ILLINOIS GENEALOGY EXPRESS

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Welcome to
Piatt County, Illinois
History & Genealogy

Biographies

Source:
Piatt County History

together with a
Brief History of Illinois
from the
Discovery of the Upper Mississippi to the Present Time

by Emma C. Piatt
With Map and Illustrations.
1883

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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Unity Twp. -
MR. GEORGE GOODSON (deceased) was a native of Douglas county, Illinois.  He moved in Piatt county in 1873.  He was married in 1871, to Candacy Pierson.  She has no children.  Her parents were from Indiana, and moved to Piatt county in 1867.  Mr. Charles Goodson was married Jan. 28, 1882, to Emma Gow, who until recently made her home at John Harshbarger's.  They reside near Goodson station.
Source: Piatt County History, by Emma C. Piatt - With Map and Illustrations - Publ. 1883 - Page 422
Unity Twp. -
JNO. GOODSON, farmer, was born in Douglas county, Illinois, and came to this county in 1878.  In 1862 he went to California and began farming and stock raising, and remained there fourteen years.  He was married in California, to Miss Julia Ingerham.  They have one daughter, MollieMr. Goodson came back in 1879 and built a nice farm residence of nine rooms.  He is fast getting things in good shape about the farm, and it bids fair to be one of the best places in the county.  He is a stock dealer and has some fine sheep and cattle.
     Mr. Goodson went to the army, was taken prisoner and sworn not to fight until he was exchanged.  He was not exchanged and so went to California.
Source: Piatt County History, by Emma C. Piatt - With Map and Illustrations - Publ. 1883 - Page 422
Unity Twp. -
MR. JNO. GORDON (deceased) was a farmer in Unity township, and owned 120 acres of land.  He married Anna Sloam.  Both were natives of Ireland, came to America in 1863, and to Piatt county in 1866.  They had eight children, six of whom are living, Felix G., Rosealla, Maggie, Mary, Ida May and Catharine S.  On the 17th of March, 1879, one of their boys was buried; on the 18th of the same month their house burned down; on the 29th of the month an infant was born; and about a year from this time Mr. Gordon died.
Source: Piatt County History, by Emma C. Piatt - With Map and Illustrations - Publ. 1883 - Page 422
Unity Twp. -
MR. JOHN W. C. GRAY, farmer, is a native of Pickaway county, Ohio.  His mother is a native of Ohio and lives with one of her children in Iowa.  His father was a native of Iowa.  Both of Mr. Gray's grandfathers were in the revolutionary war, and two of his brothers went to the late war, one of whom served throughout the rebellion.  Mr. Gray is one of a family of six children.  He would not have settled in Piatt county had it not been for Mr. Jack Riddle.  While on business in the county for Mr. Kious, Mr. Riddle persuaded him to work for Mr. John Piatt.  While working for him he was hired to ship cattle in 1856.  A portion of the year 1856 he herded cattle at Blue Mound for Mr. John PiattMr. Gray relates some interesting items in regard to snakes, which were found on the prairie at an early day here.  He says that by actual count and record in the season of 1856 he killed 1,100 rattlesnakes, and has killed as high as thirty-three in one day.  That same season he saw as many as from nineteen to twenty-nine deer in one herd, and he captured eleven fawns, some of which were sent back to New York.  Mr. Gray was married in October, 1877, he married Mrs. R. (Murry) Myres, who had one child at the time of her last marriage.  She is a native of New Hampshire and came with her parents to Menard county, Illinois, in 1846.  When Mr. Gray began improving his farm, it was overrun with hazel-brush and willows.  His ten acre orchard is in as good a condition as any orchard in the county and contains all small fruit that will succeed in growing in this part of the state.  He built his present residence about nine years ago.  He thinks he has the best cellar in the county.  He settled on his present farm in 1869, having previously lived where Mr. James Wharton now lives.  Mr. Gray's well selected library of at least two hundred volumes shows that he is one of the farmers of the county who believes in keeping up with the times.  He was justice of the peace for six years and has been elected road commissioner and supervisor.
Source: Piatt County History, by Emma C. Piatt - With Map and Illustrations - Publ. 1883 - Page 421
Cerro Gordo Twp. -
MR. H. N. GREEN, hardware merchant, Cerro Gordo, is a native of Indiana.  He moved from there to Illinois in 1865, and in 1868 settled in Cerro Gordo, where he now owns a residence and three lots.  He and Rebecca A. Johnson were united in marriage in 1852 and have had seven children, six of whom are now living.  Of these, Charles J., married Sarah Kemp, has one child and lives in Arizona; May Alice married T. J. Wimmer, has one child, Lynn, and lives in Cerro Gordo.  The names of Mr. Green's other children are Ed. S., Harry T., Ora E. and Ralph Waldo Mr. Green has held the offices of school director and town trustee.
Source: Piatt County History, by Emma C. Piatt - With Map and Illustrations - Publ. 1883 - Page 481
Unity Twp. -
MR. GILBERT GREENE, farmer, was born in Tennessee in 1824.  He lived in Kentucky until he was twenty-five, and in 1854 came to Piatt county.  He started to Champaign county, "got out of the way a little found this county good enough, and so stopped."  He first settled about one and a half miles below his present home, then, after two years' residence in Champaign county, settled on the Prairie in Bement township.  The next move was to the place he now lives on,  Which he has improved.  He has a fair sized orchard, which bears a good deal of fruit.  He was married in 1845, to Martha Ramsey.  Of Mr. Greene's children, Wm. Boyd married Mary Jane, and in 1871 moved to Nebraska; they have four children.  Ruth married Shannon Fristoe, and lives in Bement; they have three children, Horace, Walter and Jesse PearlMargaret C. married Allen Moore, and lives in Neosho county, Kansas; they have five children.  Susan married Wm. Curren, and lives in Sangamon township.  John, Simon, Frank D. and Ella R. are at home.
Source: Piatt County History, by Emma C. Piatt - With Map and Illustrations - Publ. 1883 - Page 420
Unity Twp. -
MR. GAMALIEL GREGORY, farmer, is a native of New York.  He moved to Ohio, and in 1855 to Piatt county.  His father, Josiah Gregory, was of English descent.  He settled in Champaign county in 1858, and moved to Bement in 1878.  Mr. G. Gregory married Mary Moore, November, 1856, born in this county July 29, 1837.  Her parents both died in this county.  She has five sisters and two brothers living.  She has three children living. Wm. G. Gregory married Kate Crawford, has one child, and is a druggist in Coles county; J. R. is farming at home; Rosalia married George Mumper a farmer in Champaign county.  Mr. Gregory has been town collector and town clerk, and is a member of the masoinc lodge at Bement.
Source: Piatt County History, by Emma C. Piatt - With Map and Illustrations - Publ. 1883 - Page 420
Unity Twp. -
MR. ROBERT GRIFFIN (deceased)_ was married in Indiana, to Louisa Thompson, and moved to Piatt county in 1870.  He lived on MR. Quick's place for a time, and then moved to the place he lived at the time of his death about five years ago.  He left a widow and five children.  Laura married John Bogard, and moved to Missouri.  Harriet, the wife of Christopher Denny, lives with her child, Myrtle Olive, in Unity township.  Mary Ellen, Henry Charles and William Edgar are at home.  Mrs. Griffin owns about twenty-one acres of land.  Mr. Griffin was a soldier in the late war.
Source: Piatt County History, by Emma C. Piatt - With Map and Illustrations - Publ. 1883 - Page 422
Unity Twp. -
MR. HENRY GROSS, a merchant and farmer of Mackville, is a native of Germany.  He came to America in 1853, and for eight years remained in New York, and then moved to Chicago, where he remained till 1857, when he moved to Marion county.  In 1858 he moved to Piatt county and settled on the land where Mackville is located.  Mr. Gross came alone from Germany, the rest of his family came afterward.  He now has four brothers and one sister in the county.  His parents, Casper Gross and wife, came to America during the war.  Mr. Henry Gross married Sophia Gross, a native of Germany, in 1861.  They have had eight children, two of whom are dead.  Sigel T. Gross is bookkeeper in the store of Gross & Gibbs, of Mackville.  Anna, Alexander, Thusnelda, Henryand Sophia  are at home.  Mr. Henry Gross is the first and only postmaster that Mackville has had.  He was school director for ten or twelve years, and filled a vacancy as justice of the peace.  He has also been collector, clerk and supervisor of Unity township.
Source: Piatt County History, by Emma C. Piatt - With Map and Illustrations - Publ. 1883 - Page 421
Cerro Gordo Twp. -
MR. RICHARD GULLIFORD, a farmer of Cerro Gordo township, is a native of England.  In 1854 he came to America.  The passage was a very stormy one, the vessel being struck with lightning once.  After two years' residence in America he settled in Piatt county in 1856, where he has been most of the time since.  He was married in 1868, to Elizabeth Trimby, a native of England.  They have three children living, Alice, Harry and Arthur.  Mrs. Gulliford had a very serious time coming to America in 1864.  The vessel struck a rock twelve miles from Portland, Maine.  It was wrecked at eight o'clock at night and about sixty persons were drowned.  It finally sunk with the baggage of all the passengers.  Mrs. Gulliford was pulled out of the water by her hair.  She with others were out all night, during which time her hands were frozen.  Mr. Gulliford went to the late war from Piatt county in Co. E of the 107th Ill.  He was discharged on account of sickness, and again he went into the army in the 9th Iowa.  The principal engagements in which he participated were those of Vicksburg, Lookout, and the battles during the march to the sea.  He received a slight flesh-wound once.
Source: Piatt County History, by Emma C. Piatt - With Map and Illustrations - Publ. 1883 - Page 481
Cerro Gordo Twp. -
MR. WILLIAM GULLIFORD (deceased) settled on a farm in Cerro Gordo township in 1857, and lived there until his death, in 1881.  His wife died about 1879.  Five of their children are living in Piatt county.  James Gulliford died in Piatt county about nine years ago, leaving a wife and three children.  Richard is living on his father's home place (see his name).  Thomas died about two years ago, leaving a wife nee Knighten, and two children, who are living in the county.  William married Mrs. E. Dailey nee E. Torrence, and has five children, Lillie, Blanch, James, Maud and Scott, and lives in Milmine.  Emma is the wife of James Armsworth, of Willow Branch township (see his name).  Ann married Reuben Fisher, and lives at White Heath.  Elizabeth is the wife of Noah Armsworth, and lives in Willow Branch township.
Source: Piatt County History, by Emma C. Piatt - With Map and Illustrations - Publ. 1883 - Page 481

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