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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.



BURNS, THOMAS, was born August 1, 1773, at Alexandria, Va. His father was a native of Scotland, and was killed by his team running away when Thomas was a child. Elizabeth Ridgeway was born Nov. 25, 1775, in Berkley county, Va. Thomas Burns and Elizabeth Ridgeway were married March 11, 1794, and had one child in Berkley county; and then moved to Washington county, West Va., where they had three children. They then moved to North Carolina, and after a short stay, moved to Jessamine county, Ky., where they had one child, and from there to Clarke county, where they had seven children. The family moved from there to Sangamon county, Ill., arriving in the fall of 1829, in what is now Mechanicsburg township. Some of their children had preceded them. Of their children--

RACHEL, born Jan. 30, 1795, in West Virginia, died Jan. 30, 1816, in Kentucky.

ELIZABETH, born Nov. 28, 1796, in West Virginia, died Feb., 1840, in Sangamon county.

ROBERT E., born March 28, 1799, in Washington county, West Va., married in Clarke county, Ky., Sept. 15, 1825, to Patsy Cass, and moved to Sangamon county, Ill., arriving Oct., 1825, in Buffalo Hart Grove. They were the first of the family to come to the county. They had four children in Sangamon county, two of whom died young. ROBERT FRANKLIN, born Dec. 9, 1830, died July 11, 1852. ELIZABETH C., born June 7, 1838, married April 16, 1854, to John T. Constant. See his name. Robert E. Burns and his wife reside at Buffalo Hart Station, very near where they settled in 1825. Mr. Burns had a neighbor, Wm. Bridges, who was a blacksmith and gunsmith. Wm. and Hiram Robbins came to Mr. Bridges to have work done, and he had no coal. They told him that they had seen coal cropping out of the ground in their hunting excursions, and gave him directions so that he could find it. Mr. Burns took his wagon and team, went with Mr. Bridges to the place and dug out a load, and found it good for blacksmithing. It was in a ravine about three-fourths of a mile northwest of where Barclay now stands. That was in 1826, and was the first coal found in that part of the country. Mr. Burns raised cotton for clothing, and it matured perfectly before the "deep snow" of 1830-31. After that he tried frequently, bringing seed from Tennessee several times, but all his efforts proved to be such failures that the seed ran out and was lost.

ANN T., born May 27, 1801, in West Virginia, married in Kentucky, August 6, 1817, to Abner Enos. See his name. She died there, June 13, 1829.

JOHN R., born Oct. 19, 1803, in Jessamine county, Ky., married in Sangamon county, April 17, 1828, to Lucy A. Cass. He was a soldier in the Black Hawk war. They had twelve children, all born in Sangamon county, three of whom died under five years. MARY J., born Mar. 26, 1831, married Feb. 28, 1847, to John Cass. See his name. THOMAS F., born Jan. 9, 1833, married Sept. 30, 1856, Ursula Greening. Thos. F. Burns enlisted July 25, 1862, in Co. F., 114th Ill. Inf., for three years. Served about one year, and was honorably discharged on account of physical disability. He now resides in Mt. Pulaski. WILLIAM A., born Nov. 28, 1839, married Dec. 24, 1867, to Lucy E. Jones. They have two children, WM. ELMER and IVA MAY, and live near Buffalo Hart Station. MARTHA A., born Feb. 27, 1843, lives with her parents. ARMINTA, born Dec. 30, 1844, married Feb. 21, 1867, to Wm. B. Robinson. See his name. SOPHIA, born Feb. 13, 1849, married Dec. 27, 1871, to James F. Hickman. See his name. IVA, born March 18, 1851, married Oct. 25, 1871, to James L. Wright, who was born in Lockmaben, Scotland, and resides in Buffalo Hart township. JOHN T., born Jan. 11, 1854, and ROBERT B., born Oct. 26, 1856, live with their parents, one mile south of Buffalo Hart Station.

Mrs. Lucy A. Burns says that they raised cotton in the summer of 1828; that she picked it from the bolls, picked the seed out with her fingers, carded it with hand cards, spun and wove it, and made it up into garments of various kinds. In 1829 they raised a much larger quantity, and had it ginned on a machine owned by William G. Cantrall. They paid toll, or part of the cotton, for ginning, the same as grinding is done by custom mills. When all was done they had eighty pounds of ginned cotton left. She says that after the "deep snow" it never would mature.

MAHALA, born May 10, 1806, in Clarke county, Ky., married there Nov. 27, 1827, to Bailey F. Bell. See his name.

MELINDA and LUCINDA, twins, born July 23, 1808, in Clarke county, Ky.

MELINDA, married in Sangamon county, Jan. 17, 1830, to Ambrose Bowen Cass. See his name.

LUCINDA, married in Sangamon county, Sept. 20, 1832, to John W. Robison. See his name.

EMILY, born June 14, 1811, in Clarke county, Ky., married in Sangamon county, Jan. 17, 1830, to Clemmon Strickland. They had three children. The parents and two of the children died. JOSEPH, the only living member of the family, married Emily Chance, and lives at Buffalo.

REBECCA, born Feb. 16, 1814, in Clarke county, Ky., married in Sangamon county to Bennett Wood, a native of Kentucky. They lived in Green county, Ill., until they had two children, namely: BAZZLE or BASIL M., born June 16, 1835, in Green county, enlisted July, 1862, for three years, in Co. E., 116th Ill. Inf. Served full term and was honorably discharged with the regiment, in 1865. He was married in Sangamon county, Jan. 25, 1866, to Nannie J. Graham, who was born July 4, 1843, in Morgan county. They had two children, FLORA and GRACIE, and Mrs. Wood died, Jan. 6, 1872. Mr. Wood resides one and a quarter miles east of Illiopolis, with his father-in-law, Mr. Graham. SARAH Wood, born March, 1834, in Green county, married in Sangamon county to John Stall. They have four children, and live at Niantic. Bennett Wood died in Green county, and his widow married James McGee. Mrs. McGee died in Sangamon county, leaving two children: JOHN T. and WILLIAM R. McGee reside in Williamsville.

FRANKLIN, born August 6, 1816, in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county, March 3, 1836, to Louisa Ridgeway. They had (???) children. THOMAS J. married and resides in Kansas. PARTHENIA married George Sensbaugh, and lives near Whiterock, Jewell county, Kansas. LOUISA J. married Daniel Redman, and lives near Lone Oak P. O., Bates county, Mo. MAHALA resides with her sister, Louisa J. B. HARDIN lives with his uncle, Robert E. Burns. Franklin Burns and his wife are both dead.

PATSY, born Feb. 20, 1819, in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county, Dec. 26, 1837, to Baldwin Harper. They had one child, EVELINE. She married Theophilus Kirwood, and lives near Warrensburg, Macon county. Mr. and Mrs. Harper are both dead.

Mrs. Elizabeth Burns died Oct. 5, 1830, and Thomas Burns died August 11, 1836, both in Sangamon county.



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