ALEXANDER B. IRWIN, farmer and stock raiser, section three, post office Pleasant Plains, was born in Cabarras county, North Carolina, on the 7th day of February, 1814, son of Samuel L. and Rachel (Hudson) Irwin; father of Irish descent, and a native of North Carolina; mother of German descent, and a native of Virginia. They were married in Cabarras county, North Carolina, in 1801, where there was a family of ten children born, seven daughters and three sons. In the fall of 1819, his parents left North Carolina with a four horse wagon, and came to East Tennessee, where they spent the winter, and were one son was born. In the following spring, came to Sangamon county, and located where the town of Pleasant Plains now stands. Their first summer was spent in their wagon bed. Cutting a couple of logs, they rolled them up and placed their wagon between them, building their camp fire in front. That spring, broke and planted twelve acres of corn. The following fall, built a log cabin, sixteen by eighteen, where they remained one year, when they moved to where Mr. Irwin now resides, took up land, built a cabin, which is standing at the present time, where he remained until his death, which occurred March 1, 1845. In politics, was an old line Whig. Mrs. Rachel Irwin died in 1866 or 1867. The subject of this sketch was reared on a farm, and received a limited education. October 18, 1838, married Miss Cynthetia Broadwell, daughter of John B. Broadwell, of Ohio. She was born in St. Louis, October 17, 1819. The fruits of this marriage were five children, three of whom are living, viz.: Amos D., Betsey J., and Sarah P. Mr. Irwin has resided on the place where he now lives forty-three years, and says his intention is to spend the balance of his life in the same place. Mr. Irwin has held several local offices of trust in the gift of the people, justice of the peace for four years, and supervisor of the town; is one of the large and enterprising farmers of the county, owning seven hundred and seventy eight acres of land, six hundred under cultivation, valued at $75 per acre; raises three hundred acres of corn, fifty acres of wheat, fifty acres of oats; feeds two carloads of cattle, and the same of hogs.