Tobin’s Bottom and the vicinity of Rome saw about the first settlement in the county, and, certainly, the greatest number of very early settlers, as well as some of the most prominent. The bottom took its name from the Tobin family, from which particular member cannot be stated with certainty, owing to differences of opinion. It is said that three men, with their families, located about the same time in the bottom. They were Charles Polk, Jacob Weatherholt and John Winchel. Speaking from this lapse of time they did settle about the same time; but as a matter of fact Polk bought land on the extreme southern end of the bottom in November, 1807; Weatherholt near him in October, 1808, and Winchel in 1809. Alexander Miller also bought a tract in 1808, on Section 26, up the river, about two miles from Polk and Weatherholt. Doubtless Polk was the first permanent settler. Other settlers in what is now Tobin Township, with dates of land purchase, are as follows’: Township 7 south, Range 2 west, Section 1, John Claycomb 1817, Lemuel Mallory 1817 ; Section 7, Adam Glaze 1809 ; Section 8, George Ewing, Jr., 1818 ; Section 9, Martin Cockrell 1819, William Asbury 1816 ; Section 12, George Ewing 1817 ; Section 20, Henry Drinkwater 1815 ; Section 21, Thomas Polk 1813, Thomas Tobin 1816 ; Section 27, William Weatherholt 1818, George Tobin 1816 ; Section 28, Littleton Martin 1815, William Blanchard 1815, Abraham Finch 1818 ; Section 29, Thomas and Henry Drinkwater, 1814 ; Section 31, Nathaniel Ewing, 1815 ; Section 33, Smith Winchel, 1816. In Township 6 south, Range 2 west, in what is now Tobin Township, on Section 1, John Stack located in 1817 ; Section 13, Alexander Van Winkle, 1815; Section 17, Samuel and Daniel Hinton, 1817 ; Section 32, Charity Sandage, 1818 ; Section 33, John Crist, 1818 ; Benjamin Smith, 1818. North of Rome, along the river in Tobin Township, and in Congressional Township 6 south, Range 1 west, John Faith bought on Section 4, just below Derby, 255.62 acres, August 21, 1807, and just below him Thomas Cummings, bought on Section 9, 208.03 acres, September 26, 1807. But little could be learned of Faith. Cummings, however, was one of the very first settlers of the county. On Section 5, William Cummings, 1818; Section 17, Eli Cummings, 1818 ; Section 19, Uriah and William Cummings, 1815 ; Section 20, George Lanman, 1817 ; William Macy, 1818 ; Adam Glenn, 1818 ; Section 21, Dade Connor, 1815 ; Section 28, Abraham Barger and David Groves, 1810; Section 29, Terrence Connor, 1817 ; Section 31, Adam Shoemaker, 1814, and John Shoemaker, 1817 ; Section 32, Daniel Taylor, 1814, Thomas Taylor, 1817 ; Section 33, Ansel Hyde, 1817. In the near vicinity of Rome, in Congressional Township 7 south, Range 1 west, Samuel Connor, August 21, 1807, bought on Section 3,182.30 acres. This man was one of the very first in the county and one of the most prominent men. He was captain in the war of 1812, and afterward a brigadier-general of militia. On Section 4, at Rome, Abraham Hiley, bought in 1817 ; Richard Avit, 1816 ; Terrence Connor, 1812. Section 5, Anthony Green, 1815 ; Jesse Green, 1813 ; John Lamb, 1809. Section 6, Joseph Mallory, 1817 ; John Riggs, 1813 ; William Frymire, 1813 ; Benjamin Huff, 1811. Section 7, John Claycomb, 1816. Section 9, John Crist, 1814 (site of Rome). Section 10, Samuel Connor, August 21, 1807. As a further means of preserving the names of the early settlers of Tobin Township, the following election list is given : On the 3d of August, 1818, at the election held in Tobin Township at the house of Lemuel Mallory, the following men polled their votes : Josiah Cummings, Israel Lamb, Nicholas Critchelow, Charles Roff, James Wilson, Jacob Weatherholt, Thomas Tobin, Henry Weatherholt, Ashford Smith, James Wheeler, John Stapleton, Sr., Peter Kinder, Samuel Martin, John Riggs, John Claycomb, Thomas Polk, John Gerber, Ezra Lamb, John Alva, Jesse Hall, John Lanman, Uriah Cummings, John Stark, Abraham Hiley, Edmund Polk, William Cox, George Claycomb, Samuel Hardin, William Gilbert, Riley Main, William Weatherholt, George Kinder, Terrence Connor, Jr., Thomas Bolin, Richard Avit, Joseph Tobin, Nathaniel Harris, Samuel Messenger, Smith Winchel, John Sinclair, James Lanman, John Mallory, Henry Rhodes, Lewis Kilburn, William Tyndall, Joseph Boltinghouse, David Main, Alexander Miller, Moses Mallory, John Black, Sr., Lemuel Mallory, Daniel Ryan, Reuben Huff, William Connor, James Hendricks, Thomas Rhodes, Daniel Taylor, Charles Polk, Richard Polk, William Frymire, Adam Chaffin, Anthony Green, George Hoskins, John Stapleton, Jr., John Green, Jesse Green, John Bolin, John Conner, Sr., David Allen, Adam Shoemaker, Terrence Connor, Sr., William Lamb, Stephen Shoemaker, Benjamin Smith, John Connor, Jr., Alexander Van Winkle, James Van Winkle, John Crist, James Critchelow, Joel Green, Wilbur Barlow, John D. Lamb, Thomas Wheeler, Jacob Davis, William Mitchell, Joseph White, David Groves, Daniel Hinton, John Main, Uriah Winchel, William Cummings, George Lanman, John Cassidy, John Daniels, Samuel Connor, John Black, Jr., John Gibson.

“History of Warrick, Spencer and Perry Counties, Indiana – Tobin Township” by Goodspeed Bros. & Co. – published in 1885