COLBURN, WILLIAM, brother to Isaac, Abel and Ebenezer, was born June 3, 1793, at Sterling, Mass., married Aug. 15, 1815, at Hebron, N. H., to Achsa Phelps, who was born at that place July 9, 1796. They came to Sangamon county, Ill., arriving April 5, 1821, in what is now Loami township. They had three children before moving to Sangamon county, and eleven after, the youngest of whom died in infancy. Of the thirteen children--

CLARISSA, born Oct. 27, 1816, at Pittsburg, Pa., married in Sangamon county, Dec. 3, 1831, to William S. Walker. See his name.

ABIGAIL, born April 29, 1818, at Marietta, O., married April 9, 1835, to Lawrence Underwood. See his name.

FANNY, born Jan. 4, 1820, at Marietta, O., married in Sangamon county, Jan. 28, 1843, to David Phelps. See his name.

MEHETIBEL, born Dec. 5, 1821, in Sangamon county, married Dec. 16, 1838, to David Phelps. See his name.

SAMUEL PAUL, born Sept. 15, 1823, in Sangamon county, married Oct. 23, 1845, to Melinda Colburn, had one child that died in infancy, and Mrs. Colburn died Dec. 23, 1865, and he married Nov. 14, 1866, to Mrs. Isabel Lucas, whose maiden name was Colburn. They reside in Loami.

MARGARET P., born April 7, 1825, in Sangamon county, married Sept. 21, 1845, to Lewis Cotterman. They had two children, WILLIAM A. and FANNIE, and Mrs. Cotterman died Sept. 6, 1853. Her children reside with their father near Linden, Osage county, Kan.

ISAAC, born Feb. 22, 1827, in Sangamon county, married August 17, 1854, to Julia A. Ensley. They had three children. ACHSA E., born July 24, 1855, died in her eighth year. CHLOE E. and CHARLES E. live with their father. Mrs. Julia A. Colburn died Dec. 25, 1859, and Mr. C. married Sept. 20, 1863, to Mandana Phelps. They had three children, CORA A., CLARENCE E. and MARY O.; all died in infancy. Isaac Colburn and wife reside in Loami.

DANIEL W., born July 2, 1829, married Nov. 28, 1849, to Lucinda Huffmaster. They have eight children. SARAH married William Greer, has one child, and resides with her parents. FANNY married Christopher McLaughlin, who was born Feb. 10, 1846, in Montgomery county, Ky. They have two children, MINNIE and ANDREW, and reside at Loami. Mr. McLaughlin enlisted Feb. 22, 1864, in Co. A, 106th Ill. Inf., for three years; was honorably discharged at Springfield, August 1, 1865. SUSAN M. married Thomas Huggin, and resides in Curran. JAMES E., MARY M., WINFIELD S., DAVID L. and LAURA A., reside with their parents, three miles south of Curran.

WILLIAM S., born Feb. 20, 1831, in Sangamon county, married July 8, 1853, in Fulton county, Ill., to Mary Ensley, who was born M?? ??31, near Chillicothe, O. They had ?? children. MILLARD F. died in infancy. LINDA A., born March 11, 1856, married Dec. 26, 1872, to Lycurgus L. Smith, who was born June 20, 1849, at Mt. Pleasant O., and reside at Martin's Ferry, Belmont county, O. LUELLA R. and WILLIAM H. reside with their parents at Loami.

W. S. Colburn enlisted at Jacksonville, Ill., July 16, 1847, in Co. G, 16th United States Inf., for five years or during the war with Mexico, and was honorably discharged August, 1848, at Cincinnati, O. In the spring of 1850 he started for California, via the Isthmus of Panama. The vessel was bestormed and becalmed, so that he was on the Pacific ocean seven months from Panama to San Francisco. He has traveled in twenty-four States of the Union, and been on fourteen sea voyages. William S. Colburn enlisted June 27, 1864, in Co. F., 28th Ill. Inf., for three years; was honorably discharged August 2, 1865. He was detailed as clerk in the medical department soon after entering the army, was promoted to hospital steward, and served as such to the end of the rebellion.

EBENEZER, born April 9, 1833, in Sangamon county, married August 17, 1854, to Nancy A. Huffmaster. They had two children, ADNA P. and CLARISSA A., and Mrs. Colburn died August 10, 1859, and Mr. C. was married August 8, 1862, to Elizabeth Davis. They have five children, DANIEL W., HENRY W., ALPHA D., JULIA A. and INA A., and live in Loami.

LEVI O., born Nov. 13, 1835, in Sangamon county, enlisted July 13, 1862, in Co. F, 51st Ill. Inf., for three years. He was 1st Sergt., and as such, commanded the company part of the time. He was wounded in the arm at the battle of Chickamauga, served until June 27, 1865, when he was honorably discharged. He was married July 7, 1867, to Christiana Kinney. They have two children, BERTHA O. and WILLIAM E., and live at Loami.

DAVID P., born Oct. 5, 1837, in Sangamon county, enlisted August 9, 1861, in Co. B, 30th Ill. Inf., for three years, re-enlisted as a veteran, Jan. 1, 1864. He was appointed 2nd Sergt. at the organization of the regiment; promoted to 1st Sergt.; commissioned 1st Lieut., Jan. 20, 1865; commissioned Capt., May, 1865. Commanded the company from Oct. 4, 1864. He served until July 17, 1865, when he was honorably discharged. He was married April 12, 1866, to Tirzah Mengel. They have one child, LEONARD L., and reside at Loami.

JOHN T., born Nov. 23, 1840, married June 23, 1861, to Martha J. Back, who was born April 9, 1845, at Loami. They had four children. JAQUETTA and LILLIE died in infancy. MARY A. and MILLIE A. live with their parents in Loami.

William Colburn died June 10, 1869, at Loami, and Mrs. Achsa Colburn resides at Loami, on the same place settled by herself and husband in 1822 one year before the land was brought into market. William and his brother Ebenezer entered land together, and cultivated it for several years. About 1836 they built a steam saw and grist mill at the north side of Lick creek, and machinery for grinding was soon added. It was the first mill of the kind within a radius of ten or twelve miles, and around that mill the village of Loami grew up. They continued in that business for many years, three mills having burned on the same spot. They were not always the owners, but their families were always connected with such enterprises. The sons of Wm. Colburn are now--1874--the owners of a mill within one hundred yards of where the first mill was built. One mill has burned where the new one stands.

The hardships endured by them and their families would be difficult to relate. Mrs. Achsa Colburn, now seventy-eight years old, has an unlimited fund of reminiscences connected with their advent into the county, and the difficulties of raising a large family. A loom was an indispensible article where all were dependent on the work of their own hands for the entire clothing of themselves and families. Mrs. Colburn tried all the men in the settlement, those of her own family included, in order to find some person who could make a loom, but all declined to undertake it, some for want of skill, and all for want of tools. Mrs. C. then procured an axe, a hand saw, a drawing knife, an auger and a chisel, and went to work. She made with her own hands a loom, warping bars, winding blades, temples for the lateral stretching of the cloth, and for spools she used corn cobs with the pith pushed out. With these appliances she wove hundreds of yards of cloth, and made it up into garments for her family. This she did while caring for her family of fourteen children.