Land Purchases in Franklin County
Prior to Illinois Statehood
02 Sep 1814 - 03 Dec 1818
The Shawneetown Land Office opened in 1812 and began selling land on 01 July 1814.
The first land purchased in Franklin County, IL, was by Thomas Jordan on 02 Sep
1814 in Cave Township, quickly followed by purchases in October and November 1814
by William Jordan and Francis Jordan, respectively. The first land owner in Frankfort
Township was Elijah Ewing in 1814; Lewis Barker in 1815 in Denning Township; Eli and
Lazarus Webb in 1816 in Northern Township; Andrew W Harrison in 1817 in Browning
Township; John Miller in 1818 in Ewing Township; William Neal in 1818 in Eastern
Township; Ephriam Hubbard in 1818 in Six Mile Township. There were no land purchases
in Goode, Barren, Benton or Tyrone Townships prior to Illinois Statehood.
The term "chain migration" is used today when an immigrant sponsors another
immigrant's entry into the United States; but chain migration was used by pioneers.
Our ancestors did not strike off for a new location alone. History indicates that
the Jordan brothers, first settlers in Franklin County, IL, migrated with their
extended families (which included Estes, Browning, Whiteside, Neal and others.)
These families may not have arrived in Illinois at the same time, but they all
eventually migrated.
Lazarus and Eli Webb of Warren County, KY, migrated with the Sanduskys and Millers,
their allied families. John Wren, a Baptist Minister, was another Warren County, KY,
resident was not related to the Webb family; but Lazarus Webb served as an appraiser
for the estate of John Wren's father in Warren County, KY...they knew one another.
You may find relationship clues if you check the land purchase dates, and the section,
township and range locations. For instance, the two entries below are the same date,
same section, same township, same range:
Akin, James 22 06S 04E 11-30-1818
McLain, Robert 22 06S 04E 11-30-1818
The family history of the Akin and McLain family shows that these two men were
brother-in-laws, originally from North Carolina. They purchased land only 3 days
before Illinois became a State.
Linda Weatherford furnished this list of men, who purchased land in Logan County,
KY, between the years 1792-1818. These are not uncommon names, but is it coincidental
that men of the same names purchased land in Franklin County, IL ?
Alexander, William M; Allen, James; Armstrong, John; Cox, John; Crawford, John;
Ewing, Elijah; Jones, Edmund; Hall, John; Harrison, Andrew W; Perkins, Isaac;
Phillips, Jacob; Ratcliff, James; Roberts, Thomas.
The following list does not contain all land purchased by an individual,
just the date of the earliest purchase.
NAME SEC. TWP. RAN. DATE____
JORDAN, THOMAS 24 07s 04e 09-02-1814
Jordan, William 25 07s 04e 10-18-1814
Jordan, Francis 27 07s 04e 11-07-1814
EWING, ELIJAH 22 07s 03e 11-07-1814
Moberly, Isaac 26 07s 04e 12-23-1814
Garrett, Moses 26 07s 03e 12-24-1814
Jordan, James 35 07s 04e 12-28-1814
Boatwright, Thomas 07s 04e 01-03-1815
Browning, John 35 07s 04e 01-16-1815
BARKER, LEWIS 20 07s 02e 03-27-1815
Jones, Edmund 24 07s 02e 04-29-1816
Wren, John 19 07s 03e 05-28-1816
Ward, Jesse 36 07s 03e 10-14-1816
Hamm, Moses 26 07s 02e 11-14-1816
Perkins, Isaac 28 07s 02e 12-20-1816
WEBB, ELI 29 05s 04e 12-28-1816
WEBB, LAZARUS 18 05s 04e 12-28-1816
Fisher, Joshua 23 07s 02e 01-01-1817
Ratcliff, James 28 07s 02e 01-31-1817
Phelps, Zepheniah 21 07s 02e 01-31-1817
Thomlinson, John 26 07s 02e 02-05-1817
McClintock, Samuel 29 07s 02e 03-11-1817
Rogers, Benjamin 20 07s 03e 03-18-1817
Stilley, Davis 32 07s 04e 03-18-1817
Phillips, Jacob 23 05s 04e 04-29-1817
Crawford, John 11 07s 03e 06-07-1817
McElyea, _____ 14 07s 02e 08-18-1817
Ewing, Joshua 27 07s 03e 10-01-1817
Eubanks, William 11 07s 03e 10-04-1817
Roberts, Thomas 20 07s 03e 10-06-1817
Odum, Dempsey 30 07s 04e 10-10-1817
Berry, Elijah 35 07s 04e 10-15-1817
Murray, Bland 01 07s 03e 11-06-1817
Clampet, Nathan 06 07s 04e 11-08-1817
HARRISON, ANDREW W 30 06s 02e 11-10-1817
Ewing, Joshua 26 07s 03e 11-22-1817
Jordan, Thomas Jr 26 07s 02e 11-28-1817
Armstrong, John 24 07s 03e 12-29-1817
Grant, Roswell H 24 07s 02e 12-29-1817
Jackson, Isaac 25 07s 04e 12-31-1817
Neal, William 21 07s 03e 01-09-1818
Sandusky, John 30 05s 04e 02-07-1818
MILLER, JOHN 24 05s 03e 03-04-1818
Browning, W R 11 06s 02e 03-05-1818
Dorris, Thomas M 27 07s 03e 03-11-1818
NEAL, WILLIAM 31 06s 04e 03-28-1818
Garrett, Hezakiah 28 07s 04e 04-16-1818
Alexander, William M 29 07s 02e 05-07-1818
Allen, Francis 37 07s 03e 06-25-1818
Duncan, Joseph 35 07s 03e 06-25-1818
Richardson, John 13 05s 03e 07-13-1818
Estes, Joseph 21 05s 03e 07-13-1818
Cox, John 02 05s 03e 07-13-1818
Guard, Timothy 33 07s 04e 07-28-1818
Hall, John 34 07s 04e 07-31-1818
Whitesides, Thomas 27 07s 04e 08-08-1818
HUBBARD, EPHRIAM,Jr 23 07s 01e 08-14-1818
Rude, Hankerson 26 07s 01e 08-18-1818
Owen, Thomas 36 07s 03e 09-01-1818
Elliott, Richard 28 07s 03e 09-05-1818
Frazer, Martin P 27 07s 03e 09-12-1818
Allen, James 11 05s 03e 10-02-1818
Harris, Sampson 24 07s 04e 11-09-1818
Akin, James 22 06s 04e 11-30-1818
McLain, Robert 22 06s 04e 11-30-1818
05S 01E Goode Township
05S 02E Barren Township
05S 03E Ewing Township
05S 04E Northern Township
06S 01E Tyrone Township
06S 02E Browning Township
06S 03E Benton Township
06S 04E Eastern Township
07S 01E Six Mile Township
07S 02E Denning Township
07S 03E Frankfort Township
07S 04E Cave Township
Submitted by: Sheila Cadwalader
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