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Madison County Letters - Index
Copyright 2000 Fredi Perry
From Fredi Perry 15 June 2000:
"Thank you all for your input on these most interesting letters. Today I organized the letters and put them
in order, each in protective sleeves. I will attempt to transcribe these over the next few months and send them
out to all of you. As you'll see, often I can't read a name and rather than stabbing in the dark, I've put a question
mark. I've stayed with the original spelling. (I'm an editor and publisher and I don't mishspell usually.) Anyone
who'd like to send corrections to me or the list, I'll correct my copy. Richard Neumann, a member of your list
who lives quite near me, offered to put the original letters on a CD plus the transcription of these letters. By
the way ... my name is Fredi, not Fred ... I'm female.
Actually the letters get a lot more interesting now when Caroline's uncle starts writing her the news. He was a
bright guy, very much into the political issues of the day, AND he follows all the births, deaths, etc. in his
letters.
George Churchill was born Oct. 11, 1789 in Glastonbury, Connecticut to Jesse Churchill and Hannah Boardman. He
died in Troy Aug. 11, 1872. I found this at Ancestry.com
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Letters written to Caroline Elizabeth Churchill Bingham
Here we go with the first letters when Caroline Elizabeth Churchill leaves Bridge Prairie....
(Note: Initials WT mentioned in the letters is an abbreviation for
Wisconsin Territory)
Letter #1 - 25 April
1837
Letter #2 - 18 Aug
1839
Letter #3 - 2 Feb
1840
Letter #4 - 20 Apr
1840
Letter #5 - 15 Sep
1840 (NEW)
Letter #6 - 20 Sep
1840
Letter #7 - 26 Apr
1841
Letter #8 - 19 Oct
1841
Letter #9 - 2 Mar
1842
Letter #10 - 4 May
1842
Letter #11 - 5 Nov
1842
Letter #12 - 20 Feb
1843
Letter #13 - 21 May
1844
Letter #14 - 13 Jul
1845
Letter #15 - 1 Oct
1845
Letter #16 - 25 Feb
1846
Letter #17 - 4 Apr
1846
Letter #18 - 28 Apr
1846
Letter #19 - 27 May
1846
Letter #20 - 23 Jun
1846
Letter #21 - 10 Nov
1846
Letter #22 - 22 Feb
1847
Letter #23 - 5 Jul
1847(NEW)
Letter #24 - 25 Jul
1847 or 1841
Letter #25 - 19 Dec
1848
Letter #26 - 8 Apr
1849
Letter #27 - 14 May
1849
Letter #28 - 26 Aug
1849
Letter #29 - 27 Sep
1849
Letter #30 - 30 Oct
1849
Letter #31 - 24 May
1850
Letter #32 - 18 Dec
1851
Letter #33 - 18 Oct
1852
Letter #34 - 20 Dec
1852
Letter #35 - 20 Jan
1853
Letter #36 - 13 Sep
1854
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[Note from another researcher: I live in Wisconsin about 50 miles from this area.
The "Badgers" mentioned in here is referring to the miners who burrowed into the hill sides looking for
lead and galena ore. There were very few women there then. Lots of times an abandoned mine became the home. "Burrowing
into the hills like Badgers" is how the name came to be. "There is lots of old mines from Monroe, Green
County west to the Mississippi River and from the Illinois border north to the Wisconsin River. Wisconsin Counties
included in this are western Green, Lafayette, Grant, and Iowa." Sara]
[Note from another researcher:I found this on George Churchill p. 439 of Brink's History of Madison Co. Illinois,
under Jarvis Twp.:
"George Churchill, who settled on section eight, west of Troy, was one of the most remarkable men who ever
lived in the township. In early life, he had learned the printing business and after coming to the township,
he at intervals went to St. Louis and worked in the printing offices of that place. He remained a bachelor
and his habits were peculiar and eccentric. He, however, was held in high esteem by the community, and was several
times sent as a representative to the legislature. Here, though he was no orator, and indeed never attempted
to make a speech, his talent as a ready writer came into play, and drafted a considerable part of the bills brought
forward by his side of the house. He was one of the most active opponents of the efforts to introduce slavery
into the state in 1824. His botes in the legislature excited the displeasure of those opposed to his views,
and he and Nicholas Hanson, a fellow member of the assembly, were burned in effigy, at Troy."
On p. 441 it mentions George Churchill's appointment as postmaster at Troy, which he mentioned in his letters.
Angeline McCray, must have won her suit as the heir, because on p. 443 of the history, it states: "By
the will of Angeline McCray Dewey, widow of John S. Dewey, her estate, estimated as worth in the neighborhood of
thirty thousand dollars, is left to five trustees..."
Angeline McCray and Dr. Dewey were my ancestress's adoptive parents. She was Mary Blakeman Dewey.
Anyway, I thought some of you on the list might enjoy finding out more about those in the letters. Gail]
Letters number 5 and 23 could not be found.
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