James Silas Johnson was born in Brookport Illinois, Massac County, on June 21, 1900 to John & Mary Johnson. In the 1910 federal census, James was 10 year old. His father was a 41 year old insurance agent for Illinois Mutual Insurance and they were living in Brookport on Crocket Street. His 36 year old mother, Mary, claimed to have given birth to four children but only 3 were living in the home at the time, Paul 14, James 10 and John L. 7.
Continue readingGeorge B. Clore was born on November 2, 1896 on a farm near Golconda, Illinois in Pope County to Robert Clore and Mary Elizabeth Alliston. Robert and Mary had just married in February of 1896 and Mary died in early 1900. By the time the 1900 census was taken, 4 years after George’s birth, the family appear to still be living on the same land with his widowed 38 year old father, Robert, as head of household. Living with George and his father were Robert’s widowed mother, Nancy J. 66, and Robert’s two sisters Lucy 28 and Elizabeth 24. They were renting the farm they lived on.
Continue readingWilliam M. Below was born in Clay County Kentucky on September 16, 1898 to Joseph B. Below and Lucy Williams. His father passed away 2 years later in February of 1900. When the census was taken later that year his widowed 48 year old mother, Lucy, was holding down a farm with six children including 6 year old William. The family was living near Sturgis, Kentucky and living with them was Lucy’s 46 year old brother Samuel S. Dial. Lucy indicated that she had birthed 7 children and 7 were still living.
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Although, Lee Roy Blackburn’s origins are a bit fuzzy, I believe it can be said with some certainty that he was born on June 9, 1879 in the area of Galatia, Illinois in Saline County. His father was Archibald Blackburn and his second wife, and most likely his mother, was Julia Ann Wicks. Roy’s father, Archibald, remarried a third time to Ida Ferrell in 1881 and then passed away in 1898 with burial at Brushy Creek Cemetery in Saline County.
Continue readingAnderson Macklin “Mack” Garrison was born in Saline County to Thomas Wilkerson Garrison and Sarah Jane Miller on February 10, 1862. In the 1870 federal census, the family was living in Saline County and using the Bankston Post Office. Thomas 39 and his wife Sarah 33 then had five children, William J. 18, Lemuel J. 12, Anderson M. 9, Eliza E. 4 and Lucella aged 4 months. The farming family lived on a farm that they valued at $800 and claimed $300 in personal estate.
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