Does anyone know who this Lefford & James belong to? Near Sheltons Fort, Illinois settlement called Ferguson Settlement in Point Prairie In 1814 there was a permanent settlement made which included the following men: Isaac Ferguson, John Warrick, John Woods, George Newcomb, John Ferguson, William Ferguson, Joseph Ferguson, Alston and Joshua Dean, Abraham Howard, Absalom Ferguson, Aquilla Delahide. In 1815 came Christopher Payne, Thomas Breeze, Richard Windsor, John Campbell and John Giger. In 1816 came John Scott, John Laird, James Sims, Henry Peck, Andrew Matthews, Jr., James Matthews, LEFFORD FRENCH, JAMES FRENCH, Abram Carlock and John Miller. From the year 1820 the place was called Marine Settlement Pioneer families reached the Marine Settlement by two different routes. 1) some traveled through Virginia, then by way of the Shenandoah Valley to Tennessee, through the Cumberland Gap to Kentucky ferried by flatboats across the Ohio River to Shawneetown in southern Illinois. There they continued their overland journey in their conveyances such as covered wagons, two wheeled carts, horseback and rockaways to the prairie regions. 2)The other route was to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvannia, where flatboats were secured and used to float down the Ohio River to Shawneetown traveling the overland trail by wagon to St. Louis then on to the prairie. Early settlers purchased land from the Federal Government Within the Ferguson Settlement the first marriage was that of LEFFERD FRENCH AND SARAH MATTHEWS IN 1815. Elijah Ferguson, brother of Major Isaac Ferguson, was the first death in the year 1815. The first child born was Elizabeth A. Ferguson, the daughter of Major Isaac Ferguson, on March 14. 1814. Also married in the year of 1815 was John Barnaby and Mary Johnson Major Ferguson, and the other settlers, coming as they did from the heavily timbered countries of Kentucky and Tennessee, all made clearings in the edges of the forest and there built and lived. Territorial Records of Illinois, 1809-1818 Capt. Dudley WILLIAM's Company 4th Regiment Oct. 14th to Nov. 5th, 1812 "Against the late invasions of the hostile Indians" Captain, Dudley WILLIAMS Lieutenant, David MOORE Ensign, Reuben LINN Cornet, Alfred LINDSEY Sergeants, Joseph Ferguson, John REED, Henry GRIFFIN, James MOORE