USA > Illinois > Sangamon County > History of the early settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois : "centennial record" > Part 110
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SAMUEL L. and WILLIAM A., died aged about seventeen years each.
DAVID F., is unmarried, and lives with his brother, James M.
JOHN, enlisted in 1862 for three years in Co. F, 114th Ill. Inf. He was captured at the battle of Guntown, Mississippi, June, 1864, was in Andersonville prison pen until the end of the rebellion, and came very near losing his life. He was hon- orably discharged in 1865, married Mary Loving, has two children, FRANLIN C. and MATILDA, and live near Salis- bury, Sangamon county, Illinois.
ALBERT, died young.
WESLEY, married Effie Sharp, has two children, and lives near Cantrall,' Illi- nois.
Mrs. Deborah Stevenson died Decem-
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ber, 1852, and Miles Stevenson died May 14, 1868, both in Menard county, Ill.
STEWART, JAMES, was born Sept. 28, 1777, at Fort Ann, Wash- ington county, New York. That was in the very height of the conflict for Ameri- can Independence, and at times all the families in the neighborhood were com- pelled to take refuge in the fort. On one occasion, when the men had gone for pro- visions, Indians entered the fort and found the subject of this sketch at his mother's breast, as she lay sick in bed. One of them took him by the heels and was about to dash his brains out, when she made the savages believe that she was in the act of summoning the white men. He dropped the infant and fled. James Stewart grew to manhood in that region, and followed the business of a lumberman on the Hud- son river. He was married in 1803 in Bloomfield, Ontario county, to Roxana Stillman, and in 1806 moved to Buffalo, in the same State. In ISIo Mr. Stewart moved his family back to Bloomfield, thence to Junius, Seneca county. They had six living children in New York. In the fall of 1819 they embarked at Olean Point, on the Allegheny river, in a boat prepared for the purpose. Two other families, those of Joseph Inslee and Jesse Southwick, each occupied a boat. The three united in the purchase of a boat for the conveyance of their horses, wagons, and household goods. The whole party landed at Shawneetown on the last day of IS19. They made their way through the mud and water of the sloughs and run- ning streams, all unbridged, until they reached Sugar creek, about eight miles south of the present city of Springfield, Ill. Each of the families commenced im- provements by building cabins. A few weeks later, the mother-in-law of Mr. Stewart-Mrs. Stillman-arrived with her family. Mr. and Mrs. Stewart started to accompany them to the north side of the Sangamon river. After seeing that part of the country they determined to settle there also. Mr. Stewart returned to Su- gar creek, and moved his family and prop- erty, arriving in the spring of 1820, in what is now Williams township, where three children were born. On coming to the country, there were so small a number before them, that it was almost impossible to obtain food. Mr. Stewart rode two
days in search of provisions, and all he could obtain was a bushel or two of frost- bitten corn-for which he paid two dol- lars per bushel-and a few pounds of rusty bacon, at twenty-five cents per pound. The nearest postoffice was at Edwards- ville, seventy-five miles south, and they had to pay twenty-five cents for a letter from their friends. Of their nine chil- dren-
FANE C., born Oct. 2, 1804, in New York, married in Sangamon county to Oramel Clark. See his name.
BENJAMIN H., born March 22, 1 806, at Bloomfield, Ontario county, New York, married Margery Morgan, and had four children. Mrs. Margery Stewart died, and he married Nancy Hall. They had three children. Benj. H. Stewart died in 1871 in Missouri. His son, WIL- LIAM A., born Aug. 16, 1836 in Sanga- mon county, married Sept. 27, 1858, to Sarah L. Schick, a native of Danville, Pa. He enlisted Aug. 14, 1861, in Co. A, 3d Ill. Cav. was discharged on account of physical disability, Dec. 30, 1861. He enlisted Jan. 20. 1864, in Co. A, 34th Ill. Inf., served until April, 1865, when he was discharged on account of physical dis- ability. He was appointed postmaster at Williamsville, April 8, 1869, and died April IS, 1870. His widow, Mrs. Sarah L. Stewart was appointed as his successor April 20, 1870.
WILLIAM A., born May 24, 1809, in Buffalo, N. Y. He was brought by his parents to Sangamon county in the spring of IS20. He was captain of a Sangamon county company in the Blackhawk war of 1832, and was in command of a supply train under his uncle, Isaiah Stillman at the time of his defeat on Rock river. Mr. Stewart taught school on Fancy creek for a 'time after the Indian war, and still later became a steamboat clerk on the Illinois river, and rose to the positions of pilot and captain. He was engaged in navigating the Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio and other western rivers, with his home at Cincinnati, until the breaking out
of the great rebellion. William A.
Stewart was married at Cincinnati October 14, IS41, to Elizabeth Haman. They had one child, JAMES E., born May 10, 1843, in Cincinnati. He had just completed his literary studies and gradu- ated at Delaware, Ohio, when the rebel-
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lion broke out. His home was in Cincin- nati, but he went over the river and en- listed on the eighteenth anniversary of his birth, May 10, 1861, in Co. D, 2d Ky. Inf., for three months, and re-enlisted for three years in the same company and regiment. He carried his musket for nineteen months, passing through Pittsburg Landing and many other battles. He was promoted August, 1862, to second lieutenant. In May, 1864, he was commissioned captain of Co. A, 167th Ohio Inf., and March 13, 1865, promoted to Colonel of United States Volunteers. In October, 1865, he en- gaged in the practice of law at Cincinnati. In October, 1569, moved to Springfield, Ohio, where he succeeded to his father's interests, and was elected Vice President of the Republic Printing Company, pub- lishers of the Daily Republic; is also a member of the City Council of Spring- field. Colonel James E. Stewart was married April 3, 1871, at Mount Vernon, Ohio, to Mary E. Durbin, and resides at Springfield, O., 1874. Mrs. Elizabeth Stew- art died at Cincinnati August 26, 1860, and W. A. Stewart was married in the same city Sept. 14, 1864, to Mrs. E. W. Hall, whose maiden name was Norton. They moved to Springfield, Ohio, in July, 1866. He died there July 21, 1869, and his widow resides there.
Of the public services of W. A. Stewart I can only make a very brief statement. When the rebellion burst upon the country he was engaged as an expert as one of a committee appointed by the United States Government to ascertain the channels and 'bearings of the Mississippi river. Whilst he was at Washington making his report in July, 1861, he witnessed the battle and deteat at Bull Run. He superintended, under direction of Commodore Foote, the fitting out of the gunboats Carondelet and Mound City, and was on the latter in its engagement with the rebel ram Van Dorn ; also in the battles of Fort Henry and Island No. 10. He was pilot of the United States Monitor Osage at the battle of Fort Durussy, in April, which was his last service in the war. He was appointed in April, 1864, United States Inspector of Steamboats at Cincinnati, which he re- signed in 1867. While in the naval service he and Commodore Foote co-operated with each other in holding religious ser- vices on the gunboats, on all suitable oc-
casions. He was a member of Park Street M. E. Church and Sunday School, at Cincinnati, and of the High Street M. E. Church, Springfield, Ohio; also of the Masonic Fraternity.
ABIGAIL C., born May 16, ISII, in New York, married to Ossian Stone. See his name.
MARY M., born April 6, 1813, at Junius, New York, married in Sangamon county to Nathan E. Constant. See his Name. Mr. Constant died August 25, IS43, and his widow married Miletus W. Ellis. See his name.
ROXANA, born Sept. S, SIS, in Bloomfield, Ontario county, New York, married in Sangamon county, Jan. 30, 1873, to Ira Knights, a native of St. Law- rence county, New York. They reside at the family homestead, where her father settled in IS20, two and a half miles west of Williamsville, Sangamon county, Ill.
MARTHA B., born March 10, IS21, in Sangamon county, married George W. Constant. See his name.
FAMMIES O., born Oct. 20, IS22, in Sangamon county, died June 6, 1849, at Paducah, Kentucky, of cholera, and was brought home for interment.
JOSEPH B., born July 4, 1825, died in the 22d year of his age.
Mrs. Roxana Stewart died Nov. 11, IS33. James Stewart married Mrs. Phobe Twist. She died Jan. 11, 1836, in Sangamon county. See the Twist family name.
The last years of his life James Stewart required a great deal of care, which was freely bestowed by his faithful daughter, Roxana, who declined very advantageous offers of marriage, expressing her deter- mination to remain unmarried as long as he required her attention, and most faithfully and lovingly did she discharge the self- imposed duties. Mr. Stewart died April 16, 1872, in the 95th year of his age, and on the farm where he had spent more than half a century of his life.
STILLMAN, Mrs. ABI- GAIL, widow of Benjamin Stillman, came to Sangamon county, Ill., arriving in the spring of 1820, in what is now Wil- liams township, accompanied hy three sons and three daughters, all unmarried. She had a son and daughter mar- ried, the daughter came with the family, being the wife of James Stew-
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EARLY SETTLERS OF
art. The son came two years later. The descendants of Benjamin and Abigail Stillman do not know where they were born or married, but they lived in Massachusetts until four children were born. They moved in 1793 to Bloom- field, Ontario sounty, N. Y., where four children were born, and Mr. Stillman died there. The family moved to Morganfield, Union county, Ky., where Philo Beers be- came acquainted with the family. They moved from there to Sangamon county, Ill. Of their eight children-
STEPHEN, born in Massachusetts, came with the family to Sangamon county, selected the land where they settled in what is now Williams township, one and a half miles west of Williamsville. There was a beautiful natural grove on the land, which he called Fancy Grove. A postoffice was established there and called Fancy Grove postoffice, Mr. Stillman being postmaster. It was the first postoffice north of the river. The name has since been applied to a stream of water, and to a township. Stephen Stillman died in Peoria, between 1835 and '40.
JOSEPH B., born in Massachusetts, came with his mother to Sangamon coun- ty, and soon after went to the West India islands, and died there in 1825. He was a physician.
ROXANA, born March 22, 1786, in Massachusetts, married James Stewart. See his name.
ISAIAH, born in Massachusetts, mar- ried in New York State to Hannah Sher- wood, came to Sangamon county, about 1822, and settled on the farm now owned by B. F. Fletcher, one and a half miles southwest of Williamsville. They had three children, two daughters and a son, HENRY, who is a lawyer, and resides at Canton, Fulton county, Ill. Isaiah Stillman was in command of a body of soldiers, as General Stillman, and was de- feated at Roek river in 1832, in the war against the Indians, under their chief, Blackhawk. After the war, General Still- man moved to Canton, Ill., and died there in 1865 or '6. 1Iis widow still resides there.
MARY, born in New York, died un- married at Tremont, Ill., in 1862 or '3.
ALARTHA, born in Bloomfield, New York, and came with her mother to San-
gamon county. She was married Nov. 2, 1820, to Philo Beers. See his name.
HENRY, born in New York, married in St. Louis, and died at Peoria, between IS60 and '65.
CAROLINE, born in New York, married in Peoria to Peter Menard. Both died at Tremont, Ill., leaving four ehil- dren.
Mrs. Abigail Stillman moved with three of her children to Peoria in IS2S, and died there in IS30.
STITT, WILLIAM, was born August 12, 1820, near Lebanon, Warren county, Ohio. He left home quite young, and traveled by water down the Ohio and up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers to Beardstown, Illinois, in company with William W. Wykoff. They started from Beardstown with one horse to ride and tie. When within about fifteen miles of their destination, Mr. Wycoff mounted the horse, gave Mr. Stitt particular directions about the road, and forgot to tie any more, for which he was excused by Mr. Stitt, because he was so near his family, from whom he had been absent several months. This caused Mr. Stitt to arrive on foot, alone, tired and hungry, at the south side of Richland creek, in what is now Cart- wright township, in 1838. William Stitt was married Sept. 5, 1847, in Sangamon county, Illinois, to Elizabeth Hardin. They had five children in Sangamon county. The fourth child died young.
WILLIAM WALLACE was mar- ried March 9, 1875, to Julia F. Hurt. They live in Cartwright township, Sanga- mon county, Illinois.
HELEN A., LAURA L., and EDITH BELLE live with their parents, three and one-fourth miles south- west of Richland Station, Sangamon county, Illinois.
Isaac Stitt, the father of William, was born in 1779, in Pennsylvania, and mar- ried there to Elizabeth Phillips, who was born July 9, 17So, in New Jersey. They had nine children, and Mr. Stitt died in October, 1825, in Ohio. In 1845 Mrs. Stitt, her son, David and family, and her daughter, Elizabeth, came to Island Grove, Sangamon county. David moved the next year to Peoria county, and died there June, 1865, leaving a widow and two children. Elizabeth married Joshua But- ler. See his name. Mrs. Elizabeth Stitt
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SANGAMON COUNTY.
died March 10, 1871, at the residence of her son, William.
STONE, ASAHEL, was born Sept. 25, 1780, in Chesterfield, New Hampshire. His father, Colonel William Stone, was born in Groton, Mass., and was second in command at the taking of Crown Point, by Ethan Allen. He was a prisoner at Ticonderoga at the time of its evacuation by the British, immediately after Burgoyne's surrender. Col. Stone's wife was Suhmit Ward. At the time of his imprisonment, they had two children, aged respectively two and four years. The day before Col. Stone was to leave for Great Britain to be tried for high treason, Mrs. Stone left these two children at home alone and went to the fort, twelve miles distant, in a canoe, accompanied by her brother, David Ward, aged ten years- who was afterwards a Baptist minister and grandfather of Captain E. B. Ward, the late detroit millionaire. They reached the fort late in the afternoon, but the offi- cer in command refused to admit her, not- withstanding all her pleading, and com- pelled her to wait all night in the boat. On returning home she found her children safe. The next day her husband was lib- erated. The rapid advance of our troops up the country having compelled the Brit- ish to leave without being able to provide transportation for their prisoners.
Asahel Stone, whose name heads this sketch was a graduate of Dartmouth Col- lege, in the same class with Daniel Web- ster. He was married February, 1So5, in Bridport, Addison county, Vt., to Laura Culver They came to Sangamon county, Ill., Nov. 1831, and entered the land now owned hy Hiram E. Gardner six miles west of Springfield. They had six chil- dren, viz :-
WHELOCK, S., born Nov. 28, 1805, in Madrid, St. Lawrence county, N. Y. He was a classmate of Dr. Hatfield, of New York city; Dr. J. J. Owens, Prof. Cozzens and D. B. Tower, at Middlebury College, and graduated there in IS28 with the second honors of his class. He after- wards became a minister of the gospel. He was married September, 1832, to Mar- tha Storrs and died at Mobile, Alabama, in 1837, of yellow fever.
OSSIAN L.,born May 24, 1So7,in Mad- rid, N. Y., was brought up in Vermont. He came to Sangamon county with his
father in 1831 and was married October 29, 1835, in Sangamon county, to Abigail C. Stewart, who was born in Junius Sen- eca county, N. Y., May 16, ISII. See James Stewart. They had four living children, namely: LAURA L., born June 7, 1840, in Sangamon county, was married March 30, 185S, to Jacob Greg- ory. See his name. They have two children, MARY and GEORGE, and reside in Decatur Illinois. JAMES A., born May 6, 1842, in Sangamon county, married Sep- tember 26, 1866, in Morgan county, to Eliza Allyn. They have three children, JESSIE, PERCY A., and JAMES R. J. A. Stone owns and resides with his family on the farm entered by his father in Septem- ber, 1834, the patent for which was signed by Andrew Jackson. The farm joins that entered by his grand-father, Asahel Stone. HENRY A., born April 3, 1844, in San- gamon county, died April 21, 1861. CHARLES O., born May 4, 1847, in Sangamon county, is unmarried and re- sides in Springfield, Illinois. Ossian L. Stone died in 1850 and Mrs. Abigail Stone was married March, 1862, to Aaron Thompson and died in Springfield, Ill., Feb. 15, 1875. Mr. Thompson is one of the firm of Thompson & Newman, plan- ing mill.
THEDA S., born Dec. 14, 1SOS, in Madrid, N. Y., died at Bridport, Vt., March 31, 1820.
FRANCES S., born Dec. 17, 1813, in Bridport, Vt. Came with her father's family to Sangamon county, and was mar- ried at their farm residence Feb. 13, 1840, to Jonathan C. Bancroft. See his name. Rev. Dr. A. P. Happer, of the Chinese Mission, was groomsman at their wed- ding.
PHILIP Z., born Dec. 16, 1816, in Bridport, Vt., was married Feb. 1843, to Julia McCarty in Sangamon county. She died in 1852, while on their way to Oregon. P. Z. Stone resides in St. Louis, Missouri.
LAURA A., born April 10, 1821, in Bridport, Vt., was married at her fath- er's farm residence in Sangamon county, Ill., April 21, 1842, to Tacob Ruckel. See his name.
Mrs. Laura Stone died June 21, 1845, and Asahel Stone was married Septem- ber, 1846, in Springfield, Ill., to Lucretia Dresser. He died there Oct. 2, 1871. His
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widow resides in Springfield. Asahel Stone was the last survivor of the class in which he graduated in Dartmouth col- lege, of which it has already been stated that Daniel Webster was a member.
STONE, DAN, was born March 13, 1800, in Monkton, Addison county, Vermont, and graduated at Middlebury College, in his native State, in 1818. He went to Cincinnati and studied law with his uncle, Ethan Stone, and was married in that city in 1824 to Augusta M. Farns- worth, who was born March 8, 1So8, in Vermont, also. Mr. Stone practiced law in Cincinnati a few years, and during that time was a member of the State Legisla- ture of Ohio, and four years a member of the City Council. He moved to Spring- field, Illinois, in 1834, and in 1836 was elected one of the Representatives of San- gamon county to the Legislature of Illinois. He was, consequently, one of the "Long Nine." See sketch under that heading. While a member of the Legislature he received the appointment of Judge of the Circuit Court, and was assigned to the district in the extreme northwestern part of the State, and moved to Galena. In 1838 he rendered a deci- sion, with reference to the vote of an alien, that was distasteful to the Demo- cratic party-he being a Whig. That decision led to a reorganization of the judiciary system of the State. The Supreme Court then consisted of four Judges. In February, 1841, the Legisla- ture added five to the Court, all Demno- crats, and made it the duty of the nine judges composing the Supreme Court to act as Circuit Judges, also. Judge Stone, finding himself thus legislated out of office, soon left the State, and a few years later died in Essex county, New Jersey.
His son, Henry S., is unmarried and lives in San Francisco. His daughter, Jennie A., now the wife of Josiah Paul, lives in Cincinnati. His widow resides in Cincinnati, Ohio, also-1876.
STOKES, JOHN, was born April 14, 1796, in Nicholas county, Ken- tucky. He was married in that county April 15, 1819, to Deborah Dickerson, who was born Feb. 4, 1798, near Hagers- town, Maryland. They had four chil- dren in Kentucky, and moved to Sanga- mon county, Illinois, arriving in the fall of 1830, in what is now Rochester township,
where four children were born. Of their eight children-
SUSAN, born Sept. 13, 1822, in Nicholas county, Kentucky married Isaac B. Bell. See his name.
LOUISA, born June 22, 1825, in Ken- tucky, married Robert E. Richards. See his name.
BENGAMIN F., born Nov. 27, 1827, in Nicholas county, Kentucky, married in Sangamon county to Malvina C. Cooper. She died and he married Elzirah C. Cooper. They had four living children, JOHN W., JACOB F., MINNIE M. and GABRIEL, live with their parents in Christian county, near Edinburg, Illinois.
WILLIAM, born Jan. 30, 1830, in Kentucky, raised in Sangamon county, went to California in 1852, and died there December, 1862.
ELIZABETH A., born August 6, 1832, in Sangamon county, married Robert E. Berry. See his name.
JOHN, born April 19, 1835, in Sanga- mon county, married April 18, 1858, to Drada Lovelace, who was born August 7, 1840, in Shelby county, Illinois. They have three living children, CHARLES H., IDA A., and HARRIET A., reside with their parents near Edinburg, Chris- tian county, Illinois.
THOMAS, born Nov. 4, 1837, in San- gamon county, married Priscilla Jones. They had three children, two of whom died young. Thomas Stokes enlisted August, 1862, in Co. E, 114th Ill. Inf., was taken sick at Camp Butler, conveyed home, and died Oct. 28, 1862. His son, HERSCHEL V., resides with his mother, who is now the wife of James Layard. They reside near Sunny Side, Montgomery county, Kansas.
EMILY, born April 14, 1840, in San- gamon county, married Samuel Hedrick, and died August 25, 1867, leaving two children, who live with their father near Morrisonville, Christian county, Illinois.
John Stokes died March 15, 1853, and Mrs. Deborah Stokes died Feb. 12, 1870, both in Sangamon county, Illinois.
STOUT, the origin of this family in America is quite romantic. The princi- pal points in their history may be found in Benedict's History of the Bap- tists. Some of his statements are based on the writings of an earlier historian. The
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following embraces all that is known on the subject :
Some time during the seventeenth cen- tury, probably about 1680 or '90, a young couple just married in Holland, embarked on a vessel bound for America. The voyage was prosperous until they were nearing the port of New Amsterdam, now the city of New York. The vessel was wrecked off what is now the coast of New Jersey, and nearly all on board drowned. The young couple of Hollanders, escaped drowning and with a small number of the passengers and crew succeeded in reaching the shore. Upon landing they were at- tacked by Indians, who lay in ambush awaiting their arrival. The whole party were tomahawked, scalped and otherwise mutilated, and left for dead. All were dead except the wife, from Holland. She alone survived, and although her scalp was removed and she was otherwise hor- ribly mangled, she had sufficient remain- ing strength to crawl away from the scene of the slaughter, and secreted her- self in a hollow log which was concealed by underbrush. She lay there a day or two, during which time her mental and bodily suffering may be imagined but can- not be described. She finally made up her mind that there was no possibility of her escaping with life; that if she remained quiet she would certainly die of hunger and thirst, and if she attempted to seek sustenance, that would expose her to the Indians, who would be sure to kill her. At this juncture, a deer, with an arrow sticking in its body, ran past where she was. This led her to believe that Indians were near, and she reasoned that it would be a much easier death to let them kill her, than to endure the pangs of starva- tion by remaining where she was. She then summoned all her remaining strength and dragged her body out to an open space that the Indians might see her should they pursue the deer. In a short time three of the savages appeared on its trail. Two of them rushed upon her with up- lifted tomahawks, but the third one, a chief, restrained them and saved her life. It was not humanity, but gain that prompted him to this act of mercy. He took his prisoner to New Amsterdam and
there received a ransom for her. That placed her in the hands of friends who gave her the proper surgical treatment
and nursing as she recovered. The name of her husband is not known, neither is her own family name, nothing but her first or given name, Penelope; a name that has stood for more than twenty-five centuries, in tradition and literature, as the highest ideal of a true and loyal wife. It will readily be understood that I allude to one of the creations of Homer, the father of Greek poetry. A brief statement of the case, gleaned from his works will not be out of place here.
When the Greeks declared war against Troy, in consequence of the abduction of Helen, the wife of Menelaus, a Greek chieftain, it was found that one of their number, Ulysses, although a soldier by profession, and a farmer in time of peace, manifested great reluctance to leaving his young and beautiful wife, Penelope, and their infant son, Telemachus, for the pur- pose of engaging in the war. He feigned insanity, by sowing salt instead of wheat. As a test of his sanity, Nestor, whom all respected for his wisdom and probity, pro- posed that the infant son of Ulysses should be laid in the furrow in front of the oxen with which he was plowing. The device was successful, and caused him to throw off the disguise by saving his child. It was expected that the war would be brief, but it was extended to a long series of years, and of those who finally returned, Ulysses was the last, after twenty years's absence. Meanwhile, he was supposed to be dead, and many suit- or- for the hand of Penelope, pressed their claims, and a simple "No" from her was not taken for an answer. The very thought of marrying again, especially while the fate of her husband was in doubt, was peculiarly revolting to her and she announced her intention of choosing a husband among the suitors, when she had completed the weaving of a shroud for her father-in-law. Her ardent suitors waited with all the patience they could command until it was discovered that she undid at night what she had woven through the day. She was then obliged to proceed with her work when the long absent Ulysses returned just in time to save her from what seemed a horrible fate.
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