John Dove (1775-1840)

Chart | Family_History | Land_Purchases | Census

Husband of Lucy Covalt (probably)

Facts (with source information): Narrative Report

What's so disappointing about these records?

There are very few records. There were fires in Hamilton County, Ohio, that destroyed most of the pre-1812 records. So, we have no marriage record for John Dove and Lucy Covalt. And John died sometime before 1850, so we have only the 1840 census record for him in Fountain County, Indiana. We do have a family history from his grandson, David Dove. So, there is some information about John Dove, but no proof of his relationships.

Chart:

Family history by grandson David Dove:

This paragraph is the beginning of the biography of David Dove, which was published during his lifetime in a book about Fountain County, Indiana. David says that his grandfather, John Dove, came from Ohio to Fountain County with most of his family. David names his father, Abraham Dove. He also names all Abraham’s siblings. Can we rely upon David’s testimony? The records shown below suggest that David is correct when he describes his family tree.

Land Records:

These records are from the Bureau of Land Management, Government Land Office. They managed the sale of public land which was authorized by Congress. That’s how the government encouraged people to move to the frontier.

Here’s the URL, in case you want to investigate. https://glorecords.blm.gov/search/default.aspx

1829 – John Dove of Ohio buys land in Indiana

The 1829 sale was to “John Dove of Butler County, Ohio.” He bought 56 acres in Marion County, Indiana. (Butler is adjacent to Hamilton County, Ohio, where John Dove married Lucy Covalt.)