People

David Longley

David Longley (born May 27, 1813) was a farmer, wagon maker, and wheelwright associated with the Dundee Township area of Kane County, Illinois. Born in the County of Kent, England, he emigrated first to Canada in 1828 and then, approximately one year later, to Troy — believed to refer to Troy, New York — before eventually settling in Illinois.

Known Activities

Longley worked across several related trades, combining agricultural work with skilled craft labor as a wagon maker and wheelwright. His background in these trades suggests he would have been a practically valued member of any frontier or semi-frontier community during the mid-nineteenth century, a period when wagon-making and related woodworking skills were essential to rural life in Kane County.

His path of immigration — from Kent, England, to Canada, then onward into the United States — was a common pattern among British emigrants of the era, many of whom used Canada as a first point of entry before continuing south and west into the American interior. (Source: Past and Present of Kane County, Illinois (1878))

Timeline

YearEvent
May 27, 1813Born in the County of Kent, England
1828Emigrated to Canada
c. 1829Moved from Canada to Troy (likely Troy, NY)
date unrecordedArrived in the Dundee Township / Kane County area
Note: The 1878 source excerpt is incomplete as extracted; further details of Longley's life in Illinois, including marriage, landholdings, and later activities, may appear in the full text of The Past and Present of Kane County, Illinois.

Sources