History of Sangamon County, Illinois, together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens, Part 155

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Inter-state publishing company
Number of Pages: 1084

USA > Illinois > Sangamon County > History of Sangamon County, Illinois, together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens > Part 155

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).

Daniel Humphrey, son of John and Mary Humphrey; father born in Kentucky, October 2, 1809; mother same State, October 2, 1806. They were married March 8, 1832, in Sangamon county and had two children. Miranda, born August 1, 1833, died December 6, 1835; David, born December 4, 1834; father died July 28, 1835. The subject of this sketch was the only son, and was raised on a farm. June 9, 1857,

married Miss Mary H. Chapman, daughter of Joseph and Mary Chapman, and was born in Devonshire, England, and came with her parents to this country and settled in Sangamon county, where her mother died September 22, 1856. Her father died June, 1881, aged ninety- one years. They have three children, John J., born May 5, 1858; Mary A., November 21, 1860; Minnie E .. September 13, 1862; owns a fine residence in Farmingdale, where he resides, and is the postmaster and the principal business man of the place, doing general merchandising and grain commission business.

Samuel H. Jameson, son of Samuel and Mar garet Jameson; father born in county Derry, Ireland, about 1765; when about eighteen years of age, came to Ohio county, Virginia; was a farmer, and died in 1818. Mother was born in New Jersey, 1772. She was a lineal descendant of Sir William Wallace, of Scottish fame. They were married about 1800, and had seven chil- dren.

The subject of this sketch was married May 5, 1839, to Miss Laura A. Wells, of Licking county, Ohio. She was the daughter of Chester and Laura A. Wells, and was born in 1818. They had three children.

Samuel H. Jameson came to this county from Virginia in 1850, and settled on the farm he now owns, of four hundred and fifty acres, valued at $80 per acre. Mr. Jameson was one of six who built the first Presbyterian Church in Gardner township.

Henry P. Lyman, post office, Farmingdale, son of John and Martha Lyman. Father born in New Hampshire, April 2, 1780 ; mother born in same place, in August, 1780 ; father studied medicine with Dr. Nathaniel Smith, of Dart- mouth. In 1832, in company with his brother, Azael, visited the western country, returning in 1833, raised a colony of fifty persons, and the same year came west in wagons, being eight weeks on the way, holding divine service each Sunday on the ronte. The organization of the colony was kept up after coming to Sanga-

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

mon county, and a house of worship was soon after built. The subject of this sketch was born August 10, 1805, and in Angust, 1833, married Mary Saunders, of Rutland, Vermont, born December 4, 1805. They had six children, viz : Celesta, born July 4, 1834, was married March 5, 1862, to Ralph A. Curtis, of Waverly, Morgan county ; Martha S., born October 29, 1836, died September 13, 1838; John S., born July 31, 1841, married Carrie M. Happer, September 13, 1870 ; Sarah A., born January 16, 1844, married Rev. J. D. Kerr, August 15, 1865, now resides in Erie, Pennsylvania ; Laura A., born February 8, 1848, died December 27, 1848 ; George H., born October 4, 1850. Mr. Lyman has been a success- ful business man, but now retired. He still takes an active interest in the moral and relig- ious improvement of the community in which he lives. His son, George H., graduated at the Champaign university in the class of 1872, of the civil engineering department, aud is now located at Cairo, Illinois.

Reuben McDannald, post office, Springfield. son of John and Elizabeth McDannald. Father born November 9, 1795, mother born December 15, 1802; mother's maiden name Elizabeth Iles. Married October 8, 1822, and had five children.

The subject of this sketch came to Illinois with his mother at an early day, and married Miss Ann E. Dillon, October 20, 1853. She was born October 7, 1833. She was the daughter of John and Elizabeth Dillon, and came with her parents to Sangamon county about 1833. They have nine children, to-wit: John Ellis, Parthena L., Mary A., James, Robert, Thomas J., Emma J., Fannie and Edward R. James died Novem- ber 4, 1861; Robert died June 22, 1862; Fannie died August 17, 1871. His advantages of early education were such as the subscription schools afforded in his day, and his wife had about the same. Owns one hundred and sixty acres of land, valued at $60 per acre.

Logan McMurray, post office, Farmingdale, son of Robert and Elizabeth McMurray. Father born in Virginia; mother born in Virginia; Irish and Scotch extraction. They moved from Virginia to Kentucky about 1801, and from Ken- tucky to St. Clair county, Illinois, in 1811. There the father died, and the family returned to Kentucky, remaining there seven years, and then came to Sangamon county, and settled in what is now Curran township. They had seven children, viz: William, Samuel, James, Lewis, Hester, Arthur D. and Logan. All are dead except the subject of this sketch, who was born in Kentucky, March 22, 1810. He was married

December 22, 1831, to Miss Melissa Robinson, daughter of Edward and Jane (Henly) Robinson. She was born November 11, 1813, in Caldwell county, Kentucky. Her parents came to Sanga- mon county in 1821. They came from Ken- tucky with horse teams. The fruits of this mar- riage were ten children, to-wit: Edward S., born November 13, 1832; Jobn L., Mary E. and Martha J., twins; Angeline, Elihu J., George F., Sarah A., Emily F., Rozella. Jobn L. and An- geline died. He owns two hundred and fifty- five acres of land, valued at $75 per acre. Ad- vantages of early education of both were not very good. His son Elihu was in Company B, Tenth Illinois Cavalry.

Mathias Miller was born in Bavaria, Ger- many, on the Rhine river, April 11, 1819, where he remained, working on the farm and at the stone-mason's trade, until twenty-one years of age, when he came to the United States. He landed at New Orleans, and came to St. Louis, Missouri, and to Springfield, in 1842. In 1844, went to the pineries of Wisconsin, where he and one other man made twenty-four thousand shingles. He then returned to Springfield, and on May 17, 1846, married Miss Martha (Ross) Miller. She was born in Kentucky, and was a daughter of Wm. Ross, who was a farmer, and died in 1864; and his wife, Maria (Morrison) Ross was born in Kentucky.

Mr. and Mrs. Mathias Miller are both mem- bers of the church. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and he a member of the Catholic Church. They have had ten children, four living: Mrs. Sarah E. Gards, Mrs. Florence Campbell, Alfred F. and Virginia Mil- ler. The father of Mathias Miller, Peter Miller, was born in Germany. He was a farmer, and died in Germany in 1845 or 1846; and his wife, Margaret Derzapf, was born in Germany. She died at Lincoln, Illinois, in 1868, and was buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery, at Springfield. She came to the United States with her son, Peter Miller, in 1848. The subject of this sketch has a faim of four hundred and fifty acres in Gard- ner township, where he resides. He also owns a house and two lots in Monticello, Illinois. In politics, he has been a Democrat, but in future will vote for the best man. He cast his first vote for James K. Polk for President of the United States.

Michael Pfifer, post office, Cross Plains, son of John and Christina Pfifer; father born in Germany in 1791; mother born in Germany in 1795. They were married about 1814, and had nine children. Father died in 1861; mother

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

died in 1869. Michael Pfifer was born in 1825. He was the sixth child, and came to America in 1847; landed at New York; came to Springfield, then to California, returning in 1857. He was married November 28, 1857, to Miss Anna Rans- lear, daughter of David and Anna M. Ranslear. There were sixteen children in her father's family. The fruits of this marriage was eight children, to-wit: Mary, born September 15, 1859; John, born March 19, 1861; Rosina, born September 8, 1862; Julia, born June 14, 1864; George, born August 12, 1866; Barnhardt, born May 25, 1869; Michael, born March 10, 1873. George was drowned in the Sangamon river in 1877. Mr. Pfifer owns two hundred and five acres of land, valued at $50 per acre. Advantages of education, such as the common schools of Germany afforded.

Henry W. Rickard, post office box 699, Spring- field; son of Peter and Elizabeth Rickard; father born in Loudon county, Virginia, 1787; mother born in Hardin county, Virginia; mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Everhart. They had ten children, viz: Lewis, born October 13, 1806; Elizabeth, April 1, 1809; Catharine, July 24, 1811; Susan, August 26, 1813; Noah M., March 20, 1817; John G., October 16, 1819; Simon P., October 16, 1821; Sarah A., March 2, 1824; Mary L., March 16, 1827; Henry W., January 1, 1830; all born in Virginia; Elizabeth and Noah, de- ceased.

The subject of this sketch was the tenth child and April 4, 1852, married Miss Sarah A. Simnis, daughter of John and Lucinda Simms; born November 15, 1830. They have six children, viz: Elizabeth L., Minnie A., Lewis F., Wash- ington M., Robert I., George E .; wife died December 21, 1864; married again June 7, 1866 to Miss Henrietta Earnest, daughter of Thomas and Aletro Earnest, and born January 10, 1831. They have two children-Catharine Jane, born August 26, 1870; Thomas E., born October 13, 1872; are of German extraction; owns three hundred acres of land, valned at $80 per acre. The advantages of early education of both were such as the schools of the country afforded.

James A. Stone, post office, Bradfordton, son of Ossian L. and Abigal C. Stone. Father born in Madrid, St. Lawrence county, New York, May 24, 1804. Came to Sangamon county with his parents in November, 1831. Mother born in Senaca county, New York, May 16, 1811. (See biography of James Stewart, in Williams township.) They were married October 29, 1835, in Sangamon county. They had six children, to- wit: Frances M., born November 13, 1836, died

August 11, 1839; Henry W., born November 29, 1838, died August 26, 1839; Laura L., born June 7, 1840; James A., born May 6, 1842; Henry A., born April 3, 1844, died April 21, 1861; Charles O., born May 4, 1847. Father died June 29, 1850; mother died February 15, 1875.

The subject of this sketch was the fourth child, and was raised on the farm where he now resides. September 26, 1866, he married, in Morgan county, Miss Eliza Allen, daughter of Henry and Emily Allen. She was born July 7, 1844. Miss Allen was a lineal descendant of Colonel Ethan Allen, the first in command at the battle of Crown Point, and James A. Stone is a descendant of Colonel Philip Stone, second in command at the same battle. They had three children, to-wit: Jessie, born August 16, 1868, died April 5, 1879; Percy A., born June 22, 1871; James Roy, born September 26, 1875, died April 3, 1879. Ile owns one hundred and sixty- five acres of land, valued at $75 per acre. At present he is town treasurer. Was in the One Hundred and Thirty-third Regiment Volunteer Infantry. Educational advantages of himself and wife were both good, having availed them- selves of high schools and seminaries. His wife took drawing lessons as a specialty.

Thomas Talbot, post office, Springfield. Father born in Baltimore county, Maryland; mother born in Baltimore county, Maryland. They were married in Kentucky, and had twelve children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the sixth child, and born in Kentucky, February 21, 1816, and came with his parents to Sanga- mon county, in 1835. Father purchased land and commenced farming where this son now re- sides. March 13, 1877, married Miss Elizabeth A. Parkinson, in West Virginia. She was the daughter of John and Elizabeth Parkinson, and was born June 13, 1845; her father was born in Pennsylvania, and mother in West Virginia. Both her parents are living, and if they live until November 6, 1881, will celebrate their golden wedding. Owns eighty-five acres of land, valued at $65 per acre. Early advantages of education notgood, from scarcity of books and inferiority of teachers; wife's advantages were good, having graduated at the Waynesburg College in the class of 1865, and taught about eight years after- ward.

David Talbot, son of David and Harriet Tal- bot; father born in Maryland in 1786, mother in same State in 1788. She was the daughter of Nathan and Rebecca HIarding, who were married in Maryland, and had twelve children. They moved to Kentucky about 1796, where all their

107-

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

children were born, and came to Sangamon county in 1835.

The subject of this sketch was the fourth child, and born July 22, 1813. October 22, 1850, married Susan T. Richard, daughter of Peter and Elizabeth Richard. Mr. and Mrs. Talbot have had one child, Ella Bell, born July 5, 1855, and died August 20, 1875. Father died October, 1867, mother died December, 1867. Mr. T., owns one hundred and thirty acres of land, valued at $65 per acre. Hisadvantages of early education were such as the schools of the county afforded in his day; was supervisor of the town- ship in 1875. The brothers and sisters were: Lucinda, Fletcher, Elizabeth, David, Oreenith, Thomas, Harriet, Luther, Mary R., Emily, Car- oline, Sarah.

Peter Zimmer, post office, Cross Plains, son of Daniel and Margaret Zimmer, father born in Germany, in 1763; mother also born in Germany. They had seven children, to-wit: Catharine, Susan, Mary, Barbara, Margaret, Michael, and

Peter. All dead except Margaret and Peter. The subject of this sketch was born in Germany, April 9, 1825, and came to America in 1847, landing at New York, and from there to Louis- ville, Kentucky, where he remained seven years, working at the tailoring business; came to San- gamon county in 1855, married Miss Christina Hartman, by whom he had two children, viz .: Jacob, born October 11, 1851, died August 2, 1872; Amelia, born April 28, 1853. Wife died August 28, 1853. Again married Miss Rosena B. Pfifer, December 19, 1854, had eight children, Christina, born September 19, 1855; Peter, born October 6, 1856; Rosena, born March 13, 1857; Elizabeth, born January 4, 1861; Anna C., born July 9, 1864; John, born January 20, 1860; Charles and George, born September 28, 1869; Peter died October 5, 1873; John and George were drowned in Sangamon river, in 1877, in an effort to save the life of George Pfifer. Was naturalized in Springfield, 1854. Owns two hun- dred acres of land, valued at $50 per acre.

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

TOWNSHIP OF ILLIOPOLIS.

The township of Illiopolis is in the eastern part of the county, and is bounded on the east by Macon county, on the west by Wheatfield township, on the north by Logan county, and on the south by Christian. From the peculiar shape of the county, the old settlers used to call the territory comprising the township the coon's tail.

This is almost an exclusively prairie town- ship, but along the Sangamon river, which forms the boundary line of the township, it is densely wooded, the timber varying in width from one to three miles.

The township is five miles wide from east to west, and its mean length from north to south about eight miles. The soil of the township is a heavy black loam, and is especially adapted to all kinds of cereals.

The Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railway passes through the township from east to west, entering on section eight, township sixteen, north, range one, west, and passing into Wheat- field township from section ten, township six- teen, range two, with one station-Illiopolis.

The name Illiopolis, which is given the town- ship, is derived from a city of that name laid out, but never built upon, near the present village of the same name.

The first settlement made in what is now Illiopolis township was in 1826, by Mrs. Ander- son, a widow lady, who settled on section thirty- four. Soon after, Mr. Allen, Joel Watkins, Chesley Dickerson, William Gregg, James Hampton, John Churchill, John and James Hunter, Josiah Kent, William Bridges, and others came. All these settled in or near the Sangamon river timber. The township being mostly prairie, prevented its rapid settlement, and consequently it did not develop like some

others, and it was not until some time after the railroad was built that the prairie began to be improved to any great extent. Now some of the finest and most highly cultivated farms in the county, are the prairie farms of Illiopolis.

The sparse settlement here for so many years prevented the employment of a school teacher, and it was not until 1840 that a public school was taught, and not until 1845 that a school house was erected. The township will now com- pare favorably in her schools with any in the county. There are now seven school houses, valued at $13,800.

The first death in the township was that of John Sanders.

The first religious services, where and by whom held, are unknown, but it was probably not until quite a late day, for the same reason that schools were not held. There are now four churches in the township, including those in the village.

FIRST VILLAGE OF ILLIOPOLIS.

In 1834, when the question of the removal of the State capital began to be agitated, a beauti- ful city was laid out by John Taylor, Eli Blank- enship and Governor Duncan, about a half mile south of the present village of Illiopolis, on the northwest quarter of section eighteen, to which was given the same name-Illiopolis, the City of Illinois. The location of the village was de- scribed as the geographical center of the State, and as such was entitled to the State capital when it should be removed from Vandalia. Beautiful lithographic maps were issued, in which all the glories of the "future great city" were revealed, and the lots were placed upon the market, and a number were sold. A neat hotel was erected by the company, and Jesse Kent was

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THISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

placed in charge. Whether Mr. Kent got rich upon the proceeds of the hotel, or that his clerks all wore diamond pins, parted their hair in the middle and treated guests according as he was well or poorly dressed, history and tradition are both silent. The hotel was subsequently burned down, and never rebuilt. The Long Nine being successful in their efforts to have the capital re- moved to Springfield, the project of building up a great city was abandoned by the proprietors. A traveler, in 1837, thus speaks of the place:

" We were reminded, as we were plodding our way over a muddy road, four or five miles dis- tant from Mechanicsburg, that we were approach- ing the town of Illiopolis, a town of no mean pretensions, and which has made quite a figure -upon paper. The most prominent object that met our eye upon the site of Illiopolis was a wolf trap, the location of which was most hap- pily chosen, as being far away from common in- trusion by the biped race; but we apprehend that the number of bipeds which have been caught by the Illiopolis trap will far outnumber the quadrupeds taken in that designed for their especial benefit."

ORGANIC.

The township was organized in 1861, and from that, annual township elections have been held the first Monday in April. The following were the principal officers of the township from 1861 to 1881, inclusive:

CLERKS.

Ruben Smith 1861-64

Win. Boring. 1865-6

Jas T Kent 1867-8

A. C. Derry. .1869

J. S. Hampton. 1870

J. T. McElfresh 1871-2

J. H. Myers.

1873

Peter A. Wilcox 1874

A. C. Derry. 1875

H. P. Hankins 1876-79

W. W. Ishmael. 1880

W. H. Fait.

1881

COLLECTORS.

Jesse A. Pickrell. 1861

A. C. Ford .1862

John C. Perry 1863-4

John Capps. 1865-6

W. N. Streeter 1-67

J. S. Hampton .1868

A. S. Capps. 1869

Jas. W. McGuffin. 1870-1

Chas. S. Cantrall. 1872

John Churchill 1873

Chas. S. Cantrall. 1874-5

Wm. Boring. .1876

J T. Peden. . 1877

J. P. Cowdin. . 1878-9

Geo. W. Richardson

1880-1

ASSESSORS.

Chas. M. Turner. 1861

Chas. R. Capps 1862

Henry Boughton 1863

John C. Perry 1864

V. S. Ruby. 1865

W. N. Streeter. 1866

Chas. R. Capps 1867

W. N. Streeter

1868

A. Iloughton. 1869

1870-72

H. P. Hampton.

S. P. Fullenwider.

1874

W. N. Streeter. 1875

J. S. Hampton. 1876

G. W. Constant 1877

W. N. Streeter 1878-80

C. M. Turner. 1881

SUPERVISORS.

William Short. 1861

Wesley Bullard. 1862-64

Jesse A. Pickrell. 1865-67 Weslev Bullard. 1868

V. S. Ruby. 1869

Miles H. Wilmot 1870-74

Geo. Pickrell. 1875

V. S. Ruby. 1876

J. M. Pearson, appointed August 28, 1876, served seven months, the unexpired term of V. S. Ruby.

D. W .. Peden, elected in 1877, served five years, and is the present incumbent. He is also the present Chair- man of the Board of Supervisors of Sangamon county.

VILLAGE OF ILLIOPOLIS.

The present Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Rail- road Company having here established a station, around which several houses were built, it was thought proper to lay out a village. Accord- ingly William Wilson, Timothy J. Carter and Thomas S. Mather laid out and platted the cen- ter of section seven, township sixteen, range one, and the plat was recorded under date Octo- ber 15, 1856.

The first house built within the limits of the present village was in 1854, by a Mr. Ganson, who was the station agent of the railroad com- pany. The building was designed and used by Mr. Ganson as a store, the first in the village.

This was the beginning of the village, and from this beginning is now seen the flourishing village of Illiopolis, which was first given the name of Wilson, after the chief justice by that name, one of its proprietors. The village grew quite rapidly for a time. A local writer in 1866 thus speaks of it :

" Wilson is a town laid out adjoining Illiopolis station, and contains about four hundred inhabi tants. Its original owners were Colonel Thomas S. Mather, of Springfield, Timothy J. Carter, now one of the Vice Presidents of the Union Pacific Railroad, and the late Chief Justice Wil- son. Colonel Mather, laid out the town and

S. P. Fullenwider. 1873

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

named it in honor of Judge Wilson; it is twenty- three miles east of Springfield, and sixteen miles west of Decatur, being the central point on the railroad between these cities; it is about six miles north of Mt. Auburn, in Christian county, and ten miles south of Mount Pulaski, in Logan county; it is connected with these two points by good roads, Lake Fork and the Sangamon river being well bridged. A mail route extends from here through Mt. Auburn to Buck Hart Grove, in Christian county. At this point the railroad company have established a tank for furnishing water to trains, into which the water is raised by means of a wind-mill of the most approved style, and as this is the only watering station between the Sangamon river, near Springfield, and Deca- tur, all trains in passing stop here for the pur- pose of taking water. At this point, too, the Sangamon river timber is at less distance from the railroad than at any other between James- town, near Springfield, and Stevens' creek, near Decatur, being only a mile distant.

" Wilson is a regularly incorporated town. It contains three dry goods stores, two grocery and confectionery establishments, one drug store, one wagon manufactory, two blacksmith shops, one tin shop, one shoe shop, one broom factory, two carpenter shops, one saddle and harness shop, one paint shop, one carriage factory, two hotels, two grain warehouses, one lumber yard, two sorghum factories and a commodions school house, which is con- ducted under the common school system. There are two physicians in town. The Metho- dist denomination have a church building, erected during 1865, at a cost of $4,000. The Christian denomination hold their meetings regularly in the Methodist building or in the school house, and the Catholics have a church building in process of erection.

" The Good Templars have a lodge here, No. 785, consisting of about one hundred and seven- teen members, and its regular time of meeting is every Saturday night, and to the credit of the town, be it said, not a drop of ardent spirits is sold, except by the drug stores, for medical pur- poses. The Free Masons have a lodge in process of organization here, and during the present sea- son a large and commodious hall has been erected for the accommodation of these lodges, public exhibitions, lectures, etc. At this station are shipped yearly, averaging the last three or four years, about eighty thousand bushels of corn; twenty-five thousand bushels of wheat; ten thousand bushels of oats; two thousand head of beef cattle, and five thousand head of hogs.

Wilson is the headquarters for transacting all township business; all elections are held here, and here reside the town clerk and police magis- trate. What this point has not, and what it needs most, is a flouring mill, the nearest estab- lishment of this kind being from nine to twelve miles distant. Decatur, Mechanicsburg and Mt. Pulaski furnish most of the flour and meal for this township. The post office, at Wilson, is 'Illiopolis Station.' Hard lumber is procured from the mills in the Sangamon timber; pine, through the lumber yard, from Chicago and To- ledo,"

The village retained the name of Wilson until 1869, when it was changed to Illiopolis.

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History of Sangamon County, Illinois, together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens, Part 155

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago, Inter-state publishing company Number of Pages: 1084

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Inter-state publishing company
Number of Pages: 1084