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 179

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 179

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parents is in his possession-a good farm of two hundred and forty aeres. The Doctor is a respected citizen, and by his industry enjoys the blessings of a nice home in Williamsville. In politics, a Republican, and cast his first vote for Taylor, for president.

Robert M. McClelland, Williams township, was born in Fancy Creek township, July 12, 1841, and son of James and Mary (Brown) Me- Clelland, the former a native of Illinois, the latter of Kentucky. The subject of our sketch was married to Miss Lydia A. Groves, Decem- ber 1, 1870. She is the only living daughter of Jacob and Barbara Groves, who are natives of Pennsylvania and Illinois, respectively. Mr. and Mrs. MeClelland have two children living: Minnie B., born September 15, 1872, and Jacob, born October 6, 1873. Mr. M. received his edu- cation in the common schools of his native State. He is a member of the Masonie Order. In connection with farming, he formerly dealt in stock, and is now farming one hundred and sixty aeres of fine prairie land, well improved and under cultivation.

Mr. and Mrs. MeC. are members of the Chris- tian Church and respected citizens.

Robert E. Mc Clelland, M. D., was born in Williams township, September 1, 1850, and is a son of John and Elizabeth A. (Mitts) MeClel- land, natives of Illinois and Ohio respectively; had seven children, of whom John, Martha, Charlotte F., Luticia and the Doctor, are living. Mr. McClelland has enjoyed good educational privileges. He attended the State University at Springfield, Illinois, in 1867, and after four years of a student's life in the Wesleyan University, at Bloomington, Illinois, graduated in the eclee- tie seientific course.

In 1871, studied medieal works under Dr. Van Meter, in Williamsville, Illinois; attended his first course of lectures in 1872 and 1873, at Rush Medical College, Chicago, Illinois, and in 1874, graduated in the same institution, receiv- ing a diploma. He begun the practice of medi- cine in Williamsville, and practiced two years with Dr. Winn, of the same town. At present Dr. MeC. is without a partner, and is reaping the reward of his carnest and faithful research in his calling; has been a member-secretary- of the town trustees, four years.

Dr. McClelland was married to Miss Sue C. Turley, September 8, 1874. She is a daughter of Charles and Louisa Turley, old settlers, and of their children, Stephen S., Margaret, David C., Amanda, Sue C., James P., Marshall, Gen- eral Mead and Ina, are living. The Doctor has

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

two children, Pearl, born August 14, 1876, and Ila, born May 13, 1878. Dr. McC. and wife are members of the Christian Church. He mani- fests an interest in all he advocates, and is a respected citizen. In politics he is a Repub- lican and cast his first vote for U. S. Grant.

Charles Miller, was born in Scioto county, Ohio, July 18, 1820; is a son of John W. and Polly (Headley) Miller, natives of Virginia; the former born 1781, the latter 1782. Mr. Charles Miller came to Williams township, Sangamon county, Illinois, October 22, 1854, and took up his abode, in a log cabin; afterwards he pur- chased four hundred acres of land on which he located, and has resided since. To this pos- session he has added five hundred acres of land in Sangamon county, and four hundred and ten acres of land in Menard county, Illinois, all of which is under cultivation. Mr. Miller's educa- tion was of that character which so many of our early settlers experienced, spending only a short time in the log school house during the winter.

His marriage took place in Ohio, October 12, 1843, to Rebecca Miller, daughter of Abraham and Rebecca Miller, natives of Virginia, the former being born in the historic year of 1776. Charles Miller and wife were blessed with eight children, W. H., born February 8, 1845, enlisted in the Civil War in May, 1864, at Williamsville, Sangamon county, in Company I, One Hundred and Thirty-third Regiment, Infantry Volunteers, with Captain Orendorff in command. Was sent to Rock Island, to guard prisoners, and died while in camp, August 28, 1864; Franklin R., born March 1, 1847, died March 21, 1847; Gideon C., born July 9, 1848; Polla H., born December 26, 1850, died December 7, 1875; Edwin B., born July 30, 1853; John A., born March 19, 1856, died March 1, 1881; James T., born Decem- ber 28, 18 -; Oscar H., born December 4, 1859, and was killed August 5, 1880, by a railway ac- cident, while en route for Chicago, Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Miller are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

William L. Perce, druggist, Williamsville, is a son of John A. and Mary J. (Lilly) Perce, natives of Ohio. Mr. Perce was born in Ohio, March 7, 1847. His early schooling was obtained in the common schools, and at the age of fifteen, entered the Springfield University, of which he was a student four years. In 1868, Mr. Perce graduated in the law department at Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the same year was admitted to the bar, and at once entered the legal profession and practiced in Springfield. Prefering teaching, he

entered this profession in 1870 and taught five years in public schools, part of which time was principal of the graded schools in Williamsville. In the year 1875, Mr. Perce purchased the drug store owned by J. C. Ballow, in Williamsville, and has greatly enhanced his stock, and now has a first-class drug store and carries a stock of $3,000. Mr. Perce has been township supervisor two terms and is now president and treasurer of the trustees of Williamsville; was a member of militia known as Cullom's Guards, for five years, in which time he was promoted from First Ser- geant to Captain. He is a member of the Masonic Order with which he united in 1869. Has passed through several gradations, Blue Lodge or Master Mason, Chapter, Council and Command- ery. Mr. Perce participated it the laying of the corner stone of the new State House in Spring- field, and the unveiling of Lincoln's monument. Mr. Perce and sister Anna are at home with his mother, and are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In politics, he is a Repub- lican.

Isaac D. Poorman was born in Sangamon county, December 25, 1851; his parents, John M. and Susan (Bush) Poorman, the former a native of Pennsylvania, the latter of Ohio. Isaac Poorman assisted his father on the farm until 1869, when he began to clerk in a whole- sale grocery store in Iola, Kansas. He continued with them uutil 1874. While clerking, he was married to Miss Mary F. Hamblin, in Iola, Kan- sas, December 25, 1872. She is the daughter of Wm. H. and Elenor (Boyd) Hamblin, natives of Kentucky, and had ten children, of whom Eliz- abeth, Emily, John, William, Henry, and Mary F. are living.

Mr. and Mrs. P. have two children: Susan F., born July 18, 1876, and Perry R., born Septem- ber 20, 1880. In 1875, Mr. Poorman began farming in Williams township, on one hundred and sixty acres of good prairie land, of which he now is the owner. Mr. Poorman is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is an energetic young man, a good citizen and merits the respect of all.

John M. Poorman was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, December 20, 1814, and is the son of John and Catharine (Hoffman) Poorman, natives of Pennsylvania. John M. Poorman came from Ohio in the fall of 1842, and moved to Shelby county, Illinois, and the following year came to Sangamon county, and located on the farm formerly owned by B. B. Branson. The farm is located in the south half of section eight, in Williams township, and con-

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

sists of three hundred and twenty acres; two hundred and sixty acres are under cultivation. Mr. Poorman is of a family of ten children, of whom John M., D. L., Joseph L., Anna and Re- becca are living. Mr. Poorman was married in Fairfield county, Ohio, April 9, 1840, to Martha S. Bush, daughter of William Bush, a native of Virginia. By this marriage six children were born: Mary C., Flora E., Clara S., Lillie D., Isaac D. and John M. Mr. Poorman attended school in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and his wife in the common schools, of Ohio. In his early life he was bound out to serve an appren- ticeship to a tanner in Pennsylvania for four years, after which time he turned his attention to another pursuit in life. He began in the struggle of life poor, and his present accumula- tion is due to his energy and perseverance.

John Prather, Williamsville, is the son of Enos and Mary (Sargent) Prather, who were born in Virginia and Maryland respectively. John Prather was born December 16, 1813. He began the business of farming and stock raising with his brothers, Enos and William, at the age of fif- teen years, and continued with them sixteen years, since which he has carried on the business. Drove cattle from Ohio to Philadelphia and New York before the days of railroad transportation. Mr. Prather was married in Pike county, Ohio, December 11, 1836, to Mary J. Jones, daughter of Samuel and Lucy Jones, of Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Prather were blessed with the follow- ing named children: William, John, Samuel E., Henry S., John F., and Mary Lucy. Samuel E. and John F. are living. Mr. Prather came to Springfield in 1867, in which city he lived ten years, and then moved to Williamsville, Illinois. He owns twenty-two hundred acres of good land in Sangamon county, part of which is in Wil- liams township; eight hundred and fifty acres in Logan county, and twenty-two hundred acres in Kansas. Mr. Prather owns the old home farm in Pike county, Ohio, purchased by his grandfather Sargent about the year 1794, and in connection with said farm owns fourteen hun- dred acres in Ohio. Mr. Prather was in connec- tion with a company which imported short- horn cattle from England and brought them to Ohio. Was one of the first stockholders in the State National Bank in Springfield, Illinois; was assistant assessor of the United States Internal Revenue for the Twelfth District of Ohio, in Waverly, Pike county. His father was one of the first circuit judges in Pike county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Prather's education was received in the common schools. Mrs. Prather is a member

of the Methodist Church. Both have been active in life's affairs and successful in their accumu- lations.

James Ryan Price was born in Ohio, Decem- ber 16, 1835, is the son of James and Margaret (Ryan) Price, the former born in Herefordshire, England, the latter in Hardy county, Virginia. Mr. J. R. Price received his education in com- mon schools, in his native State. Mr. Price lias been a resident of Sangamon county for twenty years; coming here in 1861, he engaged in agri- cultural pursuits, and at present may be classed among Sangamon county's most extensive stock growers. On Mr. Price's beautiful farm of three hundred and twenty acres may be seen the only herd of Hereford cattle in Sangamon county, and the breeders of fine stock in Central Illinois, owe much to him for his enterprise in this mat- ter of introducing many fine breeds of cattle into this section. In 1863, Mr. Price was mar- ried to Miss Ellen Flagg, a native of Sangamon county, born June 6, 1842; A. V. Flagg and Sarah (Hoffman) Flagg were her parents. The lives of James and Ellen Price have been blessed with eight children: Ned, Lorette, May, Robbin, Ella and an infant child, are living, two having passed to the better world. Mr. and Mrs. Price worship in the faith of the M. E. Church. In politics he is a Republican, and cast his first vote for Lincoln.

Ninian R. Taylor, merchant, Williamsville, was born February 13, 1825, in Wayne county, Illinois, and is the son of James and Mary (Kelley) Taylor, the former born in South Caro- lina and the latter in Kentucky. To them were born twelve children, of whom five are living: Ninian R., Isaac J., Simeon M., Francis K. and Martin V. Mr. Taylor was married to Catharine Halbert, April 1, 1847. She is the daughter of Doctor James and Nancy (Reynolds) Hal- bert, born in the State of Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor had born to them eleven children, of whom John B., Lewis C., Ellen, Emma and Frank H. are living. Lewis C., graduated at Bellevue Medical College, New York, March 1, 1875; practiced in Springfield a short time, then located in Auburn five years ago; has an exten- sive practice. Mr. Taylor's education was ob- tained in the schools of Sangamon county. At the age of twenty-one he began to work for him- self, by cultivating and improving a farm of one hundred and sixty acres of prairie land on sec- tion eleven, on which he located after his mar- riage and followed farming, raising grain and stock till 1866, and then moved to Williams- ville. To the farm above mentioned, he has

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

added one hundred and sixty acres of prairie land, ard both farms are well improved and under cultivation. He commenced in the mer- cantile business in Williamsville shortly after he moved there, and in 1871, formed a partner- ship with his son, John B. Taylor, under the firm of Taylor & Son. They keep a general stock of hardware, cutlery and provisions, and have a good trade. Mr. Taylor was elected in 1870 to represent Sangamon county in the Twenty-seventh General Assembly, of Illinois, for two years. In Williams township he has served as police magistrate for two terms, trustee of the township three years, and was re-elected in 1881. Mr. Taylor is a Master Mason, and a member of Lavely Lodge, No. 203, Williams- ville. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor are members of the Christian Church, with which religious body they united at seventeen and fifteen years, respec- tively. Mr. Taylor is an elder, and his first con- nection with the church was on Wolf creck. Mr. Taylor is enterprising and energetic, and by his integrity has been successful in his business, and won the respect of all who know him.

James Taylor, was born in Chester district, in the State of South Carolina, November 2, in the first of this century, and moved with his parents to Hart county, Kentucky, and thence to Wayne county, Illinois, where he was married to Mary Kelley, of Kentucky. Mr. Taylor settled in Williams township, on section thirty-five, in 1829, emigrating from Kentucky with his wife and four children, over-land, in an ox-cart; en- tered eighty acres of prairie and timber, to which estate he after added two hundred and eighty acres of land. He followed farming and stock raising. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor were charter members of the Christian Church when organ- ized on Wolf creek, of which Mr. Taylor was chosen deacon, and continued in that office until his death, in 1857. Mrs. Taylor died of cholera, July 27, 1852. Mrs. and Mr. Taylor were efficient members to the church and society, and he an energetic business man; were parents of Ninian R. and Isaac J. Taylor, whose biographies appear in this volume.

Isaac J. Taylor was born in Williams town- ship, Sangamon county, October 12, 1830, and

is the son of James and Mary (Kelley) Taylor, natives of South Carolina and Kentucky, re- spectively. Twelve children were born to them, of whom five are living: Ninian R., Isaac J., Simeon M., Francis K., and Martin V. Mr. Taylor's education was obtained in the district schools of Sangamon county, and also by his own personal efforts. He began to work for himself while a young man of twenty, in opening up a farm of one hundred and sixty acres of prairie land in Williams township, which was improved and put under cultivation. Mr. Tay- lor was married to Margaret Halbert, October 16, 1851. By this union there were three children, two of whom are living, Alexander D., and Mary E., both born in Sangamon county. The first mentioned is a graduate of Rush Medi- cal College, Chicago, Illinois. In 1875, he com- menced practice at Cotton Hill, Sangamon county; moved to Williamsville in March, 1877. Mrs. Margaret Taylor was a native of Ohio, and the daughter of Dr. James and Nancy (Rey- nolds) Halbert, natives of Virginia. Mrs. Tay- lor was a member of the Christian Church until her death, May 16, 1863. May 27, 1864, Mr. Taylor was married to Mary A. McGinnis, the daughter of Thomas McGinnis and Mary Cun- ningham, who were born in Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor were blessed with five children, four boys and one girl, of whom John E., Leonard R., and James T., are living. Mr. Taylor began the business of a merchant, by forming a partnership with Alexander Fisher and opening a general store in Williamsville, in January, 1859. This partnership lasted two years, and then Mr. Fisher sold out his interest to I. J. Taylor and John Rush. This firm con- tinued till March, 1862. Mr. Taylor withdrew from the mercantile business and returned to his former pursuits the next spring-farming- which he is still following. He was assessor in 1862, and commissioner of highways two terms. Is a member of the Masonic Order, Lavely Lodge, No. 203.

Mr. Taylor has been actively identified with the Old Settlers' Association, and is serving his second year as vice-president for Williams township.

HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

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CHAPTER LI

TOWNSHIP OF WOODSIDE.

This township is located in the center of the county, and is bounded on the east by Rochester, west by Curran, north by Springfield, and south by Ball township. It is watered by Lick creek in the southern part, and Sugar creek in the eastern part, besides numerous small tributaries of the two streams. Three railroads cross its borders-the St. Louis, Wabash & Pacific, the Chicago & Alton and Ohio & Mississippi. The first named enters the township from Springfield, on section three, and passes through that section and sections four, nine, eight and seven, from which it emerges. The Chicago & Alton enters on section four, and emerges on section thirty- one, while the Ohio & Mississippi barely touches the northeast corner of section two and passes southeast through section one into Rochester township.

The first settlement made in this township was in the spring of 1819. Zachariah Peter, who came to the county the year previous and remained till this time in the house of Robert Pulliam located a claim on section twenty-seven. Mr. Peter was one of the three commissioners ap- pointed to locate the county seat of Sangamon county, and was for many years one of the county commissioners. He was born in Amherst county, Virginia, and with his parents moved to Wash- ington county, Kentucky, when but two years old, remaining there until his removal to this State, in 1818. Mr. Peter died August 5, 1864, in Springfield, Illinois.

Among other early settlers were William Southwick, Nicholas Pyle, Alfred Pyle, Thomp- son Pyle, George Stout, Joseph Insley, William Higgins, Thomas Cloyd, William Hawes, Wil- liam Jones, Joseph Withrow, Jessie Southwick.

Nicholas Pyle was from England and settled in South Carolina, where he was married during

the Revolutionary War. He removed subse- quently to Kentucky, and then to Illinois, remain- ing for a time in St. Clair county, and finally, with his aged wife and two youngest sons, Thompson and Alfred, settled in 1825 in San- gamon county, in what is now Woodside town- ship. Mr. Pyle died some four years after. Thompson Pyle died in 1870, and his brother, Alfred, in 1852, in St. Clair county.

George Stout came among the first in the township, and located on section twenty-eight. Subsequently, he moved to Texas, but returned and died at his son Cooper's house, in Washing- ton county, Illinois.

Joseph Inslee came in 1819, and settled on section twenty-seven. He was a justice of the peace for many years, and was a man well re- spected in the community. He died in 1867.

Jesse Southwick was born about 1762, near Lebanon, Connecticut; married Nancy Moore after arriving at the age of maturity, and moved to Oneida county, New York, where they had four children. All died of the disease called " cold plague." They then moved to Junius, Seneca county, in the same State, where they had seven children. The family embarked at Olean Point, on the Allegheny river, in a fam- ily boat, and arrived at Shawneetown, Illinois, in December, 1819. He was in company with James Stewart, and they moved in wagons from Shawneetown to a village called Milton, near Alton, where they halted until March, 1820, and then moved to Sugar creek and settled in what is now Woodside township, six and a half miles southeast.of Springfield. He died September 25, 1826, on the old homestead.

William Higgins came in 1830, and settled on section twenty-seven, raised a family, and died about 1852.

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY.

Thomas Cloyd settled on section twenty-nine, in 1820, and died in 1878. He came to the country a poor man, and by industry accumu- lated a respectable fortune. He has two daugh- ters and two sons yet living.

William Hawes was among the first settlers; became converted to the Mormon religion; went to Nauvoo, and there died.

William Jones, another of the first settlers, was a good farmer and practical business man. He died in 1854.

Joseph Withrow was born in Pennsylvania, lived for a time in Virginia and Kentucky, and moved to Woodside, Sangamon county, in 1825. He died in 1850.

Japhet A. Ball was born July 5, 1800, in Madi- son county, Kentucky. When a young man he went to Clarksville, Tennessee, where he learned the trade of a blacksmith, with his brother, John S. From there he went with his brother to Eddyville, Caldwell county, Kentucky, and from there to Sangamon county, arriving late in De- cember, 1825, in what is now Woodside town- ship. He was married December 2, 1828, to Sarah Henderson.

Woodside has had its Revolutionary soldier in the person of George Bryan, who was born Feb- ruary 15, 1758 in North Carolina, He went, or may have been taken by his parents; to Virginia, and from there to Kentucky with Daniel Boone, about 1780. There he either founded, or by his bold daring as a leader, gave the name to a primative fortification called Bryant's Station, in what became Fayette county, Kentucky, a few miles from where the city of Lexington was afterwards established. It will be observed that in applying the name to the fortification a letter has been added, making the name Bryant, which is erroneous. There is a tradition preserved by his descendants, that soon after the fort was es- tablished, the young women belonging to the families connected with it were washing clothes at a stream of running water on the outside of the stockade. George Bryan and some of the other young men stood guard. Not being appre- hensive of danger, they permitted the Indians to place themselves between the girls and the fort. The guard quickly secured a position between the girls and the savages, and a skirmish ensued. After making the way clear, Bryan, in a loud voice, announced that he would marry the girl who would enter the fort first. They all escaped, and he, true to his word, after gaining the con- sent of the young lady, was married in the fall of 1781, to Elizabeth Ragan, who was born in 1760, in South Carolina. Mr. Bryan always

claimed that it was the first marriage of a white couple in what became the State of Kentucky. That was before the era of mills in that region of country, and his descendants have handed down the statement, in connection with the wed- ding festival, that he paid $10 for a bushel of corn meal, to make bread for the occasion. They had at least raised one crop, and Mr. Bryan rolled pumpkins into the fort as a substitute for chairs to seat the guests. They had ten or eleven children, four of them sons, and Mrs. Bryan died. Mr. Bryan was married in 1829, to Mrs. Cassandra Miller, who died in Kentucky, in 1833. In 1834, Mr. Bryan came to Sangamon county with some of his children and grand- children.

When George Bryan came to Sangamon county, in 1834, he was in his seventy-sixth year, but he continued visiting Kentucky, riding each way on horseback, annually, for eleven years. He died November 22, 1845, and was buried near Woodside station, Sangamon county. He was eighty-seven years, nine months and seven days old.

It seems almost incredible that a man who was of sufficient age to have been a soldier in the American Revolution, and who took an active part in the stirring scenes of the frontier settle- ments in the second State admitted to the Amer- ican Union, should have become an early settler of Sangamon county, and witnessed some of its earliest strides towards civilization; but the life of George Bryan extended over this long and eventful period. His grandson, William T. Jones, has a great fund of reminiscences of the life of his Grandfather Bryan, as he received them from the lips of the venerable patriarch while living.

TOPOGRAPHICAL.

Originally, two-thirds of the township was prairie, which lay principally in the north part of the township, the remainder being timber and openings. The timber lands lay principally along the banks of Lick creek and Sugar creek, and is composed of the usual varieties peculiar to this section of the county. The county is beautifully situated, and has in it some very fine farms.

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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 179

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