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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.



BROWN, JOSHUA, was born May 20, 1792, in Davis county, Ky. Nancy Wilcher was born Dec., 1789, in the same county. They were there married, early in 1812. They had three children in Kentucky, and in Nov., 1818, moved to St. Clair county, Ill., and from there to what became Sangamon county, arriving April 18, 1819, in what is now Curran township, east of Archer's creek, and south of Spring creek, and later entered one hundred and sixty acres of land south of Spring creek, in Gardner township. They had five children in Sangamon county. Of their eight children--

REZIN D., born May 6, 1813, in Davis county, Ky., was married in Sangamon county, Ill., May 15, 1834, to Rachel Earnest. They had twelve children in Sangamon county. CATHARINE F., born March 7, 1835, was married Nov. 6, 1855, to John Childs, who was born Dec. 25, 1829, in Burlington, N. J. They had ten children, LEONA I., JOSEPH H., NOAH H., KATIE A., JOHN D., TIMOTHY S., ANNIE R., CHARLES F., JESSIE B. and HATTIE, and reside near Warrensburg, Macon county, Ill. MARTIN V., born March 4, 1837, the day VanBuren was inaugurated President of the United States. He was married Sept. 26, 1869, to Helen M. Cecil. They have one child, and reside near Rose Hill, Henry county, Mo. MARY A., born May 7, 1838, was married Oct., 1857, to James M. Galt. They have eight children, and reside near Palmyra, Otoe county, Neb. CHARLOTTE, born Dec. 19, 1839, married Feb. 23, 1864, to Thomas B. Ray. See his name. She died Jan, 9, 1836, leaving one child, CHARLOTTE, who resides with her grand-parents, Brown. JOHN D., born March 1, 1842, married Nov. 6, 1867, to Louisa J. Cecil. They have one child, GERTIE, and reside near Mt. Rose, Mo. CHARLES F., born Sept. 14, 1843, died Sept. 30, 1853. PETER, born Aug, 6, 1845, resides in Alta City Utah. ANNIS, born Aug. 16, 1847, married Nov. 10, 1869, to John Happer. They have two children, HOWARD H. and NELLIE, and reside near Maroa, Macon county, Ill. LUANNA, born April 8, 1849, married Oct. 17, 1872, to Frank Leverton, and reside five miles west of Springfield. EDWIN, born May, 1851, died Feb. 5, 1862. CHARLES, born Sept. 16, 1853, resides with his parents. JACOB J., born Jan. 15, 1856, died Jan., 1865. Rezin D. Brown and wife reside in the southeast corner of Cartwright township.

WILLIAM W. was born Feb. 6, 1815, in Kentucky, married in Illinois, Feb. 13, 1844, to Phoebe Poole. They had four living children. CLARINDA J., born Jan. 12, 1845, married William Ankrom, and reside in Curran township. ZILLA A., born July 5, 1848, married Henry Dewall. They have one child, and reside at Falls City, Neb. JOSHUA T., born Feb. 28, 1851, resides in Sacramento, Cal., (now, in 1873). MARY M., born Dec. 23, 1858, resides with her father. Mrs. Phoebe Brown died May 14, 1863, and William W. Brown was married Nov. 16, 1869, to Mrs. Almeda DeLaughta, whose maiden name was Parker. She was born in Livingston parish, near Lake Pontchartrain, La. They reside five miles east of Berlin.

JOHN B., born Oct., 1816, in Kentucky, brought up in Sangamon county, and died unmarried, in the spring of 1869, in Wisconsin.

JAMES M., born Jan. 1820, in Sangamon county, married Abigail Gilison. They had two children in Sangamon county, moved to Iowa, and from there to Portland, Oregon, thence to Silver mountain, California, where he was robbed and murdered, about 1867, leaving a widow and two children.

ZILLAH, born Nov. 14, 1821, in Sangamon county, was married, Jan. 12, 1840, to John Hillis, who was born April 30, 1814. They had four living children. JOSHUA W., born April 5, 1843, was married near Mt. Rose, Mason county, in 1870, to Birdie Meleane. They reside in Alma county, Colorado. MARY A., born June 29, 1845, was married April 17, 1870, to Byington Owens. They have two children, and reside in Waynesville, Ill. JAMES E. and JOHN R., born Sept., 1849. JAMES E. was married Oct. 24, 1871, to Frances N. Jennings. They reside in Waynesville, Ill. JOHN R. is unmarried and resides in Waynesville. John Hillis died April 30, 1849, and his widow was married Dec. 30, 1856, to James Large. They had two children. Mr. Large died April 18, 1864, and Mrs. Zillah Large and family live in Waynesville, DeWitt county, Ill.

JOSHUA M., born July, 1825, in Sangamon county, married Elizabeth A. Brown. They had six children, and he died Jan. 7, 1867. His widow married William Mercer, and resides near Hamburg, Iowa.

ELMORE S., was born in 1827, in Sangamon county, enlisted in 1847, in the 4th Ill. Inf. Served one year in the Mexican war, returned home, and died in 1848.

REUBEN M., was born in Jan. 1829, in Sangamon county, was married Nov. 15, 1850, to Elizabeth J. Archer. They had six children, and Mrs. Brown died, Sept. 20, 1864. Mr. B. married Mrs. Jerusha Smith, whose maiden name was Sturtevant. The family reside in Fredonia, Kansas.

Mrs. Nancy Brown died June 2, 1847, and Joshua Brown was married May 11, 1848, to Mrs. Mary Robinson, whose maiden name was Mayhew. She died May 12, 1861, and he died Sept., 1863, on the farm where they settled in 1824.



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