Mary Lou and all, I would also like to comment on the migration to Hamilton County and Illinois circa 1820. The US government decided they would begin to sell the land in Illinois (it was Randolph County, Indiana Territory, at this time). Everyone living in the area, now the State of Illinois, at this time was a "squatter", they held no title to the land. Circa 1805 or 1806, the US government passed a decree, that those squatters living in Illinois as of 1807, could have first choice of the land on which they were living, providing they had made improvements (built a house, cleared land.) There is a document "1807 Squatters List, Randolph Territory, Indiana Territory", which I feel is a comprehensive list of people living in Illinois in 1807. These families did not want to give up the land on which they were living, so they made sure their names were on this list. Anyone moving into the Illinois Territory after 1807, did not have the same assurance that they could purchase the land, even if they were living on it. It took the US Government until 1814 to survey the land and set up the land offices. To my knowledge there were only two land offices opened originally, Kaskaskia Land Office and the Shawneetown Land Office, one for the west section of southern Illinois and one for the east section of southern Illinois. Hamilton County land would, of course, been registered in the Shawneetown Office. During the War of 1812, many men from Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, and other states, passed thru Illinois on their way north. This was the first time large numbers of men had seen the land in Illinois. I would imagine that they were impressed by the fertility of the land...but mostly imppressed but the wild game and water sources. You can imagine upon returning home after 1812, that these men had great stories to tell about their adventures. They may have immediately wanted to "pull up stakes" and head for the Illinois Territory, but.....they couldn't purchased land until the Land Offices officially opened and if they were squatters after 1807, they had no squatters rights. After the War of 1812, the Indians had left southern Illinois and were no longer a threat to the settlers. Illinois became a state in 1818 and had a representative form of government, the Land Offices were open and selling land...seemed like a good time to migrate to Hamilton County !!