Notes:

"BEDFORD NEWSPAPER, LAWRENCE COUNTY, INDIANA, FEBRUARY 1936
HALF BROTHER OF LOCAL WOMAN PASSES AT LINTON (GREENE COUNTY) ON MONDAY
WILLIAM ELKIN, CIVIL WAR VETERAN SUCCUMBS AT 93 YEARS OF AGE.
William Elkins, half-brother of Mrs. Mary Maples of this city died athis home in South Linton on Monday. funeral services were held thisWed. afternoon in Linton with the Rev. Sam Tuttle officiating andinterment took place in Sandborn Cemetery. The Frank CourtneyAmerican Legion Post conducted military rites.
Mr. Elkins was a Civil War veteran and was one of the oldest residentsof Green County. He was aged 93 yrs at the time of his death anduntil a short time before his death followed the regular activities oflife. As late as last summer he planted and cared for a fine gardenand only those who knew him intimately realized his advanced age inyears.
The deceased was born in Jackson County on Oct 112th 1842 to Mr. andMrs. Joseph Elkins, early settlers of that section. He enlisted inthe Union Army with Company K, 55th Indiana Regiment. He enlistedearly in the war and served until the end of the conflict.
Mr. Elkins is survived by the widow. Two sons, John Elkins ofPleasantville, and James Harvey Elkins of Vincennes; one daughter,Mrs. Daisy Connely of Milan, Wisconsin, one half-brother McClellanElkins of Sandborn and one half sister, Mrs. Mary Maples of Bedford,IN." NOTE: "This is my great Uncle Bill - per C. Stultz." SOURCEOF RECORDS: Joyce Lorraine Clore Elkins of Parke County, Indiana;Records kept in Elkins volumes under William & Rhoda Elkins section.[daughter, SLJuhl, compiler; Transcribed 10 January 2008;sljuhl1234@yahoo.com]

"William Elkins (First_Last);http://www.civilwar.nps.gov/cwss/soldiers.cfm
Regiment Name 55 Indiana Infantry. (3 Months, 1862.)
Side Union
Company
Soldier's Rank_In Pvt.
Soldier's Rank_Out Pvt.
Film Number M540 roll 22
UNION INDIANA VOLUNTEERS
55th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (3 months, 1862)
Organized at Indianapolis, Ind., for three months June 16, 1862. Dutyat Camp Morton, Ind., guarding prisoners till August. Operationsagainst Morgan July 4-28. Ordered to Kentucky, August, and attached toManson's Brigade, Army of Kentucky, District of Central Kentucky.Battle of Richmond, Ky., August 30. Mostly captured. Paroled and sentto Indianapolis, Ind. Mustered out September 6 to October 23, 1862.
Regiment lost while in service 1 Officer and 9 Enlisted men killed andmortally wounded and 3 Enlisted men by disease. Total 13."[Transcribed 11 January 2008, SLJuhl, compiler]

"U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865; www.Ancestry.com
Name: William Elkins
Side: Union
Regiment State/Origin: Indiana
Regiment Name: 55 Indiana Infantry. (3 Months, 1862.)
Regiment Name Expanded: 55th Regiment, Indiana Infantry (3 months,1862)
Rank In: Private
Rank In Expanded: Private
Rank Out: Private
Rank Out Expanded: Private
Film Number: M540 roll 22
Source Information:
National Park Service. U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 [databaseon-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007.Original data: National Park Service, Civil War Soldiers and SailorsSystem, online , acquired 2007."[Transcribed 11 January 2008, SLJuhl, compiler]

"American Civil War Soldiers; www.Ancestry.com
Name: William Elkins
Enlistment Date: 22 Jul 1862
Side Served: Union
State Served: Indiana
Service Record: Enlisted as a Private on 22 July 1862.
Enlisted in Company K, 55th Infantry Regiment Indiana on 22 Jul 1862.
Mustered Out Company K, 55th Infantry Regiment Indiana on 1 Sep 1862at Indianapolis, IN.
Sources: 76
Source Citation: Side served: Union; State served: Indiana; Enlistmentdate: 22 Jul 1862..
Historical Data Systems, comp.. American Civil War Soldiers [databaseon-line]." [Transcribed 11 January 2008, SLJuhl, compiler]

William married Sarah Adaline Charles on 6 Oct 1863 in Jackson Co., Indiana, USA. Sarah was born on 23 Nov 1844 in Jackson Co., Indiana, USA; died on 23 Jul 1918 in Jackson Co., Indiana, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Married:
Marriage Documented in the Jackson County Book, Volume II, #4, page173--book E-C, page 016. They are listed as Adaline Charles & WilliamElkins.
[21 April 2008, Sljuhl, Compiler]

Notes:

SOURCE OF CENSUS RECORDS: Joyce Lorraine Clore Elkins of ParkeCounty, Indiana; Records kept in Elkins volumes under William & RhodaElkins section. [daughter, SLJuhl, compiler; sljuhl1234@yahoo.com]

1860 United States Federal Census
Name: Joseph Elkins
Age in 1860: 37
Birth Year: abt 1823
Birthplace: Indiana
Home in 1860: Owen, Jackson, Indiana
Gender: Male
Post Office: Mooney
Household Members: Name Age
Joseph Elkins 37
Prudence Elkins 33
Hannah Elkins 18
William Elkins 15
Francis Elkins 13
John Lacy 13
Albert Lacy 11
John Elkins 11
Serilda Elkins 7
Mary E Elkins 1
Source Citation: Year: 1860; Census Place: Owen, Jackson, Indiana;Roll: M653_268; Page: 451; Image: 64.
Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line].

In the 26 August 1850 Federal Census, page 227/114, dwelling 255/258for Salt Creek Township, Jackson County, Indiana, it was noted byJoyce Elkins in her research that there was a Peter Elkins, 15 yearsold listed with the family of Joseph & Tabitha Elkins, however withhis age, Peter Elkins could not have been a son of Joseph & TabithaElkins. Upon re-checking the census record again on www.Ancestry.comthis compiler noted the same findings, and could not find any otherindications of relationship from the original census page. It isstrongly believed by this compiler that Peter Elkins is the son ofJames & Mary Polly A. Reynolds Elkins. After James died it was notedthat his son William H. Elkins was living with Amaziah Elkins, andsince Joseph is Amaziah's brother (both Amaziah & Joseph are sons ofWilliam & Rhoda Elkins) it's quite possible that James's son Petermight be living with Joseph & Tabitha Elkins as well during the 1850census year. See James & Mary Polly A. Reynolds Elkins notes.Peter Elkins disappears in all of the census records after 1850. Itis assumed that he died young. SLJuhl, compiler; sljuhl1234@yahoo.com

SOURCE: BOOK-History of Jackson County; Obtained per Joyce LorraineClore Elkins bef. 2003; Pages 339-340.
"JOSEPH ELKINS
Joseph Elkins was born Feb. 13, 1823 in what is today, Brown County,but then considered Jackson County. He was the son of William andRhoda (Stephens) Elkins. His parents had come from Pulaski County,KY. c. 1817, being the first white family to settle the area, firstliving in a block house located in Lawrence County. This block housewas built to protect against the Indians.
Rhoda had married Richard Elkins, in Kentucky before she marriedWilliam. They had sons, Francis and Thomas and possibly otherchildren, besides Joseph. William and his wife Mariah, born 1818,married William Stogdill; Drury, born 1819, married Nancy Uley,William married Rachel Cummins and Ambazar married Hannah Cummins.The Cummins girls were daughters of Daniel and Nancy Collier Cummins,also early settlers of Jackson County.
Joseph was reared at Elkinsville. According to his obituary, the townwas named for his brother, as he owned the land where Elkinsville waslocated.
Joseph married Tabitha Fergason in 1840. They were married in BrownCounty. They purchased a farm three miles east of Kurtz, living therethree weeks prior to his death. He moved to Freetown, where he diedMay 19, 1913.
Their children were Hannah Elkins, born 1841, married (1) EliShortridge, (2) Richard Collier; William, born 1842 died 1939, marriedAdeline Charles; Francis Elkins, born 1841, died in Civil War;Cerilda, born 1853, married Lemeul Borders and John was born c. 1848.
John Elkins married Sarah Kinworthy, daughter of John and Sally HattonKinworthy. They were married in Jackson County in 1868. Sarah hadmarried a Mr. Banks first and had two daughters, Mary and MahalaBanks.
Tabitha died after the birth of their youngest daughter, Cerilda andhe married Prudence Black Lacy. their children were Mary Elizabeth,born 1859, married (1) Henry Williams, Amshire McClellan, born 1862,married Mary Elizabeth Surgeon and Samantha Ann, born 1865 and died1882.
After Prudence died in 1894, he married a third time, ElizabethEdwards.
One of Joseph's great-granddaughters, Eva Burford, tells that hergrandmother, Mary Elizabeth Elkins Williams Maples, told thefollowing: "Joseph sent two of his sons out one evening to work thefields. the panthers then had a route to they followed, going Northin the Spring and South in the Fall. All of a sudden he heard thepiercing scream and realized it was panthers, so he jumped on hishorse, going immediately to for the boys." The times were difficult,with the wild animals at stalk, and the gun was a partner to the plow. Thank goodness, the boys were safe.
Some of his descendants still reside in Southern Indiana: but thetimes and large families forced many to leave the beautiful county andsettle in other parts of Indiana, some moving into Wisconsin,Michigan, Illinois, etc..." continues on page 340 with moreinformation on ancestors and descendents such as Drury Elkins, JesseElkins, etc...[Transcribed 10 January 2008, SLJuhl, compiler; dau. ofJoyce L. Elkins; sljuhl1234@yahoo.com]

OBITUARY - THE BROWNSTOWN BANNER, VOL. XLV, NO. 11
BROWNSTOWN, INDIANA, WEDNESDAY MAY 28, 1913
ELKINS--JOSEPH ELKINS, one of Jackson's County's oldest and mostrespected citizens, died at his home at Freetown, of infirmities ofold age, Tuesday afternoon, May 20, 1913, aged 90 years and 3 mo.Deceased was born near Elkinsville, Brown County, in February, 1823and was probably the oldest citizen in this county. He was a son ofMr. and Mrs. William Elkins. The town of Elkinsville was named for abrother of the deceased as he owned nearly all the land upon which thetown was built. About sixty years ago he moved on a farm three milesEast of Kurtz, where he resided until about three weeks ago he movedto Freetown. He was married three times, his last wife surviving him. He also leaves three sons and one daughter, VIZ: John and William, ofSandborn, Ind., McClellan, of Maumee, and Mrs. Mary Williams, ofKurtz. The funeral services were conducted at the M.E. Church atFreetown Friday morning by Rev. Wesley Maynard, after which theremains were laid to rest in the Bagwell Cemetery." SOURCE: JoyceLorraine Clore Elkins of Parke County, Indiana bef. c.2003.[Transcribed 10 January 2008, SLJuhl, compiler]

"CERTIFICATE OF DEATH
This is to certify, that our records show: Name: Joseph Elkins diedMay 19, 1913, at Salt Creek Township. Age at death 90 years, SexMale, Color White, Married. Primary cause of death given wasSenility. Certified by: F.W. Kern, M.D., Kurtz, Indiana. Place ofburial or removal: Bagwell Cemetery, Jackson Co., Ind. Date of burialnot given, George T. Manuel Funeral Home, Jackson Co., In. Record wasfiled May 1913, Book No. H-9, Page no. 58. Seal J.M. Black, M.D.,Local health officer." SOURCE: Joyce Lorraine Clore Elkins of ParkeCounty, Indiana bef. c.2003. [Transcribed 10 January 2008, SLJuhl,compiler]

Indiana Deaths, 1882-1920
Name: Joseph Elkins
Date: 19 May 1913
Location: Salt Creek Township
Age: 90 yr
Gender: Male
Race: White
Source Location: County Health Office, Brownstown
Source Notes: The source of this record is the book H-9 on page 58within the series produced by the Indiana Works ProgressAdministration.
Ancestry.com. Indiana Deaths, 1882-1920 [database on-line].
[Transcribed 12 January 2008, SLJuhl, compiler]

"JACKSON COUNTY, INDIANA COURTHOUSE RECORDS & HEALTH DEPARTMENT:
Probate, Jackson Co., Term #191 - 1909-1911 - page # 186 by C. Stultz8/11/1982
No. 5747 Estate of Joseph Elkins, deceased-Elizabeth A. Elkins, widow
Comes now Elizabeth A. Elkins, widow of said decedent, and asks andorder and decree of tis court, vesting in her all of said estate asnot exceeding in value the sum of $500.
And the court find etc....to said Elizabeth A. Elkins, his widow, tobe held and owned by her as her sole and seperate property, under theprovisions of the statute in such cases made. Fall-1913:" In therecords of Joyce Lorraine Elkins of Parke county, Indiana.
[Transcribed 10 January 2008, SLJuhl, compiler; dau. of Joyce L.Elkins; sljuhl1234@yahoo.com]

U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865, www.Ancestry.com
Name: Joseph Elkins/with Andrew J. & William A. Elkins
Side: Union
Regiment State/Origin: Indiana
Regiment Name: 22 Indiana Infantry.
Regiment Name Expanded: 22nd Regiment, Indiana Infantry
COMPANY: H,I
Rank In: Private
Rank In Expanded: Private
Rank Out: Private
Rank Out Expanded: Private
Film Number: M540 roll 22
National Park Service. U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 [databaseon-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007.Original data: National Park Service, Civil War Soldiers and SailorsSystem, online , acquired 2007.
[Transcribed 12 January 2008, SLJuhl, compiler]

*Joseph married Tabitha Fergason Ferguson on 10 Mar 1840 in Brown County, Indiana. Tabitha was born in 1820 in Kentucky, USA; died in 1854 in Brown County, Indiana. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Married:
Marriage Book A, 1830-1850; Brown County Court House; Aug. 1982; perCarol Stultz & Annie Barber:
Marriage Book A--p. 23, number 56--Marriage license issued to JosephElkins and Tabitha Ferguson--March 10, 1840. "I do certify that onthe 10th day of March, 1840, I joined together as husband and wife,Joseph Elkins and Tabitha Fergason-may 5, 1840, etc..." [Transcribed10 January 2008, SLJuhl, compiler]

Indiana Marriage Collection, 1800-1941
Name: Joseph Elkins
Spouse Name: Tabitha Furgason
Marriage Date: 10 Mar 1840
Marriage County: Brown
Book: Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT
OS Page: 1295890
Source Citation: Title: , , ; Book: Family History Library, SaltLake City, UT;Page: 1295890.
Ancestry.com. Indiana Marriage Collection, 1800-1941 [databaseon-line].
[Transcribed 12 January 2008, SLJuhl, compiler]

Indiana Marriage Collection, 1800-1941
Name: Joseph Elkins
Spouse Name: Tabitha Furgason
Marriage Date: 10 Mar 1840
Marriage County: Brown
Performed By: Elkins, Joseph
Comment: Elkins, Joseph married Furgason, Tabitha on 10 Mar 1840 inBrown County, Indiana
Source Title 1: Elkins, Joseph married Furgason, Tabitha on 10 Mar1840 in Brown County, Indiana
Source Title 2: Indiana
Brown County
Source Citation: Title: Elkins, Joseph married Furgason, Tabitha on 10Mar 1840 in Brown County, Indiana, Indiana
Brown County
Ancestry.com. Indiana Marriage Collection, 1800-1941 [databaseon-line].
[Transcribed 12 January 2008, SLJuhl, compiler]

Notes:

Rhoda is the daughter of Francis Stephens, married 1). RICHARD ELKINS11 November 1806, Pulaski County, Kentucky, four known children ofthis union: Francis (male), Thomas, Drury, and Rachel -- Rhodamarried 2). WILLIAM ELKINS, 15 February 1816 at Pulaski County,Kentucky -- SEVEN known children of this union: Amaziah, Sarah,Joseph, Drury, William, Stephen, and Richard.
WILLIAM AND RHODA (STEPHENS) ELKINS came to Indiana (Jackson County),ca. 1817. This family being the first white family to settle inJackson County. They lived first in a block house built to protectthem against the Indians in the area. With Drury and Jesse Elkinsfollowing shortly after William & Rhoda made their move to Indiana.Living with Rhoda in 1820 census at the time is her father FrancisStephens as well.

FROM THE NOTES OF JOYCE LORRAINE CLORE ELKINS OF PARKE COUNTY, INDIANA
PERSONAL JOURNAL--March 10, 1955
TOPIC: WILLIAM ELKINS
PAGE: 1 of 1
"William Elkins, (1797-1880) son of Drewera (Drury)(1760-1840) andMargaret (Maiden name unknown) Elkins. Born about 1797 possibly inClarke County, Kentucky. His parents were there in 1792 and stayeduntil after his proposed sister was married to Samuel Stogdill in1798. Soon after they moved to Pulaski County, Kentucky, nearSommerset.
William married his brothers widow (Richard) Rhoda Stephens Elkins(1788/90-1836/7) on February 20, 1806 in Pulaski County, Kentucky.Surety: E. Barnes, and M.B. Hugh Adams. Rhoda was born in Virginia,and the daughter of Francis Stephens.
Shortley after they married, they moved to Jackson County, Indianaabout 1817, coming by covered wagon up the White River with thefamilies of Shipley, Wilkerson, Sextons, Lutes, and Kinworthy's. Theylived for awhile in a block house. Too much water in the area becamea problem and some died of fever. So, they moved onto Finley's inSalt Creek Township, and finally moving to more hilly country.(William) settled his family in what is now Johnson Township, BrownCounty, Indiana. The town of Elkinsville was named after him, butnothing remains today except the cemetery. It was a prosperous townin the mid eighteen-eighties.
Not all of his children are known and after four marriages, Williampassed away September 1880. At present have found no record ofburial." [Transcribed 08 January 2008, SLJuhl, compiler, Joyce'sdaughter]

Excerpts in The Jackson County Indiana History Book, page 340, underRichard Elkins, it states, "Richard died in the War of 1812. In 1816,his brother William, married Rhoda and about 1817, moved to theFreetown area." "...About 1823, William's parents (Richard's parentsas well), Drury ca. 1765 - ca. 1846 and Margaret ca. 1766 - ca. 1836and brother, Jesse married Nancy Adams moved here."

In the 1820 census in Jackson County, Indiana, it gives:
3 males under 10 yrs old:
1 male 10 to 15 yrs old:
1 male 16 to 26 yrs old: William Elkins himself
2 females under 10 yrs old:
1 female 26 to 44 yrs old: Rhoda (Stephens) Elkins
Up through the 1850 census, these Elkins families not only lived inJackson County, but some lived in Brown County after it was formed in1832-1836 from Jackson County.
NOTE: "The little town of Elkinsville in Brown County is where thisWilliam Elkins is living in the 1850 census records, and he is thoughtto be the first settler there. They probably didn't move necessarily,because Jackson & Brown Counties were divided up by 1836." [1982-1985,Carolyne Elkins Stoltz of Danville, Indiana]

On the 1830 census sheet for Jackson County, Indiana (p.432) islisted: James C. Graham, William Runnels (Reynolds), James Elkins,and Jonathon Graham for Jackson County along with William Elkins,Drury Elkins (elder), Jesse Elkins, Francis Elkins, and SamuelStogdell (elder) in the same census living very near by to the others.

U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907
Name: William Elkins
Issue Date: 16 Sep 1835
State of Record: Indiana
Acres: 40
Accession Number: IN0300__.426
Metes and Bounds: No
Land Office: Jeffersonville
Canceled: No
US Reservations: No
Mineral Reservations: No
Authority: April 24, 1820: Sale-Cash Entry (3 Stat. 566)
Document Number: 5437
Legal Land Description: Section Twp Range Meridian Counties
36 8-N 2-E 2nd PM Brown
Ancestry.com. U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 [databaseon-line].
[Obtained & Transcribed 12 January 2008, SLJuhl, compiler-copy oforiginal on file]

Land Patent Details
Accession/Serial #: IN0300__.426 BLM Serial #: IN NO S/N
Patentee: WILLIAM ELKINS
State: INDIANA
Acres: 40
Metes/Bounds: No
Issue Date: 9/16/1835
Land Office: Jeffersonville
Cancelled: No
U.S. Reservations: No
Mineral Reservations: No
Authority: April 24, 1820: Sale-Cash Entry (3 Stat. 566)
Document Nr.: 5437
Accession/Serial Nr.: IN0300__.426
BLM Serial Nr.: IN NO S/N
SESE 36/ 8-N 2-E No 2nd PM IN Brown
http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/PatentSearch/Detail.asp?Accession=IN0300%5F%5F%2E426&Index=36&QryID=8269%2E765&DetailTab=2
[Obtained 12 April 2007, SLJuhl, compiler]

1840 (p.380) - 1850 (p.245) Census finds William in Johnson Township(Elkinsville), Brown County, Indiana with wife Margaret Polly, listedas a farmer, both 53 years old, white, and value 600.

U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907
Name: William Elkins
Issue Date: 10 May 1848
State of Record: Indiana
Acres: 39.73
Accession Number: IN2870__.071
Metes and Bounds: No
Land Office: Jeffersonville
Canceled: No
US Reservations: No
Mineral Reservations: No
Authority: April 24, 1820: Sale-Cash Entry (3 Stat. 566)
Document Number: 19617
Legal Land Description: Section Twp Range Meridian Counties
31 8-N 3-E 2nd PM Brown
Ancestry.com. U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 [databaseon-line].
[Obtained & Transcribed 12 January 2008, SLJuhl, compiler-copy infiles]

U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907
Name: William Elkins
Issue Date: 1 Feb 1849
State of Record: Indiana
Acres: 39.73
Accession Number: IN2900__.379
Metes and Bounds: No
Land Office: Jeffersonville
Canceled: No
US Reservations: No
Mineral Reservations: No
Authority: April 24, 1820: Sale-Cash Entry (3 Stat. 566)
Document Number: 21492
Legal Land Description: Section Twp Range Meridian Counties
31 8-N 3-E 2nd PM Brown
Ancestry.com. U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 [databaseon-line].
[Obtained & Transcribed 12 January 2008, SLJuhl, compiler-copy infiles]

1860 Census finds the family still in Brown County, Indiana, but inHamblin Township (Bean Blossom), (p.157). William with wife Ann(Hedrick), Mary Ann & George probably grandchildren.

In the 1870 Census, Johnson Township, Brown County, Indiana, Williamis living in the home of his daughter Mariah and son-in-law WilliamStogdill.

In the 1880 Census, William is remarried and living in JohnsonTownship, Brown County, Indiana still. William is 85 years old atthis time, listed as a farmer from Kentucky, along with Sarah (wife),age 76, born in Indiana.

SOURCE OF CENSUS RECORDS: Joyce Lorraine Clore Elkins of ParkeCounty, Indiana; Records kept in Elkins volumes under William & RhodaElkins section. [daughter, SLJuhl, compiler; sljuhl1234@yahoo.com]

NOTE: According to Brown County history it was "a" William Elkinswho formed Brown County. The town of "Elkinsville" was believed tobe formed through this family. All that is left of the town now is acemetery on the hill where the town was once located. There are"Elkins" buried there and families related to them. It is surroundedby a wooded area, peaceful and serene. It is well taken care of bythe community in the area. The Town of Nashville, Indiana is justnorth of it's vicinity. A story about the town is that AbrahamLincoln and a family minister traveled through the area often. [1989,Thelma Mae Hoffman of Hillsboro, North Dakota]

"Elkinsville Reunion 2000
by Bill Weaver; http://www.ourbrowncounty.com/1000s1.htm
You might say that a "virtual community" is one that belongs on theWorld Wide Web. Yet, Brown County has had a virtual community for thelast 13 years. In fact, Elkinsville is a larger community now than itever was before.
Once Elkinsville nestled in the southwestern corner of Brown Countywithin some of its wildest terrain. From 1817 until 1964 it was aplace to be reckoned with, like Christiansburg or Stone Head. And likethese and other small towns Elkinsville has faded in all but memory.In this case, though, time did not remove the community, the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers did, a result of the construction of MonroeReservoir.
But this unnatural death didn't stop former residents from forming acommunity anyway. A community of the spirit.
This October marks the 13th year the residents of Elkinsville havegathered in the shadow of Browning Hill to celebrate the founding oftheir community.
It began after a visit to the little cemetery far out in the woodsthat was about all that was left of old Elkinsville. In a nostalgicmood Beverley "B.J." Blankenfeld, wondered if there was some way forthese families to be together again. She began calling and writing herold friends and in 1987 they organized their first reunion.
Located 18 miles southwest of Nashville, Elkinsville became a town in1850. Named for William Elkins, the first pioneer to settlepermanently in the hills of Brown County, it was said that"[Elkinsville] is a thrifty little place."
Born in 1796 the young Elkins had come up from Pulaski County,Kentucky with his parents soon after the Treaty of 1809 was signed(resulting in the 10 o'Clock Line). Sometime after 1810 the familysettled near the fort in Leesville, Lawrence County, while the lastyears of the "Indian troubles" played out.
From there they moved to northern Jackson County and Elkins ismentioned as being in the Maumee area, called Muddy Fork and Finley'sat that time.
I drove the back roads up from Leesville north through Maumee towardsElkinsville and it is very easy to see how Elkins came north to thebeautiful valley where he made his home.
This was around 1817 or 1818. Columbus, Indiana was a place with butone log cabin. "Old David Johnson" settled nearby but there was no"extensive settlement until the 1830s." Solomon Fleetwood made thearea's first land claim in 1821 but Elkins and Johnson waited until1834 to secure their claims.
"The story is that William Elkins built his cabin on his claim, andlater when the lines were run, the chimney of his cabin was on theline.
Old Billy' without waiting for his supper, hastened toJeffersonville, to take out the land before the other man who claimedthe land next to his, could do so."
Elkins, who was married four times during his long life, figured inthe first recorded marriage in the area, to Mary Polly on July 20,1837. "Nathan Davis, Justice of the Peace, officiating."
Strangely this was followed in Goodspeed's history by this sentence,perhaps an editorial error, "No, the marriage of John Arwin to Mill
Mernervey' Quick, on the 4th of December, 1836, by Squire NathanDavis, was the first in the township."
Elkins died at the age of 92. It has been reported that his cabin wasmoved to Town Hill in Nashville but there is no evidence to supportthis assertion.
For many years the town prospered. Somewhat isolated from Brown Countyit traded to the south and west, in the valley that would one day bethe Monroe Reservoir. Butcher and Bennington opened the first storeand a church, school and post office followed.
Goodspeed, who published his history in 1884, also reported: "Thebottoms about Elkinsville are rich and productive with the wealth ofthe lacustral silt deposited by torrents down the hillside." The hillswere heavily forested with hickory, the saplings of which were cut forbarrel hoops. There were traces found of gold and iron.
They drilled for oil around 1860, ". . . but escaping gas ignited andfrightened workers so badly that no further efforts were made tosecure oil."
On Browning Hill, south of town, Keokuk limestone lay on top of thehill in blocks, as if quarried by some ancient race. A mystery neversolved to everyone's satisfaction and giving rise to the legend ofBrowning Mountain.
Each October two or three hundred people gather at the foot ofBrowning Hill for the Elkinsville Reunion.
"We're not trying to make a big deal out of it," says Bob Cross. "It'sprimarily for people who lived here or had relatives who lived here.The reunion is more than just a get together. There is anticipationeach year of who will come."
Folks show up all day, visit the cemetery, renew acquaintances, makenew friends, learn something about their heritage, add to thatheritage, and eat one big whopping pitch-in dinner.
This year subscriptions will be taken towards the printing of ahistory of Elkinsville, its families and businesses. Compiled, edited,and typeset over the last two years by Nancy Deckard with the help ofher husband Oliver and Bob Cross, (who wrote many of the entries) thebook contains 597 pages, 294 pictures, 97 family stories, recipes, andpoems. Subscriptions are available by writing the ElkinsvilleCommittee c/o B.J. Blankenfeld, 3490 Covenanter Dr., Bloomington,Indiana 47401."
[Obtained 17 April 2008, SLJuhl, Compiler & Family Genealogist]

"NOTE: COUNTY CHANGE: Brown County, Indiana was formed in 1836 fromMonroe, Bartholomew, and mostly Jackson Counties. Therefore, our 1820and 1830 census are in Jackson County.
HISTORY OF BROWN COUNTY, INDIANA - 1889 - JOHNSON TWP. PG. 751
It is said that William Elkins was a resident of Johnson Twp., asearly as 1819. One thing is certain, he was in the township to livebefore the Indians were removed, which was done in 1821. Some say hisresidence in the county dates further back than that, back in 1816 or1817. It is told that he came directly from the block house, whichhad been built in Lawrence County as a protection from the Indiansduring the War of 1812/1816. That statement is currently made andbelieved, and if true could fix the date of this settlement at aboutthe year 1816, and certainly not later than 1817. Some state that hewas the first white man to live with his family in what is now BrownCounty. Some state that old man Schoonover, who located on the creekthat bears his name (corrupted), in the western part of WashingtonTwp., was the first in the county. The truth cannot be learned. OldDavid Johnson was another early resident of the Twp. The date of hissettlement cannot be given. It should be remembered that theterritory comprising Johnson Twp. (except a small portion of thenorthwestern corner) was obtained by cession treaty from the Indiansin 1809, and that the old boundary lines, which cross the northeastern corner, was established at that date. The land was surveyedsouth of this line in 1812, and soon afterwards was open tosettlement. No settlers appeared except Elkins, and perhaps Johnson,until after 1820. Then a few families arrived, but no extensivesettlement occurred until the decade of the thirty s.
ELKINSVILLE, INDIANA:
This village is a creature of comparatively recent origin. It startedup during the decade of the fifties, and was named in honor of thefirst settler of the township and founder of the village. It is saidthat Butcher and Bennington opened the first store, and that a mannamed Morris was in there with goods afterwards. The village was soisolated from other villages that it had quite an extensive trade inthe early years. It was not long before blacksmiths, and carpentersappeared and soon the population could be numbered, by the dozens. Itis a thrifty little place." Carol Stultz's notes.
NOTE: My brother Joseph and his wife were the first in our family tovisit what is left of Elkinsville and the cemetery in 1996. At thattime he took many photos for a panaramic view of the cemetery itselfand of the Elkins headstones in the cemetery. In 1998, myself, Mother(Joyce), and my husband George did get a chance to visit the cemetery. Elkinsville actually is almost non-existant, and only a cemeteryremains. We were traveling on the Elkinsville road which leaves StateRoad 135 at Story, Indiana to the cemetery, and folks on horse backwere riding through the area. It certainly gave us a flavoring ofwhat it must have been like for those family members living in theearly c.1800-1900 era when their feet or horses were their only modeof transportation. An old fashioned corner grocery store wasavailable on a T-road just prior to reaching the turn off to thecemetery road where a traveler can stop to refresh themselves ifdesired. For the cemetery there was a winding rugged road about onemile north of Old Elkinsville off of Elkinsville Road that twists andturns up the hill side, with no guard rails, until it reached the toparea of the hill that was well manicured with head stones pepperingit's clearing amidst surrounding wooded trees and evergreen pineareas. It's also my understanding that the cemetery originally wasnamed "Hall Cemetery, and had been in the Johnson Township, but is nowin the Van Buren Township due to boundary changes. I did correspondper e-mail with the Nashville, Brown County, Indiana library on the26th of June c.2002, and they assured me that a listing is at thelibrary of all of the burials at the cemetery from the Brown CountyHistorical Society." [Transcribed 30 Mar 2005, SLJuhl, compiler]

Excerpts from the Jackson County History Book - 1886, Chapter IXX ofSalt Creek Township,
Page 439 - "One of the first to settle in Salt Creek Township was JohnLutes who built a small log cabin a half a mile north of Houston.George Wagoner settled a quarter of a mile east of Houston; JoshuaBrown a mile to the west, and William Winkler and Samuel Stodgill(spelled Stockdell in the book) were in the same neighborhood. A fewyears later came James Acton and George Gable, James Mulky, MIchaelRudelph, Solomon Cox, and Joseph Young, etc..., other settlements weremade on Muddy Ford, and at Finley's. At the former, Joel Jackson,Phillip Highnote, thomas Scott, John Scott, Arthur Martin, JohnBlerings, Silas Mahuron, Jesse Isaacs, and Squire Sims.
At Finley's were William Elkins, Drury Elkins, James Stephens, and theFleetwoods. Etc..."
Page 441 - "Early Meetings & Churches" - "...The first churchorganized was a Methodist, and the meeting for the purpose was held atthe residence of Joshua Brown and wife, D(rury) Elkins and wife,Samuel Stockdell (Stogdill) and wife, The Hills and Actons. Etc..."
Page 594-595 - "Salt Creek Township" - "In the fall of 1823 the firstschoolhouse was built in Salt Creek Township. This was a small loghouse, etc... The pupils who attended this school were...Frank andThomas Elkins." [Transcribed 13 January 2008, SLJuhl, compiler]

*William married Rhoda Stephens on 15 Feb 1816 in Pulaski County, Kentucky. Rhoda (daughter of Francis Stephens) was born about 1790 in Virginia; died in 1837 in Jackson Co., Indiana, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Rhoda was the widow of William's brother Richard Elkins, and themarriage to William Elkins was her second marriage.

Notes:

Married:
SOURCE: Pulaski County Marriage Records Book I 1799 - 1850
Compiled by Pulaski County Historical Society
Pulaski Library
North Main Street
Somerset, Kentucky 42501
Obtained: 30 March 2007
Davenport Public Library
321 Main Street
Davenport, Iowa 52801 - 1490
SC 976.963 PUL
Page 47
15 February 1816 Elkins, William Stephens, Rhoda
Pres. Surety, E. Barnes M.B. Hugh Adams
[SLJuhl, compiler; sljuhl1234@yahoo.com]

SOURCE: www.Ancestry.com - Kentucky Marriages, 1802-1850
Dodd, Jordan, database on-line. Provo, UT, USA: MyFamily.com, INc.,1997. Electronic transcription of marriage records held by theindividual counties in Kentucky. Database of Kentucky marriages to1850.
[Obtained: Saturday, December 02, 2006; SLJuhl, compiler]

SOURCE: SOURCE: www.Ancestry.com - U.S. and International MarriageRecords, 1560-1900.
Yates Publishing, database on-line. Provo, UT, USA: MyFamily.com,Inc., 2004. Electronic transcription of marriage records. [Obtained:Saturday, December 02, 2006; SLJuhl, compiler]