History of Coles County, Illinois
By Charles Edward Wilson
© 1905
Transcribed by Kim Torp and Judy Anderson
Chapter III
--------------
Early Settlements
-------------
LAND SYSTEM AND GOVERNMENT SURVEYS--NAMES AND LOCATION OF EARLY SETTLERS--DATE OF ARRIVAL AND WHENCE THEY CAME--THE PARKER FAMILY CAME IN 1824--OTHER EARLY COMERS--THE BATES, DOTY, BURR, DUDLEY AND OTHER FAMILIES ARRIVED IN 1825-1826--QUOTATIONS FROM PECK'S GAZETTEER REGARDING EARLY SETTLEMENTS--THE WABASH POINT, GOOSE NEST PRAIRIE, DRY GROVE, INDIAN CREEK, DUDLEY, MUDDY POINT, ASHMORE, CUTLER, DEAD MAN'S GROVE, HICKORY CREEK, EMBARRAS AND WHITLEY SETTLEMENTS-- DR. JOHN CARRICO FIRST REPRESENTATIVE IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
All the lands of Coles County at the time of its settlement, except Section No. 16 in each township, which was
set apart for schools, were a part of the public domain, subject to purchase or to entry under the Public Land
Act. These lands had been surveyed. The surveyor is the true pioneer. He is the path-finder; he blazes the way;
he must come before any rights to the land can be established by the citizen. George Washington was a surveyor.
Daniel Boone, George Rogers Clark and others known to fame in those colonial days as pioneer of the West, were
either skilled surveyors or assisted in that work.
After much and long discussion, the statesmen of our national infancy days decided that a congressional township should be six miles square, containing an area of thirty-six sections. Each full section should be a mile square and consist of 640 acres. The 36 sections composing a congressional township are numbered from 1 to 36, beginning at the upper right hand (north-east) corner of the township and numbering west to No. 6; then dropping to the next tier of sections below (south) and numbering east to No. 12; then down to 13 and west to 18, and so on. These townships are described with reference to a base-line and a meridian-line. The base-line for Coles County "Commences at Diamond Island in the Ohio, opposite Indiana, and runs due west till it strikes the Mississippi a few miles below St. Louis." The "Third Principal Meridian," from which are numbered the ranges in the greater part of Coles County, is a line running due north from the mouth of the Ohio. The "Second Principal Meridian" is a line extended due north from the mouth of the Little Blue River in Indiana.
In describing Mattoon, for instance, we may say it covers Sections 13 and 14, Town 12 North, Range 7 East of the Third Principal Meridian -- meaning that those sections are in the 12th Congressional township North of the Base Line referred to, and in the Seventh Range of townships east of the line called the Third Principal Meridian.
List of Early Settlers. -- The following is a list which, though not complete, is, perhaps, as nearly so as can
be made, of those settlers (heads of families) who came here previous to 1840. The localities where they settled
are given in a general way, as within the territory now included in certain townships or as in the neighborhood
of some "point" of timber. Many names are given without stating when or whence they came, because authentic
information on those points could not be had; but in all such cases, the parties came at some time in the 'thirties.
There are doubtless errors and omissions in the list given, but it is believed to be in the main substantially correct. Many of the men named came, remained a short time and then left, hence but little is known about them. But the reader will recognize many names of progenitors of men and women now living among us, and a great deal of history is given in the mere making of this list:
Ashmore Township
|
Settler |
Whence Emigrated |
Year of Arrival |
|
S.H. Ashmore |
Clark Co., Ill. |
1828 |
|
William Austin |
Tennessee |
1828 |
|
Laban Burr |
New York |
1826 |
|
Enos Barnes |
Kentucky |
1830 |
|
Wm. H. Brown |
Edgar Co., Ill. |
1839 |
|
Alfred Brooks |
Ohio |
1829 |
|
William Brooks |
Ohio |
|
|
Archibald Brooks |
Ohio |
1827 |
|
William Birch |
England |
1836 |
|
William Barnes |
Kentucky |
1828-1830 |
|
William Bitner |
Pennsylvania |
1829 |
|
Simon Bitner |
Pennsylvania |
1838 |
|
Adam Cox |
Tennessee |
1827 |
|
John Carter |
Kentucky |
1830 |
|
John Cutler |
Ohio |
1829 |
|
John Cheesman |
Ohio |
1828-1829 |
|
James Clark |
Kentucky |
1833 |
|
Edward Cox |
Virginia |
1836 |
|
James Cox |
Tennessee |
|
|
Hiram Cornwell |
Kentucky |
1830-32 |
|
Pleasant Combs |
Tennessee |
1830 |
|
John Coon |
Kentucky |
|
|
Henry Coon |
Kentucky |
|
|
James Dudley |
New Hampshire |
1826 |
|
Guilford Dudley |
New Hampshire |
1826 |
|
Moses Dudley |
New Hampshire |
1830 |
|
Joseph Epperson |
Kentucky |
1834 |
|
Green Epperson |
Kentucky |
1834 |
|
Alfred Elkins |
Kentucky |
1834 |
|
Wm. H. Galbreath |
Kentucky |
1831 |
|
Aris Galbreath |
Kentucky |
1833 |
|
David Golladay |
Virginia |
1830 |
|
Samuel Grossheart |
Kentucky |
1833 |
|
Christopher Grove |
Virginia |
1828 |
|
Joseph Henry |
Kentucky |
Before 1833 |
|
Peter K. Honn |
Kentucky |
1835-6 |
|
John Hackett |
Kentucky |
1835 |
|
Thos. W. Hallock |
New York |
1837 |
|
James Hite |
Kentucky |
1831 |
|
Samuel Hoge |
Kentucky |
1834 |
|
Ellis Hix |
Kentucky |
1832 |
|
Benjamin Harding |
Kentucky |
|
|
Thomas Harding |
Kentucky |
|
|
James Hughbanks |
Kentucky |
1828 |
|
Thomas Hughbanks |
Kentucky |
1828 |
|
John Hughbanks |
Kentucky |
1828 |
|
Wm. Jones |
Kentucky |
1831 |
|
Vinson Johnson |
Indiana |
|
|
Patrick Kern |
Ohio |
1837 |
|
Jacob Keigley |
Pennsylvania |
1838 |
|
John Laffler |
Ohio |
1837 |
|
William Mack |
Kentucky |
1833 |
|
John Mitchell |
Indiana |
1828 |
|
Matthew McLain |
Ohio |
1828 |
|
James Moffett |
Virginia |
1838 |
|
Thomas Mitchell |
Virginia |
1838 |
|
John H. Modrell |
Tennessee |
1832-33 |
|
Geo. Modrell |
Tennessee |
1832-33 |
|
Andrew Modrell |
Tennessee |
1832-33 |
|
Jesse Meadows |
Tennessee |
1832-33 |
|
Brant Moody |
|
1839 |
|
John T. Olmsted |
Kentucky |
1837 |
|
Capt. Chas. D. Phelps |
Kentucky |
1830 |
|
John B. Prince |
Tennessee |
1835 |
|
John Poulter |
Kentucky |
1836 |
|
Ezekiel Peddigrew |
|
|
|
Thomas Reed |
Kentucky |
1830 |
|
George Roop |
Indiana |
|
|
James Rouse |
|
|
|
John K. Spears |
Kentucky |
1834 |
|
David Sousley |
Kentucky |
1828 |
|
Christopher Sousley |
Kentucky |
1828 |
|
Peter Sublett |
Kentucky |
1830 |
|
James Sublett |
Kentucky |
1830 |
|
Joseph B. Scott |
Kentucky |
1828-29 |
|
Gideon Satterlee |
Ohio |
1833-34 |
|
Wm. Shoot |
Kentucky |
|
|
Henry G. Smith |
Ohio |
1831-32 |
|
-.-. Scammahorn |
|
|
|
Fountain Turner |
Kentucky |
1834 |
|
John Tutwiler |
Kentucky |
1836 |
|
George Tiff |
Kentucky |
bef. 1830 |
|
Reuben Tuttle |
|
|
|
Charles Thomas |
Pennsylvania |
1838 |
|
James Wells |
Kentucky |
1830 |
|
William Woods |
Kentucky |
1834 |
|
John Wright |
Kentucky |
1829 |
|
Reason Wiley |
Kentucky |
1828 |
|
Darius Wiley |
Kentucky |
1839 |
|
Aden Wiley |
Kentucky |
1837 |
|
Ira Wiley |
Kentucky |
1839 |
|
Samuel Wiley |
Kentucky |
1831-32 |
|
Dow Pearson Wiley |
Kentucky |
1831-32 |
|
John Wiley |
Kentucky |
1831 |
|
Eli Wiley |
Kentucky |
1839 |
|
George Warfield |
Maryland |
1837 |
|
David Woodall |
Tennessee |
1829 |
|
Robert Waters |
Ohio |
1829-30 |
|
Patrick White |
|
|
Charleston Township
|
Settler |
Whence Emigrated |
Year of Arrival |
|
James Y. Brown |
Tennessee |
1831 |
|
Charles R. Briggs |
New York |
1839 |
|
Christiana Gray Bovell (widow) |
Paris, Ill. |
1835 |
|
Mrs. Elizabeth Bloyer (widow) |
Pennsylvania |
1837-38 |
|
Edmund Curd |
Kentucky |
1836 |
|
Wm. Collom |
Tennessee |
1831 |
|
Reuben Canterbury |
Kentucky |
1832 |
|
Dr. John Carrico |
Kentucky |
1830-31 |
|
Michael W. Cossell |
W. Virginia |
1829 |
|
Michael Cossell, Sr. |
W. Virginia |
1830 |
|
Isaac Cossell |
W. Virginia |
1830 |
|
Solomon Cossell |
W. Virginia |
1830 |
|
Albert Compton |
Indiana |
1833 |
|
Thos. G. Chambers |
Kentucky |
1838 |
|
Wm. Duty |
1829 |
|
|
Alexander P. Dunbar |
Kentucky |
1831 |
|
Henry Clay Dunbar |
Kentucky |
1831 |
|
Jacob K. Decker |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
1836 |
|
Thos. S. Dowling |
Virginia |
1836 |
|
John M. Eastin |
Indiana |
1828 |
|
Van S. Eastin |
Indiana |
1826 |
|
Charles Eastin |
Indiana |
1830 |
|
David Eastin |
1830-31 |
|
|
Nathan Ellington |
Virginia |
|
|
O.B. Ficklin |
Kentucky |
1837 |
|
Wm. Frost |
Virginia |
1830-31 |
|
Dr. Aaron Ferguson |
Indiana |
1830 |
|
Levi Flenner |
Virginia |
|
|
Abraham Flenner |
Virginia |
|
|
Joseph Fowler |
Tennessee |
1836-38 |
|
Robert Fleming |
1830 |
|
|
Leander Gillingwater |
Virginia |
1830-31 |
|
Enoch Glassco |
Kentucky |
1829-30 |
|
Harmon Gregg |
1827 |
|
|
Robert Gray |
Tennessee |
1831 |
|
Wm. Gilman |
Edgar Co., Ill. |
1838 |
|
Levi Hackett |
Kentucky |
1835 |
|
John Huffman |
Kentucky |
1834 |
|
--. --. Harman |
||
|
R.D. Hodges |
Kentucky |
1832 |
|
John R. Jeffries |
Tennessee |
1835 |
|
Wm. Janes |
Bef. 1827 |
|
|
Usher F. Linder |
Kentucky |
|
|
Jonathan Linder |
Virginia |
1829-30 |
|
William Linder |
Indiana |
1835 |
|
Lewis |
Tennessee |
1827 |
|
Robert Lightfoot |
Kentucky |
1836 |
|
Lester |
1826 |
|
|
Isaac Lewis |
||
|
Loyd |
||
|
Stephen Miller |
Kentucky |
|
|
Charles S. Morton |
Kentucky |
1829-30 |
|
James A. Mitchell |
Tennessee |
1833 |
|
Byrd Monroe |
Kentucky |
1834 |
|
John Monroe |
Kentucky |
1834 |
|
Thos. J. March |
Kentucky |
1836 |
|
James McCrory |
Kentucky |
1837 |
|
James M. Miller |
Kentucky |
1838 |
|
Thomas A. Marshall |
Kentucky |
1839 |
|
H.R. Norfolk |
Kentucky |
1833 |
|
Thos. Nordyke |
Virginia |
|
|
Michael Owens |
||
|
Nathaniel Parker |
||
|
Alexander Perkins |
Indiana |
1836 |
|
Rev. John H. Robertson |
Tennessee |
1829-30 |
|
James Riley |
Crawford Co., Ill.. |
1826-27 |
|
James Reat |
Ohio |
1839 |
|
Thos. Stoddert |
Kentucky |
1836 |
|
Richard Stoddert |
Kentucky |
1838 |
|
Hiram Steepleton |
Tennessee |
1827 |
|
Arick A. Sutherland |
Edgar Co., Ill. |
1828 |
|
Samuel Shoemaker |
Virginia |
1834 |
|
John Shoemaker |
Virginia |
1834 |
|
Mary Stoddert (widow) |
Kentucky |
|
|
Dr. Thos. B. Trower |
Shelbyville, Ill. |
1836 |
|
John Veach |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
1828 |
|
James Wiley |
Edgar Co. , Ill. |
1835 |
|
James Whitney |
Kentucky |
|
Settler |
Came From |
Arrived |
|
Thomas Afflick |
Scotland |
1836 |
|
L.E. Archer |
Vermont |
1835 |
|
Samuel Ashmore |
Tennessee |
1829 |
|
Hezekiah J. Ashmore |
Tennessee |
1831 |
|
W. L. Ashmore |
Kentucky |
1832 |
|
John L. Berry |
Kentucky |
1830 |
|
Josiah Black |
||
|
Leonard Bell |
Kentucky |
1832 |
|
Thomas Blair |
Ohio |
1832 |
|
Solomon Boyers |
Ohio |
1832 |
|
Burson |
Ohio |
1835 |
|
Wm. Chadd |
Indiana |
|
|
Daniel Campbell |
Ohio |
1832 |
|
Wm. Curtis |
Ohio |
1832 |
|
Jackson Chaney |
Kentucky |
1833 |
|
Dr. Sterling Combs |
1836 |
|
|
Hiram Donica |
Kentucky |
1833 |
|
John Daugherty |
Kentucky |
1833 |
|
Peter Gobert |
France |
1837 |
|
Jerry Hunter |
Ohio |
1832 |
|
James D. Hunt |
Kentucky |
1834-36 |
|
Andrew Hite |
Ohio |
1835 |
|
Lyman Keyes |
New York |
|
|
Almon Keyes |
New York |
|
|
Daniel Keyes |
New York |
|
|
John King |
Virginia |
1832 |
|
Alexander Laughlin |
Virginia |
1830 |
|
Moses Luce |
Ohio |
1832 |
|
Frank Lucas |
Kentucky |
1834 |
|
Dr. Montague |
|
1837 |
|
Gideon Minor |
Kentucky |
1832 |
|
Whitfield W. Morrison |
Virginia |
1831 |
|
Eli Morrison |
Virginia |
1831 |
|
Thomas McCord |
Tennessee |
1832 |
|
David McCord |
Tennessee |
1832 |
|
Newton McCord |
Tennessee |
1832 |
|
William Mundell |
Kentucky |
1834 |
|
Wm. Nokes |
Kentucky |
|
|
Dr. Wm. Patton |
1838 |
|
|
Stanton Pemberton |
Virginia |
1831 |
|
Daniel B. Powers |
Ohio |
1838 |
|
Asa Redden |
Kentucky |
1830 |
|
James Redden |
Kentucky |
1830 |
|
Eli Sargent |
Ohio |
1830 |
|
Enoch Sears |
Ohio |
1833 |
|
James Smith |
Kentucky |
1833 |
|
David Winkler |
Ohio |
1834 |
|
John Woodall |
Ohio |
|
|
Martin Zimmerman |
Virginia |
1837 |
Hutton Township
|
Settler |
Came From |
Arrived |
|
John Ashby |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
1830 |
|
Rev. John Adams |
Ohio |
1838 |
|
Rev. Matthew Baker |
1831 |
|
|
George Baha |
Kentucky |
|
|
Wm. Beavers |
Clark Co., Ill. |
1833 |
|
Solomon B. Brandenburg |
Indiana |
1829 |
|
John W. Brooks |
S. Carolina |
1836 |
|
Wm. Barick |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
1832 |
|
John Barick |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
1832 |
|
Henry Barick |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
1832 |
|
John Bensley |
Ohio |
1837 |
|
John Baker |
Ohio |
1838 |
|
Jeremiah Cooper |
N. Carolina |
1837 |
|
Reddick Cartright |
Tennessee |
1827-28 |
|
Eleven Cartright |
Tennessee |
1827-28 |
|
Anthony Cox |
Virginia |
1828 |
|
Joel Connolly |
Indiana |
1832 |
|
George Cottingham |
Kentucky |
1837 |
|
John J. Cottingham |
Kentucky |
1837 |
|
Coburn |
1830 |
|
|
Albert Carney |
Ohio |
1837 |
|
Francis Carney |
Ohio |
1837 |
|
John C. Davis |
Indiana |
1829 |
|
Hugh Doyle |
Kentucky |
1830 |
|
Thos. Dallas |
Ohio |
1839 |
|
Andrew Endsley |
Ohio |
1838 |
|
Jacob Evinger |
Ohio |
1831 |
|
Henry Evinger |
Ohio |
1831 |
|
Frederick Evinger |
Ohio |
1831 |
|
Daniel Easton |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
1833 |
|
Benjamin Eaton |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
|
|
George Giffin |
||
|
George Goodman |
1833 |
|
|
Simon Gilbert |
Kentucky |
1838 |
|
Dr. Peter Garrison |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
1834-35 |
|
Daniel Goble |
Kentucky |
1832-33 |
|
John Hutton |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
1834 |
|
Geo. K. Harris |
||
|
John Hulin |
||
|
Joseph Handley |
||
|
Elisha Hadden |
||
|
Wm. Ingram |
Vermilion Co., Ill. |
1835 |
|
Pleasant Ingram |
Vermilion Co., Ill. |
1835 |
|
Henry Ingram |
Vermilion Co., Ill. |
1838 |
|
John Irving |
Virginia |
1830-32 |
|
Chas. Irving |
Virginia |
1830-32 |
|
Benjamin Irving |
Virginia |
1830-32 |
|
Jeremiah Johns |
Virginia |
1838 |
|
James Johns |
Virginia |
1838 |
|
Wm. B. Johnston |
Ohio |
1838 |
|
James Kelley |
1827 |
|
|
Nicholas Lemming |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
1835 |
|
John Little |
||
|
James Lytle |
Ohio |
1838 |
|
John McMorris |
Virginia |
1839 |
|
Benj. McMorris |
Virginia |
1839 |
|
Chas. R. Martin |
Kentucky |
1837 |
|
James Nees |
1826 |
|
|
Eli Nees |
1826 |
|
|
Henry Nees |
1826 |
|
|
Abijah Neal |
1838 |
|
|
Wm. Orchard |
Kentucky |
1832 |
|
John Parker |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
1824 |
|
Daniel Parker |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
1824 |
|
Benjamin Parker |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
1824 |
|
Silas Parker |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
1824 |
|
George Parker |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
1824 |
|
James Parker |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
1824 |
|
George Parker |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
1825-1826 |
|
Samuel Parker |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
1825-1826 |
|
Daniel Parker |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
1825-1826 |
|
Jeptha Parker |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
1825-1826 |
|
William Parker |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
1825-1826 |
|
Rev. Chas. Pennington |
Pennsylvania |
1833 |
|
Joseph Painter |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
1825-1826 |
|
Rev. Samuel Peppers |
Kentucky |
1836 |
|
John Rennels |
Indiana |
1837 |
|
Wm. Rennels |
Indiana |
1837 |
|
James Rennels |
Indiana |
1832 |
|
Wm. Stevens |
Kentucky |
1830 |
|
Stephen Sargent |
Kentucky |
1838 |
|
Wm Stivers |
Kentucky |
1830 |
|
Wm. Stewart |
Virginia |
1831 |
|
Stephen Stone |
Kentucky |
1832 |
|
G.W. Smith |
Kentucky |
1839 |
|
Wm. Steeley |
Indiana |
1832 |
|
Franklin Strader |
Indiana |
1832-34 |
|
Jas. Strader |
Indiana |
1832-34 |
|
John Strader |
Indiana |
1832-34 |
|
Stansberry |
Kentucky |
|
|
Swisher |
||
|
John Tincher |
||
|
Griffin Tipsoward |
Kentucky |
1825-1826 |
|
Richard O. Wells |
Kentucky |
1838 |
|
John M. Walker |
Indiana |
1833 |
|
David Weaver |
Indiana |
1833 |
|
Wm. Waldruff |
1828 |
|
|
John Waltrip |
Kentucky |
1835 |
|
Wm. Williams |
Kentucky |
1835 |
|
Rev. Stanley B. Walker |
Kentucky |
1830-32 |
|
Wils Waltrip |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
1830 |
|
Todd Waltrip |
Crawford Co., Ill. |
1830 |
|
Coley Wells |
||
|
John Wilkerson |
Indiana |
1832 |
|
--. --. Woodson |
||
|
Coleman Wright |
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