Facts about Daviess County

Source: 1882 History of Daviess County

County formed Dec 29, 1836 from Ray County.

County name of Daviess named after Joseph Hamilton Daviess who gave his life for his country on the bloody field of Tippecanoe where he was killed in a cavalry charge. He married a sister of Chief Justice Marshall and had he lived, he would have attained the highest round in the gift of his profession.

1st man who built cabin in county was John Splawn and his son, Mayberry Splawn This area was known as “Splawn Ridge”, located 3 miles east of Gallatin near what became Millport.

Other communities in 1830:
Penistons Mill
Salem or Coffeysburg [sometimes called Coffeyville; now known as Coffey]

1st County Seat:
Millport. In Grand River Twp; Named ‘Millport” upon completion of the prosperous Mill. Millport was a very strong community with a number of businesses. Prospered until 1838 when county seat was moved from Millport to Gallatin. That killed the town when the businesses and mill moved to Gallatin when county changed county seat.

1838 Townships:
Grindstone.... house of Wm. Prewett
Honeycreek...Gallatin
Grand River..Millport
Clear Creek....house of Jereba Stover

1839 2 new townships added:
Sugar Creek
Big Creek

1840 Settlements:
Grand River [name changed to Auberry Grove then to Gillilan before changing to present day name of Jamesport.

Jefferson
Jackson
Gallatin
Monroe
Lick Fork
Honey Creek [south of Gallatin; thus named because of the number of bee trees in the woods along its banks].

Grindstone Creek

1841 Townships.. new ones added:

Hickory [formed from Benton and Grand River Townships]
North [formed from parts of E. Grand River, Big Creek and Benton Townships]

1844 Townships:
Madison [formed out of North and Sugar Creek Townships

Aug 1848 Townships:
Harrison
Gallatin
Jefferson
Jackson
Grand River
Benton

May 1866 Townships:
Salem [formed from part of Benton Township]
Lincoln
Grand River
Grant
Benton
Harrison
Gallatin
Civil Bend
Jefferson

1870 Townships:
Benton
Marion
Jefferson
Colfax
Sheridan
Liberty
Freedom
Salem
Washington
Grand River
Lincoln
Union
Monroe
Harrison
Jackson
Grant

1870 Towns:
Gallatin
Jamesport
Salem [Coffey]
Pattonsburg
Bancroft
Victorea
Alto Vista
Kidder (in Caldwell Co.)
Civil Bend
Prairie City
Crittenden

Towns gone by 1870:
Millport
Cravensville
Eclipse
Prairie City

Town Gone by 1882:
Crittenden