[Wallace T.]

Like much of central and southern Illinois, Pike County was heavily settled by people who were originally from Kentucky and Virginia. While Abraham Lincoln's two secretaries John Hay and John G. Nicolay were from Pike County, there was considerable Copperhead sentiment during the Civil War. The county had something of its own civil war between Unionists and Southern sympathizers, not unlike what occurred in nearly Missouri. (Pike County, IL, borders the Mississippi River, adjacent to Pike County, MO, in "Mark Twain" country.)

It appears to be a bastion of real Americanism today, in contrast to the liberal hellhole on Lake Michigan.

[girlangler]

“Pike County was heavily settled by people who were originally from Kentucky and Virginia”

LOL, that explains it then. Sounds like east Tennessee (where I live). My ancestors here during the Civil War included strong Union Sympathisers and Confederate officers, and our family history is very colorful.

E Rocc, I don’t know the answer to your question, but several years ago I edited an outdoor magazine here, and a judge in Chattanooga wrote an article for us about the first attempt at government gun control nationwide occurring in this state.

I don’t have time to find that article now, but it was extremely interesting, as this judge is a dedicated deer hunter and represented some archery manufacturers as a pro shooter at one time. He is an admirable and bright man.