PIONEERS OF THE PAST #1

CARTER SETTLEMENT – WILLIAM CARTER

On January 25, 1826, the Illinois Legislature recognized the formation of McDonough County, Illinois, from land previously a part of Pike County. As we celebrate the bicentennial of McDonough County this year, the McDonough County Genealogical Society would like to introduce you to some of the pioneers of our past.

Each week, we will share information and hopefully some pictures of those who came to this frontier to establish communities. Some of the columns will spotlight people, and a few will spotlight villages and towns you may not know existed.

We are open to suggestions for those you feel deserve recognition, and if you have any photos to share, we would love to hear from you. Please send them to Julie.Terstriep@gmail.com.

McDonough County, Illinois, was established from the War of 1812 Military Tract of lands. Soldiers were promised land for their service. Many collected their land warrant and turned around to sell them immediately, having no interest in moving from the East Coast to the frontier. Although Native Americans were the first settlers in this area, the first documented settlers were either William Carter and Riggs Pennington in the early 1820s in the southern part of the county, or Richard Dunn and William Job in the northwest part of the county.

This week, we will spotlight William Carter. Carter came to the area before 1826 and established a settlement in what would later become Section 26 of Industry Township [south and slightly east of Industry, ½ mile from Highway 67]. The settlers who followed Carter built a blockhouse or log fort near Carter’s home. The blockhouse was built to afford protection against the Native Americans, but later, soldiers in the Black Hawk War poked fun at the idea of building a blockhouse more than 200 miles from Indian country. After several years, Carter moved to Missouri.

Pioneers of the Past by Julie L. Terstriep, of the McDonough County Genealogical Society, facebook.com/mcdcgs, www.mcdcgs.com.