WEST VIRGINIA

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Brief summary: My 5th G.Grandfather William McGee "born Kentucky" Married: Jane Harper. I will today give a bit of history on William and Jane. They were married in Union Now-West Virginia in 1820. The following children were born in W.V. Catharine, Elizabeth, James, and Ellen. Ellen was born 20 Oct. 1827. The next Child John along with William, EmanuelMargaret, Edward and David were all born in Fountain Co. Indiana. John's birth date was 10 Jan. 1830. so between 1827 and 1830 the whole family moved to Indiana. Father William died April 1850 his son John died one year earlier in 1849 at 19 years old. They are both burried in Chapel Hill Cemetary (behind a church there). I have pictures and rubbings of his head stone. In 1855 Jane along with the children became pioneers themselves and moved to what is now Iowa. The following is from the "History of Montgomery County, Iowa of 1861" 
Lincoln Township-cemetary. pleasant Grove cemetary is the only burial place reported in Lincoln Twp. It is situated on the northwest quarter of section 4. The first burial there was an infant of Charles Davis, about Nov. 12, 1876.
Early Incidents: Mr Frank Shinn says, the first prarie breaking done in Lincoln Twp. was by an Irishman named Dearing, in 1855. Mr. Jackson Buckner says, Mrs. Jane McGee improved the first farm in the township, in 1855.
The oldest Settler: Mrs. Jane (Harper) McGee, now living on section 6, is both the oldest settler and the oldest person in the township, she is now over 80 years old, and settled here in 1855. Her son-in-law David Silket, had settled near the Mills Co. Line in 1850, but afterward built what was known to all early settlers as Silkett's Mill, about two miles above the present day city of Red Oak. (The place is now known as Manker's Mill). (Catharine the first child of William and Jane married David Silkett 22 Oct. 1842 in Fountain Co. Indiana which is how they all wound up in Iowa). Mrs. McGee did the first weaving of cloth, blankets, and coverlets in this part of the county. This venerable lady was born in Monroe Co. Virginia, (Now WV), Nov. 27 1800. At the age of 20 she married to William McGee, and continued to live in Virginia until she was 28, then moved to Indiana and finally came to Montgomery County in 1855. Her husband died in 1850. She is the mother of ten children, !
 eight of whom are still living, namely: James, Elizabeth, Ellen, William, Manuel, Edward, Margaret, David. One son and one daughter have died. She is held in reverance and esteem among her neighbors, and she enjoys and appreciates thier sympathy and kind regards.
Red Oak Township: Pioneer settlement: In 1855, David Silkett built a sawmill on Nishnabotna, about two and a half miles above the town site of Red Oak and the same year a post office called, Oro, was established there, with J.J. Zuber as postmaster. In July, 1857, Mr. Silkett also built a grist mill at this place.(This article goes on at some length telling more of how the area was developed and first bridges built etc.). I will not bore you with the rest. I wanted to highlight my family pioneer days to Iowa. I have a long liniage line of family a lot of who are still in the Red Oaks, Council Bluffs and Harlan Iowa. My father, Grandfather and Great Grandfather were all born in either Shelby, Pottawattamie or Montgomery Counties. My Grandfather and mother are the ones who migrated to Michigan along with my dad. That is how we got to here in Mich. I have copies of all the land grants and deeds to the farm in Indiana as well. The farm there is sill used as farmland.