For more Bloody Williamson-related materials, check out my Warring 20s of Southern Illinois poster as well as my books Secrets of the Herrin Gangs, and for the prequel of story of how Williamson County first became known as "bloody," The Bloody Vendetta of Southern Illinois.

For a fictional account inspired the second generation of Sheltons, check out The Untold Story by Ruthie Shelton, my co-author of Inside the Shelton Gang.

The Warring Twenties of Southern Illinois (poster) 18" x 24" poster Paperback. $18 Photograph by Alvis Mitchell Poster design by Jon Musgrave Publisher: IllinoisHistory.com

The Warring Twenties of Southern Illinois poster shows the Charlie Birger and his gang at his notorious Shady Rest hideout at the height of the Gang War between the Birger Gang and the Shelton Brothers in October 1926. The picture has been restored and greatly enlarged. All the gangster are identified and a timeline of the important events of the decade are included. Posters are printed on heavy paper and are shipped rolled up in a tube.

For more Bloody Williamson-related books, check out Inside the Shelton Gang, Secrets of the Herrin Gangs, and for the prequel of story of how Williamson County first became known as "bloody," The Bloody Vendetta of Southern Illinois.

For a fictional account inspired the second generation of Sheltons, check out The Untold Story by Ruthie Shelton, my co-author of Inside the Shelton Gang.

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Secrets of the Herrin Gangs ISBN 0-9707984-6-6 96 pages. 6" x 9" Paperback. $9.95 By Ralph Johnson & Jon Musgrave Publisher: IllinoisHistory.com. Fully indexed

Secrets of the Herrin Gangs tells the account of Ralph Johnson, an insider with the Shelton Gang who also worked with Charlie Birger at one time. Originally published in newspapers across the country at the end of the Gang War during the Bloody Williamson years in January 1927, all 10 segments are compiled now for the first time in one volume. In addition, Jon Musgrave reveals the mystery of Johnson’s true identity and his life of crime in the second half of the book.

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The Bloody Vendetta of Southern Illinois ISBN 978-0-9891781-0-5 2nd Ed. 240 pages. 6" x 9" Paperback. $18.95 By Milo Erwin & Jon Musgrave Publisher: IllinoisHistory.com. Fully indexed

The Bloody Vendetta of Southern Illinois covers the deadly family feuds and Ku Klux Klan activities during the decade following the Civil War focused in the counties of Franklin, Jackson and Williamson. Milo Erwin wrote the first major account of the Vendetta during its immediate aftermath in 1876 as part of his History of Williamson County, Illinois. Now, Jon Musgrave takes Erwin's account and expands upon it with additional material from surrounding counties and further research into the characters who left such a mark on the region.

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Handbook of Old Gallatin County and Southeastern Illinois ISBN 0-9707984-1-5 464 pages. 6" x 9" Paperback. $24. Hardcover — SOLD OUT Jon Musgrave, editor. Publisher: IllinoisHistory.com. Fully indexed

The new Handbook of Old Gallatin County and Southeastern Illinois is a compilation of mostly 19th and early 20th century sources on Gallatin County's fascinating history. In other words you're reading the biography your ancestor wrote probably in his own words and syntax. The complete version of the 1887 History of Gallatin County as published by Goodspeed Publishing Company taken from their five-county history of southeastern Illinois. Everything's included as in the original, with the only changes of additional section headings and paragraph breaks as desperately needed. Not only are the original footnotes still there, but also new ones noting any corrections or addition comments as needed.

Miscellaneous Anecdotes of Early Gallatin County - a collection of writings on everything from the early saltworks to a sketch of the 1891 grand jury.

Military History of Gallatin County - a collection of writings on the military actions of Gallatin County residents from the Revolutionary War through the Civil War with a special focus on the frontier Indian battles in southeastern Illinois during the decade that centered around the War of 1812 as well as some of the actions taking place in the county during the Civil War. Also included will be complete rosters (as best as can be determined) of Gallatin County soldiers in the Black War, Mexican, Civil and Spanish-American Wars.

Gallatin County Biographies - More than 250 biographies will be included here pulled from the 1876 State Atlas of Illinois, the 1883 History of White County (which included chapters on the northern two townships of Gallatin), the 1887 History of Gallatin County, the 1905 Memoirs of the Lower Ohio Valley and the 1912 History of Southern Illinois. Also included are a handful of other miscellaneous biographies from a scattering of sources.

Plus... and probably most important of all to researchers... a full name and subject listing Index in the back of book. Every name is listed, women twice many times, once under their married name and again under their maiden name (if known).
In addition to the new annotated footnotes in the 1887 history portion, all the stories included in the Anecdotes and Military History are printed verbatim from the original source and are footnoted with the source. The idea has been to take all the good stories and original source material that's scattered and put it into one volume. The cover is full-color with a striking picture of the Bank of Illinois building in Shawneetown taken during the Depression.

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Lincoln: Fresh from Abraham's Bosom ISBN 0-9707984-3-1 80 pages. 5.5" x 8.5" Paperback. $6.95 Special 2004 Election Edition Jon Musgrave, editor. Publisher: IllinoisHistory.com. Fully indexed

Lincoln is a collection of anecdotes and stories told by and on America's 16th President. First compiled during Lincoln's re-election effort the stories paint a picture of a wartime leader who never lost the common touch of his roots. Especially poignant are the tales when you realize that they were compiled in the darkest days of the Civil War when victory was not assured, or even Lincoln's own re-election. In addition to the numerous examples of the president humor, Lincoln: Fresh from Abraham's Bosom also shows Lincoln at his most eloquent and includes his first and second inaugural addresses as well as the famous Gettysburg Address. This 2004 edition comes complete with a new introduction, index, as well as detailed footnotes that help identity names and events long forgotten from the reader's school days.

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Gallatin County, Illinois, Slave & Emancipation Records, 1839-1849 250-plus pages. 8.5" x 11" Spiral-bound. $28. Hardcover. $45. John W. Allen, transcriber; Jon Musgrave, editor. Publisher: IllinoisHistory.com.

Hardcover - SOLD OUT

Spiral-Bound - SOLD OUT

Gallatin County, Illinois, Slave & Emancipation Records, 1839-1849, are all that's left of the second volume of slave records in Gallatin County. Though the first of three original volumes remain in the courthouse, the second volume (1839-1849) and the third volume (1849-1862) disappeared sometime after the 1937 flood. SIU-Carbondale historian John W. Allen found himself in possession of at least the second volume and transcribed those records in 1950. Since then that book has been lost and only the type transcriptions in the John W. Allen papers in Special Collections at SIU Morris Library have remained. Special Collections has given Jon Musgrave permission to publish photocopies of the transcriptions. He's included an introduction explaining how to best use the records as well as a full name and first name only indexes for the book. The records include emancipations of slaves, mulatto apprentices and indentured servants who either lived in, or was brought to, Gallatin County, as well as freedom papers filed with county officials by free residents of African ancestry who came to Southern Illinois. These records include the names of slaves or free persons, as well as those of owners, friends and public officials who vouched for the various claims. The records are priceless for African-American genealogists as they often provide names and locations of previous residences where they lived prior to moving to Illinois. They also provide significant genealogical information in regards to listing mothers, as well as children. Many of the records give detailed descriptions of the subjects involved. Up until 1847, Gallatin County included all of present-day Gallatin and Saline counties as well as the eastern third of Hardin County. Also included in the book are miscellaneous records concerning three early antebellum schools for African-American children and the last entry from the third slave registry, which was published elsewhere before the volume disappeared.

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NEW! The Untold Story ISBN 978-0-9862139-0-8 104 pages. 5.5" x 8.5" Paperback. $12 By Ruthie Shelton Privately Published

The Untold Story is based on Ruthie Shelton's true crime book, Inside the Shelton Gang: One Daughter's Discovery, and her family known as the Shelton Gang, this is the story that couldn't be told in non-fiction, even decades after the events which now make up our history. Can a family forced into hiding because of their criminal past survive? Willr evealed secrets tear them apart? Will they even reunite with those left behind? Read about the Callahan family, forced into hiding. Find out who is trying to wipe out the entire family in order to take control of the empire they spent decades building. Hidden treasure, a secret hatch discovered and yesterday's crime all shape the tomorrows of this family.

For more Bloody Williamson-related materials, check out Inside the Shelton Gang, the Warring 20s of Southern Illinois poster as well as Secrets of the Herrin Gangs, and for the prequel of story of how Williamson County first became known as "bloody," The Bloody Vendetta of Southern Illinois.

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NEW - James T. Carrier's Books! Killer Tornado Hits Coal Mining Village | Them Good Old Wild Greens | Wilderness Survival | Killer Mine Disaster | A Little Bit of Heaven Buy all 5 for $48, get 20 percent off! Killer Tornado ISBN 0-9705471-0-2 112 pages. 5.5" x 8.5" Paperback. $9.95 By James T. Carrier © 1998 2nd ed. 3rd printing. E.U.L.A. Publications Killer Tornado Hits Coal Mining Village tells the story of how the world's largest tornado -- the Tri-State Tornado of March 18, 1925 -- caused deaths, injuries and destruction in a rural coal mining village of Caldwell, in Franklin County, Illinois, with firsthand accounts of survivors. The book also includes a story of the 1912 tornado that struck near Pershing, Illinois. Killer Mine Disaster: The Story of the Most Deadly Methane Gas Coal Mine Explosion in the State of Illinois ISBN 0-9705471-7-X 130 pages. 5.5" x 8.5" Paperback. $15.00 By James T. Carrier © 2002 E.U.L.A. Publications Killer Mine Disaster tells the story of the December 21, 1951, West Frankfort mine explosion, the most deadly methane explosion in the State of Illinois. A Little Bit of Heaven and a Whole Lot of Hell ISBN 160 pages. 5.5" x 8.5" Rev. ed. 2nd printing Paperback. $9.95 By James T. Carrier © 1998 E.U.L.A. Publications A Little Bit of Heaven and a Whole Lot of Hell covers the story of a coal mining village and its people with emphasis on the Great Depression years. Them Good Old Wild Greens ISBN 100 pages. 5.5" x 8.5" Paperback. $9.95 By James T. Carrier E.U.L.A. Publications Them Good Old Wild Greens tells the story of "Hard Times" in the mining settlement of "18 Patch" in Franklin County, Illinois. Wilderness Survival ISBN 110 pages. 5.5" x 8.5" Paperback. $9.95 By James T. Carrier E.U.L.A. Publications Wilderness Survival is a story of how sons of unemployed miners avoided starvation and survived the Great Depression of the 1930s. Updated July 23, 2018 by Jon Musgrave ©2018 IllinoisHistory.com