Jacob May was a merchant in the newly formed village of Sumner, Lawrence County, Illinois, from 1853 to 1857. His surviving account book, published by the Richland County Genealogical and Historical S

On November 8, 1870, 63-year-old farmer Richard Swinson of Petty Township, Lawrence County, Illinois, sat down to settle his affairs by writing his Last Will and Testament—and apparently to assign roo

Monday we wrote about this boy's father. Here is the son's story. From a Lawrence County hotel to the Union military wire, John C. Watts built a remarkable life around nerve, railroads, and the sound