Year without a summer

The summer of 1816 was unusally cold. Their was no fall harvest and animals and people starved.

1816: The year without a summer. (From the Jefferson Co. Genealogical Society newsletter, Jefferson City, Tn. Feb. 1995) As the result of the eruption of Mt. Tambour volcano in Java 1815, 12,000 island residents lost their lives. The volcano is to blame for an unusual weather pattern the following year in North America, resulting in mass migration of people trying to avoid the ensuing climatic changes. The summer of 1816 was unusually cold, with killing frosts and even snowfall destroying crops throughout the united States. June and July were the coldest months, 19 states had snowfall in June! There were no fall harvests; animal and people starved; wild animals ravaged the frontier. Not understanding the meteorological causes, people blamed the Wrath of God for their hardships. Some, destitute and despondent, committed suicide. By 1817 the climate had returned to normal. However, many had moved to warmer parts of the country and numerous farmers left for the cities to go into industrial work. Charlie TOP

The 1816 trip to Illinois. (Page 2 of Nancy' diary) These four Spiller brothers, William , Benjamin, Elijah, and Warren, and their two sisters, Nancy, wife of Abraham Tippy, and Lydia, wife of John Duncan, along with a large company of other families, came in a long wagon train to Franklin County (now Williamson County, Illinois) in 1816. They were leaders in this colony. They thought they were comming to the Spanish Territory but this land was not a part of the Louisiana Purchase. The Story of their trek westward has been handed down in Nancy SPILLER Tippys family as follows; This trip was a great undertaking. There were many preperations for this dangerous trip overland. The women spun and wove and made plenty of clothing. Dried apples and pumpkin ect. They selected the best seeds, dried venicin and smoked hog meat, best cows who had been trained to pull the lighter covered wagons and in which the women and children slept at night. They were well guarded by the young ladies swearthearts and the husbands of the other women. In front of them and in back of them were the heavier wagons drawn by large bulls and a few oxen and horses, stalions and mares. The women looked after the extra ammunition and rifles and shotguns. Most of the women could shoot deer, wild turkies and ducks and geese, even bear, wolves, and 'painters' (panthers) or indians. If they were attacked by indians, these women and girls could load the extra guns and even bring down a 'red skin' if necessary. They had 40 large white dogs trained to give notice if indians were near and would kill an indian by taking him by the throat or the back of the neck. Nancy SPILLER Tippy was a very successful doctor. She knew all the medicines, herbs and how to use them and how to treat the sick and wounded. Many a pioneer mother owed her life to her. After this wagon train arrived in what is now Williamson County, they soon entered land and established homes on Phelps Praire. They were all land owners never belonged to the hunter class who never accumulated much property. Their land entries were made in 1818 and 1819. Elijah Spiller, the Baptist preacher either died or left the country in the 1840s. He married couples in that year. There is on record in Franklin county court house a bill of sale of Elijah Spiller to William Turner made June 1, 1837. This sale wes for household goods and farming implements and stock. Also. he and his wife, Susannah, sold land in West Marion Township adjoining Warrenton K, Spiller in April 1836. Nancy Spiller Tippy and family lived for a time near what is now Creal Springs. Their land entry however was near the other Spillers on Phelps Prairie. Warrenton K. Spiller and family lived and died and are buried near what is now the Whiteville school #47 house west of Marion. Benjamin Spiller and family are buried on their farm North West of Marion. William Spiller and his wife, Winifred, lived three miles west of Marion; his burial place has not been located. His daughted Sally who married John Crain, is buried at the golf club on the West hard road. There are many descandants of these families in Williamson County and all over Southern Illinois and many other states, Author unknown. TOP Home Page URL: http://community.webtv.net/JSTIPPY/TheTippyPage Please send corrections and updates to James