John Wesley McCormick

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John Wesley McCormick, Sr. was a nineteenth century homesteader in Indiana in the United States. McCormick's Creek State Park (near Bloomington, Indiana) is named after him.

[edit] History

John Wesley McCormick was born on 30 Aug 1754 in near Winchester, Virginia and died on 18 Apr 1837 in Connersville, Indiana. He was the son of Thomas McCormick. John McCormick and his brother James became the first settlers of Indianapolis.

Early Reminiscences of Indianapolis
John H.B. Nowland wrote about John McCormick in Early Reminiscences of Indianapolis, which was published in 1870. This gave background information on the settlement of the area and the life of McCormick:

"John McCormick came from Hamilton, Ohio with his two brothers and their families. They became the first European settlers of Indianapolis. John McCormick and his brother built a log cabin on the east bank of the White River in 1820. He lived there with his wife and eight children. Mr. McCormick was one of the first three county commissioners of Marion County. It was in his home that Indianapolis was chosen as Indiana's state capital."

McCormick's Creek State Park
At the McCormick's Creek State Park, information is given on John Wesley McCormick as follows:

"It wasn't until 1816 that the first settler laid claim to the area, when John McCormick homesteaded nearly one hundred acres along the canyon by the waterfalls. In those days it was common practice to name physical landmarks after the people who owned them, and thus McCormick's Creek received its name."