Slavery

The truth is rarely pretty or polite according to the Illinois State Archives researchers who oversaw the development of the Servitude Index proving that Illinois embraced slavery as an institution. Slavery existed in this county as well. 

The first schoolmaster in the county was Eli Harris, a member of the Allison Prairie Christian church. It is believed he came with the Kentucky and Tennessee pioneers to Allison prairie, about 1815. At that time, the area was a part of Crawford County.

In the 1820 census for Crawford County, persons living in the Eli Harris home were a male under 10 years of age, a male 26-44; 3 females under 10, and 1 female 26-44. It was noted that there were four free white persons under age 16 and two over the age of 25.

On 1821, Eli Harris was a grand juror at the first Circuit Court of Lawrence County.

In the diary of Esau Johnson, Johnson mentions that there was an epidemic or sickness in Vincennes and on the Allison prairie and many residents died. “There was another family of Eli Harris, of nine and all died but one boy Rufus Harris, 11 years old left.”

On September 17, 1821, Eli Harris of Lawrence County Illinois wrote his Will.  He said he was low in health but perfectly sound in the exercise of his mind and judgment.  He committed his soul to God and his body to the earth. He put all his estate in trust in the hands of his executors for the use and education of his heir, Rufus H Harris.

Likewise, he ordered that his black girl Creecy be educated to read well and that so much of his estate be used to defray that expense and that she go free at the age of 18. 

He named his executors Robert McCord, Samuel Harris, Samuel H McCord and John P Harris. His will was witnessed by Daniel Travis and William Howard.

On October 2, 1821, the Will was presented for legal validation after the death of Eli Harris.

Editor’s Note: Mr. Johnson’s diary may have had the number of people in the family incorrect, or Eli had taken in some of orphaned children who then became sick and died themselves. As for the African- American girl named Creecy, she may have come to Illinois with the Harris family.What happened to Creecy? Did she learn to read? Was she given her freedom? As of this date, no other information is known about her. In 1830, Samuel Harris, one of Eli’s executors, listed three “free colored persons” living in his household. One was a female 10-23. Was this Creecy?