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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.



RENSHAW, WILEY P., was born Nov. 7, 1800, near Salisbury, Ga., and was taken by his parents to Dickson county, Tenn. In 1817, the family moved to Madison county, Ill. Martha Nesbitt was born Nov. 8, 1794, near Lexington, Ky., and was taken by her parents in 1797 to Sumner county, Tenn. In 1817 they moved to Madison county, and in 1818 to Bond county, Ill. W. P. Renshaw and Martha Nesbitt were married Dec. 31, 1818, in Bond county. They lived in Madison county until one child was born, and moved to Sangamon county, Ill., arriving Feb. 26, 1821, on the north side of Richland creek, in what is now Cartwright township, where they had seven children.

JANE, born Oct. 11, 1819, in Madison county, is unmarried, and lives with her mother.

MARY A., born Oct. 20, 1822, in Sangamon county, married May 11, 1845, to Simeon Q. Harrison. See his name.

MARGARET E., born July 12, 1825, in Sangamon county, married Jan. 18, 1848, to Felix Butler, had one child, and Mrs. Butler died at Decatur in June, 1849. The child died in September following.

JAMES N., born July 16, 1827, died Sept. 1, 1852.

BARBARA A. H., born Sept. 18, 1829, in Sangamon county, married April 17, 1856, to Andrew M. Houghton. They had two children. WILEY P. died in his fourth year. ANNIE M. lives with her parents, in Menard county, seven miles north of Pleasant Plains, Sangamon county, Illinois.

JOHN SINCLAIR, born Dec. 28, 1831, in Sangamon county, married Nov. 17, 1858, to Elizabeth Ogden, who was born May 5, 1835, in Menard county. They have three children, MARTHA J., ABIGAIL L. and MARY A., and reside in Cartwright township, three miles west of Salisbury, Illinois.

WILLIAM P., born Dec. 28, 1833, died Oct. 7, 1852.

GEORGE M., born Aug. 7, 1839, in Sangamon county, married Oct. 22, 1866, to Matilda F. Parker, who was born Sept. 25, 1840, in Robertson county, Tenn. They live at the Renshaw family homestead, near Salisbury, Illinois.

Wiley P. Renshaw died Oct. 27, 1852, in Sangamon county, and his widow resides at the homestead where they settled in Feb., 1821. She has now--Sept., 1873--lived more than fifty-two years within less than two rods of the same spot. It is in Cartwright township, three miles west of Salisbury, Sangamon county, Illinois.

Mrs. Margaret Renshaw, mother of Wiley P. Renshaw, came to Sangamon county in 1823, bringing seven children. Her daughter, Margaret H., married Michael Davis, has five children, and lives in Menard county. Delilah married Carroll Archer. See his name. Mrs. Margaret Renshaw died in August, 1842.

Mrs. Jane Nesbitt, the mother of Mrs. Wiley P. Renshaw, came to Sangamon county about 1826, bringing five children with her. Two years later she moved to Morgan county. In 1844 she came back to Sangamon, and died Feb. 14, 1846. Her daughter, Jane, and son, William, reside near Nemaha, Nebraska.



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