Number Four in the series investigating William “Billy” Cue, 1781-1865
By now, we have explored the known information of where we were able to find William “Billy” Cue – documented in Warren and Clinton Counties in Ohio. Americans in the 19th century were on the move, however, and Billy and his family were part of that movement.
By the time that Billy moved to Illinois, he was around fifty years old. Some of his children were adults with families of their own and his youngest children had not yet been born.* Two of his children moved to Illinois around the same time as Billy.
- John 1803-1895, Billy’s oldest son, was married in Ohio to Effie Reece in 1827. John Cue Sr moved to Tazewell County, Illinois with his wife, Effie (Reece) Cue and their twin boys Elias and Isiah, prior to 1830.
- Elizabeth 1814-1901 married Eli Reece in Tazewell County, Illinois in 1830. Effie and Eli were most likely siblings or cousins but I haven’t yet discovered information about their parents.
Billy may have been following his son John and family to Illinois. On 12 October 1831, Billy sold land in Clinton County, Ohio and moved to the fertile, inexpensive land in Illinois. In 1832, Billy bought 40 acres at $1.25 an acre in Tazewell County, Illinois. In 1840, he purchased 78 acres in Stark County. In 1850, he and his family were enumerated in the federal census in Stark County, Illinois.
Illinois became a US state in 1818 but the county boundaries were not “set” until 1859. In the era of the Cue’s move, around 1830, many settlers coming from Ohio to Illinois used the rivers as their highways.
Anthony Finley, Finley’s New General Atlas, Philadelphia, PA,1832, no. 27. Accessed from the Newberry Library digitized collection.
Jeremiah Greenleaf, Illinois by David H Burr, New York, NY, 1849, p46. Accessed from the David Rumsey digital collection.
What about his children that did not move? Of those children that were born before Billy moved to Ohio, here is who and where they married, and where they settled.
- James, 1809-1863, married Catherine Calhoon in Delaware County, Indiana in 1830. James and his family did not move to Illinois but did move to Iowa around 1850 and ultimately settled in Warren County, Iowa.
- Nancy, 1811- after 1870, married Richard E Hall in 1828 in Clinton County, Ohio. I have little information about Nancy and Richard but there is a US federal census record in 1870 of Nancy Hall with son William Hall.
- Lewis, 1817-1893, married Sara Elizabeth Floyd in Clinton County, Ohio in 1837. Lewis and his family settled in Clinton County, Indiana in 1848.
- Mary Ann, 1820-1898, married Andrew Jackson Bogan in Warren County, Ohio in 1840. Their family lived in Warren and Clinton counties in Ohio for the rest of Mary Ann and Andrew’s lives.
Remember, there are also “unverified” children and probably children that I have not yet discovered. The family story passed down about Billy is that over his lifetime he had three wives and 22 children. The next article in this series will detail what was happening in his life while Billy lived in Illinois.
* As detailed in the Number One of the Billy Cue series, Billy’s youngest children, Josephus, Joseph, Benjamin, and Rachel, were born in Illinois after 1839
In this series, I am examining what I currently know and I am learning about the origins and life of William “Billy” Cue (1781-1865). This article is the fourth in the series.
- William “Billy” Cue, 1781-1865, An Original Mystery
- William “Billy” Cue in Clinton County, Ohio
- William “Billy” Cue and the Connections to the Gallaher Family
If you would like more information or need detail about my sources, please contact me at renee@reneecue.com.