Early Scottish Settlement in Argyle, Illinois.
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Location: Winnebago, Illinois
Surnames/tags: Scottish_Immigrants Illinois_History Illinois
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History
Early History of Illinois
French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet were the first Europeans to explore the area in 1763. It became part of the French Empire until it was ceded to Great Britain. In 1783 it was ceded to the United States and became part of the Northwest Territories. [1]
On December 3, 1818, Illinois became the 21st U.S. state. Early U.S. expansion began in the south part of the state and quickly spread northward, driving out the native residents. In 1832, some Indians returned from Iowa but were driven out in the Black Hawk War, fought by militia.[2]
Immigration
When Illinois became a state in 1818, most of the population lived near the waterways of southern Illinois. During the 1830s and 1840s, most settlers came from New York and New England by way of the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes or on the National Road. They settled the central and northern counties, such as Winnebago.
"In early days Winnebago County’s settlers often were the victims of the depredations of organized bands of outlaws, who stole, intimidated, and sometimes murdered, the peaceful pioneers. At last the conditions became so serious, because of the boldness and badness of these bandits, that the settlers formed companies who were called "Regulators," to put a stop to the operations of the high-handed thieves. John Campbell, a Scotchman, a devout Presbyterian, and an esteemed citizen, was chosen to be the leader of the law-abiding people. In one of their enterprises, the outlaws killed Mr. Campbell. A desperado named Driscoll was held to be the murderer, and he was promptly executed for the crime. The summary punishment thus dealt out to one of their chief men rid the country of these ruffians." [3]
Kintyre, Scotland
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| Kintrye |
Most of the immigrants from Scotland who settled in Winnebago County between 1830 and 1850 were from Kintrye. Kintrye is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The peninsula stretches about 30 miles (48 km), from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to East Loch Tarbert in the north. The area immediately north of Kintyre is known as Knapdale. [4]
At the time land owners were consolidating small farms, displacing small farmers. A series of poor crops, bad markets, and low prices made it difficult for tenant farmers to pay their rents. Emigration promised a better life. [5]
Brothers John and George Armour, along with their cousin James, are credited with being the first to leave Kintyre to come to Northwest Illinois in 1834. They wanted to start a timber company. When they returned to Kintyre and saw the poor conditions many of the farmers were living in, they told them about a “goodly land in America and the opportunity the government had given to settlers to obtain homes of their own” [6]
John Greenlee, Founder of Argyll
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| John Greenlees |
In 1836, John Greenlees [7] was one of many farmer tenants who was unable to make his rent due to crop failure. He was forced to sell his farm, but the landlord was still not satisfied and had him imprisoned for debt. He was the uncle of the Armour brothers and they provided for his wife and family to come to America. Later John managed to escape and made his way to America and finally to Illinois.
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| Map locating first cabins in Argyle, IL |
Greenlee and his family settled northeast of Rockford, in Winnebago County, and near the western border of Boone County. At the time it was known as the Kintyre Settlement. Another settler, John Andrew named it "Argyle” after their home county in Scotland. [8]
Other Early Settlers
1837
1839
- George Picken
- Jane Brown Picken
- Robert Howie
- Janet Picken Howie
- James Picken
- Andrew Giffin
- Jane Howie Giffin
- Alexander McDonald
- Margaret Howie McDonald
1840
- William Ferguson
- Helen Pickens Ferguson
- John Andrew
- Mary Brown Andrew
- Alexander Reid
- Robert Armour
- Charlotte (Strachan) Armour
- Samuel Howie
- Jennett Howie
1841
1842
- William Montgomery
- James Montgomery
- Jane Caldwell Montgomery
- John Montgomery
- Daniel Smith
- Mary Montgomery Smith
- John Caldwell
- Margaret Ralston Caldwell
- Helen Howie Ralston
- David C. Ralston
- Peter Greenlees and family
- Archie McNair and family
- David Andrew and family
- Matthew Howie and family
- William Ralston
- Elizabeth Andrew Ralston
- Cambell Kelley
- Alexander Reid
- Elizabeth Park Reid
- Mary Reid McNair
1843
- Peter Ralston
- Jane Brown Ralston (and their six children)
- Charles Picken
- Lionel Henderson and family
1847
1850
Arriving on the Sarah, July 1850:
- Martha (Harvey) Greenlees
- Robert Greenlees
- Mary Mitchell Greenless
- James Kelly
- John Kelly
- Robert Kelly
- Isabella Kelly
- William Ryburn
Arriving on the Charlotte Harrison, July 1850:
- Elizabeth (Colville) Armour/Mitchell
- John Ralston
- Isobell Greenlees Ralston
- Martha Ralston McDonald
- Isabella Langwill Watson
Scottish Cemetery
In June 1841, five year old Archie Picken, son of George Picken and Jane Brown died. His was the first death in the settlement. He was buried in a poplar grove on the family farm.
The first adult in the settlement to pass away was Jane Howie Giffen, who died later that same year. She was buried in an Oak grove on Robert Howie’s farm. Later others were buried there as well. However there was no public road to this spot. In 1859 the Scottish Cemetery Association was formed. The remains of Archie, Jane and others were eventually moved to the new cemetery.
The first officers of the Association were:
- President: John Andrew
- Secretary/Treasurer: Alex Ralston
- Directors Thomas Brown, Robert Smith, Edward Brown
See more at Scottish Cemetery.
1880 Measles Epidemic
In the Spring of 1880, the settlement experienced an outbreak of measles, which was deadly in those days. The obituary for Mary Picken Brown states at least 30 families were affected. [10]
Among those who died:
- Mary McDonald, the twelve-year-old daughter of Duncan McDonald and Isabella Ralston.
- Marion (my great Aunt), 21 years old
- Peter Ralston, 24 years old
- Mary (Picken) Brown, 43 years old
World War I Veterans from Argyle
You can read letters from these young men from the front in pages 110-147 in Daniel Harvey's The Argyle settlement in history and story
- Hugh T. Andrew
- Welcome John Andrew
- George Romaine Barnes
- John Robert Greenlee
- John Francis Picken
- Ralph Montgomery Picken
- Glenn Smith Ralston
- John Caldwell Ralston
- Stuart Albert Ralston
- Thomas James Ralston
- William Arthur Ralston
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| WW 2 Service men of Willow Creek Church |
Resources
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| 75th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee group |
Winnebego County history
- The Scots and Their Descendants in Illinois
- Willow Creek Presbyterian Church History
- The Argyle Settlement in History and Story
- History of Winnebago County, Illinois
- Illinois Emigration and Immigration
- Rockford History
- Past and Present of the City of Rockford and Winnebago County, Illinois
- Index for the Book "BOONE COUNTY THEN AND NOW 1835 1976"
Passenger Lists
- US Immigration Passenger Arrival Records
- Ships Passenger Lists from Scotland
- Harold Ralston's Ancestor Ship Passenger Lists
Scottish Ancestry Genealogy Links
- Scotland's' People
- Scottish Indexes
- Electric Scotland
- Cemetery Pictures Search Kintyre and nearby Argyll]
Sources
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Illinois Wikipedia
- ↑ Wikipedia
- ↑ The Scots and Their Descendants in Illinois
- ↑ Kintrye Wikipedia
- ↑ Harvey, Daniel G. The Argyle Settlement in History and Story
- ↑ Harvey
- ↑ Most of the Greenlees dropped th S after coming to America.
- ↑ Chicago and North Western Railway Company (1908) A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways p. 38
- ↑ Harvey
- ↑ Rockford Journal (Rockford, IL) 13 March 1880, page 1 GenealogyBank
- Please Check out my new Free Space on Scottish Immigrants to Winnebago Illinois May 1, 2018.
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The was a group of young men from the community under the direction of Rev Edgar W Smith during his tenure in Argyle in early 1920's. Are you familiar with it? It contains a B&W picture of the group taken in 1925 with a list of members. Would you like to have a copy for use at this site? I have a Word Doc copy or I can provide a scan copy if you would prefer.