William James Carter was born on November 27, 1857 to John Henry Carter and Louisa Jane Croslin. No obit was located for James but he was almost certainly born in Williamson County on the east side. The first census record he was located on was in what was then called Saline Precinct that we today call Stonefort Township in the SE corner of the county. In the 1880 census, his 47 year old father John H. and 46 year old mother Louiza were farming and had five children in the home at the time, Samuel 25, W.J. 19, Martha 13, Enola 11 and Rufus aged 7.
Continue readingCharles Benjamin Robertson was born on September 2, 1865 to Joseph Robertson and Candace Caroline Dean. According to his obit, Charles was born in Marion, however, the first census record he was found in was the 1870 census and the family was living on a farm in Southern Township at that time near Pulley’s Mill. His father, Joseph 56, and mother, Candace C. 44 were working the farm and had nine children including 4 year old Charles. His sibling’s names were Thomas, Mary, Sarah, Martha, Eugene, Lucy, Jasper, & Arabelle. His father owned the farm they lived on and valued the real estate at $1,000 and his personal estate at $600.
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David Denzil Hancock was born on August 1, 1940 to Elsberry Hancock and Mary Ruth Frick on a small farm in the Polk Precinct of Pope County in an area called Oak, near what is now Herod, Illinois. This is where the farming family was located during the 1940 census in May 1940, months before David was born. At that time, his father, Elsberry, was 55, 22 years older than his wife Mary Ruth aged 33. Children in the home then were Rodman 5, Roy J. 2, and Elsberry’s 57 year old single sister, Sarepta Hancock.
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Henry Spurlin Burress was born in Carterville on August 18, 1912 to Spurlin J. Burress and Rie Andrea Henry. Henry’s father was a coal miner and was likely working a local coal mine at the time. By the time the 1920 federal census was taken, his father, 28-year-old Spurlin had moved the family to live in Johnston City at 600 N. Water St. where he worked in another coal mine as an electrician. The family owned the home they lived in but it had a mortgage on it. There were two children in the home, Henry 7 and Juanita aged 1 year, 10 months.
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James Ronald Joyner was born on September 23, 1947 in Carbondale only due to the fact that Marion had no hospital at the time. His parents were Paul M. Joyner and Nita Jo Webb and in the 1950 census were living in Marion at 708 Circle Drive. His father, Paul, had inherited a family business that his father, James C., and two uncles had forged ca 1930 called Joyner Brothers. The business was a wholesale candy and tobacco distribution business located at 408 N. Van Buren Street in Marion.
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