How Did We Arrive

All five members of the Polley household (Rick, Janet, Kirk, Andy, and Erica) were born in Logan County, Illinois, in the 20th century.  And not much movement has taken place since.  The family has stayed close to "home," with each member now residing in the county just to the south:  Sangamon County, Illinois.  But The Polleys did not always reside in Logan County.  Quite the contrary.  A whole host of stories had to take place first, with numerous families passing on their own family names.  The Polley's are the culmination of numerous families living, dying, and passing on their family heritages and names.  Names like Chowning, Long, Leathers, Kindred, and, of course, Polley.

The Polley line is and always has been focused on one thing:  family.  Throughout the centuries, the Polley ancestors have fought in wars, seen the birth of a new country, loved, laughed, cried, and worked hard...very hard.  The Polley line traces itself back to simple folks.  Folks who worked hard and raised families.  Money did not come easily to our ancestors, but the hard work did.

Without Kirk and Kristin, there would be no Gabe.  Without Casey and Erica, there would be no Micaiah or Kiayla.  Without Rick and Janet, there would be no Kirk, Andy, or Erica.  Without Bob and Betty, there would be no Rick.  Without Earl and Gwen, there would be Janet.  And on and on and on.  The stories are many, the histories are long.  But for one small period of time, one theme united a few families from across the United States...and even the world: the black soil of Logan County.

All five members of the Polley family can trace their heritage back to the soil.  The black soil.  The fertile soil of the best farmland in the nation, possibly even the world.  As the nation grew and expanded westward, the Polley's, the Chowning's, the Leathers', and the Kindred's each sought what they knew best:  farming.  And here in the 1800's in the young state of Illinois, these families found exactly what they had been searching for:  beautiful, fertile soil.  With farm in every family member's blood, the families put down roots.

Roots that would produce Rick, Janet, Kirk, Andy, and Erica.

This is the story of how we came to Logan County.