OUR BOOK

OUR ANCESTORS, OURSELVES, AND OUR CHILDREN

This book was privately published by Ben F. Dixon, family historian, in 1932, at his quarters in Great Lakes, Illinois. It was dedicated to his mother, Rachel Dixon. On page 99 was this article* written by Eva "Lucille" Smith. At the conclusion of this article was this note:

NOTE: Now of Bentley, Ill. This paper consists of extracts from an essay written by Lucille Smith in 1928, and published in a Quincy, Ill. newspaper.

Many thanks, Lucille. BFD.

My mother is a Kinkade. Kinkade means, in ancient Gaelic, Head of the Rock". The name is ancient Scythian or Gaelic.

We know that the first Kinkade of our line in America immigrated from Scotland to Ireland, then to Jamestown about 1620. At least one of the Kinkades fought in every war of this country. My great great grandfather, Andrew Kinkade, moved from Virginia to Monroe County, Ohio, in the early parts of the 19th century. One of his sons. E. S. Kinkade, moved to Indiana, whre he married Sarah Spillman.

The first Spillman in this country was sold to Powhaten's tribe by Captain John Smith. We suppose he owed for his passage. He married a beautiful Indian girl of Powhatan's tribe. He reduced the Indian language to a written language, official interpreter between the British Government and Powhatan's tribe.

My great great great grandfather, James Spillman, had advanced enough to own a plantation and negroes. When the War of 1812 broke out, he enlisted as a soldier at Culpepper Court House, Va., and was killed in action.

My great great grandfather's brother, Hezekiah Spillman, a great Indian fighter, settled along the Mississippi River. The place where he settled was named Spillman's Landing, after him. It is now known as Pontusuc.

My great great grandfather, Charles Spillman, married an Irish girl, Catherine McCanse. He was a pioneer preacher of the Christian faith. He was also a shoemaker, and carried his shoe bench from house to house through the week and shod the family, argued the scriptures, and preached on Sunday. All the Spillmans of this generation, except Hezekiah, were preachers.

My grandfather, Charles Andrew Kinkade, is the oldest child of Ebenezer Stansberry Kinkade and Sarah Spillman Kinkade. He married Cordelia Delano Atwood. They have five children, of which my mother is the oldest.

Grandmother's people were French and English. The French were Delanos. The English were Colemans.

The first record we have of her people, the Colemans were living in New Jersey, where my great grandmother, Elisabeth Prudence Ann Coleman, was born. When she was about 12 years of age they came to Illinois in covered wagons. They settled near Picatonic. She lived there until after she married Alonzo Perry Atwood.

Alonzo Perry Atwood was of English descent, but born in Vermont. He was named for Commodore Perry, his mother's favorite cousin. They came to Illinois when the land was opened for settlement, and settled near Rockford. This was about the same time that great grandfather's people came. They were about 75 miles from Chicago, which was their nearest trading post. Mr. and Mrs. Alonzo Perry Atwood moved to Keokuk, Iowa, about 1854, where he established a stove foundry.

A.P. Atwood built up a good business and made quite a bit of money, but lost everything he had except a 60-acre farm near Oakwood, during the money panic of the Civil War. They moved to this farm and spent the rest of their life there in fruit farming and trucking. They had four children, but only two lived to be grown. They are R.D. Atwood, of El Paso Texas, and Cordelia Delano Atwood, who lives in Spokane Washington. [NOTE by BFD: Now of Bentley, ILL.]

On my father's side are the Smiths and the Van Dykes.

All we know about the Smiths is that my great grandfather, Caleb Smith, lived in Kentucky. Later he drove through and settled in Hancock County, Ill. The deed to his farm was signed by President Van Buren. The original deed and part of the land is still held by a member of the family, Mrs. Lawrence Willis. William Smith was one of the younger sons of Caleb Smith. He married Artemisia Van Dyke.

The Van Dykes came from Holland and settled first in Virginia, then in Illinois, and finally in Texas County, Mo.

My father, James Gutherie Smith, was the youngest son of William Smith and Artemisia Van Dyke Smith. He has several brothers and sisters: Mrs. John Austin, Mrs. Valerie Burnett, Mrs. Laura Price, Mrs. Alice Todd, Mr. Courtland Smith, and Mr. Anderson Smith.

Typed and submitted by BK.

Last modified 27 Oct 2012.

Provided by Betty Latta Kitchen

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