John Wesley McCormick, Sr. (August 30, 1754–April 18, 1837) was a nineteenth-century settler in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. He was one of the first white settlers in the future Indianapolis area.

McCormick's Creek State Park McCormick's Creek State Park is the oldest state park in the U.S. state of Indiana, dedicated on July 4, 1916, as part of the state's centennial celebration. It is located west of Bloomington in Owen County. The park receives about 640,000 vis ...

, near

Spencer, Indiana Spencer is a town in Washington Township, Owen County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 2,217 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Owen County. Spencer is part of the Bloomington, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Are ...

, is named after him.

History

John Wesley McCormick was born near

Winchester, Virginia Winchester is the most north western independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Frederick County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Winchester wit ...

, on August 30, 1754. He served in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

from 1776 to 1783, his first enlistment being with Captain James Robinson's Company in Col. Church's regiment, He enlisted in January 1778 in Captain James Shelley's Company and afterward served in Captain Mark's Company of the 14th Virginia Regiment, then with the same company in the 10th Virginia Regiment under Col. Charles Lewis. His last enlistment was from Pennsylvania for three months of service. Part of his service was against the Indians on the frontier, where he engaged in a fight on the

Watauga River The Watauga River () is a large stream of western North Carolina and East Tennessee. It is long with its headwaters in Linville Gap to the South Fork Holston River at Boone Lake. Course The Watauga River rises from a spring near the base ...

. His residence at the time of his first enlistment was Molachucky River, Virginia, now a part of Tennessee. With the expiration of his second enlistment in 1780 he moved to

Bedford, Pennsylvania Bedford is a borough and spa town in and the county seat of Bedford County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is located west of Harrisburg, the state capital, and east of Pittsburgh. Bedford's population was 2,861 at the 2020 census. Hi ...

, where on March 24, he married Catherine Drennen (born January 25, 1769 in Pennsylvania). In 1808, the McCormicks moved to Ohio, settling in Preble County not far from Eaton. The overland trip was made in wagons, then down the Ohio River in flatboats. They remained in Ohio only a short time before moving to the

Indiana Territory The Indiana Territory, officially the Territory of Indiana, was created by a congressional act that President John Adams signed into law on May 7, 1800, to form an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, ...

, accompanied by John's two brothers (Samuel and James) and their families. They lived initially at the fort at

Connersville Connersville is a city in Fayette County, east central Indiana, United States, east by southeast of Indianapolis. The population was 13,481 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of and the largest and only incorporated town in F ...

because of trouble with the Indians, but John was the first man to leave the protection of the defense to look for permanent settlement. In 1816, he settled nearly along a canyon by waterfalls in what later became Owen County, in the area of what is now

. On December 11, 1816, Indiana became the nineteenth state admitted into the union. John Wesley McCormick, Jr., John's son, built the first white settlement in Indianapolis in 1820, a log cabin on the east bank of the White River, where he lived with his wife Bethia Case McCormick and their eight children. John Jr. also built a tavern where a meeting was held in June 1820 to decide the location of the capital of the new state of Indiana. In 1822, he became one of the first county commissioners of Indiana, and in 1825, the state capital was moved from Corydon to Indianapolis. ''Note:'' This includes and Accompanying photographs John died on April 18, 1837, aged 83, and Catherine died on February 22, 1862, aged 93. The site of the John McCormick, Jr. log cabin is today marked with a boulder and plaque in

White River State Park White River State Park is an urban park in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. Situated along the eastern and western banks of its namesake White River, the park covers . The park is home to numerous attractions, including the Eiteljorg Museum of A ...

, and a student residence at nearby

Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th st ...

(IUPUI) is named for him. The McCormick Cabin Site was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1981.

References

External links

McCormick's Creek State ParkWhite River State Park
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCormick, John Wesley 1754 births 1837 deaths People from Winchester, Virginia People from Preble County, Ohio Virginia colonial people Continental Army soldiers People of Virginia in the American Revolution