I have the Cotter family Bible passed down through Emeline Cotter Coates but unfortunately it does not give much help in cobbling the family picture together. This is what is contained (as written and somewhat water damaged):
Births: Polly Cotter 1807 or 09; William Cotter 1811; Cathrin Cotter 1815; Nancy Cotter October 2 or 4 1818; Johanner Cotter January 24, 1821; Rebecky Cotter June(?) 8, 1823; Beedle Cotter March ? 1827 or 29; Emeline Cotter April 3 of 1836 near Whitehall (This in a different penmanship); John Cotter 1830 Day of September (another penmanship).

Deaths: "William Cotter Senior was drowned in the Cumberland River 8th day of December 1827 and lay in the water until the 18th of Dec was found and brought home on Dec 20th 1827."
New Entry: Catherine, his wife departed this life October the 26 day 1830.
Catherine Cotter Daughter of William Cotter and Ana his wife departed this life the 14th day of July anno domini 1834.
Johanner B Shaw (?) died June 2d 1892.

The only names that match up with any dates I have are those of John and Emiline. The 1850 Census lists William (born ~1791 in VA) married to Anna(Born ~1791 NC); Son John Cotter (Born ~1831 IL) and Daughter Emeline (Born ~1836 IL). In the 1860 census Mary Cotter, born ~1838 has been added. His brother (I assume), John Cotter is on the neighboring farm with 6 children of his own and 5 children from his second wife. A few of of John's children's names are the same as those listed in the Bible but the dates do not match up. Can anyone help me figure how these people fit together and how they ended up in IL? (There is another Wm. Cotter in Greene County in the 1850 census, born in TN ~1827 and married to Mary Cotter, born in KY ~1832. I believe this is the same Wm. in the 1880 census listed as an "Agent, Tombstone" and there is a biographical sketch of him that refers to him as "the oldest settler now living in Greene County" (1879)