Located in the north central area of Cahokia Township
and about six miles northeast of Gillespie just off Route 16, Hornsby named
after landowner R J Hornsby is but a small group of homes which mark the small
town of yesterday. As late as 1918, the Oakland Baptist Church was being used
for worship in Hornsby.
From the History of Macoupin County, IL 1879,
early settlers of Cahokia Township were Ephrain Powers who settled near the
south-east corner of the township about 1828, and in 1830 Thomas Kinder with his
family settled on section 11, where he made an improvement. The first permanent
settler was soon followed by others, among whom were Peter B Karnes and family.
Peter B. Karnes from Scott County, KY, was one of the earliest settlers of
the county. He and his family came to Cahokia Township in 1831 where he entered
land in Section 11 and commenced farming. The first birth in Cahokia Township
was that of William S. Karnes, son of Peter B. and Sarah Ann Karnes, who was
born in 1832. Later, Peter Karnes built a blacksmith shop which he tended for a
number of years. When Peter's wife, Sarah Ann Bates Karnes born in Jessamine
County, KY, died 15 Mar 1877, Peter established by deed the Karnes Cemetery in
the northwest quarter of section 11 in Cahokia Township.
The first
settlers experienced great inconveniences and hardships. Their food depended
entirely upon the game and products of the farm. Their nearest market was forty
or fifty miles away. Their clothing was made from the rough cloth which the
women spun from the flax raised on the farm. Their homes were rudely built
cabins with very rough or no floors and only one window or a door to admit
light. The schools and churches were also built of logs.
Among the
prominent older settlers of the county and Cahokia Township were Pete B. Karnes,
Nancy Snook, Larkin Craig, Nancy Keel, George Bayless, Benj. L. Dorsey, Jacob
Kinder, Hugh Rice, William Anderson, Wm. Eickmeyer, E. S. Holme, and J. M.
Rhoads.
From the 1893-94 Atlas of Macoupin County: H Bierbaum, farmer and
stock raiser of Hornsby in Cahokia Township in 1893, came to the county in 1850
from Germany. H B Blevins, farmer and stock raiser of Hornsby in Cahokia
Township in 1893, came to the county in 1834. A J Cook, farmer of Hornsby in
Cahokia Township, came to the county in 1840 from Parke County IN. G W Duncan,
farmer and stock raiser of Hornsby in Cahokia Township in 1893 came to the
county in 1834. Z Harris, farmer of Hornsby in Cahokia Township, settled in the
county in 1839 from Bond Co IL. Frank Holden, miller of Hornsby in Cahokia
Township, settled in the county in 1854 from Vermont. J T Keplinger, farmer of
Hornsby in Cahokia Township in 1893, came to the county in 1843. Wm Lancaster,
farmer of Hornsby in Cahokia Township, settled in Macoupin County in 1839 from
England.
Contributed by Shirley Denson
Macoupin County ILGenWeb Copyright
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This page was last updated
07/01/2022