DANIEL C. PELHAM. Among the men who are gaining a good support by tilling the soil of Salisbury Township, and are laying aside something for the rainy day is the gentleman above named. He is located on section 33, eleven miles from Springfield, and has an attractive farm, adorned with orchards, groves, and well-built structures of the various kinds needed in carrying on the occupation of grain and stock raising. The land is fertilized by the waters of Richland Creek, upon which it borders, and is made more valuable than it otherwise would have been by the care that has been bestowed upon its cultivation.

Mr. Pelham is of English ancestry in the paternal line. His grandfather came to America when a young man and after living in the East some time became a pioneer of Ohio, where he finally died. In that State John Pelham, father of our subject, was born and reared. He removed to Shawneetown, this State, and after clearing land in that neighborhood went to Quincy, where he bought lots and resided for a while. He next came to this county, operated land in Gardner Township, then moved around on various farms for several years, after which he went to Mason County. There he secured one hundred and sixty acres of land and placed it under improvement, before he was stricken by the dread disease, consumption. He went to St. Clair county, but returned to his former home to die, breathing his last in July, 1850. In politics he was a Whig.

The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Annie Judd. She was born in New York and is a daughter of Timothy Judd, whose father was a native of Germany. Timothy Judd removed to Ohio and died there. Mrs. Pelham now lives in Jacksonville with a daughter. Our subject is the third in a family of eight children. Those living are: William, a resident of Missouri; Mollie M., whose home is in Jacksonville; Mrs. Eliza J. Mitchell now of Mt. Grove, Mo.; John, who lives in Minnesota; and Eugene, a resident of Jacksonville.

The first-born, James, went to California in 1858, and being there when the war began enlisted in the One Hundredth California Infantry; then going to Boston joined the Second Calvary. He served through the war but being wounded in the breast at the battle of Winchester was in a hospital some time and finally came home to died in 1865. William entered the Seventh Illinois Infantry for three months, then enlisted for three years in the Thirty-third Illinois Infantry and veteranized. He served actively until wounded, after which he was transferred to the invalid corps, from which he was discharged at the close of the war, as Corporal. John went into the service when but twenty years old. He was too small to be taken as a soldier but found ways in which to busy himself, remaining with the Thirty-third Illinois Infantry about a year, then coming home, enlisted in Company A, Tenth Illinois Cavalry and served until the close of the war, being discharged in Texas. Eugene entered the regular army in the '70s as a member of the Fifth Infantry, and during his term of five years took part in the Sioux War in the Little Big Horn country.

The subject of this notice was born in Gardner Township, January 11, 1837, and was reared on a farm and early set to work. He learned to drive oxen and perform other duties belonging to the period, having but limited school privileges in the old-fashioned log buildings where school was kept during the winter. While yet young he was obliged to do for himself and at the age of thirteen years he planted corn for twenty-five cents a day. He worked out as best he could until after the death of his father, when he spent most of his time with his mother helping her to provide for the younger members of the family.

In August, 1861, the patriotism that is inborn in the nature of our subject, as of all true Americans, and which in his case is backed by a steadfast devotion to principle, led him to enter the army. He was enrolled in Company D, Thirty-third Illinois Infantry at Springfield, and was at once sent to Pilot Knob, Mo. A skirmish with Jeff Thomson at Jackson was the first conflict in which he took part, this being followed by one at Cache Creek. The command then went to Helena, Ark., and lay in the swamps until fall, when it went to St. Louis and from there participated in various camp and campaign duties and trials until the spring of 1863. Then came an attempt to cut the canal at Vicksburg and a failure to bring about the capture of the stronghold. Mr. Pelham with his comrades then crossed below Grand gulf, the regiment being sent in advance as a skirmish line. Following this passage were the famous battles of Magnolia Hills, Champion Hill, Black River Bridge, the closing up of the forces around Vicksburg and the charge on that city, May 22. Mr. Pelham made one of the besieging party during the summer, then took part in the siege and capture of Jackson, after which he was sent to New Orleans. After crossing Louisiana he went to Matagorda Bay, Tex., by boat, assisted in the capture of Spanish Fort, then went into quarters in Indianola, coming north on a furlough in January, 1864.

Mr. Pelham rejoined his regiment in Springfield, went south to New Orleans and was detailed to guard railroads until the spring of 1865, when the scattered detachments were gathered together and started for New Orleans. A wreck occurred, wherein one hundred and thirty were killed and wounded. Mr. Pelham saved his life by jumping from the train. From new Orleans the troops were sent to Mobile, fought at Spanish Fort and participated in the siege of Ft. Blakeley, after which they went to Montgomery, Ala. They next crossed the country to Meriden, Miss., where they camped until August, when they marched to Vicksburg, and in November were honorably discharged and mustered out. The length of service of our subject was four years and four months. He had fortunately escaped wounds, but at Vicksburg during the charge he had a narrow escape. The bullets flew like hail and the men fell all around him.

Mr. Pelham, on his return to the North, resumed the occupation of a farmer and having taken a wife about a twelvemonth after his return, he leased the farm of his father-in-law for two years. His health was not sufficiently rugged to allow him to do hard farm work and he took the contract to carry the mails between Salisbury and Springfield. This he did tri-weekly, in all kinds of weather, for nine years. In the meantime he bought a part of his present estate and made improvements upon it and rented it. In 1876 he gave up carrying the mails and ran a portable sawmill in Menard County four years. At the expiration of that time he sold it and took possession of his land, to which he added, bringing the acreage up to one hundred and twenty. He does quite a large business in raising and manufacturing sorghum, devoting two acres to the cane and making about six hundred gallons of molasses.

At the bride's home in Salisbury Township mr. Pelham was united in marriage with Miss Mildred Batterton, the ceremony taking place December 26, 1866. The bride was born in this township, May 4, 1846, and comes of families well and favorably known in this section. Her grandfather, Amor Batterton, a Kentuckian, came to this State with his family in 1818 and made his home on Gardner Prairie, this county. He entered land and resided there until his death. He was a member of an old Virginia family, pioneers in the Blue Grass State. William Batterton, father of Mrs. Pelham, was born in Adair County, Ky., in 1801, and after becoming of age in this county, entered land. He became well-to-do, owning at the time of his death - August, 1889 - two hundred and thirty acres of prime real estate. He was County Commissioner several years and was well known.

The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Pelham was Richard Gaines, who came hither from Kentucky in an early day and settled at the head of Richland Creek in Cartwright Township. He was a soldier in the Black Hawk War. His daughter, who became the wife of William Batterton, was christened Eliza and was born in Adair County, Ky. She is still living on the Batterton homestead, in which the wife of our subject has an interest. Mrs. Batterton is now seventy-eight years old. She belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church and is a devout believer.

To Mr. and Mrs. Pelham six children have been born: Arthur, Ada, Albert, Charles, Carroll and Owen L. One has crossed the river of death; the others still remain inmates of the parental home, although Arthur is a school teacher. He took the higher studies in the business college in Springfield.

Mr. Pelham takes great interest in the advancement of the cause of education and his zeal and ability are recognized by his associates, who have retained him as a School Director for years. In 1880 and 1890 he was Census Enumerator for the township. He belongs to the social and benevolent orders of the F.M.B.A. Lodge in Salisbury, and Stephenson Post No. 30, G.A.R., of Springfield. He is a stanch supporter of the principles and candidates of the Republican party and a leader in the political forces of this vicinity. He has served on the County Central Committee for years and has frequently ben a delegate to the county conventions. He belongs to the Christian Church at Salisbury, in which he holds the office of Trustee. Take him all in all, he is a man of prominence in business, social, political and religious circles, and has made himself useful to the community in divers ways.