USA > Illinois > Piatt County > History of Piatt County; together with a brief history of Illinois from the discovery of the upper Mississippi to the present time > Part 54
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MR. JACOB COON (deceased) was born in Virginia in 1802. He was married in that state in 1826, to Elizabeth Applegate. She was a native of New Jersey, but she, with her brothers and sisters, were partly reared in Ohio. Her parents died in Indiana. One brother, Jacob Applegate, and one sister, Mrs. Sarah Ross, came to Illinois in 1842. Mr. Coon's father moved from his native state, Pennsylvania,
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· to Virginia, and from there he moved over the mountains on pack- horses to Ohio. He then moved to Illinois, and from there to Mis- souri, where he died. Mr. Jacob Coon moved in 1842, onto the place now owned by Mr. Spencer, but which was then Mr. Hughes' place. They wintered through that cold winter in a log house with clapboard doors. They had moved from a comfortable house, and Mrs. Hollo- way pronounces the change as having been just "awful." The next spring they went onto the place still owned by Mrs. Coon and her son. They built a good hewed log house, to which, at a later time, an addi- tion was built. Mr. Coon was considered an excellent hewer, and was employed by many on account of his ability. About the first work he did after coming to the county was to prepare the timbers for the house Mr. Ezra Marquiss now lives in. After Mr. Coon enlarged their house they kept a country hotel for drovers for near twenty years. When the stage ran between Monticello and Champaign they kept the trav- elers and stage men for a time. The drovers called this house their home, and Mrs. Coon was noted as the woman who kept a barrel of pickles the year round. When Mr. Coon came to this county he brought about $1,000 and five or six head of horses. He entered sixty acres of land and bought about 260 acres. At the time of his death he owned about 200 acres of land. His son remarks that his principal exploit was hard work; and from what we hear, this exploit extended throughout his life. He was crippled in one hand. This was caused by the bite of a dog. Mr. and Mrs. Coon had two children born in Ohio, one of whom, Addison S., is still living, and in this county. He married Lufanny J. Buck, of De Witt county, and has had four chil- dren : Orra married Louis Bartley, has two children, Charlie and Fan- nie, and lives on the old home-place ; Emma married Nelson Bartley, and has two children, Nellie M. and an infant ; Temperance and Homer Jacob are at home. Addison lives on part of his father's place, and has put most of the improvements on forty acres. He also owns 200 acres more. Mr. Jacob Coon died in 1872, and Mrs. Coon next married Mr. Samuel Ellerton. In 1880 she became the wife of Mr. Thomas Holloway, from Indiana. He went from that state to the army, was out three years, and was wounded on the raid under Sher- man to the sea. He has received a pension since his discharge. He has been a school teacher in the west for several years. Michael Coon came to Piatt county in 1841, and is still living here. He has been twice married and a number of his children and grandchildren reside in the county.
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MR. RUFUS CALEF (deceased) was a native of New Hampshire, from which state he moved to Peoria, and from there to Bunker Hill, Illi- nois. He next moved to St. Louis, and from there to Piatt county, where he and Mr. Henry Jacobs entered and bonglit near 3000 acres of land. When Mr. Calef came west he worked his way to Peoria, and was a hard worker alll his life. He was married in Madison county, to Jean Galt, a native of Scotland. They lived in Piatt county a number of years, and until their death, the one dying in 1877 and the other in 1876. Two of their five children are living: Horace married Sadie White, and has three children: Jean, Roscoe and Bes- sie. Arthur Calef is living at home with his brother. There are some 2,500 acres in the Calef place. Mr. Calef was a great stock dealer. Horace remembers that at one time there were 1900 head of cattle on the place, but is not positive as to whether this is the most that was ever on it or not.
MR. JOHN CLINE was a native of Pickaway county, Ohio. He was married in that state to Letitia Carry, a native of the same county. They moved directly to Piatt county in 1838. Mr. Cline's father, Jacob Cline, and several brothers and sisters, came out the spring of the same year. John Cline first settled about one mile from White Heath, where he lived, and owned 700 acres of land at the time of his death in 1860. He had six children, all of whom are living : John married Matilda Knott, and has two children, Ida and Della ; James married Jennie Maffett and lives in Nebraska ; Letitia married Warren Gould and had two children, Nelson and Eva; she next married J. Wm. Shannon, and lives in Philadelphia ; Sarah, the wife of Thomas Plunk, lives about two miles from Monticello, and has six children, Wm., Thos., Albert, John, Chas., Robert, Louis and Harriet Pearl ; J. H. Cline married Josephine Knott, and has four children, Anna, Minnie, Carrie and Ona L. He has been in the merchandise business in White Heath for over three years ; Ezra Cline married Mell Knott and lives one mile northeast of White Heath. He has two children, Cora Alma and Ola Annis. He owns sixty acres of land, and is the last of the family to have an interest in the Cline farn. Mrs. Cline was married to Wm. Curl in 1869. His first wife died, leaving five children, two of whom live in Piatt county : Mollie, who married Mr. Frank White, and Milton, who was married last to Mrs. Susan Baker. Mrs. Curl now makes her home at Mr. Tho. Plunk's. In speaking of her early life in the county, she remarked that the log cabin into which they moved had a stick chimney, so old and worn out that the
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dogs could crawl in at either side, and that the doors of the house were made of clapboards. They made molasses from watermelons and beets, and made muskmelon butter. She remembers that the deer, and especially the timber-wolves, were quite plenty when she first came to the county. One of Mr. Wm. Wright's children was lost, and they supposed it was eaten by the timber-wolves. The child followed a pet deer off. Some bones were afterward found which were supposed to be those of the child.
MR. DANIEL CRESAP (deceased) was of English descent, and a native of Maryland. A history of the Cresap family has been written, and some of the old families have been somewhat noted in early American history. 'Mr. Daniel Cresap moved from Ohio to Piatt county about 1855, and settled on the old Piatt place near Monticello. After living there two years he moved to the Williams place in Champaign county, and thence to where Frank Cresap lives, just across the line in Champaign county. Mr. Cresap's first wife, nee Miss Marsh, had four children. Of these, Evaline, who was the wife of Mr. Reed in Ohio, is now dead ; Clarinda, who was married, is also dead ; Elvira, the wife of Mr. Edwin Cresap, is living in Champaign county ; Elizabetlı, who married James Vangundy, died, leaving one child. Mr. Cresap's last wife, nee Margaret Humes, had five children : Hamilton married Miss Campbell, but died in a few months after his marriage. His widow became the wife of Mr. Bishop, and lived in Piatt county for a time. She is now a widow again. Mr. B. F. Cresap married Saralı A. Vincent in Chicago in 1868, and has had five children, Nellie, Clara, Josephine, Wm. H. and Benj. F. Mr. B. F. or Frank Cresap went to the army from Piatt county in 1862, in Co. C of the 107th Ill. Inf. He went out as first lieutenant and was promoted to captain. He was in the siege of Knoxville, in Sherman's march to the sea, and was engaged in battles at Buzzard's Roost, Resaca, Franklin and Nash- ville. At the battle of Resaca, one of the boys near him had his head shot off, and some pieces of his skull wounded Mr. Cresap in several places. This was the only time blood was drawn on him, and he was never taken prisoner while in the army. He was one of the members of the court martial during a winter and summer of the time he was in the war. Mary Cresap became the wife of B. F. Thomas, and lives in Champaign county ; Daniel is married and lives in Missouri. Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Cresap botlı died on the place upon which Frank Cresap lives.
MR. TURNER CARTER, formerly a resident of Piatt county, now
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residing in Mahomet, is proud of being a native of old Virginia. He came to Piatt county first in 1856, and located here the next year. He was married in 1856, to Maria Williamson, of Ohio, and has six chil- dren living, Mary Jane, George W., Charles R., Eliza E. and Addy B. He went into the army in 1861, in Co. Bof the 3d Mo. Cav. He went into another regiment in 1865, and served until the war was over. He was wounded at Little Rock, Arkansas, and came very near being taken prisoner. He was in the battles at Little Rock, Mt. Zion, Harte- ville, Helena and Shreveport. Mr. Carter joined tlie Good Templars fifteen years ago, and he says he holds the pledge sacred to this day.
MR. REUBEN DUBSON (deceased) was born in Pennsylvania. He was married in that state, and in 1855 moved to Piatt county with his wife and nine children : Martin Dubson married Mary Johnson, has five children and lives in Goose Creek township; John married Sidney Kearny, has two children, Sherman K. and Barbara Elizabeth, and lives within a quarter of a mile of the place upon which his father settled when he came to this county; he and his wife together own 460 acres of land ; Reuben Dubson married Louisa Hartley, has two children, Ella and Daniel, and lives in Goose Creek township; Hetty lives with her mother in the last-named township; Elizabeth married William Perkins, of Goose Creek township, and has six children ; Mary, who was the wife of George Varner, died, leaving four children ; Samuel married Ella Varner, has four children and lives in Monticello town- ship ; Susie married John Lohr, has one child and lives in Goose Creek township; William Dubson lives with his mother.
MR. S. A. EVANS, farmer, White Heath, is a native of Ohio. He was married in Piatt county, in 1849, to L. Margaret Mackey, a native of Ohio. They have five children living : Henry C. married Emma Rhoades, has one child and lives at home ; Emma, Ida, Abbie and Arthur are also at home. Mr. Evans owns about 180 acres of land in the vicinity of Centerville. He has not escaped some of the offices in the township, and has been considered a prominent man in his neighborhood.
MR. JOIN FISHER (deceased) was of German descent and was a native of Virginia. He moved to Ohio, where he lived for ten years, and then in 1841 moved to Piatt county and settled on the place his father, David Fisher, had bought the previous year. His parents both died on this place. After living for ten or twelve years here Mr. Fisher moved to the farm, a portion of which is now owned by his sou, George. Mr. Fisher and wife both died on this place. They had
,
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a large family of children, only five of whom are now living. Of these, Jacob married Mary Moss, has had four children, Surrilda M., John, Letitia and Tho. Jefferson, and lives in Sangamon township ; George married Surrilda Collins (see Abraham Collins' sketch); Sur- rilda C. Fisher became the wife of James Phalen, who lives on a por- tion of the Fisher place, and is the mother of one child, Margaret ; James and Margaret Fisher make their home with George, their brother.
MR. R. D. FISHER, farmer, White Heath, is a native of Ohio, and is of English and German descent. His grandfather, John Fisher, was a lieutenant under Washington in the revolutionary war. His father,
Absolam Fisher, moved from Ohio to Illinois about 1858. He had a family of twelve children: Christina was the wife of Isaac J. Hall; George, who married Miss Hart, died, and left two children; Ebenezer P. lives at Monticello ; R. D., whose name is at the head of this sketch, married Anna Gulliford and lives in Sangamon township; he has four chil- dren, S. Jane, William, Reuben F. and Ella Eliza ; Sydney married William Gale and lives near Maroa; Susannah married Jonathan Huffines and lives in Missouri.
MR. EZRA FOSNAUGH (deceased), farmer, moved to Piatt county about 1856. He died in 1873, and his widow, Mrs. Eliza Fosnaugh, lives in Sangamon township. Seven of their eight children are still living : James A. Fosnaugh married Kitty Cunningham, of Logan county, has four children and is a merchant in Lane Station, De Witt county ; Selina married George W. McCabe and died, leaving two children; Theodore married Ella Dungan, has two boys, Jesse and Alva, and lives in Sangamon township ; Elifus and Europe Fosnaugh are living at home ; Dora Alice became the wife of William Dungan and has one infant ; the names of Mrs. Fosnaugh's other children are Laura Bell and Irwin.
MR. J. A. FLANIGAN, farmer, White Heath, is a native of Pennsyl- vania. His grandfather was in the war of 1812. Mr. Flanigan lived in Indiana for about three years, and then about 1861 moved to Sanga- mon township. He was married about 1866, to Elmira Rairdon, and has three children living : William Tho., Edwin C. and Bessie. He has held the offices of road commissioner and assessor.
MR. GEORGE R. GROVES, farmer, Mansfield, was born in Ohio, from whichi state he moved to Piatt county about 1859, and settled on Camp creek. He used to be quite in demand as a violin player at all the parties in the neighborhood. He has, however, relinquished this pastime. His first wife, nee Catharine Anderson, died, leaving a
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number of children : John, who married Miss Oulery, Job, George, Edward, Frank, Minerva, Mattie, Thomas and Kate. Mr. Groves was next married to Jane Tracy, who died in 1881, leaving three chil- dren, Emma, Eliza and Andrew.
HUGH V. HANNAH (deceased) was a native of Virginia. From there he moved to Ohio, from which state he moved in 1849 to Piatt county, Illinois, with five children, two of whom are living. Mr. David Ford Hannah is the eldest, born in Ohio in 1827. He was married in 1851, to Francis Oulery, by whom he had nine children, six of whom still live in the county ; one, Rebecca Hannah, the wife of William Wise, lives near Urbana, Champaign county, and has three children, David, Anna and Rosa ; William Thomas married Minnie Long, and is farm- ing in Sangamon township; they have one child, William Oscar ; Francis E. married William Mckinley, and also lives in Sangamon township, and have one daughter, Ruditha; the other surviving four of Mr. D. F. Hannah's family, Hugh V., James D., Samuel A. and John W., are still at home. Nancy, daughter of Mr. Hugh V. Han- nah, married Samuel Oulery, and lives in Sangamon township. They have seven children. Two of Mr. Hannah's sons died in the army, having enlisted in the 107th Ill. Inf. Vance died in Andersonville prison.
MR. JOHN F. HART (deceased) was a native of North Carolina. From that state he moved to Kentucky, and from there to Indiana. He next moved to Greene county, Illinois, and from there came to Piatt county about 1850. He first lived on Charles Harris' place, but inade several moves while in the county, and at last settled on Mr. Samuel Bender's place, where he died in 1865. He was married in Greene county, to Mary Peacock, who died in 1856, leaving seven children. J. C. Hart was married in Piatt county, to Eliza Norris, and has had four children, three of whom, Lennia, Charles E. and Emma, are liv- ing. J. C. was in the late war, in Co. E of the 107th reg. He was in battles at Knoxville, Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain, Franklin and Nashville. To return to Mr. John Hart's family : Sarah is not mar- ried, and still lives in Sangamon township ; Elizabeth married James Parris, but died, leaving six children, Charles, Nellie, John, Ida, Mahala and Laura ;. William Hart went into the army in the 3d Mo. Cav., and died at Little Rock, Arkansas; Tarlitia married George Fisher, who died, and she then married James Berton and moved to Missouri ; Aaron is living with his sister Sarah ; George married Emma Murphy, and lives in Illinois. The subject of our sketch was in the Black Hawk
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war for three monthis under Col. Fry. He used to relate an incident connected with his life in this war. For quite awhile a sentinel was killed every night while the company was camped near some Indians. Finally, one man was on duty who determined to be careful. In the night he was disturbed by a hog which rooted indiscriminately near to and distant from him. He concluded to stop the rooting and so shot at the hog, but instead of a hog an Indian fell dead.
MR. DAVID HEATH (deceased) was a native of Kentucky. His wife, nee Anne Porter, was from Pennsylvania. Mr. Heath moved with his wife and family to Sangamon township in 1845. Soon after settling here he went back to Ohio on business, took sick and died there in 1846. His family knew nothing of lis sickness or death until some time after he died. Mr. Heath had bought land, so that his wife and five children had something to live on. At this time the eldest son was about sixteen years of age. Mrs. Heath died about 1876, after
having been a widow for thirty years. Four of her children lived to be of age. Mary is the wife of Mr. B. F. Harris, a banker of Cham- paign ; James C. married Elizabeth J. Hogeland, but died in 1871 or 1872, leaving six children, Francis H., Almor P., Mary A., John F., Anne and Alberta C. Porter Heath, now a successful farmer near White Heath, says he "never was a boy." His hard work began so early that there was no chance for doing as most boys do. He was married in 1865, to Lizzie Hevel, a native of Coles county, Illinois. Three of their six children, Anne Mary, Bessie B. and Noble P., are living. Mr. Heath built one of the finest country residences in the county in 1880. The house is of frame, contains twelve rooms, with- out the basement, and cost near $5,000. When asked if he had held any offices he remarked, "I was appointed supervisor once, and have been school director. That is as far as I can get."
MR. WILLIAM HICKMAN and wife, nee Susan Flesher, came with their family to Piatt county in 1855, and settled on Camp creek, where they still lived at the time of their death in 1880. Five of their nine chiil- dren are still living: George died in the army ; Elizabeth married Jno. Mounts, of Centerville, and had ten children : of these, Thomas mar- ried Angeline Webster ; James married Jane Webster; Louisa married William Wrench, and has four children, Thomas, Charles, Walter and Harriet ; Susan is the wife of Joseph Welch, and lives near Mansfield ; Martha, Emma F. and Jno. W. are the names of the other children. Louisa Hickman married Samuel Maffet, but both are dead ; Harvey married Maria Teats, has nine children, Franklin, Maggie, Elizabeth,
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Mary, Jennie, Charlie, Sarah, George and James, and is a farmer; Maria married Benjamin Walker, has eight children, and lives in Sey- mour ; Mary E. is the wife of Reason Combs, and Harriet married Wesley P. Smith.
MR. SAMUEL HALDEMAN, farmer, Monticello, was born in Virginia, in 1810. His father was a Dane and his mother a German. He lived for ten or twelve years in Louisiana, and then in January, 1856, moved to Piatt county from Ohio. He settled on the Mackey farm for one season, and then bought the old hotel which stood just west of the brick hotel in Monticello. He kept the hotel part of the time, and rented it for a time until he went into the army. After returning from the war he bought land on Camp creek, and now owns a neat little home near the Sangamon. He was married in Ohio in 1849, to Maria J. Bartley, a native of Ohio, and has had nine children, six of whom are living : Rachel was married in 1876, to John Trent, of Wapella, De Witt county ; Jacob is not married ; Mary was married in 1872, to James Norris, and has three children, Harley, William and Ollie May ; the names of Mr. Haldeman's other children are Peter K., William and Emma. Mr. Haldeman went to the army in 1861, in Co. A of the 10th Ill. Vol. Cav. He remained until 1863, when he was dis- charged because of an injury received by a falling stable. He now receives a pension. He engaged in the battles of Milliken's Bend, Young's Point, Vicksburg, Mississippi and Richmond, in addition to several skirmishes.
MR. WILLIAM HARPER, farmer, was born in 1820, in Ohio, and is of German and Irish lineage. His father died in Piatt county. Mr. Harper came to Piatt county in 1837 or 1838, and settled about five miles north of Monticello. He married Sarah Wright, who died, leav- ing four children : Walter Scott was in the army ; George married Martha Mooney, has four children, and lives in Champaign county ; Julia Ann married David Durst, has two children, and lives in Piatt county ; Asenath is married, and has four children. Mr. Harper was next married to Mary Cline, who died, leaving two children, Joanne and Elizabeth. He was again married to Sarah Hott, who has three children, Barney, Jerome and Frankie.
MRS. ELEANOR HOWES, nee Brittenham, was born in Ohio, and is of German and English descent. Her father, Mr. Samuel Brittenham, moved from Delaware to Ohio. Mrs. Brittenham moved to Scott county, Illinois, about 1840. Her son John, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this book, came a year or two earlier. Eleanor was
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J.O. Sparks.
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LIBRARY THE CAMERONY OF ILLINOIS
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married in 1843, to Mr. John Howes, a native of Kentucky. They moved from Scott county to Hancock county in 1844, from which county they moved to Piatt county in 1861. They were in Hancock county during the Mormon raid. After a good deal of trouble the Mormons were driven to Nauvoo, and Mr. Howes was in the Mor- mon war. Mrs. Howes has lived in this county ever since 1861. Her husband went to Pike's Peak during the war, and has never been heard of since. He is supposed to be dead. They had six children, but only one of them is living. William, in 1869, married Adelia Cramer, a native of Ohio, and lives with his mother in Sangamon township, on a farm of ninety-five acres. Mrs. Howes owns some property in Monticello, a house and several lots.
DR. J. M. HENRIE, White Heath, is a native of Indiana; his father, from Virginia, and his mother from Kentucky; moved to Indiana, and from there to Iowa, where Dr. Henrie was reared. He received his medical education at Bennet College, Chicago, in 1878. He practiced a little in Indiana, but virtually began his practice in Piatt county, May 30, 1872, and in the vicinity of White Heath. He was married in 1875, to M. Ella Bond, and has one child, Claudie.
MR. JAMES HUBBART (deceased) was a native of Ohio. He was a hard worker. While in Olio he made many rails at thirty-seven cents a hundred. When he came to this county he had about $50. He first rented land, then entered and bought land. Finally he owned at least 1,700 acres of land. He married Lillie Lane, in 1831, and had three children, Mary A., Thomas and William.
MR. WILLIAM M. KINSER, farmer, Galesville, is a native of Picka- way, Ohio. He moved from there to Piatt county in 1857, and first settled in Monticello township. Mr. Kinser was married to Ruth Cherry, who died, leaving five children, Kate, Randolph, Elijah J., William H. and Joseph. Mrs. Kinser died December 22, 1869, when thirty-six years old. Mr. Kinser married his second wife, Miss War- ner, March 24, 1875, and three of their four children are living, Liz- zie, John and James.
MR. JOHN KERR (deceased), with his wife and six children, moved from Ohio to Piatt county. Their eldest daughter, Nancy, married Wilson Savage, and lived where Mr. Jacob Reeser lives, until she died, leaving two children, Mary J., the wife of Mr. Merrit, of Champaign, and Emma, the wife of Mr. Bennet, of Lane Station. Samuel Kerr mar- ried Martha J. Madden (see Mr. John Madden's sketch); Susan mar- ried Sebastian Mackey, but moved to Iowa in two years after her
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HISTORY OF PIATT COUNTY.
marriage; Elizabeth married Kennedy Ramsey, has one child and lives in Boone county, Iowa ; Amanda is the wife of Mr. Hull, and Clara, the wife of Mr. Adams, of Nebraska. Mrs. John Kerr is living with her daughter in Iowa.
MR. WILLIAM KEARNEY (deceased) was a native of Ohio. He mar- ried, and in 1851 came with his wife and five children to Piatt county. Mr. Kearney died in 1877 of typhoid fever, and his wife died in 1880, after a six months' sickness. Sidney, who married John Dubson, is the only one of the family now living. Two of the girls died after their marriage. Sarah E., the wife of Amos Conkle, died about 1869, leaving five children, Sarah L., the wite of Joseph Conway, and mother of one child ; William, Elijah, Ida F., the wife of Brise Webster, and Eunice. Virginia Kearney, the wife of Hiram Kirkland, died in 1872, leaving one child, William. Mr. Kirkland went to Kansas and is married again.
MR. PRICE KERNS, merchant and postmaster, Lodge, was born in Ohio and moved from there to Illinois in 1859, first to Macon county, and in 1861 to Piatt county, where he has been since. He was agent at Lodge previous to the removal of the station to the crossing. He has a very nice store building, built in 1882, the first and only one in Lodge. He does general merchandising. He owns one block-four lots-in Lodge. His mother did reside in the county, but is in Nebraska now.
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