Abraham Hunsaker was born in the year 1812, Nov 29, Jonesborough town, Union County, State of Illinois, son of Jacob Hunsaker and Polly Luce. My father was born in Pennsylvania, sone of Jacob Hunsaker. He lived till he was some 64 years old and he dyed. He
was a good and honest man all the days of his life. As long as I new him he never lyed or cheated or took anything dishonestly. He even never took the name of the Lord in vane, but he had self government over his passions so he never s[p]oke rashly, but allways
temperate and came [calm].
He belonged to the Duncard Society till his death. He was 27 years old when maryed to my mother. He had 5 children by my mother, viz: Nancy, John L., Abraham, Katharine, Jacob. Nancy was maryed to Jacob Wigle and had 7 or eight children. John maryed a girl whose name was Marthy Lemmon and had 5 or 6 children. Katharine maryed a man whose name was John Wigle, brother to Jacob, [and] had 2 or 3 children.  Jacob maryed a girl by the name of Emely Collins, cousin to Eliza, my first wife. They had 6 or 7 children when we saw them last. They all moved to Oregon except my brother, John. He was in Texas when I last heard. I am looking for him to moove here.
My father allso maryed [a] girl after my mother dyed by the name of Elizabeth Brown.  They had 9 children when my father dyed.
My father’s father’s name was Jacob. He lived till he was 84 years old when he dyed. He was a hatter by trade, a good and honest man.
My father’s father’s father, being my great grandfather, his name was Jacob.  He lived to a good old age and full of years. My great granfather was 106, one hundred and six, years old when he dyed. My granfather and great granfather and granmother were buryed
with my mother some 2 miles west of Jonesborough town, Union County, State of Illinois, near where I was born.
My granmother Hunsaker’s name was Katharine and she was 84 years old when she dyed.  My mother was some 30 years old when she dyed. She was buryed with most all my fourfathers in a graveyard that we called the Duncard graveyard, for most all were duncards or
belonged to the duncard society, near Uncle George Wolf’s farm who was the main minister of that society. My mother while on her death bed said she saw visions and would have the bible with hir in hir death bed till she dyed. In hir visions she saw that all relidgion was rong and that the true gosple would yet be revealed. Hir name was Poly Luce, daughter of William Luce and Nancy Mourton.
My granfather Luce was an honest man and honerable in all his dealings. He was some 80 years old when he dyed and was buryed with his wife, Nancy, in mulinburgh county on green river near the mouth of muddy river. He was a passionate man some like myself. He would have
government over all his house; all had to obey him. He had some 8 or 9 children that lived to state of manhood whose name is Jacob, Isaack, Jonathan, Poly, Hety, Elizabeth. Some of their name[s] I forget.  My granfather Hunsaker had 7 children that lived to rais tollerable large
familys. Their names is called Jacob, George, Abraham, Anny, Katharine, Mary, Sally. One boy dyed when young, name Henry.
My father and his father were the first settlers of Jonesborough town, Union county. It was a heavy timbered contry, tollerable hilly and broken so they had to moove in on pack animals and afoot. [They] had to undergo hardships of new settled contry deprived of evry
comfort of life except that they raised by them[selves] and neighbors. It was tollerable sickly place some 10 [miles] east of mississippi river. The bottom near the river was full of lakes and slues.
My father lived here in Union County till I was 14, fourteen, years old. He then mooved to Adams County and settled some 15 miles east of Quincy. I had lived on bread and milk and vegitables till I was 14 years old. When we started on our journey to Adams County, being near
300, three hundred, miles the way we had to go at that time, I could not get milk and vegetables and I was taken sick haven to change my diet. I had to commence eating meat; I got well in a few days. The road was mudy, it being in the month of March. We traveled over flat wet country where I first beheld prairy country. I had lived in very heavy timbered country where the large poplar, and oak, and gum grew.
wer here in union county, my brother Jacob was taken sick with chill and fever. He was quite sick but recovered when we started home. The day before we started l gave him enough whiskey to mak him drunk hoping it would cure him. It cured him. While I was here in
Union county I went to school to a babtis [Baptist] minister which my father had sold his farm to. We wer here some 3 or 4 months. I collected togeather the cattle and came home to my father.
My brother John had, gone to Galena to work in the lead mines. He stayed 2 or 3 years and made considerable and he then bought a lead [mine] and gave all he had made and went in debt or promised more. The man had placed some [ore] in the lead mine [and] made him think it
was a very rich mine, but my brother was mistaken — it was no count and he came home in debt some 4 or 5 hundred dollars. It was not exactly by my father’s council for him to go to the mine, but by my brother’s request.  I was the oldest boy that lived at home after my brother John left and had charge of his farm in summer, and in winter took care of his cattle some 15 miles from home where my father
bought a quarter of section of land. He gave this farm to my sister Nancy and my brother John after he came home. While I was here on this place, I and my sister Nancy, being the only ones that was at home, we concluded to go and hunt beer [bear] as I had some fine courses. We had not gone farther than one mile when I was bit by a rattlesnake. We had no neighbors neare[r] than 3 miles. We were both young and inexperienced in cureing snakebite; however I immeaditly tyed my galluses as tight as I could round my leg. The snake bight got worse
for twelve hours at which time the poison ran threw my body and I fainted away for 2 or 3 times.  They supposed Iwas dying but when I came to after the first time I had apatite to drink lard, and I drank one pint of hog’s lard. I got better and got well directly.