History and Genealogy of DeWitt County, Illinois

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Biographies from the History of DeWitt County
(This is not a complete transcription - they're excerpts from the 1910 History)
Transcribed by K. Torp, except where noted

Clinton Township

BENJAMIN and LANDERS SLATTEN, sons of Joseph Slatten of Ky., came to Clintonia Twp. in the winter of 1828/9 and "squatted" on Section 34, being the first to arrive in the township. In 1830 JOSIAH CLIFTON bought out the Slattens. The brothers married and raised families in this township. Benjamin married Henrietta Lane, of Waynesville, in 1832, and had one child, Eliza. Henrietta Slatten died soon after the birth of Eliza and Benjamin remarried and moved to McLean County and later to Missouri., where he died. Landers moved to Kansas.

ALEXANDER BARNETT, came from Bourbon County, Kentucky in the fall of 1831. Mr. Barnett married in 1834 to Elizabeth H. Hall and settled on Section 30. He was elected first surveyor after the county's organization in 1839. serving for over twenty years. [Read obituary]

JAMES McABOY, a native of Virginia, moved with his parents to Ohio, and onto DeWitt County in 1834.

THOMAS J. ROGERS, born in Bourbon County, Ky., came with his family to DeWitt County in the fall of 1835 and settled on Section 28. He married Mary Hickman and had two children: Asa and Martha J. Mr. Rogers finally moved to Kansas.

Other early settlers were Mrs. Catherine Mills, Samuel Duncan, John Warfield, Samuel Curtright, Alfred and Richard Murphy, Lewis Hickman, Alexander Barnett and Solomon Weaver, Jacob Brown, Josiah Davenport, William Anderson, John Warner, N. Mills, J.J. McGraw, C. H. Moore, John Clifton, J. Allen, J. Downen, J.W.F. Clinton, J.W.S. Moore, G. Nelson, D. Bieman, T. H. Haines, Jefferson T. Cross, Allen Nash, Dr. James Brown, and Miles Gray.

The first couple to be married in the township was Isaac Carlock and Polly Brown, a daughter of Jacob Brown, in the winter of 1831.

Santa Anna Township

Some time prior to 1830 JOHN DANNER settled in this township with his family, in a deserted Indian wigwam on Section 33, just south of Farmer City. He was discovered here by Judge J.J. McGraw, William Lane, Benjamin Lisenby, Tillman Lane, Sr, and Matthew K. Martin in the spring of 1830, while they were prospecting the county. Mr. Danner left the county in 1846 and died on his way to California.

The first permanent settler was DENNIS HURLEY, who came in the fall of 1830 and built a cabin at Hurley Grove, just southwest of Farmer City. RICHARD KIRBY, a brother-in-law, came with him. Dennis Hurley had twelve children, and Catherine, one of them, was the first child born in the township, being born July 16, 1832. Richard Kirby had fifteen children. He died from a fall off of a loaded wagon in 1870.

NATHAN CLEARWATERS came to the township in 1832. On Feb. 1, 1833, Nathan entered the first tract of land in the precinct (Sec. 33 twp. 21, range 5 e) and his entry was followed by others: William Y. McCord, Reuben Clearwaters, James W. McCord, P. Webb, John Danner, John E. French., E. Covey, John Hurley, Dennis Hurley.

Legend has it that, while passing through the township, John Weedman, Sr., in 1832, discovered George Hand living in the hollow of a tree?

Others coming to the township were Henry Huddleston, from Indiana; Richard D. Webb, from Shelby Co., Ky., arrived Nov., 1833; Rev. Paxton Cumming, from N.C in 1835, a Methodist Episcopal minister. Nineteen families lived in Salt Creek valley adjacent to Farmer City. They were the families of: Henry Huddleston, Nathan Clearwaters, John Danner, J.W. Badley, James W. McCord, John Weedman, Asa Weedman, R.M. Patterson, Richard Kirby, Paxton Cumming, Edward Corey, Byron Corey, Noah Grant, Richard D. Webb, Thomas Blalach, James Webb, Mrs, Watson, Matthew Johnson and Dennis Hurley.

Waynesville Township

Waynesville was one of the first settled townships in the county, PRETTYMAN MARVEL and his wife, Rebecca, were the first settlers in the township. He being a native of Georgia and his wife of South Carolina. They were married in 1823 and in 1833 moved to Sangamon Coo, Ill. In February they located on Sect. 31 near the present village of Waynesville. They had two sons, John S.o and James. Mr. Marvel died in 1842 and she, in 1847, became the wife of Thomas P. Gambrel, of Ind., who died in 1877.

JOHN BARR, a brother of Rebecca Marvel Gambrel, moved to the township right after the Marvels did, but built his cabin just over the line in Logan County.

SAMUEL CURTRIGHT settled on Section 32, removing to Clintonia Twp. FELIX JONES came in 1825 from Indiana with a wife and a large family of children. His wife soon died and he remarried.

JOHN GLENN, and his wife, Jane, and his son-in-law, ABRAHAM HOBBS, then a widower with four children came in 1826, settling on Section 29. Glenn was a native of S.C. went to Tennessee in 1803, thence to Ind., and on to Ill. He spent a few years in DeWitt Co. and finally, with his grandchildren, moved west where he died.

THOMAS M.. GLENN., a native of S.C, went to Sangamon County from Ind. in 1825 and in the spring of 1826 located on Sect. 35 of this township. He had a wife and nine children. He remained here until 1855 when he moved with his family to Ohio.

JAMES K. SCOTT, a brother-in-law of Mr. Glenn, was born in S.C. and removed to Indiana. With Sam'l Glenn he came to the township in 1827. He and Mr. Glenn made the first land entries in the county on Nov. 3, 1827, He located on Sect. 27 and Mr. Glenn on Sec. 26. He and his wife had two sons before coming to the township - Lorenzo Dow and John W. They later had five more children: Martin H., Crafton P., Jane C., Polly A., and Lucinda. Mr. Scott served the county in the State Legislature. He was also a pioneer preacher.

SYLVANUS SHURTLEFF, a native of Vermont, lived more or less with the Indians and became a member of Pottawatamies when he came to Waynesville. He later moved to DeWitt Township, building the first mill in that section.

ABRAHAM ONSLOTT, a native of Ky., arrived in Illinois in the spring of 1823 and in 1829 removed from Sangamon County Waynesville Twp. and located on Sect. 28.

JOHN J. McGRAW was born in S.C., moving to Ky. and on to Illinois in the spring of 1830 with his father-in-law, Tilmon Lane, settled on Sect, 24, Waynesville Township. Mr. Lane died in 1835; his wife dying in 1852. Judge McGraw moved to Clinton, where he was elected first county clerk after DeWitt County was organized, serving for eighteen years. He died in 1886, his wife in 1877.

JOHN B. JONES, came from Indiana in 1830, settling on Sec. 21. He and his wife had five children - Caroline, Adolphus, Lavinia, Ellen and John M., all born before coming to the township. They had other children born after arriving here.

WILLIAM W. DUNHAM settled on Sec. 29 before 1831, a native of Massachusetts, he removed to Rhode Island, where he married Mary Greeman. They moved to Ohio in 1815 and on to Waynesville Township. They had five children: Thomas E., J.P., William S., Mary and Amy. He died in 1833 and his wife about 1863.

GEORGE ISHAM, of New Hampshire, with his wife and two children: Andrew B. and Polly Ann came to the township.

JOHN ROBB, a native of Tennessee, came to Sangamon Co. in the spring of 1830, removed to Waynesville Township, settling on Sect. 27, He had ten children: James R., Sam'l H., William R., Eli H., Thomas C, Elizabeth G., Anna C, Isabel L., Mary Jane and Laura C.

DeWitt Township

The first settler of DeWitt Township was a minister and circuit rider by the name of BURLESON, coming the later part of 1830 or 1831 on Section 9. He sold his interests to JAMES McCORD, a native of N.C. Mr. McCord died in 1852 and his wife, Mary, died in 1858. Children mentioned are Martha S., John, Hannah, and William

In the summer of 1830 J.J. McGRAW took up a claim and dug the first well in the township. HUGH L. DAVENPORT, a Kentuckian, first came into the township in 1831 settling on Section. 19, later moving to Harp Twp., THOMAS R. DAVIS, a Kentuckian, settled here, but later left the county.

ORIN WAKEFIELD, a native of New York, entered land in Section 17 in 1833 and married in 1836, Hannah McCord (dau. of James) and had eight children: Susan, Mary, George W., Melancthon, Bandusin, Hepheston, Philetus, and Licurgus. Hannah (McCord) Wakefield died in 1856 and in 1858 he married Susan N. Howard.

BENJAMIN DAY, native of Ky., settled on Sect. 19 in 1834 with his wife and family of six children: Mary, Elizabeth, Edward O., Rebecca, H.T., and Caroline. He laid off the town of Marion (changed to DeWitt).

JAMES HUTCHISON, a native of Virginia, removed from Kentucky to Sangamon Co, Ill., in 1828 and in 1833 removed to Waynesville and on to DeWitt Twp. in 1835, with his wife, Mary and six children: Wm., Mary J., Elizabeth, Martha A., Amanda, and James H. Mr. Hutchison died in 1845 and his wife in 1861.

HIRAM CHAPIN, a native of N.C, lived for a time in Kentucky and Tennessee. He married in Kentucky, Martha Day, sister of Benjamin. He was in Madison Co., Ill, in 1819, moving on to Waynesville in 1829, then on to DeWitt Twp. with his wife and five children: John D., Stillman A., George D., Abraham D., and Martha A. He died in 1871 in McLean County.

DANIEL ROBINS, in the fall of 1835, settled on Sect. 19. A native of Ky, he brought his wife and family of seven children: Martha., Jane, D.F., Adolphus C., Amanda C., Eliza and Mary. He died in Clinton in 1870.

JOHN CALLISON, a Kentuckian, settled on Sect. 17 with his wife.

JACOB SWIGART, a native of Ohio, came in 1847. At the time of his death he was one of the largest landowners and stockraisers in DeWitt County.

In 1834 the first marriage in the township took place - Sylvanus Shurtleff and Elizabeth Day.