Joseph Washington Hartwell was born in Williamson County on March 12, 1839. He was the sixth of twelve children and the first child of his family born in Illinois. His parents were Lorenzo Dow Hartwell, Sr. (1803-1866) and Sicily Harriet Hodges (1809-1881), daughter of Lewis Hodges and Elizabeth Doss. Both of his parents came from Franklin County, Virginia. Lorenzo D., settled in the South East quarter of Lake Creek Township. This land includes 160 acres in the south east quarter in Section 29, Township 8S, Range 3East.
In the 1850 census, Joseph W. was ten years old living in the home of his parents with his nine sisters and brothers; James, William H., Elizabeth, Franklin, Riley, Lorenzo Dow Hartwell Jr., George W., Mary A., and Sarah A. Hartwell. His father was a farmer whose land was valued at $500.
On November 5, 1858, Joseph married Martha O’Daniel, daughter of Ignatius O’Daniel, an ordained Missionary Baptist preacher, and Elizabeth A. Murden. Martha had been born in Illinois on September 14, 1839.
In 1860 Joseph, Martha and their first child were living in T8 R3E in Lake Creek Township in Williamson County. He was a farmer and had no land and his personal property was valued at $50.
In August 1861, Joseph W. and two of his brothers, Riley Smith Hartwell and Lorenzo D. Hartwell, Jr. enlisted in Co. F 31st Regiment Illinois Volunteers. His enlistment record says that he was 5’9 1/2” tall, had light hair, a fair complexion and hazel eyes. The unit organized by John Logan, with less than 2 months training, took part in the battle of Belmont, Mo. Joseph W. fought in the battles of Raymond, Champion Hill, Vicksburg, and Kennesaw Mountain among many others. His left arm was blown off by a 12 pound howitzer in the battle of Atlanta on Jul 21 1864. According to ‘The Hartwell Family’ by J.L.D. Hartwell, “he suffered much during the long hot day while the battle was raging before he had any medical and surgical attention”. He was discharged in 1864 because of his wounds and returned home in March 1865.
After he returned from the war he attended school in 1865 and got his law degree in December 1866 and was admitted to the Williamson County Bar Association. He was elected County Treasurer in the fall of 1865. In 1868 he was elected Circuit Clerk.
In the 1870 census Joseph and his family were living in Marion where he was serving as Williamson County Circuit clerk. Living with them was Nancy O’Daniel, 16, probably Martha’s relative. Also members of the household were Dow Hartwell, his brother, a lawyer, and William Willeford, 21, the county deputy circuit clerk.
In April of 1874, Hartwell was elected Mayor of Marion and interestingly, the author of the History of Williamson County written in 1875, Milo Erwin, served as city clerk under Hartwell.
Following his one year term, on May 15th, 1875, he was elected State’s Attorney. This was the year when a number of murders related to the Bloody Vendetta occurring on the west side of the county took place and therefore the associated criminal trials connected to them that were tried in Marion at the court house.
As prosecutor, he “acquired much fame by taking the lead in ferreting out and prosecuting all the members of the gang connected with the great “Bloody Vendetta” of Williamson County”. “He regarded this as his most successful part of his official career. Whatever reputation he may have made as a criminal lawyer, it was made then.”
In the 1880 census they were enumerated with their six remaining children; their oldest son, Daniel Webster Hartwell, having died in 1875. The 1880 census has Joseph listed as L.D. Hartwell. The people in the household are Martha and his children. So it probably was an error made by the census taker, a not uncommon event. Joseph was a lawyer and his son, Henry Clay Hartwell, was a farmer. His mother, Sicily H. Hartwell also lived with them. In August of this year he, a Republican, made a speech at a “grand blowout at Shakerag.” In January of 1881 he served as assistant Sergeant-at-arms in the Senate in Springfield. During the 1880’s and 1890’s he was sued for foreclosure eight times.
1900 found them living alone on a farm that was in Marion Precinct, but not in the city of Marion. All of Martha and Joseph W.’s children had married and moved away. He was 65 and she 62, and they were living in Marion. They owned their own home but it was mortgaged.
Joseph W. Hartwell died September 8, 1903 from acute dysentery and was buried in Lake Creek Cemetery at Spillertown. Memorial services were held by the members of the Marion bar, in his honor, at the courthouse. He had been a continuous member of the bar for 37 years and had been drawing $55 a month pension for his wounds in the war.
Martha applied for his accrued pension from July to September after his death saying that she lived in their house, a five rom, one story, frame shingled roof house. The house and lot were reasonably worth $750 and theirs was a $350 mortgage and a $73.25 material lien against it. She had $200 in the Williamson County Savings Bank at Marion to help pay for the mortgage and living expenses. Her attorney was George W. Young. She was given $8 a month pension as a widow
Martha passed away on October 11, 1907 and was buried in Spillertown at the Lake Creek Cemetery along with scores of other Hartwell family members.
Joseph and Martha had seven children:
Daniel Webster Hartwell 1860-1875
Della Ann Hartwell 1863-1916
Henry Clay Hartwell 1865-1922
Alice Hartwell 1867-
Abraham Lincoln Hartwell 1870-1958
Maude Hartwell 1874-1940
Andrew Duff Hartwell 1878-1941
Daniel Webster Hartwell died at the age of 15 on December 3, 1875 and was buried at Lake Creek Cemetery. He was a student at Southern Illinois Normal and a member of Friends of Temperance.
Della Hartwell married Samuel Onstott in 1853. They had 4 children: Joseph Hartwell Onstott, 1890; Harvey O’Daniel Onstott, 1892; Anise Onstott, 1894 and Mary, 1897.
Henry Clay Hartwell was born on November 10, 1865 and married Louisa Katherine Roberts in 1893. They had 4 children: Alice Hartwell, 18894; Maude Hartwell, 1896; Casey Hartwell, 1897 and Webster Hartwell, 1908. Henry C. died on August 13, 1922 in West Marion Township in Williamson County, Illinois, with burial at Lake Creek Cemetery.
Alice Hartwell married Edward Barrow in 18890 in Denver, Colorado. They had: Hulda, 1891; Maude D., 1892 who married Ralph Braxton; and Marie, 1895. Alice died in 1935 in Los Angeles, CA.
Abraham L. Hartwell married Etta Groves in 1895 in Williamson County. Their children were Hannah L., 1895; Mabel, 1899; Elbert, 1901 and Pauline, 1902. He is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Marion.
Maude Hartwell married Austin Chamness.
Andrew Duff Hartwell married Fannie Swartz of Carbondale. He died in 1941 in Los Angeles. They had no children.
(Extracted from obituary clippings; Federal Census Records; Civil War soldier records; Ancestry.com; ‘The Hartwell Family’ by J.L.D. Hartwell; compiled by Colleen Norman)