Local History Book Review: Soldiers of the American Revolution Buried in Illinois; Are they Really?
- Terri
- 3 days ago
- 21 min read
Compiled in 1976 by the Illinois State Genealogical Society, the book Soldiers of the American Revolution Buried in Illinois includes 13 Patriots said to be buried in DeWitt County. But are they really? The DeWitt County Genealogical Society decided to investigate.
Book Review: Soldiers of the American Revolution
Buried in Illinois; Are They Really?
Unless you live under a rock, you’ve heard that America is celebrating its 250th birthday this year. To commemorate this milestone, the DeWitt County Genealogical Society decided to research the Patriots listed in the book Soldiers of the American Revolution Buried in Illinois under DeWitt County. This list was compiled in 1976 by the Illinois State Genealogical Society as a bicentennial project without the benefit of the internet or easy access to land and probate records. Some of it was based simply on family lore or unsourced recollections that were passed down verbally through families or communities. Most Patriots were deceased before 1850, so there are no local obituaries or newspaper accounts of their lives, as our newspaper archives date from 1853. History books are sometimes helpful, but even then, the information is often based on family lore and not always 100% accurate. Of the thirteen Patriots listed in the book under DeWitt County, we were able to confirm eight. Following is our analysis.
Peter Cutright (Cartwright)
From the book: Peter Cutright (Cartwright), born 1759 in Hampshire County VA, died probably 1841, buried somewhere in DeWitt County, spouse Christina Garbin
The book offers Cartwright as an alternate spelling, but we found that he actually spelled his surname Curtright. In the 1840 DeWitt County Census, he is found in the Samuel Curtright household and is listed as an American Revolutionary War pensioner, age 81. Samuel was probably his son, but that has not been confirmed. There is also a woman in the household aged 70-80 who is likely Peter’s wife, though her name varies between sources. DeWitt County was formed in 1839 and townships would not be established for several more years, but we learned from a history book that Samuel Curtright was one of the first to buy land in what is now Clintonia Township. His farm was 160 acres in section 31, about two miles west of present-day Clinton.
In Peter’s pension application (filed as Peter Cutright), he said he was born in Hampshire County, Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1759, but does not provide the month and day nor the names of his parents. A character witness, Daniel Cutright, adds that Peter is old and destitute, living with relatives. Peter himself reports many moves over his lifetime, first from Virginia to Kentucky, then to Ohio. In 1822, he came to Sangamon County, Illinois, then to Putnam County for a while, then back to Sangamon County. In 1833, he came to what is now DeWitt County (then Macon), presumably to the home of Samuel, but went to Sangamon County Court to file his pension application. In it, he said that on September 1, 1780, he volunteered for the Hampshire County Militia under Captain Daniel Ritison (possibly Richardson). They marched to North Carolina and joined the forces of General Nathaniel Greene, Colonel Robert Stevens and Major George Stubblefield. Then he became part of a rifle detachment under Captain Robert Cravens and marched to the Cheraw Hills (in South Carolina). Later, again under Captain Ritison, his company escorted a group of prisoners to Albermarle Barracks near Charlottesville, Virginia, where he was discharged from duty on March 1, 1781.
Peter’s pension was approved, and records show he received his last payment in September of 1841. Since payments were issued in March and September, it is likely that his death occurred between September of 1841 and March of 1842. A survey of family trees on Ancestry did not result in a verifiable lineage, and he does not appear in the database of DAR Patriots. It seems he is on the verge of being forgotten! His burial place is unknown, though his last known place of residence was in DeWitt County not far from Clinton. If he was buried in a cemetery, the closest one at that time would be the Mills-Hickman Cemetery, though burials were also being made in the McGraw Cemetery then. It is just as likely that he was buried on Samuel’s farm. The DeWitt Clinton Chapter of the NSDAR is working on creating a memorial for him.
Edward Day, Sr.
From the book: Edward Day, Sr., born 1760 in Charlotte County VA, died 11 Apr 1837, buried at DeWitt Cemetery, spouse Ursula Sublette
Edward Day was an early settler in the state of Illinois, recorded in the 1820 Census living in Madison County. At that time, Madison County encompassed nearly the entire western half of Illinois, and Edward was living in the Sangamo district, which would become Sangamon County in 1821. In 1831, he entered 80 acres with the land office in section 31 in what is now Waynesville Township, which was part of McLean County then. The following year, he filed for a Revolutionary War pension in Sangamon County at age 72. The pension office, however, pointed out some “defects” in his original application and requested a new one. So, in December of 1833, he filed again in McLean County court. He received his first pension payment on February 14, 1834, retroactive to March 1, 1831.
Edward Day’s pension application confirms that he was born in Charlotte County, Virginia, in the year 1760. He described his service thus:
He volunteered for the Virginia militia in the summer of 1776, serving under Captain Thomas Collier, Lieutenant Drury Watson, Colonel Daniel Morgan and General William Christian. In the early days of the Revolutionary War, the Cherokee Indians sided with the British. General Christian (also called Christie) led the Cherokee Expedition during which his brigade attacked a Cherokee settlement at Long Island of the Holston River in eastern Tennessee. Many Cherokee were killed in this attack, which deterred their support of the British and led to a treaty with the new United States. Soldiers in Christian’s brigade were often referred to as “overmountain men” as they lived west of the Blue Ridge Mountain range, which at the time was the dividing line between Indian and white settlement. Edward returned home from this expedition around Christmas.
In the next year, 1777, Edward volunteered for another three months of service under Captain William Price and yet another three months under Captain Collier. He had no significant engagements with the enemy and was discharged at the end of the agreed terms. He returned home to Charlotte County and married in the fall of 1778. In 1781, he was drafted into service with the Virginia Militia under Captain Gideon Spencer. His company joined General Robert Lawson’s brigade and were stationed at Little York in the state of New York as backup to General Washington’s forces who took Yorktown, defeating the British and ending the fighting. (The war was not officially ended until the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783.) Edward once again returned to his family in Charlotte County. At some point, Edward moved his family to Kentucky and lived in different locations there before coming to Illinois.
His son, Benjamin S. Day, came to what is now DeWitt Township in 1834 and laid out the village of Marion (now called DeWitt) in 1835. It is likely that Edward, now in his old age, was living in Benjamin’s household. Edward died on April 11, 1837, and is buried in the old section of the DeWitt Cemetery. His gravesite is marked with a DAR Revolutionary War Patriot grave stake. Fun fact: One of his grandsons was William Herndon, Abraham Lincoln’s Springfield law partner.
William Dunham
From the book: William Dunham, died 30 Nov 1833, buried at Old Union Cemetery
William Dunham who died on November 30, 1833, is buried at Union Cemetery on the west edge of Waynesville. (Old Union is located in the middle of a field southwest of Hallsville.) The inscription on his tombstone states he was 50 years old, placing his birth year at 1783, the year the Revolutionary War officially ended. His father, also named William Dunham, is in the DAR Patriot database, but he is buried in Massachusetts. The William Dunham who lived here is credited by some historians with providing the first general store in what would become DeWitt County near Waynesville.
John French
From the book: John French, born 2 Nov 1760, died 17 Feb 1844, buried at McGraw Cemetery, spouse Dolly
Believe it or not, there are 10 DAR-sanctioned Patriots named John French, but none of them is “our” John French. There are actually two Revolutionary War pension applications for our John French, the first filed in Russell County, Kentucky, where he was living in 1833. In it, he said he was born in Richmond County, Virginia, on November 2, 1760. In September of 1779, while he was living in Bedford County, Virginia, he was drafted for three months in the militia under Captain Moses Greer, Colonel Abraham Buford’s regiment. In April of 1780, he volunteered for another three months again under Captain Greer, Colonel Lynch’s regiment, General Lawson’s brigade. In September of the same year, he did another 3-month tour under the same officers during which he was assigned to guard a lead mine, probably one of two located in southwest Virginia. In the spring of 1781, he served three months under Captain Thomas Arthur and now Lieutenant Moses Greer in Colonel Lynch’s regiment. This time, he marched to “the frontier of Virginia country” (probably into what is now Ohio or Kentucky) where there were several skirmishes with the Torries. Finally, in the summer of 1781, he served yet another three months in General Lawson’s brigade for a total of 15 months in service. He claimed he was honorably discharged at the end of each tour of duty, but he left his discharge papers at his father’s when he moved to Kentucky in 1798 and does not know what became of them. He swore to all of this in Russell County court and provided a couple of character witnesses. The review board, however, could not find any paperwork to verify his claim and his pension was denied.
By 1837, John French was living in a part of Macon County that became DeWitt County in 1839. On February 11, he filed for a pension again in Macon County court. This time, the details were a bit different, and he stated that, at age 77, his memory was fading. He said he was born in Rockingham County, Virginia, and he entered the service as a substitute for someone who had been drafted. The remainder of his testimony was more or less a blend of his original claim. Once again, his pension was denied due to a lack of supporting documentation. John appears in the 1840 US Census living in DeWitt County, which was formed just the year before. He died on February 19, 1845.
Apparently, news of his pension denial didn’t make its way down to his family, because in 1852, they filed to claim his benefits. Assisted by John J. McGraw, John’s surviving five children submitted an affidavit in DeWitt County court. The pension office denied their claim for two reasons – no proof of service and the five-year limitation for survivors’ claims had been surpassed. Many years later, someone wrote the pension office to enquire into John French’s record. The response letter states, in part, that after the war, John had moved “to Kentuckey [sic], thence to DeWitt Co. Illinois. Buried 1844 in old abandoned cemetary [sic] within city of Clinton, Illinois.” This is the only solid reference to his burial being at McGraw Cemetery, as no gravestone can be found. (The 1882 DeWitt County history book states the first burial at McGraw was Mason Paine, who died in 1836, though his grave marker has also vanished.)
John French’s probate record is on file in the genealogy library, which confirms his death date was actually February 19, 1845. Within it is the following notice for the auction of French’s 40 acres of land, located in section 33, Clintonia Township, about a mile southwest of Clinton. This was published for six consecutive weeks in The Western Whig, which was the precursor to the Bloomington Pantagraph newspaper.
Was John French a Revolutionary War soldier? He, his family and friends swore to it. Was he buried at McGraw Cemetery? Probably.
James Samuel Fruit
From the book: James Samuel Fruit, born 13 Nov 1762 in Orange County NC, died 9 Oct 1834, buried at Tunbridge Cemetery, spouses (Unknown) Clark and Mary Reeder
James Fruit was confirmed as a Patriot by the DAR many years ago, but his profile has been “flagged” due to inconsistency in his service record. According to family records, he was born in what is now Orangeburg County, South Carolina, on Nov. 13, 1762. User-submitted data on Ancestry indicates he joined the local militia in 1778 at the age of 16, but the only existing military documents list a James Fruit in the 1st Pennsylvania Battalion, which is many miles from Orangeburg County. It is likely that his militia group marched to Pennsylvania where he then joined the 1st PA Battalion, but there is not a paper trail to confirm that.
After his service was completed around 1781, he married Martha Clark and settled in North Carolina. There is a record for a land grant of 30 acres to James Fruit in Randolph County. Land was often granted in exchange for military service, but this document does not state that this was the case. There, they had eight children before moving to Christian County, Kentucky, where their last child was born.
Records are more plentiful for James Fruit in Christian County. He served as constable and as a justice of the peace, indicating that he could read and write. There is not a record of Martha’s death, but in 1813, James married a widow named Mary Reeder. James and his second wife came to what is now Tunbridge Township in 1831, which was then part of Macon County. Some of his children settled here soon after, and the Fruit family became owners of several hundred acres.
James Samuel Fruit made a will in 1825 while still living in Kentucky. In it, he provided for his widow with money and personal belongings, though she was legally entitled to her “widow’s third” of his real estate. She later relinquished that right in court. He also bequeathed his “Negro man” named Ed (or Ned) to Elinore Hicks with the stipulation that he not leave Christian County (Kentucky), and upon Elinore’s death, he is to go to Joseph and James Clark. Elinore Hicks’ relationship to James is unknown, though she could have been a sister of his first wife Mary Clark, as the named Joseph and James Clark were her brother and nephew. Since James wrote his will several years before migrating to Illinois, it seems unlikely that he brought his slave with him. It remains true, however, that even though Illinois was a “free” state at that time, there were many loopholes allowing for the keeping of slaves. The local history book states that James and his wife came here alone, even though he would have been 69 and his wife was several years older than him! The will goes on to provide money and land for his living children. Mary, his widow, died in 1838 and is buried in Scott County, Illinois. James died on October 9, 1834, and is buried in Tunbridge Cemetery. His will was entered into probate in Macon County court on May 5, 1835. He has a large tombstone placed many years after his death which he shares with a granddaughter. His gravesite is marked with a DAR Patriot stake.
Family lore indicates that James had one leg amputated below the knee. We do not know when or why – it even could have been during the Revolution. It would be very interesting if we could find out if he walked with crutches or had a peg-leg!
Thomas Glenn
From the book: Thomas Glenn, died 31 Jul 1846, buried at Rock Creek Cemetery (family source)
The Thomas Glenn who was buried at Rock Creek Cemetery died on July 31, 1846, at age 70, making his birth year 1776, too young to be a Patriot. Another Thomas Glenn is found in the history of Waynesville Township, but he moved to Iowa in 1855 and was also too young to be a Patriot. He is the Thomas M. Glenn who appears in the 1840 and 1850 Census for DeWitt County whose reported age places his birth around 1800. There are many Glenns in the DAR Patriot database, but none with the given name Thomas and none buried in Illinois.
James Hurley
From the book: James Hurley, born 1 Apr 1759, died 11 Jan 1850, buried at Campground Cemetery
James Hurley is a DAR-sanctioned Patriot who served under Captain John Stokes, Gloucester County New Jersey Militia. His life experiences are a little hard to track. Most sources give his birth date as April 1, 1761, and that is what it says on his tombstone. Also, most of his milestones in life, such as birth, marriage and the birth of his children, occurred in Monmouth County, which is quite a distance from Gloucester County. During the American Revolution, though, Monmouth County was deeply involved in political upheaval and home to several battles, which may have temporarily displaced the Hurley family. It does not appear that James ever filed for a pension, but perhaps he didn’t serve the required 6 months to qualify.
The 1830 Federal Census for Dover Township, Monmouth County, new Jersey, lists “James Hirley” as a head of household. It records James and a female, presumably his wife, Lydia, as being in the age range 60-69. Lydia apparently died soon after that because there is a land record in which James sold 50 acres in the same county and township, but her name does not appear in the deed. (Women were legally entitled to a one-third share of their husband’s property upon his death, therefore, they had to give their consent for the property to be sold.) This deed is dated February 5, 1833, and might very well be when James decided to come to Illinois.
James’ son Dennis Hurley is credited with being the first settler in Santa Anna township, arriving around 1830. Richard Kirby, who was married to James’ daughter Sarah Hurley, arrived soon after. In Richard Kirby’s household in the 1840 Census for DeWitt County, there is a male aged 70-79. I believe this is James, now living with his daughter and son-in-law. (Richard’s father died in 1822 in New Jersey.) The Hurley family, and Mr. Kirby, too, acquired a lot of land in Santa Anna Township, and Kirby was probably the original owner of the parcel where Campground Cemetery is located. James Hurley’s lovely modern tombstone, erected in 2006 by one of his descendants, is inscribed “Veteran – Revolutionary War.” The back bears a bronze Sons of the American Revolution medallion.
Peter Jones
From the book: Peter Jones, born 1752, died 1829, spouse Rebecca Scott
Peter Jones, who was born in 1752 and died in 1829 and was married to Rebecca Scott is indeed a DAR Patriot – but he’s buried in Pennsylvania! The Peter Jones buried in DeWitt County is also a DAR-sanctioned Patriot who served under Captain Peregrine Brown in the 6th Company, 26th Battalion, Kent County Maryland Militia. He was born in Kent County in 1760 and was married to Mary Branson.
Sometime after the war, Peter apparently went to North Carolina, where he met and married Mary Branson, daughter of Loyalist Eli Branson. The Bransons were living a quiet life on land Eli had inherited, and family lore tells us that he wished to remain neutral in the matter of independence. Eventually, though, he was pressured in to joining the British Army, and at one point had achieved the rank of Captain. After the war, he moved around quite a bit, even spending some time in Canada, but eventually ended up in Abbeville, South Carolina, where he died in 1796. Both the 1882 and 1891 history books mention Peter Jones, but oddly do not include the fact that he participated in the Revolution!
Peter and Mary started their family in North Carolina, probably Chatham County. By 1805, they were living in Ohio, and by 1814, in Indiana, according to the reported birthplaces of their children. Peter appears as head of household in the 1830 and 1840 Census records for Indiana, but by 1840, he is enumerated in DeWitt County. Along with a son-in-law, Hiram Crum, he entered 80 acres with the land office located in section 21 in what is now Waynesville Township, roughly a mile northeast of the village of Waynesville. He died there and was buried at an unknown location on the 4th of July, 1842. (DAR sets his death date as July 3rd.) Mary died in 1846, and both are believed to be buried in Union Cemetery on the west edge of Waynesville, but no records remain.
Peter and Mary’s children had a great impact on Waynesville Township. Daughter Kesiah was married to George Isham, who laid out the village of Waynesville in 1832. Daughter Catherine married Robert Turner and daughter Anna was married to the previously mentioned Hiram Crum. Robert and Hiram got gold fever and went to California in 1849, taking sons from both families along. Robert Turner died there in 1850 or 1851, and Catherine collected his War of 1812 pension. Anna may have already been deceased, but the male Crums remained in California. Peter’s son John Branson Jones became owner of hundreds of acres of land in DeWitt County and was a well-known cattle man. Three more daughters married and raised large families in the Waynesville and Atlanta area.
John Scott
From the book: John Scott, born 29 May 1763 in York County PA, died 13 Mar (or Nov) 1847, buried at Rock Creek Cemetery, spouses Ann Craytin and Nancy Keith
John Scott testified in his pension application that he was born in York County, Pennsylvania, and other sources confirm the date of May 29, 1763. In 1780, he was living in Washington County, Pennsylvania, where he enlisted with the mounted volunteers. He served as a private under Captain James Dysart and Colonel William Campbell. (Campbell’s name is misspelled by the clerk who recorded John’s testimony as “Camble” and later was interpreted as “Gamble” on some documents.) In October of that year, he participated in the battle of King’s Mountain in North Carolina, an important win for the Continental Army. Then on March 6, 1781, they suffered a loss at Wetzell’s Mill in North Carolina. In this battle, John stated he lost his horse, saddle and bridle, valued at $60.00. He was discharged soon after this, but he said, being nearly 300 miles from home (it was more like 200) and he being afoot, he did not reach home until May.
John’s pension application was approved, and his payments began in 1834. His name also appears in the DAR Patriot database.
Around 1782, John Scott married, but most family trees on Ancestry name his wife as Sarah Kincannon rather than Ann Craytin. Regardless of her name, one child was born to that union, then that wife apparently died. John then married Nancy Keith, who bore him as many as 15 more children (unconfirmed). The growing family moved from Virginia to South Carolina, then to Tennessee, then to Indiana before ending up in Illinois. The 1882 history book says he came to what is now DeWitt County in 1824, but he was most likely in Sangamon County at that time, coming here about three years after that. John had a granddaughter named Elizabeth (daughter of Andrew Scott) who married John Maxwell. In the 1830 US Census for Tazewell County (believe it or not, some of current DeWitt County was part of Tazewell County then) the John Maxwell household includes one male age 60-69 and one female age 50-59. They are most likely John Scott and his wife Nancy. DeWitt became its own county in 1839, and the 1840 Census for the John Maxwell household lists, under the heading “Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services,” John Scott, age 77. (There is not an elderly female included in this enumeration, as Nancy died in 1838.) John’s tombstone states that he died March 13, 1847. He and his wife are both buried at Rock Creek Cemetery east of Waynesville. In the early 1970’s, some of John’s descendants replaced his old broken tombstone with one inscribed with his name, birth and death dates, and the words, “A Revolutionary Soldier.” It is marked with a DAR Patriot grave stake.
William Taylor
From the book: William Taylor, died 25 Aug 1821, buried in “Woodlawn Cemetery near Clinton”
There were no burials in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Clinton until 1861, and in fact, the first known burial of a white person in what is now DeWitt County occurred in 1825. No record of a William Taylor could be found in that time period in what is now DeWitt County. There are many DAR Patriots named William Taylor, but they are all buried elsewhere.
William Vincent (Vinson)
From the book: William Vincent (Vinson), born 1759 in Hampshire County VA, died 1836, buried at Rock Creek Cemetery
The details of William Vinson’s life have been difficult to sort out. Many sources repeat the “fact” that he was born in Virginia, but his pension application, in his own words, states that his birthplace was Wake County, North Carolina, in 1766. He further states, “I have no record of my age, but have it by tradition and so have kept it.” This is not unusual for those times, as many people then did not keep a calendar, nor did they celebrate birthdays as we do today. They had only what was told to them by their parents or other family.
In 1781, William was living in Montgomery County, North Carolina, where he volunteered as a substitute for a man named Aaron Mathis for a three-month tour of duty in the militia. He enlisted in late August under General Griffith Rutherford, Colonel William Lofton, Major Thomas Harris, and a captain and lieutenant also named Harris. His unit had several skirmishes with the Torries and were stationed near a bridge 12 miles from British-held Wilmington when news came that Cornwallis had surrendered. The British abandoned the area and the men were discharged. William said he arrived home in December and never received any pay for his service. (The most common paper trail for a Revolutionary War soldier is his pay vouchers, of which there are none for this William Vinson.) He did receive discharge papers, but those became lost over the years. A man named William McGhee swore that he served with Vinson, and his character witnesses were James K. Scott (son of Patriot John Scott) and John P. Glenn (William’s son-in-law). He filed for a pension in McLean County court on December 2, 1833, but it was denied due to the requirement of serving six months or more to qualify.
William Vinson married Elizabeth “Lucy” Guthrie on January 22, 1787 in Wake County, North Carolina. He is enumerated there on the new nation’s first Census in 1790. The young family soon moved to Kentucky where many of their children were born. William sold his land in Adair County, Kentucky on May 30, 1818, which is likely when they struck out for Illinois, which achieved statehood on December 3 of that year. In the 1820 Census, the William “Vincent” family is recorded in Madison County, which covered much of the west half of the state at the time. In 1830, he is recorded in Tazewell County, which claimed the north-western townships of what is now DeWitt County. On the same page, we find James K. Scott, John Vinson (William’s son), John McGraw, John P. Glenn (his son-in-law) and John Young (whose daughter would marry William’s son, also named William).
The 1882 DeWitt County history book states the first settlers in what would be Wapella Township were John P. Glenn, William Vinson and John Young. It goes on to state William Vinson entered 80 acres in section 23 (about 3 miles north of where Wapella is now) in 1829. Then it says that Vinson and Glenn migrated to Iowa. All of this is accurate, except it does not take into account that there were two William Vinsons, father and son. It is clear from the 1830 Census that the man enumerated age 60-69 is the father, and the male aged 20-29 is probably his son William, who was born in 1805. According to later records, the younger William Vinson (now married to Louisa Young) and John Glenn moved to Iowa between 1836 and 1838. It is believed that the elder William Vinson (and his wife, too) died in 1836, but there does not appear to be an official record of it.
At some point in time, someone, perhaps descendants, placed a monument in Rock Creek Cemetery for William Vinson, Poor’s Regiment, Revolutionary War. It is a military tombstone with a recessed shield motif and raised letters. There is an order record for this stone dated August 25, 1902. William’s pension application
does not mention “Poor’s Regiment,” and while there was such a group, it was part of the Continental Army from New Hampshire. There is a William Vincent in the DAR Patriots’ database, but it is not our man. There are some military records for a William Vinson or Vincent from North Carolina, but that man was married to a woman named Rebecca and never left that state. There is no doubt that “our” William Vinson was a Patriot, just the details are a little different! His tombstone has an American Legion veterans stake beside it.
Elijah Walden
From the book: Elijah Walden, born 15 May 1766, died 16 May 1856, buried at Walden Family Cemetery
There is an Elisha Walden in the DAR Patriot database with different birth and death dates who is buried in Ohio. No documentation could be found to indicate that this Elisha Walden was also a Revolutionary War soldier. The two men were likely confused for each other.
Jeremiah Weedman
From the book: Jeremiah Weedman, born 20 Oct 1763, died 28 Jan 1856, buried at Campground Cemetery
Jeremiah Weedman might have been old enough to serve before the end of the Revolution, which was not until September 3, 1783. His name appears on the “1929 Illinois Roll of Honor,” a list of all known Illinois veterans prior to 1929, but it does not indicate which war. (Could it have been the War of 1812? No record found.) DAR has a Patriot named Jeremiah Woodman, buried in New Hampshire, but not one Patriot with the surname Weedman. No pension application for service in the Revolution could be found for him, either. His probate record is on file at the genealogy library, but it offers no insight into military service.
Today, we have multiple forms of identification, from social security numbers to drivers’ licenses. Before 1850, most people didn’t even have a middle name to distinguish them from another person. There were few birth or death records other than some church logs or family bibles with dates written in. Two men with the same name might be distinguished from each other by their wife’s name, but marriage records were pretty hit-n-miss, too. Still, it’s amazing what records did survive time and the rapid expansion of settlement after the Revolution. One rule about genealogy research is that you must keep an open mind and be willing to change a “fact” when new information turns up! Be sure to visit the DeWitt County Genealogical Society table on the square during the Clinton Celebrates America 250 event on the 4th of July to pick up a handout of the Patriots buried here.
Sources
Soldiers of the American Revolution Buried in Illinois, Illinois State Genealogical
Society, published 1976
Illinois State Archives online (ilsos.gov)
Bureau of Land Management Records (glorecords.blm.gov)
National Archives (archives.gov)
United States Federal Census
History of DeWitt County, Illinois, W. R. Brink & Co., Philadelphia, 1882
Portrait and Biographical Album of DeWitt and Piatt Counties, Ill., Chapman
Brothers, Chicago, 1891
DeWitt County Probate Records, 1839-1950
Terri Lemmel was born and raised in DeWitt County near Kenney. Upon completing her education at Clinton High School, she lived in Bloomington for several years before returning to Clinton in 1990. Her interest in genealogy was piqued in the mid-90s when she found unidentified obituaries in her late grandmother's scrapbook that family members could not identify. While she initially dabbled in the subject, it wasn't until her retirement in 2018 that she jumped in with both feet. Terri joined the Genealogical Society and has been serving as its President since 2022. Research is a passion of hers, and there are lots of interesting stories to uncover! You can find Terri in the DeWitt County Genealogical Society room at the Vespasian Warner Public Library every Thursday completing research and helping others with their family and local history research.
To learn more about the DeWitt County Genealogical Society, feel free to reach out to them via phone at 217-935-5174, email at dewittcgs@gmail.com, their website, or their Facebook page.
The Vespasian Warner Library, located at 310 N. Quincy St. in Clinton, IL, features an extensive collection of local history and archives. To learn more, visit our Local History Page on the website or stop by in person! We are always excited to showcase our local history resources and discuss DeWitt County's local history.
Until Next Time Library Friends!
