Humphrey Horrabin’s age kept him from fighting in the Civil War, but he firmly sided with the Union. In 1868, he received the Republican nomination for Representative to the 26th General Assembly, and he won the election, beating Democrat Henry W. Kreider.

Humphrey Horrabin represented the district in the Illinois General Assembly between January 4,1869 and adjournment, April 20,1869.He was an active member of the Liberty Methodist Episcopal Church and the temperance league.

Humphrey Horrabin’s wife, Elizabeth, died in 1870. In 1872, the widowed Horrabin sailed back to England to visit his aged mother, and while there met a woman by the name of Mary Ockleshaw. They married in Lancashire on August 14, 1872, and Humphrey brought his new bride to his home in Blandinsville Township. In 1876, the final Horrabin child was
born, a son named Humphrey James Horrabin.

According to the Macomb Daily Journal, The Honorable Humphrey Horrabin died at home in his chair on July 18, 1887 from heart problems. He was five months short, 70 years old. His son, Humphrey James Horrabin, took over the farm with his wife, Clara (Keys) and their four children. Humphrey Horrabin’s grandson, H. Waldo Horrabin, was well-known as a
great educator, exceptional science teacher, and genius mentor. The lab school on Western Illinois University’s campus bears his name and he helped design the building.

The brick house that Humphrey Horrabin built is still standing and occupied today. Additions were added to it over the years. From an apprentice shoemaker to a family that left a lasting mark on McDonough County, the Horrabins built more than a home, they built a legacy on the prairie.

This Pioneers of the Past is furnished by Lori Boyer of the McDonough County Genealogical Society, facebook.com/mcdcgs. For more Pioneers of the Past, go to https://www.mcdcgs.com/pioneers-of-the-past/

Farmers were among the first pioneers to settle in McDonough County, and
merchants soon followed. One of the earliest and most successful was
Nathaniel Park Tinsley, better known throughout the county as N. P. Tinsley.
N. P. was born in Virginia in 1810, the fifth child of David and Mahalia Cox
Tinsley. Sometime after the birth of their sixth child in 1812, the family packed
up and moved west to Adair County, Kentucky, seeking new opportunities on
the frontier.

In the early 1830s, N. P. and his older brother, Seth, left Kentucky for Illinois.

Historians disagree on the exact year N. P. arrived in McDonough County, but most place his arrival in either 1835 or 1836. Shortly after arriving, he
purchased an interest in a general merchandise store in Macomb. By 1837, he had built a two-story frame store on the north side of the courthouse square.

As Macomb grew, so did Tinsley’s business interests. In 1838, he sold several town lots he owned in Petersburg, Illinois, including many to his brother Seth.

That same year, he married Telitha C. Walker, daughter of Joseph and Mariah Collins Walker, members of another well-known pioneer family of McDonough County.

While Tinsley’s business prospered, the 1840s brought personal heartbreak.
Three young children—sons Seth and Edwin and an infant daughter—died in
infancy. His mother died in Kentucky in 1842, followed by his father in 1848.
The greatest loss came in 1847 when Telitha died, leaving N. P. to raise their
young daughter, Mary. Of all their children, Mary would be the only one to
reach adulthood.

Despite these tragedies, Tinsley’s dry goods business flourished during the
1850s. A glance through Macomb newspapers from that era reveals nearly
weekly advertisements for his store. Customers could find everything from
clothing, boots, and bonnets to hardware, saddlery, china, paints, and
medicines. His store became one of the best-known businesses in the county.
Tinsley’s commitment to the community became especially evident during
the eƯort to build a new courthouse. By the mid-1860s, the old courthouse
had fallen into disrepair, placing valuable county records at risk. At the same
time, citizens of Bushnell were campaigning to move the county seat from
Macomb.

County oƯicials estimated that Macomb should contribute $20,000 toward
construction of a new courthouse, but progress stalled when local support
failed to materialize. Seeing the importance of keeping the county seat in
Macomb, N. P. Tinsley stepped forward and pledged $5,000 of his own money
toward the project. His leadership helped move the eƯort forward.
Construction finally began, and by the summer of 1872 McDonough County
had the courthouse that still stands as one of the county’s most recognizable
landmarks. Newspaper accounts later reported that Tinsley was reimbursed
after the project was completed.

The Tinsley family’s influence continued through N. P.’s daughter, Mary. In
1868 she married Civil War veteran Albert Eads, who later became a
bookkeeper and eventually president of Union National Bank of Macomb. N. P.
himself had been a co-founder of the bank, purchasing its second stock
certificate.

Albert and Mary Eads had two daughters, Eleanor and Maggie. In 1892,
Eleanor married James W. Bailey, linking the family to another prominent
Macomb banking family. Their daughter, Mary Bailey Ewing, would later
become well known throughout the community for her many philanthropic
eƯorts.

Nathaniel Park Tinsley died in Macomb in 1882 at the age of 70. He is buried in Oakwood Cemetery near the town he helped build. Telitha Walker Tinsley rests in Camp Creek Cemetery alongside her young children and among members of the Walker family. Large stone columns mark the graves of both N. P. and Telitha, serving as lasting reminders of two pioneers whose
contributions helped shape McDonough County’s history.

Pioneers of the Past is furnished by Julie L. Terstriep, of the McDonough
County Genealogical Society, facebook.com/mcdcgs. For more Pioneers of
the Past, go to https://www.mcdcgs.com/pioneers-of-the-past/

Vandiver Banks was among the earliest of settlers of what would be called Rock Creek Township – later changed to Hire Township. His first name is sometimes written as Vandever. Banks located there in 1836 what later would be the south-west quarter of section 30 and immediately erected a house thereon, and soon afterward purchased other land. He was successful in all his undertakings and at the time of his death had acquired considerable property. An 1871 map shows the additional land purchase in section 31.

Vandiver Banks was born in Adair County, Kentucky, April 16, 1804; a son of Vandever and Elizabeth (Walford) Banks, the former a native of Maryland, the latter was a Virginian by birth. During his early life, Vandiver worked at the carpentry trade. He was a successful farmer in Hire Township.

He was married to Loraner A. Sharpe August 31, 1826 in Kentucky. Together they had eleven children: five of whom were living in 1885 – Elizabeth W., the wife of Thomas Massie of Hancock County; Sarah M., the wife of John M. Lyon; James C., Millard T. and Job V., all residents of Hire Township

Vandiver was described as well-known throughout the county, being highly respected by all with whom he formed an acquaintance with. In the 1878 History of McDonough County, it was written that he was an influential citizen of McDonough County for over forty years and always bore a prominent part in the affairs of the county. When the Morman troubles came to a fevered head in nearby Hancock County, Banks was one of the McDonough County volunteers to push the Mormans from Nauvoo. Mr. Banks was elected captain of one of the companies and as such served through the continuance of the armed disturbance.

In 1856, he was the Whig candidate for member of the legislature and although the county was democratic, so popular was Banks that he received a majority of the votes cast, but through some error regarding a judge’s signature in Prairie City’s roll books, his opponent, George Hire, was called the winner. In 1861, Banks ran for Highway Commissioner of Hire Township. He served as a director of the one-room school of District No. 9.

Although too old to enlist in the Civil War, Vandever Banks showed his devotion to the Union by donating time and money to the cause. After the war, he volunteered to raise funds in his township to erect the soldier’s monument in Macomb to commemorate the services and sacrifices of those who had fallen in defense of our country.

The death of Vandiver Banks occurred June 26, 1876, after an illness of some six months duration, and was caused by a cancerous affliction of the stomach. Vandiver Banks was 72 years 2 months 10 days at the time of his death. He is buried in the Banks Cemetery, Hire

Township, on the land he first settled. There are many of his descendants still living in McDonough County.

This Pioneers of the Past is furnished by Lori Boyer of the McDonough County Genealogical Society, facebook.com/mcdcgs. For more Pioneers of the Past, go to https://www.mcdcgs.com/pioneers-of-the-past/

Rigdon Huston came from one of the early pioneer families of Illinois. The
Hustons first lived in Virginia before moving to White County, Tennessee, and
then on to McDonough County during the early days of Illinois settlement.
Rigdon was born here on October 27, 1833, making him a true son of
McDonough County.

Not much has been written about his younger years. He was one of eight
children born to John and Anna Melvin Huston, but the records and stories he
left behind paint the picture of a hardworking man who was satisfied to spend
his life right here at home while still leaving a lasting mark on the county.
In 1854, at only 21 years old, Rigdon helped settle the estate of his
grandfather, John Huston, serving as executor along with William Berry. By
then, the Huston family already had deep roots in the county and owned
valuable land in the area.

On December 24, 1857, Rigdon married Caroline Charter. Caroline was the
daughter of Jonathan and Nancy Ward Charter. Sadly, her father had passed
away only a month before the wedding.

By the time of the 1860 Federal Census, Rigdon and Caroline were building
both a family and a successful farming operation. Their oldest son, Theodore,
was just a year old, and another son, James Allen, would be born later that
same year. Caroline’s younger brother and sister, Harrison and Laura Charter,
were also living in the household. The young couple had already accumulated
real estate worth $9,000, a considerable amount for the time.

Over the next decade, the Huston cattle business grew quickly. The 1870
census showed Rigdon and Caroline raising four sons — Theodore, James
Allen, Charles Rigdon, and John Henry. Three young hired men also lived on
the farm, likely helping with the cattle work. By then, the family’s land holdings
were valued at $55,000, showing just how successful the operation had
become. The last Huston child, Louella Huston (Mrs. Charles Lambert
Blandin) was born in 1879.

Rigdon was not only known for his cattle business, but also for serving his
community. During the 1870s, he served as a petit juror, sat on the Board of
Trustees for Abingdon College, served on the McDonough County Board of
Supervisors, and helped with the county’s Centennial Celebration Committee
in 1876.

By the late 1870s, the Huston name had become well known in cattle circles.
Histories of McDonough County praised the cattle raised by Rigdon and his
son. Their operation, known as Hilldale Stock Farm, covered 1,250 acres in
northeastern Blandinsville Township. The farm specialized in Durham
Shorthorn cattle, one of the finest breeds of the day. Writers of the time
claimed that “no man was better versed in cattle lore” than Rigdon Huston.
The Hustons owned 127 head of registered cattle, and some animals were
valued at astonishing prices. In fact, one history book recorded that in 1881
Rigdon Huston & Son made what was said to be the largest private cattle
purchase in the United States up to that time. They paid Colonel LeG. Cannon
of Vermont $50,000 for 32 head of prized Shorthorn cattle, including several
animals of famous bloodlines.

After a life spent building cattle herds and serving his neighbors, Rigdon
Huston died in the same county where he had been born on May 17, 1887.
Caroline outlived him by another 27 years. Just a year after Rigdon’s death,
she found herself in court fighting a Bloomington insurance company that
refused to pay on his life insurance policy. Even after his passing, the Huston
name continued making news in McDonough County.

Pioneers of the Past is furnished by Julie L. Terstriep, of the McDonough County
Genealogical Society, facebook.com/mcdcgs. For more Pioneers of the Past, go to
https://www.mcdcgs.com/pioneers-of-the-past/

Revolutionary War
Patriot buried in McDonough County

William Willard lived a long and remarkable life, but even he was not entirely
certain when it began. His parents told him he was born in 1755 in Loudoun
County, Virginia, yet the many years he spent traveling between military
camps, frontier forts, and new settlements left few records behind.

According to his Revolutionary War pension file, Willard volunteered for
military service in July 1778 near Leesburg, Virginia. Because he could neither
read nor write, he kept no personal records to document his service. Years
later, while applying for a pension in Illinois, he testified before a judge that he
marched from Leesburg to Winchester and then served at several frontier
posts, including Fort Pitt, Fort Shepherd, and Fort Wheeling. After more than
seven months of service, he returned home to Virginia.

About two and a half years later, Willard enlisted again. This time he marched
to Richmond and later served under the command of General Lafayette during
the closing stages of the war. He remained in service until the surrender of
Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781. His military discharge was eventually
lost, but his testimony and supporting evidence were enough for him to
receive a pension.

After the war, Willard married Jane Cooke. The couple first settled in
Tennessee before moving north to Morgan County, Illinois. There, Willard
successfully applied for and received his Revolutionary War pension.
Following Jane’s death in 1833, Willard moved to McDonough County to live
with his daughter Mary and her husband, John McCord. By then he was well
into his eighties. The 1840 federal census lists him in the McCord household
and notes his age as 89 years. At the time, he was likely the oldest resident in
McDonough County.

William Willard spent his final years in the county and was buried in Atkinson
Cemetery, now located within Argyle Lake State Park.

In 2023, members of the National Society Daughters of the American
Revolution’s General Macomb Chapter placed a marker at Willard’s grave
recognizing his Revolutionary War service. Numerous descendants attended
the ceremony, honoring a man whose life stretched from the days of the
American Revolution to the pioneer era of McDonough County.

Today, dozens of descendants continue to trace their lineage to William
Willard, preserving the memory of one of the county’s earliest and oldest
settlers.

Pioneers of the Past is furnished by Julie L. Terstriep, of the McDonough
County Genealogical Society, facebook.com/mcdcgs. For more Pioneers of
the Past, go to https://www.mcdcgs.com/pioneers-of-the-past/

Imagine stepping back in time and meeting the John Mustain family as they
arrived in McDonough County in the fall of 1832. It would have been quite a
sight. John and his wife, Elizabeth, were traveling west with nine children,
including 6-month-old George.

According to S. J. Clarke’s History of McDonough County, John was “a large
portly man, of good appearance, pleasant and agreeable.” Their son, Thomas
A. Mustain, stood over six feet tall and weighed about 215 pounds. The
Mustains were a family that did not go unnoticed.

John was born in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, in 1782. His early life was
diƯicult. Orphaned at the age of four, he was apprenticed to a hatter. After
several years, he decided carpentry was a better fit and spent more than thirty
years working in that trade.

Records show that John began purchasing land in Virginia as early as 1812. By
1832, however, he and Elizabeth had decided to seek a new life in the West.
They sold their property, including land Elizabeth had inherited from her
father, Nathan Glenn, and headed for Illinois.

After arriving in McDonough County, John purchased 400 acres near Job’s
Settlement for $1.25 per acre. Even after buying the land, he still had several
hundred dollars in gold coins from a bank in Lynchburg, Virginia. The problem
was that few local residents knew the value of the coins and were reluctant to
accept them.

Someone suggested that Mustain speak with James M. Campbell in Macomb.
Riding into town, Mustain stopped a man and asked where he could find the
Circuit Clerk.

“I am the Circuit Clerk,” the man replied.
Embarrassed, Mustain explained that he was actually looking for the County
Clerk.

“I am the County Clerk,” came the answer.
Then Mustain asked who served as Postmaster.
“You are talking to him,” the man replied.
The man was James M. Campbell.

After hearing Mustain’s situation, Campbell oƯered to take the gold to St.
Louis on his next trip, exchange it, and extend credit so the family could
purchase supplies and get settled. The act of trust marked the beginning of a
lifelong friendship. Campbell later said there was no man he respected more
than John Mustain.

John and Elizabeth raised a large family. Their children included William D.
“W.D.,” Daniel C., Thomas A., Nathan Glenn, Jane (Mrs. Solomon Howard),
John Terry “J.T.,” Elizabeth A. (Mrs. Archibald Owen), James Alexander “J.A.,”
George W., and Gilly or Gella, who was born in McDonough County in 1834.
Elizabeth died in 1863 during the Civil War. John followed in 1869. By that time,
the family had become one of the county’s largest landowners. In 1871, the
Mustains owned more than 3,800 acres in the Sciota and Blandinsville
townships and had more than sixty grandchildren.

Despite their success, the Mustains left little record of civic involvement. No
sketches of their farms appeared in the 1871 McDonough County Atlas. The
family were Democrats in politics but seem to have devoted most of their
attention to farming and raising their families.
Today, the Mustain name can still be found in cemeteries throughout
McDonough County, including the Mustain Family Cemetery, Glade City
Cemetery, and Hillsborough Cemetery. Yet time has a way of changing things.
A look at the modern McDonough County plat book reveals that only one
person bearing the Mustain name still owns a small piece of land in the
county their family helped settle nearly two centuries ago.

Pioneers of the Past is furnished by Julie L. Terstriep, of the McDonough
County Genealogical Society, facebook.com/mcdcgs. For more Pioneers of
the Past, go to https://www.mcdcgs.com/pioneers-of-the-past/

PIONEERS OF THE PAST_#18
It would be easy for Margaret Reno Vance to fade into the early history of
McDonough County, but she was truly one of the county’s founding mothers.
Margaret and her husband, James Vance, arrived in the area in the 1820s
when both were already in their 60s — an age when most settlers of the time
would have avoided the hardships of frontier life. Instead, they chose to leave
Tennessee and help build a new community in what was then an unsettled
wilderness. Their descendants still live in McDonough County today.

Margaret was born in 1762, likely in either Pennsylvania or Tennessee, to John
Reno and Susannah Thorn. At just 19 years old, she married James Vance in
White County, Tennessee, in 1782. Together they raised a large family of 12 or
13 children. Family tradition says Margaret and James traveled to Illinois by ox
team with her nephew, Jonathan Reno, arriving a year before McDonough
County was oƯicially created in 1825.

The journey west would have been diƯicult for anyone, but especially for a
couple their age traveling with family members and possessions into a region
with few roads, homes, or comforts. Margaret’s role in keeping the family
together through those years of migration and settlement was essential. Like
many pioneer women, her work often went unrecorded, yet it was critical to
the family’s survival and success. She spent decades raising children,
supporting the westward move, and helping to establish a permanent home
on the frontier.

Several of the Vance children settled in McDonough County with their parents,
including Mary “Polly”, Agnes “Nancy,” John, William, Martha, and James Jr.
Margaret and James quickly became part of the county’s earliest civic life.
Their youngest daughter, Martha Ramsey Vance, married John Wilson on
October 29, 1828, becoming the first bride to be married in McDonough
County. James Sr. later served as a Justice of the Peace and performed many
of the county’s earliest marriages before his death in 1835.

Even in old age, Margaret remained the center of her family. In 1840, at the age
of 78, she was listed as head of a household that likely included her
unmarried daughters Mary “Polly” and Agnes “Nancy.” By 1850, Margaret was
88 years old and living with her youngest son, James. Polly and Nancy, both in
their 60s, are listed as living at James’s.

Today, east of Industry along the Vermont blacktop, the quiet Vance Cemetery
rests among the rich farm fields of McDonough County. More than a dozen
descendants of James and Margaret Reno Vance are buried there — a lasting
reminder of one family’s sacrifices and contributions to the founding of the
county.

Pioneers of the Past is furnished by Julie L. Terstriep, of the McDonough County
Genealogical Society, facebook.com/mcdcgs. For more Pioneers of the Past, go to
https://www.mcdcgs.com/pioneers-of-the-past/

Captain O. M. Lisk is buried in Blandinsville Cemetery, far removed from the
rivers that once defined his early life. His journey from canal boats to the
farms of McDonough County reflects a broader 19th-century pattern of
migration, adaptation, and reinvention.

Orra Metcalf Lisk was born near Cooperstown, New York, in 1819. His early
years were spent working on a canal boat, where he first learned the rhythm of
water travel and westward movement. As a young man, he walked to Marion,
Ohio, where he worked on a farm for $8 per month before continuing west with
his father to Monmouth, Illinois.

From there, Lisk’s life took a more maritime turn. In St. Louis, he encountered
a former neighbor who captained a diving bell boat. Lisk joined the crew,
eventually investing in the steamboat itself and earning the lifelong title of
“Captain.” For several years, he worked the Mississippi River trade between St.
Louis and New Orleans, a region defined by commerce, risk, and constant
movement.

His life was not without violence. In 1851, Lisk was nearly killed when Horace
Smith, an acquaintance, shot him during a dispute described in contemporary
accounts as being of a “very delicate nature.” The bullet remained lodged in
his shoulder, though he survived the injury.

Genealogical records, including Find A Grave, report that Lisk married Olive
Andrews Kingsley Littlefield in New Orleans in 1849. Olive’s earlier life was
complex and marked by multiple marriages and separations. She had married
Samuel Kingsley in 1838 and later Lyman Littlefield in Adams County, Illinois,
in 1840. That union ended in separation in 1846. Olive and Lisk later separated
as well.

The 1860 U.S. Federal Census places O. M. and “Olivia” Lisk together with two
daughters: Dorina (or Donna) Littlefield, born in Louisiana in 1844, and Kate,
born in 1852. Lisk’s elderly mother, Nancy, age 78, also lived in the household.
Olive and Orra would eventually go their separate ways.

A new chapter began in 1868 when Lisk married his cousin, Helen Metcalf, in
Michigan. The couple relocated to McDonough County, establishing their
home in Blandinsville. Together, they had two sons, Louis H. and Guy Metcalf
Lisk, further anchoring the family in western Illinois.

By 1870, the census records reflect a full household: Orra, age 51; Helen, age
30; Kate, age 18; Louis, age 1; and Nancy Lisk, age 84. Lisk’s holdings included
$26,000 in real estate and $3,500 in personal property, placing him among the
more substantial landholders in the area.

After years devoted to farming and civic life, the Lisk family settled into the
Blandinsville community. Local newspapers frequently referred to him as
“Captain Lisk,” a title that followed him from his river years into rural Illinois.
He was respected locally and often called upon to serve on juries.

Helen Lisk died in 1895. Orra Metcalf Lisk died in 1904 at the age of 84, closing
a life that spanned canal boats, steamboats, frontier towns, and the settled
farms of McDonough County.

THANK YOU to Lori Boyer who so freely shared her extensive research on O.
M. Lisk and brought the captain to my attention.

Pioneers of the Past is furnished by Julie L. Terstriep, of the McDonough County
Genealogical Society, facebook.com/mcdcgs. For this story, go to
https://www.mcdcgs.com/pioneers-of-the-past/

In the Bushnell cemetery, a large gray granite stone marks the resting place of
Stephen A. Hendee. Stephen’s life reads like an adventure book full of
interesting places and people and business success. His story starts in what
is known as the “Quiet Corner” of Connecticut – Windham County.
Stephen A. Hendee, son of Amasa Hendee and an unknown wife. Stephen’s
father and stepmother came to the area in 1838 when they settled at
Halkental’s bridge on the Spoon River. It’s here where Stephen learned his
first trade of a miller. By 1850, new occupations called and Stephen moved to
Lewistown and lived with the Joel Solomon family and worked as a clerk in his
mercantile store.

As an adventurous young man, Stephen had no doubt read about the great
Gold Rush in California. He set oƯ in 1852 ready to make his fortune. During
his years in California, he eventually worked for Wells Fargo Express for a year.
According to a county history, he then went to Central America where he
stayed for four months. Whatever it was he was looking for, he didn’t find it
and return to Lewistown where he bought out the stock of Nathan Beadles
mercantile. Beadles became an important person in his life as evidenced by
the fact that three of his children had Beadles in their own name.

Hendee opened a mercantile in Marietta in 1854, then Bardolph in 1856. In
1858, he began a new business operation when he married Sarah Groendyke.
Just two years later, the Hendees had moved to Bushnell and he joined Wilson
& Company Mercantile. By the age of 29, Stephan A. Hendee was worth
$3,500 in real estate alone. He ran for county judge in 1861 as a Republican
and his business success continued as he branched out of the mercantile.

The 1870 US Federal Census show Stephan A. Hendee with real estate worth
$20,000 and personal property worth $15,000. His businesses had grown
considerably in just ten years. As their children were born, Sarah’s parents
moved in next door to them and Stephen and Sarah’s daughter, Adrianna, was
named after her grandmother, Adriana Nevius Groendke.

An 1878 county history names several businesses and buildings with
Hendee’s name on them. Hendee House on West Main Street in Bushnell was
listed as one of the finest hotels in the area. There were nine grain elevators
Stephan A. Hendee and his business partner, D. F. Chidester owned. Hendee
owned a grocery store, a dry goods store, and there was a city block named
“Hendee Block” which housed several attorneys and at least one dentist in
Bushnell.

The Hendees had six children: Luan Beadles Hendee – Mrs. Clarence Clarke;
Adrianna G. Hendee Hicks – Mrs. Fred Hicks, Leo Nathan Hendee, Nathan
“Nick” Beadles Hendee, Edgar Hendee, and Fanny Grey Hendee Roach – Mrs.
Albert “Bert” Roach. Sarah Groendyke Hendee died in 1893 and Stephen
followed in 1910.

Sarah died in 1893 and Stephen in 1909 at the age of 81 after being bedridden
for 15 months. The Macomb Daily Journal ran a story that his will had been
filed and his estate was valued at $125,000 which included several grain
elevators, farms and 3,600 acres of land in Dawson County, Nebraska.

Stephen A. Hendee was a Yankee entrepreneur of his day and he left quite a
mark on Bushnell, Illinois.

Pioneers of the Past is furnished by Julie L. Terstriep, of the McDonough County
Genealogical Society, facebook.com/mcdcgs.

In one of the southeastern cemeteries of McDonough County stands a white
military marker inscribed: “Corpl. Jonas Hobart, 1 N.H. Continentals, Rev.
War.” It marks the grave of a New Hampshire soldier who carried the scars—
and the memory—of the American Revolution to the Illinois frontier.

Jonas Hobart was born in November 1744 in Groton, New Hampshire, the
third of ten children of Shebuel Hobart and Esther Park. In 1770, he married
Elizabeth “Betsy” Kemp. After learning of the death of his younger brother
Isaac was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill, Jonas resolved to take his place.
At age 32, he enlisted on March 17, 1777, serving as a corporal in the 4th
Company, 1st New Hampshire Regiment of the Continental Army.

That summer, Jonas served under General Philip Schuyler during the
campaign at Fort Ticonderoga. During the fighting—or possibly the retreat—he
was struck by a musket ball that entered his right cheek, knocked out two
teeth, and lodged near his left collarbone. The bullet was removed with a
pocketknife, and both it and one of the teeth have been preserved by a
descendant.

Jonas remained in service until his discharge on January 1, 1781. Decades
later, in 1818, while living in St. Albans, Vermont, he applied for and received a
pension of $96 per year for his service.

Around 1822, seeking better prospects in his later years, Jonas and Betsy
joined family members traveling west by covered wagon. They arrived at
Downings Landing (present-day Beardstown, Illinois) on February 22, 1823.

After a brief stay in Schuyler County—where their granddaughter Ruth Powers
took part in the county’s first recorded marriage—the family settled in
McDonough County. There, Jonas purchased five acres in Eldorado Township.
Corporal Jonas Hobart died on December 15, 1833. Betsy followed a year
later.

Hobart is one of four Revolutionary War soldiers buried in McDonough County.
As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, this series will highlight each
of these Patriots who carried the legacy of the Revolution into the early days of
the Illinois frontier.

Pioneers of the Past is furnished by Julie L. Terstriep, of the McDonough County
Genealogical Society, facebook.com/mcdcgs. For this story, go to
https://www.mcdcgs.com/pioneers-of-the-past/