Henry Arvin
Part
2 - Migration
In your
country, like the land of promise, flowing with milk and
honey, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths, that
spring out of valleys and hills, a land of wheat and
barley, and
all
kinds of fruit, you shall eat bread without scarceness, and not
lack anything in it. —John Filson, 1784
The Discovery, Settlement, and Present
State of Kentucke
Ask these Pilgrims what they expect when they
git to Kentucky
and the answer is land. Have you any.
No, but I expect I can get it.
Have you any thing to pay for land, No.
Did you ever see the country.
No but every body says its good
land. —Moses Austin, 1794
A Memorandum of M. Austin’s Journey1
“At
the close of the War of 1812 the Patuxent region lay in ashen ruins. Few, if
any, plantations or towns along the banks had escaped destruction or plunder at
the hands of the British. Capital had flown and the infrastructure of social
order was in shambles. The little urban life that had once existed had been all
but snuffed out. Reconstruction was to be a slow, arduous process, and in many
cases outright impossible.”2
For 28 year-old Henry Arvin and his
family, 1816 would be their last year in Charles County. They had resolved
themselves to making the move to “the far West,” where the ground was fresh and
where so many families from southern Maryland had already gone. They were going
to Kentucky. Their son William was now five years old, and Thomas was three.
The twins—Joseph Edward and Mary Ellen—were less than a year old, but still they
decided they had to go. Arvin’s Enlargement
seemed to be played out. The land was simply worn out from more than a
hundred years of abuse. Tobacco, which saps nutrients right out of the earth,
was the primary culprit. And erosion was taking its toll. The lush topsoil,
which had supported agriculture for so long, was washing away, silting up the
creeks and rivers. Now farmers were forced to deal with the less productive
clay-mixed subsoil.
The entire economy of Southern
Maryland was in shock from the aftereffects of the War of 1812. Almost all the
slaves were gone, either liberated by the British or run away. And without this
source of cheap labor, the crops which were farmed in the area—tobacco in
particular—could not be planted, tended or harvested at a profit. The British
had ransacked Southern Maryland during the war, burning and pillaging many farms
and factories, severely damaging the economy of the area. “A large number of
the inhabitants, unable to bear the burdens of war, abandoned their homes to
the pillagers and moved to the new settlements then opening in the far West.”3 For much if not most of Southern Maryland, the far west meant the fresh new
state of Kentucky.
Some families decided to tough it
out and stay put. Census data shows Edward Arvin Jr. and his family still lived
in the area through at least 1830, no doubt on Arvin’s Enlargement. But there
are no Arvin’s listed in the Maryland censuses of 1840 or 1850. Each year more
and more families left, seeking the virgin lands of Kentucky. Henry and Theresa
were probably wanted to go as early as 1815, but Theresa’s pregnancy made it a difficult
proposition. And as it happened, she had given birth to twins. Joseph Edward
and Mary Ellen were born 9 November 1815. Nevertheless, everything was set. Henry’s
younger brother, Thomas Padgett Arvin, and several other families probably went with them. Everyone was filled with hope and expectation. 1816 was to be the year of a new
beginning.
The
Year Without a Summer
The adventurers usually traveled west
in large groups for safety and companionship. The trip was not an easy one, and
they needed mutual protection and assistance. Henry and Theresa, with their
young children, were especially vulnerable. There were dangers at every turn.
And in an especially cruel twist, the weather was adding to the already great
burdens of these post-war emigrants. They could not have picked a worse time to
go.
A global cooling—not just a cold
spell—was upon the land, and volcanoes are thought to be the root cause. “The period 1812-1817 was one of exceptional volcanic
activity, and the sheer volume of volcanic dust pumped into the atmosphere by
these volcanic eruptions caused a general, temporary cooling in the earth’s
climate around this time.” Trouble began with some volcanic eruptions in the
West Indies in 1812 and in the
“Those proposing to settle in the State
ordinarily came in bands, as well for mutual protection as with the view of
after social intercourse in their new homes. As a general thing, the emigrants
were agriculturists, but in each distinct company there was ordinarily to be
found one or more persons who were familiar with particular mechanical trades,
such as blacksmithing, wagon making, carpentering, etc….For many years there
was little money in the country, and trade amongst the people was almost
exclusively carried on by interchange of commodities.”5 Family tradition
holds that Harry was a heavy-set man who had learned the trade of a cooper
because he was too “corpulant” to work in the fields. This trade would also have served
him well in Kentucky.
“The emigrants were generally men of
limited education and small means, steady and industrious in their habits, and
though bold and daring were peaceable in the dispositions. The first thing that
seemed to engage their attention after the building of their own habitations
was a house of worship.”6
The
Route to Kentucky
Early on, there were only two practical
ways to get to Kentucky. Pioneers could travel the Great Wagon Road down
through the Cumberland Valley, then take the Great Wilderness Road up through
the Cumberland Gap. This meant walking the entire way. The popular alternative, used by Catholics from Maryland for decades, was to float down the Ohio River. It is not known for certain which route Henry and family took, but it seems more likely that they floated the river. Even then, the Arvin family still would have had to make the first part of their journey on foot, leading a pack horse or two, to get to their embarkation point
on the river near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.
Ben. J. Carr, a grandson of one of the
original immigrants to 
to do so, brought with them, of course, the best specimens of their
flocks, herds and horses, and the ubiquitous dog trotted beside his master from
the beginning of the journey to its end.”7
At Pittsburg, groups could purchase transportation
on a keelboat, or have a flatboat or a barge built for themselves, load all
their worldly possessions aboard it, and begin the second leg of their journey.
“An average of 3,000 flatboats
descended the Ohio each year between 1810 and 1820.”8 In due course the
river brought them to Maysville, Kentucky, which was originally considered to
be as far as it was safe to go because of the threat of Indian attacks. “
“In 1788…Maysville was still a rude
collection of warehouses and wharves, with few dwellings. In 1795 the
conclusion of the Northwest Indian War reduced the likelihood of Indian attacks
from across the
Stations and Settlements
In the earliest days, protection from Indian
attacks was a top priority. 
So, when a new group of settlers finished their float on the Ohio River,
“The party marched inland from Maysville and arrived in due time at
Goodwin’s station (near the present town of Boston, in Nelson county), which
was the nearest fortified post to their prearranged and ultimate destination,
the Pottinger’s creek lands. Leaving the women and children under the
protection of the fort, the able-bodied men and youths of the party soon set
out in quest of their future homes, the sites of which lay some twelve or
fifteen miles southeast of the station. The lands being found and identified,
the work of clearing them of their forest growth at once began, and this was
soon succeeded by that of a dwelling-house construction. Rude enough were the
tabernacles our forefathers in the faith set up in the wilderness. They
sufficed for shelter, however, and heaven be praised, daintiness was not a
characteristic of those who were to dwell in them.”11
Catholics to Kentucky
“In the beginning it was wholly from
Maryland, and principally from the counties of St. Mary, Charles and
This great Catholic migration from
Maryland started with just one family, the Coomes family. “William Coomes was
originally from Charles county,
“…‘a league’ of sixty families was
formed in Maryland—all Catholics, and mostly residents of St. Mary’s
county—each one of whom was pledged to emigrate to
In the beginning, almost all the
early Catholic settlers homesteaded at Pottinger’s Creek, (located very near the grounds of the present-day Abbey of
Gethsemani. (See www.monks.org)
However, there was a problem. “The selection of Pottinger’s creek as the
location of the new Catholic colony was unfortunate. The land was poor and the
situation uninviting. Yet, the nucleus of the colony having been formed, these
disadvantages were subsequently disregarded, and new Catholic emigrants from
As time progressed, “…few of the emigrants, either during that or the
following years, were content to establish themselves for life on Pottinger’s
creek. Nominally, the end of their journey was Bardstown, and there they
ordinarily remained until they had made selection of lands for permanent
residence. With rare exceptions, a single visit to ‘the settlement on the creek,’
as it was then called, was enough to convince them of the undesirableness of
the situation. The result was ordinarily as favorable to the worldly prospects
of the emigrants themselves as it was to the diffusion among the non-Catholics
of the country of less prejudicial views respecting their religion. In 1791,
the year before
Hardin’s Creek Settlement
“This settlement, situated about ten miles
east of that of Pottinger’s creek…had its beginning as early as 1786….There
were quite a number of settlers of Irish birth among the early colonists on
Hardin’s creek – more, possibly, than were attached to any Catholic settlement
in the State, with the single exception of the wholly Irish settlement on lower
Cox’s creek, in Nelson county…”18 Many Catholics from Maryland made their
new homes at Hardin’s Creek Settlement, and there they kept their culture
intact. “The Marylanders brought with them the traditional skills of their
region, including tobacco farming, distilling, and preparation of
The settlers’ culture was also
deeply religious, and they needed priests. “The leading idea of the emigrants
was that a priest should accompany them to
Lebanon
The buffalo trace which ran
southwest from Maysville eventually had become a trail, and the trail eventually
became a road. It bisected the state, 
taking new settlers past Lexington and
deep into the interior of the state. Ultimately, it stretched all the way south
to Tennessee. “About the year 1800 the United States Government had a common
road cut out through
Because of its superior style and beauty, elegant homes and
flourishing businesses,
The Washington County census total
for 1810 was 13,248, and by 1820 the total population was 15,956, including
12,159 white, 3,752 slaves and 52 free blacks.
The Commissioner’s Tax List Books
After the War of 1812, Henry’s younger brother, Thomas
Padgett Arvin, left the devastation that was Southern Maryland and came to Washington County, Kentucky. This information—and a whole lot more—is contained in the Tax Commissioner’s
Books for Washington County. These books are an invaluable source of
information about early Kentucky residents.
Shortly after attaining statehood,
the Kentucky General Assembly approved legislation…establishing
Permanent Revenue. Tax rates were set for land
(“whether the land be claimed by patent or by entry only”),
slaves, horses & mules, covering horses,
cattle, coaches & carriages, billiard tables, & retail stores.
Commissioners were to be appointed to make a “true
& perfect account of all persons & of every species
of
property belonging to or in his possession or care, within the district….” The
commissioners were required
to make four alphabetical lists reciting tax
information that had been collected; columns identifying the
number of free males above the age of 21 (within the household)….
Taxpayers were to list the acreage and
county for each tract of land they owned. Additionally, the legislature
divided the lands into three classes by “quality”: first, second and
third-rate. First-rate land was taxed at three
shillings, second-rate land was
taxed at one shilling and six pence, and third-rate land at nine pence per 100
acres….
The form included the name of the
property owner, county in which the land was located, watercourse,
acreage, land rate, amount of tax, and the
years in the taxes were paid….
The
Kentucky General Assembly added fields to the commissioner’s form that
identified the name of the
person(s) who originally entered,
surveyed and patented the lands being taxed….The revised tax form also
added fields to include the number of white
males above 16, the number of blacks above 16, and the total
number of
blacks….
(Hint: if one taxpayer is paying taxes on
land and there are others with the same surname listed immediately
before or after the taxpayer-and those persons
aren’t reporting any land ownership--you probably have a family
group, i.e. father and sons living on the same
property.)26
From the books we know that Thomas
Padgett Arvin, 27 years old and a bachelor, must have arrived in Washington
County in the year 1816. As a young man with nothing to his name but a horse
and little else, his total assessment for tax purposes that first year was just
ten dollars. Here is an abstract of the
1816 Tax List Book entry:
Image of left page Image of right page
Name No.
persons Mares Total
over 21
Value
Arvin P Thomas
1 1 $10
As an aside, note that the name “Thomas Arvin” was becoming increasingly common. Henry’s grandfather, the original Irish immigrant and patriarch of the clan, went by Thomas Sr. One of his sons—Henry’s uncle—went by Thomas Jr. Henry’s younger brother is named Thomas Padgett Arvin. In addition, Henry and Theresa named one of their sons Thomas. And the name would be handed down many more times in the future.
Historical Note: The southeast portion of the Indiana Territory
was granted statehood in November of
1816. The following month,
Thomas Lincoln relocated with his
family—including seven-year old
Abraham—from their farm located about
20 miles west of the Hardin’s
Creek settlement to this new State of
Indiana. “On three separate
occasions, defective titles caused him
to lose his farm. Discouraged
by these setbacks, he decided to move
his family to Indiana where the
land ordinance of 1785 ensured that
land once purchased and paid for
was retained. Abraham Lincoln claimed
many years later that his father’s
move from Kentucky to Indiana was
‘partly on account of slavery, but
chiefly on account of the difficulty of
land titles in Kentucky.’”27
1817 Tax List Book
Although Henry is not listed in the Tax Books for 1816, we know that he and his family also arrived that year, settling in western Washington County. His son, Joseph Arvin, provided this information for a book published in 1889.
They were not very close to Fr.
Nerinckx and the St. Charles parish, which was upstream on Hardin’s Creek.
Instead, they located downstream, northwesterly, about five miles northeast
of the present-day town of Loretto, in the Lebanon Township of western
Washington County, although the exact location is unknown. Henry’s younger brother Thomas, now 28 years old, had become a landowner. (Or at least he claimed to be; there is no record of a deed in the Land Records for Washington County.) He reported for assessment purposes that he owned seventy-five acres of third-rate land. This was quite an accomplishment, although fraught with risk. It was common knowledge that, “Who buys land in Kentucky, buys a lawsuit.” The state did not supply surveys of its public lands, and surveyors, appointed by the counties, needed no credentials to ply their trade. These circumstances often led to overlapping surveys, conflicting claims on tracts of land, and ultimately to the courthouse for a final decision, where many settlers lost and an equal number won. But in these early times for the Arvins in Kentucky, those concerns were set aside. The good news was that Thomas had plenty of space to share with his older brother. Henry and his family probably lived with Thomas for a time; Henry would certainly have helped Thomas in the fields. And no doubt there was a great deal of assistance from friendly neighbors, eager to help them gain a foothold in this land of milk and honey. Thomas’s land was located in the Hardin’s Creek Settlement, which constituted a collection of farms situated in the basin draining to Hardin’s
Creek, an area of perhaps a dozen or so square miles.In 1817, Thomas is assessed at $1.00 per acre on his land, and his total assessed value is $85.00. Henry, with no assessable property other than a mare, is listed immediately below Thomas, meaning they lived on the same land. He has a total assessment of $20.00.
Image of left page Image of right page
Here is an abstract of the entry, rearranged from the vertical to the horizontal for easier readability. (The correct spelling of “Hardin” eludes the keeper of this book.)
Persons Named Arvin Henry Arvin P Thomas
Chargeable With
Tax
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1st
2nd Rate --
3rd Rate -- 75
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
County in
which the Washington
Land lies
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Water Course Harding:Hearbin:Heardin
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Surveyed
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Patented
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
In whose
name
Entered, surveyed
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
White male
over 21 1 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Black over 16
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Black
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Horses mares
1
1
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Stud&tacky
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rates of
covering
per season
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Whole sale &
retail stores
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tavern License
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Billiard Tables
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Wheel Carriages
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Value of Land per acre
1
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
total valuation
except stud tacky and
Billiard tables $
20 85
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Henry and Theresa’s family continued to
grow. They had another son, born sometime in 1817. We will never learn his
name, although we know from census data that he was there, growing up alongside
his brothers and sisters. He would not survive to adulthood, however, and his
life ended when he was only in his teens. More about him later.
The following year, a baby daughter
was born to the Arvins on 18 February 1818. She was named Rosa L. Arvin.
1819 Tax List Book
Image of left page Image of right page
There
was no Tax List Book for 1818, although there are a few entries in the 1819
book for the year 1818. Thomas P. Arvin, about 30 years old, still owns his 75
acres. The land is assessed at $2.00 per acre this year, and Thomas’s total
assessed value is $215.00.
By 1819, we find that Henry and his
family have moved from Thomas’s land to the Cartwright’s
Creek Settlement, which lay to the northeast of Hardin’s Creek Settlement. The
family would stay in this same general area of Washington County, north of the Loretto
Road (KY Highway 152) and west of the Beech Fork of the Salt River, for the rest of the time they were in Kentucky.
Henry, 31 years old, now owns two
mares, and his total assessed value is $60. The family is now living on a land belonging to a well known pioneer of Washington County, John
Grundy. Henry was probably one of Mr. Grundy’s tenants, as was James Austin, whom we see listed above him, and the three men listed below. They probably all rented their land from Mr. Grundy.
John Grundy was the first sheriff of Washington County.28
He also served in the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1799 and again in
1805.29 He had “made entry” on several tracts on the Cartwright Creek and
Beech Fork watercourses in 1782, 1783 and 1784, and one of these tracts was probably
the land which Henry rented.30 John Grundy’s older brother Felix Grundy also became quite prominent in
Washington County, and later on the national stage. He eventually became Attorney General of the United States. The Grundy Houses Historic District, consisting of 2240 acres of
land with 10 buildings dating from before and after Henry’s time (all private
property), is located about four miles north of Springfield on Kentucky Highway
55, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.31
Cartwright’s Creek Settlement
This settlement, named after the first
pioneer of the area, was also a dispersed collections of farms, and was
centered on the little town of
Springfield, the Washington County seat. But compared to Lebanon, it could
hardly be called a town at all. “Records show that in 1800
The settlement was almost entirely
Catholic, and mass was celebrated as often as possible when a priest was
available, in private homes at first. Soon it had its own little log cabin church,
St. Ann’s. It was located on a low rising knoll 
off the Loretto Road, about
four miles west of Springfield. The first church building was quite unpretentious.
Then, “About the year 1795 the settlement had so much increased in numbers that
a more commodious church became necessary. Accordingly a hewed log building
twenty-eight feet long by twenty 
feet wide was erected ….This church, though
much superior to the first one was a very rough building. It was partially
chinked but not daubed, had a loose plank floor, and some rough framed back
benches and one small window over the pulpit.”34 Although this parish
was several miles to the north of St. Charles, Fr. Nerinckx tended to the
parishioners there in addition to those of his own parish.
To get to church for services, “All,
or nearly all, walked; the women as well as the men plodding along the road in
shoeless feet. Some of the former, however, carried in their reticules pairs of
coarse cloth slippers, fashioned by themselves, to be put on when they came in
sight of the church….”35 It is quite
likely that the Arvin family attended services at St. Ann’s in 1817 and 1818,
walking as described. However, St. Ann’s was becoming nearly
obsolete. An impressive new religious complex—made of brick, no less—was beginning to dominate the area. It would play a central role in the religious life of the Arvin’s from this
point on. It was called St. Rose.
St. Rose Priory and Church
“The story of Saint Rose Priory
begins with Father Edward Dominic Fenwick….His father was a wealthy member of
the Maryland Colonial Convention who became a patriot of the American
Revolution. Their large house overlooked the Patuxent River in Saint Mary’s
County. After the war, the Fenwicks sent their son to Holy Cross College in
Bornem, Belgium. There in 1788, he followed 
in the footsteps of his uncle John
Ceslas Fenwick by joining the Order of Fiars Preachers. Many English Catholics
had gone to Belgium to escape persecution, but eventually the French Revolution
threatened their peace even there.
“Four friars set out, therefore, to
establish a boarding school for boys in Maryland, but the Sulpicians were
already in Baltimore and the Jesuits in Georgetown. So, Bishop John Carroll
recommended Kentucky. The other three distinguished Dominican priests who
joined Fenwick in the venture were: Samuel Thomas Wilson, a Master of Sacred
Theology, and Robert Antoninus Angier, a Lectorate in Sacred Theology and
Preacher General, and finally William Raymond Tuite, another Lectorate in
Sacred Theology….
Fr. Fenwick came to Kentucky first,
but had to return to Maryland to liquidate his inheritance. Fr. Nerinckx, with no
shortage of responsibilities at St. Charles (located about eight miles to the
south) and with his many missionary duties, willingly relinquished control of St. Ann’s to Fr. Wilson.
“In 
Washington County, the friars
found many of the faithful along Cartwright Creek. At first, Father Wilson
lived in a log cabin known as St. Ann’s, and soon began teaching. The site
today is a hilltop at the junction of three farms, two miles down the road from
the present priory, in Cisselville….When Fenwick returned in 1806, he used his
inheritance to buy a farm of about 500 acres with a gristmill, sawmill, and a
two story brick house from John Waller. Wilson and his pupils, as well as
Tuite, then moved to what is now Saint Rose….” They named their priory after
the first saint in America belonging to the Dominican Third Order, Saint Rose
of Lima.
“Construction of the priory and
church began almost immediately, but on higher ground. The priory was inhabited
by December 1806 but not completed until the next year.” (The students split
their time between studying and building.) “The Tudor Gothic church was
dedicated on Christmas Day 1809. That church is the sanctuary of the present
church.” Later, a college for boys was also established, and it was named after
St. Thomas Aquinas. Later still, a convent was added.36 The entire complex
was located on the Loretto Road, Kentucky
152 Highway.
The simple old log church, St.
Ann’s, had slowly fallen into disuse as the parishioners like the Arvin’s began transferring to the church at the new complex. St. Rose was
only about a mile and a half west of Springfield, more convenient for the
townspeople, but a little further away for the Arvins, who lived west. St. Ann’s was finally
fully abandoned and pulled down in 1819. Today,
the site is said to be merely a collection of stones from the
foundation, along with the cemetery.37
It is located on private property,
about a half mile northeast of the intersection of Kentucky 152 and Lanham Lane,
west of Cisselville. “The church stood on top of a high knoll with the burial ground extending west, for sure, and perhaps in other directions. A beautiful setting.”38 It is irresistible to speculate that this is where Thomas Arvin, Jr., son of Thomas Sr. the original Irish immigrant, is buried. Family tradition says he died here in Washington County in 1816. This leads to further speculation that his direct descendants lived in the area also, and this is why Thomas P. and Henry Arvin settled here.
The 
original St. Rose Church was a
magnificent structure, the first brick church in Kentucky. It is quite likely that Henry and Theresa
attended St. Rose Church regularly, and that many religious events in their
lives—baptisms, weddings, funerals—played out there. However, there is no
documentation prior to 1830, when the earliest of the surviving records of St.
Rose Church, the so-called “First Register,” begin. We do know, however, Henry and
Theresa lived in and around this area for the entire time they were in Kentucky,
although the exact location of property is difficult to determine.
St. Rose Church is an active
Catholic parish of the Diocese of Louisville yet today, still with a large enrollment of parishioners and its Dominican pastor. “The present church of St. Rose was erected in 1854. Part of the original
brick church of 1809 was preserved and is now the Eucharistic Chapel. The brick
was covered with a cement mixture to blend with the limestone of the newer
church. The grounds also include one of the original cemeteries in Washington
County, Kentucky. Some graves date to the early 1800’s.”39
Historical Note: In July
of 1816, Jefferson Davis,
the future President of the Confederacy, was sent by
his parents in Mississippi to the St. Thomas Aquinas
School, which was run by the Catholic Dominicans
at the St. Rose Church and Priory. He was the only
Protestant in the school. He attended
for two years,
when his parents returned him to Mississippi, where
he attended the Jefferson Military
College.
Tax List Book –
1820 Image left page Image
right page
Henry “Arbin,” age 32, is still renting land. He and Theresa are still neighbors of James Austin. Austin, 55 years old, had
been a sergeant in the Kentucky Detached
Militia during the War of 1812.40 He and his wife Ann (“Nancy”) Austin were now farming in Washington County. They had a son, also named James, who was 28.41 Henry is
assessed on three mares (the children are now getting old enough to ride), and his
assessed value is $60.
Another baby daughter, Sary Arvin,
was born 5 March 1820, but “died in infancy” three weeks later, on March 24th.
Thomas P. Arvin, about 31, is still
living on his 75 acres, off a few miles to the west, in the Hardin’s Creek Settlement, Washington
County. Image
1820 – Fourth United States
Census
Henry Harbin, shown living in
the Township of Lebanon, Washington County, Kentucky.
This census was to be effective the first of June, as would each following federal census until the year 1900.
Image
Free White Males under10: 4 [William 8, Thomas 7, Joseph 4, unknown c. 3]
Free White Males 10 and under 16: 0
Free White Males 16 and under 26,
including heads of household: 0
Free White Males 26 and under 45,
including heads of household: 1 [Henry, age 32]
Free White Females under 10: 2 [Mary Ellen 4, Rosa L. 2]
Free White Females 10 and under 16: 0
Free White Females 16 and under 26,
including heads of household: 0
Free White Females 26 and under 45,
including heads of household: 1 [Theresa, 32]
Number of persons engaged in
agriculture:
1
Slaves:
0
Free Colored Persons: 0
42
The Arvins had another daughter,
born very late in 1820. Like her older brother, she also would not survive to
adulthood, and like her brother, we never learn her name. More about the two of them later.
Tax List Book – 1821 Left page Right Page
“Henry Arbin,” age 33, and “Thomas P. Arbin,” age 32, are listed living next to each other. The watercourse is Beech Fork.
(Hardin Creek is a tributary of the Beech Fork of the Salt River.) The land
they live on was originally entered on the public records by a man named Fisher(?) Henry owns three mares, and his assessed value is
$60.
But notice that Thomas, in an ominous note, owns no land. Like nearly half of the early settlers in Kentucky, he may have lost his land in a lawsuit because of a faulty survey or a title irregularity. As quickly as he had accumulated his land, it was gone. This grim possibility was always in the back of the mind of every small landowner. Thomas may now be living with Henry.
Theresa gave birth to a son, Joshua
O. Arvin, on 23 August 1821. He may well have been baptized at St. Rose,
although there is no surviving documentation for the church prior to 1830.
Tax List Book – 1822 Left page Right page
Henry and Theresa are now on
land considered to be in the Hardin’s Creek watercourse. “Henry Arbin,” age 34,
now has an assessed value of $75.
Although Thomas P. Arvin in not
shown, yet another young man named
Thomas Arvin makes his appearance. “Thomas (no middle initial) Arbin” is shown
for the first time this year, a white male over 21, living on land on
Cartwright Creek watercourse. Although he must be a relative, his exact
relationship to Henry is unknown. Later census records indicate he was born
about 1801. He has no land, and his total assessment is $0.
Tax List Book – 1823 Left page Right page
Henry Arvin, age 35, owns no
land but he has two mares.
This year Thomas (nmi)
Arvin is not listed, but Thomas P. Arvin, age 34, is listed. He owns one mare and no land. The watercourse for
both men is listed as “Lathlick” (Catholic.) Total values for both are obscured
on the damaged page.
Tax List Book – 1824 Left page Right page
Henry, now 36 years old,
still owns no land, but has four mares. His total assessed value is $200. He is
listed as living in
Augustine Arvin was born into the
Arvin household on 1 February 1824. He, too, may very well have been baptized
at St. Rose.
Tax
List Book – 1825 Left page Right page
George Washington Arvin was born 26 January 1826. He would come to be known as “Long George,” to distinguish him from his cousin George Washington Arvin, “Short George,” son of Henry’s brother Elias and his wife Catherine, who was born in 1819. Again, this baptism may have taken place at St. Rose Church.
Tax List Book – 1826 Left page Right page
Henry, 38, is listed as chargeable
with taxes on land for the first time. The watercourse, “Short
Creek,” might be the Short Branch, which lies just a few miles to the west. The land was entered, surveyed and patented in the name of G. Marshall. No deed or other transaction record
could be located to document a purchase of this land at this time; it may be evidence of an arrangement which will be completed by purchase in the next few years, as we shall see.
Persons Names
chargeable 1st 2nd 3rd Rate County in which Water Course on In
whose name White male Mares Total
with tax the land lies which the land lies entered above 21
Valuation
Henry Arvin
148 Washington Short Creek G Marshall 1 6 476
Thomas (nmi) Arvin is now about 25 years old
and owns no land. His tax value for assessment is $50.
Tax List Book – 1827 Left page Right page
Henry Arvin, now 39 years old,
is still shown as being assessed on 148 acres of land, but the “entered in”
name is now shown as H Moore. The land is located on Hardin’s Creek watercourse and is valued at $2 per acre for tax assessment purposes. Henry owns five
mares, and his total assessment was $446.
Thomas (nmi) Arvin is 26 and also has
no land. His total assessment value was $70.
Thomas P. Arvin is 38 years old and
is shown on “Short Creek” watercourse. He owns no land, and his assessment value was $0. Image
Burks’
Distillery 
Back in
1805, Charles Burks
brought his family from St. Mary’s County, Maryland, to Kentucky. He settled
on a 200-acre plot in the Hardin’s Creek Settlement, 3½ miles southeast of Loretto. He built a grist mill, drawing water from the creek, and established the
distillery on part of his farm.46
Burks died in 1831, and his heirs
continued the operation. It was called Burks Spring Distillery, and the main
brands were “Burks Spring” and “Old Happy Hollow.” Prohibition in the
twentieth century forced them to shut down and leave. But the compound of ten buildings
that they put up in the 1880’s was left intact.
Then in 1953, T. W. Samuels Sr., a
sixth-generation distiller, purchased and restored the distillery. He began
making
Tax List Book – 1828 Left page Right page
“Harbin Henry,” 40 years old,
is assessed on only 130 acres (compared to 148 acres the year before) on the Hardin’s Creek watercourse in Washington County. The reason for this is unclear. There may
be two different parcels of land involved, or it may have to do with his neighbor Ashford Smith being appointed surveyor in the area in 1826, as recorded in the Washington County Court Order Books. This land is valued at $3 per acre.
There is one white male over 21 years old. Henry is the owner of four mares. His total assessed value was $500.
“Harbin Thomas” (nmi) is about age
27 and owns one mare. His total assessment was $50.
Kendrick Arvin and James Polding48 Arvin, twins, were born 31 January 1828. Kendrick
died just three days later.
Tax List Book – 1829 Left page Right page
“Harbin Henry,” 41 years of
age, is now again assessed on 148 acres of land on the Beech Fork. (Hardin
Creek is a tributary of the Beech Fork branch of the Salt River.) Apparently 76 acres of the land was originally entered under the
name
Value Total
Land Watercourse Entered Over 21 Mares per acre Assessment
“Harbin Thomas” (nmi) is 29
years old. His assessment value is zero.
1830
– Fifth
Henry Arvin is shown on 1830 Census as living in
Image left page Image right page
Males under 5: 2 [George W. 4, James P. 2]
Of 5 and under 10: 2 [Joshua 8, Augustine 6]
Of 10 and under 15: 1 [unknown, about 13]
Of 15 and under 20: 3
[William 19, Thomas 17, Joseph 15]
Of 20 and under 30: 0
Of 30 and under 40: 0
Of 40 and under 50: 1 [Henry,
42]
Of 50 and under 60: 0
Females under 5: 0
Of 5 and under 10: 0
Of 10 and under 15: 3 [Mary Ellen 15, Rosa L.12, unknown, 10]
Of 15 and under 20: 0
Of 20 and under 30: 0
Of 40 and under 50: 1 [Theresa 42]
Of 50 and under 60: 0
Total 13
Elias Arvin is also listed. Image left page Image
right page He had married Catherine (nee Finch) in February of 1815, back in Charles County,
Maryland. And at some
point in time they followed the lead of his two older brothers and came west to Kentucky. They now had a son and three daughters.
Thomas (nmi) Arvin, now 29 years old, and
his wife are also listed as living in Washington County. They have two girls
under five years old.
“Thomas P. Harvin,” 41 years old, is
listed living in a separate household with no other members, also in
Edward Arvin [Jr.], another younger brother, is listed back in Charles County with his wife and six children, three older boys and three younger girls. They were the last Arvin family still living on the old Arvin’s Enlargement. Within the next few years, they too would relocate to Washington County.
Tax List Book – 1830 Left page Right page
The Tax Commissioner’s Tax Book
is typeset for the first time.
This year Henry starts paying taxes on an additional 130 acres land
(perhaps this is the land he listed in 1828). He now lists a total of 278 acres
for which he is to be assessed. The additional 130 acres is very likely two
tracts of land which he will complete purchase of during the following two years. These
purchases, one from the King brothers and one from Nimrod Branham, would not be
recorded in the public records of the county until fall of 1831 and 1832 (see below).
The sales may not have been completed as of 1830 because Henry was not prepared to pay for the land until after he brought in his crops for 1831 and 1832 and accumulated some cash.
“
Land Surveyor
According to the Washington County Court Order Books, on 20 November 1830, “Henry Arvin is appointed surveyor of the road in the room [absense] of Ashford Smith and ordered. Dc” 49
Henry now has the authority to survey land. He took the job over from his former neighbor, Ashford Smith, who had been appointed in 1826. Smith, his wife Mary and their ten children had lived near the Arvin family, but they had moved to Springfield where Ashford pursued the trade of a tanner and currier. Henry now took on the responsibility of the appointment of surveyor in this neighborhood, and with it all the risks. Surveying was a subject taught in school, but Henry had not attended school.
The job apparently required no special certification or qualifications other than residing in the area and willingness to serve. And this could be problematic, as the quality of these home-spun surveyors’ work—both the precision of the survey and the documents produced from it—often led to lawsuits over land ownership. Thomas Lincoln suffered from poor land titling when he lived in Kentucky. In fact, it caused him to leave his home at Knob Creek Kentucky, about 20 miles to the west of the Hardin’s Creek Settlement, and relocate to Indiana in 1816.
Small farmers like Thomas Lincoln also worried about the titles to their land. Kentucky
never had a United States land survey; it was settled in a random, chaotic fashion, with
settlers fixing their own bounds to the property they claimed: a particular tree here, a rock
there, and so on. Soon the map of the state presented a bewildering overlay of conflicting
land claims, and nobody could be sure who owned what. So uncertain were land titles that
Kentucky became one of the first states to do away with the freehold property qualification
for voting—not so much out of devotion to democratic principles as because even the
wealthy often had trouble proving they owned clear title to their acres. Naturally the courts
filled with litigation, and the lawyers of Kentucky were busy all the time. To a small farmer
like Thomas Lincoln, who was unable to pay the attorneys’ fees, it seemed that they were all
working for the rich, slaveholding planters.
He had trouble gaining clear title to any of the three farms that he purchased in Kentucky….
Having neither the money nor the inclination to fight his claims in court, he heard with great
interest of the opening of Indiana, territory from which slavery had been excluded by the
Northwest Ordinance. Here the United States government had surveyed the land and offered
purchasers guaranteed titles to their farms.50
Landowner at Last
Despite the potential dangers, despite what he had seen happen to Thomas P. and many other small landowners, Henry boldly decided to complete the purchase of his own land. As we saw, an agreement to purchase these tracts may have been in the works for years prior this time. Now the transactions were coming to fruition.
21 September 1831: Henry’s purchase
of 61 acres for $85.00 is recorded. The sellers are Alfred and Milton King of
Cumberland County, Kentucky.
 cropped.jpg){kind=link}
…
345
…
This Indenture made this twenty
first day September Eighteen
Kings Hundred and Thirty One
between Alfred King and Milton King
to of the
State of Kentucky and County of Cumberland piepast (?)
Arvin area & Henry Arvin of the state afsd and
county of Washington of
Image
346 the other part Witnesseth that
the said Alfred King and Milton
King for and in
consideration of the sum of sum of eighty
five dollars to him
in hand paid by the receipt hereof he doth
hereby acknowledge hath granted
bargained and sold and
by these presents
doth grant bargain and convey sell and confirm unto
the said Henry
Arvin on certain tract or parcel of land lying and
being in the county of Washington
and the state of
Kentucky containing
sixty one acres bounded as follows
(towit) beginning
at B Smiths S.W. corner ash and white
oak thence SE &
66 poles to dogwood and stumps. Thence S 84 w
66 po to two water
Birches thence N 19 E 64 po to sugartree
and ironwood stand
N 52 E 92 po to the Beginning. To have
and to hold the
said tract or parcel of land together with
all its
appertenances have the said Henry Arvin &
his heirs forever
and the said Alfred and Milton King for him
self and his heirs
doth here by convenant and agree to protect
& defend the Right and
title of the aforesaid recorded land
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
and devises together with all and
every one of the appertinances
unto the said Henry
Arvin & his heirs forever against the
claim of him the said
Alfred King by any and all persons
whatever . . . . . claim or claims [faded
to illegibility]
. . . . . hereunto set his
hand and {seal}
this day and date above written.
Witness
Charles P. Wright Alfred
King {seal}
Stephen Erven Milton King {seal}
his
William X Farley
Examined mark
&
Delivered
I John Hughes clerk of the
Court in and
for the County aforesaid
do certify deeds this . . .
proven before
me . . office
calls have Examined and
. . .
witnesses them to be the . . .
. . deed of Alfred King and there . .
deeded Book K & page
345 & 6
Given under my hand this
25 day of September 1831
John Hughes Jr Clerk
51
The brothers King were two of the five
sons of Major General John Edwards King.
Milton
King, born in 1799 in Burkesville, Cumberland County, Kentucky, was
assistant clerk of the Cumberland County Court in 1818 and by 1846 was clerk of
the Cumberland County and Circuit Courts.
Alfred
King was born in Burkesville in 1806. “He first began practicing law when
he was about 22 years old and continued this for about 15 years….He organized
at his own expense a battalion of infantry for the war with
4
October 1832: Henry expanded his holdings the following year with the purchase of another property. (The document was apparently backdated to 1831 for some reason.) We find out later—when Henry sells it—that it adjoins the previous purchase. Also, importantly,
we find it is located “on the waters of Station Run.” This phrase locates their
residence better than any other documentation we have. Station Run is a small
tributary of Hardin’s Creek, draining east-to-west. It lies north of the
Loretto Road (Kentucky Highway 152). Johnson Road runs to the east from Manton
Road at Hardin’s Creek, up along the southern bank of Station Run, all the way
to Lanham Lane (near the site of the old St. Ann’s Church.) Although the exact
location of the property is still undetermined, we can surmise that Henry, Theresa and
family probably lived somewhere along Johnson Road, “on the waters of
Station Run.”
This transaction involves 68¾ acres
of land, purchased from Nimrod Branham (or Bramham) of Albemarle County,
Virginia, for $137.50 “in gold or silver in hand.” Mr. Branham was not present;
the transaction was handled by his “attorney in fact,” Morgan Wright Sr.
Image
330
This Indenture
made this 4th day of October in
the Year of Our Lord One Thousand Eight hundred
one
and thirty two Between Nimrod Branham of
Albemarle X County & State of Virginia of the
one part and Henry Arvin of the County
of Washington & state of Kentucky of the other part
Witnesseth that the said Nimrod Branham
for and in consideration of the sum of one
hundred and thirty seven dollars and fifty cents in gold or
silver
to him in hand paid by the said Henry
Arvin the receipt whereof I the said Nimrod
Image
.jpg){kind=link}
331
Branham doth hereby acknowledge hath granted
bargained
and sold and by these presents doth
grant bargain & sell and confirm unto him the said
his
heirs and assigns forever a certain tract
or
parcel of land lying & being in the County of
Creek
Containing Sixty Eight & three quarters acres
Being a part of Thomas Marshall’s Survey Bounded
as
Follows Tract Beginning at G Marshall’s SW
corner
a walnut & ash Thence NthW 80pc to white oak
Stump
thence S 84 W 131 pc to white oak & hickory
thence SthE 62 pc to two Beeches thence E 143 pc To
The
Beginning To have and to hold this above sold
Land
and premises with every privilege and
appertinance
thereunto attached or anyway may Belong
ing
belonging to said Tract of Land unto him the
said
Henry Arvin his heirs & assigns forever and If
the
said Nimrod Branham for himself his heirs
Executors
or assigns do warrant & defend forever the said
Tract
or parcel of land against any claim or claims
Whatever~~
As Witness thereof I hereby set
my hand and
Seal
this day & Year above Written
.jpg){kind=link}
Nimrod Branham {seal}
By Morgan Wright Sr his atty in fact
Edward Ozborn
Morgan Wright Jr
I John Hughes Jr clerk of the
County
Court for the
that
on this day of this date Certify this Indenture
of
bargain and sale was produced to me as my office
and
proved Morgan Wright Wright Jr and Morgan
Wright
Sr to be witt and deed of Mr Wright
att in fact for Nimrod Branham and therefore
a
accredited to record in the deed Book L page 330
Sworn under my hand this 25th
day of July 1833
John Hughes Jr
~~~
Computer Assisted Drawing
53
Nimrod Branham (Bramham), 1769-1845, was a prosperous resident of
Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Virginia. “Bramham had operated a store in
1797 where the Turkey Sag Road met Coursey’s Road (present-day Route 20 North)
and in 1806 was operating another store on the west side of Court Square.”54
He served in the Virginia House during the 1811/1812 and 1812/1813 sessions.55
James
Monroe, at the time Secretary of State and sometimes resident of
Charlottesville, signed a promissory note to Mr. Branham for $300.00 on 11 July
1815.56 Monroe was President of the United States 1817-1825.
Col. Branham built a fine mansion
for himself in Charlottesville, which he named Oak Grove. “Constructed in 1822, the main house is an accomplished
example of Jeffersonian Palladianism….the design and construction…are
attributed to James Dinsmore, a Scots-Irish master carpenter who worked on Monticello and the University of Virginia after being brought to
Charlottesville by Thomas Jefferson, and is a skillful
interpretation of Jefferson’s Classical architectural ideas. After Bramham’s
death James Fife, business man,
farmer, and Baptist Minister, bought the house and property in 1847 and changed
the name from Oak Grove to Oak
Lawn. Although lots were sold from the farmland in the late nineteenth and
early twentieth centuries, the
These
two tracts, the King purchase and the Branham purchase, now constitute a single property containing approximately 130 acres. Computer Assisted Drawing
Road Improvements
Henry was among a group of men paid by the county on 22 October 1832 for doing some road work. He was paid $21.25 for “Two days hauling on public road sign boards.”58 Others were paid for similar miscellaneaous projects. There are no other details in the county records. Perhaps these men were taking advantage of the opportunity to make a little extra money.
Cholera 
In the spring of 1833 a deadly cholera epidemic ravaged
Kentucky, and it devastated the little town of Springfield and the surrounding
areas. Among its many victims was Fr. William Tuite, of the St. Rose Priory and
Church. “A note in the Death Register, July 1st of that year, informs us that
85 parishioners had already died of the disease.”59 The Arvin’s were not spared from loss.
Cold winters routinely killed
the cholera germ, while cholera cases increase as water temperature rises.
Thus it was surprising to many in Kentucky
that the cholera bacteria had survived over the winter and
reemerged on May 29, 1833, after winter
dormancy. Rumors of the first cholera cases in Maysville,
Kentucky prompted 90 percent of Maysville’s
population to flee the city for two weeks. Within twenty-four
hours, a dozen Maysville residents succumbed
to cholera. Those fleeing Maysville unsuspectingly spread
the disease to towns along the
Maysville-Lexington road all the way to the town of Springfield.
Immediately, the disease spread throughout
Springfield, which had a population of 618, and claimed its
first
victim, a female slave, on June 2, 1833. In fact, the disease spread so quickly
within the town that on
the first day it was known to have hit the
town three residents were killed. The next day, five died, and on
the
third day, ten died. The epidemic struck rich and poor, white and black.
Springfield residents began to
vacate
the town, abandoning construction sites and closing businesses….By the end of
the 1833 epidemic,
more
than eighty deaths were recorded in Springfield alone, which meant the town had
lost more than
one-tenth of its population.60
The Arvin household was stricken by the
epidemic, and it brought with it heartbreak and tragedy for Henry and Theresa. It is likely
that they lost two of their children—the son and daughter whose names are unknown—at
this time. There was no known treatment for cholera, which causes uncontrollable diarrhea, leading to severe dehydration. This sends the body into shock within hours of infection. Like so many people in
the Springfield area and St. Rose Church, these two striken youngsters did not survive.
They would not be listed in the census of 1840.
Tax List Book – 1833 Left page Right page
There was no Tax List Book for 1831
or 1832. For 1833, we find “Arvin, Henry,” 45
years old, is still assessed on 278 acres
in
Henry’s first son William, born in 1811 and now over 21, is listed for
the first time.
Other extended
family members are living near Henry also: “John Arvin” appears on the Tax
List for the first time this year. He most likely is a cousin. From the 1850 census, we learn he was born in Maryland in December of 1811, and is also over 21 this year. Family tradition holds that he is the son of Thomas Arvin Jr., Henry’s uncle, who was born in Maryland and died in 1816 in Washington County, Kentucky. Thomas Arvin Jr. was the older brother of Edward Darnall Arvin, Henry's father.
Persons Mares Per Total
over 21 acre value
John (cousin, now 21 years old) 1 1 $ 30
Henry
1 7 $2 766
William (son, now 22 years old) 1 3 60
Elias (younger brother, 43
years old) 1 1 20
Thomas P. (younger
brother, 44 years old)
1 1 50
The baptism of John Leonard Arvin,
son of Elias and Catherine, at St. Rose Church was recorded on 4 November 1833.
His sponsor was Mary Eleanor Arvin. This is the first documentary evidence that
the Arvins attended St. Rose Church.61 It’s easy to imagine the entire Arvin
clan walking and riding horses east along Johnson Road, south on
Lanham Lane, then east along the Loretto Road to St. Rose to attend the
ceremony. After so much death that summer, here was new life.
Tax List Book – 1834
Left page Right page
The situation has changed little
from last year, except for the fact that the per acre
valuation has increased. The nation was undergoing a period of economic
expansion, and it was being felt even in frontier Kentucky.
Acres watercourse Entered Over 21 Mares
Per acre Total
Arvin Henry 275 Hardin Cr. H Moore 1 8 $4 $1300
Wm
1
36
John
1
40
Elias 1
50
Thos P.
1 15
This expansionist period was a time of high hopes and new beginnings. Echoing the great expectations which his grandfather, Edward Darnall Arvin, had felt after
the Revolutionary War when he married Sallie Padgett, 23 year-old William
Arvin married Theresa Fields. The ceremony, which was recorded on Monday, September 29th, took place at St. Rose Church.
62
Tax List Book – 1835
Most of the 1835 book,
including the page for the letter “A,” is too faded to be legible.
The southern half of Washington County was portioned off into a new county in 1834, with Lebanon the obvious choice as county seat. This new county was named Marion, after the Revolutionary War hero from South Carolina, Francis Marion, the “Swamp Fox.” Henry’s father, Edward Darnall Arvin, had probably been well aware of the exploits of the Swamp Fox first hand, since he served in the Continental Army in South Carolina during that war. They both fought in the Battle of Eutaw Springs.
Theresa and Henry get their first grandchild! The baptism of William and Theresa’s
first child, Laura Anna Arvin, was recorded at St. Rose Catholic Church on 8
August of 1835. Her sponsor was Mary Arvin.63 Again the whole clan may have
rode or walked up Loretto Road to St. Rose Church, and at this time of year, imagine
some of the children barefoot.
There was no tax book for Washington
County for the tax year 1836, but we find in the County Order Book for 1836 that in October Henry was once again paid for doing work for the county.
“Henry Arvin 1 day, waggon & 4 horses $2.00”
Tax List Book – 1837 Left page Right page
Acres
Over 21 Mares Per acre Total
Arvin Thomas P. Jr(?) 40 1
$6 $ 240
Henry 270 1 1 6
½ 1850
Wm
1 1 65
John
1 1
50
Joseph
1 1
75
Thomas 1 1
55
. . .
Arvin Edward 1 2 75
. . .
. . .
Arvin Elias
1 1
130
The baptism of Thomas Elias Arvin, son of Elias and Catherine,
at St. Rose Church was recorded on 25 January 1837. His sponsor was Patey Hill.64
The baptism of Mary Jane Arvin,
daughter of twenty-six year old John Arvin and his wife Elizabeth (nee
Fields) Arvin, at St. Rose Church was recorded on 21 April 1837. Her sponsor was Mary Arvin.65
Edward Arvin [Jr.] (born about 1794) and his oldest son, Thomas, (1816) makes their first appearance in the Washington County Tax List Book this year. Edward is another of Henry’s younger brothers, about seven years his junior. As shown on the 1830 United States Census, Edward, his wife Nancy Ann (1788), and their six children were the last Arvins to live on the old Arvin’s Enlargement in Charles County, Maryland. Within the next few years, the family had moved to Washington County, Kentucky, where Edward’s three older brothers and several other kinfolk were already living. By 1836, Edward, about 42 years old, had established himself as a resident of Washington County. In April of that year, he attended an estate sale along with Henry (age 48) and Henry’s son William (24). He made purchase of a large amount of salted pork and a pitch fork. It would appear he and his family were happily transplanted in Washington County.
But in May of 1836, we begin to get a truer picture of Edward’s situation. He apparently had requested assistance from the state to help him care for two of his children, George H. and Mary Ellen Arvin. To conform to the prescribed state law, a Circuit Court jury was “empaneled and sworn before the Judge of the Washington County Circuit Court in open court to inquire into the State of Mind condition and estate” of the two children. The twelve-member jury (which, by the way, included John Arvin) found that the children “are both idiots & entirely helpless & imbecile, George being seventeen years old & Mary seven. They are under the care of their father, Edward Arvin who is a very poor man & they have no estate of their own.” (Edward’s tax assessment value ranked him in the bottom 10% of the parents in Washington County.) The findings of the jury were given to a committee, which typically would be appointed to oversee the financial care of such children in Kentucky.
In May of 1837 we find the three-member committee, headed by County Clerk William B. Booker, signing a pledge which binds them in the amount of $1000.00 to uphold Kentucky law in disbursing, on behalf of the children, “the several sums allowed them by law...for their maintenance and support.” (All this paperwork was bundled with other cases and stored by the county. These papers, indexed as “Arvin’s Idiots,” are in bundle 455, dated May of 1836. All “bundles” for all the counties in the state were transferred to the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA), Public Records Division, located in Frankfort, in 2004.)
In April of 1839, the Booker Committee reported that it had paid $100.00 “to father for keeping and maintaining the E Arvin children for the year 1838.” Edward signed his acknowledgement. Note that Edward can write his name quite legibly. (This paperwork, “Committee report, George &c,” was placed in bundle 491, dated May of 1839.) Nothing in life came easy for Edward Jr.
A Devastating Lawsuit
Henry also had troubles in 1836, and some of them were of his own making. He apparently failed to appear as a witness in the Paget trail, and in July of 1836 an order to “attach” him was issued to the Washington County sheriff (George Grundy). He was to be safely kept until the August session of the Circuit Court. His bail was set at $30.00. “Paget” was Henry’s mother’s maiden name, but no other details of this case, including whether Henry actually spent any time in jail, are known. This order was bundled in bundle 464 by the court in August of 1836.
Even the prospect of jail time was overshadowed, however, by another event which took place in 1836. Like so many of the small landowners in Kentucky, Henry fell victim to faulty surveying, probably his own, and was taken to court in a property dispute. The plaintiff was a well known medical doctor and Springfield resident, Dr. Edward B. Gaither, who was probably acting on behalf of Henry’s former neighbor, Ashford Smith.
This suit was
heard in Chancery Court at the courthouse in Springfield. (The historic courthouse itself is still standing and is open to the public to this day. The jail, a freestanding structure located to the right rear, behind the pine tree, has been demolished.)
At the conclusion of the case, all the documents involved, things such as petitions, summonses and subpeonas, replies, depositions, the judgement, etc., were bundled up. Unfortunately, when Washington County transferred its bundles to the KDLA in Frankfort, it listed several bundles as missing, and this particular case, bundle No. 470, was among them. So we may never know the interesting details of the lawsuit. This suit, “Gaither vs. Arvin,” was also bundled in August of 1836. The Chancery Court ruled against Henry and required him to pay an enormous judgement: $232.43. The size of the judgement indicates this lawsuit must have been about land. It was too large an amount of money for Henry to come up with on his own, so in June of 1837 we find him calling on two of his neighbors for help.
2 June 1837: Henry Arvin, without sufficient cash to pay the Washington County Circuit Court judgement against him, turns to Charles Wright and Edward Osbourn to personally guarantee the money to cover the judgement. In return, he signs a deed—which is kept in the Unrecorded Deed Box at the court house—allowing them to sell the property, the “land on which he lives,” if he does not repay the loan promptly.
Image
330
This
indenture made and entered into the
the 2nd day of June 1837 between Henry Arvin
of the
of
Wright
and Edward Osbourn of the same
County
and State of the second part.
Witnesseth that the said Charles Wright and
Edward Osbourne having this day become
the security of the said Henry Arvin in a replevin
bond in the name of Edward B Gaither
or Ashford Smith for the use of E B
Gaither
against said Henry Arvin for
the
sum of two hundred and thirty
two
dollars 43 cents with interest from
this
day – said bond being given to
replevy
a judgment of the
Circuit Court. Now the
said Arvin
to
secure the said Wright and Osbourn
harmless
and free from damage
on
account of said security hath
this
day given granted bargained
and
sold to the said Wright
and
Osbourn all that tract
or
parcel of land on which he lives
on
waters of Hardin Creek con
=taining
134 acres more or less to have
and hold the same to them
331
and their heirs forever free from
all
claims whatever. But be
it
clearly understood that if said
Arvin
shall pay off and dis
charge
said replevy bond within
three
months from this day with
its
interest, and such cents, as may
accrue
thereon – and redeem said
Wright
and Osbourne from all
liability
thereon then this deed to
be void. It is also agreed that said
Arvin may sell the land in the
meantime
to sell to pay said debt
with
the mortgagees consent and
advice
– and if he do not pay it
in
the specified time they the said
Wright and Osbourne may sell it
themselves to pay said security and
pay to the Arvin the surplus.
In testimony whereof the said
Arvin
hath set my first his hand
and
seal this day and date aforsaid
his
Henry X Arvin
mark
66
Dr. Edward B. Gaither “was an accomplished and popular medic in Washington County for many years.” He had lived in Springfield since 1804.67 He
owned lot 93 on Main Street (present-day address is 216 E. Main St.) and lot 98 which adjoined it from Water (now Ballard) St.68 He was a Mason, and in 1822 held the title “King” of the new chapter in
Springfield.69
Ashford Smith, 47, a veteran of the War of 1812, had been a neighbor of the Arvins. He and his wife Mary had a large family of ten children, at least one of whom, Larkin B. Smith, we know was born “four miles from the town of Springfield.” The Smiths lived in Springfield for a few years, where Ashford had been a “tanner and currier,” but in 1835 they moved to Illinois.70 Recall that in 1831 Henry was appointed surveyor in the absense of Ashford Smith, and that Henry’s own land was described as “beginning at B Smiths S.W. corner ash and white oak.” It is entirely possible that Henry may have, intentionally or unintentionally, claimed ownership of land previously claimed by the Smith family. Ashford Smith, now in Illinois, may have joined forces with a local resident whom he knew–the accomplished and popular Dr. Gaither–to file suit against Henry.
No doubt all this court activity and its consequences wore heavily on Henry, day after day, for months (just as their lawsuits had for Thomas Lincoln and many other Kentuckians before him). Wearing the mantle of the oldest son, he may have simply been trying, in his own way, to provide farm land for Edward and/or Elias. But this bout with the law must have made him think seriously about relocating to Indiana, a vast new state which lay just across the Ohio River to the north. In Indiana there was enough good flat land for everyone, of the highest quality and readily available at low prices. It was plentiful, ideal for agriculture. Title was guaranteed by the government. Why not move up there and leave all the troubles of Kentucky behind? Many others had already gone, including more than a few friends and neighbors from Washington County....
The Panic of 1837
To make matters worse for everyone, the United States was about to fall into a financial abyss—a panic—which would result in a period of deflation: falling commodity prices for crops, while debts remaining at a fixed amount. A crisis developed in
the nation’s economic system, and it has been described as America’s first
depression. “The Panic of 1837 was a panic in the
United States built on a speculative fever. The bubble burst on May 10, 1837,
in New York City, when every bank stopped payment in specie (gold and silver
coinage). The Panic was followed by a five-year depression, with the failure of
banks and record high unemployment levels.”71
Tax List Book – 1838 Left page Right page
This year Henry lists ownership of less land than he did before the lawsuit. He may have had to give up his claim to some land to the Smith family. We never get a description of the disputed land’s location, although it was probably quite close to the land his still owns.
Names Land Per Value White Horses Value No. Total
Arvin Thomas P. 1
1 $ 50 1
[page damage]
Henry 147 5
735 1
4 150 1
[page damage]
Left page Right page
Arvin Joseph 1
1
65
1 65
Thomas Junr 1
2
75
1
75
John 1
2
65
1
65
Edward 1
2
120 1
120
James 1
2
1
The
baptism of Mary Elizabeth Arvin, second child of William and Theresa Arvin, was
recorded at St. Rose Church on 4 January of 1838.72 No bare feet at this
time of the year.
The economy attempted a recovery in 1838, but the collapse of the cotton
crop, the backbone of the mainly agricultural American economy, led to a
ferocious downturn in 1839. What recovery there had been faltered and sputtered
out. Debtors were to especially vulnerable to this downturn
and the deflation it spawned, because deflation makes money more valuable relative to commodities and therefore repayment of debts more difficult. “About the year 1839 began that terrible pressure
in financial affairs which will ever be remembered by all who were unfortunate
enough to owe anything at that time. The currency of the country was withdrawn
while the specie was horded up or buried. Trade of every description ceased
necessarily because there was no money to buy with. Property of all kinds
depreciated fearfully. Land that had sold for fifty dollars now sold for twelve
or fifteen. Horses that were worth $150 now sold for $40. Thousands of families
throughout the 
finance and trade, Congress in 1841 passed the
bankrupt law which provided that debtors who surrendered all they possessed for
the benefit of their creditors were released from all obligations.
“The merchants of
“The reins of Government having now
passed into the hands of the [Jacksonian]
Democracy, all hope of re-establishing the old United States Bank was
abandoned, and local banks chartered by the State legislature began to be
established in various points throughout the country. These banks throwing
their issues into circulation relieved the extreme stringency of the money
market, and trade began to revive.”73
Tax List Book – 1839 Left page Right page
Per Total
Over Rates per Total
Acres acre
land
21 Mares Value
season value
Arvin John 1 2 124 $ 124
Henry 147 6 $882
1 4 150 2 1032
Thomas Jr 1 2 130 130
James 1
Wm 1 2 125 125
Elias 1 2 85 85
Edward 1 2 100 100
Joseph 1 1 65 65
Thomas P 1 1 45 45
The baptism of Martha Anna Arvin,
daughter of John and Elizabeth (nee Fields)
Arvin, was recorded at St. Rose on 16 February 1839. Her sponsor was Mary
Emerson.74
William is again listed as a
taxpayer living in Washington County, although there is evidence that he may have been in Indiana. Records indicate that 5 July 1839 William purchased a quart of whiskey at a store in Daviess County, Indiana.75 These records are thought to have later been in the possession of his younger
brother, Joseph E. Arvin. Joseph operated a store out of his farm home in Daviess County, from which he sold liquor which he distilled himself. More about this in the biographical sketch about Joseph Edward Arvin.
William Bowles Sr., born 7 January
1751/52 in St. Mary’s County,
Tax List Book – 1840 Left page Right page
Land Water Value of Over Horses Value Cattle Jacks
Rates Children Total
course Tract 21
&Studs Bulls pr season 7-17
value
Arvin Thomas P.
1 3 $
75 3 $ 75
Thomas as Extr Wm Bowles 33 Hardin
$250 250
James
1
Henry 148 HardinCr
750 1 4
150 9
1 3 4 890
Thomas
1
100
Joseph 1
75
John
1
150
William
1
100
The four young children listed for Henry
and Theresa are: Joshua O., Augustine, George W. and the baby, James.
1840 –
Sixth United States Census
Henry Arvin is shown living in Washington County, Kentucky. (Township
residency was not stated for Washington or Marion counties.)
Image of left page Image of right page
Names of the Heads of Families Henry
Arvin
Males Under 5: 0
5 & Under 10: 0
10 & Under 15: 2 [George W. 14, James P. 12]
15 & Under 20: 2 [Joshua 18, Augustine 16]
20 & Under 30: 2 [William 29, Thomas 27. “Unknown” son,
who would have been 23, is not listed.]
30 & Under 40: 0
40
& Under 50: 0
50
& Under 60: 1 [Henry
52]
Females Under 5: 0
5 & Under 10: 0
10 & Under 15: 0
15
& Under 20: 0
20 & Under 30: 2 [Mary Ellen 25, Rosa L. 22. “Unknown”
daughter, would have been 20, not listed.]
30 & Under 40: 0
40 & Under 50: 0
50
& Under 60: 1 [Theresa 52]
Free Colored Persons: none
Total 10
Engaged in Agriculture 2
Edward Darnall Arvin, father of Henry, Thomas P., Elias and Edward Jr., a veteran of the American Revolutionary War, passed away at the age of 83 in Unison, Virginia, on the 8th of August, 1840.
William Arvin is still listed as living in the household. However, his wife Theresa and their two daughters are not.
Although Joseph Edward Arvin, now 25,
is shown in the Tax Book for 1840, he is not listed with the family in this
census. It is quite possible that Joseph is living in southern Indiana at this
time, perhaps as a farm laborer and perhaps scouting out possible home sites, thinking
about purchasing land of his own there. “The people came from far and
near to avail themselves of the farm lands that were being sold at unusually
low prices.”78 As we shall soon see, most of the Arvin clan is on the verge of relocating to Indiana.
Edward Arvin, Jr. left no further evidence of himself in the written records, but we will find out later that, just like his father, he probably died this year. We are, however, able to track his two disabled children, George H. and Mary Ellen, for a considerable period of time. Edward’s widow, Nancy, moved to Elizabethtown, Hardin County, about the time Edward died. The two children are listed as “idiots” of Hardin County, Kentucky, in 1845, 1854 and 1866, probably still on state assistance. The United States Census of 1850 (line 7) and 1860 (line 31) shows them in Elizabethtown, Hardin County, Kentucky, living in the household of their mother. By the Census of 1870, Nancy Ann Arvin herself has passed away, and they are living in the household of their brother Edward H. Arvin (line 34). Finally, in 1876, George H. Arvin (57 years old) is listed as a Hardin County “pauper idiot” whose committee now consists of one person: his brother “Edwin.” State assistance is now $6.25 per month. Mary Ellen is not listed.79
Instead of moving to Indiana, George W. Arvin moved to Hardin County, Kentucky. There, he and Miami “Jemima” Arvin began living together in January of 1848. Jemima was probably the daughter of Edward and Nancy Arvin, and was therefore George W.’s first cousin. They had a son, James Edward Arvin, who was born on 9 December 1848. He was mentally disabled. They had a daughter, Theresa Ann, who was born on 12 June 1850, and she also was mentally disabled. George W. Arvin and Miami Arvin (nee Arvin) moved to Indiana in 1850 to be with the rest of the Arvin clan. They were “legally married” there in October. Because the clan had so many children (five) named Theresa in honor of Henry’s wife, Theresa, they started calling their daughter Nancy Ann.
Henry and Treacy Sell Out
12 June 1841: Henry and “Treacy” Arvin sell their homestead Joseph Graves. These are the two adjoining
tracts of land, 68¾ acres purchased from from Nimrod Branham and the 61 acres purchased from the King brothers. Total size of
the two tracts was about 130 acres, and the sale price a handsome $780.00. Note this tract described as being “on the waters of Station Run.”
Image
549
This
Indenture made and entered into this 12th day of June 1841 Between
Arvin
& Henry Arvin & Trecy
his Wife of the one part and Joseph Graves of the other part
Wife to All of the County of
Washington and State of Kentucky Witnesseth That
Graves, for and in
consideration of the Sum of Seven Hundred and Eighty dollars
Deed to them the Said Henry Arvin &
Trecy his wife in hand paid the receipt
whereof is hereby
acknowledged Have Granted Bargained and sold unto
the said Joseph
Graves & his heirs forever Two Certain Tracts or Parcels
of Land lying and
being in the County of Washington & State aforesaid on
the waters of
Station Run and one tract a part of Thomas Marshall Survey
and the other
being part of John Kings original survey and Bounding
follows (To
Wit) Beginning at J Marshalls SW
Corner a
walnut & Ash
Tree Thence N. W 80 poles to a white oak stump
Thence S.W 130
poles to a white oak & Hickory Tree Thence S1○ & E2
. . to the . .
. A . . Thence E 142 poles to the Beginning
Containing
.jpg){kind=link}
550 68¾ acres be the same more
or less also one other tract adjoining Being
part of King
Survey Beginning at B Smiths S W Corner an ash and white
oak Thence
N&of20 poles to Red Thornbush & Ironwood Thence S6of58 poles to a
dogwood&Ash
Stump Thence S84 W161 poles to 2 Water Beeches Thence N19S62poles
To Sugar tree
& Ironwood Thence N 59 E 92 poles to the Beginning Containing
Sixty one acres beg the same more
of less To have and to hold the above described
Land with and
Singular the appertinances thereto belonging or in anyways
appertaining to
him the said Joseph Graves & his heirs forever and the said Henry
Arvin & Trecy
his wife doth further covenant and agree with the said Joseph Graves
& his heirs
that they will warrant and forever defend the above lands & Promise
Examined against themselves &
their heirs and all and every Person or persons Claiming or
and Delivered to claim in Testamoney
hereof they the said Henry Arvin & Treacy his wife
to J Graves have hereunto set their
hands and affixed their seals the day and date first
written
his
Henry X Arvin {seal}
her mark
pd
Treacy X Arvin
{seal}
mark
Image
Washington County Sct
I William B Booker clerk of the County Court
for the county aforesaid
do certify
that on the 19th day of July 1841 This Deed from Henry Arvin &
Treacy his
wife to Joseph Graves was acknowledged before me in my office by the
said Henry
Arvin to be his act and Deed She the said Treacy Arvin wife of the
said Henry
being by me examined privately and apart from her husband
declared that
she did freely and Willingly Seal and Deliver said Writing and
Wished not to
retract it and acknowledged said writing again shown and
Explained to
her to be her act and Deed and covenant that the same might
be recorded.
Whereupon said Deed Together with the foregoing certificate
hath been duly
admitted to Record in Deed Book P page 549
Given under my hand this 19th day of July 1841__I&95
WBBooker clk
===================================================
.jpg){kind=link}
80
28 June 1841: To settle his tab at the James H. Cunningham store in Springfield, Henry sells livestock and furniture to Charles M. Wright for $137.14. (This is the first confirmation we have that Henry traded in Springfield.)
Image
Know all men by
these presents that whereas Charles
M Wright is my security on two notes payable to James
H. Cunningham dated this day and due the 1st of March
next one for 57 59/100 Dollars__cents the other for 42
dollars 40 cents and also one note to J H Cunningham
also for 37 Dollars 15 cents bearing date this day and
due the 1st of March next now in order to Secure
the Said Charles M Wright against any Loss on
Liability on account of being Security on the above
named debts I have this day bargained Sold and
Mortgaged to the Said Charles M Wright the following
properties one bay horse about 13 years old one Roam
mare about 4 years one bay Rean mare about 2 years
old one gray mare about 10 years old one Stud horse
(Roan) named Brut and about 8 years old 1 Black pid=
ed cow 1 white cows calf 1 Red cow 2 white cows 2
Red Steers 1 Red Heifer 1 Black yearling Steer all my
stock of hogs about 35 to 40 in number 1 four horse
wagon & gear 5 feather Beds & furniture my house=
hold & kitchen furniture Farming utensils &
distillery the conditions of the
above Mortgage is Such
that if I will and Truly pay off and discharge the above
named notes then this Mortgage to be void otherwise
to Remain in full force and Fixture of Law in Witness
whereof I have here unto Set my hand and Seal this
28th June 1841 his
Henry
x Arvin {seal}
mark
State of Kentucky Washington County Sct
I William BBooker
Clerk of the Count Court for the County oforesaid
do Certify that on the day of the date hereof this Mortgage
from Henry Arvin to Charles M Wright was produced
to me and Acknowledged by the S . . . [illegible]
82
James H. Cunningham lived in Springfield on Water (today Ballard) Street. He operated J. H. Cunningham & Co., one of the three “principal merchants” of the town of Springfield.83
Charles M. Wright, born 1801, was the son of Morgan Wright, who migrated from Culpeper County, Virginia, to Bear Wallow, Washington County, Kentucky, “before 1805.” Bear Wallow is about two miles east of Station Run.84 Charles M. Wright was a trustee for the United Baptist Church of Jesus Christ on Hardin’s Creek, constituted in 1826. “The list of constituting members reads like a family roll, for eleven of the fifteen were of the Phillips clan. This was due, of course, to the fact that the Phillips family on Hardin’s Creek in the vicinity of the mouth of Station Run, constituted by far the bulk of the population in that part of Washington County for many years. Three brothers, Thomas Phillips, John Phillips, and Benjamin Phillips, together with their respective families, settled there before the year 1795. They built Phillips Station on Hardin’s Creek at the mouth of Station Run, the stream taking its name from the fact that the station was built on the south side thereof.”85 The station is said to have been located 26 poles (264 feet) upstream on Station Run from its mouth at Hardin’s Creek, on Station Run's south bank.
Henry Arvin was one of the appraisers of the Inventory of the Estate of Morgan Wright, taken on 25 November 1833. The will was probated on 27 January 1834. Charles M. Wright was the administrator.86
Henry, William and Edward are all listed as buyers in the sale of the personal estate of John Phillips, recorded on 25 April 1836. (The sale, which included nine slaves, brought in over $6000.00.)87
Distillery:
It was quite common for each farm to have its own distillery. As mentioned, Henry’s
son Joseph Edward Arvin would later operate a distillery which supplied
liquor the store he maintained on his farm in Indiana.
16 July 1841: Henry sells household
goods and his crop to Richard Wright. Richard, brother of Charles Wright, had secured Henry in another replevy for $42.00.
Image
This Indenture made and
Entered Into this 16th day of
Arvin July 1841 between Henry Arvin of
the County of Washington
Mortgage and State of Kentucky of the one part and
Richard Wright
to Wright of the said County and
State of the other part Witnesseth
that whereas the
said Henry Arvin is Justly Indebted
to the said Wright in the Sum of
forty Two dollars prin=
=cipal with Cost
and Interest namely as Security for
said Arvin on a
Replevy bond in favor of George S
Conner and when
the said Arvin is desirous of
Securing the said
Wright in good faith in the pay=
=ment of the
above Sum of forty Two dollars with cost
and Interest hath
this day granted bargained and
Sold and by these
presents doth Grant bargain and
Convey unto the
Said Richard Right the following
property viz to
one clock 2 wheels one hackel pare of
Stilarets to
grind stone to one burrow one chest 2 Reap=
=hooks to 7 chairs a
looking glass to one ox yoke one
log chain a
parcel of old iron syhte and cradle one gun
Two side saddle
to one cubard to 3 tables to a set of
cupering
Tools and the hole of my present crop to
have and to hold
the above property to him the Said
R Wright his heirs
Executors Administrators and assigns
and against the
Claim or Claims of all and every person
Image
or persons
whatever and it is fully understood by both
parties that the
Said Arvin is to Remain in possession
of the aforesaid property until Such
Time as the said
Wright may think
proper to Demand it on at which time
the Said Arvin
firmly binds himself to deliver Said property
to Said Wright to
be by him disposed of for payment
of the above Sum
of forty Two dollars In Testamony
whereof I have
here unto Set my hand and Seal
the day and date
above Written
Test Thos P Arvin his
John
Arvin Henry X
Arvin {seal}
mark
.jpg){kind=link}
88
Richard Wright, born 1798, is the
older brother of Charles M. Wright, and presumably also lived in Bear Wallow.84
Tax List Book – 1841 Left page Right page
This year Thomas P. Arvin is also
shown as a taxpayer and as the Executor for William “Bolds.”
Henry is assessed on 140 acres of
land. This may have been the “land upon which he lives.” Charles Wright must have allowed them to continue living on the property until they made arrangements for the move to Indiana.
Acres
Value Over Mares Value Cattle
Value Under the Children Total
Land Tract 21
Horses
Equalization Law 7 – 17 Value
Arvin Thomas P 1 1
$ 45 $ 45
Exer Wm Bolds
35 Hardin Cr $175
$500
Arvin James
1
John 1 3
125 4
125
Elias
65 1 1
65 2 4 65
George W
1 1 35
35
Henry 140 700 1
6 200 8 3 900
Joseph
1 1 60 60
Thomas
1 1 40
40
William Arvin is no longer listed as
a taxpayer. His whereabouts is unknown, although his son Richard Harrison Arvin was shown on a later United States
census as being born in Kentucky in 1842.
Tax List Book – 1842 Left page Right page
Value Over Horses Rates per Total
tract 21 Mares Value Studs Season Value
Arvin Thomas P 25 E of Wm Bolds $150 1
1 $25
$175
. . .
Arvin James
1 1 20
20
. . .
Arvin John
1 3 100
100
Elias
2 50
50
Henry 145 Short Creek 580 4
100 1 3 680
Joseph is not listed this year. He
may be living and working in Indiana or perhaps Hardin County, Kentucky, where he would meet his future wife, Rose Ann.
Tax List Book – 1843
Left page Right page
Studs Rates
Value Over Horses Value Jacks,
per Children Total
tract 21 Mares Bulls
Season 5-16
Value
Arvin Elias
1 1
$ 30 1 $ 30
George
1 1
25 25
Henry 140 420
1 5
100
1 2 1[James
P] 520
Joseph E 1 1
20 20
Joshua A 1 1
20 20
Thomas P 1 1
25 25
same Exer of Wm Bowls 35 105
105
John
1 3 80 </span> 80
James 1 1 15 15
Notice the values are decreasing.
The United States had undergone a punishing period of deflation.
Although Elias is listed as a
taxpayer here, he may actually have been Daviess County, Indiana, this year. A
receipt which is thought to be later in the possession of Joseph Arvin shows that on 6 July,
19 September and 22 October of 1843, a certain “Elis Arvin” bought a pound of
tobacco for 14 cents. Perhaps uncle Elias was visiting or working in Indiana.89
Tax List Book – 1844
Left page
Precinct No. 2
Land
Over 21 Horses, Mares Value
Total Value
Arvin Thomas H 1
$ 30 $ 30
Joshua 1 30 30
Thomas P 1 30 30
George 1
25 25
Elias 1
30 30
Henry 1 120
120
Joseph 1
30 30
John 1 75 75
James 1 25 25
. . .
Arvin Elias 1
The column “Horses, Mares” is
obscured in the document, but the data is easily borrowed from the “Total Value”
column. The important information here is that no one, including Henry, is
paying taxes on land. They are about to sever their connections with Kentucky.
The preparations of the Arvin clan
are now almost complete, and it was time for the actual move itself. On 18 July
1844, second son Thomas H. Arvin, third son Joseph E. Arvin (and probably fourth
son, Joshua O. Arvin, also) made a trip to the General Land Office at Vincennes,
Indiana. Each son entered their claim for 40 acres of land in Daviess County,
Indiana. It is likely that Henry financed these purchases using some of the money he received from the sales of his
land and household goods.
In the span of the next few years,
the Henry Arvin and the Elias Arvin families and those of their sons would all be
relocated to Daviess County. Everyone who went was soon settled in eastern
Reeve Township, a few miles west of the hamlet of Mount Pleasant, which lay
just across the county line in Martin County.
Indiana: Land, Land,
Land
Henry and Theresa,
following the lead of their older sons and flush with cash from the sale of
their land and household goods, moved to Indiana with the rest of their
immediate family in 1845. 
According to a biographical sketch about their youngest son, James P.
Arvin, born in 1828, the move was made when he was seventeen. Lucile Arvin, an extraordinary lady, granddaughter of Augustine Arvin and the grande dame of Arvin genealogy in Indiana, explained to me that, “The
Arvins crossed the (Ohio) river somewhere west of Louisville, probably came to
Indiana by wagon train.” (During a visit with her and her sister Rosemary in 1977, she gave me this chart which she had painstakingly researched and prepared.) Their presumed route from Springfield would have been north on the Bardstown Road, north on the Louisville Road (present U.S. Highway 150) into Louisville, through the bustling city, across the Ohio River west of town by ferry boat,90 and continuing on the Indiana state road (again Highway 150) up to their new homeland. Many settlers from Kentucky had already made this move.
Congress Lands
All of Indiana was
becoming attractive to settlers, because virgin 
land was readily available at
artificially low prices and with clear title. Clear
title was possible because the seller was the federal government. “The United
States government bought from the Indians all of the land within the present
state of Indiana with the exception of a small tract around Vincennes, which
was given by the Indians to the inhabitants of the town about the middle of the
eighteenth century. The first purchase of land made in 1795.” Purchase of the
Vincennes Treaty Tract was completed in 1804. “As fast as the
population would warrant, new counties were established in this New Purchase.”91
The low price of the land was also
possible because the government wanted to sell. “The Federal Government,
anxious to sell its public domain for revenue, started surveying tracts
acquired from the Indians as soon as possible and the township, range, and
section lines were run after the boundaries of the tracts were determined….
“The first land sales in the area
were made under the land act of 1804. The purchaser could not buy less than 160
acres, at a minimum price of $2.00 an acre. Most of the land was sold under the
act of 1820. This act reduced the minimum price of land in the public domain to
$1.25 per acre and a purchaser could buy as little as eighty acres. The policy
of the government toward land purchasers was extremely lenient. Only a small
down payment was required, and payment of the balance could be spread out over
several years.”92 These lands in the public domain were often referred to as
United States lands, or simply as “Congress lands.”
Joseph E. Arvin had already initiated the purchase
of 40 acres of land in Daviess (pronounced almost like “Davis”) County from the federal government.93 His
older brother Thomas H. Arvin
had initiated the purchase of his 40 acres the same way.94 Both sons “made
entry” (e.g., entered their claims) on the same day: 13 July 1844. Joshua O. Arvin
also made entry to 40 acres, and although the date of entry is not known, he probably
made the trip to Vincennes with his older brothers. All three sons’ Patents are
dated by the General Land Office the first day of June, 1845, and are numbered
sequentially: 32137, 31238 and 31239.95 They indicate “full payment has been made.” The price per acre was
presumably $1.25, and the minimum purchase must have been reduced to 40 acres
at this time. For little more than the cost of a good mare, each son now had a
respectable tract of land upon which to homestead and farm. They were the first individuals of European descent to own this land. The locations of
their tracts are indicated on this plat map (which
was drawn up in 1888. By then some properties had changed hands.)
Although the land was entered in the
name of his sons, Henry and his family, along with Elias and his family, must
have lived on these farms for the first few years; the exact arrangements are unknown.
Meanwhile, there was still a strong Arvin presence back in Washington County,
Kentucky.
Kentucky Tax
List Book – 1845 Left page Right page
Horses
Total
Over 21 Mares Value Children 5-16 Value
Arvin Thomas 1 1 40
40
Thomas P 1 1 30 30
Thomas H 1 1 40
40
. . .
. . .
John 1 4 100 2 100
James 1 1 25 25
. . .
Arvin Richard 1 1 25
25
Henry and both Elias Arvins, as well
as Joshua, Joseph and George Arvin are no longer listed.
Thomas P. Arvin, Henry’s younger brother, is no longer managing the William Bowles property. His only taxable
property is his horse. This is the last information we have about Thomas Padgett
Arvin. It is not known what happened to him from this time on. Apparently he
did not relocate to Indiana, although like Henry he also settled his debt with James H Cunningham in 1841.96 The last chapter
of his life story was never written. Family tradition holds that he had a daughter, Anna, who married a man named Fields. Their children were left orphans, and they are shown in later census data living with the Henry, Elias and Rosa Arvin families.
Henry’s second son, Thomas H. Arvin
(along with James Arvin and John Arvin), is still listed as a taxpayer in
Kentucky, although he now owns land in Indiana. It is not clear whether he was
still actually living in Kentucky or not. Was he bringing in one last crop?
In 1846, James, John and Thomas Arvin are again
present in the Kentucky Tax List Books. But beginning in 1847 John Arvin—and
only John Arvin—is shown on the books. Richard Arvin is unidentified, although William and Theresa’s third child, born in Kentucky in 1842, was named Richard Harrison Arvin. Everyone else apparently has moved on. James
Arvin must have moved permanently to Indiana in 1847, to be with the rest of
his family.
Thomas Arvin, oldest son of the late Edward Arvin Jr., enlisted as a
soldier in the Mexican War. The 4th Regiment of Kentucky Foot
Volunteers was organized at Springfield in September of 1847. Thomas joined on
4 October 1847 and served in Company I under Captain Mark Hardin. The following
year the unit marched to Louisville (a distance of 60 miles), arriving on 3
October 1847. Thomas mustered out of the Volunteers at Louisville on 25 July 1848.97
Thomas Arvin died on the 13th
of September 1848. On the 22nd of November, John Arvin and Joseph
Osborne came before the Washington County court to give testimony. Their visit
was a necessary step in “proving” (i.e. probating) his death, in order to
settle his estate. John and Joseph told the court “that said Thomas Arvin was never married had no children and left no widow and they believe that his Father is dead and that his mother Nancy Arvin is now living in Hardin County Ky.” Captain Hardin also appeared and
testified that Thomas had been a soldier in his unit.98
John Arvin, born in Maryland on 22 December 1811, is shown on the Washington County, Kentucky, Census of 1870, the head of a large family. The census was taken in June, but he would be gone only a few months later. “John Arven” died on 1 December 1870 and was buried in Kentucky at the St. Rose Church Cemetery. His wife Elizabeth died in 1877 and is also buried there. A child of “John Arven” was buried at St. Rose on 28 February 1842. A John J. Arvin, son of John and Elizabeth Arvin, was buried at St. Rose on 28 May 1843.99
Complete
Transition
All who would relocate to Indiana have
now done so. Everyone was situated in northeastern Daviess County, close to one
another in the fertile farming lands which lay west of the eastern branch of
the White River. They settled just a few miles west of that little hamlet known
as Mount Pleasant, which was on the other side of the Daviess County-Martin
County line, on a knoll above the river. The town itself was not very old. Here’s a description from the
1833 edition of the Indiana Gazetteer:
Mount Pleasant, a post town and
seat of justice of Martin county. It was situated on the west bank
of the east fork of White river,
on the state road leading from New Albany to Vincennes. The site is
elevated about a hundred and
fifty feet above the bed of the river. There are several springs of excellent
water in and near the town, and
it is surrounded by an extensive body of good farming land, a part of
which is of the richest
quality. It contains about thirty dwelling houses and one hundred and fifty
inhabitants. The public
buildings are a jail and a spacious brick court house. It has four mercantile
stores, one tavern, a
postoffice, two preachers of the gospel, two physicians, one common school
with a good teacher, a number
of craftsmen of various trades, and a mill propelled by horse power. It is
about eighty-seven miles
southwest of Indianapolis, north latitude 38○ 35’, west
longitude 9○ 40’. 100
On a larger scale, this entire
region had originally all been Knox County, formed in 1790. As the population
increased and settlements were established, Knox County had been divided in
1817, and Daviess County was established.101 Only three years later, in 1820,
Daviess County was divided, and Martin County was established.
As for Martin County, “The greater
per cent of the 1,032 inhabitants of the county in 1820 were ambitious,
energetic, and ‘foot free and money light.’ There were only 59 persons 45 years
of age and older. The population possessed courage, determination, enthusiasm,
self-confidence, and 
virility, and a firm faith in their ability and
knowledge.”102
Within Daviess County (shown here), Reeve
Township was established. “This township took its name from the first settler
in that territory, Joshua Reeve. He came from
Catholics in Daviess and Martin Counties
“The great majority of the Catholic
population are those who came from Kentucky or Ireland…..The first settlers
were attracted to these counties because of the rich land for sale at a very
low price. This ‘land craze,’ as it may be called, gave rise to that of
The St. Rose church building was only partly
completed and had long been a work in progress. “The place never had a resident
priest, but was visited by perhaps all the priests at St. Mary’s dating to the
time of its prosperity. The church was commenced by Father Delaune, but left
unfinished; after him came Father Parsett occasionally from [the town of ] Washington;…as late as
1839. Rev. Father John Mougin [pastor
1858-1860] had a brick sanctuary built and some carpenter work done;….A
modern steeple was also built…, and thus the church was finished almost twenty
years after it had been commenced, only soon to be disused and torn down…. Many
of the old settlers are buried in what is known as the Patrick Riley burying
ground, but when the church was built at Mt. Pleasant a graveyard was begun
there…”105
In 1848, Fr. Patrick Joseph R.
Murphy succeeded Fr. Guegan as pastor of St. Mary’s Church. He kept a careful
record of the sacraments which he administered, and it still survives today.106
Several weddings of Henry and Theresa’s children, along with those of Elias and Catherine’s, and several
baptisms of Arvin grandchildren, are all recorded by Fr. Murphy, when he made
trips to the St. Rose Church. In it, he tells us “The Mount Pleasant Church and
all the stations attached to that congregation have also been regularly
attended from St. Mary’s Church. Mass is said every alternate Sunday in St.
Mary’s and Mt. Pleasant churches.”
Canal
Land
The Wabash
and Erie Canal was a shipping canal that linked the Great Lakes to the
Ohio River via a man-made waterway. The canal provided traders with access from
the Great Lakes all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Over 460 miles long, it was
the longest canal ever built in North America.107 “The United States
Congress provided a land grant on March 2, 1827 for the canal’s construction.
On January 5, 1828, the Indiana General Assembly accepted the grant and
appointed three commissioners.”108 The land was given to the State of Indiana, which
then granted it to The Wabash and Erie Canal.
To fund operations, some land was
sold off as excess, providing revenue for the construction of the canal.
“The canal era dawned slowly over the broad expanse that was the Hoosier state
during the 1820s and early 1830s. Other states were already feverishly involved
in various internal improvements by this time….When the three-man board of
trustees officially assumed control of the canal and its appurtenances in July,
1847, the enterprise was entering its most prosperous period as well as the
time of its most virtuous leadership. The bondholder-elected trustees—non
resident Charles Butler and resident Thomas H. Blake of Terre Haute—were
indefatigable in their labors, scrupulously honest in their dealings, and
totally dedicated to making the canal a financial success. High standards were
set for all employees, and close attention was paid both to the new contract
lettings and land sales on the lower divisions of the property….Income from
rents, tolls and land sales was promising during the late 1840s and early
1850s—the peak year for the canal as a whole was in 1852—and slowly but
steadily, despite outbreaks of cholera and other epidemics among the canal
laborers, the waterway inched its way
through the southwestern counties of
Indiana to the Ohio River at Evansville.”109 “The Asiatic cholera, which had
been prevalent throughout Ohio, Indiana and Illinois during the years 1849 to
1851, made its appearance in Daviess county in the summer of 1852….Within a few
days after the appearance of the disease a number of deaths occurred.”110 The
Arvin family must have been acutely aware of the dangers of cholera. 
11 July 1848: Henry made entry on 40 acres of land for himself and Theresa at
the Vincennes land office. He received a Patent 906 (a direct grant of land,
pending payment in full) on 40 acres (SW-SE
23-2-5) from “Trustees of Wabash and Erie Canal” in June 1849.111 A deed on
the land, dated 1 June 1849, would not be recorded with the Daviess County
Recorder until 23 November 1858.112
1850 –
Seventh United States Census
Henry Arvin shown on 1850 Census as
living in “Reeve Township, in the County of Davies, State of Indiana enumerated
by me, on the 15th day of November 1850. George A. Walter, Ass’t
Marshal.” He and Theresa are surrounded by their sons Thomas, Joseph, Joshua O.
and their families.
Image of page 837 page 388
[*] [**] Age
Sex Color Profession Occupation or Trade Value of Place of Persons over 20
of each Male Person over 15
Real Estate Birth years of age
years of age
owned
cannot read & write
1515 Thomas Arvin 37 M Farmer 200 Md 1
Margaret " 21 F In 1
Mary " 3 " "
Theresa " 2 " "
Mary Fields 11
"
"
1516 Henry Arvin 63
M
Farmer
200 Md 1
Theresa " 63
F
" 1
William " 39
M
"
"
Laura "
15 F Ky
Mary "
12 F Ky
Richard H "
8 M "
Thomas Fields 12
"
"
1517
Joseph Arvin 35
"
" 300 Md
Rose
" 27 F
Ky
William " 6
M
In
Elizabeth "
3 F
"
1518 Joshua O
" 29 M " 300 Ky
Caroline "
29 F
Ky
John " 5
M In
Francis " 3
"
"
James " 1
"
"
1519 George " 25
"
"
150 Ky
Jemima " 26
F
Md
James " 2
M
In
1520 James " 22
"
"
100 Ky 1
Mary " 20
"
In
* “Families numbered in the order of visitation.”
** “The Name of every Person whose usual place of abode on the first day of June, 1850, was in this family.”
113
Oldest son William is living in Henry and
Theresa’s household; Laura, Mary and Richard are his children. His wife Theresa
(nee Fields) has died. Probate
Records dated April, 1848, indicate William was made heir to their children,
and Henry was made their guardian.114 William would marry Martha Ann (nee Ward) at St. Rose in Mount Pleasant on 11 September 1853.115 They would later have a
son together, whom they would name William.
Notice that, while Henry and Theresa
and second son Thomas are listed as illiterate, sons William, Joseph, Joshua
and George and their wives are not.
Youngest son James P. has not yet learned to read and write, although he would later.
Elias Arvin is also listed in the
1850 census, living close by in the Perry Township of Martin County, Indiana.
Image
[*] [**] Age
Sex Color Profession Occupation or Trade Value of Place of Persons over 20
of each Male Person Real Estate Birth years of age
over 15 years of age owned cannot read
&
write
59 59 Elias
Arvin 60 M Farmer 500 Md 1
Catharine
" 56
F Md 1
John " 17 M Ky
Thomas " 14
F Ky
Lucretia Fields 17
F Ky
Sarah
K Fields 6 F
Ky
Augustine Arvin (son of Henry, nephew of Elias) and his family also live nearby in the Rutherford Township of Martin County.
Image
8 8 Augustus Arvin 26
M
Farmer 150 Ky 1
Rebecca
" 22 F
Ind
1
Thomas H.
" 2 M
"
William R. "
1/12 M
"
116
7 May 1851: Elias made
entry on 40 acres of land for himself and Catherine in Daviess County (NE-SE
26-2-5). His patent was also from the Trustees of the Wabash and Erie Canal,
and was dated in August of 1851. In November of 1854, they deeded this land to
their sons John Leonard (age 21) and Thomas (age 17), not in return for money, but rather for
“Support.”117
5 January 1852: Henry made entry on an additional 40 acres of land
adjoining his original 40 acres on its west side (SE-SW 23-2-5). He received a
Patent on it from the “Trustees of Wabash and Erie Canal” in January 1852.118
Deed to this land, dated March 1852, was recorded with the County Recorder on
19 November 1858.119
Daviess County Tract Book
The land which most of the Arvin clan
homesteaded can be located from the listings in this abstract from a Daviess
County Tract Book. The legal descriptions are written in an abbreviated form. For
example, the description of Joseph E. Arvin’s land should be read as: “The
Southwest quarter of the Northeast quarter of Section 22, Township No. 2 North,
Range 5 West.”
Image
Where Recorded
Part of Section Acres Name Kind of Land Date of Entry Cert Date of Patent Vol. Page
SW-NE 22-2-5
40 Joseph E Arvin U.S. July 13, 1844 32139 .
NE-NE 23
" " 40 Thomas Canal Feby 7, 1854 9461
Mar 1, 1854 20
SE-NE " " " 40
George W
" July 30,
1852 4783 Oct 1, 1852 10
SW-NE " " " 40
Thomas H U.S. July 13,
1844 32138 .
NE-SE " " " 40
George W
Canal Apr 30, 1850
2166 June 1, 1850 5
SE-SE " " " 40
Augustin
" Feby 22,
1854 9643 Mar 1, 1854 20
NW-SE " " " 40
Thomas
" Mar 27,
1851 3062 May 1, 1851 7
SW-SE " "
" 40 Henry " July 11, 1848 906 June 1, 1849 2
NE-SW " " " 40
James " Nov 13, 1850 2424 May 1, 1851 5
SE-SW "
" " 40 Henry " Jan 5,
1852 4025 Mar
1, 1852 9
NE-SE 26 " " 40
Elias " May 7, 1851 3208 Aug 1, 1851 7
NW-SE " " " 40
George
" July 5,
1852 4026 Mar 1, 1852 9
SW-SE "
" " 40 John " June 6, 1856 12198 July 15, 1856 25
120
Exact locations of the highlighted holdings are indicated here,
on the plat map. (Remember, the map was published in an atlas in 1888, and some ownership had changed by that time.) Joshua O. Arvin’s land (SE-NW 15-2-5) is not
listed in this particular tract book.
Land Entry files were created when a person claimed land under an
act of Congress. They first had to fill out an application, and sometimes
provide other information (marriage or immigration documents), at the local
General Land Office. The
Date of Patent was the date the certificate was actually signed in Washington,
D.C.121
122
Bounty Land
“Bounty land is a grant of free land from a government given to
citizens as a reward for service to their country, generally for
military-related service. Most bounty-land warrants in the United States were
given to veterans or their survivors for wartime military service performed
between 1775 and 3 March 1855. This includes veterans who served in the
American Revolution, the War of 1812 and the Mexican War.
“Bounty
land warrants weren't automatically issued to every veteran who served. The
veteran first had to apply for a warrant and then, if the warrant was granted,
he could use the warrant to apply for a land patent. The land patent is the
document which granted him ownership of the land. Bounty land warrants could
also be transferred or sold to other individuals.”123
7 February 1851: Elias made a trip to Jeffersonville, in Clark County,
Indiana (across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky), and applied for a
Land Bounty based on his military service in the War of 1812. A new Act of
Congress had been passed in September of 1850. He was granted Warrant No. 34722 which entitled him to patent 40 acres
of land in the Vincennes Land District. He chose land which is actually across
the county line in Martin County (SW-SE
25-2-5), shown here in this later map of Martin County, stitched
alongside the 1888 map of Daviess County. The patent was signed in Washington D.C. by the General Land Office on 1 September 1852.
Elias and Catherine later deeded both their farms to sons John and Thomas, in
return for “Support and Maintenance.”
10 April 1851: Henry applied at Mt. Pleasant, Martin County,
Indiana, for his own Land Bounty.
State of
Indiana}
County of Martin} ss
On this tenth day of April
AD one
thousand eight hundred and fifty one, personally
appeared before me, a notary public by author=
ity of law duly commissioned and qualified within
and for the County and State aforesaid, Henry
Arvin, aged sixty three years, a resident of
Daviess County in the State of Indiana, who
being duly sworn according to the law, declares, that
he is the identical Henry Arvin, who was a
private in the Company Commanded by Cap
tain Roby in the Regiment of
the Mary-
land Militia Commanded by Colonel Ashton
in the War with Great Britain declared by the
United States on the 18th day of June 1812,
that he was drafted at Beentown Charles County
Maryland, on or about the 1st
day of June^
A.D. 1814,
for an indefinite period of time as
he remembers and believes, and Continued in
actual service in said War for the term of
as
he further remembers and believes
about three
months^ and was honorably dis=
Charged at Charles County Maryland, on or
about the 1st day of September A.D. 1814, as
will appear by the Muster Rolls of said Com=
pany, and that he never received any written
discharge from said Service.
The said Henry Arvin further states that
he is the identical Henry Arvin who was a
private in the Company Commanded by
Captain in the Regiment
of Maryland Militia Commanded by
Colonel Ashton in the same War, that he
was drafted at Beentown aforesa. . . .about
the day of May A.D. 1813. . . . .of ten
days, and Continued in act. . . . . . . . . .said
War at that time for a term of about ten days
and was honorably discharged at Charles County
Maryland on or about the 1st day of June
A.D. 1813, as will appear by the muster
Rolls of said last mentioned Company.
And he further states that he never received
any written Certificate of his discharge at the
time last mentioned.
He makes this declaration for the
purpose
of obtaining the bounty land to which he
may be entitled under the “Act granting
bounty land to Certain officers and
Soldiers Who have been engaged in the
Military Service of the United States” passed
September 28th 1850. He further states that
he was discharged with the understanding the
he must keep
himself ready to be called into the service at any time when
needed. his
witness Danl Brooks Henry x Arvin
mark
Sworn and Subscribed before me this day
and Year above written ~ And I hereby Cer=
tify that I believe the said Henry Arvin
to be the identical man who served as afore=
said, and that he is the age above stated
In Witness
Whereof I Daniel
Brooks, notary
public as
aforesaid,
have hereunto set
my hand
and affixed my
Notarized
seal at Mt. Pleasant
in said
County of Martin
this said
10th day of
April
A.D.
1851
Daniel Brooks
Notary Public
Mt. Pleasant, April 17th
1851
Hon I. E. Heath
Dear Sir. I herewith
send you the
application of Mr. Henry Arvin for bounty land
He is rather an illiterate man and his recollection
as to some things not very clear, but his a very
correct man and I hope enough is stated to
show his Identity. He says he was held
in readiness to be called out to prevent the British
from landing for a considerable time, and is not
in con=
sequence sure how long he was considered in
service. I make
this explanation at his request.
Truly
Yours Wm E Niblack
Atty for Applct
92-730 Apr 24/51
Acme Arvin
Md_ Mil_
Henry’s application was rejected, due to
insufficient service. Although he had actually served under four captains in the
regiment commanded by Colonel Ashton (Benjamin Fendall, Wilson Smoot, Francis
Thompson and Townley Robey), he could only remember Capt. Robey for the
declaration.
2 April 1853: Henry, now sixty-five,
made another declaration, through his attorney, for the bounty land “by way of an amendment and supplemental
to a former application.”
Mt.
Pleasant Ind. April 11th 1853
Sir,
I herewith send you the Amended or
Supplemental
application of Mr. Henry Arvin for bounty land
under the “Act of Sept. 28. 1850” – His first appli=
=cation was made in 1851 I think, but the name
of one of the Captains, that of Capt. Thompson was was omitted. The applicant not being able at
omitted
that time to remember his name.
I hope the present application will
be found suffi=
=cient. Mr. Arvin lived at the time near the seat of
War, and was called out on several short tours the
particulars of all which he cannot now give from
memory. He was during the intervals
required to
keep himself armed and in readiness for service
at any moment. His brother Mr. Elias Arvin
received a land Warrant for service rendered at
the same time and place and under Similar Circum=
=stances.
Yours respectfully Wm E. Niblack
Atty. For Applicant.
Comr of Pensions
Washington City.
D.C.
State of Indiana}
County of Martin} ss
On this
2d day of April A.D.
one thousand eight hundred and fifty
three personally
appeared before me, a notary public of
said County
duly Commissioned and qualified within
and for
the County and State aforesaid Henry
Arvin
aged sixty five Years a resident of
Daviess Co.
in the State of Indiana, who being
duly sworn accord=
ing to law, declares, that he is the
Identical Henry
Arvin, who was a private in the
Company or Compa=
anies Commanded by Captains Roby and
Frank
Thompson alternately in the Regiment
of Mary=
land
Militia Commanded by Gen. Stewart in the War
with Great Britain declared by the
United States
on the 18th day of June
1812, that he was drafted
at Beantown in Charles Co. Maryland in
the
Year 1813 for an indefinite period of
time as he
now remembers and believes and
continues in actual
Service in said war at intervals as he
was called
on from time to time during the Years
1813 & 1814
for the term of about three months as
he further remem=
bers and believes, and was honorably
discharged at
Charles Co. in Maryland on the _____
day of
1814 as will appear by the muster roll or rolls
of said company or companies, that he
never received
any
written discharge from said service.
He makes this declaration for the
purpose
of obtaining the bounty land to which
he may
be entitled under the “Act granting
bounty land &c”
passed September 28th 1850,
And by way
of amendment to a former application
made by him for the
same services made by him in
the Year 1851.
witness
his
James M Niblack
Henry x Arvin
Danl Brooks mark
Sworn to and Subscribed before me the
day and
Year above written. And I hereby
Certify, that I
believe the said Henry Arvin to be the
Identical
man who served as aforesaid. And that
he is of
the age above stated.
In Witness
Whereof I have hereunto
set my hand
and affixed
my notarrial
Seal this 2d day
of April A.D. 1853 in my office
in Mt.
Pleasant in said County of
Martin. Daniel Brooks
Notary Public
No. 92730
3 Aud. Office 24.June 1853
In addition to the service
already reported, Henry
Arvin served under Capt
Francis Thompson from
the 3 to the 22 Augst 1814.
R Grave
For 3d Aud
This application was approved, and
Henry was granted a warrant for 43.29 acres, No.
91722, issued 2 October 1854. He patented land which is located off
to the east, in Orange County, Indiana (NW-NW 7-2N-2W). Henry sold this land,
and the patent was issued as having already having been “assigned to Thomas
Graves.”
16 April 1855: Under a new law
recently passed by Congress, “Act of March 3d, 1855,” Henry, now sixty-seven
years old, applied for 120 acres of bounty land. This time the declaration had to be made before a Justice of the Peace.
Image
State of Indiana }
County of Martin} ss
On this
the sixteenth day of April
A.D. one Thousand Eight hundred and fifty five
personally appeared before me a justice of the Peace
within and for the County and State aforesaid Henry
Arvin aged sixty seven years a resident of Daviess
County in the State of Indiana who being duly sworn
according to law declares that he is the identical Henry
Arvin who was a private in the Company Commanded
by
Captains Roby and
Frank Thomson in the Rege
-ment of Maryland Militia
Commanded by Colonel
Ashton in the War with Great Britain declared
by the United States on the 18th day of June 1812 That
he was drafted in Charles County in Bean Town in
the State of Maryland in Class No. 2,
for an indefinite
length of time, in the year 1813, and in June or
July of 1814
he was called into service and continued in actual
service for at least thirty days and was honorably
discharged, on Patuxin River in Charles
County
aforesaid, sometime in August he thinks, and that
he received no certificate of discharge, as will appear
by the muster rolls of said company; that he obtained
under the Act of September 28th 1850 a Said Warrant
for forty acres of Land for said services which
he sold and which he thinks was located in the
Vincennes Land District, but he does not know the
number of said Warrant. He makes this declaration
for the purpose of obtaining bounty land under the
Act of March3d 1855 never having received but
forty acres of Bounty Land and never having made
previous application under said last mentioned act
Witness
his
James R Bryant
Henry x Arvin
Patrick Larkin mark
Henry’s application was approved, and Warrant No. 51977 was issued. The location of the land that was then
patented or sold is unknown.124
18 April 1855: Elias, “resident of
Martin County,” also applied for and received a warrant for 120 acres of
military bounty land, No. 40692. Later, he states it was land “which I sold.”
Late in
Life
Henry and Teresa celebrated their
golden wedding anniversary, 50 years of marriage, on the first of January, 1860. Their
marriage had now spanned half a century. They had known good times and bad, joy
and sorrow.
Early that summer, in anticipation
of his death, Henry had a final will which was recorded at the
Daviess County courthouse on 29 May 1860. His wife’s name is spelled “Terrissa”
(sic) in the will.
Image
Henry Arvins Will
In the name of God Amen.
I Henry Arvin of Daviess County in the State of In=
diana, being weak in body but of sound and
of disposing mind and memory and
understanding, considering the certainty of death
and the uncertainty of the time to
come. Thereof and being desirous to settle
my worldly affairs and there being the better
prepared to leave this world, where it may
please God to call me hence, I do therefore
make
and publish this my last will and testament in manner and form this is
to say.
First and
principally I commit my soul in the hands of Almighty God and
my body to the Earth to be decently buried at the discretion of my
Executor to be herein
after
named., and after my just debts and burial charges are paid. Secondly I
give and bequeath to my good wife Terrissa
all my Real Estate and personal prop=
erty with the exception of a bay horse
coult two years old. Thereby I will and
bequeath to my grandson Richard Harrison Arvin
the above described two year
old bay coult. I also bequeath that Lorian
Harvin shall have a single life living
with my wife Terrisa so long as she behave
well, but if she misbehaves, my wife Terrissa
will be at liberty to send her of the place.
I Also bequeath that after my wifes death
my daughter Mary Ellen Arvin gets ten dollars in cash out of the
property. I
also bequeath after my wifes death that the
children of my late daughter Rosa
Patterson the sum of twenty five Dollars to be divided Equally between Mary
Louisa Patterson, Terrissa Ellen Patterson and Martha Patterson. & I also
bequeath
after the death of my wife Terrissa that the
Children of my son William to wit: Lorian
Arvin
Elizabeth Mary Arvin and Richard Harrison Arvin shall each have on half a
share
of my property, according To my own children on an Equal division.
I
constitute my sons Joseph & James Arvin the sole executors of my last will
and Testament In Testimony whereof
I have hereunto set my name and affixed my seal
this the twenty ninth day of May in year of
Our Lord One Thousand Eight hundred
and sixty
his
Henry x
Arvin
mark
Signed sealed and published and
declared by Henry Arvin the above named
Testators
and for his last will and Testament, in the presence of Each
of us have subscribed
Our
names as Witnesses Thereto L. S McClure
his
James x
Gold
mark
125
Lorian Harvin, Henry and Theresa’s
granddaughter Laura Ann, may have had emotional or behavioral problems, and
apparently lived a troubled life. Her father William had remarried, moved away
and started another family. He died in Petersburg, Indiana, in 1883. It may
have been a struggle for “Lorian’s” grandparents to keep her under their roof.
She lived the last seven years of her life at the Martin County Poor Asylum and died a pauper in 1902 at the age of 71. 126
Rosa L. (Arvin) Patterson, Henry and Theresa’s daughter, born in Kentucky in 1818, married Martin Patterson in 1846. They had three daughters: Mary Louisa, Theresa and Martha, who were only 3, 4 and 6 years old when she died on 12 December 1856. Rosa Patterson is buried in the St. Rose cemetery at Mt. Pleasant. Martin died in 1901 and is buried at St. John’s cemetery in Loogootee.
Death of Henry Arvin
On 18 June
1860, Henry passed
away. He was 72 years old. His funeral was probably held at Saint John Catholic Church in Loogootee, as Mount Pleasant was now largely abandoned as Loogootee began to prosper. But he was buried in the Arvin family plot at the old Saint Rose Church. Henry had lived through a great sweep of historic times,
his life stretching from the beginnings of a new nation to the threshold a
great Civil War which almost tore it apart. Like so many others, he had
migrated west to the fresh new lands of this new nation, twice, and with
persistence and determination had made it work for himself and for his family.
He enjoyed the good times, endured the bad. He struggled to improve his lot in
life and to provide a livelihood for his children and a future for his grandchildren. He succeeded, and his legacy is carried on through them. He may have been rather an
illiterate man, but he was a very correct man. He was Henry Arvin.
1860 –
Eighth United States Census
Henry is not shown on this
census, which was taken in early July. Theresa, very recently a widow, is shown living in Daviess
County, Reeve Township, Alfordsville P.O., with her grandchildren. They live close to Elias (listed incorrectly as “Eliza,” a female) and Catherine.
Image
Dwelling Name Age Sex Color Profession Value of Value of Place of
House
Occupation Real Estate Personal Birth
or Trade
Estate Estate
827 George W Arven 42
M farmer √ 400 200 Ky
Mary Ellen "
45 F
Ky
Rosa Jane " 8
F
Indiana
Treasa C
" 6 F
Indiana
Henary "
1 M
Ind
828 828
Vacant house
829 Eliza Arven 71
F W farming √
400 200 Maryland
Catharan Arven 65
F W farming √
800 400 Maryland
830 Treacee Arvein
73 F W farming √
400 200 Maryland
Loryan Arvein
26 F
Maryland
Richard Arvein 18 M Farmer √
Maryland
831 Hugh Parkes 57 M Farmer √ 800 200 Ireland
Briget " 45 f
Ireland
Maryan " 3
f
Indiana
Susan " 1 f
Indiana
Concluded Concluded Concluded
1870 – Ninth United States Census
Elias and his family are shown on the 1870 census of Daviess County.
Although Elias still calls himself a farmer, we know from his military pension
application made the following year that he had retired and moved to
Alfordsville. He and Catherine live next door to Richard Arvin, who is now
married with two children and perhaps three step-children. Troubled Loryan
Arvin is now out of the household.
* ** Age Sex
Color
Profession Value
of Value of Place of Education Male Citz
Occupation Real
Estate Personal Birth Cannot of U.S. 21
or Trade Estate Read Write and up
23 21 Arvin, Ellis 80
M W Farmer 800
200
Maryland 1 1 1
— Catherine 73 F
W Keeping house Maryland
— Lavina A 35 F
W
Indiana
24 22Arvin, Richard 26
M W Farmer 200 Kentucky 1
1 1
— Ann
33 F W
Keeping house Indiana
— Tracey A
1 F W Indiana
— William H 8/12
M W
Indiana ♠ Nov
Cissel, Elizabeth 13 F
W
Indiana
»1
— Marsha 11
F W
Indiana »1
— Charlotte
8 F W Indiana »1
* “Dwelling-houses, numbered in the
order of visitation.”
** “The Name of every Person whose place of abode on the first day of June,
1870, was in this family.”
♠ “If born within the year, state month (Jan.,
Feb., &c.)”
» “Attended school within the year.”
Image
14 13 Arvin, James P 42 M W Farmer 2200 600 Kentucky 1
— Mary 39 F W Keeping house
Indiana 1 1
— Treacy E 19 F W Indiana
— Thomas H 17 M W
Indiana
— Treacy 82
F W
Maryland 1 1
Military Pensions
Under an act of 14 February
1871, Congress made pensions available to veterans of the War of 1812 and their
widows. If the claim was approved, payment of $8.00 per month accrued from the date of the act. “The 1871 act provided pensions to veterans who had served at least 60
days or to their widows if they had married before 1815.”127 In April, Elias, now 81 years old, signed Articles of Agreement (reverse) with attorney Alexander Chomel, and Chomel filed a claim for him with the Pension Office of the Department of The Interior in Washington, D.C.
In April of 1871, a widow’s claim was initiated for Theresa. But she was now 82 years old, in ill health, bedridden and unable to appear in person at Notary Public Thomas Kyle’s
office at Washington, Indiana (the Daviess County seat.) So Elias and long time
friend Samuel Padgett assisted her in applying. Theresa signed Articles of Agreement, in duplicate, agreeing to pay Mr. Chomel $25.00 if her claim was approved. (reverse, duplicate) Chomel then assisted her in making her Declaration for Pension.
Elias and Samuel swore an affadavit on her behalf.
Image
State of
Indiana}
County of Daviess} SS:
On this 11th day of
april 1871, personally
appeared before me Thomas H. Kyle a
Notary public within and for the county
and State aforesaid Elias Arvin and
Samuel Padget, residents of Alfordsville
Daviess County, State of Indiana, persons
well known to me as being respectable
and entitled to credit who being first
by me duly sworn according to law, say
that they are well acquainted with
and the neighbors of Theresa Arvin
who is now about 83 years of age,
that she is very weak and that at the
present time she is in bad health and
confined to her bed that she lives 16
miles from Washington the county seat
of Daviess that she is unable to go or
be carried there. Elias Arvin further
swears that he has known the said
Catherine Theresa for 69 years that she is
the widow of Henry Arvin, that he
knew her before marriage, that Henry
Arvin was his brother, that he and
the said Catherine Theresa were married at
Charles County, State of Maryland
Image
And the said Padget says that he has
known the said Catherine Theresa Arvin
for 40 years, that she is the widow
of Henry Arvin deceased, that he knew
them before marriage, and both of
said affiants further say that their marriage
was never questioned by any one and
that they have no interest direct or indirect
in the pension sought to be received
by the said Theresa Arvin.
Executed in presence } his
James P Arvin }
Elias x Arvin
Rosa J Arvin } mark
his
Samuel x Padgett
mark
Sworn to and subscribed before me,
I certify that I have read and explained
the contents of the foregoing affidavits
to these affiants before they signed the
same and that I have no interest
direct or indirect in the prosecution
of this Claim executed with the several
erasures contained in said affidavit
Thomas
H Kyle
Notary Public
James P. Arvin and Elias’s 19 year-old granddaughter, Rosey Jane, were present and witnessed the signatures of Elias and Samuel. Mr. Chomel then sent all these documents to the Pension Office in Washington, where they were received on the 18th of April.
Death of Theresa Arvin
For Theresa, there was not enough time. She passed away on the 20th day of June, 1871. But she had lived an incredible life. She first met Henry when they were just teenagers back in the old Zachia Manor in Maryland. They married, started their family together, then suffered the devastation of the War of 1812 and migrated to Kentucky. Their family grew and grew; Theresa
risked her life
in labor at least twelve times, giving Henry at least thirteen children.
Four—perhaps more—died young, but nine lived to adulthood and had families of their own. She and Henry
managed to keep their clan close around them in a tight knit community in
Kentucky, and they managed to transplant that community to Indiana. They had a
total of 54 grandchildren, including three named Henry and six named Theresa. Henry and Theresa enjoyed married life for more than
fifty years, and she survived him as a widow for more than a decade. She was Theresa Arvin.
Henry and Theresa are buried side-by-side in the Arvin family plot at the old Saint Rose Catholic Church, which served the town of Mt. Pleasant in the “time of its prosperity.” The town folded when a railroad line was put through a few miles to the north, giving rise to a new town called Loogootee, but the St. Rose Church cemetery remained in use. Today it stands where it has always been, reposing in quite dignity on a knoll above the White River. But the Church of St. Rose and the town of Mt. Pleasant are no longer. Like Henry and Theresa, we can only try to remember them as they once were. Things changed and the world moved on.
Postscript: The Estate
On the 30th of December 1871, Henry and Theresa’s children and their husbands or their wives,
along with William’s three children, and two “heirs at law,” all met at Thomas
Kyle’s office in Washington, Indiana. They each signed a deed, indicating that,
for $500.00 in consideration, they were deeding
Henry’s 40 acre farm (SE-SW 23-2-5) to a George W. Arvin. The
deed was recorded on the public records in April of the 1872. It is not clear who the purchaser is. He may be another George W. Arvin, separate from “Short” George W. Arvin (son of Elias and Catherine, whose wife is Mary Ellen, daughter of Henry and Theresa, and who signs as “George W. Arvin sen.”) Apparently, for reasons unknown, Henry and Theresa’s son, “Long” George W. Arvin (wife, Jemima), is not involved in this transaction.
We William Arvin & Martha A. Arvin his wife,
Thomas H Arvin
& Margaret Arvin his wife, Joseph E. Arvin & Rose A. Arvin
his wife, Joshua O Arvin & Caroline B. Arvin his
wife, Augustin Arvin & Rebecca A. Arvin his wife, George
W. Arvin Sen.& Mary E. Arvin his wife, James P. Arvin
& Mary Arvin his wife, Laura A. Arvin, Mary E.
Arvin & Thomas E. Arvin her husband, Richard H
Arvin & Ann M. Arvin his wife, Raphel Burch & Decater
Kelso heirs at law to the Estate of Henry Arvin Dec late of
Daviess County Indiana Quit Claim to George W
Arvin of Davies County Ind for the Sum of Five Hundred
$50000
dollars the following Real Estate Situate in
Daviess County Indiana to wit: The South East quarter
of the South West quarter of Section Twenty three (23)
in township Two (2) north of Range Five (5) West
containing Forty acres together with all the privileges
and appertenances thereto belonging
In Witness whereof the Said William
Arvin & Martha A
Arvin, Joseph E. Arvin & Rose Arvin Thomas H. Arvin &
Margaret Arvin Joshua O. Arvin & Catherine R. Arvin,
Augustine Arvin & Rebecca A Arvin, George W. Arvin sen&
Mary E. Arvin James P. Arvin & Mary Arvin Laura Arvin
Mary E. Arvin & Thomas E Arvin, Richard H. Arvin &
Ann M. Arvin, Raphael Burch & Decatur Kelso heirs
at law to the Estate of Henry Arvin Decd have
herun
to Set their hands and Seals this 30th day of
December
1871 his his
William x Arvin {seal} George x W. Arvin Sen{seal}
markher markher
Martha xA.Arvin{seal} Mary E x Arvin {seal}
hismark mark
Thomas x H.Arvin{seal} James P Arvin {seal}
markher
her
Margaret x Arvin {seal} Mary x Arvin {seal}
mark hermark
Joseph E Arvin {seal} Laura xA.Arvin{seal}
her
markher
Roza Ax Arvin {seal} Mary xE Arvin{seal}
hismark mark
Joshua x O Arvin {seal} Thomas E Arvin {seal}
markher his
Caroline x R Arvin {seal} Richard x H Arvin {seal}
mark her mark
Augustin Arvin {seal} Ann x M Arvin {seal}
her
Rebecca x A. Arvin {seal} Rapheal Burch {seal}
mark
State of Indiana} Decatur Kelso {seal}
Daviess County} S.S. Before me Thomas H Kyle a Notary Public
in and for Said County this 30th day of December 1871 personally
appeared William Arvin&Martha A
Arvin,Thomas H Arvin & Margaret
Arvin,Joseph E Arvin&Rose A.Arvin
Joshua O Arvin & Caroline
R.Arvin Augustin Arvin & Rebecca A
Arvin
George W. Arvin Sen & Mary E Arvin
James P Arvin & Mary
Arvin, Laura A Arvin Mary E. Arvin
&Thomas E. Arvin
Richard H. Arvin & Ann J. Arvin
Raphael Burch &
Decatur Kelso heirs at law to the
Estate of Henry Arvin
Dec.d And Acknowledged the execution of
the foregoing Deed
Witness my hand and
Notorial
{N.P.} Thomas H Kyle {seal}
{Seal} Notary Public
I hereby certify that the Deed of
which the above and
foregoing is a true copy was duly Stamped as provided
by act of congress and recorded on the 16th day of
April 1872
at 1 oclock P. M. A.J.Smiley R.D.C.
. . .
. . .
129
Henry’s original 40 acres (SW-SE
23-2-5)—the land he had first entered when they moved to Indiana—was deeded in similar fashion to youngest son, James Polding Arvin. He paid $700.00 for this tract, probably because it contained the homestead. As the biographical sketch about him indicates, James does indeed own 150 acres of land at this time. Both transactions are shown on the General Index to Deed Records.
Image left page right page
The unknown George W. Arvin, who purchased Henry’s other 40 acres, may in fact be a George W. Arvin Jr., because in this transaction, George W. Arvin Sr. and George W. Arvin Jr. are both sellers of this land to James P. Arvin. Without all the facts, this transaction is somewhat confusing.
Deaths of Elias
and Catherine Notes
The Pension Claims
All this while, Elias’s claim for a pension had been pending in Washington D.C. It was not until February of 1872 that T.D. Yeager, an examiner for the Pension Office, prepared a folder, requesting a summary of the military service used in granting any land bounties, and sent it to the Bounty Land Division. The Bounty Land Division prepared a folder and made annotations more inside it, then returned it to Yeager. In March, the Pension Office sent a letter to attorney Alexander Chomel, requesting a statement of Elias’s military service. Mr. Chomel responded on 8 June 1872, sending a letter, over Elias’s name, which supplied the information requested.
In August of 1872, Elias’s claim was rejected. Evidence of only 41 days service could be found. A Brief of Claim for a Survivor’s Pension was sent to Mr. Chomel. (Decades later, in the early twentieth century, all this documentation was placed in an envelope for safekeeping. Note Catherine’s maiden name was apparently misspelled on it. This envelope and its contents are now in the custody of the National Archives and Records Administration.)
Theresa’s claim was likewise slow in processing at the Pension Office. An examiner prepared a folder in August of 1871. It went back and forth to the Bounty Land Division several times, as the examiner, a Mr. Yeager, noted on the folder. As of September, 1871, little progress had been made. In October, a request was made to the Third Auditor for documentation of Henry’s military service under Captains Frank Thompson and Townley Robey. In January, 1872, some relevant information was returned to Mr. Yaeger.
Theresa’s claim was rejected on 13 January 1872, due to insufficient service. Documentation of only 32 days’ duty could be found for Henry. A letter and a Brief of the claim were sent to Mr. Chomel. He persisted, however, and responded with a letter of appeal. (It was dated two days after his letter written on behalf of Elias.) This appeal of Theresa’s claim caused the case to be reopened in September of 1872. The Pension Office requested evidence of Henry’s service under Captain Wilson Smoot from the Third Auditor. His response was disappointing. Fifteen more days of military service was documented, but the grand total of 47 days was still short of the required 60. The Third Auditor responded in January, 1873, and the rejection of the claim was reaffirmed. Theresa was never entitled to a Widow’s Pension.
These precious records, now in the custody of the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, are the last documentary evidence we have of the amazing lives of Henry and Theresa Arvin.
Elias died on 23 April 1875; Catherine died on 23 August 1877. Their story is quite similar to, and just as amazing as, the story of Henry and Theresa. They are buried at the cemetery of Mount Union Church, also known as Old Union or Sugar Creek
Cemetery, located southwest of
Alfordsville on CR 1125 SE (Porterville Road), about ½ mile south of CR 700S,
on the west side of the road.
Continued from Henry Arvin Part 1 – The War of 1812
Researched and written by Robert
Joseph Arvin, Jr. © Copyright
A.D. 2010
Many thanks to my cousin Lavada Scott,
who provided much research assistance, images and many family records.
Also, thanks to my friend Dale Flowers for the Computer Assisted Drawings of Henry’s land holdings.
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128. War of 1812 Military
Bounty Land Warrants, 1815-1858, Microcopy 848, 14 rolls.
Indexed on Microcopy M602, 234
rolls.
129. Official Certified Copy, Daviess
County Superior Courts, Vol. U, p 421
Images
Daniel Boone Escorting
Settlers through the Cumberland Gap, 1851-52, George
Caleb Bingham, courtesy Wikipedia
Raftsmen Playing Cards, 1847, George
Caleb Bingham, courtesy Wikipedia Commons.
Pen and pencil drawing (“Hardin’s Creek Settlement”), from The
Pictorial Field Book of the War of 1812 by Benson J. Lossing (1869)
Flatboat
(foreground) and Keelboat around Pittsburgh, late 18th century, Smaller
flatboat, and Maysville on the Ohio,
Kentucky (circa 1821), courtesy Wikipedia
Thomas Herring Lincoln (1778-1851) from the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum at Lincoln
Memorial University, Harrogate TN, courtesy Wikipedia
Photo of Jefferson Davis forms part of Brady-Handy Photograph Collection (Library
of Congress).
Thomas Jefferson by Rembrandt Peale, 1800, courtesy Wikipedia
Image of jail cell interior taken at Fort McHenry in Baltimore’s Outer Harbor.
“US Whig poster showing
unemployment in 1837” courtesy Wikipedia
Andrew Jackson, 1824, Thomas Sully,
courtesy Wikipedia
View of Main Street, Louisville, in 1846 from History of Kentucky (1874) by Richard H Collins
“Lot owners of the town of Springfield” from Washington County, Kentucky, Bicentennial History (1991), p 15
The Star spangled banner manuscript courtesy of the Library of Congress
Several images taken at the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History and the Old Bardstown Village, which are both in Bardstown, Kentucky.
Image of Henry’s cabin taken at Abraham Lincoln Boyhood Home at Knob Creek, Kentucky.
Images of NARA military and land bounty records courtesy of Shannon D. Combs-Bennett, descendant of Augustin(e) Arvin
