DAVID JEWETT

BORN:

November 12, 1792

Rockingham, Vermont

DIED:

April 21, 1861

Adams Township, Decatur County, Indiana

BURIED:

Old Cemetery Section

Little Flatrock Cemetery

DAVID JEWETT

BORN

NOV. 12, 1792:

DIED

APR. 21, 1861.

David Jewett was born in Rockingham, Vermont on November 12, 1792. He was the son of Abel Jewett and Sarah Dwinell. About 1815, his father, Abel moved the family west to Johnstown, Ohio, on land granted for his service in the Revolutionary War.

The Journey west was made by two large wagons, one covered with cloth and the other with sole leather. One wagon was drawn by two yokes of oxen, the other by one yoke. Late autumn weather made the roads difficult. By the time the family reached Turin, the ground had been soaked by rain, was beginning to freeze, and a light snow had made the roads too heavy for wagons. Still more than forty miles from their destination, Abel halted the trip, rested the cattle, and had sleds made so the wagon loads could be shifted. The family then continued by sled to their new home, staying first in an unfinished room of Doctor Massey's tavern house until a small log house on the purchased land became available.

On January 28, 1816, David was married to Betsey Barlow in Franklin County, Ohio, by Ezra Grizwald. He later married Elizabeth Crosby, and together they had 4 children. Elizabeth died seven years before David and is buried beside him.

As the Indiana frontier opened for settlement, David was among the earliest pioneers who moved into Decatur County. On April 24, 1820, David Jewett and Abner Leland purchased one hundred and sixty acres from the Brookville Land Office, receiving the patent on December 3, 1821.

David settled near the present site of Downeyville, along the Little Flatrock River. There he built a large two-story stone house overlooking the river. Family history states that he gave a man a mare in payment for building it.

David became one of the important early builders and businessmen in the area. He erected the Jewett Grist Mill on the north bank of the Little Flatrock River, near the Little Flatrock Cemetery, now Star Cemetery. For many years people came from as far as twenty miles away to have their grain ground. He was also active in building the Piccahune Mill and in the early years of the settlement, he operated as a distiller of whiskey and ran a tannery, providing essential services for the growing frontier community.

On February 7, 1823, David entered into a business partnership with Ebenezer Blackstone, who purchased a one-fifth interest in the sawmill and adjoining land for one hundred dollars. Under the agreement, both men shared maintenance costs and operations, though David retained control of the water power, the most important element of the mill. On September 15, 1828, Blackstone sold his share back to David Jewett for twenty dollars, returning full ownership to Jewett.

David also played a major role in the civic development of the Community. At the organization meeting on May 14, 1822, just two years after the county's formation, he was elected the first Overseer of the Poor, alongside Johnathon McCarty. In this role, he was responsible for the township's early welfare needs, including providing food, firewood, clothing, and temporary shelter to those in need, arranging care for the elderly and disabled, and overseeing the placement of orphaned or impoverished children.

He served for many years as Justice of the Peace, and on February 29, 1828, he was appointed Postmaster of Adams Post Office, placing him at the center of both civic and daily life in the community.

David Jewett died on April 21, 1861, and is buried in the old cemetery section of the Little Flatrock Cemetery, where his grave remains part of the earliest history of the settlement he helped establish.