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 755, Kerton Township
William A. Raridin, Justice of the Peace and wagon-maker,
settled in this township in the autumn of 1848. He was born in Mason
county, Ky., in 1827; his father, Jesse Raridin, was a native of
Pennsylvania, where he married Miss Ruth Applegate. They had a family
of 13 children. Jesse R. moved to Indiana and continued to follow
farming and passed the remainder of his life in that State. Mrs. R.
died many years before her husband. William grew up in Indiana and
learned the trade of wagon-making and since his coming here has
followed farming and wagon-making. During the autumn of 1849 he was
united in married with a daughter of Thomas Seaborn, Miss Amanda, one
of the pioneers of Fulton county. They have 6 children living out of a
family of 9 born to them. Their names are Mary A., Catharine, Platt,
Wm., Melissa and Emma.
