                                                                 Switzerland County
   Switzerland County is located in sourtheastern Indiana on the Ohio River. Switzerland County was first opened to settlement by terms of the Greenville Treaty of 1795. Heathcoat Pickett was in Jefferson Township as ealy as 1790 and built a cabin near the mouth of Plum Creek in 1795. Over his long life he made around 20 trips down the Ohio River on Flatboats taking local products to New Orleans, what was to be Switzerland County's route for an extensive river trade in the nineteenth century.
   George Ash had been a captive of the Shawnee Indians until his release in 1795. Under the terms of the Greenville Treaty. The Indians granted Ash some land in Indiana opposite the mouth of the Kentucky River which was the southern end of the treaty line. On this land he built the first brick house in 1798 in Switzerland County. Ash later operated a ferry across the river from near his home. Ash and his family operated the ferry for 103 years.
   The French-Swiss settlers came to Switzerland County in 1817. There was Frederick Louis Thiebaud and 7 children; Jean Jacque Philip Schneck with 2 children and Mr. Schenck's father and mother. Daniel Van Buren and 3 small children.
   Frank Dupray invented a steering wheel and a hay press models of which along with his letters of patent are in the Museum in Vevay.
   The first piano in Indiana belonged to Mary Wright from London, England. It was a Clementi piano.
   Edward Eggleston was born in Switzerland County in 1837, he became an editor and author. His writings include The Hoosier Schoolmaster, The Hoosier Schoolboy, Roxy, The Circuit Rider, The Faith Doctor, and the End of the World along with several historys of the United States.

Kells Komments
As you can see I am adding information a little at a time to this site. My hope is we can help each other by you telling us when a family you are researching is here and you see a difference from what you have. The use of the same first name in families, differences in spelling and just plain lack of written records can cause problems. Please contact me if you see something that you have more information on and we can make corrections. As always, do not just copy do your own research!
Sheila Kell Kfurballkell@aol.com

Photos of various Headstones donated by Larry Noble (Warning very large picture file-make take a while to load)

                                       Links  and Research Help

Switzerland County Public Library
205 Ferry Street, Vevay IN 47043
(812)427-3363     Email
Website

County Recorder-Nancy Barker, 812-427-8144 recorder@switzerlandcountycourthouse.org

Switzerland County Historical Society-- Website
115 TAPPS RIDGE RD.
PO BOX 201
VEVAY , IN 47043-9593
PHONE: 812/427-3560
President: Martha Bladen

Contacts for Court Documents-- Switzerland County Court House
Circuit Court Clerk
205 W. Main ST
Vevay, IN 47043
Phone: 812-427-3175
[Marriage, Wills, Civil and Probate Records.
Fee of $1.00 per page, send SASE

Switzerland County, History & Architecture

Look Ups - in "History of Switzerland County Indiana 1885" Lnoble30@comcast.net a member of RAOGK

My Indiana Home     Brad & Ruth Hoggatts excellent site lots of Switzerland County Data

I am always talking about you need to check out County boundry changes here is a really neat site that shows those changes so you can see what has happened over the years. Indiana Township Maps.

Revolutionary War Pensioners 1840 census of Pensioners-all States, searchable

Historic Facts, Terms & Items of Interest    by Michael Graves  excellent information! An answer to "What does that mean".

Carolyn B. Leonards website    interesting information on ancestors of some Switzerland County Pioneers including Demaree & Banta

Combs & Coombs &c. Families of Switzerland Co., Indiana- Link to part of the very large Combs Family Research site.

Wakefield Family Genealogy Lots of names in Switzerland County--Excellent site

Kyle Family History Excellent research, main families McCullough & Harris, secondary families Torrence & March

Switzerland County Research Links    Family websites

Switzerland County Database at Rootsweb by Mark E. Dunning

Switzerland County Newspaper Images

Index to Switzerland County Newspaper Images Thank You Tina Lyons for all this work

1895 Switzerland Co. Map

World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Personnel, Switzerland County

Switzerland County History & Pioneer Genealogy

Canton Vaud the area in Switzerland many of the early settlers came from

Naturalization Database Search
Indiana Commission on Public Records

InGenWeb State Links

Indiana Historical Bureau     Documents leading to Statehood

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War
Department of Indiana

Indiana Magazine of History-on Line-very interesting

For those searching for African American Roots. AfriGeneas

African American Cemeteries online

People of Color South   POC