If, as it appears, the early settlers of Wayne Co. were of Scotch-Irish descent then Scotch-Irish for this purpose will be defined as English from North England and Scotch from South Scotland who spent a period of time as residents of North Ireland prior to their arrival in America.
It is believed that small family groups of immigrants still in the process of establishing a permanent home in a strange environment would maintain close ties with other family groups of similar interests. Or, to state this another way, if one family name is found, other familiar names might well share space in the same record file. Names of primary interest here are: Austin, Bruce, Garrison, Gregory, Keen or Keene and Wood.
To establish a time frame, the Scotch-Irish emigration may be said to have its roots from the religion fueled Battle of Boyne in 1690 which also gave birth to the motivation of revolution: "taxation without representation." The actual flow of people began during the first third of the 18th century and continued through the remainder of the century. Many new arrivals were indentured -- passage work contract -- while others were able to give the name of King George III's daughter to Charlotte, NC. Their Protestant work ethic brought quick success to the many who were the main stay of the pre-Revolution village farm communities of the Eastern Woodlands. Their success as frontier settlers pointed the way for their children to use mountain passages, a primary one being the Cumberland Gap, to establish log cabin communities of economic importance in states such Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Misouri and Texas. The Scotch-Irish community also had its say in the way the American political system developed: Andrew Jackson (7th), James Polk (11th) and James Buchanan (15th) were early presidents of Scotch-Irish ancestry.
The chances are good, but not certain, that the early settlers of Wayne Co. were children of first generation immigrants who were born between 1695/1775. Record research will probably be most rewarding if directed, at least initially, toward those that would normally be made by farmers of modest means and limited land ownership living in the village and rural communities of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland and southeastern Pennsylvania. Records of most interest should be those generated by day-to-day living: births, deaths, marriages and maybe a record of a small land sale/purchase. For the earliest years census records and recorded government land sales are relatively late arrivals. A review of ship passenger lists will require use of a special database and, in my opinion, probably of limited value unless the name of an expected arrival is previously known. Finally, all of the information available to me would appear to indicate that chances are small indeed for the American roots of Scotch-Irish immigrants from New England and New York crossing those of Scotch-Irish immigrants who settled in the Southeast -- again, in my opinion, the area of primary interest.
From census records it may be established that Larkin and Sarah became permanent residents of Wayne Co. by the time of the 1840 census. Family tradition is that Larkin (b. 1815) and Sarah (b. 1816) were residents of Smith Co., TN, perhaps their place of birth, during part of their early years. Also, that they lived in Henry Co., TN when their first four children were born and prior to the permanent move to Wayne Co.. The date and place of their marriage is unknown.
In 1886 the Wayne Co. courthouse burned and all records were destroyed. An exception was one book of land records from 1857 for approximately four years, but since the book contained no names it is of little value.
In July 1994 I checked with a K. G. Bruce,
trustee for the Salem-Mateer Cemetery, and found lots 36 and 37 are shown
by cemetery records to belong to Gregg Austin. Gregg and Anna occupy lot
37 and I own lot 36. The church at the cemetery is the Freewill Baptist
Church, Road 100E, Wayne Co., IL, 62837. Mr. Bruce also lives on Road 100E.