Jonathan lived in Knox County, Illinois with his wife Minerva and their children. Jonathan Pugh wrote to his brother-in-law Henry King and his sister Eliza back in Tennessee on August 20, 1856, describing the political climate in Illinois in the election of 1856. Pugh, being a Whig supported James Buchanan and wanted the Democrats and the Whigs to united together to get rid of Millard Fillmore.

the Election lies between Buchanan an freemon it will be uncertain which will gite the State it will be a cloce race between Buchanan an freemon – Boath parties are doing all thea can but we the old sothren whigs will stand to Buchanan and fite Disunion as long as we have a Button on our coats the Democrats are up to a doing all thea can as the whigs are at thear Back to helpe them all they can and we will have a majority for Buchanan in this State
-Jonathan Pugh to Henry King, August 20, 1856

Pugh was a strong union man and that fact seemed to affect his political preference more than whether or not he supported slavery. Pugh recalls that when he was back living in Tennessee, that both the Whigs and the Democrats contained Union men and now it was divided into union and disunion.1

Some neighbors of the Pughs had been in Kansas and reported that General James Lane and his army would not submit to the laws of Kansas. The Missouri men were beginning to raise their own companies to fight against the Kansans. Jonathan reported that “a battle is expected in a short time, the northern disunion men and the union men will have to kill a good many of them before this thing of disunion is stopped.”2

Jonathan also took the time to mention that his crops and health were improving and that he and Minerva have no intention of going back to Tennessee. If the family decided to move he stated that they would probably go further west. Their friends John and Rachel Snapp were considering moving back to Tennessee, even though Jonathan believed that John could make good money with his saddle shop in their current location.

Jonathan Pugh died in 1861 and was buried in the Ogden Cemetery in Warren County, Illinois.3 According to the 1880 Census Minerva Pugh was living with her daughter Mary and son-in-law W.H. Barnett in Galesburg, Knox County, Illinois.4

Contributed by the Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield
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1. Jonathan Pugh Letter to Henry King. 20 Aug. 1856. Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield, Republic, Missouri.
2. Jonathan Pugh Letter to Henry King. 20 Aug. 1856. Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield, Republic, Missouri.
3. Jonathan Pugh, Find A Grave, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Pugh&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSst=16&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GSsr=201&GRid=53006743&df=all&
4. 1880 United States Federal Census; Census Place: Galesburg, Knox, Illinois; Roll: 220; Family History Film: 1254220; Page: 162D; Enumeration District: 135; Image: 0327.