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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.



WATSON, WILLIAM W., born April 1, 1794, in Sussex county, New Jersey, went in 1817 to Lexington, Kentucky, and was there married, March 15, 1818, to Mrs. Maria Humerickhouse, whose maiden name was Cape. She was a native of Lexington. In the autumn of 1818 they moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where they had five children, and Mrs. Maria Watson died there July 17, 1834. The family soon after moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where Mr. Watson was in business about two years, and in the autumn of 1836 moved to Springfield, Illinois. Of his five children--

BENJAMIN A., born Dec. 9, 1818, in Nashville, Tennessee, was married in Springfield, Illinois, Feb. 11, 1845, to Emily R. Planck. They had seven living children, all except the youngest, born in Springfield. WILLIAM W., born May 13, 1847, was married Oct. 25, 1871, in St. Charles, Illinois, to Augusta C. Tolman. They have two children, WILLIAM W., jun., and a boy babe. W. W. Watson transacts business in Chicago, and with his family resides at Washington Heights, Illinois. EMILY, born Oct. 12, 1849, was married Nov. 24, 1870, at Perry Springs, to Dr. A. B. Carey. They have one child, ALBERT WATSON, and reside at Pittsfield, Pike county, Illinois. JULIA, HATTIE CAPE, MOLLIE L., FANNIE and HARRY live with their father. Mrs. Emily R. Watson died July 30, 1871, at Perry Springs, Pike county, Illinois. Mr. Watson, with his unmarried children, resides there. Benjamin A. Watson was one of the ten young men who in 1840 traveled from Springfield, Illinois, to Nashville, Tennessee, to hear Henry Clay make a speech. See page 480.

ABIGAIL, born Nov. 5, 1822, in Nashville, Tennessee, was married in Springfield June 27, 1843, to John G. Ives, and resides in Springfield, Illinois.

ANN MARIA, born Dec. 5, 1824, in Nashville, Tennessee, was married in Springfield, Illinois, to Thomas S. Little. See his name.

HESTER, born July 21, 1826, in Nashville, was married in Springfield, Illinois, to Thomas Billson. They had three children in Springfield. CORDELIA married George Wass, and lives in Painesville, Ohio. WILLIAM W., was married in Portland, Maine, to Alice Harford, and lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. BELLE F. lives with her brother William W. Thomas Billson went from Springfield to California in 1849, and died there in 1850 Mrs. Hester Billson was married in Springfield, Illinois, about 1856, to Chas. Reeves, of Cleveland, Ohio, and went there to reside. They had two children, GEORGE, now living with his father in Cleveland, and EDWIN C., who lives with his aunt, Mrs. Thomas S. Little, in Springfield. Mrs. Hester Reeves died March 26, 1862, in Cleveland, Ohio.

CORDELIA, born March 16, 1828, in Nashville, Tennessee, was married in Springfield, Ill., to Noah Divelbiss. See his name.

William W. Watson was married May 19, 1842, in Springfield, Illinois, to Mrs. Sarah Mottashed, whose maiden name was Wiley. He died Nov. 2, 1874, in Springfield, and his widow lives in Decatur, Illinois.



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