| JosephFranklin Black |
JOSEPH FRANKLIN BLACK was born in Murraycounty, Tennessee, February 23, 1828. His father, William Black, was bornnear Milledgeville, Georgia, January 3, 1796, son of Thomas Gillespie Black,who was born in Markingham County, North Carolina, in January, 1772, whosefather, William Black, a native of Maryland, removed to North Carolina.William Black was captain of a company of militia at the time the Revolutionarywar broke out, and was one of the first who refused to take the oath ofallegiance to the British government. He died soon after the war began.The maiden name of his wife was Beard. They were members of the PresbyterianChurch.Thomas G. Black was reared and educated inhis native State. He taught school several years, removing from North Carolinato Georgia, he settled near Milledgeville, where he bought a tract of landand on it passed the residue of his life, dying in 1823. He was marriedFebruary 26, 1795, to Polly Callahan, who was born April 7, 1773, daughterof William and Elizabeth (Shepard) Callahan, her father being of Irishand her mother of German descent. Mrs. Black went to Tennessee after thedeath of her husband, and from there to Illinois in 1825. Her death occurredin Morgan County, this State, in 1853. Grandfather and grandmother Blackwere members of the Presbyterian Church. They reared ten of their elevenchildren, viz.: William, Susanna, John, Cynthia, James, Thomas, Polly,Jefferson, Eleanor and Elizabeth. Rebecca died in infancy.
William Black, father of the subject of oursketch, grew up and received his education in his native State, and wentwith the family to Tennessee directly after the death of his father. Hewas a natural mechanic and with his brother John established a furniturefactory in Maury County, remaining in business there till 1834. That year,with his wife and six children, he came to Illinois, their removal beingmade via the Cumberland, Ohio, Mississippi and Illinois rivers. He locatedfour miles north of Winchester, in Scott County, where he bought eightyacres of prairie arid eighty acres of timber land, paying $2.50 per acrefor a part of it. He at once built a small frame house, containingtwo rooms, and commenced improving his land. In 1846 he sold this farmfor $8 per acre.
He then came to Cass County and bought 200acres of land, located six miles southeast of Virginia, for which he paid$6 an acre. There was a double log house on this place, which the familyoccupied one year, at the end of which time they moved into the substantialbrick house which Mr. Black erected, and which still stands. He also builta work shop. He, however, gave the most of his attention to farming. Helived there till after the death of his wife, when he went to Virginiaand spent his last days at the home of his son, John, where he died October3, 1884. December 4, 1823, he married Miss Mary S. Vaughn, who was bornin Tennessee, November 1, 1803, daughter of Dixon and Susan Vaughn. Shedied on the home farm, January 29, 1881. Of the ten children born to themthey reared eight, namely: Thomas G., Joseph F., William L., Richmond V.,Green V., James B., Mary J. and John. Both he and his wife were rearedin the Presbyterian Church, and after coming to Illinois they united withthe Christian Church, of which they remained consistent members till thetime of their death.
Joseph Franklin Black, the subject of oursketch, was six years old when he moved to Illinois with his parents, andremembers distinctly many of the incidents connected with their removaland frontier life. At that time Central Illinois was sparsely settled andit was long before the advent of railroads here. Naples was the principalmarket for the surrounding country. Mr. Black relates that at one timehis father went to St. Louis to mill. Instead of being gone one week, ashe had expected, he was gone three weeks, and in the mean time the supplyof meal gave out at home. By pounding corn in a mortar, the children mademeal enough to last till their father’s return. In 1836 three cooking stoveswere brought to Jacksonville, one of which Mr. Black’s father bought, paying$75 for it. Such a curiosity was this stove that the neighbors for milesaround came to see it.
Joseph F. received his education in the primitiveschools of Illinois. He inherited from his father a talent for mechanicalwork and early began to assist him in the shop. At the age of twenty hebegan life on his own responsibility, commencing at once as a contractorand builder, and before he was twenty-one he bought 102 acres of land nearthe village of Philadelphia, for which he paid $3.50 an acre, He continuedcontracting and building for a time. Then for three years he was engagedin farming. After that he moved to Philadelphia and devoted his time tothe invention of farm machinery. To, him belongs the distinction of havinginvented and patented the first self-binder ever made. He took three differentpatents on it, and in partnership with his brother William got two patentson a gang plow. The value of such a man to a community cannot be estimated.Indeed, the worth of his inventive genius extend a beyond his own communityand State, being felt all over the world.
In 1867 he resumed farming and continuedthat occupation till 1876. That year he moved to Virginia and establishedhimself as a contractor and builder. Many of the best store buildings andresidences in this city are monuments to his skill. Nor have his laborsbeen confined to Virginia. He has done work in Springfield, Jacksonville,Beardstown, and various other places. For some years past Mr. Black hasdevoted his time to architecture, which he studied in his younger days,preparing plans and specifications and superintending the constructionof buildings. He made the plans for the county jail and superintended itsconstruction; also the two additions to the courthouse.
Mr. Black was married May 17, 1849 to MaryF. Wilmott, a native of Illinois and a daughter of Charles R. Wilmott.They had five children, as follows: Charles, W., born September 23, 1850,was married November 24, 1870, to Elsie Buckley, and has five children–Mabel,Roy, Mary, Stella and Clyde; Mary, born May 28, 1855, married ArmsteadMains, and has seven children: Maude, Elma, William, Reatta, Toura, Loueseand Leslie; Eva, born August 29, 1860, was married January 26, 1882, toWilliam G. Payne; Robert, born September 22, 1864, was married October18, 1889, to Maggie Gray and has two children, Edna and an infant; andFrank born March 23, 1868, married a Miss Elliott, and has one child, Edward.Mrs. Black died January 26, 1879, and in May, 1883, Mr. Black wedded Mary(Thompson) Skiles.
Mr. Black is a member of the Christian Church,as also was his first wife. His present companion has her membership withthe Methodist Episcopal Church. Politically, he was formerly a Whig, butsince the organization of the Republican party be has affiliated with it.
Biographical Review of Cass, Schuylerand Brown Counties, Illinois, Biographical Review Publishing Co., Chicago,1892, page 128-130.
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