Woodford County, Illinois was formed in 1841 from parts of Tazewell and McLean Counties. Metamora (Hanover before 1845) was the county seat from 1843-1894.
John Adams, Jr. (1735-1826) was the second President of the United States (1797–1801), the first Vice President (1789–1797).
Most Americans were farmers in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
Hannah Ricketts Buchanan was born about 1790 Huntingdon County (now Mifflin County), Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of Robert Ricketts and Susannah Wilson.
She was the second wife of Wilson Buchanan. Wilson was born about 1775 in York, Pennsylvania. He was the son of George Buchanan and Esther Campbell. On January 18, 1795, Wilson signed a marriage bond in Bourbon County, Kentucky with his first wife, Rebecca Lockridge.
Rebecca and Wilson's children included:
Mary (Polly) Buchanan Washer (1795, married Stephen Washer),
John Henry Buchanan (1796, married Octavia Shafer),
Sarah Buchanan Favors (1799),
William Buchanan (1801, married Edna Hankins),
and Patsy Buchanan Hankins (1805, married John Hankins)
Wilson appeared in the Woodford County, Kentucky tax list in 1797. In 1801 he was in Franklin County. They probably moved to Switzerland County, Indiana when Wilson's brother, John, purchased government land in 1804. Wilson was in the 1807 Dearborn County census which included Switzerland County at that time.
Rebecca died and Wilson married Hannah in 1809.
Hannah and Wilson's children included:
David Buchanan (1810, married Edith Ann Hankins),
Susannah Buchanan Risk (1811),
Dorcas Buchanan Risk (1813)
Robert Buchanan (1815),
Elizabeth Buchanan Vestal (1819), Enoch Buchanan (1821),
Vienna Buchanan (1822),
Mahala Buchanan Hayes (1823),
Rebecca Buchanan (1826),
Emeline Buchanan Risk (1827),
George W. Buchanan (1828),
and Talitha Buchanan McCreary (1829, married Thomas McCreary).
They probably moved to Ripley County when Wilson's brother, John, purchased land in Brown Township on August 25, 1809. On May 15, 1812, Lieutenant Colonel David Hillis ordered a block house built on the north border of Jefferson County. This blockhouse was known as Buchanan's Station. In 1812, Wilson and brother William were fined for assaults that occurred in what was then Jefferson County.
Wilson purchased this land from John on February 27, 1819. Wilson purchased additional tracts from the government in both counties. In 1819, Wilson also served the first grand jury in Ripley County.
Wilson died on April 19 , 1851. Hannah died on February 13, 1853 They are buried together in the Buchanan family cemetery in Ripley County, Indiana.
The entire valley of the Juniata was included in the county of Cumberland. From this county Bedford was formed in 1771. Huntingdon was formed from Bedford by an act of Assembly, passed on the 20th day of September, 1787. On February 26, 1846 a small corner was annexed to Mifflin County, Pennsylvania.
Dearborn County, Indiana was first settled in the 1790's and officially organized in 1803. All or part of six other counties including Ohio and Switzerland were carved from the original Dearborn County.
Enoch's Tombstone
Hannah's tombstone
Wilson's Tombstone
Biographical and Historical Souvenir for the Counties of Clark, Crawford ...by John M. Gresham Company
E[noch] Buchanan (deceased), formerly of Shelby township, Jefferson county, Ind., was born October 21, 1821, in Ripley county, and was the son of, Wilson Buchanan, a native of Pennsylvania. Wilson and his three brothers came to Indiana at an early day, and made the first settlement in this neighborhood, and helped to build the first fort or blockhouse here, as a place of refuge for the settlers and of defence against the Indians. The fort was called Buchanan's Station. They raised families under the difficulties attending pioneer settlement.
The subject of this sketch was one of the children, and was raised a pioneer, getting an education of the best afforded at that time, which was of the simplest, and of what could in these days of advanced schools be considered the poorest, kind. At the age of 19, in 1841, he married Miss Lucinda Connor, daughter of Mr. Louis Connor, who was also an early settler. The result of this union was six children: Wm. H. H., who enlisted in the Twenty-second Indiana Volunteers, and returned home in six months and died the same year from illness contracted in the service; Minerva J., Lavina H., Eliza E., John W. and Edith E. His wife died September 2, 1857, and he re-married Feb. 14, 1859. This time he married Miss Rebecca Hillis, daughter of Hiram Hillis, a native of Indiana. Her mother was Louisa Atherton, daughter of Joseph Atherton, a native of Virginia. The result of this marriage was seven children: Mary E., Hannah, Victoria, Hattie L., Effie M., George T. and Nellie 8. The subject of this sketch died February 19, 1883. He had been successful in life, educated his children well, and at the same time, by careful management and patient industry, had accumulated quite an amount of valuable property. At the time of his death he owned some 900 acres of well improved land in Ripley and Jefferson counties, which is still owned by the heirs. All of his property was obtained by his own efforts, nothing having been given to him by his father. At the marriage of this first set of children he presented each of them with $1,500. His sale bill amounted to $3,000. Mrs. Buchanan still lives on the homestead, which belongs to her and her daughters and son, who is now 14 years of age and who is walking in the footsteps of his father and alive to all home interests, and loves his books and will make his mark in the world. Mary E. and Hannah have married; the other five are at home with their mother. Mr. Buchanan was a good citizen and a choice man.
The Homestead Act was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862. It gave an applicant 160 acres of undeveloped land outside of the original colonies. Anyone who had never taken up arms against the United States could file an application. They had to live on the land and make improvements to receive title.
