Editor’s Note: Students enrolled in Western Illinois University Professor Greg Hall’s Illinois history seminar during the Fall 2025 semester each wrote 700-word summaries of their research papers about McDonough County history, and Dr. Hall generously provided these summaries to The Community News Brief. We will be publishing these over the next few months as part of McDonough County’s Bicentennial celebration coverage. We greatly appreciate Dr. Hall and his students for contributing to our historical retrospectives.
The first settlers in McDonough County faced many hardships. Native Americans, the constant threat of prairie fires, and the harsh Illinois winters all would make life difficult for a new beginning. But, through resilience, ambition, and a sense of community, they were able to find a new beginning here in central Illinois. Finding an area rich in timber, prairies, black soil, and easily accessible waterways, the early settlers began to make their mark on the region’s history.
Veterans of the War of 1812 were granted 160 acres of land on the American frontier, which at that time included Illinois, for their service. This federal policy was designed to both reward service and to serve as a security against Native American resistance and foreign influence in the region.
However, many veterans simply chose not to migrate westward or sold their land parcels to speculators who would then resell the properties at a profit. Many of the initial settlers of the region came from Tennessee and Kentucky. Surveyors divided the land into half-mile squares, and the promise of land ownership drew families westward. For $100, one could buy a parcel of 80 acres, which was the minimum that could be purchased.
William Carter and Riggs Pennington, who established the first permanent settlements in the county, arrived in 1826.
Carter’s Settlement became the first named community. His efforts included building a fort or blockhouse for protection from Native Americans though it was never used in conflict.
Carter’s family and extended relatives followed, reflecting the common practice of group migration for mutual support.
Soon, others arrived, including James Vance, who immigrated here from Tennessee, and settled in Industry Township in 1826. He held several offices in the early county government, and was the first person buried in the Industry cemetery. His home was used for early elections as well, showing his community involvement. John Baker is credited as the first resident of Macomb. He built a cabin, a general store, and a tavern, which would serve as the first county seat and courthouse.
William Pennington, a cousin of Riggs Pennington and brother-in-law of Daniel Boone, arrived in the New Salem Township in 1828 and cultivated the first for-profit farm in the community. His son, Stewart, was the groom in the county’s first recorded marriage.
Hugh Wilson and his three-sided encampment, who survived a tense encounter with the local Native Americans, later permanently settled on the edge of the county. Devine Anderson, who built the area's first mill along with J.O.C. Wilson, Dr. Charles Hays, the county’s first doctor, Dr. John Black, the area's first dentist, and Oliver Rice, the first blacksmith, also arrived in the 1830s.
William Edmonston came to the area in 1829. He represented McDonough County and its neighbors in the Illinois House of Representatives. The McFadden family, led by Elias McFadden, also played a role in the county’s first election.
However, the McFadden legacy is marked by both civic involvement and tragedy as Elias and his son were executed for murder in 1835.
John Blythe, who petitioned the Illinois General Assembly for the county to be self-governing, along with James Clarke, the first county clerk, John Hardesty, the first county surveyor, William Southward, the first sheriff, and Peter Hale, the first county postmaster, were all important leaders in forming the county’s first governing body. They helped in organizing elections and establishing the legal and administrative framework for the county. They divided the county into magistrate districts and held the elections in their own homes. In 1856, the county adopted the township system of local governance.
All these men and families came together and founded a county rich in legacy that still thrives to this day. Through their struggles and hardships, they forged a new beginning here in central Illinois. Their sense of adventure, the need for better lives for their families, and the cooperation with each other all helped form the communities that make McDonough County what it is today. We will be forever grateful to them for their efforts.
