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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.



VANDEVER, AARON, born Feb. 7, 1785, in Virginia, was married in Henry county, Kentucky, in June, 1805, to Nancy French, who was born Nov. 19, 1789, in North Carolina. They had six children in Kentucky, and moved in 1814 to Washington county, Indiana, where four children were born, thence to Sangamon county, Illinois, arriving in October, 1829, where they had one child. Of their children--

SARAH, born June 1, 1806, in Kentucky, married and died in Indiana.

CARORINE and ELIZABETH, twins, born March 2, 1808, in Kentucky, both married, and died in Indiana.

SOPHRONIA, born Feb. 14, 1811, in Kentucky, was married in Washington county, Indiana, to Barnett Davis. They have a large family, and live near Taylorville, Christian county, Illinois.

THOMAS L., born July 25, 1813, in Kentucky, died there.

HORATIO N., born March 1, 1816, in Washington county, Indiana, came with his parents to Sangamon county, October, 1829,. He was married in June, 1840, in Christian county, Illinois, to Mary J. Rucker, who was born in Kentucky. They have three children, WILLIAM T., born August 22, 1842, and EUGENE A., born August 27, 1853, are bankers in Taylorville, Christian county, Illinois. ELIZABETH, born Feb. 6, 1859, lives with her parents.

H. N. Vandever resided in Sangamon county until the organization of Christian county, in March, 1839, when, without moving, he was placed in Christian county, the dividing line being near his farm. At the first election which occurred, in March, 1839, he was elected recorder for Christian county, and appointed clerk of the circuit court, also, holding the office until 1847. He was elected representative to the state legislature in 1842, raised a company for the Mexican war, but the quota was full. He was appointed by President Polk quartermaster, with the rank of captain, served two years, and during that time was at the battle of Buena Vista. In 1849 he was elected judge of the Christian county court, and filled the office by re-election two terms of four years each. He represented Christian and Montgomery counties in the state legislature for 1861-2. He was a member of the constitutional convention, and in 1862 was elected state senator. In 1870 he was elected judge of the circuit court to fill a vacancy, re-elected in June, 1873, and is now--1876--in office. H. N. Vandever and family live in Taylorville, Illinois.

WILLIAM B., born in February, 1818, in Indiana, died in Illinois.

HARRIET, born Feb. 22, 1822, in Indiana, died in Illinois.

AARON S., born Nov. 10, 1824, in Indiana, died in Illinois.

ZIPPORAH, born in May, 1827, was married March 25, 1847, to William T. Duncan. Mrs. Zipporah Duncan died Dec. 31, 1849, leaving one child, AMANDA, who lives in Montgomery county, Illinois.

LAVINA, born May 21, 1834, in Sangamon county, married Ransom Hargis. She died Sept. 20, 1858, leaving two children, WILLIAM R. and MARY J., living near Taylorville, Illinois.

Aaron Vandever died April, 1857, and Mrs. Nancy Vandever died Aug. 7, 1871, at Taylorville, Christian county, Illinois. Rev. Mr. Vandever was a distinguished minister of the Old School Baptist Church, known as the Regular Baptists.



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