McHENRY CO. IL
Formed 1836 from Cook
Lake formed 1839 from McHenry
 

CENSUS RECORDS

1850 McHenry Co. IL Census
Hebron
Pg.461, #27, Thomas DUNCAN 50 SCT farmer $1000
                  Almira 34 NY
                  Azuba (f) 10, Agnes 7, Jane 5 CAN
                  Jenett 1 IL
                  Otis DAGGETT 21 NY, Elizabeth 18 NY

1860 McHenry Co. IL Census
Pg.232, #1748-1680, Abijah THOMAS 35 NY farmer
                  Louisa 33 NY
                  Ann 9, John 6, ? 2 NY
                  Jean DUNCAN (f) 15 CT domestic
Pg.236, #1773-1707, Thomas DUNCAN 60 SCT farmer $3000-$600
                  Almira 44 NY
                  Erada? (f) 30, Agnes 17, Jane 13 CT
                  Jeanette 11, Marian (f) 9 IL
                  Peter GRIFFITH 25 IRE farm laborer
                  (MAD: Thomas Duncan mar. Almena Thomas 1829 in SCT, per info of Mary Anna Underhill; 1870 Cerro Gordo Co. IA; one Agnes Duncan mar. George E. Ehle 9/29/1863)
Pg.239, #1790-1723, Martin DUNCAN 63 Nova Scotia blacksmith $200
                  Lucy 54 CT
                  Franklin 15, Mary 13 NY
                  Robert LENSON 28 NY farm laborer

1870 McHenry Co. IL Census
      No Duncan indexed
 

HISTORIES before 1923

"History of McHenry County, Illinois" by special authors and contributors; pub. Chicago: Munsell Pub. Co., 1922, 1076 pgs. (LH12098, HeritageQuest images 4/2007; FHL film 1,000,504)
      Chapter IV, Land Titles, by George W. Lemmers. ... Pg.38-43:
About 4,000 acres of land in McHenry County and also in Boone and Winnebago, just over the county lines. William Taylor was sent to the country from Scotland to buy land and died here after many peculiar experiences. The language of the documents left in the recorder's office of McHenry County .... The first document bares no date of execution, but is a power-of-attorney given by David Chalmers, William Littlejohn, George Yeates, Robert Catto, Peter Williamson, Alex Fonlerton, Alexander Smith, Charles Chalmers, and Nathaniel Farquhar to one Alexander Ferguson to act as the agent for what was known as the North American Investment and Loan Company, of which they were the directors.
      The power of attorney (MAD's extract) that by contract dated 8th and 10th of May 1839, between parties of the first part as named above, and William Taylor who has since deceased, it was agreed that the directors of the company having engaged the said William Taylor as Manager of the Company's business in America for five years, Taylor to go to North America, and invest Two Thousand Pounds Sterling in the original Capital Stock of the company, and Taylor makes over to the company for the time being the whole property of whatever description which he may afterwards acquire in North America, ... that Taylor did go to the United States and purchased sundry tracts or parcels of land in the State of Illinois, and that titles to the land were taken by William Taylor in his own name and so remain of record, and that the said William Taylor has since departed this life; therefore this indenture made and entered into in 1844 between the parties of the first part and Alexander Ferguson, all the title to lands not already conveyed by deed from William Taylor to the parties above. And the parties direct that the executors, administrators or heirs at law of the said William Taylor, deceased, to convey to the said Alexander Ferguson whatever legal title they acquired to the lands. The parties appoint Alexander Ferguson their agent and attorney in fact. ... Document was acknowledged December 31, 1844, in City of Aberdeen, Kingdom of Great Britain.
      Conveyance by commissioner's deed which indicates that some litigation followed William Taylor ... (MAD's extract) Deed recites that, whereas David Chalmers, William Littlejohn, George Yeats, Robert Catto, Peter Williamson, Alexander Fonlerton, Alexander Smith, Charles Chalmers and Nathan Farquhar, as Directors of the Aberdeen North American Investment and Loan Company, on the 8th of February 1845 filed their bill of Complaint on the Chancery side of the said Circuit Court of Winnebago County against Isabella Taylor, George Taylor, William Primrose, and Elizabeth Primrose, his wife, George Porter and Elspet, his wife, Alexander Ferguson and the unknown heirs and devisees of James Duncan, deceased, therein setting forth, among other things, that one William Taylor, late of the City of St. Louis, deceased, as agent of the Complainant in the Bill of Complaint named, ... but in his own name, purchased all the tracts and parcels of land ... described. That after the purchase of the land, William Taylor died seized of the legal title, but as Trustee for the said Complainant, leaving as his heirs at law Isabella Taylor, George Taylor, Elizabeth Primrose, wife of William Primrose, Elspet Porter, wife of George Porter; that William Taylor in his (pg.42) last Will and Testament, devised all his real estate to Alexander Ferguson aforesaid and to James Duncan, now deceased, but then of the City of New Orleans, in said State of Louisiana; that after the admission of said Will to Probate the said James Duncan had died and that the names of his heirs and devisees were unknown to said Complainants; that the said Complainants also therein praying that the said Court of Chancery would decree the said Isabella Taylor, Geogre (MAD: sic) Taylor, William Primrose and Elizabeth, his wife; George Porter and Elspet, his wife; Alexander Ferguson and the unknown Heirs and Devisees of James Duncan, deceased, that each and every of them to convey and release by Deed the said several tracts of land to Alexander Ferguson, or to such other person or persons as the said Complainants might ... On the 21st day of April at the April term of said Court in the said year 1845, such proceedings were had that the said Court... fully established the said trusts in the said William Taylor in his life time and after his death in the said Isabella Taylor, George Taylor, William Primrose and Elizabeth, his wife, George Porter and Elspet, his wife, and the unknown Heirs and Devisees of James Duncan, deceased, by the 24th of April, aforesaid, by good and sufficient Deeds of Conveyance, to convey and release to the said Alexander Ferguson ... On the 26th day of April, by further order and decree of said Court ... appointed a Special Commissioner to make the deed. (MAD: see Winnebago and LaSalle Co. IL court case)
      Pg.412. The first burying place within Hebron Township was set apart in 1844, two miles northwest of the village of Hebron, at the Presbyterian Church, and a Mr. Duncan, a Scotchman, was the first person to be buried in it.
 

"Recollections of the pioneers of the Lee County" by Jas. Whitcomb Riley; pub. Dixon, Ill.: I.A. Kennedy, 1893, 581 pgs. (LH5430, HeritageQuest images 4/2007; FHL film 825,584 and 934,998 item 6)
      Pg.220-221: The township of China. E.C. THOMAS, of Franklin Grove, Illinois, was born at Batavia, New York, November 9, 1813. His mother was Rebecca Campbell, of Scotch descent. His father, Silas Thomas, was of Puritan stock. When yet a babe, he moved with his parents to East and West Bloomfield, New York. In 1823 he moved to Porter, Niagara county, New York, and in 1835 married Mary Ann Nichols, of Wilson, Niagara county, New York. In 1836, with his wife, he started for Michigan going via canal ... settling in Oakland county, Michigan. They remained here three years, ... during this time they were visited by John Nichols, father of Mr. Thomas, who went to Illinois and reported so favorably ... Mr. Thomas and wife concluded to move there, they, with their two children, Mary and William Henry, started for Illinois in 1839. ... In August, 1842, Mary Ann Thomas, wife of E.C. Thomas, died leaving a babe, Ruby Thomas, and the two children before mentioned. Soon after her death Mary Duncan, sister of Mr. Thomas, took the three children to McHenry county, Illinois, and cared for them. ... In October, 1845, Mr. Thomas married Harriet A. Whitmore, ... ten children. /s/ Mary C. Thomas.
 

END

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