Following is one of the Biographies and Stories which where gathered by Charles Sumner McKamy in the 1950s for publication in a Crawford County History Book. Unfortunately he passed away before the book was published.

Compiled by Mrs. Nettie Bigelow Winters, Champaign, Illinois, November 19, 1954. Changes and Corrections by Juanita (Winters) Thompson July 1, 1956.

Zedekiah Winters was born in Dutchess County, New York in 1788. While quite a young man he came to Wabash County, Illinois in a covered wagon with a friend, William Van Wyke. They brought a load of silks and stockings with them which they sold along the way to pay their expenses. Zedekiah took up government land near Mt. Carmel, Illinois, on which he settled and engaged in farming for a number of years. In the meantime he married Susan Danforth who had moved with her parents from Massachusetts to Lawrence County, Illinois. Four children came to bless this union: Mary, George, Cyrus Danforth and Franklin.

Later Zedekiah moved to Palestine, Illinois with his family where he superintended the first castor oil mill in Illinois, and his wife Susan organized the first Sunday School in Crawford County, Illinois. Later the family moved to a farm in Lamote Prairie, Illinois where Susan Danforth Winters died.

The family then moved to Hutsonville, Crawford County, Illinois, where Cyrus D. rented a hotel which he conducted a number of years. Sorry the information came from one who could not recall the dates of the above events.

Rebecca Willard was born December 28, 1805, in North Carolina. She came with her parents, Joseph and Panina Willard to Clark County, Illinois, while quite young Joseph and wife purchased a tract of land and engaged in farming. On September 23, 1825, Rebecca Willard married Abraham Conrad (born Dec. 1804) and located on a farm in Crawford County, Illinois. Twelve children came to bless this union. The first four died in infancy. The following children lived to maturity:

Elvina Conrad
born July 4, 1826
John Conrad
born January 9, 1828
Elizabeth Conrad
born February 28, 1829
Nancy Conrad
born December 20, 1830
Johnson Conrad
born May 10, 1832
Delilah Conrad
born January 9, 1834
Mary Conrad
born November 29, 1835
Panina Conrad
born September 13, 1837
Rachel Emily Conrad
born August 8, 1839
Infant son
born January 1, 1841
Margaret Sophia Conrad
born February 13, 1842
Queen Esther Conrad
born September 3, 1844

Cyrus Danforth Winters was born in Wabash County, Illinois, May 24, 1827 and died in Hutsonville, Illinois June 13, 1891, age 64 years and 19 days.

Panina Conrad was born September 13, 1837, in Crawford County, Illinois, and died October 25, 1917 in Martinsville, Illinois (at the home of her eldest daughter Florence Padgett) age 80 years, 1 month and 12 days.

Cyrus Danforth Winters married Panina Conrad, February 21, 1857, in Crawford County, Illinois, by Abner McCarty, Justice of the Peace, officiating. Witnesses were John Pierce, Marion Henry and Albert Winters. Children of Cyrus Danforth and Panina Conrad Winters: