Abstract Alton, Illinois surveyor who surveyed Madison Country, Illinois and as a government surveyor worked in Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, and Florida. he was born in Castleton, Vermont and studied surveying while he worked on a farm and taught school. In 1818 he came to Illinois first landing in Massac where he was immediately given the job of surveying a tract of land for the new Johnson County seat. He moved to Edwardsville where he taugh school and did some surveying untl he was appointed...

Scope and Contents Letters to family in both Illinois and Massachusetts from Canton and LaHarpe, Illinois. Discusses the family, the crops, the houses, the natural vegetation, and the differences between the way things are done in Illinois and in Massachusetts such as cooking and the differences between people from different states.