Today's Grave Spotlight of the Month takes a look at David McHolland, reputed to be the first white settler in Monroe County. But we don't know where he is buried. In reality, we don't know a lot about him at all. He was born, possibly around 1789 in a territory south of the Ohio River, possibly what is now known as Tennessee. He married Joanna Bailey on November 12, 1809 in Knox County, Kentucky, where they had a small household.
Monroe County, Indiana was formally made a county in 1818, two years after Indiana became a state. It is said that David McHolland arrived in what would become Monroe County in 1811. Other places list him as having arrived in 1815, while another shows that he entered a land sale in 1817. David McHolland arriving here in 1811 is a little suspect but it is also noted that he served in the War of 1812 as a drummer from April 29, 1812 to May 31, 1812 in Captain Ambrose Arthur's Company, Kentucky Volunteer Light Infantry. With this knowledge, I'm more inclined to believed the 1815 or 1817 date for his arrival. The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation lists the 1817 date as his arrival, one year after land sales. We know from other interviews and statements that he was a squatter before he came into land, so I am more inclined to go with the 1815 date for his arrival and the 1817 date for a land purchase.
An article in the October 19, 1900 Bloomington Courier talks about David McHolland, noting that he arrived in 1811 or earlier and was the first white settler in Monroe County, on what would become the Ketcham Farm. This particular article describes McHolland as "a giant of a man and a great hunter", friendly with the native peoples of the area, particularly a Delaware Indian by the name of John Ros Neagy, who travelled with him to Fort Ritner in Lawrence County to inform Major Croghan and his Kentucky Rangers that "Indian savages" were holding a powwow at Hickory Mound on Clear Creek. McHolland was concerned and made this trip due to hostilities between the native populations and the local settlers due to the 1809 treaty with Governor Harrison.
Croghan sent a scout to determine the conditions and the attitudes of these natives, finding that they had settled a permanent home here. This action was against the treaty of 1809, so Croghan dispatched his Rangers to take care of the "problem". McHolland and his Indian friend, Neagy, were assigned as guides to this expedition.
They found the settlement and things went downhill from there. One of the men, Captain James Montgomery was killed instantly when he wanted to get a better look at the encampment and was caught unawares by an arrow through the heart. It is stated that McHolland caught this Indian and killed struck him across the neck, killing him.
This alerted the Rangers and the Indians alike, and a fierce battle broke out. Many of the braves lost their lives as did one of the Rangers, a Private Ephraim Noel. McHolland took command of the remaining men, sending his Indian friend off to get help while they held off the natives, instructing him to tell the Major that they were held on Cedar Hills. This area, Cedar Hills, we now know as the 23 acre Cedar Bluffs Nature Preserve located off of Ketcham Road in southeastern Monroe County.
Mcholland and his men set out for a bluff on the east bank of Clear Creek on what was then the Robert Sharpless farm. They held the Indian warriors off for as long as they could, several being wounded in the battle on both sides. Finally, Croghan arrived with many more men. The Indian braves never stood a chance after that.
The men departed the cliff, the wounded being treated and transported on to Fort Ritner. McHolland led Croghan to where he had left the bodies of Montgomery and Noel. They were buried on the spot. It was noted that their graves were still there in 1892, on what was then known as the Mitch Finley place, but no one remember exactly who was buried there.
A few years after this ordeal, land in the Clear Creek area became available for purchase and he and his family settled in what is now Smithville.
We find him listed in the 1820 census for Monroe County.
In 1821, he and his wife Joanna had a daughter they named Hannah Emerine McHolland. She was born on April 20 1821 in Monroe County. We know that there were other siblings, we just, unfortunately, aren't aware of their names. The only reason we know her names is that someone found it in a family bible for the Bell's, the family Hannah married into when she married Alfred Bell on May 24, 1839 in Monroe County.
Now while this information above is from a well documented historical event, there are still some things about David McHolland that are a little more obscure. We know that he was an early settler, likely the first and that he squatted on some land here. It is noted in The Counties of Monroe, Morgan and Brown by Charles Blanchard, published in 1884, that "old Daniel (sic) McHolland who settled in the vicinity of Ketchum's Mills, in Clear Creek Township, in the year 1815, and who was probably the first white man to bring his wife and family to the country of Monroe , became a resident of Bean Blossom Township at an early day. He was a jovial old fiddler of exceptional backwoods skill and officiated in the capacity of orchestra at many an early dance in the township. His musical proclivity was too preponderant for financial success. He owned no land and was content with enough to eat and wear so long as his fiddle could be played upon. He passed away with the old times." Unfortunately, just within this paragraph there are a few inaccuracies. Here is says that he brought his wife and children, while later it says that he was content with the clothes he had and enough to eat. That seems to contradict one another. It also says that he settled in Clear Creek but was a resident of Bean Blossom. Was that later on? Cause earlier in his story, after the battle at Cedar Cliffs, he is said to be living in Smithville, which is on the opposite side of the county. Clear Creek and Bean Blossom are not near each other, either. It is also stated later in Counties of Monroe, Morgan and Brown and McHolland was an exceptional trapper and hunter, mostly of dear, but it is also noted that he was a bear hunter rivalling another resident of the county, George Sharp.
If we jump a couple of pages in the book, we find an entry titled, "The First Settler of Monroe County". While this looks promising, Blanchard contradicts things he said two pages before.
"The first settler in the township (Clear Creek) and in Monroe County, according to old Colonel Ketcham, who settle in the northwest corner of Clear Creek Township in 1817, was David McHolland. This man whose wife is either now living or was a few years ago, at a very advanced age, came to the township for permanent resident when the State was yet a Territory in 1815. Colonel Ketchum, who came in two years later, and was well acquainted with Mr. McHolland, often stated that the latter was, no doubt the first settler in Monroe County. ... no white family, including wife and children became actual residents until Mr. McHolland arrived. He was a famous hunter and supported his family mainly with his rifle. He killed numerous bears in various portions of the county, often under circumstances of great personal peril. His wife always boasted of having baked the first core pone in Monroe County, and was, no doubt, justified by facts in doing so.. The McHollands cultivated an acre or two of ground, upon which they squatted, and after a few years went to the northwestern part of the county, where they continued to reside for many years." Much of this information is also repeated in the History of Monroe and Lawrence Counties, Indiana: their people, industries and institutions by BF Bowen and Company, 1914.
This seems to contradict itself in the date of arrival, first saying 1817 and then 1815, but once again, it seems that 1815 may be when he arrived and 1817 is when he official was granted land in a purchase. But it also states that he and his family lived in the NW part of the county, which would corroborate the idea that he lived in Bean Blossom Township and that would make his knowledge of George Sharp and his bear hunting skills make sense.
So, with this early settler and the hearsay surrounding him, we don't know exactly when he arrived, where he settled or the names of most of his family. I do believe, however, that he arrived in what would become known as Monroe County in around 1815, probably with his wife and young children, squatting on land that was later owned by Colonel Ketchum in the Clear Creek Township. He likely purchased land in 1817 and resided in Bean Blossom Township for the majority of his life. His connection to Smithville is tenuous. The Smithville Museum, located inside of the Red Man Hall noted at one point on their Facebook page that he had been a resident of the area, but that information is now gone, though there may still be something on display inside the museum, which is open to the public from 1pm - 3pm on the second Wednesday of the month.
There are no McHolland burials in Monroe County that I can find. I know that his daughter, Hannah, is buried Lone Fir Pioneer Cemetery in Portland Oregon. Unfortunately, her grave entry on Find-A-Grave is barren of information. If David McHolland and his wife Joanna did perish in the county, they were likely buried on their land in Bean Blossom Township, land that is now owned by someone else and those graves are long gone.
The loss of our history is something that we must face everyday. These early settlers lived and thrived on this wild land, fighting the wild animals, the natives peoples and the uncertain weather to make this their home. The had families and friends and made a way for themselves and for us. They are easily forgotten since their names are not something we see plastered all over our community. We remember the names of Wylie, Jordan, Curry, and Fee. They have easily accessible burial sites, road named after them, buildings and business still standing. Their names are etched in our county's history because they built it, financially, into what it is today. But let's not forget names like David McHolland. A man who came here with little or nothing, bringing his family into unknown territory. A man who thrived and survived. A man who settled land and paved the way for the names that we all remember.
RIP David McHolland and your family.
REFERENCES
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Monroe County History Center - December/January 2018-2019 Newsletter
Monroe County History Center - Monroe County Indiana 1820 US Census Index
Wiki Tree - David McHolland
Wiki Tree - Hannah Emerine McHolland
Counties of Monroe, Morgan and Brown by Charles Blanchard
Smithville Museum Facebook Page
History of Lawrence and Monroe Counties, Indiana: their people, industries and institutions
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