Nelson Fordice

NELSON FORDICE.

Among the citizens of Lebanon who hailed from another state, will be found the gentleman named above. He was born December 25, 1811, in Lower Canada (Queen’s Dominion). From Canada he went to Ohio, in 1813, and remained there until he was seventeen years of age. From Ohio he went to Kentucky and engaged in the sawmill business and traveled through Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa and Arkansas, embarking in the same business for twelve years, until 1833, and making New Albany his headquarters. He came to Boone County in 1853, and purchased about 5,000 acres of land in what you might call the "swamps of Boone." He took with him a partner by the name of Clark Devol, a brother of the late W. J. Devol; the former died in 1862, the latter in 1886. After the purchase of said lands the state, by and through Fordice and Devol, began reclaiming the same, the state having the land granted them by the general government. Upon receiving the land the state enacted a law authorizing the state auditor to sell it to the highest bidder at auction, and at not less than one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, and the receipt of the sale of the land to apply on a system of drainage or reclamation. When the land was reclaimed the surplus was to be the property of the school fund of the state. The money all being used they drew largely of their own means and used in the reclamation of their own and other lands to obtain outlets. The work of making the large ditches and outlets was principally done from 1855 to 1865. At the time this work was inaugurated, opinions were divided as to the ultimate success of the system, but it is now demonstrated that through the pluck, perseverance [sic] and foresight of these gentlemen, we have a county of which all should be justly proud, and second to none in the state in the way of fertility and productiveness. Mr. Fordice remained here until the death of his partner and has ever since been identified with the several interests of the county. In 1860 he represented the county in the house of representatives [sic] in the Indiana legislature.

Source: "Early Life and Times in Boone County, Indiana," Harden & Spahr, Lebanon, Ind., May, 1887, pp. 283-284
Transcribed by: Julie S. Townsend - June 27, 2007