HIGGINS, WILLIAM
, was born April 12, 1774, in Barren county, Ky. He was married to Elizabeth Downing. She had one child, and died, and he was married, March 6, 1800, to Rosanna Megery, who was born Dec. 18, 1778, in the same county. She had five children, and died there. In 1817 Mr. Higgins moved his family to St. Clair county, Ill., and was there married to Rosanna Duncan. He started with his family, in the fall of 1818, to the San-ga-ma country. They stopped, on Sugar creek, with the Drennan's, until Jan. or Feb., 1819, when they moved about fifteen miles north, and built a cabin on the south side of the Sangamon river, above where the Chicago & Alton railroad now crosses. While he was living in camp, before his cabin was completed, himself and wife crossed to the north side of the river on horseback. They were belated, and spent one night in the river bottom, near the mouth of Fancy creek. A few days later Mr. Higgins went to the north side alone, found five bee trees, and killed a panther, which measured nine feet from tip to tip. He went over soon after, accompanied by his wife and two daughters, one of whom is now--1876--the wife of David England. These three are believed to have been the first white women who ever crossed to the north of the river, in what is now Sangamon county. Stephen England and his two sons-in-law came on their exploring expedition, and stopped with Mr. Higgins who accompanied them to the north side, and led the way to the vicinity of where Cantrall now stands, and all four selected sites for improvement. The creek was for several years called, in honor of his having first visited the locality, Higgins creek; since changed to Cantrall's creek. Soon after this, a Mr. Chapman, son-in-law of Judge Latham, crossed the river and built a cabin on the north side, between where the Chicago & Alton and Gilman, Clinton & Springfield railroads now cross. His wife is thought to have been the fourth white woman on that side of the river. Mr. Chapman established a canoe ferry there, which for three years was the only chance for crossing the river. Persons could be taken over safe and dry, animals could swim, and wagons were taken to pieces, and with their loads were carried over, piece by piece. About three years later a boat was first used for a ferry. The latter part of April, 1819, Stephen England, his two sons-in-law, his son David, and two of his daughters crossed over and finished building their houses and planting their crops. Those two daughters of Mr. England were the fifth and sixth women north of the river. One of them, Lucy, was the wife of John Chine. This account was given to me by David England and his wife, who was Margaret Higgins. Of the five children of Wm. Higgins, by his second wife--CATHARINE, born May 12, 1801, in Kentucky, married Wm. Bradbury in St. Clair county, and both died there, leaving four children.
MARGARET, born Sept. 6, 1804, in Barren county, Ky., married David England. See his name.
LOUISIANA, born Nov. 16, 1806, in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county to George Harper, raised a family, and lives in Oregon.
INDIANA, born March 24, 1809, in Kentucky, married Wm. Crane, in Sangamon county. She died, leaving one child, JOSEPH A. CRANE, who is now a practicing attorney, in Freeport, Illinois.
WILLIAM H., born Feb. 25, 1813, in Kentucky, married Priscilla Kearney, have five children, and live in Cedar county, Missouri.
ROSANNA, born Dec. 16, 1816, in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county to Milton Claypool. He died, leaving a widow and eleven children, in JoDaviess county, Illinois.
William Higgins built a boat, and in 1823 took his goods down the Sangamon, and up the Illinois rivers to a point near Lewiston, and after that built a mill near Canton, Ill. He moved from there to the northern part of the State, where he and his third wife died, leaving four children.