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William was born 28 April 1797 in North Carolina, married Eliza Robinson 2 March 1821 in; Butler Co., Ky. His twin sister, Elizabeth (nickname Patsy) born 28 April 1797, married John Williams 1 March 1817. Richard born 28 April 1799, in Logan Co., Ky. Married Lucretia Haws 14 April 1821 in White Co., Ill. Hannah was born about 1801, Sarah was born about 1803, she never married. Lydia was born about 1805, Thomas Brody was born 6 June 1809 in Green River, Butler Co., Ky. He married Sarah Ellen Haws 17 January 1841 in Wayne Co., Ill., Letitia (Letta) was born 9 August 1810 in Butler Co., Kentucky. She married Alney Haws and died 12 September 1864. Joseph was born about 1813 and married Jane Hanson. Francis was born about 1817. Jeremiah was born about 1821 in Butler Co., Ky. and died in April 1860 age 39. It is thought that perhaps the first children were born in South Carolina, but needs to be proved.
Solomon moved from North Carolina to Logan County, Kentucky in 1799. They heard about the Cumberland Gap and went to the Kentucky wilderness.
Solomon was a taxpayer in Logan Co., Kentucky in 1800. His son Richard says he was born in Kentucky in 1799 on census records. Solomon has his land surveyed in 1803, and appears on the tax records for the first time about the same time. His land was on Panther Creek. He lived by Jacob Haws and Samuel Hargrave.
On the 24th of December, 1803, Solomon had 400 acres of land on Panther Creek, so he may have been a veteran of the revolution. It started at two white oaks, running north 352 poles to two hickorys, then east 182 poles passing a military corner 56 poles and then running on military line to two white oaks, then south 352 poles to to two white oaks and then west 182 poles to beginning point. Surveyed by Enoch Berry. In 1824 Solomon is listed with 300 acres and 2 horses. In 1830 he is listed as having 400 acres and 4 horses, by 1835 he has 3 horses and 61 cattle. Thomas Brody and William are listed also. Thomas doesn't have any property listed, but William has 120 acres. They are listed as located on Panther Creek which is a branch on the Muddy River.
The family moved to Butler Co., Kentucky in 1809. In the 1810 census of Butler Co., Ky., Mary and Solomon were age 26-45 with 2 males under 10, 2 males 10-16 5 females under 10, and 1 female 10-16. He was also on the 1820 and 1830 Butler Co. census. On the 18th of April 1827 he purchased 72 acres in Butler Co. from Alexander Guffy.
In 1812 there is a S. Sessions listed as a member of the Midway Baptist Church in Butler Co. There are other family members there also. The churches had circuit preachers and this one had to go as far as Tennessee.
They were among the early settlers to this area. In Finley's History of Logan County, he said the cane was so thick it was impassable unless the buffalo herds had been through. These trails were called traces. They usually led to springs or "Licks". The animals knew where the salt was. One crossing was at the Green River above the Muddy River where our families settled. It was called Berry's Lick. It is now in Butler County. Most traveling was done on the rivers. This land is on the south side of the Green River and was reserved for veterans of the Revolution. This was Indian country and the Indian mounds yielded artifacts and bones of ancient civilizations, some bones of men thought to be eight feet tall. These were thought to be eight hundred years old. The county was beautiful with large and small game plentiful. The first settlers came in the 1780's. It is hard to tell exactly when people came, as there are no records of the very first settlers. The trees were large, some as large as nine feet in diameter. The rings showed them to be at least 600 years old. Later, horse racing was popular.
Solomon bought an additional 78 acres for $150 in 1827 between his and William Sessions' land. Solomon and Mary sold 400 acres for $300 in 1840. Thomas Broady was the witness. Solomon and Mary could both write, as they signed their name. This wasn't all that common in this time period. The description of the land said it was surveyed in 1803 and went from trees to the river. The land was measured in poles, this was a long pole cut from a tree. It was about 16 1/2 ft. It was on a military corner, which is a marking for surveyors to measure with. The early surveyors did a very remarkable job. One was tested and found to be only .002 of an acre off.
Solomon bought in Sec. 9, forty acres in twp 1N 7E, in Wayne County, Ill. On the 1840 Census, he lives nearby John Haws, Richard Sessions, Alfred Hargrave, Jeremiah Hargrave, Benjamin Haws and Alney Haws. It looks like Thomas may live with his parents. There is one male 70-80, one female 60-70, and with them was one male 20-30, one male age 30-40, one female 10-16, two females 30-40. Solomon and Mary are in Wayne County, Illinois listed on 9 January 1840 as selling to Charles Bunch the 400 acres of land bearing the date of 25 December 1803. Solomon's will is dated 15 July 1840 in Wayne Co., Ill. had Richard and Thomas B. Sessions as executors. His wife was alive, the youngest child Jeremiah was named. Will was probated 23, December 1840.
Solomon died in 1840, in Wayne Co. Ill. Richard must have buried his father in Wayne County, Ill., probably on or near the home place of Richard.
The story about William starting for the west with the Mormons ties in with the history of the Mormon movement west. William's brother, Thomas Broady, due to a severe beating by a whip was not able to leave with the majority of the Mormons. Sarah was born in Johnsonville, Ill. in 1861, whereas the youngest child Jeremiah was born in 1867 in Utah. The Mormons had been in a state of crisis ever since the assassination of their leader Joseph Smith. In May of 1845, nine men were formally indicted for his murder. Among the nine was a state senator and newspaper publisher. He was virulently anti-Mormon. The trial ended in acquittal. The handling of the trial and the unethical selection of the jury caused bad feelings all around. There was bad feeling also as a result of harassment of the Mormons in Ohio and in Missouri there was actual bloody warfare, which had broken out all over. By 1840 the Mormons began converging on Hancock County, Ill. This was clear across the state from Solomon and his family. The year 1844-45 was a turning point in the history of the Mormons. Solomon died in 1840, so his children bore the brunt of these disquieting times. Thomas Broady was a Mormon, because his son Solomon had seven plural wives. The murder of William's son, Berry may have had overtones other than for robbery. It could well have triggered the movement of William west, since he left Illinois some four to ten years ahead of Thomas Broady. Not withstanding the forcefulness of the Mormon Leader, Joseph Smith, there was dissension within the ranks of the Mormons. Individualistic frontiersmen watched for such signs of dissension, like hungry wolves waiting for a chance to turn such situations to their advantage. On June 27, 1844, a mob of militiamen, led by prominent citizens and sided by jail guards, assassinated both Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum. They had been put in jail for their own protection by Governor Ford of Illinois. The Mormons concentrated all their efforts toward completion of their temple in Nauvoo, in order to conduct essential religious rituals before their mass migration to the west. Smith had previously been thinking about and may have initiated secret diplomatic missions to Russia, France and the new Republic of Texas. This was for the purpose of finding a place where they could live in religious freedom. Since Texas was one of these places one can assume that although a majority of the Mormons went on to Utah, some decided to try Texas, and, as such, William was among those that did. Richard and Thomas Broady went on to Utah. Joseph Smith was considering investigating Texas for a place they could live in religious freedom. Although most left for Utah some did go to Texas. William left for Texas in 1856. The Sessions did not leave together. Thomas Broady followed much later in May 1864.
Regarding Mary's death, one claim is that she started West with Richard and died at Council Bluffs, Iowa. I haven't found any proof yet. One bit of information was that Mary and two daughters went with Richard during the exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois. At this time she was in her middle seventies. Age and hardships took their toll and she passed away at Mt. Pisgah, Iowa, along with her two daughters. Richard had volunteered to be a member of the Mormon Battalion and the rest of the family lived near the river in Mt. Pisgah then later went on to Council Bluff, Iowa, to wait for Richard's return.