The journey from the northeast section of the United States tp Northwest Illinois
made quicker and easier by the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825. The groups of people who
came were largely from New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. They were mainly of Dutch, German
and Swiss decent. Stephenson County was still a part of Jo Daviess County because of the
lack of white men in Fort Dearborn, (Chicago), when Illinois was made a state in 1818. It
was not until March 4, 1837 that people in the area numbered enough to form a county. Land
was taken from east of Jo Daviess County and the west of Winnebago County. The northern
boundary was the Wisconsin Territory and the southern border of Stephenson County formed
by Carroll and Ogle Counties. The county was named after Colonel Benjamin Stephenson, a
soldier who fought in the area during the Blackhawk War and War of 1812.
The first town in the county was Ransomberg, started by A.C. Ransom in 1834. The
location was 4½ miles south of Brewster's Ferry along the Pecatonica River. There were
two stores, one run by Mr. Ransom and the other run by Mr. Stewart. There were a few other
businesses and also a school run by Miss Jane Goodhue.
The first Ferry in the county was located on the Pecatonica River near the northern
border one mile east of what is now known as Winslow. Located at the corner of Basswood
and Winslow Roads. The ferry was started by Lyman Brewster in the fall of 1833 or the
spring of 1834.
The first settler who stayed permanently was William Waddams. He came in the fall of
1832. During the winter he built a cabin which he moved into in the spring of 1833. The
location was at the foot of West Point Hill. A marker-stone on the northwest corner of
West Pinhook and North Crossroad Roads marks the location of his home.
During this period and later until 1842 the land had not been surveyed and there was no Land Office for claims to be filed and charted. The settlers were therefore called "Squatters". To claim land all one had to do was "claim" that an area was his. Much like the claim John Dennison made for 1000 acres on the east bank of the Pecatonica River.
The population increased during the following years as new towns & villages developed. Farms grew, businesses began and mills were started both grist and saw. The Indians were seen less often as they moved west. By 1840 there were 2,800 people in the county, 49 of whom lived in Freeport. There were five grist mills and nine saw mills along with ten schools. The area had no churches yet. Stephenson County was on her way.
(Excerpt from the McConnell Sesquicentennial History Album. Written by Steven W. Kohn . 1988)