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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.



RAY, THOMAS, was born Jan. 28, 1794, in Gallatin county, Ky. He was married, Feb. 22, 1816, to Polly Furnish, a native of the same county. Mrs. Ray died, Sept. 21, 1820, leaving one child. He then married Susan Ray, who was born April 20, 1798. They had one child in Kentucky, and the family moved to Sangamon county, Ill., arriving October, 1824, in Island Grove, south of Spring creek, and the next spring moved north of Spring creek, in what is now Gardner township, where they had three living children. Of their five children--

SAMUEL E., born Dec. 25, 1817, in Gallatin county, Ky., married in Sangamon county, Sept. 20, 1838, to Elcy Jane Robison. They had four children--SUSAN J., born July 21, 1839, in Washington county, Iowa, where her parents lived one and one-half years. She was married, march 12, 1856, to Isaac Gregory. See his name. She died, Nov. 19, 1864, leaving twins. POLLY A., born May 6, 1842, in Sangamon county, married, Jan. 17, 1861, to John Swarens. They have five children, ELLA, FRANK, CLARENCE, LURA and HATTIE, and live one and one-half miles north of Bradfordton. ELCY C. died in her third year. EMMA M., born March 23, 1852, lives with her parents, half a mile east of Bradfordton, Sangamon county, Illinois--1874.

JOHN G., born Aug. 20, 1824, in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county, Feb. 1, 1855, to Abigail Van Gilder, and he died March 25, 1855.

MARGARET A., born Nov. 16, 1832, in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county, June 24, 1852, to Seth W. Wickham. He was one of three children born of the same mother, Oct. 30, 1824, in Muskingham county, Ohio. Of the other two: Elmus died in his tenth year, and Louisa married S. P. Weaver, and died in Ohio, in her twenty-first year, two weeks after she was married. Seth W. Wickham and wife had one child, THOMAS W., and she died April 7, 1867. He was married, Dec. 31, 1868, to Mrs. Cornelia A. Large, whose maiden name was Frazee. See Frazee. They have one child, MINNIE L., and reside one mile southeast of Farmingdale, Sangamon county, Illinois--1874.

SUSAN P., born March 26, 1836, married Thomas Johnson, had one child, and she died in 1856. Her son, Charles Johnson, lives with his uncle, Thomas B. Ray.

THOMAS B., born March 10, 1841, married, Feb. 23, 1865, to Charlotte Brown. They had one child, CHARLOTTE, who lives with her grandfather, Rezin D. Brown. Mrs. Ray died, Jan. 5, 1866, and T. B. Ray lives at the homestead settled by his father in 1825, in Gardner township, Sangamon county, Illinois.

Mrs. Susan Ray died Dec. 15, 1859, and Thomas Ray died Aug. 24, 1871, both in Gardner township.

William Ray, the father of Thomas, came to Sangamon county, and after a few years sojourn, returned to Kentucky, and died there.



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