Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 3.djvu/368

 , the names of its battle-fields and military officers were so fresh in the memory of the people that they were liberally drawn upon for names of the new counties. ADAIR COUNTY was created by act of the Legislature of 1851 from territory embraced in the original county of Des Moines. It lies in the third tier north of Missouri and in the third tier east of the Missouri River. The county is twenty-four miles square and embraces an area of five hundred seventy-six square miles. The north tier of townships was from December 31st, 1837, to July 30, 1840, embraced in the old county of Keokuk as first established. The county was named for General John Adair a distinguished officer of the War of 1812 and afterwards the sixth Governor of Kentucky.

Thomas N. Johnson is the first white man known to have made a home within the limits of the county. He made a claim and built a log cabin in 1849 on section four in Washington township where, in 1850, he built a mill on a stream running through his farm. In 1850 William Alcorn made a claim on Middle river at a point known as “the upper crossing.” During the same year a Mr. Lyon took a claim and built a cabin near a large spring in a grove in what became Jefferson township. In 1851 J. J. Vawter purchased the claim and the grove took his name. Among the early settlers were William McDonald, who settled at the lower crossing of Middle River, Alfred Jones in Jackson township, Robert Wilson in Grand River, George M. Holiday in Jefferson, Joshua Chapman in Richland and Jacob Bruce in Grove.

In April, 1854, the first election was held in Alfred Jones’ cabin at which George M. Holiday was chosen county judge and John Gibson, clerk. The first court was held in the cabin of the judge on the 6th of May following. On the 24th of April, 1855, the county-seat was located at Summerset, a town laid out by G. M. Holiday,