Person:Aaron Atherton (2)

Beaver Dam Church, Ohio Co., KY

• Beaver Dam church was constituted on the 5th of March, 1798, of the following five persons: John Atherton, Sr., and his wife Sally, Aaron Atherton and his wife Christina, and James Keel.
• BEAVER DAM church is located in Ohio county, about four miles south of Hartford, the country-seat. It takes its name from a small tributary of Muddy creek, near which it is situated. It is, by several years, the oldest church between the Green River and Ohio River, west of Elizabethtown, and is the mother of a large family of similar organizations in that region of the State. There was a very early settlement at Hartford, probably not far from the year 1780. Among these early settlers was a German family, bearing the name that is now spelt Coleman.

Kentucky Militia

• 1779-1782 - George Rogers Clark builds forts and leads military expeditions to defend Kentucky settlements against Indian attacks (English, 748-760).

Pay roll for Captain Daniel Hall's Company of Colonial Lines Regiment of Militia of Kentucky County in active service under Colonel George Rogers Clark.

An expedition against the Cherokee from the 18th Jul to the 25th of August, 1780...Aaron Atherton is one of the 15 Privates.

Jefferson County, Virginia Militia (later Kentucky) was called to fight the Shawnee Indians and not the Cherokee Indians. The fact that the name was spelled as "Chawnee" and had a blot over the last few letters made it difficult to read. They were under the command of Colonel George Rogers Clark. Capt. Daniel Hall and Private Jonnathan Hodges

Source http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wcbeatty/payroll.htm

Shiloh Baptist Church, IL

Shiloh Baptist Church, Villa Ridge, Pulaski County, Illinois.

• VILLA RIDGE PRECINCT:

This is one of the most thickly settled, as well as productive portions of the county. It is a fine fruit-growing section; in fact, fruit and vegetables are it chief products. There are few points on the Central Railroad from which are shipped more fruit and vegetables than from Villa Ridge. The land of the precinct is high and rolling verging into hills on both sides of the railroad, and is well adapted to fruit culture. The timber is principally oak, walnut, hickory, maple, gum, ash, etc. The land is drained by a number of small streams which flow into Cache River. Villa Ridge is bounded on the North by Pulaski Precinct, on the East by Ohio and Mound City Precincts, on the south by Burkville Precinct, and on the west by Chache River. The Illinois Central Railroad passes nearly through the center with a station at the town of Villa Ridge. Taken altogether, it is a fine neighborhood; the people are thrifty, energetic and intelligent, and are rapidly growing welthy. The ATHERTON SETTLEMENT was one of the first made, not only in this precinct, but in the present limits of the county. Aaron Atherton was the pioneer, and came from Kentucky, probably as early as 1816, and settled West of Villa Ridge Station, a community that is still known as the Atherton Settlement. There were nine families of the Athertons and their relatives that came here together, about the same time. The first church in the county was organized here and probably the first burying ground was laid out in this settlement. The church was known as the Shiloh Baptist Church, and was organized in 1817, and is said to have been the second church established in the State of Illinois. James Edwards and THOMAS HOWARD were instrumental in it formation, and it still exists as a monument to their Christian faith.

NOTE - The Shiloh Baptist Church is located on Rt. 51, 2 miles west of Villa Ridge, Illinois. Looking at land records it can be seen that the families were located on both sides of the Cache River (Illinois), some in Alexander County, Illinois and some in Pulaski County, Illinois.

1.   Pulaski County Book Committee (Illinois). Pulaski County Illinois, 1819-1987. (Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Pub. Co., 1987, c1987)
   Page 20, 50, 70, 71, 72, 83, 85, 87, 119, 194, 344.

   Villa Ridge, Atherton Settlement

2.   Spencer, John H., and Burrilla B. Spencer. A history of Kentucky Baptists: from 1769 to 1885, including more than 800 biographical sketches. (Cincinnati, Ohio: J. R. Baumes, 1886)
   Chapter 22, 1885.

   History of Beaver Dam Baptist Church
   http://ohiocountykentuckyhistory.blogspot.com/2013/03/churches-ohio-county.html

3. ↑ David L. Morgan, State Historic Preservation Officer, Kentucky Heritage Council. National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form. (United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service)
   Page 9, 26 Nov 1990.

   Distilleries were also common in the county as early as 1800. Whiskeymaking provided early settlers with a commodity which could be readily transported to markets and sold. Wattie Boone and Aaron Atherton both operated
   distilleries on the banks of Knob Creek in the 1790s and these distilleries were forerunners of the John M. Atherton Distillery built after the Civil War. Other small distilleries are known to have been operated on farms throughout the county.
   Source http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/64500235.pdf

4.   Patrick Hogue (Samples). Transcribed Atherton Text.
   
5.   Plummer, Virginia Hagler. History of Shiloh Baptist Church, Villa Ridge, Illinois. (Villa Ridge, Illinois: Shiloh Baptist Church, 1 Jan 1987)
   Pages 8, 10, 12, 13.

   Exerpts from this book by Lucy Howard Strait was posted on the 25th of Aug 2006 at the Atherton GenForum genealogy.com website. "Aaron Atherton, From Kentucky to Illinois, migration of 1816". (The post appear's below):
   
   Rich in Illinois history, and located nearly 2 miles west of Villa Ridge, Illinois the Shiloh Baptist Church stands as a memorial to the many pioneers of the past wh helped with its organization and to the many people throughout the years who have helped to preserve it ideals.
   
   Shiloh Church was organized October 17, 1817 before Illinois became a state. The first Church was a log structure which was used both as a school and as a Church. The present church stands on a knoll, strong and proud, nestled in a grove of stately trees, overlooking a beautiful valley and miles of surrounding territory. For one hundred and 18 years the present building has braved the winter's storm and summer's hot sun. The Church was an infant during the Black Hawk War and during the panic in Van Buren's Administration, a fledgling during the War with Mexico and the days of the '49 Gold Ruch, and was a flourishing religious establishment during the hectic days of the Civil War. Page 8
   
   John Conyers, was born in Tennessee in 1792 and married in Alexander County to Catherine Atherton. She was born near Green River, Kentucky and with her parents came to this territory in 1816, settling in the Atherton Settlement. Mr. Conyers died in 1844 in Missouri. She had died about 2 years previously. Their son, J.P. Conyers, born in Alexander County, Illinois on October 10, 1827, married Diana L. Atherton, September 12, 1850. She was born in the same county, 1825, the daughter of John and Eunice Atherton. Mr. Diana L. Conyers' tomstone still stands in the Old Shiloh Cemeter. She left her entire estate for missionary work to the Clear Creek Baptist Association. Page 10
   
   The real permanent history of what was then Illinois Territory appears to have begun with the coming of the ATHERTON COLONY 1816 from Kentucky to the rolling hill country 12 miles North of the conjunction of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. They established a settlement on the East side of Cache River, between there and the Ohio River on the East. At the time they came here there had been a few straggling settlements on both river but they had long disappeared. Page 12
   
   As soon as they came here, both by flat boat and horseback, they started clearing the land for farming. Although they were skilled with the rifle and the axe, they were primarily farmers. They met in the larger log house of Aaron Atherton for church services until the first log church was built in 1820 on this site.
   
   The author was told by her grandmother, Mrs. Elice Biggerstaff, how the men had to ride horseback to Kaskaskia, Illinois from here, and it would take them at least 2 weeks in order to enter land from the Government. At that time, the government gave each child 40 acres of land, if it was entered by the head of the family. It was a very hard trip, but considered well worth the trip for the land. Page 13
   
   There is much more but this should give you a flavor to the area and the brave people who settled there. Villa Ridge is a small forgotten town but those who live nearby have turned the railroad station into a community park. There is still pride and a sense of community in Villa Ridge.
   
   Will write more later on some of the Atherton and Biggerstaff family history that I got at the Cairo, IL public library.
   
   Lucy Howard Strait

6.   Perrin, William Henry. History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois (1883). (Chicago, Illinois: O.L. Baskin & Co., 1883)
   Pages 581, 582.

   Villa Ridge
   
   The Atherton settlement was one of the first made, not only in this precinct, but in the present limits of the county. Aaron Atherton was the pioneer, and came from Kentucky, probably as early as 1816, and settled west of Villa Ridge Station, a community that is still know as the Atherton Settlement. There were nine families of the Athertons and their relatives that came here together, and about the same time. The first church in the county was organized here, and probably the first burying ground was laid out in this settlement. The church was known as the Shiloh Baptist Church, and was organized in 1817, and is said to have been the second church established in the State. James Edwards and Thomas Howard were instrumental in its Formation and it still exists as a monument to their Christian piety. The first building was a hewed log house. It time it was replaced with a large frame, which was afterward burned. The present building is a frame…

7.   Norton, Margaret Cross. Illinois census returns, 1820. (Springfield, Illinois: Trustees of the Illinois State Historical Library, c1934)
   Pages 1, 2, 4, 6.

   Page 1 - Alexander County, IL - 1820 Census
   No. Heads of Families
   23 John Biggerstaff 3 1 2 1
   
   Page 2 - Alexander County (Continued)
   No. Heads of Families
   55 Martin Atherton 0 1 0 1
   
   Page 4 - Alexander County, (Continued)
   No. Heads of Families
   120 John Athernton 3 1 1 1
   121 Aron Atherton 2 1 0 3
   122 John Atherton 0 1 0 1
   124 William Biggerstaff 2 1 1 1
   125 Thomas Howard 1 1 1 1
   126 Moses Atherton 5 2 1 2
   127 Samuel Atherton 2 1 2 1
   
   Page 6 - Alexander County, (Continued)
   121 Atherton, Aron
   1818. Etherton, Aron
   F1820. Atherton, Aron
   
   122 Atherton, John
   1818. Etherton, John
   F1820. Atherton, John
   
   124 Biggerstaff, William
   1818. Bigerstaff, William
   F1820. Biggerstaff, William
   
   126 Atherton, Moses
   1818. Etherton, Moses
   F1820. Atherton, Moses