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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.



GIGER, HENRY, was born May 14, 1799, in Jefferson county, Ten?? Nancy Todd was born May 7, 1798, ?? Cocke county, Tenn. They were married March 11, 1819, in Jefferson county, and moved, in company with their brother-in-law, John Cooper, to Sangamon count?? Ill., arriving April 2, 1820, at a point two miles north of Rochester, and one year later moved into what is now Cooper township, where they had five living children, namely--

ANNA, born April 4, 1821, married April 3, 1836, to James Wilson. They had one child, NANCY A., born Jan. 28 1837, married March 9, 1858, to Harrison Furrow. They had six children, GEORGE, LINCOLN, MARY, LAURA B., EDWARD, ANNA and WILLIAM, and live in Christian county, seven miles east of Rochester?? James Wilson died Sept. 12, 1839, and his widow married in October, 1843, to Edward Jones, who died May 3, 1867, and she married April 17, 1873, to Peter Gore. They live in Mechanicsburg.

ALEXANDER T., born June 23, 1824, married Dec. 15, 1845, to Mary J. McCoy, had eight children; three died young. JAMESH., ADDISON, OTTO, ADELIA and ELBRIDGE, live with their parents, in Mitchell county, near Cawker City, Kan.

BENJAMIN A., born Jan. 8, 1827, married Nov. 30, 1848, to Mary A. V. Kirke. She died May 10, 1853. Mr. Giger was married Oct. 26, 1853, to Margaret J. Kirke. They had three children. IDA L. died, aged four years. WILLIAM E. and H. DOUGLAS, live with their father. Mrs. M. J. Giger died May 19, 1869, and he was married March 1, 1870, to Mary E. Johnson, who was born May 14, 1845, in Springfield. They had one child, NOLA B., who died young. B. A. Giger and wife live in Sand Prairie, Cooper township, where his parents settled in 1822. It is five miles east of Rochester. Mr. G. is serving his second term as justice of the peace--1874.

ADDISON, born Jan. 1, 1829, married January, 1862, to Susan Benson, had one child, and Mr. Giger died Jan. 15, 1864. His widow married and went to California, where his son FRANKLIN died.

MARTHA D., born Jan. 30, 1831, married July 26, 1848, to John L. Green. They had two children, and Mr. G. and both children died. Mrs. G. married Lewis J. Eyman, who enlisted in Macon county Sept. 2, 1862, in Co. E, 116th Ill. Inf., for three years, was commissioned Capt. Sept. 6, 1862, and was killed in battle at Arkansas Post, July 11, 1863. His widow and two sons, HENRY A. and EDWARD O., reside temporarily--1874--at Eureka, Ill., for educational purposes. Their home is at Mechanicsburg.

Henry Giger died Nov. 21, 1844, on the farm where he settled in 1822. His widow resides in Mechanicsburg.



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