"In the 1830's, following completion of the Erie Canal, increasing numbers of settlers from the northeastern states entered Illinois by way of the Great Lakes, and what is now Will County became an edge of the western frontier. Constructions [ sic] of the Illinois and Michigan Canal so increased the local population that some isolated settlements quickly became villages and towns."Many years later, when the frontier had passed far to the west, the surviving pioneers sought to remember the old days and the old ways with published reminiscences, county histories, and old settlers' reunions. When, in the summer of 1880, a number of early settlers organized the Will County Pioneers Association, one of its objectives was the "enjoyment of reunions."This volume contains an example image of an actual page from the original register, appearing on page iv of this volume, that serves to illustrate the difficulty the transcribers encountered in preparing this publication for print. The handwriting, the condition of the pages and faded ink, were challenging. In a few cases, the writing could not be deciphered. However, the majority of the pioneers' handwritten information appears in Register of Pioneers and this material can be used to document our ancestors birthplace, arrival and residency in Will County, Illinois, USA.
