Jonathan Clark Smith

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Jonathan Clark Smith | New Findings on the Earliest Written Uses of "Hoosier" | The Indiana Magazine of History, 104.3 | The History Cooperative

RESEARCH NOTE

New Findings on the Earliest Written Uses of "Hoosier"

I recently ran across what is (to the best of my knowledge) the earliest known printed instance of the word "hoosier," and just eight days later than the date of the Murdock-Tipton letter,¹ the earliest known instance in manuscript. The item is in the Vincennes Gazette of February 19, 1831, and it reads, in its entirety, as follows:

Mr. Editor:
    As an example of the astonishing increase of population in our state, which has taken place in a few years, and within my own observation, I send you the following statement of the representation in 1826 and in 1831, of the country north, east, and west of Vigo county, at the different periods.
    In 1824, Parke and Vermillion had one representative; Putnam, Montgomery, and the country north, north-east, west, and northwest, one representative; the whole of the above, with Vigo attached, one senator—In all, representatives, 2, senators, 1=3.
    By the bill lately passed both branches of the legislature, and approved 30th Jan. 1831, the same district of country has, representatives, 14—senators, 7=21.
    The "Hoosher" country is coming out, and the day is not far distant, when some states which have hitherto looked upon us as a kind of outlandish, half-civilized race, will have to follow in our train.—Let the "Half-horse, half-alligator" coun [sic] country look to it.² Yours, &c.
    RACKOON

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