CHAPTER III.

 PIONEERS AND EARLY SETTLERS.

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     THE facts contained in the pages of this chapter have been patiently gathered from all attainable sources of information.  Nothing has been omitted which casts light upon the past of the county, nor has an earnest endeavor been wanting to make the narrative complete.
     A record of the brave men and women who first settled in this county, and laid the foundations of the prosperity we enjoy to-day, cannot fail to prove at once interesting and instructive.  They, through  unremitting toil and hardship, through sacrifice and danger, have made possible the degree of comfort and leisure and culture now enjoyed, and jointly with the settlers of other sections have assisted the progress of science, letters and philosophy in this great valley.  The germ of our beneficent system of free schools was planted by their hands and watered by their care.  They brought with them the elevating ceremonies of a pure religion, and the great ideas of personal freedom, and the brotherhood of mankind.  They

"Travailed in pain with the births of God,
And planted a State with prayers;"

and that great State presses closely on to her predestined place, as the first among a glorious sisterhood.
     We are heirs and also debtors of the past.  It is not creditable to us that we so easily forget our great obligation to the hardy men and women who more than half a century ago traveled westward into this part of the great Mississippi basin, and changed the wilderness into a fertile land, and made it to "blossom as the rose."  Most of their number have gone to the narrow house appointed for all the living, and the tomb which received their worn frames received also the host of recollections, anecdotes and reminiscences which was of almost priceless value.  A few well nigh worn out with the battle and toil of life linger among a generation for whom they have done much.  From them have been gathered directly or indirectly the facts composing this chapter.  They deserve well of their country; and as we reap the grand harvest their hands have sown, we can at least cause them to feel that they are held in high honor, and that their deeds, trials and distresses will be ever held in grateful remembrance.
     The early settlers brought with them little we call wealth, but they brought what are of more value to him who would subdue a wilderness, frugal habits, stout muscles and brave hearts.
     Before speaking more specifically of the pioneers and first settlers of Macon county, it is proper to speak briefly of the Indians who roamed over this land at the time the pioneer built his hut.  Never did a race inspire more romantic contemplation, or suffer more speedily a disastrous fate.  They perished when they came in contact with our civilization, almost as the hues of sunset fade when you look at them through the telescope ; or as the odor of the rose vanishes when you attempt to analyze it.  Before they could be studied as men or as nations, as families or tribes, they had disappeared, or at least had fallen below the level of scientific observation.  We, therefore, know but little of them.  Their origin is a mystery; their history a myth; their language mostly unknown and their literature a blank.  But their misfortunes, no less than their brotherhood in the race, entitle them to remembrance, and the interests of historical and ethnological science prompt to collect every item of knowledge which remains to illustrate, in any way, their history.
     It seems clear that they were not the first denizens of the soil but that America was the home of a prior race, and evidence is not wanting that this race was preceded by another.  Of the race directly preceding the Indians there remains but a meagre record.  A few mounds, some beads, a small variety of earth-made ware, stone hammers, implements for dressing skins, and now and then one of their idols of religious worship, together with a few articles of luxury, dissipation or ornament, are all of their domestic or public life left us.  To describe them were impossible, and to write their history would be to set forth the “baseless fabric of a vision.”
     The Indian race which succeeded was numerous less than a century ago, but we know little of them.  They were a hunter race.  They practiced scarcely one of the arts of peace.  They were sheltered by wigwams; they had rarely fixed boundaries for their tribes.  And so we can remember only a brief day of their history.  They were, and are not.  They preceded us, but left the country no better for their labors.  We can scarcely be grateful.  We find their gimlets, arrow-heads, spear-heads, flesh-scrapers, spades and hammers, all made of stone, and demanding infinite patience for their manufacture.  They delved as patiently as their neighbors, the beavers, yet despised labor and imposed it as a degrading burden on their women.  We alternately pity and despise them; admire their sublime stoicism, and sicken at their abominable cruelties.  We use the maize which they sometimes cultivated, and stupefy ourselves with the smoke of the tobacco they taught us to consume.  Their modes of life were individual rather than social.  They were cunning and cruel, cautious and brave.  Like the lion, they sprang unawares from ambush upon their victim, and from a lurking place would speed the arrow into the back of an enemy.  Yet they could endure torture with stoic indifference, and look a single foe in the face with Spartan determination.
     The Kickapoo Indians occupied this portion of the country before the advent of the whites, and a remnant of this once powerful and warlike tribe was found here when the first settlements were made. This tribe was at peace with the whites, so that there are no blood-curdling tales of midnight attacks on defenceless settlements to re- count.  Nevertheless troubles arose sometimes between the “intruding pale face ” and the red man, and impartial history records that the whites were the cause of the disagreements.  Until 1825-6 from 200 to 500 Indians would, at certain seasons of the year, camp in the vicinity of the trading-house of the Lortons.  In 1827 a company of twelve men was formed to drive a band of Indians out of the settlements for threats made against the most turbulent of the Ward family, on account of injuries received from him.  The last appearance of Indians in Macon county was in 1828 when a band of braves, twelve in number, with their squaws and pappooses came into the settlements.  They soon departed, but were overtaken by a company of men commanded by John Ward.  Smith Mounce of the Ward party, wrested a gun from an Indian after a struggle, but returned it by order of his captain.  The Indians were then ordered to leave, and warned never to return, and the warning was heeded.  The Kickapoos, thus associated with the history of Macon county, after leaving Illinois lived for many years on a beautiful reservation in the eastern part of Kansas.  The rapid settlement of that State by the whites compelled them to enter into a new treaty with the government, and remove further west.

EARLY SETTLEMENT.

     The history of Macon county is singular in this, that the first settlers came to stay.  The list of genuine pioneers is short, comprising but two or three names.
     A pioneer is "one who goes before to clear the way."  He is the skirmisher of the van-guard of civilization, and never goes into per-

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manent quarters.  He sows the seed, but leaves others to gather the harvest.  He is never happy but when upon the frontier.  When the tracking columns of those seeking homes appear, he plunges deeper into the western wilderness.  Let him not be despised.  His mission is to spy out the land and direct the footsteps of the swarming millions behind him.
     Europe was a thousand years in passing the pioneer stage of her history; ours will be finished in three hundred, and soon the old and careless pioneer will exist only in story and in song.
     Reynolds, in his History of Illinois, says of the pioneers:  "They were rough in personal appearance, yet kind, social and generous.  They were hunters and stock-growers, and confined their agricultural operations chiefly to corn.  They were brave, prompt and decided in war, yet liberal and magnanimous to a subdued foe.  They were hospitable and generous, and ready to share with newly arrived strangers their last loaf.”

     The first white men who settled in this county were the brothers Lorton, from St. Joe, Michigan.  They were the brothers Lorton, from St. Joe, Michigan.  They were Indian traders, and built a trading house twelve miles north-east of Decatur in 1816.  As has been said, the Indians were at that time numerous, and the Lortons carried on a thriving trade until 1825-6, when the Indians ceased to visit this part of the country except in very small companies.  The Indians engaged in hunting and trapping, and exchanged at the trading house furs and other articles, for blankets, ammunition, whiskey, &c.  When trade ceased to be profitable the Lortons went back to Michigan.  They have no claim to the honor of being the first settlers in the county, as their venture was purely a business one, and they only intended to make a temporary residence.

     The first genuine pioneer was the bee-hunter and trapper, William Downing.  Wild honey was plentiful, and two hundred and sixteen pounds have been obtained from one tree, while fur-bearing animals abounded.  Downing came from near Vandalia in the fall of 1820, and built a log cabin on the south side of the Sangamon, near the site of the residence of Capt. D. L.  All in, and this was the first building erected for a residence within the limits of the county.  When John Ward came in 1824 Downing sold out his improvments to him and removed to Bond county, Illinois, where he lived for many years.  It is a matter of regret that but little information has come down to us of the professional hunter and trapper who made the first settlement in the county.

     The first permanent settler of Macon county was Leonard Stevens, Sr.  He built a log house in 1821 or '22 (most probably the latter) on Steven's creek, three miles north-west of Decatur.  This became the nucleus of what was called the Stevens settlement.

     It should be stated that the early settlements were made along the water courses, in the edge of timber, where an abundance of wood and water were handy.  In an early date it was not thought the prairies could ever be settled.  In many places they were marshy, and so infested with flies and other insects that the settler was compelled to cross them with a team, and could only travel in the night time.

     Mr. Stevens was a native of Connecticut, and was born in 1765.  He was married in Connecticut to Alice Gates, also a native of that State, who was born in 1765, and survived her husband one year.  Shortly after his marriage he emigrated to New York, where their children were born.  They removed to Randolph county, Illinois, in 1818, distinguished as the year in which Illinois was made a State.  From there he removed to Macon county.  With him came Thomas Cowan, one of the commissioners appointed to select a site for the county seat.  Mr. Stevens had a large family; seven sons and two daughters.  Their names were Buel, Keziah, Leonard, Jr., Augustus, Luther, Dorus, Joseph, Harriet and James.  Joseph died not long since, and at the time of his death, was the oldest settler of the county.

     Joseph Sttevens was born in New York,  in 1808, and was thirteen years of age when he came to this county with his father. In 1830 he was married to Mary Warnick, daughter of William Warnick, the first sheriff of Macon county.  He had three children by his first wife, Francis M., Wm. Henry and James M.  His second wife was Mrs. Cunningham, nee Sentenay, who was a native of Kentucky.  By her he had one child, Cyrus.  The descendants of Leonard Stevens were numerous and some of them are now residents of this county.

     The first settlements were on the north and south side of the Sangamon river.  That on the north was  known as the Stevens settlement, that on the south as the Ward settlement.  Those comprising the Stevens settlements were from New York, Virginia and Ohio, and were called Yankees by those of the other settlement who were from the Carolinas and Tennessee.  The feeling between the two settlements was not very friendly, and fights were not uncommon.  Many of the Ward settlement had served in the army under General Jackson, and were very proud of the fact

     Macon county was organized in 1829.   Until 1828 the two settlements included about all the inhabitants who lived within the present limits of the county.   In that year a wave of immigration poured into the county, and the settlements began rapidly to extend up and down the river.  When Macon county was organized its area was much greater than at present; for it then included all of what is now De Witt county, except the northern tier of townships, all of Piatt except one township, and about half of Moultrie county.
     The loss of so much territory occasioned no dissatisfaction, as at that time it was not thought the prairies would ever be cultivated, and the expense of maintaining roads was felt to be a burden.  There seems to have been no immigration in 1823, but in 1824 came the Ward families from the vicinity of Vandalia.  John Ward, Sr., was a native of England, born in 1769.  In his youth he emigrated to South Carolina, where he married Mary Ward, a native of Ireland, born in 1768.  They removed to Tennessee, and then in a few years to Logan county, Kentucky, where Mr. Ward died.  The mother remained until October, 1819, at which time the family removed to the youthful State of Illinois, settling eleven miles from Vandalia.  On arriving in the county they settled on the south side of the river.  The family was a large one.  The eldest son, Jerry, was born in South Carolina in 1788.  He married in Kentucky, removed from this county first to Missouri and then to Texas, where he resided till his death.  John Ward, Jr., was also a native of South Carolina, and was married in Kentucky.  He had a family of seventeen children; died in 1831 and was buried at Walnut Grove.  James, also, was born in South Carolina, and was married in Kentucky.  He went to Missouri, then to Texas, where he died.  Sarah, Margaret, Polly and Lucy were all born in South Carolina.  Sarah became the wife of William Gambrel, in Kentucky, and died in Texas.  Margaret was married in Kentucky to Elisha Freeman, one of the first commissioners of this county.  She died in 1873 . Polly married William Freeman, and lives in Missouri.  Lucy became the wife of Hiram Reavis, and became a resident of Missouri.  William was born in South Carolina in 1802, and came to Illinois in 1819.  He was the father of Franklin, Hiram and John Ward.  The other children were Thomas, born in 1804, who died in Christian county; Nancy, born in 1806, who died in Missouri, and whose children yet live there; and Lewis B., born in 1809.  To the latter are we indebted for the information relating to the family.

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     It seems probable that about the time the Wards came, the Spragues became residents here.  Indeed, it is thought by some, that the third house in the county was built by Abraham Sprague, just south of the fair ground, and that the fourth house was built by Hubble Sprague on the site of the fair ground.  They came from New York.  Another early settler was William King who settled a short distance south of the Spragues.  He probably built on Steven's creek, in 1826, the first mill in the county.  This was afterwards owned by Mr. Renshaw, and was called Renshaw's mill.

     The year 1825 witnessed the arrival of quite a number of good citizens.  Among them we mention Benj. R. Austin, a native of Virginia, and a surveyor by profession.  He laid out the plat for the original town of Decatur; was for many years justice of the peace.  He married Margaret Warnick, by whom he had nine children.  The same year also came Wm. Warnick, a native of North Carolina, born in 1784.  He first moved to Tennessee and thence to this county.  He bore a conspicuous and honorable part in the early history of this county; was its first sheriff, holding that office from its organization until 1835; was a captain of rangers during the Black Hawk war, in which he was slightly wounded.  It was during his term of office as sheriff that Redmon and Wyatt were whipped, receiving 39 and 21 lashes respectively by order of the court.  The sheriff himself laid them on.  He died in 1855.

     Mr. Warnick's children were John, Margaret, Polly, (who married Joseph Stevens) James, Lucinda, Clark, Ira, Robert and Sarah.  When Abraham Lincoln came with his father to Illinois, he first became a resident of Macon county.  His mind was accidentally determined towards the profession of law by the perusal of some law books at the house of “Uncle Billy Warnick.”  It came about in this way: He went to Uncle Billy’s house to see one of the girls, but in going got his feet badly frosted, and was, for a week or ten days, unable to return home.  While under the medical treatment of old Mrs. Warnick, he began the study of the stray law-books owned by Uncle Billy.

     In 1825 also came David Florey, a native of Virginia, born 1803, and settled in what was soon to be known as Macon county.   He was first married to I:sabella Wright, also born in Virginia.  Jerome Florey was the issue of this union.  His second wife was Rachael, Rittenhouse, by whom he had three children:  J. W., Melissa J. and Franklin   With him came P. D. Williams and Mr. Epperson.  David Florey, the well known farmer and stock raiser, yet lives in Whitmore township.  One account states that Mr. Draper came with him, but this is an error, as Mr. Draper did not arrive until nearly three years later.  The same year also came Samuel and Joseph Widick, and possibly also Jacob and George.  They were brothers of John Widick.

     The next year Edmund McDaniel, a young man, came with his family to cast his lot with the feeble settlement.  A native of Georgia, he emigrated first to Tennessee, and then to Illinois, settling first near Vandalia.  He came to Macon county in 1826.  He was married in Kentucky to Margaret Widick, daughter of John Widick and was a member of the first grand jury.  He reared a large family, and was a good citizen.  Wm. W. McDaniel, a good farmer in South Wheatland township, and one of the oldest and most respected residents, came to the county in 1825.

     John Widick was born in Virginia, and settled here in 1826.  The maiden name of his wife was Cohorine Traughber; she died most probably in 1832. Their union was blessed with eleven children.

     Emanuel Widick settled here the same year.  He was born in Tennessee in 1806.  He married Sarah A Cox.  They both died in 1863; Mr. Widick in March, and Mrs. Widick in December of that year.  Their children numbered nine.

     In October, 1826, John McMennamhy, a native of Tennessee and a brother-in-law of James Ward, arrived.  In 1839 he removed to Texas, where he died.

     The year 1827 witnessed a greater immigration than any previous one; and from this time on the tide of immigration was to set in more strongly.  Prominent amongst the arrivals was Benjamin Wilson, who was one of the first board of county commissioners, and assisted in the organization of the county.  He held the office for many years.  His native State was North Carolina, from which he emigrated to Tennessee, where he was married to Jane Warnick, a sister of “Uncle Billy,” the first sheriff of Macon county.  From thence he removed to Illinois with his family, which eventually grew to be a large one; and many of the name are yet in the county.  The same year saw the arrival of John Hanks, the friend of Lincoln, and a native of Kentucky, born in 1802.  Before leaving Kentucky he married Susan Wilson, whose age was about the same as his own.  He settled on Stevens’ creek.  Two of their children, William and Lewis, were born in Kentucky.  Five more were born after their settlement on Stevens’ creek.

     This year came also Eldridge H. McDaniel, a young man of twenty years, who, notwithstanding his youth, had for a whole year rejoiced in the possession of a wife.  His wife’s maiden name was Mary Pope.  They continued to reside here until their death.  Mr. M. died in 1859, and his wife in 1871.  They reared a large family.

     Dempsey Pope, a native of North Carolina, settled on Mosquito creek in 1827. On leaving his native State he settled first in Tennessee.  Before leaving Carolina he was united in marriage to Sarah Edwards.  Eleven children were born to them.  Mr. Pope died in 1853-4 and Mrs. P. in 1874.

     James and Jones Edwards came to this county with Mr. Pope.  They were natives of the same State, and like Mr. Pope, first emigrated to Tennessee, where they remained only a few mouths.  They reached this section in the fall, and at that time there were but sixteen acres of land entered upon the south side of the river.  James worked the first year for John Ward, whom he assisted in driving away a band of Kickapoos that had made threats against the Wards.  He, in the winter of 1830-31, took Nancy L. Hill to wife.  She was a native of Virginia, and came to Illinois in 1829.  They had ten children born to them.  Jones Edwards, after a residence of twelve or fifteen years in this county, removed to Iowa, where he died.

     This year also came Thomas Nelms, from Logan county, Kentucky, and settled here.  He died from the effects of a tree falling upon him in 1830.  The old settlers relate: “that after this tree was cut down, and before being split, there was one continuous tingling sound heard, similar to that from the splinters when a tough stick of wood is being split.  This continued long after the logs were made into rails and laid up in a fence.  The attention of travellers was attracted by the peculiar noise, while they were passing along the road by the side of the fence ”

     It seems most probable that Michael Myers and Luisa his wife, nee Atteberry, came the same year.  Mr. M. was a native of North Carolina, while his wife was born in Kentucky.  They raised a family of seven children.

     The next year, 1828, the settlements were further strengthened by an increased immigration.  The first we mention Capt. David L. Allen, a native of Virginia, who, in the fall of this year, settled on what is now north Water street, Decatur.  He was an energetic citizen, and in 1831-2 built the second water mill in the county, which he sold to Robert Moffett.  Mr. Allen entered a body of land of which north Water street was the western line, and on this about one-fourth of the city of Decatur is located.  Mr. A. made the first

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lime ever burnt in this county, and owing to its superior quality, it was greatly in demand, much of it going to Springfield to be used for finishing purposes.  He was a prominent and useful man.

     Samuel Braden was born in Ireland, in 1769, and came to this country shortly after the close of the revolutionary war.  After a short stay in Philadelphia he removed to south Carolina, where he married Nancy Young, a native of that state.  They moved from thence to Kentucky, thence to Tennessee, and in September, 1828 or '29, came to Macon County.  They had three children, and their descendants are numerous.  John Y. Braden, of Hickory Point township, is a native of Tennessee, and came to this county in 1829.

     Wm. D. Baker, a North Carolinian, a young man of 28, who had married Marilla Martin, in Tennessee, arrived in the autumn of this year, and settled in Long Creek township.  He was an upright man, and all men spoke well of him.  He was a member of the first grand jury of the county.  He had five children, two of whom are ministers.

     David Davis was born in North Carolina, in 1798.  When 17, he moved to Tennessee, and in 1828, he came to this county.  When 23 he became paralyzed in his lower limbs, and thereafter walked with difficulty.  In 1825, he was married to Mary Martin, a native of Tennessee.  He had one child at the period of his arrival, and seven more were born to him.   Notwithstanding his bodily affliction, by his energy and business capacity he became wealthy.  He was one of the judges of the first election, and his name will be found among the county treasurers.  He was noted for public spirit, and provided liberal means for beneficent charities.

     James Myers became a resident of the county in this year.  Born in Kentucky and married to a Kentucky girl, he came at the age of 24, and settled the Henry Davis nursery farm, in Long Creek township.

     Ephraim Cox probably arrived here this year.  His son, George M., was born Apr. 6, 1830, in Macon county, and married Ellen Downs, who was born in Ohio, Mar. 15, 1832.  They had a family of ten children born to them.

     Elder Dolliston Hefton was among the early settlers of the county, but the exact date of his arrival cannot now be fixed.  He was a “forty gallon Baptist” preacher, and those who once heard his see-saw, sing-song tones while in the pulpit will never forget them.  He was the equal in singularity of delivery of the Rev. Mr. Bosang, as pictured by Edward Eggleston.  He kept store for a time at Mt. Gillead, and had family household goods and merchandize all in one room.  His stock consisted of a barrel of pale whiskey, that must have been well watered, for it would freeze up in winter; some tin-ware and a few dollars’ worth of sugar and coffee.  His ideas of business corresponded to his stock, for it is said that on one occasion he refused to sell all of his tinware to a customer, saying that it would break his stock.

     William Wheeler, Sr., was a native of Virginia, and was married to Elizabeth Hays, also a Virginian.  Mr. Wheeler and family removed to Illinois, and to Macon county, in 1828. He had nine children, one of whom, William, Jr., was destined to become prominently connected with the civil history of Macon county.  A man of great popularity he has been repeatedly elected sheriff, assessor and collector.  His daughter Elizabeth became the wife of William Ward, the father of Franklin and Hiram Ward.

     Robert Smith, Sr., a native of North Carolina, came to Illinois in 1828, and settled first in Sangamon county.  The spring was not far advanced of this year, when he removed to Macon county, and settled six miles south-west of the county seat.  He came of good fighting stock, his father having been a soldier in the revolutionary war, and he fought under Jackson, at New Orleans.  He was twice married; the first time to Eleanor Wilson, who died in 1824, and who bore him all his children, five in number, and the second time to Jane Allen.  Mr. Smith died in 1855.

     In 1828 came two brothers, William C. and Andrew W. Smith, not related to the Smith above mentioned.  Andrew was the older of the brothers, and attained prominence in the early annals of the county.  He was a member for several years of the old county court, and was a volunteer in the Black Hawk war, serving in the company of rangers that went out from Macon county.  Was twice married, and some of his children are now residents of the county.  He died in 1875.  William C. and his brother were natives of Tennessee, but on first coming to Illinois settled in Sangamon county.  His children are well-known residents of the county.

     In this year, J. A. Draper, a highly respected citizen of Mount Zion township, living on section 21, was born here.  He had lived here all his life.  He married Sarah W. Jones, an Ohio girl, who came here in 1839.

     Until 1829, Jan. 19, the portion of Illinois now composing Macon county, formed a part of Shelby.  Before the meeting of the legislature Benj. R. Austin, Andrew W. Smith, and John Ward had been selected to go to Vandalia, the capital, and procure, if possible, the passage of an act dividing Shelby and creating the county of Macon.  These men were successful in their mission, and the act establishing the new county may be found in full in the chapter on the civil history.

     Jan. 19, 1829, closed one era of the county's history.  The settlement had gained strength slowly but surely.  The hard trials incident to pioneer life were not yet over, but the worst was passed.  With the increase in population came improvement in condition, and henceforth they were not to be without the ministrations of religion, or the blessings of education (rude though it might be) for their children.  As the wilderness became subdued it was to grow more healthful.  It is no longer possible to speak at length of the immigrants; they began to pour in more and more rapidly.  The year of the county's formation saw the arrival of a comparatively large number.  Then came to Dickeys, a large and influential family, of southern descent.  William Dickey, Alexander C. and John, came in 1829.  Then, too, came Gen. Isaac C. Pugh, a man distinguished in the history of Macon county; a member of the second county commissioner's court and several succeeding; the twelfth treasurer of the county, and the first master in chancery, and a captain in the Black Hawk War.  Ever foremost in his country's service he served as captain in the Mexican war, and in the war for the Union he was colonel of the 41st Illinois, and was promoted Brigadier General for meritorious services.  He was held in high esteem, and was honored by the people with many positions of honor and trust.  He was married to Elvira E. Gorin, and by her had eleven children.
     In 1829 also came Alexander Gell, Josiah Abrams, Alfred Laymons, Christopher Miller and James and David Miller.  Then, too, came John Scott, Sr., and Francis D., his son.  This year also came James Sanders, who was quite a character among the early settlers, and was renowned throughout the settlements from his prodigious strength and endurance.  He used to relate with pride that he throw, in a wrestle, Abraham Lincoln, who had thrown the bully of the county.  At Uncle Joe Stevens' wedding feats of strength were indulged in, and "Uncle Jimmy" took a piece of lead in each hand weighing seventy-five pounds, and raised them to a level with his shoulders and then passed them around till they touched in front.  He was Mr. Lincoln's most intimate friend, and they

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were often together at barn and house-raisings, fox-chases and wolf-hunts.  He was a native of South Carolina.  When he arrived in Illinois he had a wife, five children, four horses and 6¼ cents.  This year also saw the arrival of the Travis family, who came in March from Wayne county, Ill.  There were three brothers, Allen and Thomas Travis, natives of South Carolina, and Finis, who was born in Kentucky.  With them came John D. Campbell and Andrew and John Davidson; Samuel Davidson did not arrive  until the next year.  In the year of the county's creation also came Henry Traughber, a Kentuckian, who, after his arrival here wooed and wed Nancy Smith; the parmenas Smallwood and family.  Mr. Smallwood was a useful and honored citizen, and reared a large family of children, some of whom are now living in the county.

     On the first of March, 1830, Thomas Lincoln, the father of Abraham, sold out his squatter's claims in Indiana, and in company with his family, the sons-in-law and two daughters of his wife, started for central Illinois.  Abraham had just completed his twenty-first year.  The journey was long and tedious, as through the thick mud, only found in the rich soil of the west, their ox-teams dragged the wagons loaded with the personal effects of the emigrants.  One of these teams was driven by young Lincoln.  After a journey of two hundred miles, which they made in fifteen days, they reached Macon county, and the elder Lincoln selected a spot for his house on the north side of the Sangamon river in section 28, Town 16 N., Range 1 E., in what is now Harristown township.  Here at the junction of the timber land and prairie, Abraham assisted his father in erecting a log cabin and in getting the family comfortably settled.  The cabin was made of hewed timber, and near it was built a smoke-house and stable.  A common ax, a broad ax, a hand saw and a "drawer knife" were all the tools they had to work with.  The doors and floor consisted of puncheons, and the gable ends of the building were boarded up with plank "rived" by Abraham's hand out of oak timber.  The few nails that were used were brought from their old home in Indiana.  The cabin stood where it bad been erected until 1876, when it was carefully taken apart and shipped to Philadelphia, where it was again put together on the centennial grounds, and remained there during the great exposition, being viewed with interest by thousands of liberty-loving people of the world.  When the cabin and out buildings were completed, Abraham helped to split rails enough to fence in a lot of ten acres, and built the fence.  This done, he broke the ground with ox-teams, and assisted in planting it with corn, after which he turned over the new home to his father, and expressed his intention to make his own fortune.  However, he did not leave the region immediately, but worked among the farmers, picking up enough to clothe himself.  It is stated that he broke up fifty acres of prairie with four yoke of oxen, and that he spent most of the winter following in splitting rails and chopping wood.
     No one seems to remember for whom Mr. Lincoln worked during this first summer.  “A little incident in the pastoral labors of Rev. A. Hale, of Springfield, Illinois, will perhaps indicate his employer.  In May, 1861, he went out about seven miles from home to visit a sick lady, and found there a Mrs. Brown who had come in as a neighbor.  Mr. Lincoln’s name having been mentioned, Mrs. Brown said: ‘Well, I remember Mr. Liuken.  He worked with my old man thirty-four years ago and made a crap.  We lived on the same farm where we live now, and he worked all the season, and made a crap of corn, and the next winter they hauled the crap all the way to Galena, and sold it for two dollars and a-half a bushel.  At that time there was no public houses, and travellers were obliged to stay at any house along the road that could take them in.  One evening a right smart-looking man rode up to the fence and asked my old man if he could get to stay over night.  ‘Well,’ said Mr. Brown, ‘we can feed your critter, and give you something to eat, but we can’t lodge you unless you can sleep on the same bed with the hired man.’  The man hesitated and asked, ‘Where is he?’ ‘Well,’ said Mr. Brown, ‘you can come and see him.’  So the man got down from his critter, and Mr. Brown took him around to where, in the shade of the house, Mr. Lincoln lay at full length on the ground, with an open book before him.  ‘There,’ said Mr. Brown, pointing at him, ‘ he is.’  The stranger looked at him a minute, and said, ‘Well, I think he’ll do,’ and he staid and slept with the future President of the United States.”
     Mr. Lincoln's father only remained here about one year, on account of sickness in his family, when he moved to Coles county, where he lived to see his son one of the leading men in Illinois, and to receive from him many testimonials of filial affection, and to complete his seventy-third year.  He died Jan. 17, 1851.

     The census of 1830 showed that the county contained 1122 souls.  The emigration continued, but it was not large, while many who had come to settle permanently, disgusted with hardships and chills, which were very common and severe, moved back to the older States, from whence they came, to spread unfavorable reports of the country.

     In this year came James M. Baker.  Robert Law, who served in Capt. Warnick's company of rangers in the Black Hawk war, came the same year, and with him his brothers, James and John, and his sister Rose Ann; Andrew Hamilton and family, Samuel Rea, who has been honored by his fellow-citizens with position of responsibility, and who was the soul of integrity; and William Muirhead, who came from Virginia with his family, and settled four miles west of Decatur.  William F. Muirhead, who now lives on section thirty-three in Blue Mound township, a successful farmer and stock raiser, and a native of Virginia also, came this year.  He afterwards married Margaret J. Hill, who was born in this county.  Samuel

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Hornback and family arrived in September, 1830.  Jeremiah Freeman, a public-spirited citizen of Harristown township, was born in this year.
     The memorable "deep snow," from which the old settler dates events, occurred in the winter of 1830-31.  It was an extraordinary event.  Nothing like it has been seen since, and if Indian tradition may be trusted, nothing had been seen like it for more than half a century prior to the advent of the white in this section.  The snow began to fall early in the winter, and continued at intervals throughout the season.  The snow falls would be followed by sleets, thus forming crusts of ice between the layers.  For weeks at a time the sun hid his face, and the cold was intense, and the suffering among the settlers was great.  The snow, compact as it was, reached a depth of three feet on the level, and a much greater depth where it had drifted.  Vehicles passed over the tops of staked and ridered fences.  So far as known no one starved or was frozen, but great hardships were endured, and in many instances only the greatest hardships were endured, and in many instances only the greatest exertions kept starvation from the door.  Much of the game was almost destroyed, and deer, prairie chickens and quails were scarce for years afterward.  Mr. Lincoln lived in Macon county during that terrible winter.  Another memorable winter in the early annals of the county was that of 1836, when the “sudden freeze” occurred.  The suffering from cold was most intense, and attended with loss of life to man and beast.  The sudden freeze occurred in January, and it was scarcely fifteen minutes from the time the cold wave struck, “before the water and melting snow were hard enough to bear up a horse.”*  The slush froze about the feet of the cattle, and it was necessary to cut them out.  Geese and ducks were imprisoned in the same way.

     In 1831 came Robert Johnson, a farmer and stock-grower, now living in Hickory Point township, a native of Kentucky, who served in the war with Black Hawk; Jesse Austin and Dr. B. W. Gorin, who in two years removed to Missouri; Rebecca Robinson, who became the wife of John Drake; James Howell and family.  Mr. Howell had four brothers, William, Daniel, Joseph and Isaac, who came about the same time.  Sarah Myers became a resident this year.  So, too, did William Turpin, a native of Kentucky, who, with his younger brother, Mattison, made a settlement on Big Creek.

     James Querry, of Friends Creek township, a native of the Old Dominion, came also in 1831.  In 1832 came S. C. Allen, Henry M. Gorin, and Rev. Joseph Hostettler, the latter a native of Kentucky, who began preaching in 1815.  He came hither from Orange county, Indiana.  Further information regarding him may be found in the sketch of the Christian Church.  In this year also came Joshua Perdue, who married Margaret Ward, and Willis Stallings, whose wife was Jane Law.  He was a Tennesseean by birth, and reared a family of three children.  Thomas H. Read, who died in Decatur in 1874, arrived this year.

     The next year added J. R. Gorin, whose record will be found in the chapter on the “Bench and Bar,” and William Cantrell, who has been called to positions of trust by his fellow-citizens; John Rucker, a very industrious man, who is worthy of mention as having held the office of county commissioner for fourteen years, longer than any other man.  And David Barnwell, a native of South Carolina, who with his family settled first in Long Creek township.

     Mr. O. L. Stuart, the well-known farmer of Whitmore township, was born in Decatur this year.  W. T. Howell, a native of Sangamon county, and a farmer and stock raiser in Oakley township, came in 1834.  James Miller, now living on section thirteen, a most excellent farmer, settled here in 1833.

     The same year, 1834, saw the arrival of M. M. Burke, Charles Emmerson, (of whom a complete biography will be found in the Bench and Bar)  Rev. William S. Crissey, the veteran Methodist minister now residing in Decatur, James Harrel, John Lowry and John G. Jimison, the latter a Scotchman, now a resident of Friends Creek township.  David Smick came from Kentucky with his family the same year.  The same year saw the immigration of Samuel McKinley.  The next year arrived the following: Richard H. Brett and family, consisting of wife and fourteen children, Jacob Hostettler and wife, William F. Montgomery, Joseph and Barbara, Spangler, from Pennsylvania, whose children are yet residents of Macon county, D. K. Wilson, H. W. Davis, now living in Long Creek township, was born in Macon county in this year.  Edmiston McClellan, the present efficient circuit clerk, came here from Pennsylvania, the State of his nativity, this year.  He has often been called by the citizens of the county to serve them in various capacities.  Another accession to the population, was James Geddis now living in Decatur township.  Mr. G. is a native of Lebanon county, Pennsylvania.

     The next year came Kirby Benedict, (see Bench and Bar) R. J. Oglesby, (ibid.) and Ninian Peddecord, a native of Maryland, who, on his arrival in ’36, engaged as a clerk for Adamson and Prather, and afterward formed a co-partnership with Joseph Stickel.  In 1836 the Prathers arrived.  Z. R. Prather, a resident of Long Creek township, was born here in that year. William Prather, the sixth county judge, and fourth circuit clerk, and a native of Maryland, throughout life was in feeble health.  He died in 1870.  According to some authorities, Henry Prather did not arrive here from Macoupin county, where he settled first, until 1837.  He was a man of ability and great public spirit.  In 1852 he was chosen to represent his district in the legislature.  His memory is yet treasured by all who knew him.  In 1836 Ulysses Huston, a good farmer of Hickory Point township, came to find a home.

     In 1837 Rev. M. Baker, of Decatur township, was born in this county, and Willis Johnson, a well-known farmer of the same township, came here from Madison county, Kentucky.  Daniel Traughber became a resident this year, and Samuel Powers, a native of New York, arrived. David J. Freeland, the farmer and stock-grower, is a native of North Carolina, and came to Macon county this year.

     Col. E. D. Carter was born in Logan county, Kentucky.  He came to Illinois in 1833 and to Decatur in 1838.  He married Christina Smick, also a native of Kentucky.  This year also came Jasper J. Peddecord, who was born in Maryland in 1818.  He has been in the business of banking since 1852, when he formed a co-partnership with Lowber Burrows, and has engaged largely in manufacturing.

     In 1839 came George Powers, a native of New York.  He was soon thereafter admitted to the bar.  In 1844 he was elected to the State Senate.  He held other responsible offices.  He died in 1849.  Another arrival was George W. Falconer, a Marylander, who came in this year from Frederick county of his native State.  He died in 1856. John Falconer, a boy of nine years of age, came with him.  Capt. Joel S. Post arrived this year.  A sketch of his life will be found in the chapter on Bench and Bar.

     Dr. Joseph King came here in 1839.  Drs. Read and Spear were the only physicians who had preceded him.  He was thoroughly educated for his profession at Cincinnati, and gained an extensive practice, sometimes being called twenty-five or thirty miles to see a patient.  James Rea and family came to Macon county in this year.  In 1854 he removed to California.

     We have reserved for this place a list of names of the persons who

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were married the first and second years after the county was organized, giving date of license and time of marriage:

NAMES		DATE OF LICENSE.	TIME OF MARRIAGE.
John Whitmore to Delia Miller		June 18th, 1829	June 20th, 1829
Henry Traughber to Nancy Smith		November 17th, 1829	November 17th, 1829
Geo. Coppenbarger to Nancy Henderson		November 10th, 1829	November 12th, 1829
Jacob Caulk to Mary Walker		January 7th, 1830	January 7th, 1830
Joseph Stephens to Mary D. Warnick		June 17th, 1830	June 17th, 1830
John Howell to Elizabeth Jones		July 14th, 1830	July 14th, 1830
Stewart Henderson to Nancy Vinson		July 20th, 1830	July 22d, 1830
William Ward to Elizabeth Wheeler		December 7th, 1830	December 9th, 1830
James Edwards to Nancy Hill		December 16th, 1830	December 16th, 1830
Lewis B. Ward to Elizabeth Walker		December 23d, 1830	December 23d, 1830.

     To notice the arrivals after 1840 is not possible, and would be useless, perhaps, if it were possible.  Much additional information will be found in other chapters, and in the biographical department.  Enough to say that the population increased but slowly until the advent of railroads afforded a market for products, and then immigration came in like a flood.  The prairies that the old settlers thought could never be brought into cultivation were soon converted into valuable farms.  The health of the county has improved as the wilderness has been subdued, and now compares favorably with that of any part of the State, while upon a richer, fairer portion of country than that embraced by the ample boundaries of Macon county, the sun does not look down in his course.

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 * Smith's History

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