Place:Floyd, Indiana, United States

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Floyd County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. Its county seat is New Albany. Floyd County has the second-smallest land area in the entire state. It was formed in the year 1819 from neighboring Clark, and Harrison counties.

Floyd County is part of the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY–IN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Contents

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Floyd County, originally the Shawnee Indians hunting ground, was conquered for the United States by George Rogers Clark during the American Revolutionary War from the British. He was awarded large tracts of land in Indiana, including almost all of present-day Floyd County. Clark sold land to the settlers who began arriving as soon as peace returned.


In 1818, New Albany was large enough to become a county seat and form a new county. New Albany leaders sent Nathaniel Scribner and John K. Graham to the capital at Corydon to petition the General Assembly.[1] Legislation was passed on January 2, 1819, by the General Assembly, and the county was established on February 1.[1] The origin of the county's name is debated. According to the State Library, it was named for John Floyd, a leading Jefferson County, Kentucky pioneer and uncle of Davis Floyd. John Floyd was killed in 1783 when his party was attacked by Indians in Bullitt County, Kentucky.[1] However, some maintain the county was actually named for Davis Floyd, who was convicted of aiding Aaron Burr in the treason of 1809. Davis Floyd had also been a leading local political figure and was the county's first circuit court judge.[1]

In 1814, New Albany was platted and was established as the county seat on March 4, 1819.[1] There was an attempt in 1823 to move the county seat, but the motion failed.[2] New Albany would be the largest city in the state for much of the early 19th century, eventually being overtaken by Indianapolis during the Civil War.


Between 1800 and 1860, Floyd County experienced a huge boom in population (doubling many times over).[3] A survey in the 1850s found that over half of Indiana's population that made more than $100,000 per year lived in Floyd County, establishing it as having the richest population in the state.

The Duncan Tunnel, the longest tunnel in Indiana, was built in Floyd County in 1881 between New Albany and Edwardsville. Because no route over the Floyds Knobs was suitable for a railroad line, civil engineers decided to tunnel through them. The project was originally started by the Air Line but was completed by Southern Railway. It took five years to bore at a cost of $1 million. The Tunnel is long.

Floyd County, during the 19th century, attracted immigrants of Irish, German, French and African American origins. The French settlers located mostly in Floyds Knobs, Indiana. The Irish began arriving in 1817 and settled in large numbers between 1830 and 1850.[4] German immigrants settled mostly in New Albany. By 1850, about one in six county residents had been born in other countries. Mount Saint Francis, a multi-purpose complex owned and administered by the Conventual Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Consolation, is located in Floyds Knobs along Highway 150. The property includes 400 acres of woods and Mount Saint Francis Lake, both which are open to the public. Numerous hiking trails meander through the woods and fields containing native prairie grasses. No hunting is allowed on the property.

Timeline

Date Event Source
1818 County formed Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1818 Land records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1819 Marriage records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1819 Probate records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1820 First census Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
1830 No significant boundary changes after this year Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
1882 Birth records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources

Population History

source: Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
Census Year Population
1820 2,776
1830 6,361
1840 9,454
1850 14,875
1860 20,183
1870 23,300
1880 24,590
1890 29,458
1900 30,118
1910 30,293
1920 30,661
1930 34,655
1940 35,061
1950 43,955
1960 51,397
1970 55,622
1980 61,169
1990 64,404

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Floyd County, Indiana, United States

Research Tips

Resources

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
source: Family History Library Catalog


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