Editing Connersville, Indiana (section)

===First 50 years – through the Civil War===
The exodus of the Delaware Indians from Indiana after the [[War of 1812]], completed by June 1813, deprived John Conner of his field for trading. After 1812, Indian resistance to settlement in the Indiana Territory became nearly non-existent, so Conner busied himself with another task.

John Conner laid out the town on the north side of the west fork of the [[Whitewater River (Great Miami River)|Whitewater River]] in March 1813, adjacent to the fur trading post. The original plat was for 62 lots bounded by what are today Central Avenue to the west and Water Street to the east, Third Street to the south, and Sixth Street to the north. The first constructions in the town were a saw mill and grist mill north of town utilizing water power, and a general store and distillery in town. The influx of settlers was initially sparse – as late as 1815, there were only four cabins in the town. The boundary lines for Fayette County were established in December 1818, and Connersville was chosen as the county seat.

Conner served briefly as sheriff of the newly organized Fayette County. In 1820, he helped plat the new capital of Indianapolis, and in 1822 relocated his fur trading business to [[Noblesville, Indiana|Noblesville]], north of Indianapolis. He also served as state senator and representative. He died in Indianapolis in April 1826 and was buried there. No trace remains of his grave.

The first post office in Connersville opened in January, 1818.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_5ULWAAAAMAAJ |title=History of Fayette County, Indiana: Containing a History of the Townships, Towns, Villages, Schools, Churches, Industries, Etc. |publisher=Warner, Beers and Company |year=1885 |location=Chicago |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_5ULWAAAAMAAJ/page/n90 96]}}</ref> The first courthouse was started in 1819 and finished in 1822.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.connersvillechamber.com/tourism/tourism_history.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150424001957/http://www.connersvillechamber.com/tourism/tourism_history.htm|url-status=dead|title=Chamber of Commer history of Connersville|archivedate=April 24, 2015}}</ref> The first newspaper, the ''Indiana Statesman'', was started in 1824. The first church in the village was Presbyterian, constructed in 1824. A seminary building was constructed in 1828, later razed, and the first regular school building in Connersville was constructed on the site in 1858. The ''Indiana Gazetteer'' in 1833 stated the population of Connersville as 500. The village was incorporated as a town in 1841. Connersville served as an important link on the [[Whitewater Canal]] that opened in1847and connected the Whitewater River and the Ohio River.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xs4LAJdUqlUC&pg=PA4 | title=Shifra Stein's Day Trips from Cincinnati: Getaways Less Than Two Hours Away | publisher=Globe Pequot | date=Oct 1, 2003 | access-date=2013-04-26 | author=Hunter, David | pages=4| isbn=9780762727490 }}</ref> The canal ceased to be used for through traffic in 1849, though limited local commerce continued. The first railroad, the [[Cincinnati, Hamilton and Indianapolis Railroad]], reached Connersville in 1862. It extended from [[Rushville, Indiana|Rushville]] through Connersville and [[Oxford, Indiana|Oxford]] to [[Hamilton, Ohio]].

For many years prior to the Civil War, and even for some time after, the main industries of the town were milling, pork packing, and woolen manufacturing.

In 1857, a separate village, East Connersville, was platted on the south bank of the west fork of the Whitewater River, and had its own government. It was annexed by Connersville some time in the 1920s.