Charles R. Hume packed quite a bit of living into his years. He was born January 1, 1814, in Delaware County, New York, one of ten children of Robert and…

The 1885 History of McDonough County records that Charles B. Gilchrist was born in Walpole, New Hampshire, in 1802, the son of Samuel and Betsy (Allen) Gilchrist. His mother was…

Another early settler of McDonough County was Stephen Yocum, who brought his family to the eastern part of the county—an area that later became New Salem Township. Born February 17,…

Elias McFadden, his son David, and his nephew, Wylie McFadden, settled in Chalmers Township around 1827–1828, at the same time Bethel, Blandinsville, Industry, New Salem, and Scotland townships were being…

Before 1850, the U.S. Federal Census listed only the head of household by name, tallying the remaining family members by age and sex categories. In the 1830 census of McDonough…

Riggs Pennington was born in 1787, most likely in North Carolina—though Tennessee andKentucky both make their claim, which fits the restless pattern of his life. He was the son ofTimothy…

Every county has its “firsts”—births, marriages, and deaths. In McDonough County, the first recorded marriage was that of John Wilson and Martha Vance. John Martin Wilson was born in 1806…

Just months after William Pennington settled Pennington’s Point, William Osborne camped in the summer of 1828 along a creek on the border of Scotland and Industry townships. The area became…

The third settlement in McDonough County was established in 1828, when William Pennington erected a cabin in the southwest corner of what is now New Salem Township. William’s son, Perry…