John Logan was born in Virginia in 1793, only 17 years after the Declaration of Independence. George Washington was president, and the United States was still a young nation. During his lifetime, he would witness enormous changes in America.

Shortly after John’s birth, Samuel and Ann Wylie Logan left Virginia with their newborn son, two pack horses, and all their worldly goods for Garrett County, KY. The family was poor, and John received what was called a “common school” education in Kentucky. He was, however, an avid reader and lifelong learner.

By the time he married Nancy Newell in 1816, America had changed
considerably. The War of 1812 had just ended, and Americans were moving
westward. John and Nancy moved to Tennessee, where John found religion
and was mentored by Elder Lee Allen of the Baptist Church. The next few years the family moved again, settling in Dubois County, Indiana.

By late 1828, John, his very pregnant wife, and their children had moved to
McDonough County near Industry. At first they shared a house with another
family before moving into the abandoned Stephen Osborne home.

On October 23, 1828, Sarah Elizabeth Black Logan was born to John and
Nancy. She was the second child born in McDonough County. Just one week
later, John ordained the first marriage in McDonough County, that of John
Wilson and Martha Vance. He also became the first minister to preach in the
newly formed county.

The following year, the Logans were living in Schuyler County, where John was named a Justice of the Peace. He soon resigned because he felt the position conflicted with his religious beliefs. The family soon moved to the
Blandinsville area of McDonough County where John founded the New Hope
Church. He remained the pastor there until his death in 1851.

During the early 1830s, Rev. John Logan traveled throughout the Military Tract in Illinois, preaching wherever people would gather to listen. In 1834, he andElder Gardner Bartlett of Illinois were invited to preach at a Baptist church in Danville, Iowa. Logan preached in a log cabin in that fall and was most likely the first Baptist man to preach in the Iowa Territory.

John and Nancy Logan had 13 children. McDonough County records identify
the following children:

• Susan Ann Logan, wife of James A. Seybold]. She died in 1842.
• Mary Jane Logan, wife of Charles Hardesty
• Samuel C. Logan married Paula Girton
• John A. Logan, Jr., who married Jane Botts of Kentucky
• Nancy M. Logan, wife of Robert Martin Shuey
• Sarah Elizabeth Black Logan, wife of William C. Hainline, the 2nd baby
• born in McDonough County. They had 10 children, including three sons who were doctors and another son who served as McDonough County
• coroner.
• Catherine Logan, wife of William Gordon Smith. They had at least 6 children.
• James A. Logan
• Malinda Durham Logan, wife of Samuel A. Filbert
• America N. Logan, wife of Mrs. Albert Sigars, who was killed in the Civil War
• Lavina Logan wife of Leonard C. Bond

Rev. John Logan’s story is part of the larger growth of America’s westward expansion. As a Baptist minister, he helped establish churches and communities on the frontier, leaving his mark on early McDonough County history.

This Pioneers of the Past is furnished by Julie Terstriep of the McDonough County Genealogical Society, facebook.com/mcdcgs. For more Pioneers of the Past, go to https://www.mcdcgs.com/pioneers-of-the-past/