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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.



RIDDLE, DAVID, was born April 20, 1780, in Mifflin county, Pa. He went to Champaign county, Ohio, in 1807. Mary Hamilton was born in Mason county, about seven miles from Maysville, Ky., March 9, 1786. Her mother died when she was quite young, and she went to Champaign county, Ohio, with some friends, and was there married, about 1808, to David Riddle. Six children were born in Ohio, and the family moved, in 1819, to Washington county, Ill., where one child was born, and Mrs. Riddle died there, July 11, 1821. David Riddle was married in 1822, to Mrs. Elizabeth Crocker, whose maiden name was Wakefield, and moved to Sangamon county, arriving at Springfield Oct. 14, 1822, and the next day moved to a farm in Williams township. They had two children in Sangamon county. Of his children--

JOHN, born Jan. 8, 1809, in Ohio, married in Sangamon county, Oct. 2, 1834, to Sarah H. Clark. They had five children. ELIZA C. died, aged twenty-four years. MARY E. married John Tomlinson, have four children, FRANK L., HELEN A., ELMER S. and CLARENCE A., and live near Mt. Pulaski. FRANCIS A. enlisted at Springfield, July, 1862, in Co. A, 130th Ill. Inf., for three years, was promoted to 1st Lieut., and acted as Captain, Major and Judge Advocate, and was honorably mustered out of the service in August, 1865. He was married in Jacksonville, Ill., to Sarah Gallaher. He is a lawyer, and resides in Chicago. SARAH W. is unmarried, and lives with her father. Mrs. Sarah H. Riddle died, and John Riddle married Martha Archer, who was born May 24, 1819, in Greenville, Bond county, Ill. They have one child, NANCY E., who lives with her parents, one mile northeast of Barclay, Sangamon county, Ill. John Riddle remembers that when he was a boy the family found that there was a letter in the postoffice, but they had not the money to pay for it. He gathered a load of corn, took it to town, and sold the whole load for ninety-five cents, paid twenty-five cents for the letter, and returned home rejoicing.

JAMES, born April 30, 1811, in Ohio, was married in Sangamon county to Susan A. Simpson. They had two children. JOHN M. married Sarah M. Woltz. They have one child, CHARLES A., and live one and a half miles north of Barclay, Illinois. DAVID A. lives at DesMoines, Iowa. James Riddle was a soldier from Sangamon county in the Black Hawk war. He died March 4, 1849, and his widow lives with her son, John M.--1874.

MARGARET, born Sept. 25, 1812, in Ohio, married in Sangamon county to Joseph Dement. He died, leaving a widow and four children in Logan county, Illinois.

ABNER, born Oct. 6, 1814, in Champaign county, Ohio, married in Sangamon county to Mrs. Mary A. Pickrell, whose maiden name was Elkin. They had one child, HAMILTON R., born Dec. 9, 1841, in Sangamon county, enlisted Aug. 1, 1862, in Co. B, 130th Ill. Inf., for three years. He was captured, with Bank's Red river expedition, April 8, 1864, imprisoned at Camp Tyler, Texas, thirteen months, and released in May, 1865. While in prison his regiment was consolidated with the 77th Ill. Inf., and he was mustered out as a member of Co. A, of that regiment, June 17, 1865, at Springfield. He was married, Sept. 2, 1868, to Cordelia F. Constant. They have three children, EARL A., ELIZA MAY and WILLIAM E. Hamilton R. Riddle graduated Feb., 1873, at Rush Medical College, Chicago, and is a practicing physician at Mechanicsburg, Ill. Mrs. Mary A. Riddle died, and Abner Riddle married Mary J. Clark. They have ten children. RUSSELL O. married Sabra Constant, have two children, MAY O. and LOUELLA, and live half a mile south of Barclay, Sangamon county, Ill. MARY J. married Samuel McCullough, and lives in Kansas. The other eight children reside with their parents, near Ottowa, Kan.

NANCY, born April 10, 1817, in Ohio, married in Sangamon county to Abraham Bird. See his name.

MARY, born May 13, 1819, in Ohio, married in Sangamon county to William H. Fowkes. See his name.

ELIZABETH, born June 12, 1823, in Sangamon county, married Alexander Mills, and resides at Lincoln, Illinois.

SARAH A., born Sept. 30, 1826, in Sangamon county, married to Rev. Alexander Semple. They have three children, and live at Decatur, Ill. He is Presiding Elder in the M. E. Church.

David Riddle died August 12, 1846, and his widow, Mrs. Elizabeth Riddle, died in 1854, both in Sangamon county.



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