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History · Jefferson Township

41% of Jefferson Township’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1960 on and old-book passages.

0on the National Register
41%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory

What stands out about Jefferson Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Jefferson Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Jefferson Township, and 3 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Jefferson Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Jefferson Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

New Mount Pleasant
1839–1907
Powers
1867–1935
Como
1882–1904
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
ComoNew Mount PleasantPowers
8cemeteries and burying grounds inside Jefferson Township
BostFinchFlesherFlower PointNew Mount PleasantPowersStephensStratton

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story so far

Jefferson Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Jefferson Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Jefferson Township is one of twelve townships in Jay County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 684 (down from 770 at 2010) and it contained 292 housing units.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 770 to 684 (-11%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Jefferson Township in 1864

Passages that mention Jefferson Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.

The other settlement made during this year was in Jefferson Township. Mr. Aaron Dillie was the tirst settler there. But little is known of him now except that he was an earnest, consistent Christian. Mr. Joseph Flesher, who died a few years since, came next, and, very soon after, in the autumn of 1…
History of Jay County, Indiana1864 · page 93Read the page →
Read the text

The other settlement made during this year was in Jefferson Township. Mr. Aaron Dillie was the tirst settler there. But little is known of him now except that he was an earnest, consistent Christian. Mr. Joseph Flesher, who died a few years since, came next, and, very soon after, in the autumn of 1834, Joshua Hudson settled on the land now known as " Baker Johnson's farm,"

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Jefferson Township, 1839 to 1960

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1839Post officeThe New Mount Pleasant post office opens
  3. 1867Post officeThe Powers post office opens
  4. 1882Post officeThe Como post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1904Post officeThe Como post office closes
  7. 1907Post officeThe New Mount Pleasant post office closes
  8. 1935Post officeThe Powers post office closes
  9. 1960On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Jefferson Township on the map in 1960

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Jefferson Township.

Jefferson Township on the 1960 USGS map1960Ridgeville sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Jefferson Township.

Famous people

Famous people close to Jefferson Township

Nobody well known was born in Jefferson Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Wendell Meredith StanleyAmerican biochemist and virologist, winner of t… · b. 1904
Robert WiseAmerican film director, film producer and film … · b. 1914
Twyla TharpAmerican dancer and choreographer · b. 1941
Kevin A. FordAmerican astronaut · b. 1960
Leon AmesAmerican actor · b. 1902
M
Mary MeekerAmerican venture capitalist and securities anal… · b. 1959
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Greene TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRichland Township1 historic placeA+Pike Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFranklin TownshipIts storyB+

Questions about Jefferson Township’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.