Cass County, Indiana

From Black Hawk Slept Here

Cass County, Indiana

The only information on the Black Hawk war currently in hand for Cass County, Indiana, is the following section from page 127 of History of Cass County, Indiana (1913):

In the spring of 1832 the renowned sac chief, Black Hawk, refused as per treaty, to leave his lands in western Illinois and move beyond the Mississippi, and made war on the settlers in Illinois and western Indiana.

On Sunday morning, May 18, 1832, the people on the west bank of hte Wabash were thrown into a state of great consternation on account of the report reaching them that a large body of hostile Indians had approached within ten miles of Lafayette and killed two white settlers. There was great excitement and old men, women and children to the number of over 300 flocked into Lafayette. There was much uneasiness on the part of the settlers in Cass county lest the Pottawattamies of this section should go on the war path and the few citizens of Logansport organized a small company of militia, but were never called on for active service as the Illinois troops in which the immortal Lincoln bore an honorable part ran down and captured Black Hawk and his band on the banks of the Mississippi near Prairie du Chien, August 2, 1832.

The following additional Indian fighters are accredited to Cass county, but we find no record of their particular services: Capt. A. M. Higgins, Black Hawk war, William Atwood, Simon Kenton, Geo. Mott.

Notes and comments

• It's interesting that the very specific date of May 18 is given.
• Capt. A.M. Higgins is probably Alvin M. Higgins, who is listed in a Genweb Record of Deceased Veterans as being buried in the Mount Hope cemetery. (This is not necessarily independent corroboration of his role in the militia, though.)
• There are no land records for Alvin Higgins in Indiana
• Higgins is not listed in Loftus-1985
• The names Atwood, Kenton, and Mott seem to not necessarily be connected to the Black Hawk war.
• Of these names, the only one for which there are land records for Cass County is Simon Kenton. This person seems not to be the famous Simon Kenton who died in Ohio in 1836.
• Information about Alvin M. Higgins from census records
  • He was born about 1804, in Maine
  • According to the 1850 census
    • He had real estate worth $15,000
    • He was listed as a "[illegible] Copper Smith".
    • He had five children, ranging from 1 to 12 years old
    • An 18-year-old female, Margaret Suiton (?sp) also lived in the same household
  • According to the 1870 census
    • He was a R[illegible] Merchant. (The illegible word might be "Retired")
    • His wife was not listed, but four children are listed, including two who were too young to have been listed in the 1850 census.
  • According to the 1880 census he lived on Brooadway Street with three daughters, and was a tax assessor.