Moved to IL from KY 1805

William dropped the "e" from the family name. William came to Kaskaskia, IL from KY, finally settling in Jackson Co in 1805. William was an IL Ranger in the War of 1812. He died in 1836 near Grand Tower, his burial site is unknown. William had 5 children by his first wife, Elizabeth (Cline) and in 1814 he married Catherine Bradshaw, they had 4 children

William BOONE who operated a flat boat on Big Muddy and defended the people against the Indians in 1812 and was later a Sate Senator. They were relatives of the famous pioneer and Indian-fighter, Daniel BOONE.

William BOONE who was Senator in the Second General Assembly.

Mr. Scott CREWS, a descendent of one of the oldest families of Southern Illinois, tells me that the first school at Brownsville was held at the home of William BOONE in 1814

The distinguished Capt. William BOON, who was one of the earliest settlers of the County, and whose son, Benningsen BOON, was so prominent in the County, and who yet survives, settled at Big Hill in 1826, whither he moved from Sand Ridge. He was a man of note, of worth, and very popular. He represented Jackson in the hall of legislation ably and well, and was their protector and shield in the hour of danger.

Co-founder of Jackson Co., Il.{with Dr. Conrad Will}. May be buried in Worthen Cemetary, Big Hill,
Grand Tower, Il. The title Captain is from the company of men he raised to protect settlers in Jackson Co. area {Illinois Volunteer Mounted Militia= from March to June 1813.

William was a woodcutter and a farmer. In 1807 he was appointed Justice of the Peace for Randolph County, and when Jackson County was formed he was appointed as JP{along with Conrad Will} in 1816. He served as a Senator in Illinois State Legislature from 1820 to 1824{two terms} when the Capitol of Illinois was Vandalia.

When William was 18 years old in 1795, he left Boon's Mill Ky. and moved to Missouri where he worked in lead mines for 6 or 7 years. In 1802 he moved to Kaskaskia, Il., where married Elizabeth Cline. In 1806, he built a home under the bluff of Big Hill, near todays HWY 3. In 1809, he moved to Sand Ridge, Il., where he built a new home. Elizabeth died of the "milk sick" in 1813, and in 1814 William married Catherine Darnell, the widow of Thomas Hendricks and John Bradshaw.

William made seven trips to New Orleans during 1810-12 to sell coal {the first coal shipped out of Illinois} and was on the Mississippi river in 1811 with Zaphjna Brooks and Peter{his black slave} when the New Madrid earthquake occurred{during which the river reversed course and flowed backward for a while}.

William bought Peter from Zaphna Brooks. William Boon is listed in the census of Jackson County as the head of a household containing 3 white males age 21 and up, 13 other whites, and 1 slave{presumably, Peter}. The 1878 History of Jackson County says William died in 1833, aged 56 years.

The spelling of BOON was used by William Boon and by his son , Benningsen. Benningsen's son, Cyrus Conrad added the letter "e"
One of the burying grounds in Jackson County is the Boon Cemetary on the east side of Big Hill and about one and one half miles south of Gorham. Many of the graves are unmarked or are indicated only by rough stones. The Boon family plot is perhaps the most interesting portion of the cemetary, since it contains the grave of Benningsen Boon . The low stone fence about the Boon family plot was erected by him after he became an very old man. While building this fence, Boon camped for several days at the cemetary even though his home was only a little over a mile away. The marker at Benningsen's grave was erected by his son, Cyrus Conrad Boone, commonly known as "Uncle Coon," upon one of his visits from the state of Oregon where he had gone to live after the Civil War.
A spring under the east side of the bluff a mile or so south of the Boon Cemetary, marks the place where Benningsen Boon's home stood. The cubical block of brown sandstone that stands near the southeast corner of the main building of S.I.N.U. once stood beside this spring. It was used by Boon as a wash basin and soap dish. The larger excavation served as the wash basin, and the smaller one held the soft soap, the almost universally used.

More About William Boone III and Elizabeth Cline:
Marriage: 1802, Kaskaskia, IL.

More About William Boone III and Catherine Dernald:
Marriage: April 16, 1814, Randolph County, IL.

Children of William Boone III and Elizabeth Cline are: