This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/4h.2ADI/1510.1 Message Board Post: Excerpt from the Ripley County History Book, Vol 1, page122: Jesse L. Holman (born 1802-died 1879) had land purchases from 1826 to 1850 in the Holton area. Prior to this he had married Margaret Hawthorne in 1822 and they were living on a farm, on Big Graham Creek, that he had purchased. Their daughter Milly (born 1827-d. 1886) married Henry Yater (b. 1830-d. 1900), possibly a son of the first Henry. They had a daughter Milly, born 1868, who died at the age of 71. Jesse Holman had a sawmill where later a large white house was built for Joseph H. Scoopmire, now in 1988 occupied by Baileys. Jesse had store license from 1845 to 1867. Holman's store was the first store and saloon, which was the same. He also had a flour mill on the mill lot. The survey was being made for the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad in 1854. The six-gauge tracks had wooden rails with iron on top. The rails were made at the Hot-man sawmill. The first train came through Holton on July 4, 1854. In 1870 the track gauge was changed. At this time also the town was being surveyed by Albion Redlon, Ripley County Surveyor, and in June, 1854 the town was platted with 131 lots. Lots 1-91 were Holman and Yaters, 92-96, Samuel Cady, 97-99, A.P. Cady, Lot 100 Cady and Behymer, 101-108 by Nathaniel Behymer, 109-13 1 by Eli Murdock. These were registered August, 1854. Towns have to have names, Holman was suggested but Jesse Holman did not agree with this. They settled on the name Holton (Hol-town). In 1855, Poston was picked for the town just east but the name of it was changed since when the train conductor would call Poston it sounded too much like Holton.