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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.



TROTTER, JAMES, born about 1770, in Culpepper county, Virginia. He was taken by his parents, about 1792, to Bourbon county, Kentucky, and was there married to Elizabeth Kenny, who was also a native of Virginia. They had eight children born in Bourbon county, and moved to Sangamon county, Illinois, arriving in the fall of 1826, and settled on Round Prairie, four miles east of Springfield. Of their children:

JOSEPH died aged 19 years.

JAMES K., born Feb. 19, 1799, in Bourbon county, Kentucky, married there March 22, 1823, to Mary A. Daubinspeck, who was born Feb. 24, 1800, in the same county. They had two children, and moved to Rush county, Indiana, where one child was born, thence to Sangamon county, Illinois, in 1827, one year later than his father. Six children were born in Sangamon county. Of their nine children, ELIZABETH, born Jan. 2, 1824, in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county, June 21, 1849, to Stephen Lawyer, a native of Guernsey county, Ohio. They had seven children, four of whom died young. Mr. Lawyer enlisted August 10, 1861, at Anamosa, in what became Co. L, 1st Iowa Cav., and died Nov. 14, 1863, at Little Rock, Arkansas. The three children, ROBERT, ELIZABETH A. and STEPHEN reside with their mother in Clear Lake township. WILLIAM, born March 15, 1825, in Kentucky, enlisted September, 1862, in Co. I, 114th Ill. Inf. for three years, and died of disease March 17, 1863, at Memphis, Tennessee. JANE, born Feb. 2, 1827, in Rush county, Indiana, married Henry R. Clark, had two children, and her second husband is William A. Butler. See his name. NANCY, born Dec. 8, 1829, in Sangamon county, married Feb. 24, 1848, to Hiram Lawyer, who was born Dec. 11, 1823, in Guernsey county, Ohio. They had nine children, three of whom died young. AMANDA married Mahlon Geathard, has four children, and lives near Rochester. GEORGE W. resides with his parents. ELIZA J., married James Burch. WILLIAM T., ADA A. and EVELINE reside with their parents two miles northeast of Sangamon station, on the farm where her parents settled in 1827. JAMES born Jan. 2, 1831, in Sangamon county, married Dec. 24, 1857, to Elizabeth Burch. They had five children. WILLIAM A. died aged two years. PHILEMON, LUETTA, GEORGE and MARY E. reside with their parents two miles northeast of Sangamon station. JULIA A., born April 20, 1833, in Sangamon county, married James Lawyer, and died January, 1864, leaving three children, two of whom reside with their father, near Salisbury, and Charles lives on Round Prairie. MARY, born August 6, 1835, in Sangamon county, married Thomas W. Long. She died leaving one child, EDWARD, who lives with his father in Taylorville. GEORGE, born Dec. 14, 1839, in Sangamon county, married Eliza Brown, who died, and he enlisted August, 1862, in Co. I, 114th Ill. Inf. for three years, served full time and was honorably discharged. He was married Nov. 23, 1864, to Mary E. Griffiths, who was born Oct. 29, 1846, in Madison county, Indiana. They had one child, JANE, born Nov. 3, 1866. George Trotter died Jan. 21, 1807, of disease contracted in the army. His widow married March 6, 1873, to Burgess Taintor, a native of New York. He has one child by a former marriage, ELLA MAY. Mr. and Mrs. Taintor have one son, and resides two miles north of Springfield, Illinois. CATHARINE, born Jan. 8, 1840, in Sangamon county, married Willis Wilson, has three children, and resides in Tazewell county, Illinois. James K. Trotter died Dec. 27, 1839. His widow resides with her son James, on the farm where she and her husband settled in 1827, two miles northeast of Sangamon station, and five miles east of Springfield, Illinois. When James K. Trotter was moving to the country, in 1827, he had to cross the Sangamon river three miles from his father's house. He left his team and family in safe hands and was about to enter a canoe to cross the river when he saw the two dogs his father brought with him the year before, at the time they all moved from Kentucky. These dogs were sitting on the opposite bank apparently waiting for him. He called and they plunged in and swam to meet him with every appearance of pleasure. He took them across in the canoe and then halloed, supposing that his brothers were hunting near by. The dogs paid no attention to his call, but ran back and forth along the road, and in that way conducted him to the house, when he learned that none of the family had been near the river for several days. Three questions naturally suggest themselves: Why were the dogs there? Did they know he was coming? If so, how? Perhaps they could be answered by some writer on the higher life of animals.

JOHN, born about 1800, in Bourbon county, Kentucky, married Isabel Brazzle, and moved to Wisconsin, where the parents died leaving four children, all married.

MARY, born Nov. 19, 1802, in Bourbon county, Kentucky, married Thomas J. Turley. See his name.

NANCY, born Feb. 14, 1805, in Bourbon county, Kentucky, married in Sangamon county, to Edward Clark. See his name.

JANE, born April 18, 1807, in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county, to Samuel Williams. See his name.

GEORGE, born June 13, 1809, in Bourbon county, Kentucky. In 1826 he accompanied his parents from Bourbon county to Sangamon county, Illinois. They settled on Round Prairie. He remained at home ten years. In 1831 he left for the Wisconsin lead mines, worked in them that summer, returning home in the fall. He served in the Black Hawk war, and was married March 24, 1833, in Sangamon county, to Sarah Chilton, who was born Dec. 19, 1816, in Madison county, Illinois. They had two children in Sangamon county, and in 1836 moved to Stephenson county, locating near what is now Orangeville. Twelve children were born in Stephenson county, three of whom died in infancy. Of their eleven children, THOMAS, born July 1, 1834, in Sangamon county, married, and in 1857 emigrated to Missouri, in 1858, was married there to Mrs. Martha Clemens, formerly Miss Myers, who was born in Missouri. They had three children, namely, NANCY, JOHN and GEORGE. Mrs. Martha Trotter died in 1865, and Thomas T. returned to Illinois. He was married in September, 1867, to Mrs. Sarah Seidel, formerly Miss Woodring, of Pennsylvania. In the spring of 1868 he returned to near Barnard, Nodaway county, Missouri, where they still reside. Of his children by the third marriage, namely: ELIZABETH, born Nov. 7, 1835, in Sangamon county, married July 4, 1858, to Joseph Vanmeter, of Ohio. They had two living children, GEORGE and HENRY, and reside near Oneco, Stephenson county, Illinois. JAMES, born March 27, 1837, in Stephenson county, was married in 1860 to Sarah Riem, a native of Pennsylvania. They had five children, ESTHER, ELMER, CHARLES, FRANK, and ARCHIE. He enlisted in the 46th Ill. Vet. Vol. Inf. in January, 1864, and served until the close of the war when he was honorably discharged. In 1869 he moved with his family to Nodaway county, Missouri, where they still reside. WILLIAM, born September 19, 1839, in Stephenson county, Illinois, married in December, 1864, to Emily J. Lorch, who was born in 1840 in Springfield, Illinois. In 1865 they moved to Orangeville, where they had three children, WILLIAM, ANNA MAY and MELVIN. In 1875 the family moved to Polo, Ogle county, Illinois, where they now reside. GEORGE, born July 1, 1841, in Stephenson county, enlisted August 28, 1861, left home Sept. 10, 1861, served two and a half years, was promoted from the ranks to fife major of the regiment. Re-enlisted Dec. 6, 1863, at Camp Cowan, Miss., came home on a furlough, returned, was struck by lightning March 16, 1865, while at Dauphin Island. He reluctantly returned home May 21, 1865, where he died March 25, 1866. URANIA, born February 24, 1843, in Stephenson county, married there Oct. 1, 1863, to David W. Scott, a native of Ohio, and a graduate of Cincinnati Eclectic Medical College. Is at present practicing medicine in Buena Vista, Stephenson county, Illinois, where they reside. They have two children, MINNIE and MYRON. MARY A., born Dec. 27, 1844, in Stephenson county, died April 11, 1868. MILLARD F., born May 25, 1850, in Stephenson county, resides with his parents. SARAH J., born May 24, 1852, in Stephenson county, died December 8, 1871. LUCY C., born July 30, 1854, in Stephenson county, married there December 21, 1873, to Woodbury Robey, who was born in the same county. They have one child, LEROY, and reside in Stephenson county. JOHN C., born Sept. 4, 1857, lives with his parents at Orangeville, Stephenson county, Illinois.

ELIZABETH, born in Kentucky, married William Graham. See his name.

Mrs. Elizabeth Trotter died March 4, 1825, before the family left Kentucky, and James Trotter died Sept. 26, 1839, in Sangamon county, Illinois.



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