Thomas Madison (settler)

Thomas Madison was an American Revolutionary War veteran from Ashtabula County, Ohio, who became the first settler of the city of Genoa, Illinois, United States. [Boies, Henry L. [http://www.rays-place.com/history/il/dek-genoa.htm "History of Genoa, Il."] "The History of De Kalb County, Illinois." Retrieved 19 February 2007]

As early as 1835, Madison settled in north-eastern Illinois and named the settlement Genoa after a town of the same name in New York. [ [http://www.genoa-il.com/culture.htm "Genoa's Culture."] Retrieved 19 February 2007] Some historians have the date of settlement as 1836 and mention that Madison settled with his immediate family, including his son-in-law Voranus Emory Moore. [Larson, Sheila R. [http://www.rootsweb.com/~ildekalb/places.htm "History of some DeKalb County towns."] Retrieved 19 February 2007] Madison served as the town's first postmaster and storekeeper, and entries of sales from his store have been found from as early as May 12, 1843.

Madison built a log cabin on the spot where a hotel was kept by H. N. Perkins and Luke Nichols until the 1860s. In the autumn of 1837, Madison moved to Texas and sold his property to Perkins and a group of three other settlers for the sum of $2800.

References