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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.




FOSTER, CONSTANTINE, born Oct. 18, 1792, in Cape May county, N. J., was married in Cumberland county, N. J., to Margaret Sayre, who was born in same county Feb. 25, 1800. They had five living children in Cape May county. The family moved in 1832 to Dayton, O., thence to Sangamon county, Ill., arriving in the autumn of 1833 in what is now Cartwright township, and two years later moved into what is now Gardner township. One child was born in Sangamon county. Of their six children--

ELIZA L., born May 13, 1820, in New Jersey, was married June 22, 1837, in Sangamon county, to F. Ewing Berry. He died four months after marriage. A daughter, FRANCES E., born June 4, 1838, in Sangamon county, was married Aug. 27, 1857, to Henry F. Lyon. He died April 25, 1858, and a daughter, IDA, born Sept. 14, 1858, died in infancy. Mrs. Frances Lyon was married April 21, 1862, by the Rev. Peter Cartwright, to Rev. B. F. Lodge, of the M. E. church, who was born Dec. 26, 1834, in Reading, Hamilton county, Ohio. Rev. B. F. Lodge was a member of the Illinois Conference, M. E. church, for nine years during that time, traveling the Sangamon and Chatham circuits. He located at his own request, and began farming in 1866. They have four living children, CHARLES A., JULIA E., FRANK BERRY and FANNIE MAY, and reside near Lodge, Piatt county, Ill. Mrs. Eliza L. Berry was married June 2, 1840, at the residence of her father, to Charles W. Hunt, who was born May 25, 1805, in Blount county, Tenn. An incident connected with their marriage will be appropriate here. Delegations from Cass, Schuyler and McDonough counties, with music and banners, were on their way to the great Harrison, or Whig, convention at Springfield, and passed Mr. Constantine Foster's residence just as the guests had seated themselves at the dinner table. The delegations halted and gave them a serenade. All rose from the table except two Democrats, who refused to leave their dinners to see a Whig delegation to what proved to be the greatest political gathering in the State that year. Mr. and Mrs. Hunt had nine children. Of those, eight lived to maturity, namely: HARRIET J., JOHN B., J. ELBRIDGE (the latter died Nov. 23, 1875), CATHARINE L., CHARLES R., JOSEPH F. (the latter died Feb. 11, 1776), WILLIAM B. and ESTHER L., were all born near Burlington, Iowa, where the family now reside.

CATHARINE, born June 7, 1833, in New Jersey, was married Nov. 28, 1839, in Sangamon county, Ill., to John C. Bone. They had one child, and mother and child died. Mr. Bone resides in Chicago, Ill.

JOHN S., born May 1, 1825, in Cape May county, N. J., was married in Sangamon county, Ill., May 27, 1847, to Eliza A Carson, who was born June 17, 1831, in Cape May county also. They are without children, but brought up an adopted daughter -- Elizabeth Nottingham--who married Alexander Higgins. See his name. They adopted another daughter -- Minnie Virden -- who lives with them. John S. Foster was a licensed preacher in the M. E. church for several years, and, at his own request, his license was discontinued in 1874. He resides in Springfield, Ill.

JACOB, born June 18, 1829, in New Jersey, was married April 6, 1853, in Sangamon county, to Roxanna Bates. They have six living children: CHARLES F., ELLA C. (the latter graduated at the Bettie Stuart Institute, June 10, 1874. She was married Aug. 23, 1874, to William W. Crane, M. D. They have one child, LINA C., and reside in Cincinnati, Ohio.) OLIVER C., EUGENE E., BUCKMAN B. and ELIZA K. Jacob Foster and family reside in Springfield, Ill.

JOSEPH R., born June 28, 1831, in New Jersey, was married Feb. 22, 1854, in Sangamon county, to Harriet E. Lyon. She died in November of the same year, and he married Jane Mathis. They have five children, HARRIET J., LUELLA M., IDA, MAGGIE and BERTHA, and reside in Springfield.

MARY J., born Jan. 1, 1834, in Sangamon county, married John Epler, and died.

Constantine Foster died Sept. 29, 1865, and Mrs. Margaret Foster died April 9, 1867, both in Sangamon county, and are buried at Pleasant Plains.




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