Pgs 412-686 - Illinois Ancestors

466 BIOGRAPHY AND REMINISCENCES
y
in 1857 and after a few years returned to Stark. Mrs. William Leason
died in 1880. To Nr Gerard and wife nine cliilclren were born-
Hannah E., of Osceola ; Mary M., tleceased ; Martha F., of Ellllira ;
Caroline A., Sylvia E., Anna I,., Charles N., James L. ;~nd Eclitl~ &I.
In 1857 he and falllily came to Starlr county. 1111864 he purchased a
small tract on section thirty-sis, Elinira, ancl iiolv owns 2OO acres mostly
improved. In 1861 he became n ~epublicnn. At one time lle was :L
member of tlle Unitctl I3rethlaen Cllomh, but now sol~ports all C11~istian
churches. IIe is an Odd Fello\v, lias seiavecl as scl~oc-11 clirecto~, ant1
since 1860, w-lreu 11e macle the o\~erlantl trip to Pike's Peak, has beerr
steadily engaged in builtling up the agricultural antl social interests 01'
his to\vnshj 11.
The Ificll Fc~niJ~.--Tlrt: i~nlnigration and settlenleut of tliis family
in E11111ra h;l,ve been so t~bly dealt \\ritll by Mrs. Shallcnbergc~, a tlaugl~tcl.
of one of' the pioneers, the writer fintls it only necessary to i~tltl to tl~c
original, :L slcetcli of the late Mrs. Ann Hall, ant1 one rewritten fro111
Mr. Mofit's not'es, of Iiobert I-Iall. Mrs. Shallenherger says : " The
I-Ialls, of whoni I write, mae tlirectlv tlescencletl from Thomas 112~11 i~ntl
Sarah, his wife, nie Cokayne, of ~~bllnnd, Derl,yshiret Eng1;~ntl. There
they once formecl a lt~rge ;~nd vigorous fa.mily, brotllers and sisters ;L
dozen in number, living to pass the ineritlian of life an unl~roken bairti.
' Mnnsel I'ark,' the old English homestead, is still ensbl*inetl ill the
menlory of the fa.rtlrest w;tnclerer of tl~ein all. At different times tlnring
the years 1S36, 1837, ant1 1838, nine of these brotllers antl sistcrs
crossed the sea, and settled in wl~at is now Starlr county, Illinois. Tlie
first installment was Ito11ez.t and his sister Mary, ~illianl :~nd his wife
Anne. Nest came Lnngleg, bj~
the wnv of New Orleans, that he might at
less expense bring with lrim a few tine sheep a~cl dogs with ~vl~icll to
begin life in the new world. He sntferetl shipwrecli off the I1'101aitla
coast, but ater being retlucetl to great straits of hunger ;i.ntl fatigue
was in common with his sl~~il~n~ates rescued, and he fi~lallv arrivetl at
the Osceola settlement. Then in 1837, c;me T~OII~RS, dth his \!rife
ant1 four cliiltlren, hinging nlso with lliln his agetl fi~ther, Elixabetll
(Mrs. EIai*ve y ), her 11 usbiui tl ant1 five clliltlren. Sonle months 1;~t er,
John, ~eorie and Fanny, accom l~anietl by Miss Sarah Ligo, 117110 s11or.tly
after\varcls marrietl L;~ngley I-Ia,ll. After about twenty years' resitlen;~
Irere, John I,:lngle\r an tl ~leotge, l~u*etl by prolnises of a more desi~~;~l)lt.
climate, again took up the line of innrch ~vestwarcl, antl settletl ul)o11
the farther slope of the Rocky inountains, where they still reside.
DiIary hecame the \\.if;: of Mr. Orrin 1l:tsartl of Neponset, I3ureau
conntv, Ill.; ant1 F;~iiri y, the youngest of the family, marrjecl IIon.
,~ose~;li Harris, of 13oy;l's Grove, in the salne county. &l13s. EIarvey
and William rcst besitlo tl~eil- f:atlier in the falllilv 1)uri:tl grountl ;tt
Osceoli~, while tl~e~r nlotllel* sleel~s bene;lt.h the S&L. At thls writing,
in 1876, Thoin;w antl Ttol~ert ant1 the witlow of William. t~lone Ibeinaln
to Stark county of tllose \rllo were atlult at the date of the first emigration.
Thei18 fatlie18 was a plitin, sturdy J