William Wilkerson
The squaw of the chief took a great fancy to him, rearing him as her own, refusing to allow him to go into battle with the Indians. After living with the Indians 12 or 14 years, he made an attempt to escape, but hunger drew him back. In his effort to escape he covered 65-75 miles in 2 feet of snow. The Indians were very close to him once, but he had traveled some of the distance on wind swept ice and had left no tracks. He hid once in a big hollow sycamore tree and covered himself with leaves to keep from freezing. The Indians were so close that he dared not shoot any game, and hunger drove him to return to camp. He told the Indians that he had gotten lost. Sometime later he escaped again, having a head-start on the Indians. He traveled twenty miles on skates, jumped a large gap in the ice and eventually reached a fort exhausted.

Presley Wilkerson

When Presley with his family crossed the river at St. Louis in 1826, an Indian Chief admired his spotted pony and offered many acres of land, on which the city’s business section now stands, for the pony. Presley refused the offer for the land looked swampy and worthless.

Pleasant Monroe Wilkerson

On one occassion, during the Civil War, he had gone about 7 miles from his home to the house of a relative. He was leaving for his home when a band of guerillas road up, threatening the lady of the house. They were threatening to burn the house, and were after and would have their money, etc. The husband was not present. As nothing was gained by their threats, the robbers began on Monroe, making him get off his horse, and were going to take both him and his horse away. The lady interceeded, telling them her opinion of such actions of cowardice towards a boy, or to anyone. The robbers eventually rode off. Across the street, where of course no men were present those days except ones very old or in ill—health, two women were terrorized, handing over to the robbers all their money.