History of Mercer and Henderson Counties : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc, Part 129

Author: Mercer County Historical Society (Ill.); Henderson County Historical Society (Ill.)
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago : H.H. Hill and Co.
Number of Pages: 1424

USA > Illinois > Mercer County > History of Mercer and Henderson Counties : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc > Part 129
USA > Illinois > Henderson County > History of Mercer and Henderson Counties : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc > Part 129

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

A congregation of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, with twenty- nine members, was organized in Biggsville, Illinois, August 8, 1868. Rev. J. W. Carter officiated in the organization.

The congregation sprung from the South Henderson church of the same denomination, which worshiped four miles north of Biggsville, Illinois. This organization was effected in a school-house which was in the extreme east end of town. The congregation immediately employed Rev. J. W. Carter, its pastor.

They worshiped for several years in this school-building. The mem- bers of the church elected Geo. M. Jamison, A. H. McLain and A. C. Shoemaker its ruling elders, and Alford Burrus and Wmn. H. McLain its deacons. Thos. B. Records, J. J. Effort and A. C. Shoemaker were

1344

HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

elected trustees by the congregation. October 23, 1869. Rev. J. W. Car- ter was pastor of this church about three years, and then resigned his pastorate. The pastoral services- of Rev. J. L. Crofford were sought and obtained, and he began his pastorate April 21, 1872. Rev. Mr. Crofford served as pastor for the Sagetown and South Henderson con- gregations in union with that at Biggsville. Wm. II. McLain was elected ruling elder by the Biggsville church October 5. 1872, being ordained according to the custom of the church. During the pastor- ate of Rev. J. L. Crofford the South Henderson, Sagetown and Biggs- ville congregations were united into one congregation by the Rushville presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, under whose care these churches had been from the time of their existence. This was done at the request of the members of the three churches, and also with the understanding that the name of the one congregation should be South Henderson, its place of worship Biggsville, Illinois, and that the officers of the three churches should be the officers of the one church.

This was done by the presbytery convened at Abington, Illinois, February. 1875. The officers of the new congregation then were : Rev. J. L. Crofford, pastor ; Abner Short, T. A. Russell, W. B. Jamison, A. HI. McLain, ruling elders ; Alford Burrus and Win. H. McLain, dea- cons. Wm. H. McLain continued his office as deacon, instead of serv- ing as ruling elder. Chas. A. Martin was elected and ordained a ruling elder. On account of affliction of his eyes Rev. J. L. Crofford resigned the pastorate of this church. Thus closed a successful and pleasant pastorate which was of about five years' continuance.

The pastoral services of Rev. J .. W. Mitchell were immediately obtained. He began his labors for the congregation January 1, 1877. During his pastorate, which continued about five years, the beautiful church edifice which stands on northeast corner of Main and Church streets, Biggsville, as an honor to Cumberland Presbyterians in the town and its vicinity, was erected. This building is 36×56 feet in size and cost $2.300.

The church bell weighs three hundred pounds and cost $108.

The church was dedicated January 26, 1879. Rev. J. B. Mitchell, D. D., of Kirksville. Missouri, preached the dedicatory sermon.

J. J. Effort and Jonathan Gee were elected deacons by the congre- gation, and were ordained as such April 6, 1879.

R. A. McKinley and F. H. McLain were elected ruling elders by the church September 6, 1880, and J. W. McClinton was elected deacon on the same occasion. .

These officers were afterward regularly ordained in October, 1881.

yours Truly RM Richer

1347

BIGGSVILLE TOWNSHIP.

The pastoral labors of Rev. J. W. Mitchell for this congregation closed November, 1881.

Rev. J. L. Dickens was unanimously called to the pastorate of this church May 8, 1882. The call was accepted, but on account of disa- bility resigned September 11 of the same year. The church has now ninety-three members. The following are its officers : Rev. J. L. Dick- ens, pastor ; Abner Short, A. H. McLain, C. A. Martin and R. A. McKinley, ruling elders ; J. J. Effort, A. Burrus, J. Gee and J. W. McClinton, deacons ; B. H. Martin, A. H. McLain and A. Short, trustees. A flourishing Sabbath school has been connected with this congregation from its organization until the present. Wm. H. McLain was its superintendent until January 1, 1881. Rev. J. W. Mitchell was superintendent from January 1, 1881, until November of the same year.

The Sabbath school at the present has eighty-five members.

The following are its officers : Frank McKin, superintendent ; Je- rome McLain, assistant superintendent ; Mrs. Mahala Martin, secretary and treasurer ; Miss Ada Martin, assistant secretary. There are seven classes in the school taught by efficient teachers.

The church and Sabbath school are out of debt and in good finan- cial condition.

The history of Biggsville township would scarcely be complete witli- out some mention of a queer and antiquated structure now standing on the farm of Paul D. Gibb, the erection of which has been often attributed, on account of its strange appearance, to the Mormons, who formerly frequented this section. To the educated architects of to-day this build- ing is a wonder and a puzzle. Built to "outlive the ages," it has stood for over a quarter of a century as a monument to the energy and persever- ance of its supposed builder, Ery Marston. It size is 34×26 feet, and it is built of stone. The foundations are wonderfully solid, being four feet in thickness. The stones composing the walls were seemingly hoisted to their positions in the order of their arrival from the quarry and not with regard to any special order of arrangement. Some of these stones are very large ; four of them extending the entire length of one side of the building. On the west side is one slab eleven feet long, two and a half feet wide and one foot thick. The door jams are solid from top to bottom, one foot square. Across the top are huge stones fitted with a precision equaled only in the temples of the ancient Aztecs. The inside of the house is finished in cherry, and presents a rather comfortable but primitive appearance.

The Hon. David Rankin and Judge Preston Martin state : The very tough prairie sod in this county stoutly resisted all attempts to subdue and pulverize it. The scouring steel plow had not yet been

1348

IIISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

invented, and the only dependence was the old wooden moldboard plow, to which the dirt clung tenaciously, and could only be removed with the heel of the plowman's boot or a wooden paddle carried for that purpose and was done with commendable patience. Improve- ment of the raw land was a tedious process. After the owner had broken the sod, if he had any to spare he would gladly let it to another to use the following year for the crop. If the tillage had been thorough the sod was now usually subdued, but not always so, particularly in low land, where the excessive moisture kept the grass roots alive. The characteristics of the prairie-grass are peculiar, and the most singular thing about the prairie is, that the native grass which was found grow- ing here when man came, and which for ages had maintained itself against all the natural elements of extinction, has neither seed nor any other organs of propagation ; when once killed, or subdued in any way, it conld not again by any means spread. It was not merely compara- tively, but positively, impossible to spread it. Nature does not seem to have furnished another case of actual absence of the quality of propa- gation.

BIOGRAPHICAL.

JOHN C. JAMISON, retired farmer, Biggsville. In writing the history of Henderson county it is rarely the privilege of the biographer to sketch the life of one having a continuous residence in the county since 1829. Nevertheless that man is found in the person of Mr. Jamison. He was born in Grayson county, Kentucky, February 3, 1811, on the same day which gave birth to the venerable Horace Greeley. His father, Samuel Jamison, was born in Pennsylvania, and his grand- father, James Jamison, was a native of Ireland. He, with his parents, emigrated to America about the middle of the seventeenth century, being then but a boy. He, with his son Samuel (the father of our subject), emigrated from Brownsville, Virginia, via the rivers. to where Louisville, Kentucky, now stands, though at that time the place could boast of only one log cabin .. Here Samuel married Sarah Rowland, by whom he had born to him three sons. Lost his wife by death ; re- married, and in 1819 removed to Perry county, Indiana. His second marriage was with Mrs. Melinda (Richards) Short. His mother, before marriage, was Miss Elizabeth Ewing, a lady whose family were noted for their rare moral and intellectual worth. In 1830 he emigrated to Henderson county, Illinois, where he died August 20, 1845. Having spent the greater part of his life in the tall timbers of Kentucky and Indiana, he attained to a great degree those characteristics and great physical powers so honored and loved among the true pioneers. Of

1349

BIGGSVILLE TOWNSHIP.

his three sons, John C. may be mentioned as the pioneer of the family in Henderson county. His father sent him here in 1829 prospecting for a suitable locality, with a view to settling the family, which was done the following year. He was married in this county September 15, 1836, to Miss Sarah Stice, a native of Montgomery, Illinois. She died August 8, 1879, where she so long lived and reared her fam- ily. The children are Martha (wife of Wm. Bell), James W. and Tabitha, living ; Caroline, Thomas and William H., deceased. By industrious labor and good management Mr. Jamison has secured a competency of this world's goods, owning, besides his residence in Biggsville, a fine farm of 250 acres, in Secs. 6 and 7.

JAMES W. JAMISON, son of John C. and Sarah (Stice) Jamison, was born in Henderson county, Illinois, August 17, 1845. Was reared on his father's farm, where he is now engaged in farming. April 7, 1872, he married Miss Nancy J. Luten, of Lee county, Iowa. She was born in Ohio, March 16, 1850. They are the parents of three children: Nora C., Estella T. and Thadins. His brother, William H., was born in 1841, August 30. Served in the late war, in the 89th Ill. Vol. Inf. Was wounded and died October 18, 1868.

GEORGE M. JAMISON, farmer, Biggsville, was born in Henderson connty, Illinois, May 17, 1835. His parents, James and Mary (Mckinney) Jamison, were born October 7, 1805, and April 28, 1798, respectively. They were united in marriage March 8, 1827, and reared a family of five children, whose names in the order of their birth were Samuel, Sarah A., Mary J., Margaret E. and George M. They died in Henderson county, Illinois, she in August, 1843, and he in October of the same year. They emigrated to this county in 1830 from Perry county, Indiana. He was the eldest son of Samuel and Sarah (Rowland) Jamison, and brother of John C. Jamison, whose biography appears elsewhere in this chapter. George M., the subject of this notice, was reared on a farm with only the advantages of a common school education, completed with six months at Abingdon College. His education, however, in the way of economy, industry and integrity was full and complete. January 10, 1861, he married Miss Sophia Van Tuyl; she was born near Dayton, Ohio, May 8, 1839, and came with her parents to Henderson, Illinois, in 1854. Her father died October 8, 1880, in Warren county, and her mother still resides there. In 1862 Mr. Jamison enlisted in Co. K, 84th Ill. Vol. Inf., from which he was discharged after one year's service on account of disability. In the fall of 1878 he bought a residence in Biggsville, where he now (1882) lives, though he is engaged in farming, stock- raising and feeding. He is now in comfortable circumstances, owning

1350

HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

two farms containing 360 acres of land besides his village residence. His children are Alfred L., Sarah B., Herbert and Howard.

WILLIAM R. JAMISON (deceased), another of the first pioneers of Henderson county, was born in Grayson county, Kentucky, in 1808. In 1819 he removed with his father (Samuel Jamison) to Perry county, Indiana, and in 1829 emigrated to Henderson county, Illinois. In Indiana he was united in marriage with Miss Martha Findley, by whom he has two sons living, Rev. John C. Jamison and F. M. Jamison. His second wife was Miss Margaret Giles (now deceased). By this union he has four children. viz : Porter, Henry, Ewell and Fannie. A few years ago he went to Jacksonville, Florida, with a view to improv- ing his failing health, and there died, June 17, 1882. He was the second son of Samuel Jamison, elsewhere mentioned in this chapter.

JOHN JAMISON, son of James and Elizabeth (Ewing) Jamison, and only brother of Samuel Jamison, emigrated to this county from Gray- son county, Kentucky, a few years later than the other members of the Jamison family. Ile settled on Sec. 6, T. 10, R. 4, the first one on the prairie in that neighborhood. His bones now rest in the Smith Creek cemetery. His wife was formerly Miss Ann Beatty. His children were Joseph (now dead), Elizabeth, Margaret, William, Jane, Sarah (the three latter dead), Nancy and Samuel (living). His son Joseph's family are the only representatives of his now living in this county, and are worthy representatives of the name.

WILSON B. JAMISON, farmer, Biggsville, son of Joseph and Sarah (VanTuyl) Jamison, and grandson of John Jamison, was born in Hen- derson county, Illinois, January 12, 1852. His grandfather John was an only brother of Samuel Jamison, mentioned elsewhere in this work. The subject of these few notes was born and reared on the farm where he now lives, on Sec. 31, T. 11, R. 4, and received the best education that could be obtained in the common schools, besides two years at Monmouth College and one year at Mount Pleasant, Iowa. After com- pleting his education he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. December 1, 1874, he married Miss Christena Wiegand, daughter of William Weigand, of Biggsville. After his marriage he at once went to Bedford, Iowa, where he engaged in the grain trade, but one year later returned to his farm, satisfied to be content in the humble voca- tion of a farmer. For the last three years he has been in feeble health, caused by being overcome with heat in 1879. His father died March 5, 1855, leaving four children, three of whom are now living: Michael V., Anna J. and Wilson B., the subject of this sketch, who has two children, Harry F. and Jesse Joseph. They are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian church.

1351

BIGGSVILLE TOWNSHIP.

The subject of this sketch, ROBERT M. GILMORE, was born in Roek- bridge county, Virginia, on June 30, 1823. When he was three years of age his father, who was a physician, removed from Pennsylvania to Preble county, Ohio, where he passed his early youth and manhood. Here Mr. Gilmore received his intellectual and religious training, and in this county he was married on March 8, 1848, to Miss Jane Porter, daughter of Hugh Porter, of Preble county. After residing several years in Ohio, in 1853 they removed to Henderson county, Illinois, settling first near Coloma, but afterward on Sec. 22, T. 10, R. 4, where. Mr. Gilmore died November 17, 1873, leaving a wife and twelve chil- dren to mourn his loss. Mr. Gilmore was a brother of William J. Gilmore, judge of the supreme court of Ohio, and also of Judge James Gilmore, of Preble county, in the same state. He was a son of Eli

and Clarissa (Clayton) Gilmore. When about three years of age a white swelling appeared on his left limb, below the knee. This caused him great pain all his life and finally resulted in his death. He died respected and loved by all, enduring his suffering with great patience. Mr. Gilmore was a staunch member of and believer in the tenets of the United Presbyterian church, and used largely of his means in its behalf. His estimable wife is now living with the youngest of her children. The names of the children are William E., Frank C., Emma I., now wife of William C. Dougless, Eli W., Anna M., now wife of John M. Graham, James A., George R., Charles W., John E., Mary E., Nora E. and Robert E. Much credit is due to Mrs. Gilmore for the training in industry and thrift her children have received ..

THOMAS J. MAXWELL, M. D., Keokuk, Iowa, was born in Harrison county, Ohio, March 6, 1837. In the spring of 1844 his father, Mr. John Maxwell, and family, emigrated to Washington county, Iowa, and settled in the town of Crawfordsville, where he died in 1869. He was born near Wheeling, West Virginia, in 1798, of Scotch parents, whose ancestors came to America prior to the revolutionary war, in which they took an active part, one of whom was at the battle of Brandy- wine, and was wounded at Germantown. Dr. Maxwell's education was received in the common schools, to which he added an academic course, having a desire for the study and profession of medicine, and accord- ingly turned his attention in that direction, graduating from the college of Physicians and Surgeons, at Keokuk, with the class of 1861. In 1862 he enlisted in the service of his country, and was commissioned as assistant surgeon of the 3d Iowa Cav., where he remained till July 1, 1865, when he was transferred to and commissioned surgeon of the 138th United States Colored Troops, from which he was dis- charged at Atlanta, Georgia, with the regiment, in Jannary, 1866.

1352

HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

He then returned to Washington, Iowa, where he engaged in the prac- tice of his profession, but soon after removed to Henderson county, Illinois, and located at Olena. During his practice in this county Dr. Maxwell has been flatteringly successful, and has performed some remarkable surgical operations. Among them may be mentioned that of Mrs. Alexander Main, of Olena, this county, of whom he extracted an ovarian tumor weighing ninety pounds, or in bulk about nine gal- lons. Feeling confidence in his ability to compete with the best physi- cians in the west, and choosing city practice rather than the country, in the spring of 1882 he removed to Keokuk, Iowa, where he is now already building up a prosperous business. October 30, 1866, he was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Riley, a native of Jefferson county, Ohio, by whom he has four children, as follows: John R., Mabel C., Mand B. and Hellen J. The doctor's mother still resides in Washington, Iowa, and is now in her seventy-ninth year. Her father, Robert Orr, was a native of County Antrim, Ireland, and born of Scotch parents.

ANDREW W. MARTIN, farmer, Biggsville, is the son of Judge Preston Martin, of this place, and was born on the old farm in T. 10, R. 5, in this county, June 7, 1838. He, like the rest of the judge's chil- dren, was reared on the farm, with the best privileges of the common schools. He served, with the rest of his brothers, in the war for the Union, as a member of Co. K, 84th Ill. Vol. Inf., till discharged on account of disability. February 27, 1861, he married Miss Mary M. Graham, the daughter of Andrew Graham, who was once a citizen of this county, but early removed to Missouri, where Mrs. Martin was born April 15, 1846. Mr. Martin has children as follows : wife of John McIntosh, Annie B., Samuel P., John B. and Ida M. He is now engaged in farming at the old home.

Among the leading farmers of Biggsville township, and worthy of special notice, is SAMUEL C. DOUGLASS, who was born in York county, Pennsylvania, October 24, 1825. His parents were William and Jane (Wallace) Douglass, natives of the same, while his grandparents were of Scotch and Irish extraction. Mr. Douglass, like his father, was reared a hardy tiller of the soil. He was to a limited extent educated in the common schools, to which has been added, by practical expe- rience reading and observation, that more useful knowledge which has led to a life of success. At the age of twenty-one, with seventy-five cents in his pocket, he started in life for himself, and for the six follow- ing years engaged in boating on the Pennsylvania canal. In 1852 he emigrated to Henderson county, Illinois, and cropped the first year on rented land. In 1853 he purchased 160 acres of land, the N. E. } of Sec.

1353

BIGGSVILLE TOWNSHIP.

28, T. 10, R. 4. In the same year, in April, he bought a piece of land where the east end of the village of Biggsville now stands, and platted a part of the town. June 7, 1855, he married Miss Jane A. Stewart, who died in March, 1880. His second marriage was with Miss Mary A. Edwards, a daughter of Thomas and Anna (McBride) Edwards ; she is a native of Tuscarawas county, Ohio, born April 24, 1843. Mr. Douglass is the father of seven children, whose names are: Armintha J., wife of August Weigand, Anna E., now Mrs. Edward Claybaugh, Ulysses G., Sarah L., Collins S., Angeline F. and Claudias C. Mrs. Weigand is the only child by his first wife. Mr. Douglass has added to his old home farm an adjoining farm of ninety-five, besides thirty acres of timber. His fine property is the result of his personal industry and careful economy. Hle and family are members of the United Presbyterian church of Biggsville, a church he has aided much by his liberality.

ISAAC C. SHORT, son of Gabriel and Sarah. (Purcell) Short, was born in Henderson county, Illinois, June 30, 1838. Being one of the sons of this county, born and reared before the county's development into its present school system, his educational advantages were limited. He was twice married: first to Miss Rutha J. Burrus, February 24, 1859. She was born March 11, 1838, and died November 15, 1868; his second marriage was with Miss Martha A. Smith, a native of Ohio; she was born August 4, 1835, and died August 1, 1879. Mr. Short has children living, as follows: Sarah F., Samuel B., Wilson D., John N. and George N., by his first wife, and Martha E. by his second wife, and three deceased. In March, 1875, he purchased and moved onto his present farm in Sec. 31, T. 11, R. 4. As will be seen by reference to the history of Gladstone township, his father, Gabriel Short, settled in this county in an early day. He was born in Washington county, Ken- tucky, in 1810, and in 1819, with his mother and stepfather and their families, removed to Perry county, Indiana, and to Henderson county, Illinois, in 1830. He served through the Black Hawk war as a volun- teer. In 1835 he was united in marriage with Miss Sarahı Purcell, an old school-mate, by whom he reared a family of eight children. He is now a resident of Biggsville and is a consistent member of the Cum- berland Presbyterian church.

JOHN A. WILSON, son of John M. and Eliza (Duffield) Wilson, was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, December 14, 1833. Soon after his birth his father removed to Franklin county, where John A. grew to manhood on a farm. During the years that boys usually secure an education, with him schools were few, and the few that did pretend to exist were on the old subscription principle. Hence, to gain an educa-

1354

HISTORY OF MERCER AND HENDERSON COUNTIES.

tion was a thing almost impossible to a poor boy. In 1856 he came to Illinois, arriving in Oquawka July 17. Here he at once went to work as a common laborer, and persistently applied himself to work wherever and whenever he could earn a dollar or a shilling. October 28, 1858, he was united in marriage with Miss Sarah J. Thompson, the daughter of William and Margaret (Wilson) Thompson. She was born in Brown county, Ohio, July 3, 1838. His first farm was sixty acres, bought in Warren county. To make his first payment on this he borrowed the money. In 1865 he sold this and bought of A. Y. Graham ninety-three acres in S. W. } of See. 14, T. 10, R. 4. Some time after he added to his first purchase an eighty-acre tract adjoining him on the east. His home, farm and surroundings have an appearance of neatness, industry and thrift, and his entire time is devoted to the care of his farm and agricultural pursuits. His five interesting children, named in the order of their birth, are: Rosetta, Elizabeth A., James A., Sarah E. and Hiram. Mr. Wilson and wife are members of the United Presbyterian church. Mr. Wilson's parents were natives of Ohio, and his grandparents of Pennsylvania. The latter were among the early pioneers of the Buckeye State. His grandfather Wilson served with energy throughout the war of 1812. He permanently settled in Fairfield county, near Lancaster, Ohio.

PAUL D. BIRDSALL, son of John and. Lucretia (Fowler) Birdsall, farmer, Kirkwood, was born in Westchester county, New York, in 1816, and when but a mere lad removed with his parents into the Province of Ontario, Canada, whence they emigrated to Illinois in 1838, leaving home in Canada June 12, with team and wagon. When near Niles, Michigan, his sister died, and when they reached Joliet the mother was stricken with fever and died also. The rest of the family reached Ellison, Henderson county, on October 18. The family set- tled here, and here the father died in 1863. Paul D. was here in an early day, and was early connected with the improvements of Biggs- ville, as his father purchased an interest in the first mill built here. January 19, 1841, he married Miss Fannie Ryder, a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Denyke) Ryder, who was born in Genesee county, New York, in March 1823, and emigrated to Henderson with her parents in 1839. In 1844 Mr. Birdsall removed to Oquawka and remained there till 1853, when he removed to Warren county and engaged in farming till 1869, when, for the purpose of educating his family, he went to Abingdon, where he continued to reside till 1880, when he returned to his farm in Warren county, in Tompkins township, where he is now comfortably located. He and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Their children's names in the order of their birth

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Mercer and Henderson Counties : together with biographical matter, statistics, etc, Part 129

Author: Mercer County Historical Society (Ill.); Henderson County Historical Society (Ill.) Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Chicago : H.H. Hill and Co. Number of Pages: 1424

Author: Mercer County Historical Society (Ill.); Henderson County Historical Society (Ill.)
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago : H.H. Hill and Co.
Number of Pages: 1424