USA > Illinois > Sangamon County > History of the early settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois : "centennial record" > Part 62
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119 | Part 120 | Part 121 | Part 122 | Part 123 | Part 124 | Part 125 | Part 126 | Part 127 | Part 128
392
EARLY SETTLERS OF
Dec. 16, 1864, the second day of the battle of Nashville; recovered, served his full time, and was honorably discharged at the close of the rebellion. He died at the family homestead, in Christian county, Ill., Dec. 26, 1868. MARY M. J., born Feb. 29, 1840, in Sangamon county, Ill., was married March 3, 1875, to Dr. J. Henry Dickerson, who graduated Feb. 23, 1870, at the Philadelphia University of Medicine and Surgery. Dr. Dickerson and wife reside ten miles northwest of Taylorville, Christian county. Sec Dr. Dickerson's name in connection with the name of his grand- father, Robert Bell. JOSEPH A., born Jan. 2, 1843, is unmarried, and resides at the family homestead. Alexander B. V. Humphreys was engaged in blacksmithing while he lived in Springfield; but the business of his life was farming, in which he was eminently successful. In March, 1850, he moved with his family to Chris- tian county, seven miles southwest of Edinburg, where Mrs. Nancy R. H. died Feb. 28, 1862, and A. B. V. Hum- phreys died Oct. S, 1865.
MARY A., born Jan. 17, 1807, in Fleming county, Ky., married in Sanga- mon county to Philetus G. Pierce. They had five children in Sangamon county. ISABEL died young. The family moved in IS51, to the vicinity of Roseburg, Douglas county, Oregon, where Mr. Pierce died, in 1858 or '9, and Mrs. Pierce died Jan., 1872. Their four children, JOHN D., ELIZABETH, CARO- LINE and OWEN reside in Oregon.
JOHN D., born Oct. 2, 1809, in Bath county, Ky., married Nov. 8, 1832, in Sangamon county, to Mary McKinnic. They had two children. MIRANDA, born August 1, 1833, died in her third year. DAVID, born Dec. 4, 1834, in Sangamon county, married June 9, 1857, to Mary A. Chapman, who was born March 2, 1835, in Devonshire, England. They have three children, JOHN J., MARY A. and MINNIE E., and reside at Farming- dale, Sangamon county, Illinois. He is station agent and postmaster there. John D. Humphreys died in July, 1835, three and a half miles southeast of Springficid, and his widow married John Branson. Sec his name.
ELIZABETH, born Feb. 11, 1812, in Bath county, Ky., married in Sanga-
mon county to Willoughby Churchill. See his name. They had four children, and started, in 1850, to Oregon. Mrs. C. died at the Delles, a narrow gorge in Columbia river. The family reside near Harrisburg, Linn county, Oregon.
DAVID, born Feb. 4, 1819, in Ken- tucky, died in Sangamon county, Sept. 6, 1834.
Owen Humphreys died Jan., 1846, in Sangamon county, near Mechanicsburg.
HUNTER, JAMES, was born August 14, 1778, in Loudon county, Va., and went, when a young man, to Gallatin county, Ky. He was there married to Rachel Scott, who was born Oct. 17, 1783, in Virginia. They had nine children in Gallatin county, and moved to Sangamon county, Ill,, arriving Dec., 1828, in what Of their is now Illiopolis township. children-
WILLIAM, born Feb. 17, 1So7, in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county to Polly Dickerson. They both dicd, leaving a large family near Mt. Auburn, Christian county.
ELIZABETH. born May 1, 1809, in Gallatin county, Ky., married in San- gamon county to William Donner. Scc his name.
JOHN, born Aug. S, IS11, in Gallatin county, Ky., married in Sangamon county to Martha Dickerson, who was born Sept. 25, 181. They had six children-MARY J., born May 18, 1840, married Harrison P. Hampton. Scc his name. HUGH L., born Oct. 1, 1841, enlisted July 19, 1861, for three years, in Co. I, 4ist IIl. Inf., served full term, and was honorably discharged, Aug. 20, 1864, was married, March 30, 1865, in Sangamon county, to Rose Ann Ream, and lives three and one- half miles southwest of Illiopolis. RACHEL F., born Feb. 9, 1843, married Nov. 14, 1861, to James Lee, who was born Nov. 16, 1838, in Gallipolis, Ohio. They had five children-HARRIET A. dicd in infancy. WM. GRANT, FLORENCE, LAURA V. and ALLIE live with their pa- rents, three miles southwest of Illiopolis. SARAH E., born July 4, 1845, married Thomas Sidener, have two children, and live near Rochester. THOMAS S., born Sept. IS, 1847, and ARCHER SCOTT, born Sept. 28, 1852, live in Illi- opolis township. Mrs. Martha Hunter
393
SANGAMON COUNTY.
died Aug., 1854, and John Hunter died Dec. 22, 1856.
GAMES, Jun., born Feb. 14, 1814, in Gallatin county, Ky., was brought by his parents to Sangamon county, in IS28, and was married in Macon county to Lucinda Warnick. They had one child-SARAH L., born Dec. 25, 1839, married, April IS, 1861, in Springfield, to Sylvanus Dake, who was born Feb. 26, 1834, in Cattarau- gus county, N. Y. They had three child- ren-JULIA ANNA died in her second year. CORNELIA F. and OSCAR II., live with their parents in Iliopolis. Mrs. Lu- einda Hunter died Dec. 31, 1839, and Mr. Hunter married Rebecca Newell. They had two children, WILLIAM and MAR- GARET A. They live in Iowa. James Hunter died in 1845. His widow married a Mr. Peeds.
CELIA, born Feb. 29, 1816, in Galla- tin county, Ky., married in Sangamon county to Archibald Diekerson. See his name.
SALLY, born in ISIS, in Kentucky, raised in Sangamon county, married in Macon county to Joseph Hanks, and had four children. RACHEL married Oct. 26, 1857, to Elijah Gathard, have six children, and live seven miles east of Springfield. MARGARET married Dr. Frank Hall, and died. CELIA mar- ried Dr. Frank Hall. See his name. Mr. and Mrs. Hanks died in Macon county.
MARGARET f., born Dec. 26, 1819, in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county to Wm. Freeman, had three child- ren, and the parents died in Macon county.
RACHEL, born April 26, 1822, in Kentucky, raised in Sangamon county, married Lewis Freeman, had three child- ren, and Mis. F. died in Macon county. Mr. F. moved to Iowa City, Iowa.
THOMAS, born Sept. 14, 1824, in Kentucky, died in Sangamon county, at about twenty years of age.
Mrs. Rachel Hunter died April IS, 1865, and James Hunter died April 22, 1867, both in Illiopolis township, near where they settled in 1828.
HUNTER, THOMAS S., was born Feb. 8, 1814, in Hardin county, Ky. His father died in ISIS, his mother married Wm. Y. Singleton, and the fam- ily eame to Sangamon county Ill., in the spring of IS37. Mrs. Singleton died in
-50
1855. Thomas S. Hunter was married June 13, 1844, to Martha Darneille. They had three children, namely-
MARTHA R., married James W. Barger. See his name.
JAMES W. and ROBERT S., live with their parents, five miles west of Chatham.
Of the three sisters ---
HUNTER, ELIZA, married James Lampton, and died, leaving three children in Mason county.
HUNTER, MARY M., mar- ried G. R. Vigus, who died, leaving a widow and one son near Ottawa, Kansas.
HUNTER, REBECCA H. married Absolom D. McGraw. See his name.
HURST, CHARLES R., was born Sept. 20, 1811, in Philadelphia, Pa. He came to Springfield in March, 1834, and first engaged as elerk with Bell & Tinsley, dry goods merchants, on Jeffer- son street, between Second and Third, where the Springfield Manufacturing Company's works now stand. He bought out the dry goods business of Joshua F. Speed, and has been in the mercantile business to the present time; now as one of the firm of Hurst & Ruth. Charles R. Hurst was married in Springfield to Ann Taylor, a daughter of Col. John Taylor. They had six living children, all in Springfield-
JENNIE E. and
ANNA W. reside with their parents.
GEORGIA S. was married April, 1874, to Maurice Starne, a son of Hon. Alexander Starne, and resides in Spring- field.
CHARLES H.,
EDWARD S. and
HUIZINGA M. reside with their pa- rents in Springfield.
Mr. Hurst served the city of Spring- field as alderman eight years. He was chairman of the committee on finance dur- ing the whole of that time. He also served three years as Waterworks Com- missioner.
HUSBAND, HARMON, was born April 10, 1791, in North Carolina, and taken by his parents to Christian county, Ky. Sarah Pyles was born Nov. 12, 1790, in South Carolina. Her parents moved about 1795, to the vicinity of Mt. Sterling, Ky., and three or four years
1
394
EARLY SETTLERS OF
later moved to Christian county. Harmon Husband and Sarah Pyles were there married in ISII, and had five children in that county. The family moved to San- gamon county, Ill., arriving in Oct., 1820, and settled three miles cast of the present town of Auburn, where seven children were born. Of their children-
EVELINE, born April 1, 1814, in Christian county, Ky., married Josephus Gatton. Sce his name.
ELIZABETH, born about 1S16, in Kentucky, married Thomas Mason. Scc his name. She died Dec. 23, 1850, leaving four children.
MARY A., born in Kentucky, married Thomas J. Higgins. Sce his name,
GANE, born in Kentucky, is unmar- ried, and lives at the family homestead.
MARTHA, married Wm. M. Snow, and died March S, 1856, in Carlinville, leaving one child, ENOCH W. SNOW. He lives at the Husband family home- stead.
SUSAN died in 1850, aged twenty- eight years.
GAMES E. D. is unmarried, and lives at the family homestead.
JOHN Q. A., born Feb. 19, 1828, in Sangamon county, married Jan. 7, 1864, to Ann E. Barrow. They have. three children, EFFIE A., MINNIE A. and CLARLES H., and live six mites south of Springfield.
SARAH R., and
WILLIAM II., twins, born in San- gamon county, are both unmarried, and live at the family homestead.
EMILY, born in Sangamon county, married Lockwood M. Todd. Sce his namc. They live in Virginia City, Montana Ter.
Harmon Husband died Feb. 15, 1848, and Mrs. Sarah Husband resides-1874- on the farm where they settled in 1820. It is three miles east of Auburn, Sanga- mon county, Illinois.
HUSTON, MARTHA, was born May 4, 1819, in Cumberland county, Penn. She came to Chatham, May 14, 1839, on a visit to her sister, Mrs. Wm. P. Thayer, and was married in Chatham, Sept. 28, 1843, to Ilenry Thayer. who was born July 1, 1812, in Boston, Mass., and came to Sangamon county, in April, (841. They had eight children-
JOSEPH L., died at two years of age.
HENRY, died in his thirteenth year. . Of the other six Thayer children-
ELLEN M., born June 29, 1844, married, Aug. 25, 1864, to Thomas Mc- Elwain. They have one living child, ANNA ROSA, and live in Chatham.
OLIVE 7., E. RUGGLES, CHARLES M., ANNA C. and EM- MA A., reside with their parents in Chat- ham-1874.
HUSSEY, NATHAN, was born Sept. 20, 1785, in York county, Penn,; went to Washington county, Va., when a young man. Mary Stewart was born in the latter county Oct. 1, 1785. They were there married in 1803, and soon moved to Green county, Ohio, about fourteen miles southeast of Nenia. Seven of their children were born there, and the family moved to Sangamon coun- ty, Ill., arriving May 10, IS19, in what is now Fancy Creck township, where two children were born. Of their nine child- ren-
CHRISTOPHER and MARY, twins, were born March, 1So5, in Ohio.
CHRISTOPHER was married Sept. 12, 1828, in Sangamon county, to Eliza- beth Primm, and died Sept. 16, 1830, leaving a widow without children.
MARY was married Feb. 27, IS29, to Joseph R. Young. They had three liv- ing children in Sangamon county. In 1850 they moved overland to Oregon, with their three children. DAVID died on the summit of the Rocky mountains. MARGARET died soon after their arri- val in Oregon. Mr. Young died there in 1855, from the effects of a gun-shot wound, received in the Black Hawk war as a soldier from Sanganion county. His only son, STEPHEN, is married, and practicing medicine at or near McMin- ville, Oregon. Mrs. Mary Young still re- sides on her farm near McMinville, Yam- hill county, Oregon.
WILLIAM, S., born Nov. 2, 1809, in Green county, Ohio, was married Dec. IS, 1834, in Sangamon county, Ill., to Sarah Yocum. They had seven children, all born in Sangamon county, and in 1851 moved overland to Oregon. Of their seven children-NATHAN, born in 1835, married Charlotte Keagle. They have four living children, HENRY C.,
395
SANGAMON COUNTY.
MATTIE R., ANNIE L. and SARAH A., who reside with their parents, three miles south of Williamsville. JACOB Y., born in 1836, in Sangamon county, Ill., enlisted Sept., 1861, in Co. A, 32d Ill. Inf., for three years; was wounded in the battle of Pittsburgh Landing, April, 1862, and was discharged on account of physi- cal disability Sept., 1863. He now draws a pension. He married Sarah Yocum. They have two children, WILLIAM M. and CHARLES H. Jacob Y. Hussey is sta- tion agent at Barclay, and resides on a farm near that place. HENRY CLAY, born Feb. 13, 1838, enlisted Sept., 1861, in Co. A, 32d Ill. Inf., for three years, and died of typhoid fever, near Pitts- burgh Landing, May, 1862. MARY J., born in Sangamon county, April 15, 1839, was married in 1856, in Oregon, to Alfred F. Thompson, who was born in McMinn county, Tenn. They have six living children, WILLIAM H., JOHN W., MARY E, ROBERT E. and LULA B., and reside two miles northeast of Barclay. WILLIAM F., born Sept. 3, IS41, en- listed Oct. 3, 1864, in Co. B, 30th Ill. Inf. In Feb., 1865, that regiment was merged into another, and he became a member of Co. A, 77th Ill. Inf. He was honorably discharged Aug. 31, 1865, and was mar- lied Feb. 14, 1866, to Alice C. Irwin. They have two living children, ALICE M. and WILLIAM H., who reside with their parents in Williamsville, Sangamon coun- ty, Ill. STEPHEN, born Nov. 28, 1842, enlisted in the same company and regi- ment with his brother, William H., and was honorably discharged at the same time. He married Mary Darnall. They have three living children, who reside with their parents at Lawndale, Illinois. MARIA E., the youngest child, lost her life in Oregon, in 1860, by her clothes ac- cidentally taking fire while attending a sick friend. Her father's hands were so badly burned in his efforts to extinguish the fire that it made him a cripple for life. Mrs. Sarah Hussey died in 1852, and William S. Hussey was married in Oregon, May, 1855, to Mrs. Jemima Gilbreath, whose maiden name was Thompson, a native of Tennessee. They had two living children in Oregon, and in 1864, Mr. Hussey returned with his family to Sangamon county, Ill. Of their two children-JOSEPHINE C. was
A
married in 1872, to Richard W. Barger. They have one child, SARAH, and R. W. Barger is a practicing attorney-at-law, and resides in Des Moines, la. CHARLES A. lives with his parents. Mrs. Jemima Hussey had two children by a former marriage. SARAH C. died in 1865. WILLIAM C. Gilbreath graduated June IS, 1875, at the Wesleyan University, at Bloomington, Ill. He was married, Aug. 6, 1875, to Lillie D. Lyon, of Pontiac. He is now a mer- chant in Williamsville. W. S. Hussey was elected Justice of the Peace, in IS;S, in Ore- gon, which office he held until his return to Illinois, when he was elected a member of the Board of Supervisors of Sanga- mon county, twice, and tendered the office the third time, but declined. William S. Hussey and wife reside in Williamsville, Sangamon county, Illinois.
NANCY A., born March 29, ISII, in Ohio, was married in Sangamon county, to Abraham D. VanMeter. See his name.
SOPHIA, born July 18, 1813, in Ohio, was married in Sangamon county, Ill., to James Brown, and moved to Oregon in IS50. They have seven children, and re- side in McMinnville, Yamhill county, Oregon.
NATHAN, born Dec. 14, 1815, in Ohio, was married in Sangamon county to Sarah Burton. They had five children in Sangamon county, and in 1845 moved to Oregon, where their family was increas- ed to eight children. The mother and three children died, and the father and five children reside near Fort Haskins, Oregon.
STEPHEN, born Oct. 16, ISIS, in Ohio, was married in Sangamon county, Ill., to Cornelia Crowl. They had five children in Sangamon county, and moved to Oregon, in 1850, where others were born. Mrs. H. and four of their children died therc. One of the living children, ELIZABETH, is married to James Peterson, and resides in Portland, Oregon. The other three, with their father, moved to California, where he dicd.
MARGARET, born April 5, 1821, in Sangamon county, married Henry Bird. See his name.
ELIZABETH S., born Aug. 1, 1823, in Sangamon county, married William Lynch. They have two sons, and reside in Fairfield, lowa.
-
396
EARLY SETTLERS OF
Mrs. Mary S. Hussey died in Sanga- mon county June 30, 1841, and Nathan Hussey accompanied two of his children to Oregon, and died there Oct. 29, 1857.
HAMPTON, JAMES P., was born April 17, 1787, in the vicinity of Hampton Roads, Va. In 1790 his pa- rents crossed the Alleghany mountains, and embarking in boats, at Pittsburg, went down the Ohio river. Some fami- lies had been massacred a short time be- fore, at Limestone, now Marysville. The Hamptons and their friends intended landing at the same point, but were con- vineed by the movements of the savages on shore that it would not be safe. They landed further down, and thus saved their lives, but the Indians captured one of their boats with all their stores. Mr. Hampton settled in what became Franklin county, Ky. James P. was a soldier from that county, in the war of 1812-'13, under Gen. Harrison. He was married in ISIS, in the adjoining county of Woodford, to Sarah Poindexter, who was born in that county, March 24, ISoo. They made their home in Franklin county, four miles from Frankfort, until they had five living children. The family moved to Sanga- mon county, Ill., arriving Oct., 1829, in what is now Illiopolis township, where they had two living children. Of their seven children-
WILLIAM H., born July 17, 1821, in Franklin county, Ky., married April 20, 1843, in Sangamon county, to Mary A. Garvey. They had ten children in Sangamon county-EMILY J., ANNIE M., JAMES W .. SURRILDA E., FRANKLIN P., HATTIE; LOUISA died in her eighth year ; LAURA, NANCY and ELBIE, the nine living, reside with their parents in Illiopolis township, two miles cast of Mechanics- burg.
JAMES M., born about 1823, in Kentucky, died in Sangamon county, July 17, 1845.
JOHN S., born Aug. 29, 1824, in Frankfort, Ky., married in Sangamon county, April 29, 1847, to Naney C. Gar- vey. They had eight children born in Sangamon county; one died in infancy. MARY E., born Sept. 6, 1848, married March 26, 1872, to John S. Ford, have one child, HORACE N., and live three miles east of Mechanicsburg, in Illiopolis
township. ELIZA F., SUSAN B. and SARAH, live with their parents. CHARLES LINCOLN was drowned while bathing, July 27, 1875. ELEA- NOR and ARTHUR E. reside with their parents. John S. Hampton had one foot amputated in June, 1875. He has acted as a Justice of the peace many years, and part of the time was engaged in merchan- dizing. . He now-1876-resides in Illi- opolis, Illinois.
MARTHA G., born Nov. 23, 1826, in Kentucky, is unmarried, and lives in Illi- opolis.
MARY A., born Ang. 29, 1828, in Franklin county, Ky., married in Sanga- mon county, Aug. 7, 1862, to Simon P. Williams, who was born Sept. 17, 1825, in Tusearawas county, Ohio. They had two children, ROLLIN E. and RENA A., and Mrs. W. died July 19, 1873. Mr. Williams and his children live in Illiopolis.
PRESTON B., born Jan. 28, 1831- during the "deep snow"-in Sangamon county, married in Mechanicsburg, March 5, 1857, to Dorothy Rankin, who was born March 25, 1832, in York county, Maine, raised in New Hampshire, and came to Mechanicsburg, April, 1855. They have five children, SHERIDAN, ABRAHAM LINCOLN, JOHN LO- GAN, FLORA MAY and JAMES GRANT. Preston B. Hampton enlisted Aug. 4, 1862, for three years, in Co. A, 73d Ill. Inf., served until April IS, 1863, when he was discharged on account of physical disability. He resides in Illiop- olis township, five miles east of Mechan- icsburg, on the farm where his parents settled in IS29, and where he was born.
HARRISON P., born April 2, 1840, in Sangamon county, enlisted Aug. 4, 1862, for three years, in Co. A, 73d III. Inf., served to the end of the rebellion, and was honorably discharged with the regiment, June 24, 1865. He was married March 14, 1867, to Mary J. Hunter. They have two children, EBER and CALLIE, and live in Illiopolis.
James P. Hampton died Dec. 15, 1853, and his widow died Jan. 14, 1858, both near Illiopolis, Sangamon county, Illinois.
HAMPTON, SAMUEL C., brother to James P., was born about 1791, in Franklin county, Ky. He was there married, in IS19, to Catharine John- son, a native of Virginia. They had four
397
SANGAMON COUNTY.
children in Frankfort, Franklin county, Ky. The eldest, J. Henry, died there. Mr. Hampton moved with his family to Sangamon county, Ill., arriving in the fall of 1830, in what is now Mechanics- burg township, where they had one child. Of their four children-
GAMES W., born Oct. 4, 1823, in Frankfort, Ky., married in Springfield to Elizabeth Johnson. They had three children, two of whom died young. JOHN T. is married, and resides in Decatur, Ill. Mrs. Elizabeth Hampton died, and James W. Hampton married Ada Baker. They had three living children, FRANK, NETTIE and CHARLES R. James W. Hampton died Oct. 25, 1875, in Spring- field, Ill. His widow and children live at 817 South Fourth street.
ELIZABETH, born in 1825, in Ken- tucky, married in Sangamon county in IS42 to Isaac Hart. They had five child- ren, and in 1860 moved to, and are now living at, Ottumwa, Iowa.
SETH COOK, born April 18, 1828, in Frankfort, Ky., was married Sept. 8, 1853, in Springfield, to Mary A. Conant. They had seven children-SETH COOK, Jun., the eldest, and EMERY E., the young- est, died under five years. The other five, HARRY L., LYDIA C., ALBERT S., RUTH M., and RUFUS C. live with their parents. Mr. Hampton has been, from his boyhood, engaged in mer- chandizing, and is now in that business in Springfield-1876.
CHARLES B., born March, 1830, in Sangamon county, died March 1, 1874, in Springfield, leaving neither wife nor children.
Samuel C. Hampton died about 1839, and Mrs. Catharine Hampton died Jan. 19, 1859, both in Sangamon county, Illinois.
I
ILES, ELIJAH, was born Mar. 28, 1796, in what was then Fayette county, Ky., about sixty miles east of Lexington. His grandfather was an Englishman, and his grandmother Welch. Thomas Iles, the father of Elijah Iles, was born in Chester county, Pa., in 1765, emigrated to Kentucky about the year 1790, married Elizabeth Crockett, a relative of David
Crockett. Their five children were Mary, Elijah, William, Washington and Elizabeth. The latter was eight days old when the mother died. Elijah, the subject of this sketch, attended school for two winters, where reading, writing and arithmetic were the highest branches taught. He became proficient in these studies, and taught school himself two winters. His father then gave him $300 with which he bought one hundred head of yearling cattle. These he herded among the mountains in the eastern part of Kentucky, about twenty miles outside of civilization, on the Little Sandy river. Here he camped, his only companions being his horse, dog, gun, milk cow and the cattle. These last he shifted from one valley to another, wintering the cat- tle without grain, and they would be in tolerable condition in the spring. His meals generally consisted of a stew made of bear meat, venison, turkey, and a piece of fat bacon. He baked his corn bread on a johnny-cake board or in the ashes. This, together with sweet milk (not skimmed) and honey, he thought good living, and although alone, enjoyed life. Sometimes the young men from Lexington and Paris would join him for a hunt, always bring- ing good whisky and other refreshments. He sold his cattle, in three years, for about ten dollars a head, realizing a large sum of money for that time, and with this left for Missouri, on horseback, arriving at St. Louis în IS18, which was only a French village of 2,500 inhabitants. From there he went to Old Franklin, Mo., opposite where Brownsville now stands. Here he engaged as clerk in a store, and acted as land agent for eastern capitalists. He re- mained there three years, investing his money in lands. In 1821 he visited Ken- tueky; returning, he passed through cen- tral Illinois. There were no roads then, and his only guide from Vincennes to Vandalia, and from the latter place to the Sangamon valley, was the surveyors stakes. He was so much pleased with what is now Sangamon county that he de- termined to locate here, and returned to Missouri to sell some of his land and col- lect some money. Proceeding to Illinois, on horseback, he crossed the Mississippi river at the present town of Louisiana, swam his horse across the mouth of the Illinois river, rode from there to Carrol-
398
EARLY SETTLERS OF
ton, thence to Diamond Grove, near where Jacksonville now stands. There he found a settlement. From there he proceeded by way of Island Grove to the head of Spring creek, and thence to Springfield, arriving in June, 1821, just - after it had been made the temporary county seat of Sangamon county, which embraced all of Illinois north of Greene and Madison counties. The inbabitants of Springfield consisted of the families of Charles R. Matheny, John and William Kelly, An- drew Elliott, Levi D. and Jacob Ellis, Lan- terman, Little and Lindsay. Mr. Iles board- ed with John Kelly about a year. He describes it as being the best board- ing house he ever had, before or since. Two of Mr. Kelley's brothers were hunters, and the table was well sup- plied with venison, wild turkey, prairie chickens, squirrels and fresh fish. The bread was the old fashioned hoe cake, with plenty of milk and honey. Soon after domiciling himself at Mr. Kelly's, Mr. Iles concluded to visit some friends north of the Sangamon river. Arriving at the stream he found the banks full, and a horn left on the south side, opposite the ferry, to be blown by persons desiring to cross. Mr. Iles blew this horn, at inter- vals, for several hours, but failed to at- tract the attention of the ferryman. Des- pairing of crossing for that day, he re- turned to Springfield that night, and the next day started again, with the same re- sult. He returned the second night to Springfield, and the third day, by loud and continuous blowing, he succeeded in crossing and visiting his friends. On re- turning, Mr. Iles contracted for the build- ing of a log store, sixteen feet square, with a shed attached, and set out on horse- back for St. Louis, to buy goods. He re- mained four weeks, and bought fifteen hundred dollars worth of merchandise, consisting of wrought iron, pot metal, dry goods and groceries. Mr. Iles loaded these on a keel boat, which was towed up the Mississippi by six men having a rope, which they pulled from the shore. He found but one house at Alton, one at the mouth of the Illinois river, and an empty cabin, built by Mr. Beard, where Beards- town now stands. Here he was landed with his goods, and the men returned with their boat, leaving Mr. Iles alone on the bank in a wilderness. He paid seven-
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.