Immigration into McHenry County

Samuel and Margaret Gillian are considered the first white people to settle in what is now McHenry County. Prior to their arrival on November 18, 1834, Samuel Gillian was a farmer from West Virginia. On an attempt to move westward, he first moved to Champaign County, Ohio, where he remained for approximately a year. As his quest for a permanent settlement continued, he came upon the city of Chicago. Although fascinated with the mass population and varied activities, Gillian, along with his wife and eight children, were pursuing unsettled land. While traveling Northwest over an ocea…