History of Wayne and Clay counties, Illinois, Part 64

Author:
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago : Globe Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 704


USA > Illinois > Clay County > History of Wayne and Clay counties, Illinois > Part 64
USA > Illinois > Wayne County > History of Wayne and Clay counties, Illinois > Part 64


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).


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Conference for many years. The A., F. & A. M., and also the I. O. O. F. fraternities claim him as one of their earnest and active members, having held prominent offices in both orders. Space does not permit us to give him the credit he so well deserves. His father, Presley Woodward, was a native of Virginia. The mother of our subject. Mary (Dickens) Woodward, was a native of Penn- sylvania. Her father's name was Stephen Dickens. She was the mother of four chil- dren, viz .: George H., Henry R., Mary A. and John C., deceased, the latter being one of the most prominent and promising young lawyers in Ohio. Our subject was educated in different high schools in Ohio, and fitted himself for his noble profession at the Na- tional Normal School in Lebanon. Ohio. But he is mainly self-educated, teaching his first school at the age of fifteen. and with money earned by teaching he paid his way through the Normal School. accomplishing what few would undertake under more favor- able circumstances. He taught eight terms in two country schoolhouses before he grad- uated at Lebanon, after which he taught in Flora. Ill .. and then in Fairfield, Ill., where he was joined in matrimony to one of Wayne County's fairest daugh- ters; and then removed to Mount Ver. non, Ill., where he was Principal of the city schools. From there he went to Webster City. Iowa; Lafayette, Ohio; Wichita and Anthony, Kan .; Metropolis, Ill .; and is at present Superintendent of the city school in Mound City, Ill. In all the above-named places, Mr. Woodward left a fair and envia- ble record as a teacher,'earning the acknowl- edgment of different State Superintendents of Public Schools. to be one of the most nat- ural and efficient teachers of the West, his object in teaching in so many different places and States being to make himself familiar


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CITY OF FAIRFIELD.


with the best and most' practical methods of imparting knowledge; in the United States. Mr. Woodward holds three State certificates. and has been County Superintendent of Schools in Iowa, and also in Sedgwick and Harper Counties, Kan. Our subjeet was married, December 25, 1872, to Miss Cle- menee E. Slocumb, born December 25, 1857. She is a daughter of Judge Rigdon B. and Clemence S. (Ridgway) Slocumb, who are mentioned in other parts of this work. Five children are the result of this happy union, viz .: Harry S., born November 16, 1873: Don B., born December 25, 1875; Walter S., born November 5, 1877; George H .. deceased, and C. Roy. born October 31, 1882. Mrs. Woodward is a member of the Methodist Church. Mr. Woodward is a member of .the I. O. O. F. fraternity.


F. M. WOOLARD was born January 29. 1835, near where the village of Mulberry Grove now stands, in Bond County, Ill. He is the son of Rev. James B. Woolard, a Meth - odist minister. well known in Southern Illi- nois. James B., the son of Willoughby and Rebecca (Fatheree) Woolard, was born De- cember 16. 1804, in Beaufort County, N. C .; removed with his parents to Tennessee in 1810, and settled soon after on Leeper's Creek in Maury County, where he married Mary. danghter of Abraham and Nancy (Brown) McCurley. March 15, 1827; removed to Green- ville, Ill .. with a " spike team " (the wheel horses were oxen) in 1829, and to his present location in 1831. He was a Bugler in the Black Hawk war; represented Bond County in the Legislature in 1844-45: and was Chap- lain in the One Hundred and Eleventh Illi- nois Volunteer Infantry in the late war. His brothers, Churchell, of Tennessee; William, of Missouri, and Seth, of Mississippi, all served their country in Jackson's wars. His sister, Winifred, married Henry Gardner, of


Montgomery County, Ill. Mary (mater) was born March 24, 1805, in Allen County, Ky .. and with her parents moved to Tennessee, where'she was married. She lived with her husband for more than fifty-six years, and died August 20, 1883, having been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church over sixty-six years. To James and Mary were born six children-Nancy R. (Vest), of Green- ville: Eveline C. (Harris), of Hillsboro; Wash - ington W. (deceased); our subject; Mary S. Elliott (deceased); Margaret I. (Harris), of Greenville, Ill .; W. W., a Captain in the Twenty-sixth Illinois Volunteers, died Janu- ary 9, 1882. and his wife, Lucy (Stites), with Lilian, Estella, Samuel F., Winifred and James, their children, live in Wichita, Kan. Abraham's father, was of Scotch descent, and slain in the Revolutionary war. Nancy was a neice of Judge Brown, of Kentucky. Wil- oughby, the son of John, was born in North Carolina in 1761, and died at the age of eighty-five years, in Fayette County, Ill. His brothers were John, Jr., Absalom and Jere- miah. John (pater), the son of John, was born in 1695, and died in 1800. His nephew, Aligood, of Lebanon, Tenn .. died in 1868, aged one hundred and fifteen years. The first. John was an Englishman, an early set- tler in North Carolina, and a tradition has been handed down in the family that he sold his peltries, the result of one winter's hunt- ing, for his hat full of silver. His brother settled in the northern colonies, and his de- scendants are called " Willard." Rebecca, born in Massachusetts in 1771, was the daughter of Maj. Fatheree, who was killed in the Revolutionary war. She remem- bered the British soldiers plundering her mother's honse, leaving the family destitute. She was for seventy years a Regular Baptist, and died in Polk County, Mo., in 1862, amid trying scenes, very similar to those of her early


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BIOGRAPIIICAL:


childhood. Subject was raised a farmer, at- tended school in winter; remembers when wolves, deer and panthers were common; attended the academy in Greenville; McKen- dree College, in Lebanon; taught school over three years; was Deputy County Clerk in Vandalia; six years a circuit preacher, and four years Superintendent of Schools in Wayne County. Subject was married, No- vember 9, 1859, to Miss Margaret, daughter of William J. Crews, of Palestine, Ill., and to them were born Charles W., in Bond Town- ship, Lawrence County, Ill., September 22, 1863. "Charlie" was highly skilled and learned for one of his age, in the sciences, and the laws of mechanics and forces. His ingennity was a matter of surprise, and often of amazement to his friends. Being em- ployed in the machine shops at Springfield, he was accidentally killed, September 18, 1880, regretted by all who knew him. His remains are entombed on the hill in the new cemetery in the northeast part of Fairfield. William F. was born in Lawrence County March 5, 1865. He gathers many curiosi- ties, having several pieces of "British stamped paper," about 1,500 rare and odd coins, among which are some "Jewish mites." Mary A. was born in Fairfield November 30, 1871, and is a promising musician for one of her age. The mother, Capt. W. W. and Mary S. lie buried on the spot where the first church was built, in the east part of Bond County.


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JOHN C. YOUNGKEN, merchant, Fair- field. Space will not permit an extended re- view of the lives of the many noble men and women whose acts constitute the brightest pages in the history of Wayne County; yet a history which does not transmit to the ris- ing and future generations some personal points relative to this class would certainly fail in the most essential object for which it


was written. Conspicuous in this rank is the man whose name heads this sketch. Mr. Youngken was born August 4, 1839, in Friendsville, Wabash Co., Ill. His father, John F. Youngken, was a native of Bucks County, Penn., born in 1806, and was a de- scendant from German ancestry. He came to Illinois in an early and settled in Wabash County, where he soon made his influence felt by his public spirit and enterprise. He represented his district in the State Legisla- ture and there characterized himself by in- troducing into that body a bill to restrict the liquor traffic. He was an earnest temperance worker, a zealous member of the Presbyterian Church, and the impress of his molding hand in the community in which he lived so long will never cease to be felt. He was married, about 1837, in Wabash County, to Harriet Danforth, who was born in New England in 1802. She also was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and both are now deceased. They had a family of three chil- dren, John C. being the only one living. He grew to maturity in his native county, meantime attending the public schools, and when nineteen years old entered the Hanover College, from which he graduated in 1862. Immediately after his graduation, he enlisted in the One Hundred and Fifteenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in which he served for the term of three years. After returning home, he began an extended and successful career as a teacher. For five years he was in charge of the public school of Friends- ville, meantime superintending the interests of his father's farm, after which, for some years, he was Superintendent of the Mount Carmel Public School. He took charge of the Fairfield School in 1873, and continued at its head for four years. He gave up the profession to engage in mercantile pursuits, and is now engaged in a general grocery


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BARNHILL TOWNSHIP.


and provision store in Fairfield. He is an Elder in the Presbyterian Church, of which his entire family are members; also a member of the A. O. U. W. and the G. A. R. He was married, August 16, 1866. to Julia B.


Vanansdel. She was born in Lawrence County, Ill., May 24, 1848. Their family consists of Harry H., Annie K., Bennie N. and Charles T. Youngken.


BARNHILL TOWNSHIP.


N. C. ALEXANDER, farmer, P. O. Mt. Vernon, was born January 20, 1830, in Car- roll County, Ohio. He is a son of David Alexander, born 1789, in Delaware. He was also a farmer. When a young man he moved to Ross County, Ohio, where he was married. He finally moved to Carroll County, and then in 1839 he came to Wayne County. Ill., and died here in 1845. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and was at the surrender of Hull's army. His father was a soldier in the Revolutionary war; his name was Philip Alex- ander. The mother of our subject, Elizabeth (Cunningham) Alexander, was born 1797, in Virginia. She died 1861, in this county. She was a danghter of Nicholas and Anna (Morris) Cunningham. Nicholas Cunning- ham fought seven years in the Revolutionary war, nnder George Washington, as his com- mander, participating in many thrilling scenes and famous battles. Mrs. Elizabeth Alexander was the mother of ten children, of whom seven are now living, viz .: Maria Shaeffer, Rebecca Brown, Elizabeth Clark, Nicholas C., our subject; David, a farmer in Ohio; and John and Joseph, now residents of Fairfield. Our subject was educated in Ohio and in Wayne County, Ill. He has been a practical farmer all his life, and now owns a farm of 180 acres of fine land near Fairfield, with good improvements. He was joined in matrimony here January 23, 1851, to Jane


Austen, born September 19, 1832, in England. Her parents, James and Mary (Hill) Ansten, were both natives of Old England. Five children, who are now living, have come to bless this happy union, viz .: Mary, born An- gust 20, 1854, wife of William Head; Bell, born September 22, 1860, wife of H. F. Murphy; Bertha J., born January 1, 1866; Nicholas H., born July 4, 1868; and Zerilda, born June 22, 1872. Besides these Mr. Alex. ander and his estimable wife are rearing three little grandchildren, viz .: John B., James C. and Elizabeth J. Their father, James Alexander, died in October, IS81, and their mother, Martha A. (Trousdale) Alexan- der, died in November, 1881. Mr. and Mrs. Alexander are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He has held school offices, and been Township Supervisor. In political affairs, he is a Democrat.


NATHAN ATTEBERRY, farmer, P. O. Fairfield, was born August 10, 1803, in South Carolina. His father, Richard Atte berry, was born in South Carolina, where he farmed; ho died in Grayson County, Ky. The mother of our subject was Rebecca (Ben- net) Atteberry, born in South Carolina; she died in Kentucky. She was the mother of fourteen children, of whom our subject was next to the youngest, and is the only one liv- ing. He went to school in Kentucky, where he lived several years. In the fall of 1819,


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BIOGRAPHICAL:


he came to Wayne County, Ill., where he has lived ever since. He came here when the woods were filled with wild beasts and the country was a wilderness. He came here with his older brother. It was in a time when the mustering day surpassed in grand- eur our fair day; at least more bad whisky was stowed away. and more free fights in- dulged in. lIere, on Turney's Prairie. he lived with an old gentleman, and the first winter went to school about three months. He finally bought forty acres at $1.25 per acre, and with a brave heart and hardened muscles went to work improving it He at one time owned 300 acres of land, and now owns 128 acres, a part of which is the old homestead. Our subject has seen a great many changes, and has at least seen more than two generations rise and pass away. He was mar- ried twice. His first wife, Maria Butler, was a native of Kentucky, and died here in 1861, leaving eight children, of whom three are now living, viz. : Warren. David and Thomas. The latter is living in California. His'pres- ent wife, Martha A. (George) Atteberry, is a daughter of William W. George, Esq., a prominent citizen of this county. This union was blessed with four children, viz. : Martha M., William W., Delbert B. and Os- car B. Mr. and Mrs. Atteberry are active members of the Missionary Baptist Church, and their standing in the community is the very best. Mr. Atteberry is a true type of our old pioneers, and quite strong in body and mind for a man of his age, he having seen eighty summers unfold their beauteous foliage. He is no politician, but is identi- fied with the Democratic party.


A. J. BEHIMER, farmer, P. O. Mill Shoals, was born in Clermont County. Ohio. on January 22, 1832. and is a son of John and Jane (Meeker) Behimer. The grand- father, Nathaniel Behimer, was born in Vir-


ginia, and there the father also was born. The latter moved to Richland County, Ill., where he died. The mother was a native of New Jersey, and a daughter of Jonas and Charity Meeker. This lady was the mother of fifteen children, of whom nine are living, and died in Richland County, Ill. Subject went to school in Ohio and Indiana, and in early life he turned his attention to saw mill- ing, and followed that from 1858 to the fore- part of 1883. He has, however, lately turned his attention to farming, and now owns 140 acres. Mr. Behimer was married, in 1854. in Jennings County, Ind., to Miss Jemima L. Beeman. This lady was born in Jennings County, Ind., on January 2, 1834, and is a daughter of Jonathan and Mary (Pool) Bee- man. Eight children have blessed this union-Alfred J., Sarah E., Francis M., Mary A., James E., Cora _G., Bertie T. and Della T. In politics, Mr. Behimer is iden- titied with the Republican party.


S. M. BOSWELL, farmer, P. O. Fairfield. The one of whose life this sketch is a brief epitome, was born on December 19, 1836, and is the son of H. and Jane (Maxim) Bos- well. The father, who was a native of North Carolina, and a farmer by occupation, was a son of Hezekiah Boswell, Sr., and came to Gibson County, Ind., when a young man, where be resided till his death. The mother, who was a native of Indiana. lived and died in that "State. Her parents were Sylvester and Polly Maxim, natives of Connecticut. She was the mother of twelve children, of whom three are now living -- Mary (wife of Wesley Spain), Amanda (wife of Henry Lamb, and our subject. The latter's educa- tion was received at Princeton, Gibson Co., Ind., and in early life his occupation was mainly that of a farmer. In 1867, he came to Wabash County, Ill., and on the following year moved to Mount Carmel, and there re-


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BARNHILL TOWNSHIP.


sided twelve years, during six years of which time he was engaged in the sewing machine agency business. In 1880, he came to Wayne County, purchasing 175 acres, and has subse- quently devoted his attention to farming. In Princeton, Ind., in 1855, Mr. Boswell was married to Miss Sarah Parmenter. This lady was born on October 5. 1836, in Wabash County. Ill., and is a daughter of Co !. Isaac and Sarah (Utter) Parmenter. The father was a native of New York, and a carpenter by occupation. He was a soldier in the Black Hawk war, being wounded in the leg and hand, and until the day of his death he car- ried a bullet in his leg. He died at a good old age near Mount Carmel, Ill. Four chil- dren are now living as a result of this union -Alice N., born on February 8, 1859; Adin P., born on September 14, 1860; Clara C., born on October 27, 1862, and Minnie, born on March 15, 1867. Mr. Boswell is a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In politics, Mr. Boswell has given his support to the Republican party.


J. R. CARTER. farmer, P. O. Fairfield, was born March 28. 1825, in Ohio County, Ky., son of William Carter, born March 24, 1799, in Virginia. At the age of eight years, ho was taken to Kentucky by his father, William Carter, who was a native of Virginia, but who died in Kentucky. Will- iam A. Carter came to Wayne County in November. 1828. He farmed, and died October 31, 1867. He was a fine old man. The mother of our subject, Hannah (Haynes) Carter, was born May 7, 1797, in Virginia, Her father, Josiah Haynes, was a farmer and a native of Virginia. She is the mother of eight children, viz, John R. (our subject), Sallie (wife of George Felix), Judith Wright (deceased), Rolley (he died while in the United States Army), Polly Hustleton (de ceased), William H., Margaret Foster (de-


ceased) and Frank, the youngest (is also de- Ceased). Our subject was educated in this township, and here he has farmed all his life. He has 180 acres of land where he now resides, and 160 acres in Clay County, near Flora. He was married twice. His first wife, Rosannah Holt, was born in Ohio. She died in Fairfield in 1865, on the 17th day of April, leaving three children, viz., Rosetta (deceased), Horace H. (deceased) and Charles L., born August 28, 1863. His second wife, Charlotta Darr, was born in Ohio. She died October 21, 1874, leaving three children, viz., William A. (born Janu- ary 19, 1869), Frank W. (born March 27, 1871), John D. (born January 29, 1873). Mr. and Mrs. Carter are religiously con- nected with the Missionary Baptist Church. He has filled both school and township of- fices. He votes the Republican ticket. By dint of perseverance and hard work, Mr. Carter, the subject of this sketch, has been mainly a self-made man, and although at present suffering from sickness, he is yet cheerful and good-natured, looking back with pleasure on his past life and looking fearless into the future.


WILLIAM H. CARTER, farmer, P. O. Fairfield, was born October 5, 1833, in Wayne County, Ill .. son of William A. Car- ter, born in Virginia in 1799 lle died in Barnhill Township in 1868, having come to this county in 1829. He was a farmer, and was well known and highly respectede He held the office of Justice of the Peace for many years, and was in early days a muster- ing officer in Kentucky, where he was raised, and also in this county. His father was William Carter, a native of Virginia; he died in Ohio County, Ky. He was a soldier in the"Revolutionary war. The Carter fam- ily is of English descent, and is of a celo- brated race. They came to the colonies in


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BIOGRAPHICAL:


an early day, and have, down to the present time, been connected with the history of dif- ferent States. The mother of our subject, Hannah (Haynes) Carter, was a native of Virginia, born 1797. She died October 4, 1880, in this county. She was a daughter of Josiah and Judith (New) Haynes, natives of Virginia. Josiah Haynes was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. He was the father of seventeen children, of whom only one died before he did; he saw the rest all married and become members of the church. His name is well known throughout Kentucky for his hospitality and liberality. Mrs. Hannah Carter was the mother of eight children, of whom only three are now living. Our subject was educated in Wayne County, Ill. He has farmed all his life. He was married, in 1856, to Miss Elvira J. Kelley, born February 3, 1833, in Kentucky, daugh- ter of Rev. Carter J. Kelley, a native of Kentucky, and Perlina (Haynes) Kelley, a native of Kentucky. Mrs. Elvira J. Carter is the mother of ten children, of whom five are now living, viz., David K., born Febru- ary 28, 1859; Woodson E., born December 15. 1865; Ruth A., born June 27, 1870; Oscar O., born September 2, 1872, and Mary P., born May 16, 1875. Mr. and Mrs. Carter are members of the Missionary Bap- tist Church. He is an A .. F. & A. M., Fairfield Lodge, No. 206. He has a farm of 200 acres of land, and in politics he is a Republican. He served almost three years in our late war. in Company K, One Hun- dred and Twenty-fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, participating in many thrilling scenes and famous battles. He enlisted as private. but worked his way up to Second Lieutenant. During the siege of Vicksburg, he commanded his company.


C. S. CLARK, farmer, P. O. Fairfield, was born December 25, 1843, in Mt. Carmel,


Wabash Co., Ill., son of Chauncey Clark, a native of Connecticut, born May, 1812, in Middlesex County. He farmed, and also learned the ivory rule-maker's trade. In 1837, he moved to Chicago, where he kept the Batchelor Hotel for some years, and then moved to Wabash County, Ill., where he farmed, but is now practically retired from active life. His father was James Clark. The mother of our subject was Jane M. (Gould) Clark, born in Wabash County, Ill. She was a daughter of Thomas and Marga- ret Gould, and is the mother of five children -Jane M. Redman, Helen Smith, Charles S., our subject; George W., who was killed at the battle of Atlanta, and Eliza Bucken- ham. Our subject was educated at Mt. Car- mel, Ill. At the age of twenty-one, he went to Olney, where he sold goods for A. B. Danniel about one year, then clerked in Vin- cennes for one and a half years for Adam Gimbel, and then, after farming almost one year at home, he went South to Mississippi and Tennessee. After he returned home, he made an extensive trip through the West, including Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado. Nebraska, Nevada and Montana, but finally, after several years of rich experience, his roving spirit led him back once more to his dear old home, but after one year of home life and farming he songht the Pacific coast, and lived in the States of California and Oregon, and the Territory of Washington. He retraced his steps homeward once more, and was married, April 21, 1881, in Mt. Car- mel, Ill., to Miss Addie M. Townsend, born July 3, 1860, in Mt. Carmel, Ill. She is a daughter of William and Sarah J. (Ingersoll) Townsend, both natives of MIt. Carmel, Ill. William Townsend was formerly a pilot ou the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Our sub- ject farmed one year in Wabash County, and then came to Wayne County, where he


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BARNIHILL TOWNSHIP.


bought eighty acres of land, on which he re- sides. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and in politics is identified with the Democratic party, although the only one in his family.


HON. NATHAN CREWS, merchant, grain-dealer and farmer, P. O. Merriam. The history of the Crews family is very interest- ing; they have figured a great deal in the early settlement of Illinois. Sketches of the family can be found in many county his- tories. The subject of this sketch was born September 3, 1825, in Wayne County, Ill. His father, James Crews, was born in 1798 in North Carolina. He died in this county. Hle was a farmer and Methodist Episcopal minister by occupation. He was principally reared in East Tennessee, near the home of Gen. Andrew Jackson. In 1816, he came to White County, and in 1818 came to Wayne County, Ill., with his parents, Andrew and Ritter (Bradley) Crews. Here he was mar- ried to Elizabeth Owens, a native of Vir- ginia, who had lived several years in Ken- tucky, but who came to this county in an early day and died here. She was the mother of ten children, of whom five are now living. James Crews is well remembered by old settlers, and died here in 1880. He held the office of Justice of the Peace, and was a member of the County Board. His memory is cherished by those with whom he came in contact. Our subject went to school only about three months in his life, devoting most of his time to farming, which has been his main occupation in life, owning at present a farm of 140 acres. He holds with the Re- publican party, but has a good many Demo- cratic friends, which was shown when he was elected to the Legislature. He served his neighbors in the capacity of Justice of the Peace four years, and was twice elected to the Legislature, the first time in 1860, being


an independent candidate, and elected prin- cipally by the Republican, Bell aud Demo- cratic parties. In 1880, he was elected as a Republican candidate, but received a large Democratic vote; and in 1878 filled the office of Door-keeper in the House of Representa- tives. The A. F. & A. M. fraternity of the Fairfield Lodge claim him as one of their active members. In January, 1882, he put up a store in Merriam, in Barnhill Town- ship, on the L. E. & St. L. R. R., keeping a general stock of merchandise. He also put up a warehouse and buys grain. Mr. Crews has been married three times. His first wife, Maria Cannon, died in 1858, leaving three children-Marshall, who died while a student at Jacksonville, Ill., aged twenty-two; Jesse A. : and Nancy E. Gregory; she mar- ried Charles R. Gregory; they have four children-Hattie MI., Casey A., Charles N. and Nancy M. His second wife, Margaret Beach, died in 1863. His present wife, Clo- tilda A. (Nye), born July 5, 1846, in Meigs County, Ohio, was a daughter of Marshall and Zillah (Stivers) Nye, both natives of Ohio. Her grandfather, Nial Nye, was a native of New York, of Holland descent, and a Colonel in the Revolutionary war. Four children blessed this union-Martha, born December 23, 1865; Jane, born October 21, 1869; Laura A., born June 25, 1875; and Charles E., born March 29, 1877. Mr. and Mrs. Crews are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In the spring of 1846, while Mr. Crews was in New Orleans, during the Mexican war, he heard of the battle of Resaca de la Palma, and, being of an advent. ure-loving disposition. he enlisted immedi- ately on arriving home in the Third Illinois Volunteer Regiment, Company I', command . ed by Capt. John A. Campbell. He partici- pated in many thrilling scenes, among others the siege and capture of Vera Cruz and the




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