MRS. RACHEL LEE came to this county during the days of its earliest settlement, and for a period of thirty-five years has occupied a comfortable homestead on section 13, in Waddams Township. Her earliest recollections are of Brown County, Ohio, where she was born Jan. 2, 1809. Her father, Jacob Kratzer, was a native of Virginia, and the son of Simon Kratzer, who was of German birth and parentage, and was brought by his father and mother to this country when a small child. They located in the Old Dominion, where young Simon grew to manhood and was married. He continued there until about 1805, then migrated to Ohio and located in Brown County, where he made his permanent home. His son Jacob, was reared and married in Virginia and accompanied his father to Ohio, the removal being made down the river on a flatboat. They were among the first settlers of Brown County, and Jacob Kratzer, like his father, located in a timber tract and built a log cabin, which he occupied for a number of years with his family, and where his daughter, Rachel, of our sketch was born.

The father of Mrs. Lee felled the forest trees around his cabin home and had prepared a considerable portion of the soil for cultivation, when his title proved defective, and the land was taken from him. He thus lost all his labor and was obliged to leave his improvements, without being compensated. About 1827 he emigrated overland to Indiana, accompanied by his wife and eleven children and his widowed mother. He located in Shelby County when the settlements were few and far between and repeated the process which he had gone through in Ohio, felling the timber and clearing a farm, but this time with better results. He retained possession of his property and occupied it until his death. He had married in early manhood Miss Annie Atkinson, also a native of the Old Dominion, and who became the mother of eleven children, among them being Rachel, of our sketch.

The early years of the subject of this history were spent under the parental roof, where she assisted her mother in household duties, and after the fashion of the maidens of those days, became an expert at spinning, weaving and knitting. When a young lady of twenty-three years of age she was united in marriage with Elliott Lee, the wedding taking place at the home of her parents Dec. 10, 1832. Mr. Lee was born in Chermont County, Ohio, April 21, 1805, and was the son of William Lee, a native of the North of Ireland. After marriage the young people located on a farm in Hamilton County, Ind., where they lived until 1836. They then determined to seek a permanent home in Illinois. The household goods, including cooking utensils and provisions, were loaded into a wagon, and by means of two horses they started overland and reached this county after a journey of thirty days. Mr. Lee selected Rock Run Township for his future residence and here made a claim, where he put up a log cabin and gradually proceeded with the cultivation of the soil. The land had not been surveyed at that time but as soon as this was done and the land office opened at Dixon Mr. Lee secured his title and began the establishment of a permanent homestead. The family occupied the cabin until a saw mill was started and then Mr. Lee procured lumber and built a frame house. This they occupied until the spring of 1848, and Mr. Lee then sold out and purchased the place where his widow resides. He died here on the 5th of March, 1853.

Of the twelve children born to Mr. and Mrs. Lee seven are now living: Luther is a resident of Warren, this county; James lives in Santa Fe, N. M.; Mary J. is the wife of Hiram Shippee, of Waddams Township; Elliott occupies the old homestead with his mother; John lives in Webster City, Iowa; Samuel lives in Freeport, Ill., and Josephine, the wife of Henry Kleckler, lives in Waddams Township. Mr. Lee was reared in the doctrines of the Lutheran Church, which remained his religion during his lifetime.

Contributed by Carol Parrish from Portraits & Biographical 1888 Stephenson Co IL Pg 226