Green B Ketcham came to Sangamon County, Illinois, later Christian County, from Alabama abou t 1825. At the apparent age of 16 he acquired two pieces of land in Sangamon County, Illinoi s in January of 1836. First was 79 acres being located as the W/2NW4 in Section 3 of Townshi p 13 North, Range 1 West, and the second was 40 acres being located as the NE4/NE4 in Sectio n 3 of Township 13 North, Range 1 West, both recorded in the same deed, filed in county recor ds at Volume 145, page 60. Two years later his father Peter bought the E2/SE4 in the same se ction.

UNKNOWN AUTHOR

This family moved to Texas about 1848 from Christian Co., IL (formed in 1839 out of Sangamo n County), with his father & two brothers and their families. Brother James arrived in Texa s in 1846 and uncle Jacob earlier, fighting in the Texas War of Independence from Mexico. Gr een Berry Ketchum was the County Coroner in Christian County, Illinois before leaving for Tex as, having been elected Coroner of the County in 1844. He married Temperance Katherine Wydic k (Widick) in Macon County, Illinois (which later became a part of Christian County, which wa s originally a part of Sangamon County).

After moving to Texas it seems that Green Berry Ketcham acquired two 50 acre tracts of land ( or one tract filed twice), Grant #11031 on 1 Sept 1852 in Middle Tennessee District, Frankli n County , filed in book X, pg 99 and book X, pg 186. (Purchase or inheritance, gift?) LAN D GRANTS AND DEEDS ARCHIVES - NASHVILLE, TN The family went first to Caldwell County, Texas and then to San Saba County, settling on th e San Saba River on the place known later as the Rainey place in China Creek Community.

SAN SABA COUNTY HISTORY, 1856 - 1983

"KETCHUM, Green Berry, of Tennessee, and Temperance Ketchum were early pioneers of San S aba County. They were living in the County in the mid-1850?s. According to the minutes of th e Cumberland Presbyterian Minute Book, G. B. Ketchum and wife, placed their membership with t he Church in 1850. He was born November 10, 1820, and died October 28, 1868. He and his wif e were first buried in the Old San Saba Cemetery where Rogan Field is now located. B. C. Smi th, a grandson, had the remains exhumed and reburied at China Creek Cemetery. Their children were: James and Joseph (both died in infancy), Elizabeth who married Joh n Wesley Smith, Berry married Ola Shields, Sam (bachelor), Abner (died in infancy), Nancy mar ried Abijah Duncan, Tom (bachelor). CORRECTION: Sam was not a bachelor. He married Louis a Greenlee 2 Feb 1875 in San Saba several years before joining his brother Tom in their outla w career. James (Jim) Ketchum, a pioneer and brother of Green Berry Ketchum was killed, presumabl y by Indians while on a cattle drive. His children were Sarah who married John n. Gauny, Ma rion married Elizabeth Chaney, Tom, Vann, Pete. Many descendants of each of these pioneers are now living in the County. They eventually settled 5 miles west of San Saba, TX, where Richland Creek meets the Sa n Saba River and "a few miles above the mouth of the creek". END

THE CALL OF THE SAN SABA= by Alma Ward Hamrick

On August 23, 1857 the Cumberland Presbyterian Church at San Saba was organized with nin e members. On the fourth meeting of this body on June 19, 1859, Rev. S. M. Lewis was named t o head the church. At that time G. B. Ketchum, Mrs. Ketchum, and eight others were receive d into the church. Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum and an infant son, most likely Abner, are buried a t China Creek Cemetery located 2.7 miles north of Harkeyville,Tx. at County Road 202 and Cou nty road 208, in San Saba County. Harkeyville is 3 miles west (on Hwy 395) of the city of Sa n Saba, TX.

At the time of the 1860 census the family consisted of Green B. and Temperance and Elizabeth , Green B Jr., Samuel and Nancy . Green B. was listed as born in Alabama, a stock raiser, wi th a personal estate valued at $4,534. Three children had died young before the census. On e was Abner b. 2 Feb 1856 and born in Texas. The other two were Joseph b. 10 Nov 1845 and Ja mes born 5 Dec 1842. The dates indicate that these two were born in Illinois before their s ister Elizabeth who was also born in Illinois on 20 March 1848 just before the family left fo r Texas. SPRADLEY RESEARCH

In 1933 the city of San Saba decided to build a new football field. The land at that time wa s a cemetary, including Benjamin Franklin Smith, his wife, John Wesley Smith and his wife El izbeth Ketchum Smith, and Green Berry Ketchum. Barbara Smith's grandfather Edgar (Buddy) Sm ith, descendant of Elizabeth Ketchum Smith, moved the caskets from the land for the footbal l field out to the China Creek Cemetary, about 6 miles out of San Saba to the NW on a Dirt ro ad. Green Berry's grave has an old unreadable rock with writing on it and Temperance has on e that is barely readable. Next to them is a third stone marker for a Ketchum infant, and nex t to this is a stone marking the grave of B. F. "Banner" Smith. SPRADLEY RESEARCH

"Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum had a family of 8 children: James Ketchum, born December 5, 1842; Josep h Ketchum, born November 10, 1845; Elizabeth Ketchum, born March 20, 1848, died June 26, 1933 ; Green Berry Ketchum, Jr, born October 24, 1850 and died March 31, 1914; Samuel Wesley Ketch um, born January 4, 1854 and died July 24 1899; Abner Ketchum, born February 2, 1856 and die d before 1860; Nancy B. Ketchum, born January 6, 1860 and died January 9, 1937; Thomas Edwar d 'Black Jack' Ketchum, born October 31, 1863 in SaN Saba County, Texas and died April 26, 19 01 in Clayton, Union County, New Mexico." - VARIOUS SOURCES

Source: Rootsweb