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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.



HALBERT, DR, JAMES, was born Aug. 19, 1785, in Essex county, near Port Royal, Va. Nancy Reynolds was born in the same county, and they were married there Dec. 24, 1816. They had six children and moved to Ross county, near Chillicothe, Ohio, about 1831, where one child was born. Mrs. Nancy Halbert died there in Nov., 1834. The family moved to Sangamon county, Ill., arriving at Springfield in the fall of 1839, and a few weeks later settled in what is now Clear Lake township. Of their eight children--

MARY L., born Nov. 15, 1817, in Essex county, Va., married March 31, 1836, in Ohio, to Eli Harbert, who was born Aug. 11, 1811, and moved at once to the vicinity of West Point, Tippecanoe county, Ind., where two children were born, and Mr. Harbert died there Nov. 29, 1839. The widow came with her two children to the house of her father, in Sangamon county, in Jan., 1840, where one child was born. Of her three children--SAMUEL M., born May 31, 1837, near West Point, Tippecanoe county, Ind.; married in Sangamon county, Dec. 25, 1862, to Serilda Miller, who was born Feb. 14, 1844, in Sangamon county. They have two living children, JOHN and ANNA, and live four miles northwest of Illiopolis. NANCY R., born Sept. 11, 1838, near West Point, Tippecanoe county, Ind., married in Sangamon county, Sept. 14, 1858, to Amariah D. Gilbert, who was born April 10, 1828, in Portage county, Ohio. They have three children, ELI J., OLLIE M. and FANNIE J. Mr. Gilbert was appointed, April 1, 1869, Postmaster at Illiopolis, and continues to hold the office--1876. ELI C., born Feb. 3, 1840, in Sangamon county, after the death of his father. He enlisted July 25, 1862, in Co. I, 114th Ill. Inf., was captured after the battle of Guntown, Miss., June, 1864, and spent six months in Andersonville prison. After that he was in other prisons, and was honorably discharged Aug. 3, 1865. He was married in Sangamon county, Sept. 21, 1870, to Mary E. Griggs, who was born March 11, 1849, at Leroy, Ill. They have two children, MINNIE PEARL and HENRY OTIS, and live four miles northwest of Illiopolis. Mrs. Mary Harbert was married in Sangamon county to Rezin H. Constant. See his name. She died May 18, 1863.

SALLY, born Jan. 23, 1820, in Virginia, married in Sangamon county to James S. Taylor. See his name.

SIDNEY R., born Feb. 3, 1822, in Virginia, married in Sangamon county to John C. Woltz. See his name.

FANNY, born June 22, 1825, in Virginia, married in Sangamon county to Thomas L. Simpson. See his name.

KITTY, born Nov. 19, 1827, in Virginia, married in Sangamon county to Ninian R. Taylor. See his name.

ALEXANDER S., born June 15, 1830, in Essex county, Va., came with his father to Sangamon county, was educated at Illinois College, in Jacksonville, graduated at Jefferson Medical College, N. Y., and was married, May 8, 1855, to Mary E. Latham. Dr. A. S. Halbert died Feb. 11, 1859, leaving one child, KATIE TODD. His widow and child reside with her mother on seventh street, Springfield.

MARGARET J., born Sept. 13, 1833, in Ohio, married in Sangamon county to Isaac J. Taylor. See his name.

Dr. James Halbert died Nov. 5, 1858, in Sangamon county. He was a regularly ordained minister in the Baptist church. Dr. Halbert was among the first to introduce sheep raising into Sangamon county, and was the first in Clear Lake township. He was a man of great energy, strong intellectual abilities, and great originality of mind.



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