Crail, James J. bio

History of Fulton County, Illinois; together with Sketches of its Cities, Villages and Townships, Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History; Portraits of Prominent Persons and Biographies of Representative Citizens. Chas. C. Chapman & Co., Peoria, Illinois, 1879, page 911-912, Vermont Township
James J. Crail, auctioneer, and founder of the town of Vermont, was born in Kentucky, Sept. 12, 1812. His father, Wm. Crail, was also a native Kentuckian, a wheelwright by occupation, and married Margaret Mayall, daughter of Joseph Mayall, a Revolutionary soldier, who lost his property by British confiscation. In 1834 Mr. C. moved to Fulton county, where he died at an advanced age. Mrs. Crail is still living, and is in her 85th year. Of their 9 children James J. is the eldest. He came into this township with the family, when there were but 6 or 7 cabins here, the residents being Wm. B. Higgins, Abraham Williams, Mr. Wright (father of Granville Wright), Issac Cadwallader and Caleb Dilworth. Mr. Crail, of course, at that early day went through all the experiences characteristic of the times, fully described in chapters I, II and X of this volume. He saw that the citizens began to consider Havana and Beardstown rather too far for convenience, and that there was a demand for a business place nearer by. He selected a site and erected a cabin on the ground now occupied by Sidwell’s. Wm. McCurdy built the second cabin, and here subsequently these two gentlemen carried on saddle and harness-making, and this was the germ of the village. The next building was a frame, used as a store-house by Greene Reeves. Other buildings went up, and directly Mr. C., in partnership with Dr. A. M. Johnson, started a dry-goods and grocery store, shipping and packing. Dr. Johnson was one of the most active and enterprising men in the early history of the county, and did much to further the interests of Vermont. After two or three other changes in business he, in 1850, went to California with an ox team. Mr. C. still resides in Vermont.