USA > Illinois > Macon County > History of Macon County, Illinois : with illustrations descriptive of its scenery, and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 58
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One child, Lawrence, by his first marriage, died at the age of twenty-four days, sixteen days after its mother's death. In his politics, Mr. Parker was formerly a republican, casting his first vote for President for Lincoln in 1864. He was one of the first to take an interest in the Farmers' movement, and assisted in organiz- ing the first Farmers' Club in Austin township, and the first county Farmers' Club in Macon county. On the formation of the National party he was among the foremost in giving his adhesion to the principles of the Greenback organization, believing that both the old parties were wrong in their theories about the currency, and that the finances of the country were managed in the interest of a class rather than the mass of the people. He is a man of liberal and en- terprising disposition, and stands well among the representative farmers of Macon county.
ANDREW HAWKYARD,
WHO has been supervisor of Austin township since 1876, was born at Saddleworth, Yorkshire, England, February 28th, 1833. His grandfather, Robert Hawkyard, was a woolen manufacturer. His father, William B. Hawkyard, followed several occupations, among which were those of a gardener and stone-mason. His mother's maiden name was Maria Broadbent. The subject of this sketch was the fifth of eight children. He was raised in Yorkshire. He had but little chance to go to school, and the most of his education was obtained by his own efforts after he was grown and had come to America. When eight years old he went into the cotton mills,
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227
HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
at Mosley Bottoms, Lancashire, and was so employed till he was seventeen. He then worked for a doctor four years. In January, 1855, he married, Hannah, daughter of Thomas Bottomly, a native of Yorkshire. In 1856 he borrowed the money to pay his passage, and came to America. It took eight weeks and five days to make the voyage. Landing at New York, he went at once to Manayunk, above Philadelphia, and found employment in the carpet mills, where he worked two years. In 1858 he came to Dc- catur, Illinois, and was employed by William F. Montgomery to build a fence around sections eight and nine, in Austin township, which Mr. Montgomery owned. Mr. Hawkyard has lived in Austin township ever since. In the spring of 1859 Montgomery rented him land and furnished a team, and he began farming for himself. In 1863 he purchased forty acres of land, from the Illinois Central Railroad company, which he still owns, and on which his present residence stands. He improved this tract, made some money by grazing cattle, in 1867 bought one hundred and twenty acres additional, on four years time, and met the payments as they became due. He owns two hundred and eighty acres of land in sections four and ten, of Austin township. His farm is well-improved. He erected a fine barn in 1877. He has been one of the prosperous citizens of the township. He began life without any means, and all that he has accumulated has been the result of his own efforts. His children are John Thomas, Frederick L., William H., Henrietta, George E., Eva and Eva May. The two last are deceased. He has filled the offices of school director and township collector. He was appointed supervisor in 1876, to fill the unexpired term of J. S. Parker. He was elected to this posi- tion in 1877, and has been re-elected every term in succession since. The first vote he cast was as a democrat. When the national greenback party came into existence he believed its views on the finances to be correct, and for a time supported that party, and voted for Peter Cooper for President in 1876. He now believes the issues between the democrats and republicans, to be paramount to all others, and he is a democrat.
AQUILLA TOLAND, (DECEASED.)
Aquilla Toland, a former resident of Austin township, was a native of Ohio. His father, Dr. Toland, was born in the state of Maryland, emigrated to Ohio at an early day and settled in Madison county, where he resided for a number of years until his death in De- cember, 1866. He practiced medicine nearly half a century in that part of Ohio. He was a man of great enterprise and public spirit, and contributed greatly to the development and improvement of the locality in which he lived. Elizabeth Lewis, Mr. Toland's mother, was of Irish descent, and born in Madison county, Ohio, and belonged to one of the pioneer families of that state. Aquilla Toland was born at London, Madison county, Ohio, on the fourth day of July, 1840. He was the youngest of a family of four children. His boyhood was spent in his native county. He had excellent opportunities for ac- quiring an education, and attended the common schools and an aca- demy at London. His father desired that he should enter one of the professions, but he preferred an out-door life. His inclinations ran in the direction of farming and stock-raising.
On the breaking out of the war of the rebellion he was one of the first men to offer his services to the government in Madison county. He was then not yet twenty-one years of age. On the 19th of April, 1861, he enlisted under the three months call for troops in Co. C. Seventeenth regiment Ohio Volunteers. He was chosen orderly sergeant of his company. His term of service having expired he
re-enlisted in Co. A. One Hundred and Thirteenth Ohio regimnent. On the fifth of February, 1863, Gov. Tod commissioned him second lieutenant. During the sickness of the captain of the company, who was his brother-in-law, he commanded the company for nearly a year. While a member of the Seventeenth Ohio regiment he served in West Virginia, and while with the One Hundred and Thirteenth Ohio, in Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia, taking part in several battles among which were those of Mission Ridge, Shiloh, and the siege of Vicksburg.
After the close of liis service in the army he returned to Ohio. In 1865 he came to Macon county with the purpose of improving a large track of land in Austin township. At that time few im- provements had been made on the prairie of that part of the county. He was married on the fourth of November, 1868, to Lydia A. Smith, daughter of Edward O. Smith, one of the old residents of Decatur. In 1870 Mr. and Mrs. Toland took up their residence in Austin township on the farm, which consists of thirteen hundred and fifty [1350] acres, and lies in sections thirty-one and thirty-two. Since her husband's death, which occurred on the 15th of February, 1878, the farm, an illustration of which appears on another page, has been under Mrs. Toland's management. Mr. Toland was a republican in politics. He possessed strong convictions on all subjects, was charitable and generous in his disposition, and steadfast and devoted in his attachments. He was a man of the highest personal honor, and his word could always be relicd on. He had excellent business capacity, was active and energetic, and among the foremost to lead in public improvements in his part of the county.
DAVID PATTERSON.
DAVID PATTERSON, one of the representative citizens of Austin township, is a native of Scotland, and was born at Hightae in Dumfriesshire, April, 1835. When he was six years old his father, whose name was George Patterson, died; and when he was eight he was left alone in the world by the death of his mother, and then went to live with an aunt, with whom he had his home three years. He received small wages one year for herding a cow, and when he was eleven, hired on a farm, and received some pay for his labor during the summer, and in the winter-time went to school three months, working night and morning to pay his way. He afterward found employment in herding sheep on the mountains till he was about fifteen, when he bound himself as an apprentice to the carpenter's trade in Dumfriesshire, the man by whom he had previously been employed going as security_on the apprenticeship bond.
While serving this apprenticeship he went to school another quarter, which completed his opportunities for obtaining an educa- tion. He had attended school altogether only about a year. Most of his education he obtained by his own efforts in later life. He served an apprenticeship of four years, and learned the trade of a carpenter thoroughly, and worked as a journeyman about a year, and then made up his mind to come to America. He was without means, and borrowed the money with which to pay his passage across the ocean. The voyage was a long one, occupying seven weeks and three days. He was about twenty when he emigrated to America.
He at once proceeded to Sangamon county, in this state, where he had some relatives living, and found employment at his trade at Atlanta, in Logan county, and after working there a couple of weeks, went to Buffalo Heart Grove in Sangamon county, and sub- sequently went to Missouri, and lived in Benton and St. Clair
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
counties of that state six years, and became the owner of a farm of three hundred and ten acres in St. Clair county.
In partnership with a cousin, he bought four hundred head of cattle in Missouri, with the intention of bringing them to Illinois, and disposing of thiem at an advanced price. This was toward the close of the war. The speculation proved unfortunate, and swept away almost entirely the means he had previously accumulated. On returning to Illinois, he worked at his trade at Mt. Pulaski in Logan county, but subsequently went baek to Missouri, and worked for a year and a-half at Sedalia, and disposed of his farm in St. Clair county, when he came back to Illinois.
In addition to carrying on his trade he managed a farm, which he had rented in Logan county, and by this means managed to get a start in the world. He accumulated sufficient to purchase fifty-six acres of land in Sec. 18, T. 18, R. 1 E., on which he has resided ever since. He then began to devote his entire attention to farming, and has been one of the successful and representative agri- culturists of Austin township, owning three hundred and sixty- eight aeres of land in Maeon county and eighty in Logan county. His residenee is one of the best in the township. The house and porches cover about fourteen hundred square feet of ground.
He was married in 1868 to Elizabeth Wright, a native of Seot- land, by whom he had three children, of whom one is deceased. She died in September, 1875. His present wife, whom he married in October, 1876, was Mrs. Fannie Parks. Her maiden name was Fannie Smith, and she was born in Effingham county in this state.
Mr. Patterson has been a democrat in politics. On financial sub- jeets his belief coincides with that of the national greenbaek party, whose candidates he has sometimes supported. He has enjoyed the confidence of the people of his part of the county, and has served a number of terms as school director. For six years he was township trustee, and represented his township on the board of supervisors for two years.
As a self-made man, one who has worked his way up from poverty to independence by his own energies, his name deserves a place in this work.
JOSEPH W. EMERY.
JOSEPH W. EMERY, one of the old residents of Austin township is a native of Canterbury, Merrimae county, New Hampshire, and was born on the fifteenth of January, 1813. The Emery family, which was of English origin, settled at an early period at West New- bury, Massachusetts. The old homestead-home of the early mem- bers of the family-has been in the possession of the Emerys for sev- eral generations. Josiah Emery, the grandfather of the subject of this biography, moved from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, and settled in the town of Sanbornton, now Tilden. Nathan Emery, Mr. Emery's father, was born and raised in Sanbornton. He mar- ried Betsey McCrillis, who was of Scotch-Irish descent, and a native of Canterbury. Both the Emery and McCrillis families have been remarkable for their vigor and long life. They show a noticeable freedom from disease, and the tendeney towards longevity has been marked for several generations. Among the ancestors many intances of death at an advanced age have occurred ; very few passed away
before reaching seventy years. Joseplı W. Emery was the ninth of a family of sixteen children, of whom fourteen grew to maturity, and thirteen married. His father owned a farm, and was a carpen- ter by trade. He was a man of considerable intelligence, was well versed in surveying and civil engineering, and was very fond of reading-a habit which he transmitted to most of his children. His children all attained good substantial English educations. He believed in education, and gave his children ample opportunity to attend school. Mr. Emery has one brother, Josiah, who graduated at Union College, New York, and is now engaged in the practice of the law at Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Another brother came to Illinois, and is editor of the Peoria Transcript; another brother settled in Indiana, and the others remained in New England. Mr. Emery made that part of New Hampshire in which he was born his home till he was seventeen.
In the year 1835, he left home and went to Rhode Island and found employment on the canal, running from Providence to Wor- cester, Massachusetts. He subsequently worked at Worcester. In the month of February, 1840, he was married at Upton, Woreester county, Massachusetts, to Frances R. Leland, a member of an old New England family. After he was married he engaged in farm- ing at Upton, and resided there till 1850, when he moved back to Canterbury, New Hampshire. He formed a partnership with his brother Nathan, and undertook running a saw-mill at Canterbury, which he carried on six years. His first wife died on the seven- teenth of September, 1853. Franees A. Sanborn, a native of San- bornton, New Hampshire, became his second wife on the sixteenth of February, 1854. She was a daughter of Simon D. Sanborn. Her aneestors had settled there at an early period, and the town re- ceived its name in their honor. The saw-mill business not proving renumerative, he determined to cmigrate to the West. Illinois was at that time attracting settlers by the thousand from the Eastern states. Many purchased land from the Illinois Central Railroad company. In the fall of 1866, he reached Macon county and bought one hundred and sixty acres of railroad land, the same track on which he now lives, in seetion eight of Austin township. After spending the winter at Clinton, he brought his family to the township the following spring. Few settlements had at that time been made. Almost the entire township was unoccupied prairie land, and he had little expectation that it would ever reach its present state of cultivation and improvement. There is now only one other person besides himself living in the township, who was the head of a family, at the time he took up his residence in it. He has had eleven children, of whom four are now living ; Ellen, Betsy, Charles and Clarence. The three oldest are by his first, and the last by his second marriage.
He has taken an active interest in polities, and has filled several offiees in the township. He was originally a whig, and supported that party in opposition to the democracy. He was one of the first to ally himself with the republiean organization, of which hc has since been a steadfast supporter. For four years he served as treasurer of Austin township, and has also filled the office of asses- sor four times. He is a man of positive convictions. He is now one of the oldest citizens of the township, and is well-known to the older settlers of Macon county.
A TENANT HOUSE
RESIDENCE.
STOCK AND GRAIN FARM OF MRS. L. A.TOLAND , SECS 31 & 32, T.18, R.1. AUSTIN TP. MACON CO. ILL .
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MT. ZION TOWNSHIP.
700 HIS township as organized comprises an area of thirty- nine square miles, or twenty-four thousand nine hundred and sixty acres. It is situated south of Long Creek, west of Moultrie county, north of Milam, and east of South Wheatland and South Macon townships. Mt. Zion is well drained by Finley, Big and Sandy Creeks and their affluents. The streams all run in a northerly and westerly direction, and throngh Long Creek their waters flow into the Sangamon river.
Timber .- There are many beautiful natural groves in this town- ship, principally along the water courses, which even to this day are fringed along their banks with elm, maple, oak, hickory, walnut and other forest trees. Originally the surface was covered with about one-third timber, the balance being prairie land of the richest quality.
Productions, etc. - This township is particularly adapted to grazing, and yields large quantities of corn, oats, hay, wheat, rye, flax, and cereals of all kinds grow in abundance. It is also noted for its prolific crops of fruits and vegetables.
Land Entries .- The following ar the first lands entered ; Henry Traughber entered June 4th, 1829, the east half of the north-east quarter of section No. eight, containing eighty acres. Elisha Moore entered same year 80 acres in section No. 9. The following lands are in same Precinct but in Range 4 east. Robert Wilson entered January 8th, 1833, 55.59 acres in section No. 6. William Lacy entered July 15th. 1836, 33.97 acres in same section.
Early Settlers .- James Finley is regarded by most of the old re- sidents as being the first settler in the territory now comprised within what are now the limits of Mt. Zion. In the spring of 1827, he located with his family on section 10, Tp. 15-3. He was a Ken- tuckian by birth. His cabin was built near a little grove of timber of rongh unhewn logs. In 1829 Alexander W. Bell settled on sec- tion 4 about one mile north-west of Finley's place.
Another early settler was "BENJAMIN WILSON," who was among the early and prominent citizens of Macon county, and came in 1827 and was one of the county, commissioners who assisted in the county organization. He held the position for a great many years. He was born at Guilford Conrt House, in North Carolina, and removed thence to Tennessee, and afterward to Illinois. He married JANE WARNICK in the state of Tennessee, who was a sister of " Uncle Billy" Warnick, the first sheriff of the county. Their children were, Polly, (see Sanders.) Rachel, (see Hill,) Peggy Smith, (see John Smith,) Robert, Nancy, Hannah, (see Blanken- ship,) and-
JOHN WILSON was born in Rutherford connty, Tennessee, in 1813, came to Illinois in 1828, and was married to Nancy Wilson, March 1, 1832, who was born July 6, 1813, in Greene county, Ten- nessee, and became a resident of Macon county abont 1830. Of their children-
BENJAMIN T. was born August 19, 1836 ; died February 5, 1854. MARY A. was born October 23, 1833, and married JOSEPH M. DAW- SON, who was born April 5, 1828. Of their children -
John A. was born July 8, 1853. Thomas M. was born April 6, 1855. Nancy A. was born January 19, 1857 ; died December 29, 1857. Luella B. was born August 4, 1859. C. E. was born Janu- ary 18, 1863. Edwin P. was born December 17, 1864. Oscar W. was born April 26, 1867.
ANDREW WILSON was born March 3, 1785, and was mar- ried to MARY ANN WILSON, who was born January 30, 1788. They removed from East Tennessee to Macon county about 1830. Mr. W. died August 10,'44, and Mrs. W., September 17, '72. Of their children-
THOMAS B. was born July 26, 1807 ; died July, '73. ALEXAN- DER M. was born May 6, 1809. ELIZA D. was born April 15, 1811; died September 13, '15. CATHARINE was born -- 21, 1816; died January 7, '55. JOHN A. was born January 9, 1819; died December 18, '21. JAMES J. was born November 12, 1822; died April 28, '54.
John Smith settled on section 9 in 1829, a little west of Finley's residence. He moved from Rutherford county, Tennessee, to this connty. In March, 1829, Allen Travis settled on section 3 (Tp. 15 -3) he was born May 18, 1789, in York district, South Carolina In 1805 his father removed with the family to Livingston county, Ky., where Allen was married, October 5, 1820, to Margaret Camp- bell, who was born March 5, 1801. The Travis family were early residents of Illinois, having settled in Wayne county in 1821, and came to this county as above stated. Allen came here with his brothers, Finis and Thomas, and James D. Campbell, Andrew and John Davidson.
Thomas Travis was born in South Carolina, and was married be- fore removing to Illinois, to Sarah Davidson, and settled one mile and a half north-west of Mt. Zion. Finis Travis was born in Ken- tucky, in 1810, in what is now Crittenden county, and was married in 1840 to Nancy J. Foster, who was then the widow of William Foster ; her maiden name was Bell. She died, and he married Nancy Mahollen; both are now deceased. Harvey Travis was born in Wayne county, Ill. in 1823, and is now a resident of Decatur, but came when a lad to Mt. Zion with the balance of his family. Another prominent family in early times were the Trauglibers.
HENRY TRAUGHBER was born January 9, 1803, in Logan county, Ky .; came to Illinois in November, 1825 ; stayed there until 1829; then came to Macon county, and was married to Nancy Smith, who was born in Tennessee and died in August, 1863. Of their children-
ROBERT S., born September 2, 1830; died February 8, 1863 ; married Elizabeth Bell. DAVID, born September 2, 1832; died in infancy. A. C., born April 3, 1833; married V. C. Whitehouse
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
E. M. E., born about 1843; married Win. Cox ; dead. M. J. C. married D. P. During. M. R. died in 1868. CAROLINE married Kitt -; died in 1874.
REV. DANIEL TRAUGHBER was born in Logan county, Ky., in May, 1800, and came to Illinois in 1837 or '8, and settled on Big Creek, in Mt. Zion township. He married Mary Banks, in Kentucky, by whom he had four children -
ELIZABETH married Robert Lansden, Wilson county, Kansas. GABRELLA married Robert Foster, Wilson county, Kansas. HENRY married in Wilson county, Kansas.
Mr. T. married a second time to Elizabeth Foster, by whom the following children were born-
CYRUS lives at Ottawa, Kansas.
Mr. T. married a third time to Eliza Smalley, by whom the fol- lowing children were born-
Mary A. married John Edwards ; lives in Wilson county, Kan. DANIEL B. ; dead. HARRIS lives in Wilson county, Kan.
Mr. T. moved to Fredonia, Kan., in 1872, and now resides there. Another noted family were the Wheelers-in " Smith's History " we find the following in reference to them :-
" William Wheeler, Sr., was born in Virginia about 1790, and married Elizabeth Hays, who was born in the same state. Mrs. W. died about 1836, and Mr. W. in 1866. Their children were-James, Stacy, Henry, William, Jr., Elizabeth, Raleigh, Burton, Larkin, and Nathaniel. Mr. Wheeler and family removed to Illinois, and settled in Macon county in 1828.
"James Wheeler was born in South Carolina in 1799, and died in 1867. His wife was Margaret Mayberry.
"Stacy Whecler was born about 1800, and married William Christopher, and died about 1831.
"Henry Wheeler was born in 1801, in Tennessee, and was married in Tennessee to Mary Y. Braden, who was born January 4th, 1800. Of their five children-
" Elizabeth E. was born May 7th, 1826; married David Brett ; died 1864. Samuel R. was born Aug. 16, 1827 ; married Jemima Abrams, who was born in 1828, in Illinois. Wm. E. was born Oct. 23d, 1868 ; married Ellen Frazee; he died 1875. Nancy J. was born Jan. 8th, 1830; married Samuel Woodward, first husband ; Mason Packard, second husband ; now resides in California. And. J. was born Jan. 16th, 1832; married N. E. Cox, who was born in Scott county, Ill., 1837.
" William Wheeler, Jr., was born on the 28th of December. 1809, in Rutherford county, Tennessee ; was married October 27th, 1831, to Sarah A. Ward (daughter of Jerry Ward), who died in August, 1869. Mr. Wheeler has been prominently connected with the affairs of the county, and has been repeatedly elected sheriff, asssssor and collector. Of their ten children, but two are living.
Mary E., who married Thomas Inscho, now resides in San Jose, Cal .; and Lewis Cass. Andrew M. died in '69 ; Calvin R. died in '61; Lucinda K.died in '63; Wm. L. died in 1866; Henrietta died in '62 ; Jas. C. died in '51 ; Thos. B. died in infancy, and Alice in 1874. Elizabeth Wheeler was born in 1811, and married Wm. Ward, the father of Franklin and Hiram Ward, well known in the county. Raleigh Wheelcr was born in 1813, and died in 1834; his first wife was Rebecca Travis, and second Mary Fields. Burton Wheeler was born in 1815, and subsequently moved to Moultrie county. Larkin Whceler was born in 1815, and died in 1838. Nathaniel Wheeler was born in 1819, and died when young."
James D. Campbell settled in section 5, Tp. 15-3, in 1830. He was born in North Carolina, June 26th, 1803, removed to Caldwell county, Ky., and thence to Wayne county, Ill., in 1826, thence to Sangamon county in 1828, and to Macon county in '30. He mar-
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