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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.



McMURRY, MRS. ELIZABETH, whose maiden name was Logue, was born Dec 6, 1775, in Virginia. She was married in Botetourt county, Virginia, to Robert McMurry, who was born about 1772 in that county. They had four children there. and in the autumn of 1801 moved to Washington county, Ky., where three children were born. In the autumn of 1810 they moved to St. Clair county, Ill., where they spent one winter in camp. In the spring of 1811 they moved to a place called Turkey Hill, near the present city of Belleville. Robert McMurry died there, in Feb., 1812. The Indians were manifesting signs of hostility as the allies of Great Britain, in the war of 1812, and Mrs. McMurry very wisely decided to return to Kentucky with her seven children. After the war she moved to St. Clair county again, and from there to Sangamon county, Ill., arriving in the fall of 1821, settling north of Spring creek, and eight milles west of Springfield. Mrs. Elizabeth McMurrry died in 1857, in Curran township. Of her seven children--

WILLIAM, born Dec. 29, 1793, in Botetourt county, Virginia, remained with his mother until her return to Kentucky, after the death of his father. He was married Oct., 1817, in Washington county, Ky., to Elizabeth Clampit, who was born March 22, 1801, in Kentucky. They came to St. Clair county, Ill., in 1818, where one child was born, and moved, in the fall of 1820, to what became Sangamon county, settling north of Spring creek, and eight miles west of Springfield, where they had nine living children. In 1849 Mr. McMurry moved to DeWitt county, Ill. Of his children: JAMES L., born Jan. 31, 1819, in St. Clair county, married three times, without children by either marriage. He was married the fourth time in Iowa. They have two children, WILLIAM and JOSEPH, and live in Urbana, Ill. ELIZABETH, born Feb. 17, 1821, was married to Caswell Hall. They had four children. EDITH M. died in 1863. EMMA married Mr. Stout, May 19, 1868, and lives at Leroy, Ill. PETER C. is married, and lives at Leroy, Ill. WILLIAM lives at Leroy. Mrs. Elizabeth Hall died Oct. 16, 1853, near Clinton, Ill. Caswell Hall was married in 1855 to Miss Edwards, and lives at Leroy, McLean county, Ill. NANCY, born March 5, 1823, died June 16, 1851. WILLIAM C., born Oct. 2, 1826, in Sangamon county, was married there, April 24, 1850, to Elizabeth J. Cummings. They had four children. ANN E. married Joseph Jackson, Feb. 26, 1875. IDA G., MARTHA A. and JAMES M. live with their father. Mrs. McMurry died Oct. 7, 1860, and W. C. McMurry enlisted Sept. 4, 1861, in Co. I, 39th Ill. Inf., for three years. He was taken prisoner, May 16, 1864, at Drury's Bluff, Virginia, and imprisoned one week at Libby, three and a half months at Andersonville, two weeks at Charleston, five months at Florence, South Carolina, was exchanged, and entered the Union lines, Feb. 26, 1865, and was honorably discharged, March 14, same year, being six months and ten days over his full time. He was married Apr. 20, 1865, to Mrs. Lucinda B. Cummings, whose maiden name was McCord. They have one child, TOT, and reside in Farmer City, Ill. LEWIS R., born May 25, 1829, died Sept. 18, 1851. MOSES C., born April 15, 1831, in Sangamon county, enlisted June, 1864, for one hundred days, in Co. A, 135th Ill. Inf., served full time, and was honorably discharged, Oct., 1864. He was married Nov. 17, 1868, to Almeda Warner, who was born April 30, 1844, in Ohio. They have two children, JAMES O. and OTTO F. M. C. McMurry and family live near Saybrook, Champaign county, Ill. SAMUEL B., born Sept. 6, 1833, in Sangamon county, enlisted in 1861, in Co. E, 20th Ill. Inf., for three years, and died at Mound City, Ill., March 21, 1862, was taken home, and buried at Clinton. JOSEPH D., born April 7, 1838, lives at Farmer City. ANN J. P., born Feb. 29, 1840, in Sangamon county, was married at Clinton, March 5, 1867, to T. H. Benton McElhaney, who was born Feb. 4, 1842, in DeWitt county, Ill. He enlisted August 11, 1862, in Co. D, 107th Ill. Inf., for three years, served until the close of the rebellion, and was honorably discharged, July 11, 1865. Mr. and Mrs. McElhaney have three children, WILLIAM A., LOU C. A. and BENTON M., and live at Clinton, Ill. PETER A., born July 14, 1843, in Sangamon county, enlisted June, 1864, for one hundred days, in Co. A, 135th Ill. Inf. served full time, and was honorably discharged, Oct. 1865. He was married in June, 1874, to Olie McMahon, and resides at Clinton, Ill. Mrs. Elizabeth McMurry died Sept. 17, 1850, and William McMurry was married August 14, 1853, in Sangamon county, to Mrs. Agnes Bryant, whose maiden name was Sims. William McMurry died Feb. 13, 1876, at Clinton, Ill., and his widow resides there.

SAMUEL, born Oct. 21, 1795, in Botetourt county, Va., was married Nov. 20, 1821, in St. Clair county, to Mary Rittenhouse. She was born Oct. 1, 1800, in Madison county, Va. They moved to Sangamon county in 1823, settling south of Spring creek and eight miles west of Springfield. They had nine children in Sangamon county. JOHN D., born Aug. 6, 1824, was married Jan. 9, 1846, to Catharine Bormann, who was born Feb. 14, 1825, in the Kingdom of Bavaria. They had four living children. SAMUEL H., born March 1, 1848, was married Sept. 2, 1874, to Matilda Roots, of Mannsville, Taylor county, Ky. They live two miles west of Curran, Ill. LAURETTA A., born December 25, 1850, was married February 22, 1872, to George F. Allen. They had one child, Arthur F. Mrs. L. A. Allen died, November 12, 1874. BARTHENA D. and CHARLES W., live with their father. Mrs. Catharine B. McMurry died May 31, 1872, and John D. McMurry was married Jan. 7, 1875, in Springfield, Ill., to Mrs. Rebecca McKechnie, who was born in 1826 in Yorkshire, England, and whose maiden name was Snape. They reside three miles northwest of Curran, Sangamon county, Ill. PETER C., born Jan. 29, 1826, married Almeda Davis. They had two children. He died Oct. 22, 1853. Of their children, CHARLES S. and JOHN L. live with their mother, who married W. W. Kelly. See his name. ROBERT T., born Jan. 6, 1828, married Margaret Davis. They have four children. MARY E. was married March 16, 1875, to Boswell Thatcher, of Wayne county, Iowa. SAMUEL O., DAVID L. and JAMES live with their parents, near Bethlehem, Iowa. WILLIAM L., born Jan. 26, 1830, married Barbara A. Bormann. They have seven children. VERLINDA C. married George McComas in 1872, and lives near Bethlehem, Iowa. GEORGE P., LENORE, MELISSA M., MOSES S., ELMORE and JOHN L. live with their father. Mrs. McMurry died June 11, 1875, and the family live near Bethlehem, Iowa. ARTHUR B., born Jan. 30, 1832, died, aged ten years. GEORGE L., born Feb. 19, 1834, married Julia F. Head. They have two living children. Mrs. Julia McMurry died Sept. 16, 1875. Mr. McMurry and the children live near Bethlehem, Iowa. JAMES O., born March 19, 1837, married Elizabeth Pearce. They had four children, ROBERT, DEBORAH C., BARTHENA and JAMES. Mrs. Elizabeth McMurry died April, 1873. He married Matilda Chrisman. They have one child, EARNEST, and live near Bethlehem, Iowa. ELIZABETH E., born Jan. 20, 1839, married Debold Paulen. See his name. MARY J., born Sept. 23, 1842, married George Mentzer. They have three children, JOHN D., LAURA and (???), and reside near Cerro Gordo, Ill. Mrs. Mary McMurry died April 5, 1863, and Samuel McMurry died April 19, 1863.

JAMES, born April 5, 1798, in Botetourt county, Virginia, was married in Sangamon county, Ill., to Lavina Earnest. They had six children in Sangamon county, and moved to Keokuk, Iowa; from there to Independence, Mo., thence to California, about 1855. Of their children, SARAH married Rev. Mr. James. She died in 1854, leaving one child. MARTHA J. married Inglefield Gregory. ROBERT S. married in 1849, and his wife died Nov. 16, 1863, leaving six children, LUELLA, ALTA, SARAH, MARY L., WILLIAM H. and OLIVE M. THOS. FRANK, JAMES and ELIZA,--the three latter are married. James McMurry died near Ione City, California, and his family reside there.

LEWIS, born April 15, 1801, in Virginia, came to Sangamon county, Ill., with his mother in 1823. He married Leanna DeMula, a French lady of St. Louis, and died there, without children, in 1853.

ESTHER, born Oct. 28, 1803, in Kentucky, was married in Sangamon county to John Turner. See his name.

ARTHUR B., born Nov. 7, 1807, in Washington county, Ky., was married in Sangamon county, Ill., to Sarah Enyart. They had six children. ROBERT died in his twenty-first year. MARTHA J. married Robert Elder, and live in Butler county, Neb. ELIZABETH A. married Wesley Huggins, and died June 12, 1862. MARY F. married John F. Crowder. See his name. She died in June, 1873. LEWIS S. married Melissa Griffin. They have three children, and reside in Butler county, Neb. SARAH M. was married in 1866 to Dr. Charles Kerr. They had four children, CHARLES, MABEL, MAUD and NETTIE; the latter died in infancy. Mrs. S. Melissa Kerr died March 22, 1876, in Pawnee, and was buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery. See Dr. Kerr's name, with Elisha Sanders. Arthur B. McMurry died Feb. 28, 1855, and his widow was married June 7, 1875, to William Parkes. See his name.

LOGAN, born March 22, 1810, in Washington county, Ky., was married in Sangamon county Dec. 22, 1831, to Melissa Robison, who was born Nov. 11, 1813. They had ten children in Sangamon county. EDWARD S., born Nov. 13, 1832, was married Jan. 10, 1858, to Susan Reid; have four children, J. J., ANNA, MARTHA E. and G. E. LEWIS, and live at Leghorn, Kansas. E. S. McMurry is Postmaster there. JOHN L., born Mar. 31, 1835, died in his third year. MARY E., and MARTHA J., twins, born July 10, 1838. Mary E. was married July 26, 1868, to Hiram F. Robbins. born in Warren county, Penn. They have three children, SANDFORD L., FANNIE A. and ANNIE M., and reside near Maple Grove, Pottawatomie county, Kansas. Martha J. was married July 1, 1868, to James Siddens, who was born in Putnam county, Indiana, February 9, 1836. They have three children, IDA B., SADIE M. and MARY F., and reside near Westmoreland, Pottawatomie county, Kansas. ANGELINE, born May 23, 1841, died in her second year. ELIHU J. L., born Aug. 9, 1844, enlisted in Capt. Pratt's Co., 130th Ill. Inf., Aug. 11, 1862, for three years. The company disbanded, and he joined Co. B, 10th Ill. Cav., in October of the same year. Served three years and three months, and was honorably discharged. GEORGE F., born Aug. 21, 1847, resides near Westmoreland, Pottawattomie county, Kansas. SARAH A., born June 20, 1850, EMILY F., born March 5, 1854, and ROSELLA, born March 21, 1858, all reside with their parents, half a mile south of Farmingdale, Sangamon county, Illinois.



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