Kentucky (now Crittenden County, Kentucky). Elizabeth Ford had one more son, James N. Ford, Jr., ( 1830 – October 1844). Criminal activities James Ford had settled on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River by the late 1790s, during the time that Samuel Mason's river pirates operated out of Cave-in-Rock. Early writers identified him with the "James Wilson" who operated a tavern and brothel in the cave in the spring of 1799, but these are now believed to be incorrect, since historical records show that a man named James Wilson lived in the area at the same time as Ford. Criminal associates John Harmon Alonzo Pennington and Pennington Gang (successors to the Ford's Ferry Gang, after Ford's assassination and his distant relatives) Isaiah L. Potts or legendary Billy Potts, Sr. of Potts Inn Sturdivant Gang of counterfeiters. Notable Ford's Ferry Gang members James Ford Philip Ford William M. Ford Francis Prince (possible gang member) Henry C. Shouse Nathaniel Simpson (possible gang member) Military service The military experience of James Ford was limited to commanding frontier Kentucky and Illinois territorial militia units. Even without any combat experience, serving as a militia officer helped Ford acquire local prestige and created opportunities for him in the political and business affairs of the Ohio River valley of Kentucky and Illinois. Ford was captain of the Livingston County cavalry company in the 24th Kentucky Militia Regiment between July 1, 1799, and December 15, 1802. While living in Illinois Territory, on January 2, 1810, James Ford became captain of the Grand Pierre area militia company of the 4th Regiment of Illinois Territory Militia, was one of three territorial militia companies in southeastern Illinois. (The other companies based around the frontier settlements of Elizabethtown and Cave-In-Rock were simply local volunteer frontier military units.) The Grand Pierre Company comprised men from Grand Pierre, a frontier settlement in the area located near the Grand Pierre Creek Watershed, now Rosiclare, Illinois. Grand Pierre was one of three frontier Illinois militia districts in what later became Hardin County, Illinois. The fort used by the Grand Pierre militia company may have been the blockhouse formerly located north of the present-day water tower that was used later by the Sturdivant Gang for counterfeiting in the late 1810s and early 1820s. During the occupation of the fort by the counterfeiters, James Ford held the deed to the land, giving him legal ownership of the