History of Effingham county, Illinois, Part 64

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? ed
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, O. L. Baskin & co.
Number of Pages: 650

USA > Illinois > Effingham County > History of Effingham county, Illinois > Part 64

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days' furlongh ; on their return, the enemy was besieging Chattanooga, Tenn., and at this time the Twenty-sixth fought at Tunnel Hill, under Gen. Sherman, and broke through lines and pursued by forced march to Knoxville, Tenn., raising siege at Chattanooga. This was the beginning of the famous " march to the sea," and subject was in all the engagements of that march. He was wounded on the 22d of July, 1863, at Decatur, Ga., a minie ball passing through his thigh, and was excused from duty fifty-five days. His last engagement was at Bentonville, S. C. He was mustered out July 28, 1865, at Springfield, Ill. Mr. Porter's eyes were affected by exposure in army, and for eight months after his return he was almost blind. In 1866, he bought a farm in this town- ship, and has made additions until he has 140 acres of land, seventy acres in cultivation. Married, in October 26, 1865, to Miss Nancy A. Cartwright, of this county, Summit Township. Ilave four children living-Amanda E., Mary Catharine, John N., Benjamin F. Father James Porter was born in North Carolina, and moved when seven years old to Smith County, Tenn., where he lived until about 1831. Ile came when a young man to this county, and made his first improvement near old Ewington, and married Miss Mary A. Parkhurst a short time after his arrival. He started improvements in several places in the county, owning land in several parts of the county where he lived. IIe was a Democrat, had teu children, seven still living. Subject is oldest son. Is a Democrat, and served as Collector and Assessor of Town- ship.

HERBERT REED, minister, Dexter, is a son of Henry Reed, and was born December 1, 1841, in St. Louis, Mo. At the age of nineteen, he enlisted in the war in August, 1861, Com- pany D, Eighth Illinois Volunteers; was in the following battles : Fort Henry; Fort Donelson, where he was wounded and was sent home on a furlough; at its expiration, reported back to

his command at Shiloh, and was in the siege of Corinth, Port Gibson, Miss., Raymond, Jack- son, Champion Hill and siege of Vicksburg; was discharged August 2, 1864, and returned to his home in Jasper County, Ill., and settled to farming. Subjeet located in Effingham County, in 1872. Was married to Mrs. Hester Angel April 10, 1875. Subject was licensed to preach by the M. E. Church (South), April 1, 1876; joined the Conference in 1880. Sub- ject has three children-Annie Laura, Victor Lenoir and Eva J. Subject's father, Henry Reed, was born in 1806, and was married in 1834. He was a ship-carpenter, and moved to various cities to secure employment at his trade, and finally located in Green County, Ky., where he died in 1847, and after his death his widow and family settled in Jasper County, Ill.

WILLIAM RILEY, farmer, P. O. Effingham, is a son of John Riley, and was born 1818 in Wayne County, N. Y. At the death of his father, which occurred when Mr. R. was quite young, he was bound out among strangers. At the age of twenty, subject engaged in farming for him- self and pursued that till 1841, when he enlisted in the Florida war against the Seminole Indians, but was discharged in 1842, on account of in- ability for service. Subject soon after emi- grated to Rock County, Wis., and engaged in carpentering under William Perry, which occu- pation, in connection with farming, he followed till 1853, when he was married, to Miss Rox- anna James, and moved to Memphis, Tenn., and from there to Illinois in 1834. Subject lived in Ewington, and engaged in carpenter- ing till 1859; then moved to his land in Jackson Township. Subjeet enlisted in the war in 1861, Company K, Thirty-fifth Illinois Volunteers. At the battle of Pea Ridge, Mr. Riley was taken prisoner, but was soon after exchanged. In June, 1862, an order was issued to discharge all invalid soldiers, consequently Mr. R. was bon- orably discharged. He returned home and en- gaged in farming; has a farm of 200 acres.

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Subject has a family of three children-William B. Riley, was born Oct. 15, 1857; was married to Miss Emma V. Nichols, November 20, 1879, and settled on a piece of land in Section 10, Jackson Township; Ida E., and Loretta. wife of James White, Jr.

JESSE HALLEY SAID, farmer, P. O. Dex- ter, is a son of Jesse and Nancy Said, and was born February 18, 1827, in Delaware County, Ohio. Subject was married December 9, 1847, to Miss Susan Thompson, daughter of William and Sarah Thompson. Her mother's maiden name was Sherman, a distant relative of Gen- Sherman. Mr. S. engaged in farming and stock droving near New York City, at which he con- tinned till 1859, when he moved to Effingham County, Ill. In 1860, he was appointed enroll- ing officer for this county ; also Deputy Marshal for the Sixteenth Congressional District, which position he filled until the close of the war, in 1865. After the war, he engaged in merehan- dising in Dexter, which he followed about six years. Then took to railroading as a contractor to supply timber for the Vandalia Railroad ; also station agent. Pursued the business until 1878, since when he has followed the avocation of a farmer. Mr. S. has been the owner of an immense amount of land in this county. Has sold all but sixty-two acres. Subject has a family of three children, viz .: William T., born July 26, 1849, and married to Miss Ella May Wallace, daughter of Nelson and Zilla Wallace, February 19, 1879, and has one child, Lucy Alice, born in 1880 ; Winfield, born October 2, 1852, was married to Miss Kitty McAdoo Jan- uary 3, 1877 ; Nancy J., born July 15, 1857, wife of William G. Keefer. Subject's father, Jesse Said, was born March 15, 1791; was a soldier in the war of 1812. He was taken pris- oner in the battle of Winchester's defeat, at French Town, in 1813. Was taken into Cana- da, where he was held a prisoner for some time, and was exchanged. Subjeet was married in 1816 to Miss Nancy Eubanks, daughter of

Thomas Eubanks, in Clark County, Ky., and moved to Delaware County, Ohio, in 1818, and lived there until 1859, when he moved to Effing- ham County, Ill. Subject accumulated a large amount of land. He died in 1875, and his wife, Mrs. Nancy Said, died in 1880. Of a fam- ily of twelve children, five are living, namely : Susan Loveless, Jesse H. Said, William Said, Ilarriet Smith and Harvey Said.

HIRAM P. SIMONTON, farmer, P. O. Dex- ter, is a son of Theophilus Simonton, and was born in 1831. At the age of seventeen he be- gan an apprenticeship in a printing office in Batavia, Ohio, on the Clermont Courier, an office of considerable notoriety, as it had for- merly been managed by Col. Maderia, a mem- ber of the State Legislature, and afterward a member of the United States Senate. During the campaign of 1848, Mr. S., in connection with another gentleman, did the principal work of running a campaign bulletin, entitled Rough and Ready. After several years' work at this business, Mr. S. became dissatisfied with the printer's work, and engaged in and served an apprenticeship as a millwright and machinist. Subject was married to Miss Amelia Danbury in 1854, in Clermont County, Ohio. Continued the millwright and machinist business in Ohio and Illinois for a number of years, and worked on some very large contracts, one of which was a mill built in Lexington, McLean Co., Ill., at a cost of $40,000. Mr. Simonton moved to Van- dalia in 1857, bought a steam saw and grist mill, and remained there until 1862, when he sold out, moved from Vandalia to Effingham in 1863, bought a saw mill, and located about three miles west of Effingham. After four years' work in business there, sold his mill and purchased a farm of 138 acres in Moccasin and Summit Townships. He traded his land in Moccasin for a farm of eighty acres in Section 16, Jackson Township, and sold his land in Summit, and moved to Jackson Township in 1872. Bought a saw mill the same year and

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put it up in Section 16. Mr. S. has an excel- lent bottom farm, on which he raises a great amount of grain ; he makes farming his prin- cipal employment, running a mill at intervals of leisure. Mr. Simonton is a Democrat of a prominent character in political circles of the county. Has served four terms as Supervisor of Jackson Township. He has a family of four children, viz .: William T., Carrie B. (wife of D. O. Mitchell. and lives in Lucas Township), Henry Clay and Joseph C.

WILLIAM T. SIMONTON, farmer, P. O. Dexter, son of Hiram P. and Amelia Simonton, was born in Clermont County, Ohio ; removed with his parents when quite young to Fayette County, Ill., afterward to Effingham County, Ill. He was raised on a farm with fair facili- ties for educating himself, and he improved the opportunity and secured fair business qualifi- cations. During his boyhood, he followed farming and working in his father's steam saw-mill. He takes a zealous interest in poli- tics. He is a Democrat ; has been clected to the office of Highway Commissioner one term. . He was sent as a delegate to the Democratic Congressional Convention, at Vandalia, Ill., August 10, 1882. He made a number of political speeches during the fall of 1882. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity. Sep- tember 26, 1882, Mr. S. and Miss Mary Arizo- na Miller were united in marriage. Ile located on a farm of eighty acres in Section 3, Jackson Township. to which he has added 120 acres, making 200 acres, on which he has good im- provements and dwelling. He has a family of two children, as follows : Winfield S. was born August 9, 1879 ; William Clyde was born Sep- tember 20, 1881.

GEORGE W. SMITHI, farmer, P. O. Wat- son, son of George Smith, was born August 8, 1813, in Lancaster County, Penn. He was married May 4, 1837, in Franklin County, Penn., to Miss Maria Adaire. At first he en- gaged in blacksmithing, which he followed for

some time, and then engaged in farming, which he followed in various parts of Ohio. In 1863, removed to Effingliam County, Ill. He pur- chased a farm of 137 acres in Secs. 22 and 23. lle has 100 acres in cultivation, mostly bot- tom, which is very fertile. Ile is an excellent farmer. Subject lias a family of five children, namely-Calvin was born April 3, 1840, and lives in Minnesota ; Harriet M. was born Au- gust 21, 1843; Samuel II. was born March 19. 1848, and lives in Kansas ; George B., born August 8, 1850, and lives in Minnesota ; Adoni- ram was born January 1, 1853, and lives in Minnesota.

JONATHAN TREXLER, farmer, P. O. Ef- fingham, son of Jonathan Trexler, was born March 19, 1821, in Jackson County, Ohio. He was married September 3, 1844, to Miss Dru- cilla Foster, daughter of Samuel and Sarah Foster; located on a piece of land, 120 acres in the timber, and clcared about fifty acres. In 1852, he sold his farm in Jackson County, and emigrated to Effingham County, III., and settled a farm of 160 aeres in Section 14, Jack- son Township. In 1853, he began the work of clearing a farm in the river bottom, and has about seventy-five acres in cultivation, mostly in the bottom ; has good buildings, a good orchard, and is in well-to-do circumstances. Subject has a family of two children living- Sarah E. was born January 7, 1848, was mar- ried to John C. Reynolds, April 1, 1871; Eve- line was born May 31, 1857, and was married to Elijah C. Mitchell, November 21, 1874. Subject votes the Republican ticket, and has been a member of the Christian Church since 18-17. Mr. Trexler's wife died December 1, 1866. Subject's father, Jonathan Trexler, was born in New Jersey November 14, 1791. At the age of twenty. he enlisted in the war of 1812. Was married, in 1815, in Jackson County, Ohio, to Miss Rachel Martin, and en- gaged in farming. In 1853, he moved to Jas- per County, III., and bought a farm in North

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Muddy Township. Purchased for his children and himself probably 500 acres of land. Sub- ject raised a family of ten children, viz .: John, Mary, Jonathan, David, Johnson, Jackson, Catharine, Vinton, William W., and Rachel. The father died Janunry 29, 1880, in Jasper County, Ill.

JAMES TURNER. " That whereunto man's nature doth most aspire, which is immortality or continuance; for to this tendeth generation, and raising of houses and families; to this buildings, foundations and monuments; to this tendeth the desire of memory, fame and cele- bration, and in effect the strength of all other human desires. We see then how for the mon- uments of wit and learning are more durable than the monuments of power or of the hands. For have not the verses of Homer continued twenty-five hundred years or more, without the loss of a syllable or letter? during which time, infinite palaces, temples, castles, cities have been decayed and demolished. But the image of men's wits remain in books, exempted from the wrong of time, and capable of perpetual renovation, neither are they fitly to be called images, because they generate still, and cast their seeds in the minds of others, provoking and causing infinite actions and opinions in succeeding ages. The types are as ships which pass through the vast seas of time, and make ages to participate of the wisdom, illuminations and inventions, the one of the other."-Lord Bacon.

A proper biographical history of the men of the world, who by their just and great lives- no matter how humble the sphere in which they lived and toiled-men who have molded and made possible the march of civilization, would be the book of all books for the contem- templation and study of men. In the olden time, it was only kings and conquerors- tyrants and brutes mostly-that the sycophaney of history deemed worthy of mention. It has been only a modern conception that he only is great whose life walk has been good-who has toiled for the betterment of mankind-who has made two blades of grass grow where only one grew before; in short, he who has thought

some thought or perfected some work or labor that tends to better and lift up and perpetnate the real good and improvement of his fellow- man. These are the earth's great men and benefactors-the men incomparably above and beyond wealth, titles, positions or power.

James Turner was born in Buekingham County, Va., July 29, 1799. His father was a Revolutionary soldier, who east his fortune and his life with our forefathers, and who came out of that long and suffering struggle with only his life and liberty. When the war was over, he returned to his humble black- smith shop and here he toiled to support and rear his family of three children. He died in 1806 after long sufferings, first, from a fall from a building where he was at work, and then from an attack of rheumatism that eventnally caused his death, leaving a widow and three small children, two boys and a girl. James Turner was the youngest of these children, and was seven years of age when his father died. Upon his mother's farm he toiled unremittingly, so mueh so, indeed, that where there were very sparse school facilities, he was wholly deprived of even the limited advantages they could give. December 16, 1818, he was married to Elsah Pendleton, of Buckingham County, and at once commenced life for himself and wife at the age of nineteen years. For three years he was gen- eral manager and controller of different planta- tions upon a small salary. In 1823, he moved to Wilson County, Tenn., taking with him his mother, wife and first born babe, where he pur- chased a small farm, and hired a sufficient force to run it while he worked four years at the carpenter's trade. His business was mod- erately prosperous here, and he accumulated some property. But he had friends and ac- quaintances in the new State of Illinois, among whom were Judge Broom, Ben Allen, Stephen Austin and Duke Robinson; they had all writ- ten him just and glorious aecounts of this new conntry, and responsive to these letters in the

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year 1829 he came here to see for himself. While here on this visit of inspection he made up his mind to cast his fortune with his Illi- nois friends, and he selected the spot for his future and permanent home. There was much sincere pleasure among his friends when they learned that he was soon to bring his family and to come and to be one of them. He re- turned to Tennessee, sold his little farm, and in November, 1830, arrived in Effingham County. His equipage was a wagon and four horse team, a wife and six children, and they had made the journey of over 300 miles in about two weeks. He at once built himself a cabin on the spot where he yet resides. This was then heavy oak timber land. While engaged in putting up his little house, he lived in a house that belonged to Stephen Austin. An instance of the searcity of able-bodied men at that time, is given in the fact that he had to appoint five different gatherings of house raisers before he could get force enough to put up the logs. This little old cabin is still standing, and Mr. Turner takes great pride in telling over the winter's hard work and difficulties it cost him. He moved into his own house March 14, 1831, and the great old oak trees that stood so thiek about his premises, he eut down and cleared away, working by the light of the moon, after hard days of toil in his blacksmith shop, or at the carpenter's bench, doing the pressingly needed work for the people of the county. Prior to his coming, men had to go to Vanda- lia or Shelbyville for such blacksmith work as he now wrought for them. The coming of James Turner into our county was an event of the greatest importance to the people. It was not only the addition of one of the best of fam- ilies, but he brought with him more of this world's goods than did any man who preceded him. His teams and wagons were a greater necessity to the people, as was his work in iron and wood of the greatest importance to all. Until he could raise a crop, he purchased what

corn he could of the farmers, but this giving out, he was compelled to go into Edgar Coun- ty, some miles beyond Paris, where he found some moldy corn. It was wretched stuff, but the best and all he could find. He was aceom- panied by Jacob Nelson on this trip. When they secured the eorn, they returned by way of Shaw's mill, but he would not grind their grain, so they continued their way to Slover's mill at the head of the Little Wabash. The trip occu- pied five days. Mr. Turner and Abraham Pendleton deadened the timber, and the first year put in seven acres of corn, but being in the bottom, the frost ruined it, but Pendleton's was on the upland and his four aeres was the bread supply from the first erop. Mr. Turner's first attempt to raise wheat was in 1832. He planted four acres, and tramped it with horses, and "fanned" it by a sheet vigorously plied by two men, while another poured it in a stream standing upon some object. The terrible job was eventually completed, but such work de- termined Mr. Turner, and at once he went baek to Tennessee and brought back with him a fan- ning mill, the first that was ever brought to the settlements. For a long time it was hauled all over the country, as it was loaned to neigh- bors. It was a county wind mill, and was lit- erally worn out in the service of the people. Mr. Turner raised several crops of cotton, se- leeting the southern exposure of the hill side, with fair success, but the lint was short and inferior every way in quality. Finding cotton growing here a failure, he made as many as five trips to Tennessee to purchase cotton and wool. which he carried home and his wife spun and wove the clothing for the family. On one of these trips he brought with him his mother (who had again become a widow), and here she lived until her death, April 26. 1839. In these communications back with his Tennessee home friends, he influenced three different families to move here, and he furnished them transporta- tion to come. In 1834, he was enabled to enter

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of the Government the eighty acres of land where he made his first improvement, and to this he added as he could, entries adjoining, until he thus owned about 500 acres. These entries lay on both sides of the Little Wabash. He then purchased of private parties until he owned about 1,000 acres. He was a success- ful farmer and stock-raiser, and his services as a carpenter and blacksmith were invaluable and of great convenience to all the people. In 1834, he was elected a member of the County Com- missioners' Court, and served out the term faithfully and well, but nothing could ever in- duce him to accept office again. His time otherwise was too valuable to his family and the people to sacrifice it in fulfilling the duties of office. The wife, and the good mother of Mr. Turner's children, the beloved helpmeet, died October 5, 1858, having borne the following children: David, born June 21, 1822, in Virginia, a farmer near Mason; Robert W., born in Tennessee, August 21, 1823, died when twen- ty-one years old; James S. B., born in Tennes- see, October 21, 1824, a wealthy farmer, living in Shelby County in this State; Lorenzo H., born in Tennessee, May 14, 1826, residing in Shelby County, Ill .; Mary Jane, born July 12, 1827, wife of Samuel Winters, of Jackson Township; John J., born October 5, 1828, died November 11, 1832; Henry, born De- cember 28, 1830, in Effingham County, a farmer near Mason; Nathaniel, born April 14, 1832, living on the old homestead; Nancy E., born February 6, 1834, wife of Charles Kinsey, living in San Francisco; Abram P., born Feb- ruary, 1836, died July 29, 1856; Wilson, born October 2, 1838, farmer, Mason Township. There are now thirty-eight grandchildren, twenty-one great-grandchildren and one great- great-grandchild. On the 20th of January 1860, Mr. Turner was married the second time to Mary E. Quigley, who was spared to him in his old age only until December 10, 1874, when she died leaving no children. Mr. Turner

has been for many years an exemplary and consistent member of the Old-School Baptist Church. The first vote he ever cast for Presi- dent was for General Jackson, and all his life he has been a Democrat, a patriot, a Christian, an exemplary model citizen and an honest, good man, and he has been all these in the broadest and truest sense of those terms. His long and busy life has been a priceless one to his family and of inestimable value to the peo- ple of the county. An honest man is the noblest work of God. Here is a man not only honest but full of that kindly charity, benevo- lence and goodness, who never had an enemy, and over whose good name no taint or shadow has ever passed. His education was confined wholly to his own observation and experience; the books have been sealed books to him yet his strong, active mind made amends largely for this, and stored his mind with useful knowl- edge. A man of medium stature, blue eyes, and although carrying eighty-three years, is erect, active and springy in his movements as are many men in the young prime of their man- hood. Mentally and physically pure and clean- ly, no base word or thought ever escaped his lips. Although a picture of a green old age- of nature's true gentleman-that wins its way to the respect and affections of all who behold it.

JAMES WHITE, farmer, P. O. Watson, is a son of Jesse White, and was born August 8, 1834, in Missouri, and moved with his parents to Effingham County, Ill., in 1835. He was married, September 7, 1854, to Miss Phebe Keltner, danghter of Samuel and Susan Keltner. Sub- ject engaged in farming a rented farm of forty acres, which he purchased of his father the fol- lowing year, to which he added eighty acres making 120 acres in Section 24. In 1870, he purchased a bottom farm of 160 acres in Sec- tions 14 and 15. Mr. White raises a great deal of grain, principally corn, which he has sold owing to the demand for corn the past few

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years. Subject has met with the misfortune to have to pay security debts exceeding $1,000 from 1879 to 1881. Subject belongs to the Masonic fraternity, and is a model Democrat ; has filled the office of Supervisor four terms, and held the office of School Director the re- markable time of twenty-five years. Mr. White has a family of eight children living, viz .: Dan- iel J. was born August 24, 1855, and was mar- ried to Miss Louisa Robertson, daughter of William Robertson, February 5, 1877; Cathar- ine L. was born October 3, 1857, and was mar- ried to Elisha Thrasher Angust 13, 1876; James A. was born November 7. 1859, and was mar- ried November 19, 1881, to Miss Loretta Riley; Branson S. was born March 6, 1861, and was married April 15, 1882, to Miss Sarah Ellen Hatcher; Isaac L. was born January 30, 1867; Charles L. was born December 31, 1868; Van C. was born March 23, 1873; Sanford N. was born December 24, 1876; Jesse White, subjeet's father, was born May, 1811, in North Carolina; at the ageof twenty went to Alabama, and then Tennessee, and moved to Effingham County, Ill., in 1830; was married in 1831, to Miss Catharine Neavill, daughter of George and Elizabeth Neavill, and moved to Missouri in 1834, and back in 1835. In 1840, he located on 160 acres of land in Sections 23 and 24, Jackson Township, which he afterward bought; added 120 acres, making 380. Mr. White was a very strong man till 1848, when he became disabled by bone erysipelas, of which he died May 29, 1881. Of a family of fourteen chil- dren, ten are living-James, Mary Ann Stif- fler, Elisha R., Caroline Beal, Catharine Norris, Jesse, Henry and Jane (twins), Franklin, Cas- tilia.

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History of Effingham county, Illinois, Part 64

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? ed Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Chicago, O. L. Baskin & co. Number of Pages: 650

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? ed
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, O. L. Baskin & co.
Number of Pages: 650