GEORGE POWER, retired farmer, residence on section four, Fancy Creek township, town seventeen, range five, was born in Fayette county, Kentucky, on February 18, 1798, and is the son of James Power and Eleanor Dedman. When he was ten years of age his parents moved to Bath county, where his father died three years later. Owing to this and other causes George's educational privileges were very meager. On February 10, 1820, he united in marriage with Nancy Wilcockson, who was born in Bath county, Kentucky, January 13, 1804. In the fall of 1821, they came to Illinois and settled on the farm where they now reside, having occupied it over sixty years. Mr. Power's effects when he landed in the then wild prairie State, consisted of a wife, one son, William, a pair of horses, a half interest in a wagon, and $5.00 in cash. His father-in-law, William Wilcockson, and family accompanied them, and settled on section nine of the same township. They erected a cabin, and both families occupied it the first winter. When the land came into market, Mr. Power bought sixty-six and two-third acres. This purchase compelled him to part from his last horse and to borrow $16 besides. In the year 1829, he erected the first frame dwelling north of the Sangamon river, in the county, locating it on the southeast quarter of section four. About two years after making his first purchase he borrowed the money to buy the eighty acres on which his present house stands. Other tracts were bought from time to time as means and opportunity offered, until the home farm contains two thousand acres, and he owns some four hundred acres elsewhere, as the reward of business energy and persevering toil. The present family residence he built about twenty-five years ago; and it with the other buildings comprising the homestead improvements cost $10,000. The home farm is estimated worth $75 per acre. Besides the twenty-four hundred acres of farming land, he owns property in the village of Cantrall valued at $6,000. Mr. Power served as Second Lieutenant in the Black Hawk war, and held the office of Major many years in the militia organization. He filled the office of justice of the peace nineteen years, during which he never had a decision reversed in the higher courts. Abraham Lincoln tried his first case in law and made his first plea before him. He has always been a pronounced Democrat; voted three times for Andrew Jackson. Mr. Power was conscientiously opposed to the late war, but in favor of the preservation of the Union, and contributed liberally to the support of war widows and soldiers' families. Having instructed Mr. Irvin, proprietor of a flouring mill, to let soldiers families have breadstuffs whenever they applied and charge the price to him, he paid him at one time $600, besides smaller amounts on other occasions. His donations to the cause aggregated $2,000. Mr. and Mrs. power are the parents of two sons, namely, William D. and James E. Power. William enjoyed the advantages of the primitive schools, in the log school house, and engaged in farming in early life. He read law in Springfield and practiced a number of years. He was elected County Judge in 1857, and re-elected in 1861. While serving his second term he died with typhoid fever, March 2, 1863, at the age of 42 years, having been born in May, 1821. He was very active during early years of the war in raising recruits for the army. He married Nancy J. Barnett, January 6, 1843, in Sangamon county; they had five children, two of each sex survive. James E. Power has always farmed with his father, and for years dealt considerably in live stock. He was born December 1, 1824, and married Laura Chord, November 9, 1878. She is a native of Menard county, Illinois, born October 16, 1879. The subject of this memoir has made provision for his son James to have one thousand acres of land, and the children of William to have two hundred and sixty each at his decease. In 1879 he constructed a beautiful family vault, on section nine of his premises. It is built of Joliet stone, at a cost of $3,000, and is the finest sepulcher in Sangamon county.