John A. Ensminger was born at Equality in Gallatin County, Illinois, on October 11, 1827 near the salt works. His father was Emanuel Ensminger, who was born in 1777 and died in 1832. His mother was Catherine Davenport, born about 1787. The Ensminger’s were early pioneers to Gallatin County and hardy stock, established by the fact that his father, Emanuel, walked 100 miles and back, to Vincennes, Ind., for a license to marry his wife, which he secured and the couple were united at Shawneetown. Continue reading
Category Archives: Civil
Caleb Tarleton Holland was born Jul 28, 1845 in White Day, Virginia (West Virginia after the 1860’s) to Jacob Holland (1816-1875) and Emily Tarleton (1819-1857). Jake was born in Morgantown, West Virginia and died in Harrisburg, Illinois.
Caleb’s parents, Jacob and Emily, were married in Monongalia County, West Virginia Dec 6, 1837. They had six children: Mollie, Cordelia (1840), Brice (1842-1922), Caleb, Romulus D. “Tobe” (1847), Evaline (1849) all born in West Virginia. Emily died in 1857 and Jake remarried to Sophronia Bogus (1825) in Virginia. They had five children: Lucien (1859), Bruce (1861), Idella (1863), Guy (1865) and Zera (1868). Continue reading
Robert M. Allen, Marion Alderman and county sheriff, was born about 1840, the son of Willis Allen (1806-1859) and Elizabeth Joiner (1803-1862).
Robert’s father, Willis Allen, was born in Roanoke, Virginia, and worked as a farmer in Tennessee before moving to Franklin (now Williamson) County, Illinois in 1830. There he studied law and became a practicing attorney in Marion. Willis was elected sheriff of Franklin County in 1836 and served as the state representative in 1838. Continue reading
Samuel Cover, Marion Trustee, Postmaster, saddle maker and Civil War veteran, arrived in Jonesboro, Illinois when he was four years old. He was the last of ten children born to Daniel Cover and Susannah (Hahn) Cover and was born in Pipe Creek, Carroll County, Maryland in 1835. Soon after Samuel’s birth, his father died, so in 1839 his mother gathered her brood of children and came down the Ohio River, then to Jonesboro, where she settled permanently and purchased a lot on August 15, 1840 from John McIntosh, Lot #5 in his addition to the town of Jonesboro. Her children were all educated in Maryland and Jonesboro. Her three oldest children, Hiram, Daniel and Catherine were all married in Jonesboro before 1842. Continue reading
Amzi Franklin White, druggist, postmaster of Marion, real estate agent and land agent for the Illinois Central railroad was born in Johnson County, September 4, 1847, the son of John H. and Emily A. (McCoy) White, natives respectively of Connecticut and Tennessee. Amzi’s father was John H. White, county clerk, lieutenant-colonel of the 31st Illinois infantry and first county casualty of the Civil War. See his biography at John H. White. Continue reading
