Elijah Hussey

A Vintage Vignette by John P. Rankin

October 23, 2007

Elijah Hussey was born in Pennsylvania in 1778. He lived in the Madison area from the early 1800s until his death in 1831. He was among the wealthiest men living in the Madison area at the time. He owned about 600 acres of land in Sections 3, 11, and 14 of Township 4, Range 2 West. Today that includes the northern part of the Chadrick development (south of Eastview Drive and east of Hughes Road) plus the Madison Highlands development (east of Shelton Road and north of Old Madison Pike) and holdings south of Skyline Acres and Old Madison Pike between Horizon Elementary School and Slaughter Road. His land even extended southward across Interstate 565 today into the northwestern portions of the arsenal. Elijah's will allocated more than 50 slaves among his dozen children and heirs, some of whom were additionally left land and money, but some were left only $1000 cash and "a good horse".