The Abner H. Cheever papers are comprised of 19 letters to and from Abner H. Cheever, an early migrant to Indiana, his sister, Thankful, and brother-in-law, Captain John Webster, of Vermont. The collection includes letters written during Cheever's trip to Indiana via Kentucky in 1816-17, and contains accounts of the hardships the family faced when settling in Vernon, Geneva, and Jennings Counties in the southeast corner of the state. Cheever describes various misfortunes, such as family sickness, the death of his wife Polly, and personal vendettas waged against them by relatives. He often writes of God's role in his life; in an undated letter, Cheever writes of the death of his wife Polly: "I feel that God is Chastising me for my disobedience and hope and pray that I might not turn a deaf ear to His call.”
Abner Hersey Cheever, son of Dr. Samuel Cheever, was born in Brockton, Massachusetts, in 1787. Cheever traveled to Kentucky and Indiana in 1816-1817, and settled in Vernon (Jennings County), Indiana. As a resident of Jennings County, Cheever sold property in 1839 and 1841, and is listed as a resident of Washington County, Indiana, in the 1840 census.
