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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.



HOFFMAN, MOSES, was born Nov. 24, 1798, in Greenbrier county, Va. His parents moved to Clark county Ohio, when he was a boy. He was married there, Dec. 2, 1823, to Mrs. Rhoda Winn, whose maiden name was Turnam. She was born Feb. 14, 1806, near Springfield, Ohio. They had three children there, and moved to Sangamon county, Ill., arriving Nov., 1829, in what is now Fancy Creek township, where they had three living children. Of their six children:

MARY A.., born Dec. 10, 1824, in Ohio, was married in Sangamon county, Sept. 12, 1844, to James W. Dunn. They had seven living children, namely: ALWIDA, RICHARD M., HENRY C., IDA, MARGARET, JAMES W., AND MARY, and live near Corvallis, Benton county Oregon.

MARGARET, born Jan. 2, 1827, in Ohio, was married, April 10, 1845, in Sangamon county, Ill., to James H. Thaxton. See his name.

LEWIS F., born Sept. 21, 1828, in Champaign county, Ohio, was married Jan. 17, 1861 in Sangamon county, to Hannah A. Gamble, a native of Holmes county, Ohio. They had two living children, LORA and ELMER G., and live at the homestead settled by Mr. Hoffman's parents in 1829; it is six miles north of Springfield.

AMANDA, born Dec. 20, 1821, in Sangamon county, was married, Jan. 1, 1850, to John B. Huffman. They have eight children and reside near Winterset, Iowa.

LUCINDA, born Oct. 3, 1835 in Sangamon county, was married, May 23, 1852, to John L. B. Dunlap. They had four children: CATHARINE, married James H. Blue. See his name. CHARLES F., FLORENCE, and ELIZA. J. L. B. Dunlap died, June, 1863. His widow and children live two miles north of Springfield.

CLARISSA, was born Aug. 20, 1840, in Sangamon county, was married, March 11, 1858, to Willard R. Shepherd. They had three children; one died in infancy. JENNIE H. and JULIA G., reside with their parents in Menard county, sixteen miles north of Springfield.

Moses Hoffman was a soldier in the Black Hawk war. He died in Sangamon county, June 3, 1842. His widow was married Feb. 6, 1847, to Solomon Wood. They have one child:

SOLOMON S., ws born Feb. 23, 1848, was married April 8, 1868 to Mary J.Wolf, who was born Jan. 8, 1850, near Mansfield, Ohio. They have two children, JOHN W. and CHARLES O., and live one mile south of Sherman. Solomon Wood died April 18, 1848 n Logan county, and his widow resides with her son, Lewis F. Hoffman

Mrs. Wood remembers that her first husband measured the snow of 1830 and '31, and it was full four feet on a level; she also remembers the steamboat, Talisman, that came up the Sangamon river to Bogues' Mill, or Portland, as it was sometimes called. It was on the south bank of the Sangamon river, about half way betwen the Chicago & Alton and Gilman, Clinton & Springfield railroad bridges.



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