he land in proportion to the commissions they respectively held on the said 2d day of January, 1781, and not in proportion to the commissions they have since held in consequence of promotions, and that therefore officers commissioned since that period are not entitled at all; and that those soldiers who enlisted to serve twelve months after their arrival at Kaskaskia, agreeable to an act of assembly of the fall session of 1778, for the protection and defense of the Illinois county, who did not re-enlist in the regiment, are not included in said resolution; that those officers who were commissioned under said act and resigned before the expiration of the twelve months are not entitled; last that those who continued during the year and then retired, not having a command, are entitled."
At a meeting of the commissioners, October 10, 1787, the scope of the order was enlarged so as to include "the officers and soldiers who were left at the falls by order of Colonel Clark, when the detachment were going against the Illinois, be allowed quota of land in the grant."
In view of the way the troops were raised, the irregularity of the terms of service, and there being different campaigns, with not the same soldiers in each, it was a difficult and delicate matter to determine, exactly, who "assisted in the reduction of the British posts in the Illinois," or what officers and soldiers were entitled to the share in the land under the law.
The commissioners, however, after long and careful investigation decided who were entitled, and the quantity of land that should be allotted to each; but, in the meantime, many of the land claims had been sold and transferred by the persons designated, and deeds for the land, in such cases, did not issue in their names, but in the names of the persons then owning the claims.
In consequence of this, and the mixing in of the names of persons who only served under Clark in his subsequent campaigns against the Indians, a correct list of the officers and soldiers of the Illinois Regiment who "assisted in the reduction of the British posts," and were allotted land under the law, has never before been published. At least the author, after the most diligent search, has never been able to find any such list, although he has found several which were clearly misleading and erroneous.
The following roll was made with great care and labor, tracing the title of every tract of land back to the person who served for it. It is confidently believed that it is correct, and that it is the only full and complete list of those who were allotted land in the Illinois Grant, for service under General Clark, ever published. It is quite certain no one is on the list who did not serve, and it is not likely that many, if any, entitled to land, failed to receive it, either in person or by his heirs or assigns. While omissions are possible, they are not at all probable. The board of commissioners were prominent and honorable men, and it was continued in existence, by subsequent legislation, for at least sixty-five years, so that all having proper claims had abundance of time in which to apply.
It will be seen by reference to the roll that opposite the name of each person is given the quantity of land allotted to him, with its descriptive numbers, so that the reader, by referring to the fac-simile of the original plat, which immediately follows the list, can see the exact location of the land; or, by giving the number of any tract, it can, in like manner, be learned who served for it. For example, if it is desired to learn what land was allotted to the celebrated Simon Kenton, a reference to the list and map will show that it was "letter E, tract 198." Or if the reader wishes to know who served for number one, the tract on which the city of Jeffersonville is situated a similar reference will show it was Lieutenant Isaac Bowman. And so on as to any track or person.
It will be impossible for the general reader to comprehend the great labor involved in making this list. It was equivalent to making three hundred partial abstracts of ti