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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.



CHURCHILL, GEORGE, was born about 1766, in Virginia. His parents died when he was quite young, and he went to Woodford county, Ky., where he was married to Sarah Arnold, who was born in that county about 1780. They had eleven children in Shelby county, Ky., and the family moved to Sangamon county, Ill., arriving in the fall of 1827, near what is now Mechanicsburg. Of their children--

MARY, married in Kentucky to William Threlkeld, brought up a large family, and never moved to Illinois. Their daughter SARAH J. is the wife of William P. McKinnie. See his name. MARIETTA, born Jan. 31, 1829, in Shelby county, Ky., married there, Jan. 14, 1847, to Joseph H. Agee. They had two children born there, and in the fall of 1851 moved to Sangamon county, where seven children were born. Of their children: EDWIN H., born in Shelby county, Ky., resides with his mother. MARY B., born Jan. 29, 1851, in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county, Oct. 3, 1871, to Ambrose B. Cass, Jun. They live at East Lynn, Cass county, Mo. ALICE A. married Jan. 16, 1873, to Robert W. Jess, a native of Bellfast, Ireland. They live at Riverton. LIZZIE T., EMMA and J. ALVEY reside with their mother. The sixth, seventh and eighth children, viz: LUCY J., WILLIAM S. and CEPHAS L., all died under eight years. Joseph H. Agee died Sept. 25, 1865. The father and three children all died within nineteen days. Mrs. Marietta Agee and her family reside two miles east of Riverton.

LUCINDA, born in Kentucky, married there to William Crimm, and both died in Southern Illinois, leaving seven or eight children. The three eldest were WILLIAM, ABSALOM and MARTHA.

JOHN A., born March 6, 1800, in Shelby county, Ky., married there to Sarah Scoggin. They had three children, came to Sangamon county, and settled near Mechanicsburg, where they had six children. Of their children. JOEL, born July 19, 1823, in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county to Lucretia J. Bondurant. They had eleven living children. MARTHA A., MARY L., ELIZABETH J., JOHN T., THOMAS A., JOSEPH W., JESSE, EDGAR, HARVEY, ETHA G. and ARTHUR. Mr. C. and family moved to Kansas in 1865, and in 1875 returned to Illinois, and live in DeLand, Piatt county. WILLIAM, born April 4, 1825, in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county to Elizabeth Lemon. They reside in Monmouth, Polk county, Oregon. ANN, born Jan. 22, 1827, in Kentucky, died in Sangamon county in her eighteenth year. GEORGE, born August 15, 1829, in Sangamon county, went to Oregon, and there married Hannah E. Sherel. They have three children, and live in Linn county, Oregon. WILLOUGHBY, born Dec. 23, 1831, in Sangamon county, went, when a young man, to the Pacific coast, and lives in Oregon. SARAH E., born Jan. 4, 1834, in Sangamon county, resides with her sister, Mrs. Smith, in Illiopolis. JOHN, born Feb. 15, 1836, in Sangamon county, enlisted July 19, 1861, for three years, in Co. I, 41 Ill. Inf., re-enlisted as a veteran, Jan., 1864. He was promoted to Sergeant, July, 1863, and to 2d Lieut., Nov., 1864. Was with Sherman in his "march to the sea," and was honorably discharged, June, 1865. He was married Feb. 14, 1867, in Sangamon county, to Mary M. Graham. They have one living child, ANNA, and live three miles north of Illiopolis. LOUISA, born April 25, 1838, in Sangamon county, married April 10, 1860, to Reuben Smith, who was born Nov. 4, 1833, in Duchess county, N. Y. They have three living children, GEORGE, ADA and HERBERT, and live in Illiopolis. MARY, born Dec. 17, 1840, died in her eleventh year. Mrs. Sarah Churchill died Dec. 30, 1840, and John A. Churchill married July 3, 1842, to Mrs. Elizabeth Underwood, whose maiden name was Lemon. She was born March 29, 1808, in Georgetown, Ky. They had two children, JULIA, born July 12, 1843, in Sangamon county, lives with her mother. LEMON P. died in his sixth year. John A. Churchill died Feb. 4, 1845, and his widow and daughter reside in Mechanicsburg.

ALVAH, born in Kentucky, married there to Burnetta Samples, moved to Indiana, and from there to Sangamon county, in 1832, settling near Mechanicsburg. They had four children, and moved to Iowa; from there to Oregon in 1853, where he died.

LEWIS, born in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county to Mary A. Cooper. They had eleven children and moved to Iowa; from there, in 1853, to Oregon, with his brother Alva. He died Jan. 13, 1869, leaving a widow and children.

WILLOUGHBY, born Feb. 15, 1809, in Shelby county, Ky., married Oct. 6, 1834, in Sangamon county, Ill., to Elizabeth J. Humphreys. They had six children in Sangamon county, and in 1851 moved to the Pacific coast. Mrs. Churchill died at Delles, foot of Cascade mountains, in Waco county, Oregon, and Mr. C. married in Oregon, August 11, 1852, to Matilda A. Price, who was born Jan. 12, 1828. They had six children. Of his children by the first marriage, GEORGE H., born May 13, 1837, in Sangamon county, married Catharine Reed, in Oregon. OWEN H., born June 16, 1845, in Sangamon county, Ill., is in Montana. DAVID H., born March 31, 1843, in Sangamon county, married July 23, 1875, to Minnie Lord. They live in Helena City, Montana Ter. MARY J., born Oct. 21, 1845, in Sangamon county, was married in Oregon to John M. Roach. They live in Clackamas county, Oregon. MARTHA A., born August 22, 1848, in Sangamon county, died April 18, 1864, in Oregon. Children of the second wife, all born in Oregon: OLIVER D., born May 19, 1853, JAMES E., born May 18, 1854, LAURA B., born May 8, 1856, near Harrisburg, was married June 18, 1874, to George Jordan. They live near Harrisburg, Oregon. THOMAS A., born July 27, 1857, and MINNIE D., born July 6, 1859, lives with her parents. Willoughby Churchill and family reside near Harrisburg, Lynn county, Oregon.

ELIZABETH, born Sept. 11, 1811, in Shelby county, Ky., married in Sangamon county to Jesse Pickrell. See his name.

MARTHA, born July 16, 1815, in Shelby county, Ky., married in Sangamon county, June 16, 1833, to Griffin Fletcher, who was born Dec. 23, 1810, near Mt. Sterling, Montgomery county, Ky. They had ten living children. MARY A., born Sept. 20, 1836, married H. C. Stiver, Sept. 28, 1855, in Sangamon county. They have four living children, KATIE, NELLIE, CARRIE and CHARLES. Mr. Stiver moved to Texas in Dec., 1872. SARAH J., born Nov. 15, 1838, married Zachariah Pope, in 1854, in Sangamon county, and died May 3, 1857. RHODA E., born Jan. 4, 1841, married Levi S. Ridgeway, in Sangamon county, Feb. 16, 1857. They had four children, IRA H. and IDA S. (twins), CATHARINE E., ABBIE and LORA. Mr. Ridgeway died August 30, 1868, and Mrs. R. and family live near Decatur, Ill. DAVID C., born March 3, 1843, in Christian county, married in Sangamon county to Mary A. Garvey. See sketch of the Garvey family. JAMES L., born Nov. 3, 1845, is a grocer in Decatur. JOHN W., born Dec. 2, 1847, married May 10, 1869, to Emma Clevenger, in Abington, Knox county, Ill. They have three children, MAY D., THERON and STELLA, and live in Decatur, Ill. ABEL P., born Feb. 15, 1852, and MARTHA J., born May 24, 1854, live with their parents. Griffin Fletcher and wife reside in Decatur, Ill.

ELVIRA A., born Sept. 24, 1817, in Shelby county, Ky., was married Feb. 6, 1834, in Sangamon county, to John Garrett. They moved to the vicinity of Pittsfield, Pike county, Ill., in 1834, and had seven living children. BENJ. F., born in 1835, married in Pittsfield to Anna E. Adams, June, 1867, and live in Newton county, Kansas. MARY E., born in 1838, resides with her mother. LOUISA A., born in 1843, married S. Woolfolk. MARTHA A., born in 1846, lives with her mother. SARAH E., born in 1848, married July, 1872, to Robert Howard. They have one child, FLORENCE B., and live in St. Louis, Mo. LOTHARIO, born in 1850, and ELIZA J., born in 1853, live with their mother in Pittsfield, Pike county, Ill. In 1866 Mr. Garrett sold out, with the intention of moving to Kansas. He left home alone with a load of goods, and was murdered in Bates county, Mo., in Nov., 1866.

DAVID B., born in 1821, in Kentucky, was killed by lightning in Sangamon county, May 7, 1842.

CULVIN S., born June 30, 1824, in Kentucky, married July 31, 1845, in Sangamon county, to Hester F. King. They had nine children; three died in infancy, and GEORGE W. died, aged ten years. HENRY H., born Jan. 14, 1847, married in 1873 to Lizzie Grubb, and resides near Baldwin City, Kansas. PERMELIA A., born June 5, 1849, married William Houston. See his name. FIELDING A., SALLIE and AMANDA P., reside with their parents, near German Prairie Station.

George Churchill died May 15, 1837, and Mrs. Sarah Churchill died Oct., 1847, and both were buried near German Prairie Station, Sangamon county, Ill.



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