JohnL. Bennett
JOHNL. BENNETT, born in McDonough county, Illinois, December 13, 1832, is theson of Isaac Bennett, born in North Carolina, May 22, 1808. He marriedin White county, Tennessee, Mary Lynch, April 8, 1834. She was the daughterof Charles and Mary Lynch. The latter was born August 7, 1814. Her parents,who were farmers, reared eight children, the father dying in Tennessee,at the age of forty-five, her mother in Hancock county, Illinois, agedeighty-four years. Grandfather Bennett died in Kentucky in 1831, and hiswife in Hancock county at the age of eighty years. She came to Illinoisin 1834, her son, Isaac, coming with her. They first settled in McDonoughcounty, coming from Tennessee in ox carts, taking about eight weeks tothe trip. They were in humble circumstances, and lived in McDonough countyfor two years, and then went from there to Hancock county, where they tookup a claim of 160 acres of wild land with no improvements. They built arude log cabin, in which they lived and reared most of the children. Hemade a good farm of this, for which he paid and took a deed in 1838. Theyhad eleven children: John L., the second, is a farmer and stock growerof Hire township, McDonough county; Mary Jane was the wife of Philo McPeigh,who died and left two children; Norelan is a large farmer of Hancock county,and has three children; Barbary Ann was the wife of George Bradly, anddied. leaving four children; Rufus, a farmer of Hancock county, Illinois;Lorinda, killed by a kick from a horse at the age of eleven; Zilpha diedat fourteen; Jeremiah, a wealthy ranchman and stock-grower of Texas; Lucinda,wife of William Duncan, died leaving five children; Phoebe is married andresides in St. Louis, and has two children.JohnL. Bennett had very limited opportunities for obtaining an education: couldbarely read when a young man. He had to begin hard work when but a child,plowing corn when only eleven years old. He has worked very hard all hislife until very recently. He was and is still a very rugged and strongman, and could endure anything and everything, even the ague which shookhim while a lad.
Hewas married at twenty-one and soon left home. His wife was Elizabeth Carder,born in Indiana, where she was reared, daughter of Cooper B. Carder, ofSouth Carolina, who came to Illinois in 1839. Her mother was a Miss Dudney,of Tennessee. Mr. and Mrs. Carder came to Illinois in 1839, where the latterdied in 1853, leaving Elizabeth to care for the home. Mrs. Bennett’s father,nearly eighty years of age, is living with her on the farm, of 180 acres.
Mr.and Mrs. Bennett have had a hard struggle to get this farm. They workedrented lands for some years and then bought their first, land in 1864,fifty-five acres of timber for $700, paying one-half down. This was inHancock county, and they sold this and bought where they now are. Theyhave owned as much as 230 acres since. Mr. Bennett has done general farmingall these years, and for the past few years has owned stock horses. Hestands three fine stallions, two of them full blood, imported Clydesdale.He keeps from fifteen to twenty head of horses, some cattle and many hogs.Turns off as high as forty horses.
Theyhave had twelve children, have buried two daughters and three sons; fourdied in infancy and early childhood. Eliza Ann, the first born, marriedSamuel Reeves, and died at thirty years of age. Those living are: MaryM., wife of William Neff, farmer in Hancock county, with two children;Charles Edward married Allie Buck, a farmer; John M. married Nancy White,resides with his parents and is running the home farm; Henry is singleand has a tonsorial establishment in Chicago; Edgar is married to a MissSwanson and resides in Chicago; Otto, in Hancock county; Homer, still achild, is at home. Mr. Bennett is a straight Democrat. He and his wifeare highly respected by all who know them.
Biographical Review ofCass, Schuyler and Brown Counties, Illinois, Biographical Review PublishingCo., Chicago, 1892, pages 238-239.
Copyright1999-2006 Judi Gilker; all rights reserved. For personal useonly. Commercial use of the information contained in these pages is strictlyprohibited without prior permission. If copied, this copyright must appearwith the information.
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