All Rights Reserved © Copyright 1999, 2000 All material contained on these pages are furnished for the free use of those engaged researching their family origins. Any commercial use, without the consent of the host/author of these pages is prohibited. We have tried to use images that were obtained from sources permitting free distribution, or generated by the author, and are subject to the same restrictions/permissions. All persons contributing material for posting on these pages does so in recognition of their free, non-commercial distribution, and further, is responsible to assure that no copyright is violated by their submission.



EARLY SETTLERS OF SANGAMON COUNTY - 1876
By John Carroll Power

These biographies were submitted by a researcher and evidently abstracted from the 1876 History of Sangamon County, IL. Errors could occur, so one should always verify the correctness by obtaining copies of vitals and performing all necessary research to document what is contained herein.




BEAM, JACOB, was born about 1762, in N. J., and when he was a youth, went to Lexington, Ky., which he found to be a very small village. Rachel McClure was born in Huntington county, Pa., in 1775, and taken by her parents to Fayette county, Ky., when she was quite young. Jacob Beam and Rachel McClure were married at Lexington, and had two children there. They moved to Manchester, Ohio, where they had eleven children, and from there to Clarke county, Ind., where one child was born, and from there to what is now Lincoln, Logan county, Ill., arriving the day before the election which made Andrew Jackson President, in 1828. Finding it impossible to obtain food and shelter for his family through the winter, after a stay of two weeks, Mr. Beam moved to Rochester, Sangamon county, in the latter part of Nov., 1828. Of their children--

JAMES, born near Lexington, Ky., married in Sangamon county to Susan Hyner, who was born Oct. 15, 1810. They had nine children, all of whom are dead, except RACHEL, born May 15, 1831, married Jacob Rape. See his name. James Beam died in 1855, in Sangamon county, and his widow died in 1858, at Mt. Auburn, Christian county.

JOHN, born in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county, to Ellen Williams. They have three children, and reside at Boscobel, Grant county, Wis.

ELIZABETH, born at Manchester, O., married in Sangamon county to Harvey Summers. They had six children. SIMON P. was accidentally shot in Marysville, California, about 1860. JOHN WESLEY, was a member of a California Cavalry regiment, and was killed by his horse running away with him on the march to the field of conflict, in 1862. GEORGE W. was a soldier in an Illinois regiment, captured and died in a rebel prison in South Carolina. MARY E. married a Baptist minister, and resides in Iowa. WILLIAM resides near Rockbridge, Green county. SARAH E., resides with her father. Mrs. E. Summers died, and Harvey Summers resides in Alton.

MARY, born in Ohio, is unmarried, and resides with her brother, Joseph Beam.

DAVID, born in Manchester, Adams county, Ohio, married in Sangamon county, to Rosanna Ebey, who was born near Columbus, Ohio. They had eleven children in Sangamon county, five of whom died young. GEORGE W. went to Washington Territory in 1854, married there to Sarah Wright, a native of Missouri. They went over the plains together. Mr. Beam died March, 1865, on Vancouver's Island, leaving a widow and three children. She is again married, and resides in San Francisco. JACOB H., born April 28, 1834, married Jan. 19, 1865, to Amanda Cummings, and resides in Springfield. LOUISA J. married Emery Raymond, and died March 17, 1863, leaving two children. NANCY A. married Lewis Williams, who died, and she married Geo. W. Dugger, and resides in Virden. WILLIAM T., born Sept. 22, 1844, married Sept. 25, 1872, to Margaret A. Sanders. They have one child, CORDELIA A., and reside in Rochester township, near where his grandfather Beam settled in 1828. JAMES HARVEY, born July 24, 1849, married Oct. 23, 1873, to Eliza J. Sanders, and resides on part of the farm near where his grandfather settled in 1828. It is in Cotton Hill township. David Beam died Feb. 28, 1853. His widow died April 16, 1860. Mr. Beam acted as Justice of the Peace for many years; was a farmer and miller.

SARAH, born in Ohio, married in Sangamon county, to John A. Maxcy. They have two children, and reside in Alton.

NANCY, born in Ohio, married in Sangamon county, to Jacob Miller, and both died. They left six children in DeWitt county.

THOMAS, born at Manchester, O., and came to Sangamon county with his parents. Some of his friends here relate an incident in his life that illustrates real life among the early settlers. He raised a good crop of corn in the summer of 1830, and in the fall determined to sell it and go to the Galena lead mines. After making it known in all the settlement, he was unable to get an offer for his crop at any price in money, but he traded it for a barrel of whisky, traded that for a three year old steer, and finally sold that for $10.00. He took a vow to use that for paying his expenses out of the county, and never to live in it again. He went to the lead mines, was married in Wisconsin to Catharine Reed. They had six children in Wisconsin, and moved to California in 1863. He is now a wealthy man, and resides at Crescent City, Del Norte county, California.

JANE A., born in Ohio, married in Sangamon county to William Cable, moved to Wisconsin, and after spending twenty-four years there, moved to Iowa, and died there in 1872, leaving several children.

WESLEY, born in Ohio, married in Sangamon county, Dec. 25, 1840, to Amelia Rape. They had five children in Cotton Hill township; one died in infancy. NANCY J. married W. T. Williams; had two children, ALBERT L. and THEODORE L. Mrs. W. died and they live with their father, who married and resides in Cotton Hill township. MARY A. married James M. Sankey, have three children, and reside near Fairbanks, Ind. AMANDA E. married Wm. Z. Williams, have one child, and reside near Shelbourn, Ind. JOHN L. is unmarried, and resides in Cotton Hill township. Wesley Beam died in 1852, in Cotton Hill township, and his widow married Mr. Howlett. See Rape family name.

CORDELIA, born in Ohio, married in Sangamon county, to Daniel Fetters. They had four chlldren, and she died in Cotton Hill township.

JOSEPH, born July 27, 1820, in Clarke county, Ind., married in Sangamon county to Mary P. Spicer. They had two children. NANCY J. A., married Henry Hertel, have one child, ADA LILLIAN, and reside three miles north of Pawnee, in Cotton Hill township. SARAH E. married Isaac Porter, who was born Dec. 29, 1836, in Monroe county, Ohio. They moved to Kansas City, Mo., and she died there, May 21, 1869, one month after marriage. Mr. Porter brought her remains back to the family cemetery for interment. He has since married Maggie Caldwell, and resides in Pawnce. Mrs. Mary P. Beam died Oct. 16, 1850, and Joseph Beam was married April 25, 1854, to Barbara Deardorff. They had four children. THOMAS W. and LINDSAY C., the eldest and youngest, died under three years. JOSEPH L. and WALDO P. reside with their parents in Ball township, ten miles southeast of Springfield. He has acted as Justice of the Peace for several years.

Jacob Beam died March 24, 1838, and his widow died April 21, 1851, both near where they settled in 1828.




Return to 1876 Biography Index

Return to Sangamon County ILGenWeb