Daviess County was created from Ray County in December 1836. The county was named in honor of Colonel Joseph H. Daviess of Kentucky who fell at the battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. In 1837, the county seat was located in Gallatin. At that time, the war against the Mormons was raging before the forces of General Doniphan. When General Doniphan reached Daviess County, the Mormons burned the town of Gallatin. In 1840, a brick courthouse was build in Gallatin. The 1850 census is the first to give the names of all the residents of a household. There is no relationship given, but the name, age, sex, occupation, and place of birth of each person is noted. This makes the 1850 census one of the most useful tools in your genealogical research. Included in the volume is a listing of the residents of Daviess County on January 1, 1837 as a tax list and by 1840, there were 280 voters [male over 21 years of age]. These names are included in the index as well as the families in the 1850 Census. Nadine Hodges and Audrey L. Woodruff (1969), 2023, paper, 57 pp.ISBN: 9780788471384 101C-H7138
