SETTLEMENTS.
The honor of first settling in the territory comprising Moultrie county, belongs to John Whitley. He with his wife and sons John, Sharp, Mills, Randall, William, Josiah, his son-in-law Samuel Linley, and two or three daughters, settled in Section 12, T.
12, R. 6, at the point of timber which has ever since been known as Whitley's Point, in the fall of 1826. This farm is now owned by J. M. Edmonds. Here he erected the first cabin and broke the first prairie in what is now Moultrie county. All his sons
but Josiah were married, and some had children, when they came and settled in the same vicinity, as did also the son-in-law, Samuel Linley. William Price, a single man, came a short time after their arrival and married one of Whitley's daughters, and loc
ated near the old gentleman. The senior Whitley was a native of Maryland, and it is thought came from Kentucky here. He and all his sons were very fond of sport, great horsemen, and always kept a number of fine thoroughbred Kentucky race horses. They w
ould frequently ride some distance to settlements and race for money; in fact, gambling in general seemed to be their chief occupation. The sons were all large, athletic men, and inclined to fight at the slightest provocation. It is said that they and s
ome of the Waggoner's had an interesting combat at one time. Mills and Sharp Whitley and Samuel Linley emigrated to Texas about 1836 or '37, and John, Randall, and William died several years ago in Missouri, whence they had moved. Josiah, the last known o
f, was living in Bond county, this state. The elder Whitley moved up the Okaw river, in Coles County, about 1838, where he died a few years later, and his wife soon followed him in death. Although none of their descendants live in the county, the name of
Whitley, united as it is to township and stream, resists decay. Hal McDaniel, a native of Tennessee, who either came with the Whitley's or about the same time, squatted a mile west of them on Whitley creek. He had a wife and four or five children, but rem
ained here only a short time.
The next settlement was made on the place now owned by Caleb Evans, in Section 1, T. 12 R. 5, in the extreme southern part of the county, by two brothers, Samuel and Jonathan Anderson. They left here about 1831. The next arrival was of a different class.
They were permanent settlers, and today their descendants are as numerous in this locality as any family that ever settled here. We will mention the Waggoners'. They settled in the Whitley settlement late in the month of March, 1828. Grandfather Isaac Wag
goner was a native of South Carolina, where he grew to manhood, and where he enlisted in the Revolutionary war, and after serving three years returned to his native state, and married Emsey Holeyfield, by whom he had a family of thirteen children, all bor
n and reared in the Carolinas. Mr. Waggoner moved into North Carolina a few years after his marriage, where he lived until he emigrated to Illinois. There came with him his wife, four sons -- George, Amos, Elisha, Gilbert and Emsey, the youngest daughte
r, Mary and her husband, Noah Webb, and one child. George also brought with him his wife and four children, viz.: Alvin, Robert, Celia, and Sally. Amos, Elisha, and Gilbert each brought wives but had no children when they came. They left Rutherford cou
nty, North Carolina, their home, in the latter part of November, 1827, in two covered wagons; one drawn with four horses and the other with a two-horse team, and came as far as Tennessee, where they stopped a few weeks for rest, and then continued their j
ourney through Kentucky, and up into Illinois, reaching Section 7, of what is now Whitley township, in the latter part of March, 1828, where they immediately constructed cabins of the usual pioneer description, and made preparations for a crop of corn the
coming season. The prairie was broken for them with ox teams by Samuel Linley. This was on the place now occupied by T. Leggett, near the Whitefield Church. In the fall of the same year (1828), John, his oldest son, Isaac, Jr., the next oldest, and, H
armon Smith came with. their families. John had a wife and nine children, and settled on Section 12 on the place where David Pierce now resides. Of his children only two are now living: Sally, the widow of David Harrison, and Nancy, the wife of A.H. Edw
ards. . John Waggoner died about 1844, and his widow survived until 1849. His sons who have left descendants here are William and Edward. William married Nancy Walker, and several of their children are living here. Elder John G. I. Waggoner, a Christia
n minister residing at Shelbyville, is a son of Edward and grandson of Isaac Waggoner. Isaac Waggoner, Jr. had a large family, some of whom have died, others moved away, and at present none are living in this state. He died in the fall of 1853, and was
buried in the Linn creek grave-yard.
George, the third son of Grandfather Isaac Waggoner, married in North Carolina, Bethany Haney, and raised a family of twelve children, all living, and all but one -- Isaiah -- are residing in this county. The others are: Alvin, the oldest son, married, M
ary Armantrout, and is residing on Section 11 in Whitley township. He has a family of six children, all married, and have families. Alvin served several term in the county court. Robert, William, Isaac, Hezekiah, and Ira also have families, and live in t
he same neighborhood. Five daughters, Elizabeth, the wife of John Dougherty, and Hannah, the wife of Thomas Dougherty, residing in the northern part of the county, and Sally, Celia, and Narcissa, maiden ladies, are living on the old homestead in Section
11.
Amos, the fifth son, married Narcissa Jay, in North Carolina, by whom he had a large family, five of whom are living, viz.: the widow Scott, residing in Sullivan; Dr. E. E., at Shelbyville; Joseph H., ex-Circuit Clerk of Moultrie county (served sixteen co
nsecutive years); Mary Ann, the wife of Charles Carter, residing in Decatur, and Francis M., a farmer in Sullivan township. Amos died about 1854 or '55, and his widow still survives (Dec. 10, 1880), at the age of seventy-six years.
Elisha Waggoner died about 1858, and his widow and family moved to Missouri. Gilbert is the only survivor of the old stock. He and his wife Patsey Bailey are both living on their farm in Whitley, he at the age of seventy-three and she in her seventieth
year. Their children living are Emsey, Elizabeth, John, Andrew J., Martin V., and George, all having families.
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There were large quantities of game here, for a number of years after the first settlements were made. Uncle Gilbert Waggoner, in his younger days was quite a noted hunter, and very fond of the chase. It was not uncommon to see herds of deer, numbering
from thirty to fifty, and so tame that they could frequently be shot from the cabin door. Harmon Smith, a native of North Carolina, settled on the Whitley Creek in 1828. He had a large family, and some are still living here.
In November of the same year, 1828, Andrew Bone and Elias Kennedy made the first settlements in the eastern part of the county. They and their families came from Tennessee together. Andrew Bane was a native of North Carolina. He settled on the farm now
owned by W. F. Vaughan, where he built the first cabin and made the first improvements in this part of the county. He had a family of seven children, only three of whom are now living, viz.: Joseph M. a Cumberland Presbyterian minister, now residing in K
ansas; Narcissa J., the widow of J.S. Freeland, living in Bethany; Mary, the wife of James A. Vaughan, in Section 11 of Marrowbone township. Those dead are Thomas, whose wife still survives, John C., James M., and Leander. All the members of the family
were married and had families, many of whose descendants are living in this county. Andrew Bone, died a few years after settling here. Elias Kennedy was a Tennessean, born in the year 1800. He married Isabelle Dobbins, by whom he had eleven children, f
our of whom are now living -- Alexander, James C., David F., Finis E.; the latter living in Kansas. He settled and built his first cabin in the edge of timber on Section 35 of that township. Kennedy made several moves, however not out of the county, unt
il 1865, when he went to Kansas, where he died in 1871.
Jacob McCune, was a native of New York, born in 1794. He was one of the patriots in the war of 1812, and in an engagement in Canada between the British and Gen. Harrison's army, he received a severe wound in the thigh; he was also at the siege of Fort Me
igs. He lived in Ohio for several years where he married his first wife, Miss Smith, and from this union seven children were born. He afterwards moved with his family to Indiana, and thence to Illinois in 1827. He first settled at Jimtown, now Riverton
, a few miles east of Springfield. In the fall of 1828, he, in company with his two oldest sons, Samuel and Abraham, and their families moved to this county. Their first halting-place was at what is known as the Big Elm, on Marrowbone Creek. Here they
built a camp-fire in a fallen tree-top, turned their team out to graze, and Mr. McCune started south in search of a settlement. He had only crossed Wilborn Creek when he discovered signs of domestic swine; and on looking a little to his right, he saw at
a short distance, on a slight prominence, a small cabin. Upon approaching it, what was his surprise to see a large black dog, which he recognized as belonging to John Wilborn, having lived near the Wilborns in Indiana. He was, of course, received very
cordially by his old friend, and after a short consideration he concluded to stop at that point, but he only remained there for a short time, when he moved into what is now Sullivan township. Mr. McCune was a man well-known by all the early settlers, and
admired for his humanity to man. He lived to a good old age, and his remains rest in the Camfield Cemetery. His last wife survives him, and lives with her son-in-law, Finley Jeffries.
As early as 1829 a lone cabin might have been seen standing in the edge of the timber of the West Okaw, in Lovington township. The occupant was John Davidson, one of the first settlers. This virtually founded the settlement now known as String Town. In
the same year, William Martin and James Cunningham also settled in the same neighborhood. Several of their descendants still live there.
One of the first settlers of Whitley Creek township was Mr. Wright Little. He located there in 1829, near Isaac Waggoner's, and lived there until his death. The only survivors of this pioneer are William H. Waggoner's wife, and Robert Little. The latte
r is now a resident of Shelby county.
Jerre Provolt, a son-in law of John Wilborn, built the first cabin and made the first settlement on Jonathan Creek as early as 1829. John Gordon also settled the same year a little east of Provolt, on the place now owned by James Bolin. They remained th
ere only a few months, when Provolt sold his claim to Benjamin Dabney, and Gordon sold out to Charles Huffman, Dabney's brother-in-law. Robert Holmes, Evan Waller, Archibald Standerfer, John Drew, Robert and Hamilton Bonham, William Lilly, John Hendricks,
John and Jacob Seass, Thomas Fulton, the Underwood's, Frank Taylor, Andrew Mark and the Fleming's were also early settlers on Jonathan Creek.
Early in 1830, Joel and Peter Freeman came with their families. They were brothers, and located in the eastern part of the county, on what is now known as Coons Creek. They were natives of North Carolina. Joel Freeman brought with him quite a family. H
is son, Calvin, married a daughter of Mr. Selby, an old settler of Moultrie county, and is now a resident of Lovington township; another son, Benjamin, wedded PollyAnn Bonham; the daughter, Catherine, is the wife of Thomas Dunn. Thomas, William and Joel,
Jr., his sons, are all deceased, but some of their descendants are yet living in the county. Joel Freeman, Sr., died several years ago. Peter only remained here about two years and removed to Missouri. The Purvis family are well known early settlers of
this county. James and John Purvis, brothers, located in what is now East Nelson, April 1st, 1830, and erected a small cabin on Section 7, where George Purvis still resides They broke the first prairie in that township. In the month following, their fa
ther, John Purvis, his wife and Malinda, their daughter, came from Sangamon county, Illinois, and moved into the cabin with his sons, where they all lived together for a year; soon after which the elder Purvis moved to the Mill seat, at the bend of the Ok
aw river, and made his home with his sons, James and John G. John Purvis the elder, was a soldier in the war of 1812: he died in this county in 1833. Sarah, his wife, survived him several years. James Purvis married Mahala Jones. By that union were bor
n two children. James died about the year 1836. His widow subsequently married and moved to California. George Purvis married Cassa Waller, by whom he had four children, three of whom are residents of this county. His wife died, and he afterwards marr
ied Mahala Poor. He has held several township offices, and is still living on the place where he settled in 1830. Thomas, a brother of George Purvis, is dead; but some of his children are yet living in the county. Isaac Purvis with his family, settled
here in 1831; he and his wife are both deceased; William lives on the same place where he first settled in 1837. He has raised a large family of children, and has held many offices of trust, and was always an active and enterprising citizen of the county
. John G. moved to Missouri; Elizabeth married John Bracken who came here in 1832, and died making an over-land trip to California. Mahala Purvis married Jeremiah Standerfer, and is now living in Jonathan Creek township.
Richard Thomason was a native of Virginia, and was born Aug. 17, 1770. When a mere boy, his parents emigrated to North Carolina, where, in after years, he married his first wife, Ellen Lee. A large family was the result of this union. He subsequently m
oved to Stuart county, Tennessee, where his first wife died. He
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again married a lady by the name of Elizabeth Howell and in 1814 came to Illinois, settling in Clinton county; but afterwards moved to Fayette, and subsequently to Shelby county. In March, 1830, he moved over into what is now Moultrie, settling in the no
rthern part of Sullivan township. His descendants figure prominently in the history of this county. Judge Arnold Thomason is still living on his farm near the village of Lovington. He has represented the county in the State Legislature, and filled many
important county offices from its infancy to the present time. Uncle Joe Thomason has also figured largely in the politics of the county, and has always been one of the most willing and obliging officials. Not a more hospitable and humane man ever live
d than Uncle Joe. He is now residing in Sullivan. Asa H., William, John C. and George are now deceased. Milbra, wife of Robert H. Sharp, is still living a few miles northwest of Sullivan.
One of the prominent settlers of Moultrie county, was John Cook, Sr. He was a native of Rhode Island, and afterwards emigrated to Indiana. In 1830, he moved to Illinois, and settled on the southeast corner of Section 3, Marrowbone township. He built a s
mall water-mill on the West Okaw, where it proved a great convenience to the early settlers. His widow is still living.
Thomas D. Lansden located on a place west of Bethany, known as the Evans' farm. He was a native of North Carolina, and moved to Tennessee when he was quite a young man, where he married Peggie McClin. In the year 1830, he moved with his family to what is
now Moultrie county, where he resided until his death, which occurred in 1838. He was a blacksmith by trade, and built the first blacksmith shop in that part of the country. He was one of the patriots of 1812, and was with Jackson behind the cotton bal
es at New Orleans.
In October, 1830, John Warren, a native of Tennessee, came to Moultrie, and settled on what is now the western border of the county. In his early manhood be married Miss Sarah Jennings. They had a large family of boys and one daughter, several of whom are
still living. Daniel P. and Jesse A. are still residing near the old homestead. Samuel and Elisha are living in the State of Kansas, and John in Sangamon county, Illinois.
Jesse A. Walker was a native of North Carolina, and in later years moved to Kentucky. He came to Illinois in the fall of 1830, and settled on Brush Creek. He had a family of eight children, two of whom are still living in the county.
One of the sturdy settlers of 1830 was James Fruit. He was a native of Kentucky, and settled in Marrowbone township, in the year above written. A large family grew up around him, several of whom are yet living. Mr. Fruit was a well read man, and at one
time practiced medicine in his neighborhood. He was twice married, and died near Bethany in 1845.
William Ward, one of the pioneers, came to this county in 1830, and settled near Wilborn Creek. He raised a large family of children that are now somewhat scattered. James O., A. L. and Frank are still living in Moultrie county, well-known and good citi
zens. The father died in 1838.
Larkin Beck, a native of Kentucky, settled on Section 28, Marrowbone township. He built a cabin, and began the improvement of the farm now owned by E.A. Walker.
William Walker, an old-timer, came to Whitley township in 1830. He was a son-in-law of Isaac Waggoner, and settled on what is now the J.H. McCormic farm. His son, Isaac Walker, had the honor of being elected the first sheriff of Moultrie county.
Uncle Jimmy Camfield was a native of Kentucky, came to this county in 1830, and located about three miles south-west of Sullivan. He raised quite a large family, and proved one of the solid men of the country. Everybody in the county knows Jimmy Camfiel
d. He died only a few years since, leaving quite a fortune to his descendants.
Two brothers, natives of Kentucky, John W. and Gideon Edwards, in company with two other Kentuckians, Isham and Jeduthun Hardy, settled in Whitley township in 1830, and, historically, stand prominent among the early settlers. John W. Edwards, especially a
mong the above mentioned, raised a large family, several of whom, and their descendants, are still living in the county.
The Smyser family emigrated to this county in the fall of 1831. Samuel Smyser was a native of Kentucky, and was one of the first to aid in developing the county. He had a family of six children, viz.: Alfred N., William, Martha, Elizabeth, John J. and H
ugh F. He died in 1866, and left a good property to his children, which had been acquired by his energy and frugality. Several members of his family have figured so prominently in the history of the county, that this volume would be incomplete without a
brief mention. Alfred N. Smyser, the eldest son of the family, married Miss Isyphena, daughter of John W. Edwards. From this marriage there were five children; Henry, (now of the Champaign Times), Ollie, Samuel E., Katie, now deceased, and Josephine. Ca
pt Smyser, from early manhood until his death, occupied a very prominent position in the county; he served as county clerk for eight years, and was a captain in the Union Army, where he served with distinction. He died in 1879, lamented by many warm frien
ds. William Smyser resides on the old homestead in Whitley township. He has a family of five children, viz.: Lucettia, Samuel M., David, Isyphena and Rebecca.
Martha, the widow of John Brown, resides in Whitley. Elizabeth is the wife of D. R. Munson. John J. died while a young man. Hugh F. lives at Windsor, has a small family, and is a prosperous business man.
David Strain was born January 25th 1788, in North Carolina, where he married Margaret, the daughter of John Mitchell, April 26th, 1810. They had a family of eleven children, only two of whom are living, John A., in Marrowbone, and Lydia, the wife of Robe
rt Livesay, residing in Kansas. Mr. Strain came with his family, and settled in Marrowbone, October 12th, 1831, where he continued to live until his death, September 9th, 1854, aged 66 years, 7 months, and 15 days. His first wife died August 4th, 1842, a
nd he was married the second time, in 1843, to Susannah Ball.
Andrew Gammill, a Tennessean, settled in Whitley in 1831. S.T. Gammill, a merchant, at Summit, and the wives of S. G. Frost and Thomas Kinkade are all of his family that are living. Europe, Wm. and John, brother of Joseph Hendricks, and natives of Kentu
cky, came together in the same year, 1831, and settled in Whitley. Europe is the only survivor, and is in his seventy-third year. His wife died about a year ago, and all but one of his children are dead -- Mary Ann, the wife of D. P. Warren.
The Snyders were among the first settlers of Lovington township. Henry Snyder was born in Virginia, where he grew to manhood and married Mary Eddens; and eleven children were born to them, six of them now living.. His first wife died, and he married a s
econd time -- Mrs. Edna Carr, by whom two children were born to him. Mr. Snyder lived in Kentucky for twenty years prior to his coming to this State, and emigrated from there, arriving here in October, 1831. He bad made a trip here the year before, and
entered nine hundred and sixty acres around where he settled. In 1836 he moved to Decatur, where, in 1863, he died, at the age of eighty years. Joseph H., who is the only son living in this county, was twice married, and has five children living.
Another old veteran of the war of 1812 -- Nathan Stephens -- and
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a Kentuckian by birth, settled in, Sec. 3, T. 14, R. 5, in the same year. He built a distillery here in an early day, and made corn whiskey for a number of years. He married in Kentucky Rebecca Netherton, and two sons were the fruits of this union -- Wi
lliam and James H. The latter was sheriff of the county for one term. In 1844 Mr Stephens was struck by lightning in the doorway of Dr. William Kellar's residence. Daniel Pea also arrived here during the same year.
The Year 1832 witnesses the arrival of several prominent families. Abraham and Jeremiah Souther, brothers, and natives of Virginia, came in early autumn. Abraham was married in Kentucky, to Catharine Hardin, by whom he had eight children. He died April
27th, 1858. Jeremiah since moved to Shelby county, where he still lives.
Elder, Joseph, and Solomon Hostetler located in Lovington township in the spring of 1832. They were natives of Kentucky. Joseph was born Feb. 27th, 1797, and was twice married. Frank L. and Dr. C. M. L. Hostetler, residing in Lovington, are the only sur
vivors in this county, Elder Hostetler was a Christian minister of some notoriety in this vicinity, and also practiced medicine here. He died Aug. 27th, 1870. Solomon Hostetler has no descendants living here.
One of the most prominent men among the old settlers was Abraham H. Kellar. He was a native of Virginia, and born in the year 1788. He was married at the age of twenty-one to Nancy J. Hitt. There were eight children born to them, to wit, Joel H., Wm.,
Jas. H., Elizabeth H., John H., Paulina, Henry Y., and Abram L. In 1832 he moved to this county; although the fall prior to this date he had come and raised a crop, but afterwards returned and brought the family. They settled on section 34, in which is
now Lovington township.
This pioneer was one of the first to aid and counsel in bringing about the new county, Moultrie. He served in many responsible and onerous positions in the county until his death, which occurred July 23d, 1855, in the sixty-seventh year of his age. Seve
ral of the family are still living, prominent among them are H. Y. and A. L., both excellent and prominent citizens of the county.
George Mitchell, a native of North Carolina, settled in Marrowbone December 4th, 1832. He had a large family of children, seven now living. Mr. Mitchell was one of the first county commissioners; was a good and true man, much loved by all who knew him.
He died in 1854, aged seventy-four years, eleven months, and twenty days. Those of his children living are David, Samuel, John B., William B., who are all elderly men with families. Martha Jane, the widow Bone; Rachel A., the widow West; and Susan E., th
e wife of David Crowder.
Major James Poor, a patriot of the war of 1812, also settled near George Purvis, in 1832. During the following year, 1833, there was a great deal of sickness, and almost every family was attacked, and many deaths occurred.
In the spring of 1832 Grandfather James Patterson and his sons -- David and Joshua, with their families, and Jonathan, a single man -- settled in Sullivan township. Hugh and Levi, also sons of James Patterson, came about 1837.
Grandfather Patterson was a native of Scotland, and came to this country with General La Fayette, in April 1777, and served as a soldier in the revolutionary war, and also in the war of 1812. He was twice married, the last time without issue. He had nin
e sons and two daughters. David and Jonathan were twins. David Patterson married in Kentucky Polly Harbaugh, in 1826, and had a family of eight children, viz.: Jonathan, Amanda J., Nancy, Levi, Absalom, Wm. D., America, and one child that died without a
name. Those living are Jonathan (Dock), Absalom, Amanda J., and America, all married, and have families. David held several county offices, and died October 9th, 1867; and his widow August 11th, 1869.
Levi died in this county over thirty years ago. William, Jonathan (Douty), Polethann, Jane, and Francis M., are all of his family that came to this county, and are all living but Francis M. The descendants of David and Levi are all of the Patterson famil
y living in this county.
Prominent among the arrivals of 1833, was Colonel Allen Clore and his family. He was born in Kentucky in 1810 and settled in the northern part of the county. James Carter, a Virginian, Samuel Finley, and David Howell came in 1833. Howell was a Kentuckia
n, and had a large family. Charles, residing in this county, and Elizabeth, in Champaign county, are the only ones living. The Wood family, Samsons, John Poor, Tobias Rhodes, Alexander Porter, William and Henry Bailey, F. W. Maddux, Rolands, Newlands, W
eltons, Knights, Huffmans, Hiram Luster, Joseph Hartman, Edward Keedy, the Deeds, Jacob Rea, Selby's, and Zenith Prather were early settlers.
James Elder came from Tennessee, and located in the eastern part of the county in 1834. He had a family of six children, three of whom are living in Sullivan, viz., William, a prominent banker, Mary Ann, the wife of W. P. Corbin, and Cordelia, the wife o
f Dr. T. Y. Lewis.
Mr. Elder was one of the influential men of the county, and held several important offices. He died in January 1870, and his widow still survives.
In the year following there were numerous arrivals, and among them Reuben B. Ewing figured conspicuously in the county's history. He was born in Tennessee in 1801. Of his family of ten children seven are still living. Ewing was an early justice of the
peace, and one of the first county commissioners, and an associate judge for several years, and represented this district in the State legislature. He moved to Logan county in 1853, and was subsequently made judge of that county, which office he filled f
or fourteen years. About 1876 he returned to Sullivan, where he died in 1877. Ebenezer Noyes, a native of Massachusetts, who became a large land-owner in this county, settled the same year.
The Freelands came in 1836. James Freeland was of Scotch-Irish ancestry, and was born in Orange County, North Carolina, in November, 1794, where he married Jane Strain, daughter of Alexander Strain. On the sixteenth day of February, 1836, he and his wif
e and children -- David J., Sarah Ann, James S., Miriam C., Mary Elizabeth, Joseph C., William T., Nancy E., Salina A., and Samuel D. -- left their native state for Tennessee, where, in Maury county, they stopped for one season, and raised a crop. In the
last of September of the same year they again packed up and came north, heading for Marrowbone creek, then in Macon county, Ill., reaching that point, where they settled in the latter part of Oct., 1836.
Mr. Freeland lived here until his death, Feb.19th, 1871. John A. Freeland, his oldest son, was born in Orange county, North Carolina, February 22d, 1818. At the age of twelve he was attacked with inflammation of the joints, and was confined to his bed fo
r nine months, from which he arose a cripple for life. He went with his parents to Tennessee, and when they left for Illinois, he was so afflicted with malarial fever that he was unable to accompany them; but on the second of June, 1837, he left Columbia
by stage for Nashville, thence to Paducah by steamer, intending to follow the river to St. Louis, but it was so obstructed with floating ice that the steamer could proceed no farther, and he hired two men to paddle
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him across the river in a skiff, which was done with considerable difficulty. Arriving on the Illinois side, he started in the direction of his journey, traveling through Pope county; Mt. Vernon, Salem, and Vandalia, where he stopped, as he says, and "t
ook a look at the last session of the legislature held in that place "; on to Shelbyville, thence to Marrowbone, reaching his father's place on the 23rd day of the same month, having traveled all the distance on crutches.
Uncle Johnny, as he is better known, was an early school teacher, and was elected the first clerk and recorder of Moultrie county, which offices he held for fifteen consecutive years. He was one of the two republican representatives that was ever sent fr
om this district to the State legislature. His life has been an active one, notwithstanding his physical disabilities. Even in his declining years his mind is active, and his wise and conservative counsel is sought after by all parties and creeds; and w
hen his time shall come to shuffle off this mortal coil, he will be lamented by all as one who has done his part in the age in which he lived. Wm. Martin and Esquire Alexander Edwards settled in Whitley in 1836. Esquire Edwards has been a justice of the
peace for several years, and he and his family are among the best citizens of the county.
John Lee, a North Carolinian, settled in the western part of the county in 1837. He only remained here one year, and returned to Tennessee. His sons -- Wm. R. and Captain A.B.-- who came with him, remained here. William R. Lee died in Sullivan in 1859.
Captain A. B. served one year in the Mexican war, and four years in the late rebellion, and received three captain's commissions; was the first coroner in Moultrie county, and has held other offices of trust. He is now practicing law in Sullivan.
The Crowder family settled in Marrowbone township in 1837, and are among the best citizens in the county.
Other early settlers, who do not appear in this chapter, will be mentioned in the township histories.
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