The first settler was Lyman Brewster in the spring of 1833. He established a ferry on the Pecatonica River, the first in the county. Ransomburg was the first townsite in the county, but its glory was short. The first marriage was of Dr. W.P. Bankson and Phoebe Macomber. The first death was a son of Lemuel Streator. The first birth was Sarah M. Denton in the fall of 1836. It could also be said that a son to George W. Lott was the first birth. The town of Winslow was plotted in 1844.