| WilliamD. Dorsett |
WILLIAM D. DORSETT was born in Randolphcounty, North Carolina, December 28, 1828. His father was Azariah Dorsett,a native of the same State, who was a cooper by trade, but he also followedfarming for a livelihood. In 1835 he came in a six-horse wagon with hisfamily, consisting of a wife and twelve of his fourteen children, to Illinois,camping out over night on their entire trip to Schuyler county. They settledin what is now Huntsville township, and a little later bought a tract ofland upon which a few acres had been broken and a log cabin erected. Thecabin was a very rough, primitive concern, with a roof of boards rivedby hand, and a chimney of sods. After a little while this was replacedby a more pretentious and comfortable structure. Here he resided untilhis death in 1840. His widow died the following morning, and both wereburied in the same grave. The mother was formerly Mary Beckerdite, of NorthCarolina, who reared to maturity fourteen children.Our subject, William D. Dorsett, was sixyears old when he was brought to Illinois by his parents, and he well remembersthe wild animals that could be seen almost daily in the woods and on theprairie. At that time it was easy to find an abundance of wild honey, asan experienced bee hunter could tell the location of a bee tree by watchingthe flight of the insect. Gristmills were very scarce, and often couldnot be reached at all. In this extremity the early settlers were compelledto grate their corn and wheat by hand, and Mr. Dorsett recollects havingeaten many a meal of this homely food. At first the people of this vicinityhad to go to mill fifty miles below Quincy, and were absent several days.He was quite young when his parents died, and was taken to live with anolder brother. He bought forty acres of land in Birmingham township, at$10 an acre, paying for it by installments. When he began housekeeping,after his marriage, he had neither table nor chairs to commence with, andinstead thereof had three bee-hives, one of which was used as a table andthe other two for stools. Some kind person presented them with a dry-goodsbox, which was made to serve as a cupboard, and a bedstead was presentedto them by Mrs. Dorsett’s father. This was considered a great luxury. Butthis little home, though humble and rude, was made comfortable and brightby Mrs. Dorsett, who took great pride in making it cozy and comfortable.Mr. Dorsett went to work with a will, was very industrious and his wifevery economical, and together they have come to prosperous circumstancesand a happy home. He secured early employment as a rail-splitter, likeAbraham Lincoln, and it was not his fault that he did not reach the presidencyinstead of Mr. Lincoln. The first money he thus earned was used to buyhis first table. After a period of seven years he was the owner of sixtyacres, free from encumbrance, which he then traded for 100 acres in Huntsvilletownship, and at the close of his career as a farmer in Illinois he wasthe owner of 400 acres of rich Huntsville soil and a section of land inTexas. In 1883 he rented his farm and came to Rushville, and has sincelived a retired life.
On the 15th of November, 1849, he was marriedto Elizabeth Ann Pendleton, who was born in Hardin county, Kentucky, July11, 1832. Her father was Edwin Pendleton, a native Virginian, and her grandfatherwas James Pendleton, also of that State. Her father was reared in his nativeState, and went to Kentucky when a young man, and was there united in marriage.He learned the shoemaker’s trade, which he followed for a few years, andin 1830 came to Illinois. He came the entire distance on horseback, accompaniedby his wife and eldest child. Upon his arrival here his entire possessionsconsisted of two horses and 50 cents in money. One of the horses died soonafter crossing the Ohio river. He located in Huntsville township, enteredland from the Government, upon which he built a log house and commencedto improve his farm. Mrs. Dorsett’s mother was a thorough pioneer womanand knew how to make cloth from flax and cotton. Her daughter, Mrs. Dorsett,learned the art, and after her marriage made all the clothing for her family.Mr. and Mrs. Dorsett have had six children: Martha L., Hattie E., JoshuaE., Ellis Benson, Hardin Wallace and Alvin De W. The parents are membersof the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Rushville.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Dorsett in their youthattended the pioneer schools of this county, where they learned “readin’,ritin’ and ‘rithmetic,”–the three R’s, as they were termed. The schoolhouse,of course, was a log building, and a very rough one at that. The seatswere made of slats, and wooden pins served for legs. Holes, were boredin the wall, pins inserted, and a board laid thereon served as a desk uponwhich the older scholars, with quill pens, learned to write. The windowsconsisted of a section taken out of the side of the house and the aperturecovered with greased paper, which served to admit the light.
Biographical Review of Cass, Schuylerand Brown Counties, Illinois, Biographical Review Publishing Co., Chicago,1892, pages 157-159.
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