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EARLY SETTLERS OF SANGAMON COUNTY - 1876
By John Carroll Power

These biographies were submitted by a researcher and evidently abstracted from the 1876 History of Sangamon County, IL. Errors could occur, so one should always verify the correctness by obtaining copies of vitals and performing all necessary research to document what is contained herein.



FOWLER, MASON, was born about 1766 in Virginia. He was married and had five children in that State, and the family moved to the vicinity of Nashville, Tenn., where they had seven children. They moved from there to Southern Illinois in 1816, and in the spring of 1820 Mr. Fowler, with his two sons, Edward and John and a young man by the name of Frederick Wise, came to what is now Cotton Hill township, Sangamon county. They raised a crop, built a house that summer, returned south and brought Mr. Fowler's family to their new home on Horse creek in the fall of that year. Of their children--

EDWARD and JOHN, born in Virginia, married in Sangamon county to two sisters by the name of Hale, and moved to Wisconsin near Galena. The two brothers and ten other citizens, including an Indian agent and interpreter, were riding over the country without suspecting danger. They were attacked by Indians and eleven of them killed. One only escaped--a man by the name of Pierce Holly, who had the fleetest horse, and that alone saved his life. The widows of the Fowler brothers married again, and continued to reside in that region of country.

ELIZABETH, born in Virginia, married in Sangamon county to Mr. Pierce. They both died, leaving three sons, who were raised by William Southwick and Joseph Enslee, in Sangamon county.

ANN, born in Virginia, married in Sangamon county to Dr. Samuel D. Slater. She died in 1832 or '3, leaving two children.

REBECCA, born in Virginia, married in Sangamon county to Frederick Wise. See his name.

TABITHA, born in Tennessee, married in Sangamon county to a Mr. Hale.

THOMAS, born in Tennessee, came to Sangamon county with his parents, and after the death of his brothers Edward and John, left home with the avowed purpose of avenging their death. After an absence of ten years with the Indians, he visited his friends in Sangamon county, went again to the Indians, and was never heard of after.

NANCY, born in Tennessee, married in Sangamon county, to Wm. Kirkpatrick. She died in Sangamon county, leaving five children.

WILLIAM, born in Tennessee, married in Sangamon county, in 1834, to Polly Durbin, and moved, in 1842, to Dubuque county, Iowa.

Mrs. Prudence Fowler died about 1823, in Sangamon county, and Mason Fowler married Mrs. Anna M. Seeley, whose maiden name was Slater. They had two children--

ELIZA A., born in Sangamon county, married to a Mr. Clarke. They live in Iowa.

MILTON F., born in Sangamon county, went to Iowa, married there, returned to Sangamon county, inherited his father's homestead by will, and died there, Sept. 5, 1867.

Mason Fowler died March, 1844, and Mrs. Anna M. Fowler died about 1853, both in Sangamon county.



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