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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.



SMITH, THOMAS, was born in 1769 in Virginia, and went with his parents when he was a young man to Washington county, Kentucky. He was there married to Elizabeth Peter, who was born in 1772; she was an aunt of Zachariah Peter. They had nine children in that county. In the fall of 1819 they moved to Madison county, Illinois, and from there to Sangamon county, arriving in February, 1822, in what is now Curran township, north of Liek creek. Of their children--

MARGARET married Thomas Cummings. See his name.

RICHARD, born June 6, 1795, married in Kentucky, Dec. 22, 1816, to Elizabeth Hart, who was born near Richmond, Virginia, May 11, 1798. They came to Madison county, Illinois, and from there to Sangamon in 1823. They had seven children. Richard Smith died Feb. 2, 1859, and his widow resides with her son, Thompson, at Clinton, Illinois.

THOMAS, Jun., born in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county to Mary Cooper. They had six children, and Mr. S. died in 1838, two miles east of Springfield, Illinois. Of the children, JORDAN P., died in 1848, aged twenty-one years. LUCY M., born Nov. 30, 1830, married Thomas Smith of Lick creek. See his name. The other four children and mother reside in DeWitt county, Illinois. She is now--1874--the wife of Samuel Smith.

HANNAH, born in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county to Henry Whitlock. They had ten children, and he was murdered in the spring of 1871 in Green county, Illinois, and his widow and children live there.

ELIZABETH, married Augustus Kirkpatrick, had nine children. She and nearly all her children died at Camp Point, Illinois. Mr. Kirkpatrick lives there.

JOHN, born March 18, 1805, in Washington county, near Springfield, Kentucky, came with his parents to Sangamon county, Illinois, in 1822, and was married June 23, 1825, to Jane G. Drennan. They had six children. WILLIAM C., born March 24, 1826, was married June 16, 1844, to Rebecca J. Walker. They had eleven children, the three eldest died under four years. JOHN D. married Martha Alsbury. They had three children, Anna L., Clemantine and Bertie. Mrs. Martha Smith died April 20, 1875, leaving an infant that died in October, 1875. John D. Smith lives near Woodside, Sangamon county, Illinois. WILLIAM J. married Eliza J. Cloyd. They have one child, Jesse N., and live near Chatham, Sangamon county, Illinois. RICHARD P. was married Sept. 16, 1875, to Marion E. Patteson, and live two miles south of Curran, Sangamon county, Ill. The other five, HIRAM N., JOSEPH F., MARTHA J., MARY C. and THOMAS E., live with their parents. William C. Smith and family live one and a half miles south of Curran, Sangamon county, Ill. THOMAS, born April 4, 1827, married Lucy M. Smith. They have seven children. LOUISA married Dallas Davis. See his name. JOHN JORDAN was married Sept. 7, 1876, to Sadie Dennis, and lives near Curran, Sangamon county, Illinois. LAURA B., MARY A., THOMAS and RICHARD live with their parents. Thomas Smith resides three miles east of Curran, Sangamon county, Illinois. In order to distinguish himself from others of the same name, he is accustomed, in business transactions, to sign his name Thomas Smith, Lick Creek. REBECCA A., born Oct. 21, 1828, married William Barbre. See his name. ELIZABETH, C. born March 25, 1830, married William Poor. See his name. LUCY M., born April 17, 1831, married William Barbre. See his name. RICHARD C., born Feb. 12, 1833, married Amarine Shelton. They had eight living children, WILLIAM T., JOHN R., MARIA E., JAMES A., RICHARD E., CHARLES E., FLORA J. and FREDERICK H., live with their parents. Richard C. Smith lived in Chatham township, Sangamon county, until 1874, when he moved to the vicinity of Tolono, Champaign county, Illinois. Mrs. Jane G. Smith died Sept. 16, 1833, and John Smith was married Oct. 6, 1834, to Rebecca Enochs. They have two children, MAHALA J., born Dec. 21, 1841, married David Miller, who was born Jan. 28, 1838, in Coshocton county, Ohio. They have three children, JOHN M., THOMAS E. and LILLIE M., and live near Curran, Sangamon county, Ill. MARTHA H., born Jan. 13, 1847, married Andrew J. Drennan. See his name. John Smith and his wife live three miles southeast of Curran, Sangamon county, Illinois.

He says that two thousand Indians, camped on Lick creek, soon after the arrival of his father's family there in 1822, and remained about two weeks. They were very friendly. He also says that the first time he saw Springfield was in February, 1822. Elijah Iles was keeping store in a very small cabin built of round logs and covered with clapboards held on by weight poles. There was not a nail used in the building. Mr. Iles had sold out nearly all his goods and gone to St. Louis for more. The hotel consisted of a double log cabin, and was kept by Dr. Gershom Jayne and his wife. The store, hotel and blacksmith shop constituted the town.

RUTH married Andrew P. Drennan. See his name.

MARY Married William Withrow. See his name.

SARAH died aged forty years.

SAMUEL, born in Kentucky, was married in Sangamon county to Mrs. Mary Smith, whose maiden name was Cooper. They had two children, JOHN H. and AMANDA C., and live in Clinton, DeWitt county, Illinois.

Thomas Smith, Sen., died Jan. 28, 1841, and his widow died Feb. 1, 1852, both in Curran township, Sangamon county, Ill.



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