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ILLINOIS GENEALOGY EXPRESS
A part of Genealogy Express
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Welcome to
Piatt County,
Illinois
History & Genealogy
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Biographies
Source:
Piatt County History
together with a
Brief History of Illinois
from the
Discovery of the Upper
Mississippi to the Present Time
by Emma C. Piatt
With Map and Illustrations.
1883
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Unity Twp. -
MR. GEORGE GOODSON (deceased) was a native of
Douglas county, Illinois. He moved in Piatt county in 1873.
He was married in 1871, to Candacy Pierson. She has no
children. Her parents were from Indiana, and moved to Piatt
county in 1867. Mr. Charles Goodson was married Jan.
28, 1882, to Emma Gow, who until recently made her home at
John Harshbarger's. They reside near Goodson
station.
Source: Piatt County History, by Emma C. Piatt - With Map and
Illustrations - Publ. 1883 - Page 422 |
Unity Twp. -
JNO. GOODSON, farmer,
was born in Douglas county, Illinois, and came to this county in
1878. In 1862 he went to California and began farming and
stock raising, and remained there fourteen years. He was
married in California, to Miss Julia Ingerham. They
have one daughter, Mollie. Mr. Goodson came back
in 1879 and built a nice farm residence of nine rooms. He is
fast getting things in good shape about the farm, and it bids fair
to be one of the best places in the county. He is a stock
dealer and has some fine sheep and cattle.
Mr. Goodson went to the army, was taken prisoner
and sworn not to fight until he was exchanged. He was not
exchanged and so went to California.
Source: Piatt County History, by Emma C. Piatt - With Map and
Illustrations - Publ. 1883 - Page 422 |
Unity Twp. -
MR. JNO. GORDON (deceased) was a farmer in
Unity township, and owned 120 acres of land. He married
Anna Sloam. Both were natives of Ireland, came to
America in 1863, and to Piatt county in 1866. They had eight
children, six of whom are living, Felix G., Rosealla, Maggie,
Mary, Ida May and Catharine S. On the 17th of
March, 1879, one of their boys was buried; on the 18th of the same
month their house burned down; on the 29th of the month an infant
was born; and about a year from this time Mr. Gordon died.
Source: Piatt County History, by Emma C. Piatt - With Map and
Illustrations - Publ. 1883 - Page 422 |
Unity Twp. -
MR. JOHN W. C. GRAY, farmer, is a native of
Pickaway county, Ohio. His mother is a native of Ohio and
lives with one of her children in Iowa. His father was a
native of Iowa. Both of Mr. Gray's grandfathers were in
the revolutionary war, and two of his brothers went to the late war,
one of whom served throughout the rebellion. Mr. Gray
is one of a family of six children. He would not have settled
in Piatt county had it not been for Mr. Jack Riddle.
While on business in the county for Mr. Kious, Mr. Riddle
persuaded him to work for Mr. John Piatt. While working
for him he was hired to ship cattle in 1856. A portion of the
year 1856 he herded cattle at Blue Mound for Mr. John Piatt.
Mr. Gray relates some interesting items in regard to snakes,
which were found on the prairie at an early day here. He says
that by actual count and record in the season of 1856 he killed
1,100 rattlesnakes, and has killed as high as thirty-three in one
day. That same season he saw as many as from nineteen to
twenty-nine deer in one herd, and he captured eleven fawns, some of
which were sent back to New York. Mr. Gray was married
in October, 1877, he married Mrs. R. (Murry) Myres, who had
one child at the time of her last marriage. She is a native of
New Hampshire and came with her parents to Menard county, Illinois,
in 1846. When Mr. Gray began improving his farm, it was
overrun with hazel-brush and willows. His ten acre orchard is
in as good a condition as any orchard in the county and contains all
small fruit that will succeed in growing in this part of the state.
He built his present residence about nine years ago. He thinks
he has the best cellar in the county. He settled on his
present farm in 1869, having previously lived where Mr. James
Wharton now lives. Mr. Gray's well selected library
of at least two hundred volumes shows that he is one of the farmers
of the county who believes in keeping up with the times. He
was justice of the peace for six years and has been elected road
commissioner and supervisor.
Source: Piatt County History, by Emma C. Piatt - With Map and
Illustrations - Publ. 1883 - Page 421 |
Cerro Gordo Twp. -
MR. H. N. GREEN, hardware merchant, Cerro
Gordo, is a native of Indiana. He moved from there to Illinois
in 1865, and in 1868 settled in Cerro Gordo, where he now owns a
residence and three lots. He and Rebecca A. Johnson
were united in marriage in 1852 and have had seven children, six of
whom are now living. Of these, Charles J., married
Sarah Kemp, has one child and lives in Arizona; May Alice
married T. J. Wimmer, has one child, Lynn, and lives
in Cerro Gordo. The names of Mr. Green's other children
are Ed. S., Harry T., Ora E. and Ralph Waldo.
Mr. Green has held the offices of school director and
town trustee.
Source: Piatt County History, by Emma C. Piatt - With Map and
Illustrations - Publ. 1883 - Page 481 |
Unity Twp. -
MR. GILBERT GREENE, farmer, was born in
Tennessee in 1824. He lived in Kentucky until he was
twenty-five, and in 1854 came to Piatt county. He started to
Champaign county, "got out of the way a little found this county
good enough, and so stopped." He first settled about one and a
half miles below his present home, then, after two years' residence
in Champaign county, settled on the Prairie in Bement township.
The next move was to the place he now lives on, Which he has
improved. He has a fair sized orchard, which bears a good deal
of fruit. He was married in 1845, to Martha Ramsey.
Of Mr. Greene's children, Wm. Boyd married Mary
Jane, and in 1871 moved to Nebraska; they have four children.
Ruth married Shannon Fristoe, and lives in Bement;
they have three children, Horace, Walter and Jesse Pearl.
Margaret C. married Allen Moore, and lives in Neosho
county, Kansas; they have five children. Susan married
Wm. Curren, and lives in Sangamon township. John,
Simon, Frank D. and Ella R. are at home.
Source: Piatt County History, by Emma C. Piatt - With Map and
Illustrations - Publ. 1883 - Page 420 |
Unity Twp. -
MR. GAMALIEL GREGORY, farmer, is a native of
New York. He moved to Ohio, and in 1855 to Piatt county.
His father, Josiah Gregory, was of English descent. He
settled in Champaign county in 1858, and moved to Bement in 1878.
Mr. G. Gregory married Mary Moore, November, 1856,
born in this county July 29, 1837. Her parents both died in
this county. She has five sisters and two brothers living.
She has three children living. Wm. G. Gregory married Kate
Crawford, has one child, and is a druggist in Coles county;
J. R. is farming at home; Rosalia married George
Mumper a farmer in Champaign county. Mr. Gregory
has been town collector and town clerk, and is a member of the
masoinc lodge at Bement.
Source: Piatt County History, by Emma C. Piatt - With Map and
Illustrations - Publ. 1883 - Page 420 |
Unity Twp. -
MR. ROBERT GRIFFIN (deceased)_ was married in
Indiana, to Louisa Thompson, and moved to Piatt county in
1870. He lived on MR. Quick's place for a time, and
then moved to the place he lived at the time of his death about five
years ago. He left a widow and five children. Laura
married John Bogard, and moved to Missouri. Harriet,
the wife of Christopher Denny, lives with her child,
Myrtle Olive, in Unity township. Mary Ellen, Henry
Charles and William Edgar are at home. Mrs.
Griffin owns about twenty-one acres of land. Mr.
Griffin was a soldier in the late war.
Source: Piatt County History, by Emma C. Piatt - With Map and
Illustrations - Publ. 1883 - Page 422 |
Unity Twp. -
MR. HENRY GROSS, a merchant and farmer of
Mackville, is a native of Germany. He came to America in 1853,
and for eight years remained in New York, and then moved to Chicago,
where he remained till 1857, when he moved to Marion county.
In 1858 he moved to Piatt county and settled on the land where
Mackville is located. Mr. Gross came alone from
Germany, the rest of his family came afterward. He now has
four brothers and one sister in the county. His parents,
Casper Gross and wife, came to America during the war.
Mr. Henry Gross married Sophia Gross, a native of
Germany, in 1861. They have had eight children, two of whom
are dead. Sigel T. Gross is bookkeeper in the store of
Gross & Gibbs, of Mackville. Anna, Alexander,
Thusnelda, Henryand Sophia are at home.
Mr. Henry Gross is the first and only postmaster that Mackville
has had. He was school director for ten or twelve years, and
filled a vacancy as justice of the peace. He has also been
collector, clerk and supervisor of Unity township.
Source: Piatt County History, by Emma C. Piatt - With Map and
Illustrations - Publ. 1883 - Page 421 |
Cerro Gordo Twp. -
MR. RICHARD GULLIFORD, a farmer of Cerro Gordo
township, is a native of England. In 1854 he came to America.
The passage was a very stormy one, the vessel being struck with
lightning once. After two years' residence in America he
settled in Piatt county in 1856, where he has been most of the time
since. He was married in 1868, to Elizabeth Trimby, a
native of England. They have three children living, Alice,
Harry and Arthur. Mrs. Gulliford had a very serious
time coming to America in 1864. The vessel struck a rock
twelve miles from Portland, Maine. It was wrecked at eight
o'clock at night and about sixty persons were drowned. It
finally sunk with the baggage of all the passengers. Mrs.
Gulliford was pulled out of the water by her hair. She
with others were out all night, during which time her hands were
frozen. Mr. Gulliford went to the late war from Piatt
county in Co. E of the 107th Ill. He was discharged on account
of sickness, and again he went into the army in the 9th Iowa.
The principal engagements in which he participated were those of
Vicksburg, Lookout, and the battles during the march to the sea.
He received a slight flesh-wound once.
Source: Piatt County History, by Emma C. Piatt - With Map and
Illustrations - Publ. 1883 - Page 481 |
Cerro Gordo Twp. -
MR. WILLIAM GULLIFORD (deceased) settled on a
farm in Cerro Gordo township in 1857, and lived there until his
death, in 1881. His wife died about 1879. Five of their
children are living in Piatt county. James Gulliford
died in Piatt county about nine years ago, leaving a wife and three
children. Richard is living on his father's home place
(see his name). Thomas died about two years ago,
leaving a wife nee Knighten, and two children, who are living
in the county. William married Mrs. E. Dailey
nee E. Torrence, and has five children, Lillie, Blanch,
James, Maud and Scott, and lives in Milmine.
Emma is the wife of James Armsworth, of Willow Branch
township (see his name). Ann married Reuben Fisher,
and lives at White Heath. Elizabeth is the wife of
Noah Armsworth, and lives in Willow Branch township.
Source: Piatt County History, by Emma C. Piatt - With Map and
Illustrations - Publ. 1883 - Page 481 |
NOTES:
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