USA > Illinois > Sangamon County > History of the early settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois : "centennial record" > Part 3
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NARCISSA, married McDonald Can- trall. See his name.
FLEMING, died aged fifteen years.
MUNSON, born in Sangamon county, enlisted in 1862, for three years in Co. C, 114th Ill. Inf., and died at Vicksburg, a short time after it was captured in 1863.
Jonathan Hedrick and wife reside in Athens, Illinois.
HICKMAN, GEORGE T. His son, WILLIAM H., enlisted Aug. 5, 1862, in Co. B, 130th Ill. Inf., and died Jan. 19, 1863. Another son, JAMES F., married Sophia C. Burns, and lives near Buffalo Hart, Sangamon county, Illi- nois-1876.
HOUGHTON, ALVIN, born June 12, 1810, in Madison, Somerset county, Maine, was married Sept. 6, 1835, at Skowhegan Falls, Maine, to Betsy Hilton, who was born June 17, 1815, at Anson, Maine. Alvin Houghton came to S ringfield, Illinois., in June, 1837, and brought his wife in the spring of 1840. He was a carpenter by trade, and worked at that business for about twelve years,
after which he kept a dairy until 1851, when he moved twenty miles east of Springfield, on a farm, and remained there until the fall of 1869, and then moved to Washington county, Kansas.
Alvin Houghton and wife had five chil- dren-
AMELIA, died in her second year.
ERVIN, O., born Dec. 14, 1841, in Springfield, Ill., was married Sept. 13, 1866, in Sangamon county to Sarah Jane Wall, who was born Feb. 6, 1842, in Allegany county, Pennsylvania., They have two children, LAURA E. and LILLIAN, and live four and a half miles northeast of Illiopolis, Illinois.
AUSTIN E., born May 29, 1844, in Illinois. Lives with his parents.
CLIMENA B., died in her second year.
AVILLIA B., born Jan. 1, 1.853, lives with her parents, near Butler, Washing- ton county, Kansas.
HUDSON, JOHN. Sce his name, page 385. His son, JOHN M., died Oct. 12, 1876. His son, ANDREW Y., having been married fourteen years, has an only child, MARGARET MA- RIA, born Feb .. : 1, 1876.
ILES, ELIJAH, Sen. His wife, Mrs. Melinda Iles, died in May, 1866.
INSLEE, JOSEPH. His son-
NEWTON GASPER, born Dec. 31, 1832, in Sangamon county, married May 16, 1852, to Eliza A. Keys. They had five children. ANN E., died in her second year. EMMA J., MARY L., MELISSA and JOSEPH W .; the four latter live with their parents near Cotton Hill postoffice, Sangamon county, Ill.
JAYNE, Dr. GERSHOM, page 406. His daughter, FULLA M., married Hon. Lyman Trumbull. Their son, Walter Trumbull, was married Sept. 27, 1876, in Chicago, to Hannah M. Sla- ter.
JOHNSTON, ADAM, was born April 14; 1816, in Glasgow, Scotland. When he was four days old his parents embarked on board a vessel, and after a short stay at Belfast, Ireland, sailed for America, lan ling during the summer of that year in Philad Ipbia, Penn. He was brought up in that city and learned the business of a marble mason. During that time he assisted in building Girard Col- lege. He went in 1837, to Jefferson city,
21
SANGAMON COUNTY.
Missouri, and after filling a contract on the State House, then in course of con- struction there, he came to Springfield, in the spring of 1839, and worked as a jour- neyman on the State House of Illinois. Mr. Johnson was married July 3, 1846 to Barbara A. Wolgamot. He has been continuously and successfully in business in Springfield, nearly thirty-eight years. Adam Johnson and wife now-Decem- ber, 1876-reside in Springfield, Illinois. JOHNSON, LUE. See his name, page 413. His son, ORSON' D., born April 23, 1827, in Vermont, was married in Rochester, Sangamon county, Ill., to Lydia Eggleston. They have four living children, ELLEN, born Sept. 16, ISIS, in Rochester, was married in Mount Pulaski, April 16, 1865 to Aaron G. Green, and have four children, FLORA, LUE, GEORGE, and MINDRED, and live in Mt. Pulaski, Illinois. OLLIE, born Aug. 6, 1851, in Rochester, Ill., was mar- ried in Mt. Pulaski, Jan. 6, 1868, to Walter McGraw, and died April 30, 1871, leaving one child, RALPH. BETTIE, born July 6, 1858, and WILLIAM, born Dec. 11, 1861, both in Mr. Pulaski. Orson, D. Johnson and family, live in Mt. Pulaski, Logan county, Illinois.
JONES, HASKINS, was born in Maryland, and married in Jefferson county, Tenn., to Lucy Tolley, and came to Sangamon county, in 1835, settling in Sand Prairie, five miles east of Roches- ter. They had thirteen children-
JOHN F., married Lucinda Pike and died, leaving one child, CHARLES T.
ELIZABETH, married John L. Firey. See his name.
DAVID C, married Ann Griffith and lives near Breckenridge, Ill.
NANCY, married James . Campbell, and lives in Edinburg, Ill.
MARY P., married John B. Eaton. See his name.
CARTER T., born Aug. 17, 1834, in Jefferson county, Tenn., married in San- gamon county, April 23, 1863, to There- sa Talbert, has four children, FANNY, LUCY, BETTY and CARTER T., Jun., and lives four miles south of Roches- ter, Illinois.
HASKINS, Fun., married Lettie Sweet, who died, and he married again, and lives near Breckenridge, Illinois.
LUCY Y., married John H. Martin, and lives near Taylorville, Illinois.
PRISCILLA, married Thomas Stokes. See his name. He died and she married James Lay, and lives in Kansas.
Haskins Jones died in 1842, and his widow died April, 1873, he in Sangamon, and she in Christian county, Illinois.
KENNEY, NINIAN E. See page 425. He was married Nov. 15, 1876, to Virginia E. Dodds, daughter of F. Ewing Dodds. See his name, page 255.
KETS, ISAAC, Fun .. Sce puge 426. His son, EDWARD D., was mar- ried Oct. 10, 1876, to Lulie Todd, in Springfield, Illinois. His daughter, AN- NIE E., was married Dec. 7, IS76, in Springfield, to Alvin B. Hoblet, of Pekin, 111 .. Mr. Hoblet is cashier of the Farmers' National Bank of that city.
KEYES, CHARLES A. See page 427. His infant daughter, ELIZABETH M., died July IS, 1876.
LAMB; SUSAN M. See page 435. Her daughter, Hannah M. Slater, was married Sept. 27, 1876, in Chicago, to Walter Trumbull.
LANTERMAN, PETER. Page 443. He died Oct. 9, 1876, near Elkhart, Illinois.
LINCOLN, ABRAHAM. Page 456. An attempt was made on the night after the Presidential election, Nov. 7, 1876,to steal his body from the sarcophagus, in the National Lincoln Monument. The thieves were detected in the act but escaped. Two men are under arrest charged with the crime, and are now- December, 1876-in jail at Springfield, awaiting trial. Their reputed object was to secure a large reward in money, and the release of an engraver, who is serving a ten years term in the Illinois Penitentiary, for engraving and issuing counterfeit money.
LINDSAY, JOHN, was born in 1773 at Fort Pitt, now Pittsburgh, Penn. He was taken by his parents to Fleming county, Kentucky. He was married there in the year ISoo to Mary Glass. She died January, ISII, leaving five children, and Mr. Lindsay was married there in Sep- tember, ISII. They had one child in Kentucky, and moved in IS17 to St. Clair county, Illinois, where they had one child, and moved to what is now Sangamon county in IS19, settling in what is now the
22
EARLY SETTLERS OF
western part of Springfield. Of his chil- dren-
REBECCA, born September, 1802. in Kentucky, married in Sangamon coun- ty to Andrew Orr, and died within one year.
POLLY, born September, 1804,' in Kentucky, married James Smith, and died there, leaving one child, AMANDA.
DAVID H., born February, 1807, in Fleming county, Kentucky, married in 1832, in Sangamon county to Mary A. Dorrance. They had four children, MARY S., born March, 1833, dicd Jan. 6, 1869, in Shelby county, Illinois. MAR- GARET A., born March, 1836, married B. F. Sinard. She died, leaving a son, MILTON SINARD, who lives in Mt. Auburn, Illinois. MARQUIS D., born March 23, 1839, enlisted August 9, 1861, for three years, in Co. B, 30th Ill. Inf., served full term, and was honorably discharged Aug. 27, 1864. He was married in Sangamon county Oet. 31, 1866, to Margaret Kinney, who was born April 6, 1839, in Cazenovia, New York. They had two children. LOGAN L. lives with his parents. IDA MAY died in her fourth year. M. D. Lindsay lives near Loami, Illinois. MARTHA, born March, 1842, married Daniel Young. Mrs. Mary A. Lindsay died in 1846, while her husband was in Mexico. David H. Lindsay was a soldier in the 4th III. Inf., under Colonel E. D. Baker. He served one year from June, IS46, returned home and died in 1847, of disease contracted in the army.
GEORGE G., born November, ISO8, in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county to Margaret Ward, and died there, leaving one child, JAMES.
AMANDA L., born December, 1810, in Kentucky, married in Sangamon coun- ty to John Morgan, and died, leaving four children, ELIZABETH, SALLY ANN, JOHN W. and SOPHIA S.
By the second wife:
FOHN P., born July, 1814, in Flem- ing county, Kentucky, married in Sanga- mon county in 1839, to Virginia B. Young. They had six children in Sangamon coun- ty. MARY J., born July 22, 1840, mar- ried Seth Moore, and lives in Lawndale, Illinois. MELISSA G., born Dec. 23, 1841, married Charlie E. Morton, and lives near Centerville, Iowa. James N., born July 30, 1842, is unmarried, and lives
in Centerville, Iowa. ELIZABETH, born Feb. 15, 1846, died aged seven years. ELIZA ANN, born Sept. 15, 1848, mar- ried William A. Smith, and lives in Col- fax county, Nebraska. JOHN W., born March 22, 1850, is unmarried, and lives in Russell county, Kansas. - Mrs. . Virginia B. Lindsay died May 2, 1850, in Sanga- mon county, and J. P. Lindsay married Eliza A. MeCandless, and in 1853 moved to Logan county, where they had five living children, SOPHIA BELLE, FLO. RENCE P., ALMA M., CHARLES E. and WINNIE M. John P. Lindsay resides near Lincoln, Logan county, III.
ABRAHAM L., born April 10, 1819, in St. Clair county, Illinois, was married in Sangamon county to Ann Wise. They have seven living children. JOHN D. is married and lives in Ottawa, Kansas. NANCY J. married B. H. Lake and and lives in Mount Pulaski, Illinois. SOPHIA MAY, marrried N. Elkin, and lives near Elkhart, Illinois. WILLIAM H., EVA E., GEORGE B. and HAR- RIET C. live near Elkhart, Logan coun- ty, Illinois. Mrs. Ann Lindsay died Jan- uary, 1865, near Elkhart, Illinois, and Abram L. Lindsay now-1876-lives in Russell county, Kansas.
LORD, JOSEPH T., was an early settler of Sangamon county. His son, WILLIAM N. Lord, lives near Breckenridge, Sangamon county, Illinois.
Mc CLELLAND, JOHN. His son, Dr. Robert MeClelland, was married Sept. S, 1874, to Susan Turley, near Wil- liamsville, Illinois.
MCGINNIS, JOHN f. See his name, page 499. His widow, Mrs. Eliza- beth MeGinnis, was married in December, 1874, to Y. B. Clark, and lives at Clarks- dale, Christian county, Illinois.
McGRAW, ABSOLOM D., See his name, page 501. He died in the autumn of 1876 near Springfield, Illinois.
McKINNIE, WILLIAM A. Page 504. His wife, Mrs. Emma Mc- Kinme, died Nov. 22, 1876.
McMURRY, ARTHUR B. His daughter, MARTHA J., married Robert Eider, and live near Girard, Crawford county, Kansas. His son, LEWIS S., lives near Girard, Crawford county, Kan.
McMURRY, LOGAN. His daughter, Mary E., married Hiram F. Robbins, who was born in Warren county, Pennsylvania,
23
EARLY SETTLERS OF
came to Ogle county, Illinois, enlisted March, 1862, in Co. A, 12th Ill. Cav., for three years, and was honorably discharged March, 1865, went to Maple Grove, Kan- sas, in May, 1866, and was married there July 26, 186S.
NUCKOLLS, JOHN. See his name, page 548. His widow, Mrs. Ann Nuckolls, died Sept. 30, 1876, aged nearly ninety vears.
ORR, ROBERT, was born in Wythe county, Virginia, and was there married to Sarah Messersmith. They moved to Ohio in 1817, to Connersville, Indiana, in ISIS, and to Springfield, Illi- nois, in 1S26. They had ten children ---
ANDREW, MELINDA; ALEN- ANDER S. married Eliza J. Wallace, and lives near Auburn, Illinois. ELIZA- BETH, NANCY F .; HIRAM mar- ried Savilla Rauch, and both died. ROBERT, MARGARET; SAM- UEL married Jane Laswell, and lives near Auburn, Illinois.
Robert Orr and his wife both died near Auburn, Sangamon county, Illinois.
POWER, GEORGE. See his namc, page 578. He was awarded the premium of a gold headed cane for the most skillful feat of horseback riding, by an elderly gentleman, at the fair of the Sangamon county Agricultural Society, in September, 1876. He was in his seventy-ninth year, and the eldest of five competitors. The cane was presented in presence of the largest number of visitors during the fair, by the president of the society, ex-Governor John M. Palmer.
PRICKETT, Mrs. CHAR- LOTTE G. See page 581. She died Nov. 2, 1876, in Springfield.
PURSELL, WILLIAM. See his name,. page 590. His daughter, ALICE BELLE, was married Nov. 2, IS76, to William T. Kincaid, near Farm- ingdale, Sangamon county, Illinois.
RIDGELY, CHARLES, was born Jan. 17, 1836, in Springfield, Illinois. He is the eldest son of N. H. Ridgely-page 616-by his second wife, who was the daughter of Jonathan Huntington, and was born in Boston, Mass. Her brother, Hon. George L. Huntington, deceased, was mayor of Springfield in 1861-2. Charles Ridgely entered the preparatory department of Illinois College at Jack- sonville, in October, 1849, and in
March, 1852, withdrew from the col- lege to accept a position in Clark's Ex- change Bank, which was organized at that time in Springfield by his father in con- nection with some eastern capitalists. June 22, 1853, he became cashier of the bank, which position he occupied until it was wound up, March 29, 1855. His father, N. H. Ridgely, succeeded to the business of Clark's bank, as a private- banker. Charles took the place of cashier with him, where he continued until April I, 1859, when he was admitted into part- nership with his father in the banking bus- iness; the new firm name being N. H. Ridgely & Co. Charles' brother, William was admitted as a member of the firm April 1, 1864, and its business continued until Oct. 1, 1866, when it. was merged into the Ridgely National Bank. Chas. Ridgely became vice president at the organization, and now-December, IS76 -- continues to hold that position. İn
IS71, he was mainly instrumental in or- ganizing the Springfield Iron Company, and building the Rolling . Mill at Spring -. field. He became, and continues to be the President of that company. As a compli- ment to the President of the company, the new postoffice at the mills bears the name of Ridgely. Charles Ridgely is also a member of the firm of Beard, Hickox & Co., proprietors of the North Coal Shaft. In ISto he was honored with the nomina- tion of the Democratic party as candidate for the office of state treasurer of Illi- nois, but the party being in the minor- ity, he, in common with the entire ticket, was defeated. He has served two terms as a member of the Board of Education of the city of Springfield. He was married June 10, IS57, to Jane M., youngest daughter of James W. Barret. She was born in Island Grove, Sangamon county. They have four children; WIL- LIAM BARRET, EDWARD, FRANKLIN and MARY LEE. Chas. Ridgely, wife and children reside in Springfield, Ill.
SHORT, CALEB. His grandson, JOHN R., died Feb. 24, 1876, in Nodaway county, Missouri.
SMITH, DEWITT C., was elected Nov. 7, 1876, to represent Sangamon county two years in the Legislature of Illi- nois. He resides at Bates.
1
24
SANGAMON COUNTY.
SMITH, GEROGE M. See hiş name, page 666. His son, JACOB H., was married, not in Hennepin, but in Washington, Tazewell county, Illinois, to Joanna Higgins, who was born Oct. 26, 1819, in Cumberland county, Kentucky. They have eight children, namely, GEORGE D., was married Sept. 3, 1874, in Missouri, to Mattie Foree, and now lives in Hope, Hempstead county, Ark. MARY J. was married June 21, 1866, in Saline county, Missouri, to Dr. Robert S. McNutt. They have four children, SAMUEL, JOANNA, MARY and ROBERT, and live in Rocheport, Boone county, Missouri. WILLIAM T., born April 28, 1850, in Saline county, Missouri, and now-1876- lives in Berlin, Sangamon county, Illinois. MATILDA J. was married Dec. 2, 1871, to John H. Herring; have one child, WIL- LIAM S., and reside near Herndon, Saline county, Missouri. ANNA E., ALICE W. and MATTIE F. live with their father, near Marshal, Saline county, Mo. FREDERICK N. lives with his brother, . George D., in Arkansas. George M. Smith's son, JOHN W., left five chil- dren, . namely, AMANDA, married George W. Parrish, and has one child, DAISEY MAY. MARY M. and CARRIE live with their sister, Mrs. Parrish, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. JOSEPH B. and WILL A. live with their uncle, Fox, in Quincy, Illinois. George M. Smith's daughter, ELSIE A., born Dec. 20, 1830, in Jennings county, Indiana, married in Sangamon county, Illinois, July 4, 1842, to Stephen Butler, who was born, Nov. 13, 1815, in Adair county, Kentucky. They have ten children, namely, JOHN, born May 5, 1843, MARY C., born Oct. 8, 1844, in Sangamon county, was married May 7, 1864, to D. A. Russell, and live in Harrrison county, lowa. H. G., born Sept. 20, 1846, married March 11, 1876, to Ida Willes. MARTHA M., born Feb. 19, 1848, married Dec. 2, 1868, to Alfred H. Fairchilds, and lives in Jefferson coun- ty, Iowa. SOPHRONIA, born Feb. 23, 1850; ELIZABETH, born July 1, 1852, in Sangamon county, Illinois. HAR- RIET, born Sept. 7, 1855; OWEN, born Sept. 16, 1857; BASSETT, born July 16, 1859, and SAMANTHA, born July 7, 1863, the four latter in Jefferson county,
Iowa. Stephen Butler and family now -- November, 1876-reside near Missouri Valley postoffice, Harrison county, Iowa.
Smith, Lawson H. See his name, page 108. He died Dec. 12, 1876, near Roches- ter, Illinois.
STEPHENSON, JAMES. 1 See his name, page 684. He was born July 3, IS72. His son, WILLIAM C., born Oct. 10, 1812. HANNAH A., born Oct. 12, 1814, married Jacob Zwingle. He died Feb. 8, 1876. Their son, WIL- LIAM M. Zwingle, was married May 25, 1876, to Eliza Graham. GAMMES WV., born May 20, 1816, moved from Audrain county, Missouri, 10 Pike county, Illinois. FINIS E., born Sept. 29, ISIS. He moved from Chandlerville, Illinois, to Wichita, Kansas. HARRIET married William N. Spears. She moved from Lincoln, in 1876, to Tallula, Menard county, Illinois.
THAYER, WILLIAM P. See his name, page 710. His daughter, BERTIE, was married Nov. 30, 1876, to Lec Hickox, in Springfield, Illinois.
WALLACE, WILLIAMMI. See his name, page 747. His son, BENJAMIN F., moved from Keokuk, Iowa, to Macon, Macon county, Illinois. His daughter, JANE ELIZABETH, married Dr. John F. Sanders. See his name, page 637.
WEBSTER, BELA C., was one of the early merchants of Springfield. A sketch of him was expected but had not arrived when this record closed, Dec. 15, 1876.
WHITESIDES, NICHOLAS B. Page 764. His daughter, EMILY C., was married Nov. 21, 1876, to James F. Demmit, of Logan county, Illinois.
WILKISON, CARY, was born in Kentucky, and married there to Nancy Moon. They came to Sangamon county, Illinois, among the early settlers. They had four children. Their son, REUBEN, resides in Taylorville, Illinois.
Cary Wilkison died in 1834, and his widow married James Snodgrass, Jun. See his name, page 671.
TOCOM, SAMUEL. Page 792. His daughter, REBECCA, married John W. Ham, not Horn. Sce his name, page 352.
LIST OF POST OFFICES IN SANGAMON COUNTY ILLINOIS
Auburn Barclay
Cross Plains Curran
Pleasant Plains Richland
Bates
Dawson
Ridgety
Farmingdale
Riverton
lles Junction
Rochester
Illiopolis
Salisbury
Loami
Sherman
Buffalo
Lowder
Springfield
Mechanicsburg
Wheatfield
Buffalo Heart Cantrail Chatham
New Berlin
Williamsville
New City
Woodside
Cotton Hill
Pawnee
FANCY CREEK
# Salisbury
SALISBURY
R. R.
A Pleasant Plains
SANGAME
Extinct
Richland
Gruss Plains
CARTWRIGHT
GARDNER
SPRINGEWEL
st' Ridgely
Farming dale
Bradforest
SFR
OHIO
Old Berlin
ISLAND
GROVE
WESTERN
New Berlin
Bates.
WABASH
# Curran
SIDE
CURRAN
NEW
BERLIN
E 40amy
# Chatnam
LOAMI
CHATHAM
BALL
R. Pulliam's Cabin B Built In 1817
The First in the
ALTON
W TALKING TON
Auburn
S.E.
AUBURN
PAWN
R
LOWCOST
Berlin Berry at Clarksville Bradforton(not organized) Brekinridge
Capitali
6. 2. M. 81
les Junction
R. 2
Ext
& CHICAGO
Z harinar
FEWILLIAMSVILLE
Buffalo Part
WILLIAMS
BUFFALO HART
will Beday
R.R
CA
Riverton
Wheatfield
CLEAR
LAKE
MECHANICSBURG
#Mechanicsburg
FILLE
SISSIPI
CO
PER
pa Rochester
ROCHESTER
Clarksville
Breckenridge
la
New City
COTTON HILE
Rienzi
SANGAMON COUNTY
ILLINOIS an Accompaniment of the HISTORY OF ITS EARLY SETTLERS BY JOHN CARROLL POWER SPRINGFIELD ILLINOIS Edwin A. Wilson & co. 18 76;
Pawnee
·
WHEAT FIELD
$170001771
MITGpours
# Dawson
BUFFALO A.W. S ALALA.
HISTORICAL PRELUDE.
T "HE first white men who explored the upper Mississippi valley were Jesuit mission- aries from New France-now Canada. They visited the southern shores of the great northern lakes, for the purpose of communicating a knowledge of christianity to the aboriginal natives.
Jacques Marquette, a Roman Catholic priest, and Louis Joliet, a merchant from Quebec, with two canoes and five men, left Green Bay and went down the Wisconsin river to the Mississippi, entering the latter stream June 17, 1673. They floated down the "father of waters," making frequent stoppages among the Indians, and passed be- low the mouth of the Ohio river. Here they found the savages disposed to be hostile, which caused them to return. On approaching the mouth of the Illinois river, on their way up, they were told by the aborigines, that if they would follow the course of that stream their route to the lakes would be much shorter. Accepting this advice, the party reached Lake Michigan, at a point where Chicago now stands. Other Freneh- men came by the way of Canada and the lakes, and in a few years all this region of country was considered a part of New France. The French being entitled to it by right of discovery, their possession was undisputed for about ninety years.
Difficulties arising between France and England, at home, the British government sent an army of one thousand regular soldiers under Gen. Edward Braddock, to make war against the French and their native allies in the new world. General Braddock landed at Alexandria, Virginia, and after increasing his army to twenty-two hundred men, by the addition of provincials, or citizens of the country, he marched to attack Fort Du- Quesne, where Pittsburgh now stands. Colonel George Washington, who was well acquainted with the Indian character, accompanied the expedition as a volunteer aid. General Braddock refused the counsels of Colonel Washington, and the result was the surprise and defeat of his whole army by the French and Indians. The commander was slain in the engagement, which took place July 9, 1755.
In 1758 the English government sent another army, which was more successful. It took Fort Duquesne, and the war raged until 1763, when the fall of Quebec left the English victorious; and by the treaty which followed, the whole of New France was ceded to Great Britain.
Previous to the year 1673 the upper Mississippi valley was known only to the abori- gines or Indians. From the year of its discovery by the explorations of Marquette
-- 4
26
HISTORICAL PRELUDE.
and Joliet, for more than half a century there was no attempt at organized government. The first effort was made in 1718, when the "Company of the West" was formed in Paris for the government of the New World. In that year the building of Fort De- Chartres was commenced, and when completed was occupied as the military headquar- ters of the French. It was about sixteen miles above Kaskaskia, in the American bot- tom, three miles from the bluff and three-fourths of a mile from the river. At the time New France was ceded to England, in 1763, Fort DeChartres was occupied by M. St. Ange de Bellerive, as commandant and Governor of the Illinois country. He continued in possession of the fort until 1765, when Captain Sterling, of the forty- second Royal Highlanders, was sent out and took possession of the fort and country, in the name of the British government. He died about three months after his arrival. Fort Chartres continued to be the headquarters of the British until 1772, when part of the fort was destroyed by a great rise of water in the Mississippi river. The English garrison was then removed to Kaskaskia.
In 1763 the population of what is now the State of Illinois, did not exceed three thousand. About one-third left the country upon its change of masters; so that when the English took possession, the entire population, including French, English and negroes, was about two thousand. Speaking of their new seat of government, Rev. John M. Peck says: " In olden time, Kaskaskia was to Illinois what Paris is at this day to France. Both were, at their respective days, the great emporiums of fashion, gayety, and I must say, happiness also. In the year 1721 the Jesuits erected a monas- tery and college in the village of Kaskaskia, and a few years afterwards it was ehar- tered by the French government. Kaskaskia for many years was the largest town west of the Alleghaney mountains. It was a tolerable place before the existence of Pitts- burgh, Cincinnati or New Orleans."
The English government became fairly settled in their occupation of the country wrested from France, and then commenced that series of parliamentary enactments for the taxation of the American colonies, without permitting them to have any voiee in her national councils, which led to the revolutionary struggle. Open hostilities com- menced at Lexington, Massachusetts, April 19, 1775. Couriers were despatched, on the most fleet-footed horses, and in a very few days the infant colonies were ablaze with excitement, and the call to arms was responded to from Maine to Georgia. The first Congress met in Philadelphia, Sept. 5, 1774, and continued its meetings by successive adjournments, until July 4, 1776, when the American colonies were declared to be free and independent States. The familiar events of the war for independence, followed each other in quick succession, until all parties were engaged in the conflict along the Atlantic coast; but there were British outposts in the west which had until 1778 re- mained undisturbed. It was known that these posts were depots for supplying the Indians with arms and ammunition, that they might practice deeds of cruelty and mur- der against the frontier settlers. The general government had not power to command without consent of the States, even the limited resources of the country; but what there was, in the way of soldiers, seemed imperatively demanded on the seaboard. Under these circumstances, Colonel George Rogers Clarke, of Virginia, volunteered to lead an expedition against the British garrison west of the Alleghanies; and the Governor and Couneil of Virginia took the responsibility of sending him out. Two sets of instructions were given him: One, which was public, was for Col. Clarke to raise
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