BURTLE, WILLIAM
, born July 1, 1780, near Montgomery Court House, Md. His parents moved, when he was a boy, to Washington county, Ky. Sarah Ogden was born in 1786, in St. Mary's county, Md. Her father died when she was a child, and her mother moved, with several children, to Washington county, Ky. William Burtle and Sarah Ogden were there married, about 1805. They had nine children in Kentucky. The family moved to Sangamon county, Ill., arriving October, 1826, in what is now Ball township. Mr. Burtle entered land, and made improvements for a permanent home, about two hundred yards east of where St. Bernard's Catholic Church now stands, and moved on it in the spring of 1828. Of their nine children--JOSEPH, born in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county to Mrs. Maria Miller, whose maiden name was Gatton. They both died in Sangamon county, without children.
JOHN, born in Kentucky, was married there to Matilda Simpson. They had two children, one of whom died in infancy. His daughter married, moved to Texas, and died there. John Burtle died in Ball township. His widow married, moved to Missouri, and died there.
JAMES, born May 25, 1811, in Kentucky, was married in Sangamon county to Elizabeth Gatton. They had six children. JOHN T. married Eliza J. Simpson. They have six children, JAMES R., JOSEPH E., EMMA, SAMUEL, ANNA and JEROME. Mrs. Eliza J. Burtle died in May, 1875, and John T. Burtle and family reside in Ball township, seven miles southeast of Chatham. WILLIAM O. married Mary M. Speak. They have three children, MARIA, OSCAR E. and MARY M., and reside with his mother at the family homestead. SARAH E. married John Simpson. They had one child, and mother and child died. JOSEPHUS died in his twenty-fourth year. MARY A. died, aged nineteen years. James Burtle died, and his widow resides in Ball township, six and a half miles southeast of Chatham.
THOMAS, born Aug. 12, 1815, in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county to Louisa Simpson. They have four children. JAMES H. married Sarah E. Gatton. They have six living children: LOUISA A and MARY L. (twins), ANNA E., MARTHA F., WILLIAM J. and THERESA H. Mrs. Sarah E. Burtle died in Sept., 1873, and James H. Burtle resides in Ball township. JOHN T., Jun., married Elizabeth M. Boll. They have three children, EDWARD A., JACOB R. and ANN N., and live in Ball township. MARY A. married Joseph H. Berry. They have five daughters, SARAH L., ELIZA C., MAGGIE A., MARY A. and ADA F., and live in Ball township. ELIZA J. married John A. White. They have two children, JOSEPH H. and WILLIAM T., and reside with her father. Mrs. Louisa Burtle died April 2, 1875, and Thomas Burtle resides near St. Bernard's Catholic Church, in Ball township.
ELLEN died, aged fourteen years.
MARY, born in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county, Ill., July 24, 1834, to Josephus Gatton. See his name.
BENJAMIN, born in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county to Monica Gatton. They have six children living. MARY E. married William R. Greenawalt. See his name. The other children reside with their parents, in Pawnee township.
WILLIAM, Jun., born Aug. 9, 1822, in Grayson county, Ky., came with his parents to Sangamon county in Oct., 1826, was married Sept. 4, 1856, to Mrs. Elizabeth A. Simpson, whose maiden name was White. Mrs. Burtle had one child by her former marriage, JEROME SIMPSON. Mr. and Mrs. Burtle had two children. IDA F. died March 9, 1875, in her fourteenth year, and CHAS. E. lives with his parents. William Burtle has been a school teacher, Justice of the Peace, and for more than twenty years Treasurer and Collector of Ball township; also a member of the Board of Supervisors of Sangamon county. He was also elected President of the Old Settlers' Society, in 1874, for one year. He now lives in Auburn, engaged in mercantile business with his step-son, Jerome Simpson.
William Burtle, Jun., remembers that his father and James Simpson sent a request to St. Louis that a priest visit their neighborhood. Rev. Mr. Dusuaswa came in 1829, and held services at the residence of Joseph Logsdon. That was the first service ever held by a Catholic priest in Sangamon county, and long before any thing of the kind took place in Springfield. William Burtle remembers that there were then but two Catholic families in Springfield. The next services were at the house of Wm. Burtle, Sen., by Rev. Joseph A. Lutz. The next priest to visit them was the Rev. Mr. Van Quickenbon. Services were held at the house of William Burtle, Sen., until 1849, when St. Bernard's Church was built. One edifice was burned, and the present one was built on the same ground. St. Bernard's church is associated with that at Virden in sustaining a priest.
Mrs. William Burtle relates, in a very amusing manner, some of her experience on coming to the county. She had listened to the descriptions of the flowers blooming on the prairies, and made up her mind that it would lend additional charms to those she was acquainted with to cultivate them on the prairie where the wild flowers could grow around them. She came prepared with seeds, and at the proper season armed herself with a hoe and sallied forth to indulge her taste for horticulture on the raw prairie. The romance all vanished at the first blow, as the hoe rebounded without making the slightest impression. Until that time she thought plowing with large ox-teams was overdoing the work, but then became fully satisfied that it was indispensable as a preparation for the cultivation of the soil.
ZACHARIAH, born in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county to Elizabeth J. Harper. They have five living children, JAMES W., SARAH E., EDGAR A., MARY M. and ROBERT E., and reside on the farm settled by his father in 1828, about two hundred yards east of St. Bernard's Catholic Church.
William Burtle, Sen., died July 24, 1860, and Mrs. Sarah Burtle died Feb. 11, 1868, and both were buried near St. Bernard's Church. About the time William Burtle, Sen., came to Sangamon county with his family, his father, Benjamin Burtle, came, and after remaining two or three years returned to Kentucky, and died there.