Hello, Very interesting read here, would you know if there were any Bradley or Murdock,s among this time period,in LaSalle,Ill. Lana > There are 2 monuments, located on the former farm of William Davis, now a > county park called Shabonna Park. It's located just north of the village of > > Harding. > > One monument honors Shabonna, the Indian who warned the settlers. The > second > monument was erected by William Munson, who married Rachel Hall. It > commemorates those killed by the Indian raid. What is purported to be the > old > millstone sets nearby. These monuments are a stone's throw from Indian > Creek. > > My ancestor was Temperance Hall, oldest child of William and Mary Jane > Rebecca (Williams) Hall. Temperance was already married and not living with > > the Hall's at the time of the massacre. Here's some more... > > From the "History of LaSalle County," published 1877 regarding a brief > history of Freedom Township, where the William Hall farmstead is located. > pp. 394-397 > > "The town of Freedom embraces the surveyed Township 35 N., of R. 3 East, > and is mostly prairie. Indian creek passes, in a southeast direction, > across > the northeast corner of the town. On the banks of the creek are about two > and one-half sections of timber, which was originally of excellent quality, > > and was the attraction that induced the settlement. The settlement > commenced > in 1830, and was broken up by the Indians, in the Black Hawk war of 1832. > After the war, the surviving settlers returned, and others came in, and, as > a > part of Indian Precinct, and later, as the town of Freedom, it has been a > prominent and prosperous section of the county. The sad story of the > massacre of three families of its pioneers, gives a melancholy interest to > its history, and to the locality where it occurred. Each succeeding > generation, with bated breath, will listen to the recital, till the banks > of > Indian creek will become historic ground through all the future. > "William Munson has recently erected a fine marble monument at the grave, > > where the fifteen victims were buried. It is in view of the public road, > leading from Freedom to Earl, on the northeast side of the creek, and as > the > white column meets the view, the traveler will instinctively heave a sigh > of > sympathy for the tragic fate of the first pioneers. > "William Hall, born in Georgia, was married to Mary J. R. Wilburs, [s/b > Williams] in Kentucky; moved to Illinois; from there to near Springfield, > Illinois, in 1825; made a farm at Mackinaw, and then went to the lead > mines, > near Galena; followed mining three years, then moved to Bureau Creek, and > to > near Lamoille, Bureau County. In the spring of 1832, sold his claim to > Aaron > Gunn, and moved to Indian Creek, where he, with his wife, and one child, > were > killed by Indians, May 20, 1832. His oldest daughter, Temperance, married > Peter Cartwright, nephew of Dr. Cartwright. For the others, see narrative > of > the massacre. > "Mr. Davis, from Kentucky; settled on Indian creek, S. W. 1/4 S. 2, in > 1830-the first in that region. His wife was daughter of John Hays, the > first > settler at Peru-they, with five children, were killed at the massacre. > Their > three oldest sons escaped. > "William Petigrew, from Kentucky, wife and two children, were stopping > with Davis at the time of the massacre, and all were killed. Mr. Petigrew > came to Bailey's Grove at an early day, and was then single; he is said to > have married a widow, with two children, and these constituted his family > when he went to Holderman' s Grove, and from thereto Indian Creek, in 1832, > > where he proposed to settle. > "John H. Henderson, and wife, Elizabeth Powell, came from Tennessee in > 1830, he located on Section 11. He was in the field on the south side of > Indian creek, planting corn, when the massacre took place by the Sauk > Indians, May 20, 1832; he, with others, escaped to Ottawa. He was an > active, > enterprising citizen, and a leading abolitionist. He died June 17, 1848, > much regretted. His widow still survives, living with her children. Her > children are: Mary, married A. P. Devereaux, of Freedom; George, in Iowa; > Frances, married Richard Scott, in California; Martha, married James Clark, > > of Sycamore; Sarah, married George Martin; Erastus T., married Miss Norton; > > Annetta, married Charles Martin, of Vermont. > "William Munson came from Indiana to Putnam County, and from there here > in 1833; he purchased the farm, owned by William Hall at the time he was > killed by the Indians, on Section 1. He married Rachel Hall, who was taken > away prisoner by the Sauk Indians, May 20, 1832. In 1837 he laid out the > town of Munson, which has hardly realized the expectations of its founder. > > His wife died May 1, 1870. Mr. Munson still occupies the farm where he has > > spent the most of his life. He has four daughters and three sons : Irena, > married Dr. Geo. Vance: Miranda, married Samuel Dunnavan, of Adams; > Fidelia, > married George Shaver, of Rutland; Phebe, married John Reed, of Ottawa; > William, married Delia Shaver; Lewis and Elliott, at home. > > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, > go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > >