DRENNAN, JOSEPH
, was born April 16, 1786, in Pendleton district, South Carolina. He was half brother to and much younger than Wm. Drennan, Sen. Joseph Drennan was married in South Carolina to Rebecca Evets, and had one child there. About 1807 the family moved to Caldwell county, Ky., where they had five children, and they moved to what is now Ball township, Sangamon county, Ill., coming himself in March 10, 1818, and bringing his family in Sept. of that year. They had three children. Of all his children--ANDREW P., born Sept. 12, 1806, in Pendleton district, South Carolina, was married in Sangamon county to Ruth Smith, and had nine children. JOSEPH F., married Mary Watts, and both died, leaving seven children, in Logan county. ELIZABETH died at five years. MARY A., married John Byers, has three children, and reside in Virden. REBECCA J., married George Trimble. See his name. JOHN, married Nancy Watts, has six children, and resides in Champaign county. Andrew J. married Hannah Watson, have four children, and resides in Champaign county. PETER C. married Margaret Smith, have six children, and reside in Champaign county. MARTHA married James A. Smith, has one child, GEORGE E., and resides in Chatham. RUTH F. is unmarried, and resides in Chatham. Mrs. Ruth Drennan died in 1851, and A. P. Drennan married Ruth Wright, and died April 6, 1874, in Chatham. His widow lives there.
JANE, born in Caldwell county, Ky., married in Sangamon county to John Smith. See his name.
WILLIAM G., born in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county to Sarah Jones, and both died.
RACHEL, born in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county, to James Mitts, and died, leaving two children in Ball township.
JOSEPH, Jun., born in Kentucky, was married in Sangamon county to Elizabeth Richardson, about 1833. They had two children, and he married Elizabeth Withrow. They had ten children. She died, and he married Sarah Purvis. They had six children, and he died in Macoupin county, Ill. Of his children: SMITH married Eliza J. Seaton, of Macoupin county. They have two children, and live in Ball township. ELIZA married N. W. Bates, had one child, and she died in Iowa. Of Joseph Drennan's other children I have no history.
DAVID J., born May 3, 1816, in Caldwell county, Ky., was married in Sangamon county, Ill., to Sarah Hurley. They had nine children, three of whom died under seven years. Of the other six: JANE married Solomon Taylor and died. REBECCA married George Hilyard, and died, leaving seven children near Lewisburg, Wayne county, Iowa. AMANDA married Starkey D. Morrison. They have two children, CHARLES A. and DAVID J., and reside at Woodside Station. He is Postmaster there. NANCY married Levi Cassity. See his name. SARAH E. married Martin C. Bridges. See his name. JOSEPH H. married Mattie Forbes, and resides in Woodside township. Mrs. Sarah Drennan died March 3, 1869, and David J. Drennan resides two miles southeast of Woodside, and eight miles south of Springfield. David J. Drennan told the writer that one day he went out to kill a deer (if he could find one) during the "deep snow." He went without a gun, expecting to kill it with a knife, as they would break through the crust and stick fast in the snow. In going through the brush he broke through and went down until the snow was just under his arm pits. He was two or three hours in this position trying to extricate himself, and the perspiration and melting snow made his clothes as wet as though he had plunged into water. He got out of the brush far enough for the crust to bear him, and by the time he walked home his clothes were frozen. He was about thirteen years old when this happened, and says he was twelve years of age when he had his first pair of shoes; that he obtained them by cutting down an oak tree, peeling the bark off and taking it to Thomas Dawson's tannery, received leather in exchange for this bark, had it cut out in the rough, and took the leather to Robert Metcalfe to be made into shoes. He paid the shoemaker by picking the seed out of four pounds of cotton, which left one pound of cotton and three pounds of seed. The farmers raised cotton extensively then, each one having three or four acres, and not more of wheat or oats. Cotton was picked by hand, but afterwards Robert Pulliam built a cotton gin, made to run by a tread wheel and two oxen.
SAMUEL, born May 15, 1819, the first birth of the family in Sangamon county, was married Oct. 6, 1836, to Mary A. Baker, who was born Feb. 14, 1820, in Tennessee. They had six children. NANCY J. married Robert Penick, and died, leaving three children. ANDREW J. enlisted Sept., 1861, in Co. B, 10th Ill. Cav., for three years, re-enlisted as a veteran in Jan., 1864, served to the end of the rebellion, and was honorably discharged at San Antonio, Texas, in Nov., 1865. He was married to Martha H. Smith, have two living children, SAMUEL T. and REBECCA J., and reside in Curran township. EZEKIEL died at sixteen years of age. GEORGE W., MARY A. and LOUISA reside with their mother. Samuel Drennan died Jan. 11, 1855, and his widow resides three miles southeast of Curran.
EZEKIEL H., born Nov. 17, 1822, in Sangamon county, married Lavina Ray. They have five living children, and live in Auburn.
NANCY, born Jan. 7, 1825, in Sangamon county, married May 8, 1866, to John Harmon. See his name. She died Oct. 15, 1871.
Joseph Drennan died Oct. 22, 1865, and his widow Mrs. Rebecca Drennan died Dec. 7, 1866, both in Sangamon county