Illinois in the early 1800s

My 3-gr-grandfather, Ichabod/Ike/Bird Hensley moved to Illinois before 1839.  He married Nancy Webb 14 Jan 1839 in Clay County, Illinois.  I do not yet know if Bird was living in Clay County before his marriage to Nancy.

Illinois Statewide Marriage Index:
http://www.ilsos.gov/GenealogyMWeb/MarriageSearchServlet

But I do know that it is likely that Nancy was living with her parents before her marriage to Bird.  Her parents are found in the 1830 census of Clay County:

William Webb

1 Male 20 to 30

1 Male 60 to 70

1 Female 15 to 16

1 female 40 to 50

Bird and Nancy are still living in Clay County in 1840: 

 The  1840 Clay County census lists:   Bird Henslee household as the

following:  1 male under 5 years of age, and one 20 to 30 .  1 female under 5 years of age, one 5 to 10, one 10 to 15, and one 20 to 30.

By 1850 Bird and Nancy had moved their families back to Cabell County, Virginia (now WV).


Nancy HensleyAge:38Birth Year:abt 1812Birthplace:VirginiaHome in 1850:District 10, Cabell, Virginia, USAGender:FemaleFamily Number:453Household Members:

Name	Age
Bird Hensley	39
Nancy Hensley	38
Lucinda Hensley	20
Belinda Hensley	18
Elizabeth Hensley	16
William Hensley	11
Mary A Hensley	9
Sarah Hensley	6
Columbus Hensley	3

What I am finding is that there seem to be a number of families who made the same journey to Illinois who came back to what was then Virginia before 1850.  As I find these families, I would like a place to add them into my notes.  So here they are.  This is NOT my research below.  It is gathered from the sources that I note without my checking to be sure of the accuracy.

"Benjamin Franklin Swann (2nd child of Leven and Elizabeth Jenkins Swann) is said to have:

Benjamin Franklin (1793-1870) married Elizabeth Jarrett and had at least four children.  After a brief move to Sangamon County, Illinois (1828-abt. 1836) he came back here and settled in Mason County.  He was a widower with his brother Hezekiah in the 1870 Cabell Census."  [this information taken from an article written by George Swann and published in the KYOWVA Fall 2011 Newsletter on p.6]  George maintains a website at:  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~swannfamily/

I have sent George an e-mail as it seems that his ancestor, Josiah Swann also moved to Illinois...perhaps even Clay County.....I will update this as I have more information.  After Josiah moved back to Cabell County, he married Rachel Morrison and it is from this wife that George descends.  I will edit this after I talk with George.