All Rights Reserved © Copyright 1999, 2000 All material contained on these pages are furnished for the free use of those engaged researching their family origins. Any commercial use, without the consent of the host/author of these pages is prohibited. We have tried to use images that were obtained from sources permitting free distribution, or generated by the author, and are subject to the same restrictions/permissions. All persons contributing material for posting on these pages does so in recognition of their free, non-commercial distribution, and further, is responsible to assure that no copyright is violated by their submission.



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.




UNDERWOOD, JOHN, was born about 1785, in North Carolina. Went to Sumner county, Tennessee, when a young man, was there married to Clarissa Cook, and had eleven children in Tennessee. The family moved to Sangamon county, Illinois, arriving November, 1829, in what is now Island Grove township, where one child was born. Of their children--

GEORGE, born Jan. 27, 1811, married in Sangamon county to Elizabeth Sweet, had six children, and she died, and he married Ann Campbell, had four children, and the parents died, leaving their children near St. Joseph, Missouri.

LAWRENCE, born August 5, 1812, in Davidson county, Tennessee, married in Sangamon county, April 9, 1835, to Abigail Colburn. They had fourteen children, four of whom died under nine years. Of the ten, ACHSA, born May 6, 1836, married Nov. 24, 1854, to William Huffmaster. See his name. They have ten children, and live at Owaneco, Christian county, Illinois. NATHAN T. born October 1, 1837, married Mary L. Dorrance, have six children, and live near Loami, Illinois. AZUBA, born April 18, 1839, married August 13, 1862, to Benjamin F. Weeks, who was born July 6, 1841, in Belmont county, Ohio. They have two children, AMY A. and LAURA A., and reside in Loami, Illinois. Mr. Weeks enlisted August 2, 1862, in Co. F, 51st Ill. Inf., for three years, served until June 29, 1865, when he was honorably discharged. He was in the dispensing druggists' department the last year. CLARISSA, born Jan. 4, 1841, married April 14, 1859, to Samuel M. Neal, have three children, and live near Springfield, Missouri. BARTON W., born Sept. 26, 1842, lives near Springfield, Missouri. JESSE T., born Sept. 4, 1847, married June 25, 1868, to Abigail M. Kinney, and live at Linden, Osage county, Kansas. LAWRENCE T., born July 31, 1849, married July 8, 1869, to Martha J. Weir, have two children, and reside two miles west of Loami, Illinois. LUCY, born August 9, 1853, married June 16, 1870, to Scott Carter, who died, and she lives with her parents. DAVID O. and FANNY live with their parents, near Bois D'Arc, Greene county, Missouri.

MARTHA A., born April 10, 1814, married Abel Jones, had several children, and both died in Lewis county, Missouri.

EMELINE, born July 20, 1816, married March 6, 1842, to William Hammond. See his name.

MATILDA, born March 29, 1818, married December, 1842, to Thomas Deaton, have nine children, and reside near Jacksonville, Illinois.

PRESLEY, born Sept. 11, 1819, died unmarried at thirty years of age.

TURNER, born Jan. 14, 1822, married Mary Harbour, had four children, and he died, leaving his widow and children at Hamburg, Iowa.

WILEY, born May 16, 1823, died 1858.

TABITHA, born Oct. 23, 1824, married John Morgan. They live in Atchison county, Missouri.

LOUISA, born May 29, 1826, in Tennessee, married in Sangamon county to Milton, Douglas. See his name. Her name is erroneously printed Eliza.

JAMES T., born Oct. 9, 1830, in Sangamon county, was married Jan. 29, 1866, near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, to Elizabeth Coble, a native of that place. James T. Underwood was for several years assessor of Island Grove township. He was elected in 1864 to represent that township in the board of supervisors of Sangamon county. He is now--November, 1876--a Justice of the Peace, and resides in Springfield, Illinois.

John Underwood built a horse mill in Island Grove, soon after his arrival. It was the first in that part of the county. The settlers came from twenty to thirty miles to do grinding with their own teams. He died Oct. 27, 1866, in Island Grove, where he settled in 1829. His widow died Jan. 18, 1866, at Loami, Sangamon county, Illinois.




Return to 1876 Biography Index

Return to Sangamon County ILGenWeb