Together With Interesting Biographical Sketches, Reminiscences, Notes, Etc. Chicago : Goodspeed Bros. & Co., Publishers, 1884.
"...Prior to the year 1767, the
land embraced in Greene County, with a large portion of the State of
Indiana, belonged to a tribe of Indians called the Piankeshews.
This people was one of the Algonquin tribes, and was one of the
Miami confederacy. The Miami confederacy was formed early in
the seventeenth century by the various tribes of Indians occupying
Ohio, Indiana, a part of Illinois and a part of Michigan. The
object of the confederacy was for the purpose of repelling the
invasions of the Iroquois or Five Nations. Originally, so far
as history or tradition gives any account, the whole of Indiana was
occupied by the Twigtwees or Miamis, the Weas and the Piankeshaws.
At a later date, there were other tribes, called permitted tribes,
viz.: Delawares, or Leno Lenape, as they were originally called,
Pottawatomies, Shawnees, Kickapoos, with a few Wyandots and
Senecas. The Wyandots and Senecas seem to have had so little
claim upon the land that they were never required to sign any
treaty. The Pottawatomies seem to have acquired their interest
by conquest, or rather by pushing the Miamis back from the Northwest
toward the interior of the Stae, but they never claimed any interest
in Greene County.
The Delawares made a
treaty with the Piankeshaws in 1767, by which they came into
possession of a large part of Central Indiana, including the White
River country as far south as the Lower Fork of White River, but to
made the title perfect it was considered necessary to make a
separate treaty with the Miamis. The Delaware Indians called
White River Ope-co-me-cah. The Miamis at that time claimed the
northern part of the territory embraced in the treaty, and the
Piankeshaws the southern part. Greene County was in the part
claimed by the Piankeshaws at that time. In the treaty between
the Piankeshaw and Delaware, it was only a permissive possession
that was given to the Delaware. These two tribes, together
with the Weas, were, and continued to be, on friendly terms with
each other, and all of them occupied the territory embraced in
Greene County, from the date of the treaty among themselves until
they were removed from the State. From some cause unknown to
the writer, the Piankeshaws never ceded to the United States any
land north of a line beginning at the mouth of Turtle Creek in
Sullivan County, and running in a direct line to Orleans, now in
Orange County...
There were three
treaties with the Indians, embracing the land in Greene County.
The first two were made on the 30th day of September, 1809, at Fort
Wayne with the Delaware and Miami, and the last was made on the 26th
day of October, 1809, at Vincennes with the Wea.
Gen. William H. Harrison, who was afterward President of the United
States, was the Commissioner who made these treaties, and it seems
that he regarded it as necessary to make it with these three tribes,
but not necessary to make a treaty with the Piankeshaws. Of
interest, however, the Piankeshaws were reportedly the first
of the Western tribes of Indians to take sides with the patriot
cause against the English, and were soon followed by the other
tribes of the Miami confederacy.
After
the settlement at Vincennes by the whites, the Piankeshaws seem to
have drifted toward that point, and near that place were their
principal villages and headquarters.
Nothwithstanding the treaties that were made with the Indians for
the purchase of the territory embraced in Greene County, and other
portions of the State, yet great dissatisfaction existed among them
about these treaties, and especially among the tribes or parts of
tribes who were not represented in the treaties. Prominent
among the disaffected and dissatisfied Indians were the celebrated
Tecumseh and his brother the Prophet. Tecumseh was a Shawnee,
and his tribe did not originally own any part of Indiana, and was
only permitted to occupy a part of the territory. In fact, no
considerable part of that tribe ever occupied Indiana, except while
on the war path. He was a cunning and brave warrior, and an
eloquent orator, and was very popular with the various tribes in the
Northwestern Territory. He visited the various tribes and made
speeches to them. In his speeches, he proclaimed that the
treaties for lands northwest of the Ohio River were not made with
fairness, and all of them should be considered void. That no
single tribe was invested with the power or authority to sell lands
without the consent of the other tribes; and that he and his
brother, the Prophet, would resist all further attempts of the
whites to extend their settlements into this territory. These
two famous Indians, by their persistent efforts and wonderful
influence, finally brought about a powerful confederation of
Indians, and the treaties were not made effectual until after the
battle of Tippecanoe which occurred on the 7th day of November,
1811. The Delaware, who at that time occupied the White River
and White Water Country, which included the territory embraced in
Greene County, refused to join Tecumseh's confederacy, and remained
at peace with the whites. Soon after the battle of Tippecanoe,
the Indians commenced their removal to the West, and the last band
left Greene County in 1819. A few years after that, a band of
Indians on their way to the West camped for a few days just above
the mouth of Latta's Creek, on the west bank of White River.
The Piankeshaws were sent to Missouri and Kansas, and finally all to
Kansas. In 1854, they were confederated with the Weas, Peorias
and Kaskaskias, and they all numbered 259. In 1868, they
numbered only 179. There has since been attached to this
confederation the Miami, who went west of Indiana, and at this
writing (1883), they were in the Indian Territory, and numbered, all
told, 208. At that time, they owned 52,000 acres of land and
had 3,000 acres in cultivation. Eight of their boys had come
back to the land of their ancestors, and were attending college in
Indiana.
The Delaware, who were the
last Indians who occupied Greene County. In 1866, 1,000
Delaware and Shawnee were incorporated with the Cherokees in the
Indian Territory, and in 1883, some were still in Kansas.
Their language is one of the best known of the Algonquin dialects.
Tammany, whose name figures extensively
with New York politics, was a Delaware chief of the mythical
period. There was an early tradition among the Delaware that
they were originally Western Indians, and at a very early day
emigrated to the East. At the first settlement in the United
States, they occupied the territory along the Delaware River, from
which they take their name, and it was with them that William Penn
made his celebrated treaty by which he acquired Pennsylvania.
During the war of the rebellion, the Delaware furnished 170 soldiers
for the federal army, who proved brave and efficient soldiers and
scouts.4
History of the Miami and History of the Delaware, by Lee Sultzman
Piankeshaw Trails Education Park: Greene County
MUSEUMS
& HISTORIC SITES
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Roots of Greene: This site is devoted to our county's Historical and Genealogical Societies.
Greene County Genealogical Society: P.O. Box 164 - Bloomfield, Indiana 47424
Greene County Historical Society: P.O. Box 301 - Bloomfield, IN 47424-0301
CHURCHES
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Greene County, Indiana Online Network.
Churches in Greene County
Local Catholic Church History & Genealogy Research Guide & Worldwide Directory + Indiana* Page.
CEMETERIES
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Indiana State Library. 140 North Senate Avenue - Indianapolis, IN 46204-2296
Greene County, Indiana Gravestones online at findagrave.com
Use the query form, at USGS, to map features including cemeteries, churches, populated places, and more. Please note that the map town listed with a feature may be used as a map reference for the site, and may not be the town where the feature is actually located...Select a map to see the location of the actual feature. This database may not be complete, and, as with any database, there may be errors.
The Political Graveyard, for Greene County, Indiana, created and maintained by Lawrence Kestenbaum, a web site about U.S. political history, politicians and cemeteries.
COMMERCE,
TOURISM & ONLINE COMMUNITY
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Greene County Indiana Visitors and Community Information Center, by Kegan Inman.
Piankeshaw Trails Education Park:
NATURE
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NEWS
& NEWSPAPERS
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Indiana State Library: 140 North Senate Avenue - Indianapolis, IN 46204-2296.
County Newspaper Holdings (in Indianapolis)
BIOGRAPHIES
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Biography of "Wyatt Johnson and Andrew Jackson", by Dixie Kline Richardson, historian, which tells a tale of her Greene County, Indiana ancestor and the "secret ballot" electing Andrew Jackson!
Biography of "Jack Baber: His Story", by Dixie Kline Richardson, historian
countyhistory.com: for Greene County, by Ronald Branson!
Indiana Biographies for Greene County, hosted by Deb Murray.
Greene County Biographical Sketches, & the Stalcup Family of Greene County
The Political Graveyard: for Grreene County, Indiana created and maintained by Lawrence Kestenbaum - a web site about U.S. political history, politicians and cemeteries.
HISTORY
<-> GENEALOGY: Articles and Online Databases
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Worthington - Jefferson Township Public Library 26 North Commercial Street - Worthington, IN 47471 Phone/Fax: (812) 875-3815.
Old Settlers' Fourth of July Celebration, 1875, Greene County, Indiana
Extract From : The Early History of Greene County, Indiana (1875), By Jack Baber (Chapter XVI - Highland Township)
Read "Meeting the New President: Abraham Lincoln", by Dixie Kline Richardson, historian: "...Jacob Humble was a Civil War veteran who had been a prisoner at Andersonville. But before this experience in Mr. Humble's otherwise quiet life in Patricksburg, Indiana [Owen County]...In the Fall of l860, Jacob and Mr. McNamer took a memorable trip to the Lincoln home...
Read "Wyatt Johnson and Andrew Jackson", by Dixie Kline Richardson, historian, which tells a tale of her Greene County, Indiana ancestor and the "secret ballot" electing Andrew Jackson!
1884 History of Greene County, Indiana, online by James A. Miller.
Greene County, Indiana Genealogy!, by Katy Hestand - contains genealogy and history information for Greene County, and is a very helpful addition for those researching GREENE COUNTY ancestors.
Roots of Greene: This site is devoted to our county's Historical and Genealogical Societies.
Greene County Genealogical Society: P.O. Box 164 - Bloomfield, Indiana 47424
Greene County Historical Society: P.O. Box 301 - Bloomfield, IN 47424-0301
1820 Indiana Census Index, by Lori!
The Doughboy Center - presented by The Great War Society.
Indiana State Library. 140 North Senate Avenue - Indianapolis, IN 46204-2296
County Newspaper Holdings (in Indianapolis)
ARCHIVES
& LIBRARIES for Further Research
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125 S. Franklin Street - Bloomfield,
IN 47424
Phone: (812) 384-4125 or (812)
825-2677.
Margaret Cooper Public Library 110 E. Vincennes Street, Linton, IN Phone: (812) 847-7802.
Worthington - Jefferson Township Public Library 26 North Commercial Street - Worthington, IN 47471 Phone/Fax: (812) 875-3815.
P.O. Box 301, Bloomfield, Indiana 47424.
P.O. Box 164, Bloomfield, Indiana 47424
Library of Congress: American Memory All Collections Search - enter topic or Indiana town and/or county location to find available online photos, maps, and more!
COUNTY
GOVERNMENT & Vital Records
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Greene
County Health Department (For Birth & Death Records from
ca. 1882) 217 E. Spring Street, Suite 1, "Old
Jail" Courthouse Annex - Bloomfield, Indiana 47424
Phone: (812) 384-4496.
Green Circuit Court Clerk (For Marriage, Divorce and Probate Records) Courthouse - Bloomfield, IN 47424 Phone: (812) 384-8532.
Beech Creek Township communities include: Hendricksville, McVille, Newark and Solsberry. Solsberry is located at the Beech Creek and Center townships line.
1884 History of Greene County, Indiana, online by James A. Miller.
Chapter XVI – includes a history of Beech Creek Township
Interments at Newark Cemetery, Beech Creek Township, Greene County
Cass Township communities include: Newberry.
Center Township communities include: Cincinnati, Hobbieville, Ridgeport and Tanner. Solsberry is located at the Beech Creek and Center townships line.
Fairplay Township communities include: Dixon and Elliston. The town of Switz City is located in Grant township, with a portion extending into Fairplay township.
Grant Township communities include: The town of Switz City is located in Grant township, with a portion extending into Fairplay township.
Highland Township communities include: Calvertville. The community of Tulip is located at the Highland and Richland townships line.
Old Settlers' Fourth of July Celebration, 1875, Greene County, Indiana
Stalcup Family of Greene County Extract From : The Early History of Greene County, Indiana (1875), By Jack Baber (Chapter XVI - Highland Township)
Jackson Township communities include: Dresden, Koleen and Owensburg.
Bloomfield-Eastern Greene County Public Library P.O. Box 7 - Owensburg, IN 47453 Phone: (812) 863-2899.
Jefferson Township communities include: Johnstown, Point Commerce, Rincon and Worthington.
Worthington - Jefferson Township Public Library 26 North Commercial Street - Worthington, IN 47471 Phone/Fax: (812) 875-3815.
Richland Township communities include: Bloomfield, Fawcetts, Hashtown and Park. The community of Mineral City is located at the Richland and Taylor townships line. The community of Tulip is located at the Highland and Richland townships line.
Bloomfield
Public Library 125 S. Franklin Street -
Bloomfield, IN 47424
Phone: (812) 384-4125
or (812) 825-2677.
Greene County Historical
Society
P.O. Box 301,
Bloomfield, Indiana 47424.
Smith Township communities include: The community of Lone Tree is located at the Wright and Smith townships line.
Stafford Township communities include: Marco.
Stockton Township communities include: Ellis, Hoosier, Island City, Linton, Sponsler, Summit, Victoria and White Rose.
Linton Daily Citizen - online news
Margaret Cooper Public Library 110 E. Vincennes Street, Linton, IN Phone: (812) 847-7802.
Taylor Township communities include: Doans and Scotland. The community of Mineral City is located at the Richland and Taylor townships line.
Washington Township communities include: Beehunter, Bushrod, Ilene and Lyons.
Wright Township communities include: Gilmour, Jasonville, Latta, Midland, Midland Junction and Redcuff Corner. The community of Lone Tree is located at the Wright and Smith townships line.
Jasonville Public Library
380 E. Main Street - Jasonville, IN 47438 Phone: (812)
665-2025.
[ Additional
Research Resources for All Indiana Counties ]
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PROFESSIONAL HISTORICAL GENEALOGY RESEARCH
Ann
McRoden Mensch, Professional Historical Genealogist
Researching on-site, and with the vast resources of The Allen County Public Library, holding one of the largest genealogical collections in North America. Search the Library's online catalogue to see some of the printed resources available for a location or topic.
Printed resources for this page include:
Indiana Atlas & Gazetteer. First Edition, Second Printing. Yarmouth, Maine: Delorme. 1998.
School and Library Atlas of the World. Fred W. Foster, Ph.D. (Editor). Sycamore, Illinois: School and Library Publishing Company. 1982.
New Sectional Township Map of Indiana. Chicago, Illinois : Higgins Belden & Co., 1875.
4History of Greene and Sullivan Counties, State of Indiana, From The Earliest Time to the Present; Together With Interesting Biographical Sketches, Reminiscences, Notes, Etc. Chicago : Goodspeed Bros. & Co., Publishers, 1884.
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Copyright 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001-2007, by Ann Mensch. All Rights Reserved.
