William Conner
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| William Conner | |
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| Born | 1777 Ohio |
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| Died | 1855 Noblesville, Indiana |
| Spouse | First Wife: Mekinges; Second Wife: Elizabeth Conner |
| Parents | Richard Conner and Margaret Conner |
William Conner (1777 - 1855) was an American trader, interpreter, scout, community leader, entrepreneur, and politician. Although his first trade was a fur trader, his later business interests included farming, milling, distillation of spirits, mercantile endeavors, and land speculation.
Conner is notable to Indiana history for platting the town of Connersville, Indiana and founding Hamilton County and its county seat Noblesville. Conner served as an interpreter for the American forces in the War of 1812, and later served as an interpreter and witness at several treaty negotiations with Native American groups which would result in Indiana having its modern-day boundaries. Conner served three non-consecutive terms as a state representative in the Indiana House of Representatives between 1829 and 1837.
Conner was a charter member of the Indiana Historical Society and a member of the Masonic Order.
Conner Prairie is a living history museum in Fishers, Indiana that bears his name and is located on his original property that includes his original brick home.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
William Conner was born in what is now Tuscarawas County, Ohio, in 1777. Conner's family traveled with Moravian missionaries and their Delaware converts. The Conners joined the Delaware and the missionaries on their British-forced removal to Michigan. William's father, Richard, would go on to settle in Michigan in an area later to become Macomb County, Michigan.
Although Conner acquired almost 4,000 acres (16 km²) of land from his father, he would leave home by 1795 and begin trading with the Native Americans around Saginaw Bay.
[edit] Settlement in Indiana and Hamilton County
Conner and his older brother John arrived in Indiana during the winter of 1800-1801 as agents for a Canadian fur trader named Angus Mackintosh. Conner and his brother would become officially licensed traders by 1801. They would later settle among the Delaware along the White River. Conner and his brother would also both marry Delaware women. Conner's wife's name was Mekinges.
Beginning in 1808, Conner served in several capacities under William Henry Harrison and others. He helped maintain Delaware loyalty during the War of 1812 and identified the body of Tecumseh following the Battle of the Thames. Conner would later serve as an interpreter and liaison at the Treaty of St. Mary's in 1818, in which the Delaware ceded lands in central Indiana for those west of the Mississippi River.
In 1818 he petitioned to secure legal right to his land from the Delaware. Upon securing his petition in 1820, Conner divided assets with his business partner William Marshall and provided his own family with horses and goods. Conner chose to stay and saw that his wife and children and the rest of the Delaware leave that summer. There is some controversy as to why Conner did not have his family stay or why he did not go along with them. Only three months after his family's departure, he married Elizabeth Chapman.
In 1823 Conner began the construction of his brick home overlooking the White River. He and his brother John began acquiring land which they would turn around and sell at a high profit to new settlers. He and Josiah Polk platted Noblesville in 1823, and later Alexandria and Strawtown. At one point Conner owned approximately 4000 acres (16 km²) in Hamilton County.
In the late 1830s, Conner began investing in stores, mills, and a distillery. He made occasional forays into politics, supporting the Whig Party. He served three non-consecutive terms in the state legislature from 1829 to 1837.
In 1837, at 60 years old, Conner moved his family to Noblesville. He continued to oversee his business interests until his death in 1855.
[edit] Marriage and children
Conner's first wife, Mekinges, was a member of the Lenni-Lenape tribe, later known as the Delaware. According to legend, Mekinges was the daughter of Chief Anderson, but no concrete evidence supports this claim. They would go on to have five children; Jack, Nancy, Harry, James and William.
In 1820 Conner met and married his second wife, Elizabeth Chapman, possibly the only young, eligible white woman in the area. They had 10 children. He would be married to her until his death in 1855.
[edit] William Conner's house
In 1823, Conner built a two-story Federal style brick house on the terrace edge of the West Fork of the White River, about four miles south of Noblesville, Indiana, in Hamilton County. The house is believed to be one of the first brick buildings built in central Indiana. Seven of William and Elizabeth Conner's ten children were born in the home. Conner's house was used as the meeting place for the County Commissioners, Circuit Court, and served as a post office in the early days of Hamilton County. Although Conner lived in the house until only 1837, his sons and their families are believed to have continued to reside in the house until 1874. In the 1860s, Conner's Delaware children unsuccessfully attempted to gain title to the land.
The house continued to be used as a residence by various owners until 1935. That year Conner's house was purchased by Eli Lilly, who was at that time president of the Indiana Historical Society. Lilly restored the house and turned it into a museum.
In 1964, Lilly set up an endowment and donated Conner's house and the surrounding land to Earlham College. From the early 1970s to 2005, Earlham College used the house as a house museum and as part of the outdoor exhibit of the Conner Prairie Pioneer Settlement. In 2005, the museum became completely independent from the college and the Conner Prairie Foundation was formed to manage the endowment assets.
In 1980, the William Conner House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
[edit] External links
- Walking The Knife-Edged Path:The Life Of William Conner
- History of Hamilton County, Indiana, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers
- Herman B. Wells Interview, 1979
- The William Conner Housesite
- Conner Prairie Living History Museum
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Conner, William |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | American trader, interpreter, scout, community leader, entrepreneur, and politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1777 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Ohio |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1855 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Noblesville, Indiana |
