McDonough County Genealogical Society
Every county has its “firsts”—births, marriages, and deaths. In McDonough County, the first recorded marriage was that of John Wilson and Martha Vance.
John Martin Wilson was born in 1806 in Jackson County, Tennessee, the son of Hugh Sr. and Susan (Skiles) Wilson. He came to the area with other pioneer families seeking land and opportunity. Martha Ramsey Vance, born between 1804 and 1806, was the daughter of James Sr. and Margaret (Reno/ Reneau) Vance.
John and Martha were married by Rev. John A. Logan on Thursday, October 30, 1828, in what is now southeastern Industry Township. At the time, McDonough County had not yet been formally organized, so their marriage license was filed in nearby Schuyler County, which still held jurisdiction over the region.
A charming detail of the wedding survived through family memory. In 1938, their grandson, Lawrence D.
