History of the Jefferys Cliffs
John Augustus Jeffreys
Tomb Monument, Old Cliffs Cemetery, Cannelton, IndianaThe cliffs were named after John Jeffreys
John Augustus Jeffreys and the History of the Cliffs
Early Life and Influences
These cliffs were named after the man and his family who lived on top the sandstone structure in the late 1800’s. John Augustus Jeffreys was born on November 26, 1827, in Carlyle, Cumberland County, England. From a young age, he was fascinated by stories of the American West, especially the adventures of Daniel Boone and the novels written by James Fenimore Cooper. At that time, the American West was considered to be the territory stretching from the Allegheny Mountains through the Ohio River valley to the Mississippi River, including regions such as Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, and Illinois.
Emigration to America and Family
Although the specifics of when Jeffreys emigrated to the United States and details of his early life remain unclear, it is known that he married Elizabeth Boone, a relative of Daniel Boone in Harrison County, Indiana on March 10th, 1859. Together, John and Elizabeth eventually settled in Hancock County, Kentucky. The 1860 census stated John’s occupation as a druggist or pharmacist with his drug store located in Cannelton, Perry County, Indiana. He was known for selling various medicines and cures, and those who knew him noted his eccentric personality.
Living on the Cliffs
In 1874, John Jeffreys acquired the property locally known as "The Big Cliffs." While the reasons for choosing to live atop the sandstone structure remain speculative, his life there became notable. Immediately after his purchase, neighboring landowners denied him access to his property through their lands. Jeffreys pursued legal action, and the court ruled in his favor, granting him access via a thirty-foot-wide strip of land included in his original deed. He constructed a two-mile wagon road from the old Hawesville and Cloverport road up to the clifftop, which included a section he blasted out of the sandstone at the cliffs' northern end. On the summit, Jeffreys built a home, outbuildings, a cistern, and a pond. He farmed crops, planted an orchard, kept livestock, and raised his family on the cliffs.
Family Life and Legacy
John and Elizabeth Boone Jeffreys were the parents of at least twelve children, but only six—four daughters and two sons—survived to adulthood. Although there were rumors that John Jeffreys did not get along with his neighbors, later records indicate that his four surviving daughters married into local families. Today, those connected to the Richie, King, Shearn, or Newman families may find ties to John and Elizabeth Boone Jeffreys in their ancestry.
Later Years and Property Succession
After John Jeffreys passed away on December 13, 1889, and after his wife Elizabeth died on April 8th, 1901, the property passed to their surviving children and then to their daughter Lula Newman. Over the years, ownership transferred through Lula Newman's descendants and other owners until Mr. Jerry R. Harris purchased the cliffs in 1977. The Harris family's subsequent donation of the cliffs marked the beginning of the Jeffreys Cliffs Conservation & Recreation Area and opened public access to this remarkable natural site.
Final Resting Place
John Jeffreys, also sometimes spelled Jefferys, was buried in the Old Cliff Cemetery in Cannelton, Indiana. The family plot is marked by a single obelisk-style monument, which bears his name on one side and the names and dates of five daughters who died before the age of five are engraved on the other. Today, little physical evidence remains of the Jeffreys family's residence atop the cliffs. The wagon road cut through the cliff, the pond, the cistern, and a few squared foundation stones can still be seen. Most traces of other structures were likely destroyed in a fire that burned the clifftop for more than a week in November 1999.
Spelling Note and Recent Discovery
It is worth noting that public records from the era, such as deeds and newspaper articles, show various spellings of the surname, with "Jeffreys" being the most common. This is the spelling used for the conservation area. It was only in the fall of 2024 that the location of his gravesite, which bears the spelling "Jefferys," was discovered.
SLC 11/27/2025
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