PULLIAM, ROBERT, was born April 12, 1776, in Henry county, Va. His father, John Pulliam, emigrated to Kentucky when Robert was a boy, and the family moved from there to Illinois, arriving in 1796, in what was then called the New Design settlement, now a part of Monroe county. The next year they moved into a settlement in the district of St. I ouis, in what was then locally known as "New Spain." They moved to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and a few years later to Randolph county, Ill., near where the town of Red Bud now stands. In 1802 Robert Pulliam improved a farm a few miles east of Belleville, St. Clair county, and about 1803 he settled in the American Bottom, near the Bluff, six or seven miles below the present city of Alton. Mary Stout was born April 9, 1776, but the locality is not known. Robert Pulliam and Mary Stout were married Sept. 13, 1804. In 1815 they moved to St. Clair county, and in the fall of 1817, leaving his family in St. Clair county, he, with two or three hired men, and a woman by the name of Strickland--sister of one of the hired men--to cook for them, he came to Sugar creek and built a cabin in the timber, on the east side of the creek. The land is now owned by James Scott, and is situated nearly three-quarters of a mile west of a point ten and a half miles due south of Springfield, on a line with Sixth street. When the government survey was made it was found to be on the southwest quarter of section twenty-one, township fourteen north, range five west, and is now in Ball township. That is believed to have been, without doubt, the first habitation of any kind built by white men in what is now Sangamon county. Mr. Pulliam brought with him a herd of cattle and some horses. The growth of grass, which had been luxuriant for ages, afforded ample grazing when there was not any snow. When that covered the ground Mr. P. had the men cut down elm trees, and the stock would live on the buds until the snow passed away. The cabin was built in a forest, composed principally of sugar trees. As the spring approached, Mr. Pulliam put his men to work and made sugar. As the season advanced, and caused the grass to grow, he collected his horses and cattle and returned to his family in St. Clair county in the spring of 1818. He remained there until the spring of 1819, when he came, with all his family, back to Sugar creek, to find his cabin occupied by Zachariah Peter. See his name. Robert Pulliam had six children in Madison and St. Clair counties, namely--

NANCY, born July 26, 1805, in Madison county, married in Sangamon county to John Brownell. See his name.

MARTIN G., born Sept. 17, 1807, in Madison county, married in Sangamon county, Nov. 25, 1827, to Lucy Knotts. They had twelve children in Sangamon county, two of whom died young. THOMAS J. married Elizabeth McLaughlin, and resides in Girard, Macoupin county, Ill. ROBERT L. married Rebecca Wilson, and lives in Iowa. SARAH married Basil Brawner. See his name. They live in Iowa. GEORGE S. married Ellen Knotts, has a family of children, and lives in Ball township, within three-quarters of a mile of where his grandfather built the first house in the county. His postoffice is Chatham, Ill. MARTIN H. died unmarried, in Iowa, aged twenty-four years. JOSEPH O. married Sarah A. Stewart, and lives in Iowa. DOROTHY is unmarried, and lives near Chatham, Ill. MARY E. married Harvey Hegler, and lives near Virden, Ill. CHARLES M. is unmarried, and lives near Chatham, Ill. Martin G. Pulliam died in June, 1872, and his widow, Mrs. Lucy Pulliam, resides with her son, George S., in Ball township, near Chatham, Sangamon county, Illinois.--1874.

IRWIN S., born Sept. 12, 1811, in Madison county, Illinois, married in Sangamon county, Dec. 18, 1834, to Matilda Nuckolls, who was born in Grayson county, Va., Nov. 16, 1813. They had nine children in Sangamon county, namely: JOHN R., born Jan. 2, 1836. He enlisted, May, 1864, for one hundred days, served full time and one month over, and was honorably discharged. He is unmarried, and lives in Ball township, four miles southeast of Chatham, Sangamon county, Ill. MARY A., born August 19, 1837, married Benjamin H. Taylor, who was born Oct. 2, 1835, in Morgan county, Ill. They have two children, EDWARD C. and WILLIAM SHERMAN, and live in Pawnee township, six miles east of Auburn, Ill. Benjamin H. Taylor enlisted August 2, 1861, in Co. B, 30th Ill. Inf., served two years, was wounded, suffered amputation of a leg twice, and was honorably discharged August 7, 1863. JAMES H., born Nov. 6, 1839, enlisted Aug., 1862, in Co. B, 114th Ill. Inf., for three years, and was captured at the battle of Guntown, June, 1864. On the 18th of that month he was imprisoned at Andersonville, and was released April 28, 1865, by the collapse of the rebellion. After returning home he was honorably discharged. His weight, in health, was from one hundred and sixty-five to one hundred and seventy-five pounds. When he reached home, one month after his discharge, he weighed one hundred and twenty pounds. He was not sick a day, but the loss of flesh and muscle was wholly caused by starvation. James H. Pulliam unites with B. F. Fletcher in confirming the statement made by Stephen Bell about the breaking out of a spring in Andersonville prison. See name of Bell.

Mr. Pulliam was married Nov. 26, 1868, to Addie Fairbanks. They had one child, ORA V., and Mrs. Addie Pulliam died March 25, 1870. James H. Pulliam was married March 4, 1873, to Lydia Shellhouse, and lives now--1876--in Ball township, at his grandfather's old homestead, not where he built the first cabin, but the second. MARGARET J. died young. CHARLES IRWIN, born August 22, 1844, was married Nov. 19, 1872, to Emily J. Drennan, and lives in Pawnee township, five miles east of Auburn. GEORGE W., born March 31, 1847, was killed by a kick from a horse, aged five years. THOMAS J., born Oct. 27, 1849, lives at the family homestead. WILLIAM S., born April 3, 1852, lost his right hand by being crushed in a corn mill when a boy. He lives at the homestead with his brother, Charles I. FRANCIS M., born Sept. 16, 1858, lives at the homestead. Irwin S. Pulliam died May 8, 1869, and his widow resides with her son, Charles I., at the family homestead in Pawnee township, five miles east of Auburn, Sangamon county, Illinois.

MARY, born Oct. 7, 1814, in Madison county, married in Sangamon county, April 19, 1835, to Ludwell P. Fariss. They had four children, and both died at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. One of the daughters is now the wife of Dr. McBride, of Decatur, Illinois.

MARGARET, born Oct. 13, 1816, in St. Clair county, married in Sangamon county to Samuel Peter, a son of Zachariah. She died at Winterset, Iowa, leaving four children, namely: ELIZABETH, NANCY J., WILLIAM and JOHN.

GEORGE W., born Sept. 12, 1822, in Sangamon county, died June 18, 1872, after having been thirty years an invalid, though the immediate cause of his death was being thrown from a wagon by a runaway team. He lived with his brother, Irwin S., until the death of the latter, and remained with the family until his own death.

Robert Pulliam died July 31, 1838, seven miles south of Carlinville, in Macoupin county. His widow died July 1, 1847, in Sangamon county, Illinois.

A paper was prepared by Gov. John Reynolds, to be read at the first old settlers' meeting in Sangamon county, in 1859. In that paper Gov. Reynolds related some incidents in the life of Robert Pulliam. It was not read, as intended, but came into my hands. It is known to all the old settlers that Mr. Pulliam wore an artificial leg. Gov. Reynolds says that one of Mr. Pulliam's legs became diseased, and in the summer of 1808 it was found to be absolutely necessary to amputate it in order to save his life. Dr. Tuthill, of Cahokia, performed the operation. The Governor says: "I resided with my father in the neighborhood of Mr. Pulliam, and knew the circumstances of the amputation. The patient possessed such courage that he held his body as firm as a rock, without assistance, during the operation. I presume this was the first amputation of a limb that occurred in Illinois, and at that time was considered a surgical operation almost superhuman." Gov. Reynolds describes Mr. Pulliam as a man of fine proportions and perfect physical development. He says the circumstances of his ife prevented his obtaining an education from books, to any considerable extent, but his natural good sense and opportunities for studying men, enabled him to hold a place in the front rank of business men of that time. He was fond of the rude sports of the times; such as horse racing, hunting, and games of various kinds, but later in life he felt that the example was injurious, and changed his course. He first united with the Baptist church, and then, for greater convenience, connected himself with the Methodist church, and his wife did the same. They continued in its communion to the end of their lives. Mr. Pulliam understood the advantages of improved machinery, and endeavored to introduce it into the settlement whenever it was practicable. He was one of the earliest to build a mill in the county. It was run by tread wheel, and the motive power was either horses or oxen. All the early settlers raised cotton quite extensively, and he was one of the first, if not the first, to introduce a cotton gin into the settlement.