History of Greene and Jersey Counties, Illinois : together with sketches of the towns, villages and townships, educational, civil, military, and political history; portraits of prominent individuals, and biographies of representative men, History of Illinois, Part 93

Author:
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Springfield, Ill. : Continental Historical
Number of Pages: 1150

USA > Illinois > Greene County > History of Greene and Jersey Counties, Illinois : together with sketches of the towns, villages and townships, educational, civil, military, and political history; portraits of prominent individuals, and biographies of representative men, History of Illinois > Part 93

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William Greene came to Grcene county in 1819, from his home 'neath the genial skies of Tennessee, and made a settlement on Sec. 24, T. 9, R. 12. With him came his wife, Matilda Greene, also a native of Tennessee, born in 1800, and married to Mr. Greene in 1817. This pioneer was a man of rare ability and of a magnificent physique, and was noted all over this county, for years, for his strength, courage, and endurance. Nelson Greene was a son of this gentle- man.

With him came Wiley Greene who lived in this settlement some years.

Nelson Greene was born in Greene county, Dee. 22, 1822, and was a son of William and Matilda (Greene) Greenc, his father being a native of Kentucky, and his mother of Tennessee. His father came to Illinois, first locating in Bond county, and from there went to Madison county; and in 1819, came to Greene county, and located on S. 24, T. 9, R. 12, where he lived until his death, Aug. 20, 1825. He was a captain in a militia company after he came here. Nelson's mother died in 1879. During the war of 1812, his grandfather, George Greene, concluded to plant a piece of corn, and as the Indians were very bad, he told the family, if they saw any signs of them, to scream, so he could hear them. There was an old

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well about 10 feet deep, covered with boards, near there, and one day a neigh- bor girl came over, and Nancy and Polly Groene told her to get on these boards and spring up and down. This she did, and the boards broke, precipi- tating her to the bottom of the well. The girls began to scream, and his grandfather and three boys came run- ning, expecting to find the whole family massacred; but when they found it to be nothing but a girl in the well, they were so angry that they had a notion to shoot the girls for sereaming. Our sub- jeet, Nelson Greene, remained with his parents until their death, at which time he was left the heir of 62 acres of land, which he farmed several years. He added to this until he now has 120 acres in the homestead tract, and 16 acres of timber land. Mr. Greene was married Jan. 1, 1846, to Elizabeth A. Gano, daughter of John S. and Mary (Hartsup) Gano. To this union ten children were born, eight of whom are now living-John, married Emily Per- ry, is a banker in Raymond, Mont- gomery county; Emily, wife of Nathaniel Perry, residing in Missouri; Mary, wife of Luther Snell, residing in Macoupin county; Sarah, wife of Scott Greene, residing in Menard county; Herschel V., now in Independence City, Kan .; Lucy, Robert and Clarence, living at home. Those deceased are Willianı, and one who died in infancy. Mr. Greene has held the office of justice of the peace two terms. He and his wife are members of the Baptist church. He is a liberal gentleman, and highly esteemed by his many friends.

Joseph Piggott eame to Greene county in the fall of 1819, and made a settle-

ment on some land near what is called "Old Kane." He purchased this place and making the necessary improvements resided here until 1831, when he re- moved to Jersey county.

Benjamin Allen, a Georgian, came to this infant settlement in 1819, and re- mained here some years.

David Williams, a native of Virginia, came to this section in 1821, and located upon Sec. 11, T. 9, R. 11. which he en- tered. He was married in St. Clair county, Ill., in 1823, to Margaret Stout, a native of that county, by whom he had three children-Clarissa, Sarah and David J. Mr. Williams died on the farm he first settled on, in November, 1828.

Rev. C. J. Gardiner settled in this township in 1821.

Rev. Christopher J. Gardiner, one of the earliest pioneers of Greene county, was born in Prince William county, Va., June 10, 1798. His parents died in his infancy, and he was reared by his brother-in-law, William Evans, until he was 16 years of age. In the spring of 1814, he immigrated to Kentucky, and located in Hopkinsville, where he pro- fessed religion, and united with the Methodist church, of which, during his life, he lived an exemplary member. and was a minister for about 50 years, In July, 181, he left Kentucky, locat- ing in St. Louis, Aug. 18, where he es- tablished a tan-yard, which he continued to operate until the fall of the next year. While there, he was the first, and part of the time the only, Metho- dist class-leader in St. Louis. In Dee., 1819, he came to Greene county, and lo- cated on the farm, where he spent the remainder of his life. After selecting

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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.

his land, he buried his money, all coin, and made a brief trip to St. Louis. After his return, he began improving his land, situated in T. 9, R. 12, on the south bluff of Macoupin creek. He was married, Dec. 14, 1823, to Margaret Mains, daughter of Robert Mains, an early pioneer of Illinois, and a native of North Carolina. By that union there were six sons-James B., died in Feb., 1881; William P., left many years ago, for California, and has not since been heard from; Sam'] G., present post- master at Kane; Joshua A., residing in Mexia, Limestone county, Tex .; Chris- topher J., Jr., residing at Kane, and L. D., now residing at the old homestead. All those living, married, and all are members of the Masonic order, except L. D. Gardiner. It may be said that Mr. Gardiner raised a large and intelli- gent family of children; who grew up to be honorable men. Mrs. Gardiner died Oct. 10, 1835, and he was again mar- ried March 26, 1837, to Sarah Arn- spiger. By this union there were three children, two of whom died in infancy. Their daughter -- Mary E., has been thrice married, and is now the wife of Dr. Wier. Mr. Gardiner's second wife died June 5, 1844, and he was again married to Elizabeth Burch, Aug. 20, 1845. By that union there was one daughter, who met with a sad fate, hav- ing been burned to death by kerosene. She was the wife of George W. Witt, at the time of her death. Rev. Mr. Gar- diner has the eredit of preaching the first sermon in this township, and be- sides being a good citizen, of contribut- ing his part to the growth and develop- ment of the country. When he landed in Greene county, he had only a small

capital, but being a man of considerable energy and economy, he became emi- nently successful in his business of tan- ning and farming, and had the satisfac- tion of being able to live in affluent circumstances. He was one of the early advocates of the temperance cause in this state. He became a mem- ber of the whig party from principle, and was the early friend of the free soil movement. He often regretted that his native state, Virginia, should have raised her hand against the Union. Henry Clay was his ideal statesman, and he never failed to vote for him when he had the opportunity. He was beloved and respected by a large circle of friends, and the purity of his christian charae- ter was known to all. In June, 1874, he died, and was buried in the Jalappa cemetery.

A man by the name of John King is said to have settled in this township in 1821, but no authentic account has been obtainable in regard to him.

A settlement was made by Jesse White in this township, probably about the year 1824. He was a native of Madison county, this state, and his wife Tabitha, nee Carrico, of Kentucky. He entered 160 acres of land near the west line of this township on the Macoupin ereek, and worked for 50 cents per hun- dred, making rails, to raise the money to pay for his land.

Benjamin G. Tompkins, a native of Virginia, came to Kane township from Kentucky, where he was reared,in 1826, and located on section 28, near the site of the village of Kane, where he entered 160 acres of land, where he resided un- til the day of his death, Oct. 16, 1878. His wife was formerly Rebecca Hoff-

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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.

man, born in Virginia, and brought up in Kentucky ; she died in March, 1873.

John Stevens came to Greene county in 1828, and liking the country, located upon 160 acres of land, in Sec. 9, T. 11, R. 9, now in this sub-division of the county, where he remained until over- taken by death.

Clark Stevens, a native of Coles county, Mo., was born Jan. 7, 1823, his parents being John and Elizabeth (Terry) Ste- vens, natives of Virginia. John Stevens came to Hardin county, Ky., where he was married. After remaining there a short time, he moved to Ohio, thence to Indiana, then to Tennessee, and in 1811 to Coles county, Mo., where he remained 12 years. In 1828 he came to Greene county, Ill., and located on Sec. 9, T. 9, R. 11, where he entered 160 acres of land, on which he lived the re- mainder of his life. At the time of his death, he owned 240 acres of land. He had made 14 different improvements from the date of his marriage until his death, and had built a log cabin on each improvement. There were eight chil- dren in the family - Belinda, Jasper, Sarah, Isaiah, Clark, John, Elizabeth, and Mary. Only three of these are liv- ing-Elizabeth, wife of J. T. McIntyre, residing in Texas; Mary, wife of James Daudall, living in Greene county; and Clark, the subject of this sketch. Mr. Stevens died March 12, 1853, and Mrs. Stevens in 1881, having survived her husband nearly 30 years. Clark was reared on the home farm until he was 20 years of age. He then started in life for himself, commencing with 80 acres of land, which he cultivated about 10 years. After his father's death he bought the homestead, moved on to it,

and it has since been his home. When he was but 18 years old, his father had erected a large two-story brick house, and Clark made the mortar, tramped it with his feet, chipped it down with a spade, and made an average of 3,000 brick per day, besides waiting on three brick masons. Mr. Stevens was mar- ried, March 11, 1841, to Mildred Cooper, daughter of Edmund L. and Mary Cooper. By that marriage there were 13 children, nine of whom are liv- ing-Mary F., wife of Michael Harri- gan, residing in Greene county; Robert, married Lizzie Dowden, residing in this township ; Lucy, wife of John Ashford, residing in Greene county ; Laura, wife of John T. Briggs, residing in Carlin- ville ; Cornelia E., wife of W. T. King, residing in Kansas ; Charlie, married to Mattie Irwin, residing in Jersey county; Maggie, wife of Franklin Frech, resid- ing in Greene county ; Edmund L., and Cora. Those deceased are Emma, Mar- tha, Edna O., and one who died in infancy. Jan. 24, 1877, his wife died, and on the Sth of November, 1877, he was again married to Elizabeth E. Buck, daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Aula- baugh. Mr. Stevens has worked hard for the comforts which he now has, and has won the confidence of all who know him, by his honesty and integrity. He and his wife are members of the church.

Franklin Witt, one of the afterward prominent men of Greene county, set- tłed in 1826, in this township, south of the Macoupin creek, where he lived until his death in 1851. He is noticed at length in the chapter entitled, National State and County Representation, hc having been a member of the general ssembly several terms.

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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.

William Thomasson, in 1828, came from Tennessee, and taking up a farm in Kane township, made it his residence for about two years, when he removed to Bluffdale township, and in 1847 to Woodville township, where he died.

Samuel Martin, a native of Ambrose county, Va., came from Kentucky to Jersey county, in 1829, settling in Rich- woods township, but in 1831, with his family, came to this township and county, where he lived until 1844, when he was called to cross the dark river. His wife was Elizabeth Gunterman, daughter of John Gunterman, one of the carly settlers of Jersey county.

With his father came James Martin, then about 18 years of age.

Section 26, of T. 9, R. 12, received a settler in 1829, in the person of Marvil Morris. He was a native of Tennessee, the son of John and Mary (Lewis) Mor- ris, and was born Oct. 2, 1807. In 1809 his father brought his family to Illinois, settling in Pope county, where he died in 1822. The same year the family removed to Jefferson county, this state, where Marvil and Mary Estes were united in marriage. In 1829, he came here, as above stated, and lived here for a life-time. His wife died in Oct., 1868, but in Nov., 1872, he was married to Mrs. Maria Redding. Mr. Morris died in St. Louis, Mo., Feb. 7, 1876, but was at the time a resident of this township.

Eli Witt, with his family, came to Greene county from their home in Ten- nessee, in Dec., 1829, and located on the southwest quarter of section 3, Kane township. In 1845, he removed to Texas, but returned shortly after- ward and located just east of Carroll- ton, where he died in the fall of 1851.

With Mr. Witt came his son, Randolph, then a young man of 19 years.

Randolph Witt was born in Jefferson county, Tenn., Dec. 30, 1810, his par- ents being Eli and Nancy (McNealy) his father a native of Virginia, his mother of Tennessee. He came with his parents to Greene county. Ill., in Dec., 1829, and they located on what is now Sec. 3, T. 9, R. 12. They remained there several years, and in 1845, Eli Witt moved to Texas, but after a short time he returned to Illinois, and located east of Carrollton, where he lived until his death, in Oct., 1851. His wife died in 1857. Randolph attended the com- mon schools of Tennessee and Illinois, attaining a fair business education. The first work he did, after coming to this county, was for Franklin Witt, and then for Samuel Thomas, the early settler of the county. The first land that he bought was the place on which he lived and died, which at first contained but 40 acres, on section 10. By hard work, perseverance, and good management,he added to this, until he owned 312 acres on sections 9 and 10, having started out with nothing but his own strength and energy. He was married Aug. 18, 1836, to Polly Tunnell, daughter of Calvin and Jane (Adair) Tunnell. By this union they had five children, four of whom are living-Andrew J., married Frances Ball, resides in Montgomery county; William T., at home: Jane E., wife of John Ball, residing in Macoupin county; Elzina, wife of George Ball, residing in Macoupin county. The one deceased was John C., who died in infancy. Mr. Witt was a staunch democrat, and his first vote for president was cast for Martin VanBuren, in 1836. He departed

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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.

this life June 24, 1884. His life had been that of an honest and upright man, and he was a true and loving husband and father. A widow and four children and a large circle of friends were left to mourn his departure. Mr. Witt was one of the pioneer settlers of Greene county. He was obliged to toil very hard, when settling there, but at last he had secured a good home, and made his mark with the other early settlers, who have nearly all passed away.

William T. Witt was born in Greene eounty, on the 14th day of Jan., 1844. His parents were Randolph and Polly (Tunnell) Witt, his father being a native of Jefferson county, Tenn., and his mother of Greene county, 111. His father eame to Greene county in the fall of 1829, and located on the northwest quarter of section 3, in Kane township. He lived there with his parents, until 1836, when he began farming for him- self, having bought 40 acres of land on section 10, in this township. On this he first built a little log eabin, but after- ward erected a frame residence, where he lived until the 24th of June, 1884, the date of his death. William has always made his home with his parents on the farm. In the year 1871, he went to Washington county, Kan., in company with another man, making the trip in a wagon. He went to look at some land, but only remained a short time when he returned home. In the year 1873, he went to Virginia on business, and also for the benefit of his health, and after a stay of three months came home. Mr. Witt has devoted his attention to farm- ing and stock-raising all his life. He is a demoerat, and his first vote was east for George B. MeClellan, in the year

1864. Mr. Witt is an intelligent gentle- man, and is respected by all who know him.

Among the settlers of 1831, in Kane township was Abraham Enslow, a Penn- sylvanian, who came here from Ohio. On coming here, he moved to a place two miles north of Kane, occupying part of a house with the widow Daniel, for the first winter. In the spring of 1832, he purehased 40 aeres of land on section 33, this township, and lived on it three years, when he sold out and bought 80 aeres about one and a half miles northwest of Kane. He moved several times after this, and died near Old Kane, in 1874.

John Varble with his family, left their home in Kentucky, in 1831, and east in their lot with the pioneers of Greene eounty. They loeated upon Sec. 4, T. 9, R. 11, where Mr. Varble entered some 200 acres of land. About 1845, he sold out and removed to Montgomery eounty, where he died.

His son, John H. Varble, was for many years a respected eitizen of this part of the county. He was born in Kentucky, in 1827, and died here in March, 1877.

OTHER PROMINENT CITIZENS.

Jacob L. Pope was born in Somerset county, N. J., his parents being Samuel and Mary (Gaddis) Pope, natives of New Jersey. They came to Greene county, ll1., in 1836, and his father lo- eated at Old Kane, where he bought 184 aeres of land. He was a blacksmith by trade, and was the first one in that town. He also kept the first hotel there. Ilis death oeeurred in 1850, and that of his wife in 1868. Jacob L. remained at

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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.

home, working in the hotel and black- smith shop, until he was 24 years of age. He then began farming for himself, on some land that he had previously bought in Jersey county, consisting of 74 acres, on which he remained until 1855. He then sold out and bought 200 acres, known as the Smith farm, in the same county, and after living on that one year, he sold it and bought the Long- street farm of 230 acres, on which he remained two years. This he then sold and purchased 480 acres in Sangamon county, and after living there four years, sold out and bought 336 1-2 acres in Greene county, on section 21, in Kane township. He now owns 256 1-2 acres in this county, and 160 acres in Sedge- wick county, Kan. In 1862 he enlisted in the 122d Ill. Inf., and served until the close of the war. He went in as first lieutenant and was promoted to captain of his company in 1865. He was in the battles of Blue Creek, Mo., when fighting with Price; Parker Cross Roads, Paducah, Ky., Tupelo, Miss., Nashville, Tenn., the capture of Fort Blakeley, and Mobile, and several skir- mishes. He was married in July, 1848, to Eliza A. Longstreet, who, with her parents, Samuel and Elizabeth Long- street, had emigrated from Montgomery county, O., in 1844. Mr. and Mrs. Pope are the parents of 10 children, nine of whom are living-Samuel L., now in Kansas; Jacob G., married to Susan Parker, residing in Kane township; Laura V., wife of George H. Gardiner, residing in this township; Anna E., wife of Whitney Tucker, residing in Wiehita, Kan .; Ada B .; Grace H., wife of Wallace A. Wood, residing in Chase county, Kan .; Elizabeth M., Jessie W.

and Mary F. The one deceased is Guy R. At the close of the war, Mr. Pope returned home, where he remained un- til 1872, when he went to Sedgwick county, Kan., and to Wichita, where he spent nine years trading in stock and land. In 1878, he-took his family to Eureka Springs, Ark., for their health. They were there a short time and then returned to Kansas. He afterward took them to Siloam Springs, Ark., and after spending a while there, returned to his home in this county and resumed farm- ing. Mr. Pope is a member of the Ma- sonic fraternity and of the G. A. R. post. He is an intelligent, enterprising man and has thus far been very success- ful in farming. Mr. S. Longstreet, after selling his farm to his son-in-law, J. L. Pope, engaged in business in Jersey- ville for some time. In 1860 he moved to Iola, Allen county, Kan., where he re- sumed farming. He died in 1865. In 1873 his widow and only remaining son moved to Lewis county, W. T., where they still reside.

John Pope, a prominent citizen of this county, was born Oct. 3, 1836, in Old Kane, Greene county, Ill. His parents were Samuel and Mary (Gaddis) Pope, natives of New Jersey. They came to this county in 1836, and located at Old Kane, where Samuel bought about 300 acres of land, and remained on it until his death, which occurred about the year 1848. He came from the state of New Jersey to Alton, and from there to Old Kane, in a one-horse wagon. He was the second man to locate there, and had the first black- smith shop, and also the first tavern in the town. His wife, Mary (Gaddis) Pope, the mother of our subject, died

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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.

in 1865. John Pope was raised on a farm, having remained at home until he was 28 years of age. In 1858, he and his two brothers bought 1,000 acres of land in Sangamon county, on which they remained about two years, when they sold out' and came back to Old Kane, where John remained about six years, following farming. In 1863, he went to California, taking horses and mules, going all the way horseback. He sold them in San Francisco and Sacramento, and made the return trip around by water to Alton, and from there came home, having visited New York, Cleveland, Dunkirk, and several other cities, on the way. He still deals in stock, as well as engaging in farming. In 1864, he purchased 240 acres of land on section 2, Kane township, and has since resided there. About four years ago be built a large frame house at a cost of 82,800, and the surroundings show him to be a man full of energy and enterprise. On Dec. 8, 1864, he was married to Marietta Enslow, daugh- ter of Abram and Julietta Enslow. Three children were born to them- Lulu, William O. and Rua. Mr. Pope is the present school director of district No. 4. He is a democrat in politics; is one of Greene county's prominent men, and is held in high esteem by all who know him.

Benjamin F. Ozbun was born in Sum- ner county, Tenn., Nov. 18, 1810, his parents being Bartholomew and Eliza- beth (Abbott) Ozbun, natives of Vir- ginia. He came with his parents to the territory of Illinois, in 1816, and most of his boyhood days were spent in clearing up his father's farm, so that he became proficient in the duties of farm-

life. In the year 1832, he removed to Greene county, Ind., where he remained until the fall of 1834, when he came to Greene county, Ill., landing here with 50 cents in silver and a horse which he had rode all the way from Tennessee. He began to work for Samuel Thomas, one of the early pioneers, at $12 per month. He worked around for about two years, and on the 9th of July, 1837, was united in marriage with Nancy MeCool, born Aug. 10, 1817, in Pope county, Ill. She was the daughter of Jesse and Jane McCool. By this union there were 10 children, six of whom are living-John F., married Lena Les- man, resides in Kane township; Daniel T., spoken of elsewhere; Robert B., lives at home; Jane E., wife of John Roberts, residing in Kansas; Jesse A., married Mary Ryan, lives in this town- ship; and Mary M. Those deceased are Bartholomew, George W., Lucy A. and James L. After his marriage he moved on the farm he had previously purchased, in the northeast part of the county. In 1857, they moved on the farm where they now reside, on Sec. 3, T. 9, R. 12. He owned 220 acres of land on sections 3 and 10 at the time of his death, and his family were sur- rounded with all the comforts of a good home. He was, in politics, a democrat and his first vote for president was cast for Andrew Jackson, whose principles he followed ever afterward. He died July 18, 1885, leaving his wife and chil- dren to deeply mourn the loss of a kind husband and a loving father, and the community to regret the loss of so good a citizen. He was buried in the Car- rollton cemetery. The farm is now managed by his son, Robert. He was

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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.

one of the oldest settlers of Greene county, and but few of our readers can imagine what those pioneers had to go through when they settled in the now rich and fertile Greene county. They are one by one passing away, and may a rich reward be theirs.

Daniel T. Ozbun was born in Greene county on the 7th of Oct., 1839, his parents being Benjamin and Nancy ( McCool) Ozbun, natives of Tennessee. They came from that state to Greene county, Ill., about the year 1835, and located in Kane township. Daniel T. Ozbun was reared on the farm, but learned the carpenter's trade, at which he has worked, off and on, all his life. He made his home with his parents un. til he was 35 years of age, at which time he started out for himself, buying SO acres of land on section 3. He cleared it off, built a house, into which he moved, and on this land has since lived. He now owns 120 acres of land, on which he has worked very hard, most of it having been timber. He has the greater portion cleared off, and has a nice residence, and his surroundings show him to be an energetic, industri- ous man. He was married, April 7, 1875, to Susan J. Summers, daughter of Ezekiel and Elizabeth (Tunnell) Sum- mers. They have three children- Charles U., born Feb. 22, 1876; Alice E., born Oct. 25, 1878; Jackson L., born Feb. 6, 1881. Mrs. Ozbun is a member of the M. E. church. Mr. Ozbun has held the office of school director five vears.

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History of Greene and Jersey Counties, Illinois : together with sketches of the towns, villages and townships, educational, civil, military, and political history; portraits of prominent individuals, and biographies of representative men, History of Illinois, Part 93

Author: Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Springfield, Ill. : Continental Historical Number of Pages: 1150

Author:
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Springfield, Ill. : Continental Historical
Number of Pages: 1150