My Genealogy Hound

LORTON, WM. M., Roodhouse. Mr. Lorton is one of those rare people who elicit our warmest sympathies; penetrating into what was a vast wilderness of prairie, so to speak, he became one among the first residents of Greene County. He was born in Cumberland County, Kentucky, April, 1817. Two years later the Lorton family traversed the prairies for the West, arriving in due course of time. When scarcely a cabin relieved the monotony of a broad expanse of prairie the family first settled in Bond Co., Illinois. Years have flown by since then, and Illinois is celebrated for its fertility of soil, and its grain trade, for its beautiful dwellings, churches and schools; in it we see the guiding hand of the pioneer. Many Indians then crowded the frontier, and there were but few neighbors. Building a cabin, Robert Lorton set to work in a resolute manner to gain a livelihood. Remaining until 1824; that year found the party en route for Greene County, where the noble and aged pioneer died in his 87th year; he merited the respect of all having the pleasure of his acquaintance. The spot known as Lorton’s Prairie was named after an uncle of Wm. M. who is now in his 61st year. Amid pioneer associations in this county he grew up, and received a liberal education. In his 25th year he married Miss Agnes Brauym, by whom he had eight children. Mrs. L. died in 1872. The following year he married Mrs. Lincoln, relict of Jarvis Lincoln, a relative of Abraham Lincoln. Mr. L. is an extensive farmer, a resident of Roodhouse.