DAGGER-John A. - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

John A. DAGGER, farmer Newtown was born in Richland Twp, Dec 22, 1836. He is the son of Charles and Mary Waskey Dagger. The latter was born and reared near the Natural Bridge in Rockbridge County VA. The former visited this region of Indiana in a very early day; in 1824 he entered land here and afterward went back to VA and married. Mrs. Dagger rode all the way from that state on horseback to reach her frontier home. Her husband die din 1837 and on Feb 14, 1847 she was married to Ananias Ogden. Mr. Ogden was one of the earliest settlers in Fountain County. He was born in Rockbridge County VA in 1799. He came from Montgomery County OH with a man named Tanner in the autumn of 1824; the latter bought at ract of land on Coal Creek just below the Lighty farm (the piece is now owned by Mr. Moffitt) and then both returned together. The next year Mr. Ogden came with his father and his family to make permanent settlement here and they entered land. The tract which Mr. Ogden entered is now owned by Usual Meeker and that which his father entered belongs to Mr. Meeker and the Rices. The first winter that these people were here they kept their cows on brose. Mr. Dagger received a fair English education and having always been a student in a comprehensive sense has stored his mind well with the facts of general and scientific knowledge. He attended the Centennial Exposition. He owns 100 acres of valuable land 1 miles south of newtown. Has been a Mason about 15 years and democrat all his life. Among some mislaid notes we find some additional facts regarding the Daggers. As stated by one of them, there were 3 brothesr who came from VA in 1831: James who was married, Charles the father of John A who went back in one year and married as before stated and Madison. James lived on Coal Creek where he died in 1877. Madison received a liberal education at Bloomington, Indiana. He was employed a number of years as surveyor and engineer on public works and helped locate the first railroad taht was run into Cincinati. When the Daggers came here they entered land farther up on Coal Creek than anybody else had yet done except that Aaron Hatfield was settled at Newtown.