The land on which New Haven now stands was originally purchased in 1829 by Mr. John Van Gundy, Jr. and his wife, Margaret.  Van Gundy cleared most of the trees from the land before selling it to Samuel and Eliza Hanna of Fort Wayne in 1835.  In 1836, the land was sold to Eben Burgess and his wife, Olive, and was divided into 32 lots laid out on either side of the busy Wabash-Erie Canal.  The land was named New Haven in 1839.  In 1853, Eben sold the land to his son, Henry.  Henry and Catherine Burgess were the first business owners in New Haven, opening a general store on the north side of the Wabash & Erie Canal.  Shortly after, a hotel owned by Elias Shafer opened across the street.  Since the Wabash & Erie Canal had been operating for several years, Henry had picked an optimal spot to establish the town.