Sumner, Illinois

The first permanent settler in the township was Benjamin Sumner, a native of North Carolina, who came in 1817, and on the 25th day of October of that year, entered the N. E. quarter of section 14, where he erected a small round log cabin. He had a wife and two children, Seley who died young, and Famuel who was born in Georgia, in 1815, and is still living on section 10, near Sumner. He was three times married. Simpson and Sullivan Sumner, of the town of Sumner, and Mrs. William Musgrove, children by the second marriage, are still living, and are among the old residents. Seven children of the third wife are yet living. About 1827, Mr. Sumner built an incline ox grist and flax mill on his premises. This was the first mill built in the township. He* afterward kept a small general store on his place. He was a careful, industrious farmer, never spending any time in hunting or sporting of any kind. His industry was rewarded by large acquisitions of land which before his death, occurring on Christmas day, 1878, he divided among his children. At one time, when Mr. Sumner was away from home, his wife Elizabeth, who was an expert in the use of the rifle, shot a deer, and had it dressed and put away, on his return.

Passage source: Combined History of Edwards, Lawrence and Wabash Counties, Illinois. With Illustrations ... and Biographical Sketches of Some of Their Prominent Men and Pioneers, published 1883.

Moses Laws, a North Carolinian, came from that state in 1818. He was a widower with seven children, William, John, James, Lewis, Sarah, Elizabeth and Annie. All married in the county, and reared families. William married a sister of Benjamin Sumner, and settled on the site of Hadley ; John on the state road north of that village and kept a stage stand, as early as 1838; James also on the state road in what is now Richland county ; Lewis married Silva Basdin, and settled two and a half miles northeast of Sumner, where he reared a family The Laws now in the county, are descendants of William and Lewis. William Laws of Sumner is a son of Lewis. William Blanchard, a Kentuckian, in 1818 settled on section 13, where he resided for about ten or twelve years. Joseph Williams, came from Ohio, in 1819, and settled in the same section, just south of Benjamin Surauer, where he lived until his death, about twenty-five years ago. None of his family lived in the

Passage source: Combined History of Edwards, Lawrence and Wabash Counties, Illinois. With Illustrations ... and Biographical Sketches of Some of Their Prominent Men and Pioneers, published 1883.

Peter Shidler arrived in the Spring of 1818, with a family of three or four girls and two boys. He located in section 10, and lived in a tent on the farm where Samuel Sumner now resides. He was a native of Ohio, and was the Nimrod of this part of the county. He was moreover, a lover of sport, and at his cabin the youngsters often gathered and joined in the merry dance. Jake and Tom Shidler, and Prov. Rawlings were the fiddlers. Shidler, a few years later, moved a mile northeast of Sumner, on the state road, and kept a tavern and stage stand. He built a double log-house, and subsequently, a frame. It is said he kept the best of corn - juice, at a " fippenny-bit " a drink, and on his table could always be found choice meats of deer and wild turkey, the fruits of his unerring rifle. He afterward moved over on the Embarras river, where he died. In 1821, Isaac Higgins, purchased Shidler's improvement in section 10, and lived there five years and returned to Ohio. Robert Higgins, his brother, also lived in the neighborhood, a short time. In 1820 John Gorden settled in section 11.' Jacob Severey, an old resident of the county, is living in the township. In 1824, Eli Clubb, a native of Kentucky, came with a young wife and settled on section 11, where he reared a family. In 1824, Andrew Christy came from Ohio and settled north of Sumner, where he entered land. He had a large family, but none of its members remained in the county but William Y., who was born in Ohio, in 1806. He became one of the most prominent and influential men in this part of the county. He spent his life as a farmer, but, at the same time, possessing the confidence of the citizens, he did a great amount of public business, such as administering estates, etc., and also represented the county in the legislature for two terms. He died in January, 1869. The township and the prairie in which he settled are known by his name. J. S. Christy, in the drug business at Sumner, is his son. The first school in the township was taught by James Swain ey, in 1823, in a log house that stood in section 11. Uncle Samuel Sumner relates that the boys turned the teacher out, because he would not treat. He finally yielded, and bought a bucket of whiskey and honey, on which they all got drunk. Prior to this school the children of the settlement attended the Spring Hill school, now in Bridgeport township. Early land entries : May 2d, 1818, Reziu Clubb entered the S. W. quarter of section 12 ; October

Passage source: Combined History of Edwards, Lawrence and Wabash Counties, Illinois. With Illustrations ... and Biographical Sketches of Some of Their Prominent Men and Pioneers, published 1883.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Christy Township - it names this place 11 more 11 times.