NORTH, John
- Contributed by Dorthy Marcussen Ross
John North was born at the Bent CREEK, VA home of his parents, Peter and Elizabeth Franklin North. He was about 13-4 when the family moved to TN. In Jefferson Co. TN on Nov. 4, 1807, Anna Giger (we show mostly this spelling) was born. The Gigers were neighbors. They were married Sept. 22, 1828 in Jefferson Co. TN. They came to Sangamon County, IL, arriving April 17 (12?), 1829, where they settled in what is now Cooper Twp., north of the Sangamon River. Their land grants were signed to them by Andrew Jackson, December 1, 1830.
To them, 7 children were born; the family lived in a log cabin. In 1834, they built a second log cabin a short distance south of the original one, and plans were laid out for the building of the North residence south of Mechanicsburg. The house was built in 1844, but before its completion, Anna became ill and died at the age of 36. She died February 24, 1844.
Walnut lumber had been hauled by ox team from St. Louis MO to build the new house, and Anna's casket was built of some of that lumber. She was buried at the cemetery south of Buckhart, near the grave of Elizabeth, her little sister-in-law, who had died Sept. 13, 1830, from the effects of the kick of a cold soon after her arrival in IL.
At first, the family had thought they would not complete the new house because Anna was gone, but before she had died, she had urged its completion, for she wanted a good home for her four living children. The bricks were burned in a specially built kiln on the farm near the site, and care went into its construction. In deed, it was an area landmark for many years, until it was razed about 30 years ago.
Those living children were (1) Benjamin Houston North; (2) Harvey N. North, (3) John Wesley North and (4) Andrew (1842-57). John Wesley was soldier in Civil War.
Following Anna's death, John North married (1) Susannah Eckels and (2) Permelia Ann Taylor, my husband's ancestor.
John married Susannah Eckel North Sept. 19, 1844; she was the eldest child of JOHN C. and MARY GIGER Eckel, perhaps a relative of John North's lst wife, all coming from Jeff. co.TN. (Later research indicates she was Anna's niece.) Susannah was born 1/1/1821 and died July 1, 1855.
Following Susannah's death, John North maried Permelia Ann Taylor West Woodruff, who had been widowed twice, as had he.
Permelia's first marriage was to Benjamin West, by whom she had 3 children. He died 1847. She then married Erastus Woodruff in 1848 and they had one daughter. Mr. Woodruff died of cholera in 1854.
On February 19, 1856 Permelia Ann married John North, and they had 4 children: Peter Francis North, dy; Robert Franklin North (our ancestor, called Frank) in 1859; Edward Everett North in 1861 and Permelia Ann North in 1864.
Frank attended Brown's Business College in Jacksonville, but left school when his father fell on a stump injuring his knee badly, resulting in the need for amputation. Frank had to assist in the operation, by holding his father down. John Ross died in December, shortly after the unsuccessful surgery.
Frank married Talitha McGinnis of Curran Twp. on March 4, 1885. To that marriage were born the following children:
(1) Frankie Louise , b. 4/2/1886, married Charles E. Frederick of Pana
May 12, 1909. One child:
Elizabeth Franklin Frederick, mar. Glenn W. Hubbard on June 22, 1946;
one child: Elizabeth Louise Hubbard.
(2) Charlotte, b. 12, 15, 1887. Married Origen Chesterfield Ross,b.
4/30/1880, on Nov. 29, 1916. Five children:
Mary Frances Ross, b. 9/10/1917, d. 12/9/2002; mar. Harry Elmer Rhoades in 1956;
no children
Priscilla Ross, b. 4/16/1921. Mar. Ernest R. Taft 11/28, 1945; two
children:
a-Edwin Ross Taft, 1954 & b, Linda Rae Taft, 1959
Origen C. Ross Jr., b. 2/3/27, mar. Ruth Lee on 12/10/1949. Two
children: a - David, deceased; and b, Donna Lee Ross
Franklin North Ross, b. 7/9/29, mar. Dorthy Marcussen 2/14/1954;
three living chidren: a, Dana Ross, b, Peter D. Ross and c,
Frances Ann Ross
Charlotte Lois Ross, b. 3/15/1931, died 2/24/2002 in Saint John's Hospital in
Springfield, Illinois. She is buried in the Pleasant Plains Cemetery;
mar. John W. Hamilton in June 1963.
One child, Mary Charlotte Hamilton.
The John North of this narrative, as stated above, was the son of Peter & Elizabeth Franklin North. Peter North was the son of Richard E. North and his wife, Elizabeth Thornton.
This lineage includes several DAR lines, including those of:
Richard E. North
Philip Whitehead Taylor
Robert Franklin
Also, William Ross II on the Ross side.
John Wesley North was a soldier in the Civil War, Co. A., 73rd IL Infantry. He was captured at Chickamauga and imprisoned in Libby and Andersonville prisons. He further spent 6 weeks in prison in Charleston, NC, thence to Florence, SC, where he was released and started from Wilmington, NC March 4, 1865 for home in Illinois, ariving Mrch 17, 1865, with an honorable discharge.
This information is from THE NORTH FAMILIES IN ILLINOIS, by Elizabeth Franklin Hubbard, 1972, which is in my possession. Mr. & Mrs. Hubbard now reside in Tucson, AZ. This book includes much more concerning the John North Family, as well as the Robert North Family (John's brother); the Mary Jane/Polly North & William Parkes Family; Martha A. North & Michael Branner Family; The Eckel Family; the Taylors, with relationships to President Zachary Taylor; and the Franklins, who are of the same lineage as was Dr. Benjamin Franklin. Mrs. Hubbard did a great deal of research for this book, even traveling to Great Britain for additional information.
CARTER, John and Elizabeth
- Submitted by Margarette Davis
John and Elizabeth Moore Carter were married in Barren County, Kentucky on April 13, 1813.
Elizabeth was the daughter of Jeremiah and Susannah Moore born about 1790 in South Carolina, near Woodruff in Spartanburg of Old 96 District. She lived there with her parents, near the Enoree river, until Jeremiah sold the property around 1800. From there, until they were reported on the Barren County, Kentucky Tax List in 1806, it is not known where the Moore family lived. It is possible that they lived in Tennessee for a few years before moving on to Kentucky. They may have followed Elizabeth's grandparents and some of her uncles and aunts who stopped over in Hawkins County, Tennessee before moving on to Knox County, Kentucky. Although there is evidence to support this theory, this is speculation at this time. So far, no proof has been found. I will continue to work on this, however, as I have said earlier.
John Carter was born in Virginia around 1790. Exactly where, in Virginia, is not known. Neither is it known, whether he came to Barren County, Kentucky with his parents as a child, or if he came there later as an adult. Several Carter families lived in the near vicinity at the time Barren County was formed in 1799. I have tried to find who John's parents were, if, in fact they did live in Barren County, but so far that information has not been forthcoming either.
After their marriage in 1813, John and Elizabeth apparently made their home in Barren County, Kentucky for a few years. John Carter appeared on the Tax List of Barren County beginning the same year as their marriage. Three daughters, whom I mention later, were probably born to them there.
Sometime, about 1818-19, the John and Elizabeth Carter family moved to Illinois, along with Jeremiah Moore and other members of the family. They settled in White County (North of West), the part of which was to become Hamilton County in 1821. On November 13, 1819 in White County, Illinois (now Hamilton), their first son, James Simeon Carter, was born . James Simeon, always called Simms Carter, was our ancestor and his descendants are what this book is mostly about.
They did not stay in Hamilton County for long though. As near as can be told, the family of John and Elizabeth, including three daughters and James Simeon, moved with Jeremiah and Susannah Moore and some of their other children and their families to Sangamon County. It is believed this must have been about 1823.
When they first came to Sangamon County, we know that they lived west of Springfield in what is now known as Island Grove TWP and along Spring Creek as John Carter and others of the family voted there in the years 1827 thru 1831. The obituary of Mary Frances Carter (daughter of John and Elizabeth) attests that she was born there in 1828. A son, Thomas Carter, born about 1826, was probably born in Island Grove as well.
They belonged to the Liberty Baptist Church, located in what later became Curran Township, next to Island Grove. The membership list of this church, believed to have been taken sometime between 1829-31 included Jeremiah, Susannah, Polly and Deborah Moore, John and Elizabeth Carter, Sally Evans and Rosannah Shirley. The reason that I can pinpoint the time of this list is that Jeremiah, Susannah, Polly and Deborah Moore were granted letters from the Ten Mile Baptist Church in Hamilton County in 1829 and Rosannah Shirley was married to John Murphy in Sangamon Co. in 1831.
Later, again according to Many Frances' obituary, they moved to Schuyler County, Illinois in 1836; no record has been found of them living there.The reason for their move to Schuyler county is not known for sure but it is known and documented that some of the Moore family did live in Schuyler County at this time. These families, if what I am led to believe is correct, would have been Elizabeth's aunt (sister to Jeremiah Moore) and some cousins. I suspect that they, if they went there in 1836, for some reason, found that somehow they could improve their living if they went back to Sangamon County, and they, in fact, did return. I am more inclined to believe that they did not make the move in 1836, but not until a decade later in 1846 when Elizabeth's brother, Elias, sold his land in what was later to be known as Loami TWP, then later still as Maxwell TWP.
Elias Moore bought land in Maxwell Township in 1832. I believe that John and Elizabeth along with Jeremiah and Susannah Moore and perhaps others moved their families to that part of the county at that time to work Elias' land. In the 1840 census, they all lived there, very near to Elias with Jeremiah and Susannah next to him and the Carters quite nearby. This made them neighbors of John Hodgerson and his daughter Ann Hodgerson Meacham (a widow with four young children). Simms (James Simeon Carter), did not appear to be living in his parent's household at this time. He apparently did live somewhere in the neighborhood, however as he made a purchase at the Estate auction of Joseph Kirk Meacham (Ann's deceased husband) in 1838. In 1842 Simms Carter and Ann Hodgerson Meacham were married.
Lou Carter, grand daughter of John and Elizabeth, of whom you will hear a little later on, told one of her nieces that her dad, James Simeon Carter, had a brother, Thomas Carter and a sister Mary Frances Carter. It has been assumed by family members that this is the only children that John and Elizabeth had.
As I mentioned earlier, the census records indicate there were other children in the family. As you will notice, there were always three females in the family, born between 1810-20 for the census years 1820-40. The 1840 census indicates that there may have been another daughter born between the years 1830-40.
Also, the 1850 census for Thomas Carter has three young children that are all named Carter. Francis 11, Penelope 8, and John 7- all born before Thomas' marriage in 1847 to Mary Saunders. It appears as though Mary Frances may have been living with Thomas in 1850 as well, but her age, if born in 1828 is incorrect. It is not known for sure just who these children who lived with Thomas and Mary may have been but it is possible that they were his younger brother and sisters. It is also possible that (knowing that the census is not always a reliable source) they were not really Carters at all but possibly the children of Mary Saunders before she married Thomas. Nothing further is known of these children.
According to the 1850 Sangamon County, Illinois Death Index, Elizabeth Carter, born in South Carolina died in December 1849 at age 60 of breast cancer, having had the illness for six months prior. It is not known where she was buried. Presumably , it was in Sangamon County, somewhere. Other than this Death Index, no record of John and Elizabeth is known to exist after the 1840 Census. It is my belief , after a lot of very careful consideration, that John died before Elizabeth. Mary Frances obituary says she died in 1844 but I think it may have been her dad instead of her mother who died in 1844. There is no record of any other family member dying in that year. Simms Carter purchased shrouding at the Berlin Store in 1844. It seems reasonable to me that this must have been used to bury a family member. I also believe that the most logical place for Simms to have buried his parents is in the Hodgerson cemetery since he was married to the former Ann Hodgerson by that time and his parents were living nearby.
As near as I can piece this puzzle together, it is my belief, at this time, that all the facts in Mary Frances Carter Hendricks' obituary are true, but the dates are wrong. After all, Mary Frances was not telling this story. One of her bereaved heirs was. Also there is the possibility that the reporter further confused the facts.
I think the events may have happened like this:
Mary Frances was born in 1828 in Sangamon County in the area later known as Island Grove TWP. The family lived there until 1832 when Elias Moore purchased land in what is now known as Maxwell TWP. The extended family all moved over to Maxwell TWP about halfway between the villages of New Berlin and Loami at this time to help work Elias' land. They all lived there until 1846 when Elias sold the land. In the meantime, John Carter (not his wife, Elizabeth) died in 1844.
Elizabeth and her children, and possibly other family members moved to Schuyler County in 1846. Thomas, around age 20 by that time either did not make the move with the family, or if he did move with them, returned for he was married in Sangamon County in 1847. Either Thomas brought his mother and Mary Frances and the younger children back with him or he brought them back to Sangamon County when his mother became ill.
Mary Frances was not with her Aunt Rose (Rosannah Moore Shirley Murphy) in Warren County, Illinois in the 1850 census. Instead, she was still in Sangamon County with brother Thomas.
In 1851 she was with Aunt Rose. A church record in Warren County mentions Rosannah Murphy and her niece Mary Carter. So she did move in with her Aunt Rose after her mother died in December 1849, probably in the summer of 1850 after the census was taken.
Simms Carter most likely lived in Maxwell TWP from 1832 until his death in 1910. Thomas was in Christian County in 1860. No mention of Frances or Penelope Carter in the Christian Co. 1860 census but a John Saunders was living in Thomas' household. I think that he probably is the same John (Carter) who was with them in 1850 but Frances and Penelope have never been found again. As for the three older girls of John and Elizabeth, no trace of them either.
John and Elizabeth have left us without a stone or even a shred of evidence as to where their final resting place may be. We know very little of their lives. We do not even know how John made a living for his family. Since they always lived in rural areas, it is naturally assumed that he must have been a farmer. Both Simms (James) and Thomas were farmers. If he was a farmer, then he either worked for others or rented land, for no record has been found of his having any land of his own.
We do know that John Carter, though not a prominent man in the community, was a responsible person. There are voting records for him and he was never in any kind of trouble to draw attention to him. He went to church, along with his wife and no doubt the children were brought up to be hard working and God fearing.
Elizabeth was probably a hard-working pioneer woman as they all were in those days. She probably wove the cloth and sewed all of the clothes that the family wore. She grew up in South Carolina and the girls there were taught to weave cloth and according to history were quite adept at it. Her sister, Rosannah Murphy, when a widow in Warren County 1850 Census, listed her occupation as Weaver.
I do wish that I could have found out something personal about some of our early Carter family in Sangamon County, but in all of my searching, I found nothing ever written down. Perhaps, someday, one of you may find more.
Excerpts from Autobiography written by
PARENTAGE
"My mother, Mahala Hodgerson, and my father, William Alexander Buchanan, were both born in Virginia. They were married in Springfield, Illinois, on December 8, 1842.
Immediately after the marriage of my parents, which took place in my mother's home, they went to their new home, which had been provided through the partnership of my father and his brother Isaac.
Seven children, of whom I was the sixth, were born of this marriage, Mary Jane, Elizabeth Margaret, George Washington, Ruth Ann, Samuel Woods, Mattie Ellen and Henry. The last born was born prematurely and died at birth. At this time, my mother also passed away, before I myself was old enough to remember a tender word from her or a caress. I am grateful for loving memories of her noble traits of character, given me by people who knew and loved her."
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"About three years after my mothers death, my father married my mother's youngest sister, Almeda Hodgerson Walker, then a widow with four children. Five sons were born of this marriage: Joseph Franklin, William, Daniel and Andrew. In 1872, my stepmother died."
MATERNAL ANCESTORS
"My maternal grandfather's name was John Hodgerson. His wife's name, before marriage, was Elizabeth Martin. They had eight daughters and two sons -- Ann, William, Ruth, Margaret, John, Rebecca, Mahala, Mary, Elizabeth, and Almeda -- my mother being the seventh child and the fifth daughter.
My grandfather was of Scotch-Irish descent, Left an orphan at an early age, he came to America while yet only a lad, alone as far as relatives or friends were concerned, and made his way alone. When he had grown to manhood, past experience had taught him self-reliance and independence, valuable assets in a new country.
My grandmother was born in England. Her forebears were among those who fled to Holland to escape religious persecution. Later generations, I do not know how many removed, returned to England and thence came to America. The new language they had learned in Holland was not forgotten, and my grandmother could speak the Dutch language as readily as a native of Holland.
When my mother was born, their home was near White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia; and they lived there until she was about four years old, when they moved to Illinois and settled in Sangamon County.
In Illinois, my grandfather bought a large tract of U. S. Government land. The first settlers who came to that part of Sangamon County located in the wooded district along Lick Creek; and the first houses, of course, were built of logs. Grandfather Hodgerson had the first sawed-lumber house in the settlement. He became a prosperous farmer and enjoyed the respect and confidence of the community throughout his lifetime.
Because of my grandfather's principles in regard to freedom, they had set their slaves free before leaving Virginia. My grandmother had inherited the slaves, but her principles were just as strong as my grandfather's. Both had said more than once that it was wrong for one human being to own another.
Giving freedom to their slaves was not just a monetary sacrifice, it was a Christian duty. They never regretted this act, but were always happier because of it.
One family of ex-slaves Jim, Judy and their two children, followed my grandparents from Virginia. They kept behind for many days until they felt that they were far enough from the old home so that "Marse John" would not send them back, and then they caught up with the wagons. After locating a farm, my grandfather gave this Negro family a patch of land to cultivate, built a house on it, paid them for all work they did for him, and saw that they never needed anything. They lived with my grandparents throughout their lifetime, and were buried in the cemetery located on my grandfather's farm at Lick Creek near Springfield, Illinois. This farm is now a part of the George Huffacre farm. I always enjoy going for a visit to this farm when I go to Illinois.
I believe it true that we do not know ourselves until we are tested. A testing time came early in life to my grandmother, Elizabeth Martin Hodgerson, while she was only a girl. After the death of their parents, both she and her brother were left to the care of an uncle and aunt, the latter being a sister of my grandmother's mother. This uncle and aunt had been very wealthy, and neither had never known the meaning of a day's work. Not having been taught self-reliance or independence, they found themselves almost as helpless as two children when they learned they had lost all.
Disappointment or sorrow may either sweeten or embitter one's life; in this instance, it had the latter effect. It has also been observed that those who suffer hardships, or have suffered, often try to lay the same burden on the shoulders of those dependent upon them; the same was true in this case. The treatment of this younger brother by his uncle and aunt was at times not only harsh but cruel.
Both my grandmother and her brother reached the point where they feltthat they could endure it no longer. My grandmother mended and washed her brother's few clothes and helped him to get away--this was not running away, it was only an escape. He was not wanted in the home, so no effort was made to find him. This being before any of our present methods for the transmission of messages, my grandmother never heard from her brother. Young as she was, not knowing that she would ever see him again, she had a love for him strong enough to let him go from her because she felt it was for his good.
Even when duty calls, it requires a stronger and purer love to give up your own when we know that there is a possibility of our never meeting again. This can be attested by the numberless mothers who gave up their sons to serve in the World War."
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"The aunt I knew better and loved more than any of the others was my mother's sister, Mary Alsbury. My being motherless may have made my room in her heart bigger. I did not then understand what it was that drew me to her, but I knew later that it was her great kindness -- she was never known to speak an unkind word to anyone.
When we went to visit Aunt Mary, she gave us full range of the house and cooked for us just whatever we wanted. If it was the time of year for a fire in the fireplace, some one was sure to want broiled lean meat; and it was always forthcoming if there was any to be had.
I always asked to have a cake baked. As no one had cake pans then, Aunt Mary baked it in a bread pan and cut it into big pieces; but that cake tasted just as good to me as if it had been baked in a gold instead of a sheet-iron pan."
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"When my Uncle Levi and Aunt Mary Alsbury were both past eighty-two years, I visited them in their home in Illinois. As the years passed, I appreciated them both more and loved them deeply.
Before leaving the subject of family ties, I must speak of one who was very dear to me during my thirteen years of childhood in Illinois -- my step-grandmother, Nancy -- Grandfather Hodgerson's second wife. As she had no children of her own, the relatives seemed to feel the right to a stronger
and more secure place in her affections. I feel that no one ever had a better stepmother than my mother did.
Grandmother Hodgerson certainly did endear herself to grandfather's children and grandchildren, as well as to other members of the community in which they lived. There were fifty-four grandchildren. No matter how often we went to visit her -- or how many went - she was good and kind and always met us with a smile. I remember how she would take us to the pantry and give
us cookies, pie of biscuit with butter and jelly.
Grandmother Hodgerson belonged to the Baptist Church, the first person I ever knew to be a member of a church. I have told my children of this godlike woman. I am glad to bear witness to her goodness and worth; for, to my mind, she was exceptional in wisdom and right sense. She was respected and loved by all who knew her. She passed away at the age of eighty years, and her mind and all her faculties were active until the last.
It is in loving memory of her -- a memory which has lasted these many years -- that I record this; for knowing and loving her added to my happiness in my childhood days."
EARLIEST RECOLLECTIONS
"My earliest recollection is of the death of my mother, which occurred on January 29, 1857. I was exactly two years and three months old. I very distinctly remember seeing a woman dressed in white, with a sheet covering her face. She was lying on the bed with her head to the side.
I remember a little baby covered with a white cloth lying on a bureau. I was lifted up to see its face. The baby was my youngest brother, Henry. I learned later that during a severe blizzard, while the men were away from home, a calf was born. When my mother saw it, her anxious efforts
to carry the calf to shelter brought about the premature birth of her son and her own death."
FIRST PICTURE
"My father came home from town one day, I think it was in 1863, with a tintype picture of himself. At the time, we thought this tintype as wonderful as we thought the radio was when we first heard of it many years later. It was almost unbelievable that a picture could be made of a person, and our joy was indescribable when father told us that he would take us to New Berlin the next day and have our pictures taken.
By this time there were twelve children in the family, counting the stepchildren. Six of the twelve went to town for the picture. My two eldest sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, were photographed together; and Ruth, George Sam and I were taken in a group. We four youngest ones stood up, with both our hands over our "tummy" buttons. In later years, we have had many good laughs about these tintypes; but when they were new we considered them marvelous, We have those pictures yet, more than sixty years after they were taken.
The day was bitterly cold. We went in a wagon box sled, the one that used to take us to school each day. The clothes we wore in these pictures were homespun linsey, material that my sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, spun, wove, and made up for us.
While speaking of homemade cloth, I'll add here that my two eldest sisters learned spinning and weaving while they were very young. They were capable and could do many kinds of work exceptionally well. We had a spinning jenny, one of the first in our part of the country. This machine spun twenty-four rolls of wool at a time, or as much as twenty-four women could spin on an the old style of spinning wheels. As a little girl, I worked many a day all day long, twisting rolls for my sisters to spin. They made the jeans for the clothes for both men and boys. They made all the wool blankets, coverlets , sheets -- in fact, everything we had in the way of fabric. I remember that at one time we had forty homemade blankets, which was quite a fortune in that day."
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EDUCATION
"I first went to school when I was five years old. School was then held in a Baptist Church. The teacher, Charles Strong, was an eccentric person and was not generally popular. Later, we moved to Kansas; and he had the honor or distinction of surveying and naming the counties in that state.
In our school in Illinois during the war times, there were sixty pupils enrolled -- eighteen of them were young men over eighteen years of age, and quite a number of girls were over sixteen. The big boys and girls, as a general rule, were disposed to be unruly. During these few years we had several teachers. The term of teaching was short -- sometimes on account of voluntary resignation on the part of the teachers, some- times for other reasons. During this time, teaching consisted principally of scattering knowledge as one scatters crumbs to sparrows.
Finally, a man named Wick Price (cousin of General Price) was engaged. He was an able instructor and a good disciplinarian and soon had his pupils under control. He was kind to those who merited such treatment, but he dealt as they deserved with those whose conduct invited physical
correction. Though not a Christian, Mr. Price was a good teacher; so I learned very fast and was soon able to read McGuffeys fifth reader. I liked the McGuffey readers; and I still like to hear and repeat some of the things taught in them, for they certainly have a high moral standard."
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Excerpts from letter from Mattie Ellen Buchannan Brooks to a niece.
Grand Father John Hodgerson came from England when a small boy so his daughter Mary Alsbury told me; having no relatives that he knew of anywhere. The captain of the boat he came over with liked him and took care of him on the voyage over. He landed in Virginia there worked for a family named Martin. When he grew up he married one of the Martin girls and his Father in law financed him while he was living in Virginia. They had 8 girls and 2 boys and this is the history I have of them. Their names were as follows Ann, Rebecca, Margaret (or Peggy), Mahala (my mother), Mary and Betty. Two died after being grown. I knew all of them but the two that died. Meda was the youngest child. She married my father in 1860. She had 4 children by her first Husband George Walker. Martha Jane, John, Mary and George. All are dead now. Well I want to tell you of my impression of Grand Father Hodgerson as Uncle Ike has told me a lot also Aunt Mary Alsbury. He moved to Illinois (Sangamon County) in 1820, built a 2 room log house each 18 feet square with a fireplace in each, built on a leanto 36 feet long for bedrooms and kitchen, planted out one of the finest orchards of apples, peaches, plumes and berries, fenced and built a sawmill to make these buildings.
He had one of the finest farms in that country and I sized him up from what Uncle Ike told me. A fine man in every respect with as good character as one could imagine. Some of the negrows or slaves give to his wife followed them to Illinois from Virginia on foot, lived in cabins he built for them in his yard and all died before he did but they were a great help to him but he was kind to them and they would had laid down their lives for him at any time. They are all buried in the Hodgerson grave yard on his farm where my mother, Grandfather and Grandmother Hodgerson, Grandfather and Grandmother Buchannan and 6 aunts and the 2 uncles and a rafle of nieces and nephews and many others are buried 3 miles south of New Berlin 15 miles from Springfield, Illinois. Becca and Mary Alsbury your brother Louis met at Topock, Arizona are Aunt Mary Hodgerson Alsbury's girls whom I love very dearly as they have been with me a lot since I married and taught school where my children went.
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About your Grand Mother Buchanan, my Aunt Meda and your father's mother. She had no education and didn't seeming want to know. She was the youngest child and as she had not been taught to work. She was pretty as a picture, was of a morose disposition as she seldom ever smiled died of absess of the liver sick almost a year and I nursed her through it all. Her girls left home on account of her sickness said they would not take care of her as she smelt so bad it made them sick to go about her but her last words as she thanked me to our neighbors for taking care of her and that payed me for my efforts in her behalf.
ROSS, FAIRCHILD and JOHNSON FAMILIES
- Submitted by Dorthy Marcussen Ross
The members of these families are related as follows:
William Ross I (ca 1702, Dublin) mar. Arminella Whiteside(s) (ca 1706-7 England - nobility?). William is believed to have moved to England about 1722. It is unknown whether his 2 older sons were born in England or America. Came to America prior to 1749 when he obtained 456 acres from Lord Fairfax on south branch of the Potomac River. William and sons supplied Ft. Cumberland with fresh produce and meat. He was burned at stake by Indians; will probated 1758. All sons served the cause for Independence, and their descendants are eligible to join the DAR.
Children:
1, John
2, Lawrence (Mar. Susan Oldham) (See Texas note below)
3, Robert (Mar. Deborah Johnson)
4, William II* (See below)
5, Tavenor (Mar. Aphia Ward)
6, Hannah (Mar. John Miller)
7. Elizabeth (Mar. Henry Enoch) See reference below to ENOCH research.
8. Arminella (Mar. Wood)
4, William II (1739-47?) Mar. Winneford Rector (1756-1849) on March 3, 1777. She was daughter of Daniel Rector, son of John Rector, son of John Jacob Rector.
William II served as Private under Col. Thomas Fleming and Capt. John Hayes 1776-7, in 5th VA Reg. May have also served under Col. Geo. Matthews Nov/Dec 1776. DAR Membership on this line. This is also the line of Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, 2nd man to walk on the moon.
SEE MOON REFERENCE BELOW.
William and Winneford had the following children:
1, Lawrence, dy
2, William III (Mar. Mrs. Georgiana Coleman Scheldin)
3, Nancy (Mar. Thomas Pearce)
4. Elizabeth (Mar. Daniel Harr)
5, Elijah (Mar. Mary Laws Houston)
6, Presley (Mar. Deborah Wallace, cousin to Rachel)
7. John* (See below)
8, Maria/Mariah (Mar. Joseph Tilden Lord)
9, Charles (Mar. Sarah Widney( (Charles twin to:
10.Susan (dy)
7. John married in 1816 (1) Rachel Wallace (d. 1830); their children:
1, Milton (mar. Louise Ross, no relation)
2, Letha Ann (Mar. Dr. WM. G. Lee)
3, Joseph Edwin (Mar. Mary Jane Fairchild)
4. Elizabeth (Mar. Joseph Thrawl)
5, Ellen (Mar. John Long)
Later in 1830 he married Catherine Kizer McCuddy, a widow with 2 sons from her marriage to Wm. McCuddy. John & Catherine's children:
5, Amanda Jane (married (1) Isaac Frazee Jr.; (2) Joseph H. Johnson son of Elias Johnson and Margary Martin (see later)
6, John (Mar. Caroline Stotts)
7, Mary (Mar. (1) Vinton R. Beeler; (2) Christopher W. Steery); Twin to:
8, Eliza (Mar. Armp Warren)
9, Margaret (Mar. Aaron Frazee, brother of Isaac Frazee Jr.)
10, Minerva (Mar. John Cooper)
11, Charles M. (Mar. Ellen Lancaster)
12, Hosea Ballou* (Mar. Mary Elizabeth Johnson)
12. Hosea Ballou Ross (1844-1928) married Mary Elizabeth Johnson (1848-1934) on Sept. 23, 1868 in Sangamon County, IL. She was daughter of Zachariah Johnson and Delilah Todd.)
Their children:
1, Carrie Belle* (married Charles Fairchild) See below.
2, John Emory (married Ruth Penn); children:
1, Dorothy Josephine (Mar. Mark B. Aylesworth) no children
2, John Emory Jr. (Mar. Ada Miriam Green) 5 children
3, Robert Penn (Mar. Beverly Ellinwood) 5 sons
3, Winn Johnson (married Ella Parkes) See below.
4, Daisy (married Spengler) no children
5. Origen Chesterfield (married Charlotte North)5 children; twin to Everett. See below.
6, Orville Everett (dy)
7, Hosea Ballou Jr. (Mar. (1, Esther Deeren, (2, Gertrude Ratz) (See below)
1, Carrie Belle Ross (1869 - 1963) married Charles E. Fairchild (1864 - 1945) on Nov. 23, 1892. He was son of Charles Fairchild & Lavinia Sattley. Children:
1, Meryl Ross (Mar. Lucille Campbell)4 children:
2, Charles Hosea (Mar. Margaret Burns)
3, Ross E. (Mar. Elizabeth Cordes) 4 children
3, Winn Johnson Ross (1874 - 1958) mar. Ella Parkes (1880 - 1963) on Sept. 28, 1904. She was dau. Of James Parkes & Hannah Boehme Parkes. Children:
1, Ralph Ross (drowned as youth)
2, Winn Johnson Ross Jr. (Mar. Lenore DeMarco, dau. Of Joseph & Mary Ciotti DeMarco.) 2 children
5, Origen Chesterfield Ross (1880 - 1956) married Charlotte North (1887 - 1962) on Nov. 29, 1916. She was daughter of Robert Franklin North & Talitha McGinnis. Children:
1, Mary Frances Ross (Mar. Harry E. Rhoades, son of Wm. L. & Ivy Ashley Rhoades); no children
2, Priscilla Ross (Mar. Ernest R. Taft, son of Richard & Emma Baldwin Taft) 2 living children
3, Origen Chesterfield Ross Jr. (Mar. Ruth E. Lee, dau. Of Chauncey & Pearl Griffith Lee) 1 living child
4, Franklin North Ross (Mar. Dorthy J. Marcussen, dau. Of Russell Jens & Frances Ferguson Marcussen) 3 living children,
5, Charlotte Lois Ross (Mar. John W. Hamilton, son of Byron & Katherine Aldrich) 1 daughter
7, Hosea Ballou Ross Jr. (1885 - 1964) Married Dec. 10, 1919, (1) Esther Deeren 1887 - 1931; (2) ca 1939 Gertrude May Ratz (1885 - 1969). Esther Deeren was the dau. Of James & Mary Sharp Deeren. Gertrude Ratz was the dau. Of William & Mary Schwartz Ratz. Children of Hosea & Esther:
1, Hosea Ballou Ross III (Mar. Maxine Johnson, dau. Of Roy & Ada Remington Johnson) 1 adopted son
2, James Deeren Ross (Mar. Shirley Traeger, dau. Of Albert & Alma Holtz Traeger), 3 children
3, Lyle Sharp Ross (Mar. (1, Virginia Dean Crawford, dau. of Henry & Hazel Dean Crawford 4 children (2, Delores Hudge, no children.
JOHNSON CONNECTION:
Mary Elizabeth Johnson, who married HOSEA BALLOU ROSS I, was the daughter, as noted above, of Zachariah Johnson & Delilah Todd. That lineage follows:
ELIAS JOHNSON (1774-1843) married MARGARY MARTIN ( 1785 - 1855)(See her name above) Children included:
1, Zachariah Johnson (1817-1853/9). Mar. Delilah Todd (1825-1866). Children:
1, Mary Elizabeth Johnson
2, Sarah Anna Johnson
3, James F. Johnson
4, John Todd Johnson
After Zachariah's death, Delilah married his brother,
JOSEPH H. JOHNSON (1820-1866). 1st marriage to his brother's widow, Delilah Todd. Children:
1, Infant Daughter Johnson, dy
2, George Johnson, dy
3, Etta Frances Johnson
4, Nellie/Nealy Delilah Johnson
(Tombstone reads: Infant Dau. Of J. H. & D. Johnson, died 3/10/1860, age 10 d. George is also shown as dying 1 month later. Twins? Or??)
After Delilah's death in 1855, he married (2) Amanda Jane Frazee. She was widow of Isaac Frazee Jr. (See page 2 above.) Children of this marriage:
5, Edith Johnson, dy
6, Marjorie Johnson, dy
MOON REFERENCE:
William Ross II's son, Elijah (1788-1837) married Mary Laws Houston. They had 13 children, one of whom was Lanson Everett Ross (1832-1918).
Lanson Everett Ross married (1) Esther Thompson (1839-1887) and they had 7 children, including Jesse Elizabeth Ross. Following Esther's death, Lanson married LeVanche Gardner; there were no children of this marriage.
Jesse E. Ross (1873-1960) married the Rev. Faye Arnold MOON (1877-1928) and they were the parents of 3 children:
1, Marion Gaddys Moon
2, Madeline Sternberg Moon
3, Robert Bruce Moon
MARION MOON married Edwin E. Aldrin I, and their son, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr. became the second man to walk on the moon!
Ironic that his Grandmother Jesse Ross was to marry a MOON.
TEXAS:
This is a very interesting branch of the Ross Family, as it is that of Lawrence Ross (lst generation above), who is the progenitor of Lawrence Sullivan (Sul) Ross, of Texas fame. Sul Ross (and his father, Shapley Ross, were both Texas Rangers. Sul became a Colonel of some importance in the Confederate Army, was elected Governor of Texas, and President of Texas A & M College. His father is known as the founder of Waco, TX. Sul Ross University is named for this family member.
ENOCH.
Through the internet about a year ago, I "met" Nancy Carter, who is a descendant of Elizabeth Ross, who married Henry Enoch. Nancy lives in Albuquerque, NM, and in 1998, attended the Ross Reunion in Springfield, IL, sharing her lineage research with another member of our family, Harriet Liljegren Ross, who published our first "Ross History."
Persons interested in contacting either Nancy or Harriet may get in touch with me for their email addresses.
(DORTHY MARCUSSEN ROSS, July 31, 1999)
CAMERON, John Miller and Family (Part 1)
- Submitted by Terry Erwin
John M. Camron, Nephew and partner of James Rutledge in the mill and town of New Salem, was born in 1790 in the state of Georgia. He was the son of Thomas and Nancy (Miller) Camron, his mother being the sister of James Rutledges wife. Camron was a millwright by trade and a Cumberland Presbyterian preacher by ordination. His parents were born in Scotland and came to this country with their parents when they were children. They married in Georgia and had ten children: four sons John, Thomas Jr., James M., and William, and six daughters - Susanna (1792-1883), who married William Rutledge (1790-1864) a brother of Anne Rutledge; Nancy, Flora, Annie, Polly (1804-1880) who married 1824 Absalom Maxwell and who lived in Fulton County, Ill. (55years), where she died, and Jane Camron.
Thomas Camron Sr. was first cousin with Simon Camron, United States Senator from Pennsylvania and Secretary of War under President Lincoln. John Camron married Polly Orndorff (spelling varies) in the state of Kentucky. She was of Russian descent He followed the fortunes of the Rutledge Families from Georgia to Tennessee, from there to Kentucky, then White County, and from there to the southern part of Sangamon County,and in 1825 settled with them in Concord neighborhood, about seven miles north of New Salem. He entered in 1828 the land on which New Salem was located, and he and James Rutledge built a dam across the Sangamon River and erected a grist and sawmill combined, which they operatedby water power. The settlers from all around brought their teams and wagons and, without charge, hauled rock to fill the log pens, side by side in the river to make the dam. Camron built his home at New Salem some time in 1828, erecting it on the south slope of the ridge running east and west protecting it from the cold. He and his wife raised one son and eleven daughters. In 1829 to 1833 he was very prominent in business affairs, conveying many tracts of property. After 1833 no deed or transfer of property to which he was a party is to be found until 1841, when he conveyed the balance of his land at New Salem, including the mill, to Jacob Bale. This deed was acknowledged a magistrate in Jefferson County, Iowa. Evidently he left New Salem in the fall of 1833 or spring of 1834 and settled in Iowa. From Iowa he later moved to California and died there.
(Copied from Reep's "Lincoln at New Salem," by John W. Gellerman, Postmaster, Lincoln's New Salem, Illinois.)
Other information regarding the family follows: John Miller Camron was born in Elbert County, Georgia, August 12, 1790, 1790, died near Sebastopol, California, February 21, 1878, and was buried in the Sabastopol Cemetery. He was married January 12, 1811, when about twenty-one years old, in Henderson County, Kentucky, by the Rev. James McGready, to Mary (Polly) Orendoff, who was born in Georgia, January 13, 1794, and died near Sebastopol. March 25, 1875, She is buried in the family plot in the Sebastopol Cemetery. Mr. Camron married a second time, August 12, 1876, Mrs Sarah Ann Rogers, born in Alexandria, Virginia, April 11,1811, who died in Oakland, California, of cancer of the breast, May 6 1887,and was buried beside her late husband in the Sebastopol Cemetery.
Among the families moving into Illinois south of the Sangamon River were a couple of Cumberland Presbyterian Church families. Rev Green P Rice, a Cumberland Presbyterian minister, preached in that neighborhood. John M Camron, who at the age of nineteen under the guidance and evangelism of the Rev. James McGready had made public profession of religion, now opened his log cabin to the Rev. Mr Rice and soon united with the Cumberland Presbyterians toa form a congregation in the community and was elected Ruling Elder. In the spring of 1827 he was received into the care of the Illinois Presbytery as a candideat for the ministery,subsequently included and licensed by the Sangamon Presbytery, His first sermon was preached in the home of Samuel Berry, father of Baxter Bel Berry, a future son-in-law of Mr. Camron Moving into Iowa, Mr. Camron labored diligently "for the Lord" until 1849, when he led an emigrant train to the Sacramento Valley, California, where again he resumed his ardent and fervent preaching in the Sacramento and Martinez communities. Finally settling in Green Valley, near Sebastopol, He continued his ministry in Sonoma and Santa Clara Counties until his death. He attended a state meeting in Sonoma, Snonoma County as late as October 1872 and had the reputation of letting nothing but a clear providential hindrance ever prevent his attendance upon a meeting of his profession or church organization.
John M Camron wrote his name without the letter "e". In the inscriptions on the tombstones of himself and his wife, Mary, in the Sebostopol Cemetery, the surname is without an "e". Also on the tombstone of his only son, Thomas Porter Camron, who is buried in Cypress Hill Cemetery, Petaluma, Sonoma County,1854, the "e" is omitted. Annie Naomi Camron Hammill, a granddaughter of Thomas Porter Camron and daughter of Alva Orendorff Camron, said her father also spelled his name without the "e", but since the plot of Alva O. Camron and his wife Elizabeth Ann Stanley, in Cypress Hill has been given cemetery care the name has been "Cameron".When John Camron second wife,Mrs. Sara Ann Rogers, was buried in the Sebastopol plot in 1887 the name on her tombstone was inscribed "Cameron". It has been said "Camron" is the Scottish form and "Cameron" the English. In later years the children and grandchildren of Thomas Porter Camron used the "Cameron" form. Whether the name became changed through ignorance of funeral directors and cemetery official or through lack of instruction by the family is not known.
The Rev. Mr. Camron and his wife, Mary, had twelve children: Elizabeth (Besty) Preston, 1813-1896; Thomas Porter Camron, 1814-1854; Vienna (Vian) Mitchell, 1815-1906; Nancy Miller, 1818-1890; Mary Jane, 1820-1898; Martha (Marthy) M, 1822-1905; Sara, 1824-1854; Sorena (twin), 1827-1915; Solena (twin), 1827-before 1849; Eliza Arminda, 1832-1916; Caroline Thela, 1834-1922; and Margaret Angeline, 1836-1928.
CAMERON, John Miller and Family (part 2)
- Submitted by Terry Erwin
He was married to Mary Orendorff (daughter of Christian Orendorff and Elizabeth Phillips) on 12 Jan 1811 in HENDERSON COUNTY, KENTUCKY. Mary Orendorff (photo) was born on 13 Jan 1794 in GEORGIA. She died on 25 Mar 1875 in SEBASTOPOL, CALIFORNIA SEBASTOPOL CEMETERY. John Miller Camron and Mary "Polly" Orendorff were married on 26 Jan 1812, by the Rev. James McGready, a Cumberland Presbyterian minister, who greatly influenced their lives.
John was an adventurous man, filled with a deep-seated wanederlust. Not long after 1811, when his father, Thomas Camron (II), became the Captain of the first wagon train into Seven Mile Prairie in Illinois Territory, John persuaded his reluctant wife to follow across the Ohio River in his father's footsteps. "Polly" looked at her little Kentucky home with its flowers and her peach orchard, and visualized some other pioneer woman busily preserving the fruits from her trees. But, always the gallant wife, she began that arduous journey to the beautiful, untamed Illinois Territory. Even in this remote place, they were comforted and sustained by visits from their friend, Rev. James McGready. He came up from Kentucky and established the Sharon Presbyterian Church, the first one in Illinois. Rev. McGready's health was failing and he hoped and prayed that John Miller Camron would listen to the call of his Master, and continue the work of the Lord that he, McGready, had begun. When McGready was called to his Eternal Home, John Miller Camron gave thanks for the privilege of this man's friednship and his association with him.
John was soon to feel the call of new lands and staked out a farm on Looking Glass Prairie, which was 12 miles east of Belleville. Here, John and Polly were drawn by the camp meetings organized in St. Clair County by the Rev. Green P. Rice and the Rev. William Barnett. They frequently rode over to attend the meetings and hear Mr. Rice preach. At one of these meetings, Polly embraced religion and soon John was consecrated as an elder. The markets were poor for the produce from their little farm on Looking Glass Prairie, but with Polly's scrimping they managed to save enough money to buy John a book on the Theory and Practice of Surveying, which he studied diligently, poring over it for hours in the candle-light of their cabin. John's mind was full of surveying, but his dreams were full of the Sangamon Valley, which was beckoning him. Before long, they were on the move again, and soon they were settled near Springfield.
Rev. John Miller Camron was consecrated for the Presbyterian ministry on April 20, 1827, and he preached his first sermon in the home of Samuel Berry. John had enticed his uncle, James Rutledge, to bring his family and join him in the Sangamon Valley. James had been a mill owner in Enfield Township, White County, Illinois, but he and John had plans for building a town on an elevation two hundred feet above the Sangamon River. John pre-empted 154.4 acres and platted New Salem. Lots were sold for five and ten dollars each. James Rutledge built his home large enough to accommodate travelers passing through the village.
Life was peaceful in the little village of New Salem. Rutledge and Camron had built the mill and were busy with it and their families. John continued with his preaching. Abraham Lincoln had arrived in New Salem, and his loneliness was assuaged by his frequent visits with the Camrons and the Rutledges. He boarded in the home of John and Polly for a time. The main attraction at the Camron home seemed to be "Aunt Polly's" pies and the companionship of the lively Camron daughters. But, the Rutledge home held the lovely, auburn-haired Ann Mayes Rutledge. History tells of Abe's years in New Salem and much has been written about his love for Ann Rutledge, which seems not to have ended even with her untimely death.
John Miller Camron preached the funeral for Ann Rutledge.
In late 1831 and early 1832, John Miller Camron began selling off his property in New Salem. His father, Thomas Camron (II) was further north in Spoon River country in Fulton County, and the Spoon River seemed a likely spot for another of John's mills.
John Miller Camron, as First Proprietor of the East Half of Bernadotte, signed several documents in the Quincy Land Office, later filed in Washington, D.C. One document bore the official mill sign for a projected mill in 1831. In June 1834, he completed his title for the farm he had homesteaded in 1832, to meet the requirements of the new Land Law.
John M. Camron signed an affidavit that "he had fenced and cultivated this NW¼ of Seciotn 9, T5N, R2E of the Fourth Principal Meridian in the year A.D. 1833 and had a dwelling house, now occupied and had possession on the 19th fo June 1834: . . . Payment in full, $187.60. Patent issued to John M. Camron.
Bernadotte, and the mill there, would not for long be strong enough competition against the lure of the Iowa plains, and John was on his way westward once more. Wild turkeys and prairie chickens were abundant there and the Indians seemed to be more a nuisance thatn a life-threatening problem. And, John was happy for a while, in Jefferson County, Iowa, where as the horse-back preacher, he was there to serve the newcomers as they arrived in this newly opened country. Polly began to create another home, hoping deep in her heart that John had finally found contentment here on this vast prairie. But, it was not in the nature of this pioneer to be content for very long. After he had, in his own words, "built a farm" he soon began to feel the call of new lands waiting to be tamed. He could not settle down to the humdrum existence of a farmer when there was preaching to be done! So once again, it was onward to Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa, for a time.
Gold was discovered! And, John began the task of organizing a 40-wagon train, with California as its destination. But, John was going, primarily for the purpose of gathering souls for his Lord, rather than gold to fill his pockets! And now, among his strong, young sons-in-law he had two more preachers to aid him in his purpose.
This 40-wagon train left Oskaloosa, Iowa on May 1, 1849 for a six-month journey westward! The 4 Camron wagons reached Lassen's ranch on the Sacramento River on the last day of October 1849.
Each day on the trip to California was begun with a brief prayer and song service, with the hymns ringing out, led by the strong tenor and bass voices of the Camron's sons-in-law.
There was much sickness along the way, but the wagon train reached the Mormon settlement at Salt Lake without losing a single member. Here, the members of 36 of the wagons decided that they would continue no further westward until spring had arrived. John felt that with his beautiful, unmarried daughters along, this was not the wisest choice of a place to spend several months. So, with the 4 wagons of his immediate family, he once again pushed westward!
The Camron family reached California after much deprivation and many hardships, but the family circle was still complete. In California, the Camrons met and renewed acquaintance with Elam Brown and Dr. John Marsh, both old friends from the New Salem days, and both now owners of large ranches east of San Francisco Bay.
At a public auction, on October 26, 1850, John M. Camron purchased Lots 1 and 2, Block 326, at the corner of Las Juntas and Green Streets in Martinez for $200, and there he built a fine, 2-storied brick home for Polly. John was filled with an energy that could not be stilled, so he built the "first house with plaster" in Petaluma. Petaluma is an Indian word meaning "Little Hills." He was active in organizing the Pacific Cumberland Presbytery on April 4, 1851.
He built another house on his farm in Green Valley. Here, high on a hill, above the plains, and before Sebastopol was surveyed, on October 2, 1851, Rev. John M. Camron established the Bodega Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Thus, John led the vanguard of Presbyterians into Sonoma County. He, and his 7 sons- in-law, 3 of them ministers and 4 of them laymen, laid the foundation for the Presbyterian church in 1851-'54. And it was here in Sonoma County, that Polly found a permanent home!
This gives you John Miller Camron, man of God; builder of "farms," mills and churches; friend of the famous, adventurer; family man; pioneer. The life of Rev. John Miller Camron has been well told by Alice Purvine Murphy, one of his descendants, and also written about by Julia Drake in her book, "Flame o' Dawn."
John lies at rest in the cemetery at Sebastopol, Sonoma County, California, beneath a tall, white stone which bears his name and dates, plus the Masonic symbol. Beside him lies his first wife, "Polly," and his second wife, Sarah Ann. Sarah Ann Rogers was a widow when she married John on August 12, 1876. She was born April 11, 1811, in Alexandria, Virginia, and she died May 6, 1887 in Oakland, California. Rev John M Camron and Mary Orendorff had the following children:
Elizabeth Preston Camron. Thomas Porter Camron. Vienna Mitchell Camron. Nancy Miller Camron. Mary Jane Camron. MARTHA M CAMRON. Sarah N Camron. Sorena Camron. Solena Camron. Eliza Arminda Camron. Caroline Thela Camron. Margaret Angeline Camron.
He was married to Sarah Ann Rogers on 12 Aug 1876. CANCER OF THE BREAST Sarah Ann Rogers was born on 11 Apr 1811 in ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA. She died on 6 May 1887 in OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.
CAMERON, John Miller and Family (part 3)
- Submitted by Terry Erwin
(The following report is copied from an account related by his father, John M. Camron, as found in the history of the Camron family compiled May 1922 by Elam Brown, Martinez, California.)
The life and traveling of young Thomas was closely connected with that of his father, John Camron, so that the life of John Camron, as told by himself, will be of interest. While young he (Thomas) lived and moved with his father.
"After marriage with Mary Orendorff, we moved to a place situated about ten miles south of Red Banks, lived there on a farm until 1812, and moved to a place sixteen miles west of the mouth of Green River, Henderson County, Kentucky, and lived here about two years. Thomas P. was born at this place (1814) . . . during the yer 1814, at close of the war with Great Britain, moved the family into White County, Illinois, traveling through dense wilderness, locating on a farm, built house, planted orchard, and lived there about three years; sold out, moved into what was called Looking Glass Prairie, twenty-five miles east of St. Louis, Belleville, St. Clair County, Illinois. At this place bought a tract of land about the time public land was offered for sale by the government, twelve miles east and a little south of Belleville; made a farm, built a house, planted an orchard, lived there about two years (1819). Sold out, and moved across the Sangamon River, while it was a wilderness, about seventy-five miles north of a town on Apple Creek. Settled at a place seven miles north of what is known as Springfield, Illinois, two miles north of Orendorff Ferry on the Sangamon; Orendorff (my brother-in-law) and I built ferry on the river -- also lived two miles north of Ferry Creek (seven miles south of Elkhorn Grove). No settlement of white people, lived there three years (1822), made a farm, log house, sold out and moved to western part of Sangamon County on a creek called Rock Creek, twenty miles west of what is now called Springfield, built a house, made a farm, set out orchard and lived there two years (1825). Sold out and moved ten miles north into Sangamon County into what was called Clary's Grove, noted for desperate characters who lived in and about the neighborhood." (For description of the character of the people, etc., see "Life of Abe Lincoln" by Nicolay and Hay, Century Magazine, May 1885.)
"About twenty-eight miles from where Springfield is now, made a farm, built large house and prepared to build a grist mill on Clary's Creek. When about ready to commence work my neighbors persuaded me to build the mill on Sangamon River. Put up the mill on Sangamon River, about three miles from Clary's Grove and about sixteen miles below Orendorff Ferry. Here built the mill and surveyed the town of New Salem. Also put up two grist mills and one saw mill on Dry Creek in Sangamon County and lived there about two years (1827). Here young Thomas Camron learned the trades of carpentering and millwork by actual experience. He was thriteen years of age. The family lived at the mill about three years. This is about the time Orcutt bought the mill from Camron and Rutledge. (See "Life of Lincoln" by Nicolay and Hay.) Here young Lincoln lived and worked. It is stated that Abe Lincoln was appointed Postmaster at New Salem from 1831 to 1836."
"Simon Bernadotte lived with us two years and was with me when we built the mill on Sangamon River. I sold the mill and ferry and moved into Fulton County, on Spoon River, on what was afterwards called Martins. Bernadotte built a large saw mill and grist mill about eighteen miles above the mouth of Spoon River. I built a set of mills and lived there three or four years. Caroline was born at that place (1834). It was called Bernadotte. My brother James lived at the town, brother William lived with him, and brother Thomas lived fifteen miles north, Fulton County. Sold out and moved into what was known as River Prairie, eight miles from Canton, still in Fulton County. Bought property in a little town about eight miles west and three miles east of Elkhorn Mills on Spoon River, lived close to the town, and made a farm. It was here (1837) Thomas was married to Zilla Emery, whose father was David Emery. Her mother was Edith Fisher. We lived there about three years, where we bought land and furnished timber, and then sold out and moved into Iowa.
"Settled in Big Cedar Creek, Jefferson County, Iowa, since called Fairfield, the county seat. There made a farm, planted orchard, and remained three of four years. Part of the children were born here; moved to Oscaloosa, Mahaska County, and was in the mercantile business with son Thomas. Sold out ny farm for goods to furnish the store, entered into partnership with Thomas at this place, bought land, built a farm near town, moved the family about three miles west of town, set out orchard, and built log house. The next year after, 1842, when we went there every one of the family was down with fever and ague. Thomas and Zilla went back to the town and built house and store. Presume was there one fall and winter, and in 1849 started to California.
Jacob MARX was born April 22, 1822 in Treis, Germany to Jacob and Gertrud (SANGER) MARX. He was one of 9 children. He sailed from Germany May 9, 1857 and landed in Quebec, Canada. He went immediately to Springfield, IL arriving abt June 1857. He subsequently married Margaret BLESER, November 22, 1859 in Springfield. Jacob and Margaret had 14 children, 7 of whom survived. The children are:
Joseph married Elizabeth MEICHO(W) Jan 31 1894 in Springfield, IL. Elizabeth was the daughter of Ferdinand Julius and Marie Albertine (LUECK) Meicho(w). Joseph and Elizabeth had 8 children:
William Jacob married Elsie CREDIT, daughter of Fred and Martha (SCHOLL) CREDIT from Berlin, IL, and moved to St. Louis, MO where they had 6 children:
William Robert married Betty REIBEL on Nov 7, 1953. They have 3 children: