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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.



CANTRILL, THOMAS, was born April 4, 1775, and Elizabeth Murray was born Sept. 19, 1774. The place of their birth is not known, but probably in Orange county, North Carolina, where they were married and had one child. They then moved to Green county, Ky., where they had five children, and moved to Sangamon county, Ill., arriving Oct., 1828, in what is now Rochester township, three and a half miles east of Springfield. Of their children--

MARY, born in North Carolina, married in Kentucky to Thomas Perry, and came to Sangamon county before her parents. They had six children, but all the family are dead.

WILLIAM, born Jan. 17, 1800, in Green county, Ky., came to Springfield, Ill., in March, 1825, was married in Sangamon county Feb. 14, 1828, to Elizabeth Hall, who was born Dec. 8, 1809. They had two children, and moved to Decatur, April, 1833, where they had two children. Of their children: THOMAS H., born Nov. 1, 1829, in Sangamon county, raised in Decatur, and died in the spring of 1864, at Walla Walla, Washington Ter. JANE ELLEN, born Oct. 27, 1832, in Sangamon county, married in Decatur, April 4, 1857, to A. S. Keller, and lives at Sullivan, Moultrie county, Ill. MARY E., born Sept. 27, 1835, in Decatur, married Dr. William Dillon. See his name. SUSAN L., born July 3, 1844, married Feb. 3, 1863, to Harl P. Christie, and lives in Decatur. Mrs. Elizabeth Cantrill died August 4, 1868, and William Cantrill lives in Decatur.

SUSAN, married Robert Bird, had two children, and the parents died.

ANNA married William Black. They had six children. The parents and two of the children are dead.

ZEBULON, born April 8, 1807, in Green county, Ky., married in Sangamon county in 1829, to Elizabeth Enyart. They had four children, and he died Jan. 8, 1840. His widow lives near Mechanicsburg.

JOEL, born Jan. 8, 1811, in Green county, Ky., married in Sangamon county, May 16, 1839, to Zerelda E. Branch. They had ten children in Sangamon county; two died in infancy. LEWIS M., born April 9, 1840, married July 23, 1863, to Elmira M. Lee, who was born Oct., 1839, in the State of New York. They live at Joliet, Ill. EDWARD T., born Dec. 27, 1842, enlisted August, 1862, in Co. E, 114th Ill. Inf., for three years, and died July 11, 1863, at Vicksburg, Miss. His remains were brought home and buried near Rochester. LAURA J., the fifth child, died in her fifteenth year. WILLIAM B., JAMES N., HENRY A. and HENRIETTA, twins, and EMILY, live with their mother. Joel Cantrill died Sept. 4, 1866, and his widow lives on the farm where his parents settled on coming to the county, near Sangamon Station.

Mrs. Elizabeth Cantrill died Oct 1, and Thomas Cantrill died Oct. 3, 1836, both near what is now Sangamon Station.



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