Bennett, Thomas Jefferson, and William Henry Short arrived in Jefferson County in the early 1840's. traveling from nearby Clinton County where they had first settled. They orig­inally came out of Tennessee with their mother, Patsey. Ben­nett was born in North Carolina in 1801. Thomas and William were born both in Tennessee in 1807.

Bennett and Thomas married Maddux sisters in Clinton county. William married Nancy Gillespie in Bond county. All three brothers brought their young families to Jefferson county. William, by this time a practicing doctor, became a resident of the town of lynchburg. which no longer exists. He acquired parcels of land throughout the county. along with at least two known businesses: a mill and a grocery. He served in the Black Hawk War and was a charter member of Mt. Vernon lodge No. 31 AS&AM. He died in 1857 and is buried in Old Union cemetery. His family left this county and as of this date there are no known living descendants.

Bennett. a farmer, settled in Webber township. He and wife Nancy had seven children: Simeon, Thomas. levi. Martha. John Wesley. Mary, and James. Mrs. J. M. (Ruth) lane of Bluford. Illinois is the grand-daughter of John Wesley Short. Bennett and his family moved back to Clinton county after 1860. and Bennett died there in 1866.

Thomas J. purchased a farm in Mt. Vernon township. He and wife Martha had ten children: Alfred. Sarah. Joshua, Priscilla (married James Marlow). Nancy, Lydia (married George Owens). Martha, William, Thomas Bennett. and James. Eight of the children married and in turn produced more than forty grandchildren. Today there are many descendants still living in the area, among them William Short. a grandson of Thomas Bennett Short.

When the War between the States broke out. five Short sons and the father marched off to fight for the Union cause. All came back but Bennett's son James. The father. Thomas Jefferson Short. was age 55 when he volunteered; he served eighteen months, receiving an honorable discharge for disability at Nashville. Tennessee on May 26, 1863. He died in ]870 and is buried in Atkinson cemetery.

For the early settlers, religion was an important part of their lives. and the Shorts were no exception. Being faithful Methodists. They soon prepared a meeting place near the Goshen trail and for several years the Short campground, as it was known, served as a popular meeting place for religious services for the residents of the area.

One fine Sunday, the Rev. Zadok Casey delivered an inspiring sermon, calling upon the congregation to build a church. A small piece of land was donated and trustees elected, among them Bennett and Thomas Short. A log church was erected and called Puncheon Camp, after the nearby creek. Other early members of this church were the Johnsons, Cases, Parkers, Webbers, and Lisenbys. A few years later the church relocated a short distance to the north and the name changed to Mt. Zion Methodist. Today it still exists on the same spot and continues to have regular services.
- Mrs. William L. Short