These are my research notes for Henry Boyers of Shawneetown, IL:





Other names associated with Henry Boyers; Michael Sprinkle, Michael Jones, McCoy, Celia Wilson Pool



Notes:

*Henry had at least 2 sons, John Boyers b.abt 1801

    Michael Boyer b. Oct 7, 1821 d. Jan 31, 1889

    Maybe William Boyer b. 1814

*“He came from Cincinnati, Ohio to Shawneetown, Ill in 1804”.  According to History of White County

*Henry signed a land petition in 1809

*1810 census, nothing

*Henry signed a petition to Congress Feb 21, 1811

*1812, two militia companies (about 70 men each) are organized in Shawneetown area to protect against Indian attacks.  Henry is not listed among their ranks.

* 1813 Major flood occurs in Shawneetown that lasts fo 10 weeks.  40 log homes float away while 10-15 feet of water remains standing in town.

*1814, Land office opens in Shawneetown

*Henry bought 160 acres July 27, 1814 (Title owned by Tom Logsdon)

    loc: FD SE 12 09S 09E 3

        (Sale Type, Legal Desc, Section, Twnship, Range, Meridian)

*1814 William Boyer was born - did he belong to Henry?

*1818 Illinois becomes a state

*Henry bought 160 more acres Feb 18, 1820 (Next to Sprinkle, Jones, Reid - this land is known for a everflowing springs)

    loc: FD NE 18 09S 10E 3

        (Sale Type, Legal Desc, Section, Twnship, Range, Meridian)

*The 1820 Illinois state census (not federal), July 11, 1820, Page 077, listed in Gallatin Co.

* Son Michael Jones Boyer was born Oct 7, 1821, Gallatin Co

*Henry Boyer m. Cecilia G Pool June 21 1825 (see note 1)

*July, 1825 a lawsuit was filed again Henry Boyers, John Reid, John Milne, John Smothers for ejecting them from possession of farm houses. Resulting in requiring them to produce a document from the Wilson family that shows they own the land.

* 1825 Michael Jones goes to government for Henry to buy more time for taxes

*Henry was a Sheriff in Galatin Co. in 1826

*1827 the lawsuit was droped

*Cecelia Boyers was listed as head of house in the 1830 census (with one male under 5, two males 20-30, one female 20-30, one female 30-40)

*John Boyers is head of his own household in 1830 with a large family

* Cecelia Boyer is in the 1840 census (one male 15-20, one female 5-10, one female 15-20, two females 40-50)

*Michael Boyer married Jerusa Scrivner in 1848, and have several children, including William H Boyer in 1853

*1849 Michael Boyer claims that he moved to Franklin Co.

* Michael Boyer buys land in Franklin Co, in Jan of 1854 as a part of a new law as of 1854 that lowered the price of land from $1.25 to $0.12

*1880 census, Michael Boyer states that his father and mother were both born in Illinois

*Jan, 1884 Jerusa dies, Michael remarries Malinda M. Brit Teague in May

* 1889 Michael dies, burried in Sugar Camp Cemetery, Jefferson County, Illinois





Note 1: Cecelia Wilson was born in 1787 the daughter of Alexandar and Eleanor Wilson, sister to the famous Harrison Wilson.  She married John Pool and gave birth to the first white boy born in Galatin County, Orvil Pool.  She is burried in Westwood Cemetery, “Celia Boyer, Consort of Henry 1840”.  She is burried with the Wilson family plots



Note 2: Harrison Wilson’s daughter, E. Lucy Wilson married J. E. Rearden July 29 1848.  They lived in a cabin when they first were married and the cabin is still occupied by the Lodgston family, we had a tour of the cabin twice now.



Note 3: Now I am trying to trace the other  Henry Boyers that were cotemporaries of our Henry Boyer to rule some of them out.  One of the ones that I am looking at is in Shenandoah Co, VA.  Henry Boyer m. Mary Jacobs 4/14/1798.  I know that‚s its a long shot, but boy are we stumped!



Note 4: 1800 census, Henry Boyers.  Kentucky, Montgomery County



Note 5: Henri Boyer b. Aug 22 1781, Vincennes, Knox Co. IN

Father: Louis (Sancoucy) Boyer 

Mother: Marie Ann Gauder



Note 6: Marian Boyer m. Adrian Adkins July 7, 1814 Gallatin Co.

Note 7: Eliza Boyer m. Joseph Labusher (LABUSHER)Jan 17, 1819 Gallatin



Note 8: In an effort to place Henry in a circle of “friends” to better undestand his demogaphic, he is listed John Reid, John Milne, John Smothers, and Michael Sprinkle.  John Reid was a doctor (had the baby swap, was his neighbor, bought his land after his death). John Milne was the first silversmith.  Michael Sprinkle was the first blacksmith. John Smothers was listed in the Blackhawk war.



Note - Interesting perspective: Dr. Benjamin Rush, in writing on the frontier economy of Pennsylvania in 1786, stated that there were often three successive types of settlers involved in the making of a farm out of the wilderness. He wrote that the first is often a man who has outlived his credit or fortune in the cultivated parts of the state, who moves to an isolated spot, builds a shelter, girdles or deadens the trees on an acre or two where he plants Indian corn after loosening the ground. His pleas ures mainly consist of hunting and fishing, and this furnished most of the food for his family. He often has a weakness for liquor, and the family life is crude. When hunting gets poor or neighbors near, they move again. He is usually suc ceeded by a family of the second type which builds a good cabin of hewed logs, enlarges the fields, plants an orchard and grows more of a variety in crops. This farmer was often inefficient, however, and was succeeded by a farmer who made good. Dr. Rush pointed out that the first class of settler in new surroundings sometimes advanced through all three grades, and the second often went to the top.