Tag Archives: Milo Erwin

Erwin, Milo 1847-1894 alias Mark M. Stanly

Posted on by December 8, 2013

Milo Erwin 1847-1894Milo Erwin was born October 24, 1847 near the village of Crab Orchard, six miles east of Marion. This area had been settled by people from North Carolina, among them a Revolutionary War ancestor of Milo Erwin.

Milo Erwin was the son of Robert P. and Eliza (Furlong) Erwin. Robert P. and his brother-in-law, James M. Furlong, built a steam mill for both grist and lumber at Crab Orchard in 1854; this was the county’s second mill. It was in the center of town and had no doors. Folks who had no desire to pay for grist found it easy to take what they wanted at night; thus the village was nick-named “Steal Easy.” Continue reading →

1876, “The History of Williamson County”, by Milo Erwin

Posted on by February 9, 2014

Bloody VendettaMilo Erwin was 29 years old when he wrote “The History of Williamson County, Illinois” in 1876. Our country was 100 years old and Williamson County was 37 years old. The Bloody Vendetta was scarcely over and many wounds, no doubt, were fresh. His book had 283 pages and only 123 were used to tell that story; the remaining pages told the history of our county from formation to 1876. Many pages were used to tell of his admiration of the hardy stock that settled here and shaped the history of Williamson County. Continue reading →

The Mysterious End of Milo Erwin

Posted on by December 8, 2013

Bloody VendettaAnyone studying the history of Williamson County will find out quickly that your resources are slim. There are only a few books that were written to establish fairly comprehensive guides as to how things were back in the beginning.

One of those mainstays is a book written in 1876 by Milo Erwin. It was called “History of Williamson County, from the earliest times to the present, Continue reading →