I received this information via the Pope County Rootsweb site. I think it contains information that might be useful to all of us from Illinois or interested in Illinois history. Thought all of you might enjoy it. Thanks, Vicki Smith Researching: HINDERLITER * HOWERTER * MARKLEY BAUGHMAN * BEAM * FORD * AYERSMAN * MOHLER/MOHLOR * SAGER * FLETCHER * MURPHY ABBEY * OKELL * BASTERS/BASTRUS ---------- > From: Dale J & Cindy L Frie <SKIFRI@techheadnet.com> > To: ILPOPE-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [ILPOPE-L] When Pope County was formed > Date: Friday, September 17, 1999 10:30 PM > > I have been struggling for awhile now trying to find where my elusive > Hathaway ancestor came from. During my struggle I am starting to compile > a timeline for Southern IL. It indicates the possibilities of how he > could have arrived in Southern IL and what may have happened to him. I > wish to share the timeline with you wonderful people on the Pope County > list who have been so helpful in hopes that these findings may also help > you. > > Cindy L Skiles Frie > "SkiFri" > > TIME FRAME FOR POPE COUNTY, ILLINOIS > > Illinois became a Territory in 1809 > Illinois became a State in 1818 > Pope County was formed in 1816 out of Gallatin & Johnson Counties. > Gallatin & Johnson County were both formed in 1812 out of Randolph > County. > Randolph County was formed in 1795 out of the NW Territory, ST. Clair > > During the Revolutionary War, George Rogers Clark captured Kaskaskia and > Cahokia, securing the lands north of the Ohio River in the United > States. Virginia claimed all the land north of the Ohio River for > itself, but ceded it to the United States in 1784. In 1787 Illinois > became part of the Northwest Territory. Three years later Illinois > became part of the Indiana Territory. … > The first settlers came by way of the Ohio River from North Carolina, > Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland and Pennsylvania and settled in > the southern part of the state…. At statehood in 1818, most of the > population still resided in the southern part of the state. > Source 1 > > Northwest Territory > …In 1787 the U S Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance which set up > the Northwest Territory and provided for its government. The territory > included all of what is now OH, IN, IL, MI, WI and part of MN. … The > capitol was established at Marietta (Now in OH). In the year following, > about 20,000 pioneers entered the Northwest Territory, most coming > across from KY or down the OH River. … In 1790, the governor of the > Territory visited the settlements at Kaskaskia and Cahokia, and found > only about 750 people in the Cahokia – Kaskaskia region. The period of > lawlessness had taken its toll on the population. Shortly thereafter the > governor made Kaskaskia, Cahokia and Prairie du Rocher joint county > seats of ST. Clair County, a county set up for the southwestern part of > the IL Country. …In the year 1795, in the treaty of Greenville large > tracts of land were ceded to the U S . Included were several important > areas in the IL country:… and land at Fort Massac on the southern tip of > IL. The next year, 1795, saw the southern part of St. Clair County split > off as Randolph County with the county seat of Kaskaskia. The County > seat of ST. Clair County now became Cahokia. In 1797, about 150 VA. > Baptists came to the Cahokia – Kaskaskia area to the village of New > Design > By 1798, the Northwest Territory qualified to enter the second stage of > its government. A lower legislative house was elected, and an upper > house was appointed . In May of 1800, most of the land west of the > present IN – OH line was split off from the Northwest Territory. It was > constituted as a new territory, the IN Territory, with Vincennes as its > capital.. (Most of the settlers came in after 1800 due to liberalized > regulations for buying land). In 1804, U S land offices were opened at > Vincennes and Kaskaskia. However there were no land sales at Kaskaskia > for about 10 years, because the officials were busy settling claims for > lands granted during the French and British periods. Even so, there was > considerable migration into IL… > In 1809, the IL Territory (IL, WI, part of MN) was split from the IN > Territory, with its capitol at Kaskaskia. Two counties made up the > Territory, Randolph covering the lower fourth of the area, and ST. Clair > all the rest. During the IL territorial period (1809 – 18), 13 more > counties would be created, almost all in the south, where settlement was > occurring. > > War of 1812 > The U S set aside the large triangle of IL land between the IL and MS > Rivers for the awarding of 160 - acres of bounty land to veterans of > the War of 1812. In late 1817 the land was made available and within > four months, over 18,000 land patents were issued. …Most of these were > sold by the veterans or their widows to speculators…. > Source 2 p 15, 16, 17, 18 > > Sources > > 1. The Handy Book for Genealogists United States of America Eighth > Edition By the Everton Publishers, Inc. > 2. Ohio Genealogical Research by George K Schweitzer, Ph.D., Sc.D. > > I think my Hathaway ancestor may have come into Pope County before IL > claimed statehood. Which is why I have not seen any documentation. His > life may have ended as a result of lawlessness.And that is why I have > not seen any documentation until his widow shows up in the 1820 census. > > "SkiFri" >