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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.




FOUTCH, JOHN, was born May, 1776, in Loudon county, Va. Three brothers by the name of Fouche came from France and settled in Loudon county, Va., before the American revolution. Two of them were soldiers in that war, and one of them was Abraham, the father of John, whose name heads this sketch. John Foutch went to Fayette county, Ky., when he was a young man, and was there married, in 1796, to Nancy A. Wherrett, who was born March 8, 1778, in St. Mary's county, Md. They had five children born in Fayette county, near Lexington, and the family moved to Dearborn county, near Harrison, Indiana, where they had four children, and moved to Franklin county, where one child was born, thence to Sangamon county, Ill., arriving in the fall of 1825 at the south side of Richland creek, east of where Pleasant Plains now stands, and in the spring of 1826 moved to Island Grove, Sangamon county. Of their ten children--

ABRAHAM, born April 1, 1797, in Fayette county, Ky., was married in 1820, in Franklin county, Ind., to Elizabeth Vansickle, and came to Sangamon county in 1825. He brought one child from Ind., and had seven children in Sangamon county. In 1849 they moved to Polk county, near DesMoines, Iowa, and from there, in 1870, to Elmore, near Brownsville, Neb., where they now reside. Abraham Foutch was justice of the peace for many years in Sangamon county. He was one of the three Commissioners of Sangamon county at the time the State House (now used as a Court House) was built.

THOMAS, born Nov. 25, 1799, in Fayette county, Ky., was married Dec. 21, 1820, in Fayette county, Ind., to Sarah Wherrett, who was born Nov. 20, 1800, in Fayette county, Ky. Her parents moved to Jessamine county, and from there to Fayette county. Mr. and Mrs. Foutch had two children in Indiana, and moved to Sangamon county, Ill., in 1825, where they had four children. ELIZABETH A., born Nov. 21, 1821, in Indiana, was married in Sangamon county, Ill., Dec. 5, 1839, to Thomas Pollock. See his name. NANCY, born Jan. 23, 1824, in Indiana, was married in Sangamon county, Jan. 2, 1842, to J. D. Bevan. See his name. JOHN, born Sept. 6, 1826, in Sangamon county, was married April 12, 1849, to Martha M. Smith. They had nine children. SARAH M., married F. P. Gillespie, have three children, Mattie M., Guy F., and William E., and reside one-half mile south of New Berlin. THOMAS, the second, and ELLA M., the sixth child, both died under three years. The other six, HATTIE S., JOHN W., CARRIE M., LIZZIE D., EDWARD L. and GEORGE T., reside with their parents in New Berlin. Mr. John Foutch resides within two miles of his birthplace and has done so all his life, with the exception of one year. CAROLINE, born March 8, 1829, in Sangamon county, was married there April 8, 1847, to Thomas A. Kerlin. They had one living child, LIZZIE A. She lives with her grandfather Foutch. Mrs. Kerlin died Dec. 31, 1854. Mr. Kerlin is married again, and lives near Bedford, Mo. WILLIAM W., born Sept. 4, 1834, in Macoupin county, was a graduate of Shurtleff College, Upper Alton, and enlisted Aug. 17, 1861, for three years in Co. D, 26th Ill. Inf. At the organization of the company he was elected and commissioned First Lieutenant. He was taken sick while with his regiment, at Quincy, Ill., came home and died of typhoid fever Sept. 25, 1861. HUGH, born Dec. 19, 1836, in Sangamon county, was married Sept. 2, 1858, to Mary Wykoff. They have one child, WILLIAM W., and live at Decatur. Thomas Foutch and wife reside in Island Grove township, three and a-half miles west of Berlin.

HUGH, born March 12, 1802, in Kentucky, was married in Sangamon county, December, 1827, to Nancy Rhea. They had nine children, and he died December, 1845, in Fulton county. His widow married William Meeker, and resides in Iowa.

ELIZABETH, born August, 1804, in Kentucky, was married September, 1824, to Samuel Blair. They had twelve children. The parents died at Montezuma, Pike county, Ill. Two of their children, THEOPHILUS and NANCY A., are married, and reside near Montezuma, Ill.

JOHN, born Oct. 25, 1805, in Kentucky, was married in Sangamon county in 1827, to Jehoida Rhea. They had four children, and she died. He married Letitia Farris. They have nine children, and reside in Fulton county, five miles west of Havana.

SUSAN, born June 10, 1809, in Dearborn county, Ind., was married Dec. 11, 1828, to William Rhea. See his name.

DOROTHY, born April, 1811, in Dearborn county, Ind., was married in Sangamon county, December, 1830, to Samuel Peebler. They have had six children. The parents both died in 1842, on the same day, and were buried in one coffin, at Fairfield, Iowa.

MARY A., born Dec. 25, 1812, in Dearborn county, Ind., was married in Sangamon county Dec. 11, 1828, to Henry Harmon. See his name.

SIRON, born May 10, 1815, in Dearborn county, Ind., was married in Sangamon county, February, 1837, to Anthony H. Shuff. See his name.

WILLIAM, born Jan. 8, 1818, in Indiana, died in Sangamon county, Oct., 1831.

Mrs. Nancy A. Foutch died March 12, 1845, and John Foutch married Celia Harmon. He died Sept. 15, 1848, and Mrs. Celia Foutch died in 1851, all in Sangamon county.




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