SIX YEARS IN THE ILLINOIS TERRITORY 1812-1818 - WHEN JOHNSON COUNTY SPANNED RIVER TO RIVER

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Beginning
Chapter One – The Forming of Illinois Territory – A Short History
            The Early Explorers
            The Virginia Claim
            The Jefferson Plan – Ordinance of 1784
            The Revolutionary War Comes to the Illinois Country
            The Northwest Territory
            The Indiana Territory
            The Illinois Territory
Chapter Two – A Tour of the Area Johnson County Inherited
            The 1811-1812 Earthquake
            Account from New Madrid Area
            Account from Louisville, KY Area
            Account from Cahokia Area
            A Murder Revealed by the Quake
            The Steamboat “New Orleans”
            Established Places That Left Their Legacy
                  Juchereau and the Great Buffalo Slaughter
                  The Three Protectors of the Illinois Country
                        Fort Massac
                             The Burr Conspiracy and Fort Massac
                             Lewis and Clark at Fort Massac
                        Fort Jefferson
                        Fort Wilkinson
            The Indians
                        W.N. Moyers Writes About the Indians
                        Milo Erwin Writes About the Indians
                        Joshua Copeland writes About the Indians
                        The Indians Across the Ohio in Kentucky
Chapter Three – Johnson County’s First of Four County Seats
            The Johnson County Militia
            Appointment of Officers in the Townships
            The First Court Actions
            The County’s First Building Project
            The Slavery Issue Comes Up Early in the Court
            Repairs to the Courthouse
            First Road Recorded
            Moving the County Seat is a Continuing Process
            A Note Concerning the Commissioners Records
Chapter Four – Stories of the Earliest Pioneers
            Bazel Boren
            The Hermit of the Hills
            John Grammer
            Hezekiah West
            James & Sarah Lusk
            Abram Hunsaker and George Wolf
            William Simpson
            David Green
            Bartlett Walter Conyers
            William Lawrence
            John Bradshaw
            George Drouillard
            Phillipp Shaver
            William Bird
            Flannery Family
            LeRoy/King Family of Pope County
            Isaac D. Wilcox
            Jesse Griggs
            Adam Clapp
            Conrad Will
            Col. John Hacker
            James Whiteside
            Reverend Wofford
            William “Billy” McFatridge
            Accounts of Some of the First Settlers by Early Writers
                  Mrs. P.T. Chapman
                  H.C. Bradsby
            The Land of the Pioneers
Chapter Five – The Lands & Other Matters
            The Surveyors
            Squatters and Pre-empts
            Early Land Sales
            Selling Improvements
            Flatboats & Keelboats
            Early Roads
            The Ferries
            Taverns
            Cache River
            Postal Service in old Johnson County
            The Story of Egypt
            Cape Girardeau – the Land Across the River
            Early Towns and Settlements
            An Indian Engagement?
            The Law of the Courts and The Law of the People
            The Militia
            Pioneer Preachers
Chapter Six – Johnson County’s Second County Seat – Elvira
            Correcting an Error in Our History
            Elvira, the First Town in Johnson County
            Public Buildings
            The Court Moves to Elvira
            The Jail and the Prison Bounds
            All Roads Lead to Elvira
Chapter Seven – Stories from Pioneer Johnson County
            Pioneer Cemeteries
            Money in the Illinois Territory
            The Estate Auction
            Counterfeit Money
            Wanted for Desertion
            John Reynolds Passes Through Old Johnson County
            The New Design Disaster
            Hog Thieves
            Horse Thieves
                  A Capital Case
                  A Horse for a Land Claim
                  A Hijacked Horse
            Estray Laws Concerning Lost Animals
            Welfare of the Poor
                  The Richard York Story
                  Elizabeth Elkins and Children left Destitute
                  Orphaned Children
                  The Elijah Bryant Story
            Theft of Household Goods
            Counterfeit Money Paid for a Boat Load of Cargo
            Cash River Pirates
            The Value of a Dog
            The Lost Town of Monroe

            The Point Where the Rivers Meet
            Trinity and America
                  Trinity
                  America
            Was America Considered for our Nation’s Capital?
            A Trip Down the Ohio River
            A Trip Up the Mississippi River
Chapter Eight – Johnson County Goes Under the Knife
            Jackson County
            Golconda (Sarahsville), Pope County
Chapter Nine – Johnson County’s Third County Seat
            The Search for Lanesville
            Lanesville – What is Known About it?
            Why Was the Town Named Lanesville?
            What Happened to Lanesville?
Chapter Ten – Slavery and Indentureship
            Bazel Borin – Slaveholder
            Nathaniel Green – Slaveholder
            George Smiley – Fraudulent Sale of a Slave
            Sarah Lusk – Slaveholder
            Sanctioned Slavery
            Indentureship
                  Indenture of Slaves
                  Indenture of Orphans
Chapter Eleven – More Stores from Pioneer Johnson County
            Stolen Court Documents
            Breaking Out of Jail
            Beaver Hats
            Gunpowder Stories
                  The Saltpeter Cave
                  Six Saltpeter Caves Found
                  Saltpeter Used as Cash
                  The Gunpowder Mill
            Bidding Farewell to Unwelcome Neighbors
            Another Case of Men Attacking a Residence
            Taken to Court – The Hard Way
            Another Case of Harsh Treatment During an Arrest
            Liquor Violations in old Johnson County
            The Mound City Massacre
            “Lying Ike” Vancil
            Slander and War Crime
            Some Other Cases of Slander
            Amputation of Allen Stokes’ Leg
            Drunken Man Burned by Fire
            Catherine Crice & Peter Prow       
Chapter Twelve – Union & Alexander County Created
            Jonesboro
            Union County’s First Courthouse
            How Union County Got its Name
            Union County Begins its Own Government
            The Future Alexander County
Chapter Thirteen – Illinois Becomes a State
            The Slavery Issue
            The Population Issue
            The Constitutional Convention
            Providing for Education
            Illinois Becomes a State
Chapter Fourteen – Johnson County’s Fourth County Seat
            Vienna – Where Did It Get its Name?
            The Courthouse and Other Structures
            Sale of Town Lots During 1818 and 1819
            The Johnson County Court Moves to Vienna
            Townships for the New Johnson County
            Road Building
            The New Johnson County was Open for Business
            More Cuts to Come
Appendix A – Map of the Counties
Appendix B – Squatters and Pre-Empts & Act of 1816
            Squatters Rights Applicants
            Pre-emption Rights Applicants
            Act of 1816
Appendix C – Complete Text of the Commissioners’ Record
            Book A
            Book B – For the year 1818 only
Index