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Thomas Kirton
Thomas Kirton was born in Yorkshire, England, came to Canada, where he resided five years, from thence to Illinois, and from thence to Clay township, in this county, in '43, and from thence to this township in the spring of '48. He purchased a claim where he now lives in the north part of the township, of an individual named Geo. Leach, an adventurer of some notoriety in this part of the country at that time, and suspected of being a horse-thief. After selling to Mr. Kirton, Leach moved his residence to Franklin township, near where John Clark now lives, where he passed the winter of '48 and '49, making it rather his temporary home. Once during this winter, being at Pleasantville he set out for home across an uninhabited prairie, the snow being nearly three feet deep on the level, and blown into drifts of much greater depth, and unbroken trail, this adventurer came very near ending his career. After struggling through the trackless waste till within about two miles of distination, he became so exhausted that further progress seemed impossible, and it occurred to him that he must perish. In view of his impending fate he cut a small stick, flattened it, wrote his name thereon, and stuck it up in the snow, in order that his remains, if ever found, might be identified, and then laid himself down to die. But here the horrible idea of leaving his carcass to be possibly found by some fellow being, but more probably to be devoured and scattered by wolves, came upon him with such force that it roused him to a determination to make another effort for his life. This he did, and by such efforts as only the fear of death can nerve a sufferer to make, he reached his home alive.