The grave of a family member of Nance Legins-Costley now has a stone marking his burial place, thanks to the local chapter of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.
During the Civil War, Pvt. Edward W. Lewis (c.1834-1907) of Pekin and Peoria served in the 29th U.S. Colored Infantry alongside his brother-in-law Pvt. William H. Costley and other African-Americans of Illinois. At his death on 1 April 1907, Pvt. Lewis was buried in one of the old public lots in Springdale Cemetery, Peoria. His wife Amanda E. (Costley) Lewis had been buried in another of Springdale’s public lots a few years prior.
Until this spring, both the grave of Amanda and the grave of Edward were unmarked. But Pvt. Lewis’ grave is unmarked no longer.
Thanks to the local chapter of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, this Civil War veteran’s marker was placed on the grave of Pvt. Edward W. Lewis of Peoria, who served in the 19th U.S. Colored Infantry. Pvt. Lewis was a son-in-law of Nance Legins-Costley of Pekin and Peoria. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOSEPH HUTCHINSON OF THE SONS OF UNION VETERANS OF THE CIVIL WAR
Here is a brief biographical sketch of Pvt. Lewis’ life that I wrote for the Freedom & Remembrance Memorial’s Facebook page, where this good news was first announced:
“For nearly 116 years, the grave of Civil War veteran Pvt. Edward Lewis (1834-1907) of the 29th U.S. Colored Infantry lacked a stone to mark his final resting place in Springdale Cemetery, Peoria. But this spring, thanks to the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, a Civil War veteran’s marker was placed on his grave. Pvt. Lewis was born into slavery in Petersburg, Virginia, the son of Ambrose and Phillis Lewis, but obtained his freedom later, perhaps when he was brought to Illinois. About the mid-1800s, his family came to Illinois. Though his parents and siblings settled in the East St. Louis area, Edward made his home in Central Illinois. In March 1858 in Pekin, he married Amanda E. Costley (1834-1900), eldest child of Nance Legins-Costley (1813-1892), known to history as the first African-American to be freed from slavery with the help of Abraham Lincoln when he won her court case before the Illinois Supreme Court in 1841. By 1863, Edward and Amanda were living in Peoria, where they raised a family of five sons – Edward Jr., William, Ambrose, Jesse, and John – and an adopted daughter (Edward’s niece) Margaret. Edward worked for many years as a Peoria tobacconist, later working as a musician and music teacher, also employing his cooking skills in Peoria eating houses. Answering his nation’s call, he enlisted in the Union Army on 28 Sept. 1864 at Springfield, serving until the war’s end, being mustered out at Springfield on 23 May 1865. While in the service, he had the rank of private, and the Union Army employed him as a cook. His wife Amanda died in Peoria on 5 Feb. 1900 and was buried in Springdale Cemetery. (Though her grave is not yet marked, efforts have begun to raise funds to provide a stone for her.) Pvt. Lewis’ Peoria Star obituary says he died 1 April 1907 at home: “Edward Lewis age 76 years, died of dropsy at 114 Hancock in Peoria. He is a Civil War veteran and a member of the Masons. 3 sons survive. Services April 3 with burial in Springdale.” The legacy of Pvt. Edward Lewis includes a grandson, William Cecil Lewis, who studied science at Bradley University and served in the U.S. Army during World War I; and two families of living descendants of Pvt. Lewis’ third son Ambrose.”
It should be noted that the gravestone of Pvt. Edward W. Lewis gives his middle initial as “D.,” because the Peoria County Undertaker’s Reports and the records of Springdale Cemetery both give his name as “Edward D. Lewis.” However, in most Peoria city directories and in the U.S. Census, his name is shown as “Edward W. Lewis.” Also, his oldest son was “Edward W. Lewis Jr.” Civil War marker inscriptions derive the spellings of names from death records, veteran’s pension files, and service records — hence the discrepancy.
In recent years, the lives of Nance Legins-Costley (1813-1892) and her family have become much better known thanks chiefly to fresh light being brought to the subject as a result of the research of Carl Adams, who began delving into Nance’s story in the 1990s.
As we have related here at “From the History Room” more than once, Nance Legins-Costley is known to history as the first African-American slave to secure her freedom with the help of Abraham Lincoln. First appearing in published Pekin historical accounts in 1871 (in William H. Bates’ original narrative of Pekin’s early history), Nance and her persistent efforts to obtain acknowledgement of her freedom later were briefly mentioned in the 1949 Pekin Centenary volume. A much fuller (though far from complete) account was included in the 1974 Pekin Sesquicentennial (pp.6-7).
Apart from local historical narratives, prior to Adams’ research Nance’s story has been mostly relegated to relatively brief notices or passages in Lincoln biographies and studies. For example, John J. Duff devoted just four extended paragraphs to the story in his 1960 tome “A. Lincoln, Prairie Lawyer” (pp.86-87).
More recently, Nance and her story have been treated in a number of histories devoted to Lincoln or to the subject of American slavery.
For example, Lincoln scholar Guy C. Fraker addresses the case of Bailey v. Cromwell and McNaughton in a single paragraph on p.52 of his 2012 book, “Lincoln’s Ladder to the Presidency: The Eighth Judicial Circuit.” There Fraker offers a bit of polite criticism of the manner of telling the story of Nance and her trials “as a case where Lincoln’s role was to ‘free a slave,’” which Fraker says “is simply not accurate.” Rather, Fraker insists, “Nance’s gallant efforts to assert her free status, not Lincoln, resulted in her freedom.”
Fraker’s criticism is well received, because while Lincoln’s place in Nance’s story was very important in enabling her to secure the freedom that she always (and rightly) insisted was hers, this is in truth Nance’s life story rather than the story of how Lincoln purportedly set out to free a slave. From the standpoint of Lincoln scholarship, this case is significant as the first time Lincoln had to directly wrestle with the moral and legal issues related to slavery. But, as Adams himself agrees, from the viewpoint of Nance Legins-Costley this case was quite simply a matter of the greatest importance, because on it depended her freedom and that of her children.
As only to be expected in historians of the stature and scholarly diligence of Burlingame and Fraker, their accounts of Nance and Bailey v. Cromwell are accurate and informative.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to use those two adjectives to describe the way in which the story of Nance is told in M. Scott Heerman’s 2018 volume, “The Alchemy of Slavery: Human Bondage and Emancipation in the Illinois Country, 1730-1865.” I have not had occasion to give a close reading to Heerman’s entire book, which appears to be a generally compelling study of the manner in which human servitude was practiced in the officially free state of Illinois. Nevertheless, regarding Heerman’s treatment in his book of the life and trials of Nance Legins-Costley, a number of serious factual errors seem to have slipped past his fact checker during the editorial process.
Heerman introduces Nance and her trials in his chapter 4 (pp.105-106), where he refers to, “The first case, Nance, a Negro Girl v. John Howard (1828).” More accurately, that was the second case. The long tale of Nance’s struggles to win her freedom began (as Heerman himself describes) the previous year, when Nance’s master Thomas Cox’s possessions (including Nance and her family) were auctioned off to pay for a debt. She did not wait until 1828 to protest her freedom, but already in October of 1827 we find the freedom suit Nance, a Negro girl v. Nathan Cromwell. The second case, against Howard, was filed due to Sangamon County Coroner John Howard’s role in selling Nance to Cromwell.
Heerman returns to the story of Nance in his chapter 6 (pp.135-136), but here we again find factual errors. Of Nance he writes (p.135), “Born in Maryland around 1810, she was brought to Illinois and converted into a registered servant.” U.S. Census records consistently show Nance’s place of birth as Maryland, and indicate that she was born circa 1813. However, Adams’ research into Nance’s family history shows that she was born in Kaskaskia, Illinois, not Maryland. It was rather her master Nathan Cromwell who was born in Maryland, and presumably Nance, not knowing where she was born, herself came to believe she was born in Maryland as well. Her parents and siblings, who perhaps could have reminded her of where she was born, were sold away from her in 1827, when Nance was about 14. It was Nance’s parents Randol and Anachy (Ann) Legins, not Nance herself, who were brought to Illinois (by Nathaniel Green) – but they were from South Carolina, not Maryland.
Next, on the same page Heerman says, “In 1828, Nathan Cromwell sold Nance at public auction to John Howard. She disputed her sale before the Illinois Supreme Court, in Nance, a Negro girl v. John Howard (1828), . . . .” This is a remarkable instance of confusion on Heerman’s part. Howard did not purchase Nance; he rather oversaw the auction whereby Nance, an indentured servant of Thomas Cox, was sold to Nathan Cromwell. Heerman’s confusion seems to have arisen from his overlooking the earlier case of Nance v. Cromwell, and from misreading the court documents in Nance v. Howard.
Heerman once more returns to the story of Nance and her family in his concluding chapter (pp.166-167). There he correctly recalls that “In 1841, Abraham Lincoln helped to free Nance Cromwell from bondage in a local case, and during the war, her son William Costley took up arms.” But at this point we again encounter some very serious errors of fact.
Heerman proceeds to say that Nance’s son William “enlisted in the 26th Volunteers, and after fighting in Missouri and Mississippi, the company went to Virginia, where on April 9, 1865, Costley witnessed Lee’s formal surrender at Appomattox Courthouse.”
Shown here is the white Union soldier William Henry Costley (1845-1903) of Weldon, DeWitt County, Illinois, who is not to be confused with the black soldier William Henry Costley/Cosley (1840-1888) of Pekin, Tazewell County, Illinois. Image is from the Logan Collection of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, and may also be found at the Find-A-Grave memorial of William H. Costley of Weldon.
On this point, Heerman and his fact checker should have paused to consider how and why a black man, William Costley, would have served in a white Union regiment during the Civil War. Even more remarkable, on p.167 Heerman presents the photograph of a white Union soldier whose name, regiment, and company are written in cursive hand as “William Costley, Co. D, the 26 Ills Volls.” Heerman’s caption for this photo reads, “William Costley, son of Ben and Nancy Cromwell, age about twenty-one, Boys in Blue, Logan Collection, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield Ill.” (The same photo may be seen at William Costley’s Find-A-Grave memorial.) This same image appears on the front cover of Heerman’s book.
In fact, William Costley was the son of Ben and Nancy Costley, not Cromwell. “Cromwell” was one of the surnames that Nance bore during her lifetime – specifically, during the time she spent as a servant and ward of Nathan Cromwell. (Before that, she would have been known as Nance Legins and then Nance Cox, and the Peoria County marriage records of her children also give her a maiden name of “Allen”.) In this case, Heerman made a simple mental slip, for in his book he usually refers to Nance as “Nance Cromwell.”
However, he clearly has misidentified the white soldier William Henry Costley (1845-1903) of Weldon, DeWitt County, Illinois, as the black soldier William Henry Costley/Cosley (1840-1888) of Pekin, Tazewell County, Illinois. Nance’s son William (Bill) served in the 29th U.S. Colored Infantry, Co. B. – and although the 29th U.S.C.I. was present (along with the 26th Illinois Volunteers) at Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, Bill himself was not there, because (as his pension file says) he was wounded in action on April 1 and subsequently was sent to a military hospital. Bill recovered in time, however, to take part in the landing at Galveston, Texas, on 18 June 1865, and thus was present for the first Juneteenth.
Incidentally, Carl Adams believes the white Costleys of DeWitt County may have formerly been the owners of Nance’s husband Benjamin Costley – a fascinating possibility that I have not been able to confirm or disprove. All we know at present is that Ben Costley was a free black, born in Illinois, and first appears on record in the 1840 U.S. Census as a head of household in Tazewell County, where he and Nance married on 15 Oct. 1840.
As I mentioned above, generally speaking Heerman’s work seems to make for a compelling study of the way slavery perdured in Illinois despite laws banning it — and he rightly and very helpfully places the story of Nance Legins-Costley in its broader historical context. However, Heerman’s fact errors and misinterpretation of primary documents regarding the story of Nance and her family (matters with which I have had occasion to become familiar), give us reason to be cautious and critical regarding his treatment of historical examples elsewhere in his book.
Last week we reviewed the history of the 29th U.S. Colored Infantry, which was the State of Illinois’ African-American regiment during the Civil War. As we noted then, 11 men from Tazewell County served in the 29th U.S.C.I., eight of them from Pekin – and five of them were present with their regiment at the first Juneteenth in Galveston, Texas.
This week we’ll take a closer look at one of those 11 – namely, Thomas Shipman of Co. D, a sharpshooter who gave his life for his country during the Appomattox Campaign in the Spring of 1865.
Longtime readers of this weblog may find Thomas Shipman’s surname to be familiar, because previously we have here told the story of Moses Shipman of Elm Grove Township, Tazewell County, an African-American employee of a white Revolutionary War veteran named David Shipman.
Was Thomas Shipman related to Moses? We cannot be absolutely sure, but it is very likely that Thomas was one of the sons of Moses Shipman. The reasons it is likely are: 1) Thomas’ Civil War service records say he was born in Pekin in or around 1841, which is the right period of time for Thomas to have been a son of Moses, and 2) there was only one African-American Shipman family living in Tazewell County at that time.
Further information about Thomas can be gleaned from U.S. Census records and Peoria County records.
Thomas first appears on record in the U.S. Census returns for the city of Peoria, dated 15 Aug. 1850, which show “Thos. G. L. Shipman,” age 16, “mulatto” (i.e., of black and white ancestry), living in the household of Harvey Green, 40, laborer, and Mary Ann Green, 27. Also living in this household were George W. Lee, 5, Juliett Lee, 4, Richard Toombs, 41, Charles W. Shipman, 23, and David Shipman, 24.
This census record is significant, because it provides additional information that supports the identification of Thomas Shipman as a son of Moses Shipman of Tazewell County. To begin with, Charles W., David, and Thomas were almost certainly brothers. Next, court records located by Susan Rynerson of the Tazewell County Genealogical & Historical Society show that Moses Shipman had a children named Mary Ann and David, who must be the David Shipman found in this census record.
Another indication that Charles, David, and Thomas were brothers in the same family is that they were living with Mary Ann Green, who is known from marriage records to have been a Shipman as well. Tazewell County marriage records show that Mary Ann Shipman married a certain James Lee on 12 July 1843. Thus, George W. Lee and Juliett Lee of this census record must be the children of Mary Ann by James Lee. By the time of the 1850 census, though, Mary Ann was remarried to Harvey Green, for her first husband James perhaps had died. Mary Ann and Harvey later had a daughter Alice Green, as shown in the 1860 census (by which time Mary Ann had again remarried to Charles Granby, as shown by Tazewell County marriage records).
As an interesting aside, Mary Ann’s son George W. Lee later married Mary Jane Costley, daughter of Benjamin and Nance (Legins) Costley of Pekin and sister of Pvt. William Henry Costley of the 29th U.S. Colored Infantry, Co. B. George himself also served in a colored regiment during the Civil War, but in George’s case he ended up being assigned to the 55th Massachusetts Colored Infantry, Co. H. So, our Pvt. Thomas Shipman was related to the Costleys of Pekin.
Thomas was also related by marriage to the Ashbys of Liverpool Township, Fulton County, who provided four men to the 29th U.S.C.I. Peoria County marriage records show that David Shipman, who was almost certainly Thomas’ brother, married Elizabeth Ashby on 28 Jan. 1849. From available records on the Ashby family, it seems most probable that Elizabeth was a sister of Pvt. Nathan Ashby of Pekin, of the 29th U.S. Colored Infantry, Co. G., one of four Ashby men of Pekin who served in Co. G. Nathan himself was very probably a son of Fulton County’s first African-American physician, Dr. James Ashby (1808-1850).
After his enumeration in the 1850 U.S. Census, Thomas Shipman next appears in Peoria County marriage records, which show that on 27 June 1859, he married Martha Ann Powell, born circa 1840 in Indiana. Then the U.S. Census returns for the city of Peoria, dated 5 July 1860, show Thomas Shipman, 21, laborer, born in Illinois, with Martha A. Shipman, 20, born in Indiana, married within the year, and Franklin Shipman, 3 months old. Thomas, Martha, and Franklin are all classified as “mulatto” and unable to read or write. The 1863 Peoria City Directory lists Thomas as a laborer then residing at 77 S. Washington St.
When the call went out from President Abraham Lincoln a few years later for the states of the Union to organize regiments of colored troops during the Civil War, Thomas Shipman was one of the African-American men of Peoria and Tazewell counties who answered the call of duty. He registered for the draft in June 1863, and his Civil War service records show that he enlisted in the 29th U.S.C.I. on 21 Sept. 1864 at Springfield, being assigned to Co. D.
Thomas’ service records show that he was a sharpshooter, and was present for active duty with his regiment for the remainder of 1864 and the first months of 1865. He thus would have fought in the Battle of Hatcher’s Run in Virginia in October of 1864, would have served on the Bermuda Hundred front and before Richmond, Va., and took part in the Appomattox Campaign in late March 1865.
Thomas then made the ultimate sacrifice, catching a bullet to his skull at a location near Hatcher’s Run on 31 March 1865. His name is engraved on the Tazewell County Veterans Memorial on the Tazewell County Courthouse lawn.
Shown is the name of Bill Costley’s fellow soldier Thomas Shipman inscribed on the Tazewell County Veterans Memorial outside the Tazewell County Courthouse. Shipman, along with Morgan Day and William H. Costley, were among the 11 African-Americans from Tazewell County who fought to end slavery and restore the Union during the Civil War. Shipman and Day fell in combat, while Costley suffered a shrapnel wound to his shoulder.
It is not known whether Thomas was buried in Virginia where he fell, or if his body was brought back to his widow and son in Peoria. His widow Martha did apply for a Civil War pension on 12 May 1865, however.
Pvt. Thomas Shipman, sharpshooter, was killed in action by a gunshot wound to the head near Hatcher’s Run, Va., on 31 March 1865, as was recorded in the Army Register of Deaths of Volunteers 1861-1865.
Thomas Shipman of Peoria, a native of Pekin, enlisted in the 29th U.S. Colored Infantry on 21 Sept. 1864, signing on for a term of one year’s service. He never saw the end of his term of service, giving his life for his country on 31 March 1865.
With the approach of the Juneteenth holiday, it is a fitting time to recall the story of the 29th U.S. Colored Infantry, which was Illinois’ only African-American regiment during the Civil War.
The history of the 29th U.S.C.I. was researched in depth and published in 1998 by military historian Edward A. Miller Jr., whose book, “The Black Civil War Soldiers of Illinois,” is included in the Pekin Public Library’s Local History Room collection.
During the Civil War, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on 1 Jan. 1863. Afterwards, he requested that four regiments of African-American men should be raised. Eventually, 300,000 soldiers in 166 “colored” regiments were raised for the Union Army.
At first, enlistment was slow because of low pay — and because it was expected that captured black soldiers would be badly treated by the Confederacy (as happened at Fort Pillow in Tennessee on 12 April 1864 – about 300 Colored Troops were murdered by the Confederate forces after they had surrendered.)
The War Department set up the Bureau for Colored Troops to determine which white soldiers to commission as officers for the new colored regiments. Non-commissioned officers and privates were African-American. At first there was a stigma attached to being a white officer in a colored regiment, but the prospect of rapid promotion overcame the stigma. Famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass made a visit to Peoria to encourage enlistment in the Colored Troops.
The 29th United States Colored Infantry Regiment was organized at Quincy and mustered into federal service on 24 April 1864. Lieut. Col. John A. Bross of Chicago organized the regiment and became its commanding officer. Bross formerly commanded Co. A of the 88th Illinois Infantry and was a veteran of the Battle of Stones River. His brother was a Chicago Tribune newspaper editor who later became lieutenant governor of Illinois. Because of his political connections, Bross endured mockery as not being a real soldier.
Ten companies were organized: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, and K. The original captain of Co. B was Hector H. Aiken and the original captain of Co. G. was William A. Southwell.
In brief, the history of the 29th U.S.C.I. was: 1) Ordered to Annapolis, Maryland, 27 May 1864, and from there to Alexandria, Virginia; 2) Attached to the defenses of Washington, D.C., 22nd Corps, until June 1864; 3) 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, 9th Corps, Army of the Potomac, until Sept. 1864; 4) 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, 9th Corps until Dec. 1864; and 5) 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 25th Corps, and Dept. of Texas, until Nov. 1865.
Here is a more detailed service record and list of the 29th U.S.C.I.’s battles and engagements:
Duty at Alexandria, Virginia, till 15 June 1864. Moved to White House, Virginia, thence to Petersburg, Virginia.
Siege operations against Petersburg and Richmond 19 June 1864 to 3 April 1865.
Explosion, Petersburg, 30 July 1864 – Battle of the Crater, a debacle with Union losses of 504 killed, 1,881 wounded, 1,413 missing or captured; Lieut. Col. Bross and Capt. Hector Aiken were both killed. The 29th U.S.C.I. alone suffered two officers and 38 enlisted men killed, four officers and 53 enlisted men wounded, and 33 enlisted men captured.
Weldon Railroad, Aug. 18-21.
Poplar Grove Church, Sept. 29-30, and Oct. 1.
Hatcher’s Run, Oct. 27-28.
On the Bermuda Hundred front and before Richmond till April 1865.
Appomattox Campaign March 28-April 9. Present at the Surrender of Gen. Robert E. Lee.
Duty in the Dept. of Virginia till May.
Moved to Dept. of Texas May and June, and duty on the Rio Grande till November.
Mustered out 6 Nov. 1865.
The regiment lost during its service three officers and 43 enlisted men who were killed and mortally wounded and 188 enlisted men by disease – for a total of 234.
The Butler Medal, shown here, was a silver medal commissioned by Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler and paid for out of his own pocket, given to more than 200 members of the Colored Troops in recognition of their valor at the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm and New Market Heights (29-30 Sept. 1864) during the Siege of Petersburg, Virginia. The Latin motto ‘Ferro iis libertas perveniet’ means “Freedom Will be Theirs by the Sword.”
One of the most remarkable episodes in this regiment’s history is that it was present at the first Juneteenth. How that came about is that after Lee’s surrender, the South in general, and Texas in particular, needed occupational forces. Union soldiers were eager to go home, but many in the Colored Troops were willing to stay on the payroll.
Gen. Meigs, quartermaster, still had over 3,000 supply ships, so he put to sea the largest amphibious operation of the war, sending 30,000 troops of the 13th and 25th Corps to the Rio Grande. The port of Galveston surrendered June 5. The 28th Indiana, 29th Illinois, and the 31st New York units of the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division USCT arrived at Galveston Bay on June 18.
The white units of 34th Iowa, 83rd and 114th Ohio and 94th Illinois all arrived within a few days. Over 6,000 men landed within a week, and the racial makeup of the soldiers in Galveston on Juneteenth 1865 was about half black and half white.
Pekin and Tazewell County provided 11 men to the 29th U.S.C.I., five of whom were present at Juneteenth. Those men are listed below, with the names of the Juneteenth eyewitnesses in boldface:
William Henry Costley, son of Benjamin and Nance Costley, of Pekin, Co. B
Edward W. Lewis, of Peoria, formerly of Pekin (married Bill Costley’s sister Amanda in Pekin in 1858), unassigned (served as an Army cook).
William Henry Ashby, of Pekin, Co. G
Marshall Ashby, of Pekin, Co. G
Nathan Ashby, of Pekin, Co. G
William J. Ashby, of Pekin, Co. G, fell sick 27 March 1865, in hospital most of the rest of his term of service, mustered out 6 Nov. 1865.
Thomas Shipman, of Pekin, Co. D, a sharpshooter, killed in the line of duty 31 March 1865 during the Appomattox Campaign. (Miller, p.148, says Shipman was killed 30 March 1865, but his service file says 31 March.)
George H. Hall, of Pekin, Co. B, fell sick 18 May 1865, in hospital most of the rest of his term of service, mustered out 6 Nov. 1865.
Wilson Price, of Elm Grove Township, military records do not list his company, or mention when or how his service ended.
Thomas M. Tumbleson, of Elm Grove Township, Co. B, discharged 30 Sept. 1865 at Ringgold Barracks, Rio Grande, Texas.
Morgan Day, of Elm Grove Township, Co. G, fell sick 27 March 1865, died of dysentery 6 Sept. 1865 in New Orleans, buried in Chalmette National Cemetery, Louisiana.
The four Ashby men from Pekin are mentioned by Miller on p.118 of his book. Morgan Day was an uncle of most of the Ashby men of Pekin through his mother Rachel. Thomas Shipman also was related to the Ashbys through his brother David Shipman’s marriage to Elizabeth Ashby, who was very probably a sister of Nathan Ashby. Miller again mentions Nathan Ashby on p.201, where he describes Nathan’s life after the war:
“Pvt. Nathan Ashby, one of several solders of that family from Peoria County, Illinois, was living largely on the pension he received in 1892 for rheumatism and lung disease. In a normal review by doctors employed by the pension bureau, his pension was discontinued in 1895 because Ashby was found to be able to perform manual labor. Although restored on appeal, Ashby suffered much without the income, and, when he died in 1899, he left his wife ‘two old mules’ and no other property.”
As related in previous posts here, the Ashby family was from Fulton County but later moved to Tazewell and Peoria counties. Nathan himself moved from Pekin to Bartonville, and was buried in the defunct Moffatt Cemetery in Peoria. As Miller tells in his book, Nathan Ashby’s hard life of poverty after the war was shared by almost all of his fellow soldiers of the 29th U.S. Colored Infantry.
The Ashbys arrived in Illinois circa 1837, coming here from Virginia where their ancestors were plantation slaves. Thanks to the results of a living Ashby descendant’s DNA test, we now know that the ancestry of the Ashby family reaches back to Cameroon in Africa, which was one of the main regions from which North American slavers obtained African slaves.
The recorded history of the Ashby family as far as it is currently known commences with five African-American men who appear to be brothers, John Ashby, James Ashby, Lewis Ashby, William Ashby, and Philip Ashby, all of whom appear in U.S. Census records as early settlers in Fulton County, Illinois. It is currently uncertain whether they were born into slavery and were later manumitted (granted freedom), or rather were free black men who were children or grandchildren of African slaves. Except for Lewis Ashby, all of these Ashby men are classified as “mulatto” (biracial) or “black” or “colored” in the U.S. census and other records. The research of William Ashby’s descendant Richard White of Missouri (to whose work on the possible origins of the African-American Ashbys this writer is greatly indebted) suggests that their mother was probably a “mulatto” woman named Rachel, who later married Austin Day of Fulton County and was mother of Morgan Day of Elm Grove Township, Tazewell County, who served in the 29th U.S. Colored Infantry during the Civil War.
A research lead for the possible parentage and ancestry of the four Ashby men of Fulton County is the enumeration of a “Wm Ashby” in Culpeper County, Virginia, in the 1830 U.S. Census, whose household consisted of 19 free white persons, one free colored person aged 24-35, and 18 slaves. This William Ashby of Culpeper County, Virginia, evidently was white, but it may be that the black Ashbys of Fulton County were among the slaves of this William Ashby. Another possible lead is an 1834 list of “free negroes” living in the district of James S. Lawson, commissioner of revenue for York County, Virginia – that list includes a William Ashby living on and working his own land.
Whatever their origins, by the time of the 1835 Illinois State Census we find James Ashby, Philip Ashby, and Lewis Ashby settled in Fulton County, and by the time of the 1840 U.S. Census Philip Ashby, John Ashby, and “our” William Ashby are recorded as “colored” settlers in Liverpool Township in Fulton County (the township being located east of Lewistown, bordering Mason and Tazewell Counties on the east, with its eastern boundary being the Illinois River), while John Ashby appears in William’s household in Liverpool Township at the time of the 1860 U.S. Census. It is interesting that there was also a white settler in Fulton County about this time named William Asbury Ashby (1817-1850), son of William and Annis (Whitehurst) Ashby, who belonged to an Ashby family from Prince William County, Virginia. It is possible that John and William were related to William Asbury Ashby.
The detail from the plat of Liverpool Township, Fulton County, Illinois, in the 1871 “Atlas Map of Fulton County,” shows the land owned by William Ashby, a patriarch of the African-American Ashbys of Fulton, Peoria, and Tazewell Counties.
Several members of this Ashby family are later found in Pekin and Peoria, but it is sometimes unclear which of the African-American Ashby men of Fulton County was their father. It appears most probable that William was their father. Therefore this genealogical account provisionally lists some these Ashbys as if James or William were their father, even though positive proof of that has not yet been found for the parentage for the probable older children in the family.
First Generation
John Ashby, b. c.1803 in Virginia, d. unknown, prob. in Mo. but perhaps in Ill. John first appears on record in the 1840 U.S. Census of Fulton County, in which he is listed as “John Ashby, Colored.” In the 1860 U.S. Census, John Ashby, 55, mulatto, is enumerated in the household of William Ashby, 45, mulatto, in Liverpool Twp., Fulton Co., Ill. In the 1876 Missouri State Census, John and William again appear together as farmers in Stone County, Mo., and John, unlike William, is said to be unable to read and write. John last appears in the 1 June 1880 U.S. Census returns for Turnback, Lawrence Co., Mo., in which John Ashby, 77, black, widower, is shown as the next door neighbor of his brother William Ashby, 66, mulatto, and of his niece Clara (Ashby) Matney and her family. The identity of John’s wife or wives is unknown, and it is uncertain whether or not John had children – but he may have been the father of one or more of the Ashbys of Pekin and Peoria.
Dr.James Ashby, b. c.1808 in Virginia, d. of lung fever May 1850 in Liverpool Township, Fulton Co., Ill. James first appears on record as a Fulton County settler in the 1835 Illinois State Census. He is enumerated as “James Ashby, Colored” in the 1840 U.S. Census of Fulton County. The 1850 U.S. Census Mortality Schedules record James’ death from “lung fever” in May 1850 in Liverpool Township, Fulton Co. The same record says James, age 42, was black, married, and was a physician by profession. The identity of James’ wife or wives is unknown, and it is uncertain whether or not James had children – but he may have been the father of one or more of the African-American Ashbys of Pekin and Peoria, and likely had at least three sons and two daus. The 1879 “History of Fulton County,” pp. 821-823, record the tragic tale of the Asiatic cholera epidemic that struck Fulton County in 1849, and says, “The doctors whose services were tendered to these stricken ones were John B. McDowell, Thaddeus Nott, and a singular character named James Ashby, a mulatto. It is claimed they all did noble work and mutually saved many lives.“
Children:
James W. Ashby, prob. son of Dr. James Ashby; b. c.1825 in Virginia, d. unknown; m. 23 Oct. 1845 in Knox Co., Ill., Margaret Beverly, b. c.1824 in Ohio, d. unknown; had issue six sons and three daus. James was a day laborer who lived in Knox County, but at the time of the 1850 U.S. Census he and his wife and children lived in Peoria — and at that time among their neighbors was the family of George and Abigail (Brown) Washington, in whose house then lived Mary Beverly, age 16, b. in Ohio (prob. sister of James W. Ashby’s wife Margaret), George Shipman, 17 (prob. brother-in-law of James W. Ashby), and Nathan Ashby, 14, b. in Ill. (prob. brother of James).
Lavinia Ashby, dau. of Dr. James Ashby; b.4 March 1832 in Liverpool Twp., Fulton Co., Ill., d. 14 Aug. 1920 in Chicago, Ill., buried 17 Aug. 1920 in Lincoln Cemetery, Blue Island, Ill.; m. 1st 3 Nov. 1848 in Peoria County, Ill., Hiram Chavous, “a colored man,” (name in marriage record of poor legibility – looks like ‘Knam Charoule’), b. c.1823, had issue prob. two children who died young; m. 2nd 30 March 1860 in Peoria Co., Ill., Henry Chase, b. c.1830 in Maryland, d. post 13 June 1880 prob. in Peoria, had issue two sons and two daus., but Henry and Lavinia divorced c.1878; m. 3rd 10 March 1885 in La Salle Co., Ill., Hilliard H. Harris, b. April 1832 in Indiana (or North or South Carolina), d. 6 Sept. 1910 in Peoria, Ill., buried 8 Sept. 1910 in Springdale Cemetery, Peoria, no issue. The 1880 U.S. Census says Hilliard Harris was a gardener working for, and living in the household of, Moses Pettengill of Peoria.
Elizabeth “Eliza” Ashby, prob. dau. of Dr. James Ashby; b. c.1834 perhaps in Ohio or Ky., d. after the 1880 census prob. in Peoria, Ill.; m. 1st 28 Jan. 1849 in Peoria Co., Ill., David Shipman, b. c.1826 in Ill., d. prob. c.1853 in Peoria, Ill., son of Moses and Milly Shipman of Elm Grove Twp., Tazewell Co., Ill., had issue one son; m. 2nd 8 March 1854 at African M. E. Church in Peoria Co., Ill., Henry Chase, b. c.1830 in Maryland, d. post 13 June 1880 prob. in Peoria, had issue two daus. Elizabeth and Henry apparently divorced, for Henry m. 16 March 1859 in Peoria to Polly Portee, b. c.1827 in Ill., dau. of John Portee, while Elizabeth m. 3rd 8 Aug. 1859 in Peoria Edwin Howard, b. c.1831 in Kentucky, d. in or after 1887 prob. in Pekin, Ill.; she and Edwin had issue two daus. Elizabeth’s ex-husband Henry Chase rem. 30 March 1860 in Peoria Co., Ill., to Elizabeth’s probably sister Lavinia (see above).
Pvt. Nathan Ashby, prob. son of Dr. James Ashby; b. c.1836 or c.1839 in Fulton Co., Ill., d. 31 July 1899 in Bartonville, Peoria Co., Ill., buried in the former Moffatt Cemetery, Peoria, Ill.; m. 16 Aug. 1860 in Peoria, Ill., Elizabeth Warfield, b. 1831 in Ill. or Ohio, d. 26 July 1906 in Peoria, Ill., buried in Springdale Cemetery, Peoria; had issue prob. a son, and also had an adopted dau.; served in 29th U.S. Colored Infantry, Co. G., from 21 Sept. 1864 to 30 Sept. 1865; Juneteenth 1865 eyewitness. Nathan and Elizabeth moved back and forth between Pekin and Peoria, finally settling in Bartonville. Nathan’s occupation is given in Peoria city directories and censuses as “fireman” (a stoker of an industrial furnace) and a day laborer.
Moses (‘Mose’) Ashby, prob. son of Dr. James Ashby; b. c.1837 in Fulton Co., Ill., d. unknown; m. 1 June 1870 in Pekin, Ill., Sarah Ellen (Hodge) Woodworth, b. c.1846 in Ill., d. unknown, dau. of Jerry and Jane Hodge(s) of Peoria. Mose, 23, and William Ashby, 21, both “mulatto,” were laborers in the household of Peter and Margaret Devore in Pekin at the time of the 1860 U.S. Census. Moses is listed in the 1861 Pekin City Directory as a livery hand residing on the south side of Ann Eliza St., 1st door west of Third St. In June 1870 he and his wife Ellen were indicted by a Tazewell Co. grand jury for interracial marriage. No further record of Moses, but his wife Ellen is listed in the 7 July 1870 U.S. Census for Pekin as a domestic living and working in the Tazewell County Jail, evidently serving her sentence for interracial marriage. Ellen had previously married 14 April 1863 in Peoria Co., Ill., to Eliziphen “Alex” Woodworth of Liverpool Twp., Fulton Co., Ill., b. 25 May 1838 in Bloomington, Ind., d. 10 Sept. 1914 in Banner, Fulton Co., Ill. Ellen’s first child was Jefferson A. Woodworth, b. 30 Jan. 1863 in Banner, Ill., d. 13 Sept. 1937 in Pekin, Ill., and her second child was James Peter E. Woodworth, b. 13 June 1865 in Fulton Co., Ill., d. 17 Oct. 1943 in Peoria, Ill. The 1880 U.S. Census for Pekin suggests that Eliziphen was prob. father of Peter but not of Jefferson. The U.S. Census returns for Pekin, dated 1 July 1870 (while Ellen was in jail), shows Ellen’s son Peter, age 5, living with Nathan and Elizabeth Ashby — this indicates that Moses was very prob. a brother (rather than cousin) of Nathan Ashby. Ellen later m. 3rdly on 14 Oct. 1874 in Pekin to Firman A. Van Nest, b. 1847 in Piscataway, Middlesex Co., New Jersey, d. 28 Nov. 1902 in Plainfield, Union Co., New Jersey, son of Peter Huff and Elizabeth (Clawson) Van Nest, a “mulatto” family. No issue of her 3rd. m.
Sgt. Marshall Ashby, prob. son of Dr. James Ashby; b. c.1840 in Fulton Co., Ill., d. unknown; twice married; 1st marriage c.1860; Marshall served in 29th U.S. Colored Infantry, Co. G., from 21 Sept. 1864 to 30 Sept. 1865; Juneteenth 1865 eyewitness; m. 2nd 14 March 1866 in Pekin, Ill., Mary Jane Luce, b. c.1855 in Ohio, d. unknown. In March 1866, Marshall and Mary Jane were indicted by a Tazewell Co. grand jury for interracial marriage. Among the witnesses called by the grand jury was Mary Warfield, b. c.1849 in Ill., very prob. daughter of Elizabeth Warfield who later m. Pvt. Nathan Ashby (see above). No further record.
Lewis Ashby, prob. born in Virginia, enumerated as a settler of Fulton County in the 1835 Illinois State Census. No further information. Lewis may have been the father of one or more of the African-American Ashbys of Pekin and Peoria.
William Ashby, b. c.1812 in Virginia, d. 24 May 1884 in Stone County, Mo., buried in Nickerson Cemetery, Kimberling City, Stone Co., Mo.; m. prob. twice, 1st say c.1835 (NN) and had issue prob. including no less than three sons; m. 2nd c.1851 in Fulton Co., Ill., Elizabeth (Macklin) Clark, b. c.1812 in Ohio, d. c.1853 in Liverpool Twp., Fulton Co., Ill., ex-wife of Benjamin Clark of Liverpool Twp. William and Elizabeth had issue no less than three daus. and no less than two sons. William was enumerated as a resident of Fulton County in the 1840 U.S. Census. In the 1850 U.S. Census he was enumerated as a single farmer working $300 of land in Liverpool Twp., Fulton Co., living next door to Benjamin and Elizabeth Clark and their children. Also living nearby was Elizabeth’s brother Tobi Macklin, 30, blacksmith, in whose house lived Rachel Day, 48, prob. mother of Elizabeth and Tobi. In the 1860 U.S. Census, William Ashby and his brother John are listed in Liverpool Twp. with William’s daus. Matilda, Clarissa, and Mary M., as well as Rachel Day, 65, prob. William’s mother-in-law. By the time of the 1870 U.S. Census, William’s household in Liverpool Twp. consisted of just him and his children Clarissa and Joseph. By 1876, William and his brother John were farmers in Stone County, Mo., and in the 1 June 1880 U.S. Census returns for Turnback, Lawrence Co., Mo., we find William, 66, mulatto, widower, and his brother John, 77, black, widower, enumerated as farmers living next door to the family of William’s dau. Clara/Clarissa. Cemetery records show that William is buried in Nickerson Cemetery in an unmarked grave on the right of the grave of his youngest dau. Mary Margaret (Clark-Ashby) Nickerson.
Children:
Pvt. William Henry Ashby, prob. son of William Ashby; b. c.1836 in Ohio or Fayette Co., Ky., d. post 15 Aug. 1890 perhaps in Peoria Co., Ill.; served in 29th U.S. Colored Infantry, Co. G., from 21 Sept. 1864 to 30 Sept. 1865; Juneteenth 1865 eyewitness; m. 18 July 1868 in Tazewell Co., Ill., Phoebe Smith, b. c.1850 in Ill., d. unknown. William and Phoebe were farming in Hollis Twp., Peoria Co., Ill. Issue, if any, unknown.
Pvt. William J. Clark-Ashby, son of William and Elizabeth (Macklin-Clark) Ashby; b. 17 Jan. 1840 in Fulton Co., Ill., d. 17 June 1925 in Ill., buried in Sunset Cemetery, Quincy, Ill.; served in 29th U.S. Colored Infantry, Co. G., from 21 Sept. 1864 to 6 Nov. 1865, but was sick in hospital from March 1865 on; m. 30 July 1866 in Peoria County, Ill., (her 2nd. m.) Sarah Jane (Lowder) Carroll, dau. of Samuel and Lucretia (Reynolds) Lowder of Hendricks Co., Ind., and Fulton Co., Ill., b. 29 Jan. 1835 in Indiana, d. 4 Nov. 1900 in Pekin, Ill., buried in Lakeside Cemetery, Pekin. William and Sarah had issue two sons and two daus., besides two daus. and one son born of Sarah’s 1st m. to Samuel Carroll of Liverpool Twp., Fulton Co., Ill. William worked as a laborer and coal miner.
Malinda Ashby, prob. dau. of William and Elizabeth (Macklin-Clark) Ashby; b. c. 1845 prob. in Fulton Co., Ill., d. unknown; not to be confused with the Malinda (Furgurson) (Evans) Johnson who d. 7 March 1915 in Peoria, Ill., and was buried 10 March 1915 in Springdale Cemetery, Peoria. Malinda Ashby m. 6 July 1861 in Peoria Co., Ill., John Henry Johnson, b. say c.1840. No further record.
Matilda Jane Clark-Ashby, dau. of William and Elizabeth (Macklin-Clark) Ashby; b. 17 Aug. 1846 in Fulton Co., Ill., d. 29 Dec. 1927 in Jasper Co., Mo., buried in Fairview Cemetery, Joplin, Mo.; m. 1st 6 April 1862 in Fulton Co., Ill., William Henry Oatman, b. c.1827 in Ohio, d. after 1880 U.S. Census, had issue three sons and three daus.; m. 2nd c.1890 in Missouri (his 2nd m.) Daniel Messenger, b. Ohio, d. 27 June 1898 in Jasper Co., Mo., buried in Fairview Cemetery, Joplin, Mo., no issue of this m.
Clarissa R. (‘Clara’) Clark-Ashby, dau. of William and Elizabeth (Macklin-Clark) Ashby; b. 11 March 1849 in Liverpool Twp., Fulton Co., Ill., d. 6 July 1935 in Texas City, Galveston Co., Texas, buried 7 July 1935 in La Marque Cemetery, La Marque, Texas; m. 30 July 1875 in Fulton Co., Ill., John Matney, b. June 1853 in Indiana, d. 22 March 1916 in Texas City, Galveston Co., Texas, buried 24 March 1916 in La Marque Cemetery, La Marque, Texas, had issue three daus.
Mary Margaret Clark-Ashby, dau. of William and Elizabeth (Macklin-Clark) Ashby; b. 14 Feb. 1851 in Fulton Co., Ill., d. 29 Nov. 1938 in James Twp., Stone Co., Mo., buried in Nickerson Cemetery, Kimberling City, Stone Co., Mo.; m. 1 March 1870 in Fulton Co., Ill., Joshua Nickerson, b. 3 Feb. 1845 in Indiana, d. 10 March 1930 in Stone Co., Mo., buried in Nickerson Cemetery; had issue one dau. and one son.
Joseph Ashby, son of William and Elizabeth (Macklin-Clark) Ashby; b. c.1854 in Fulton Co., Ill., enumerated in 1870 U.S. Census in the household of William Ashby, 54, farmer of Liverpool Twp., Fulton Co., Ill., no further record.
Philip Ashby, prob. born in Virginia, enumerated as a settler of Fulton County in the 1835 Illinois State Census; enumerated as “Philip Ashby, Colored” in the 1840 U.S. Census of Fulton County, Ill. No further information. Philip may have been the father of one or more of the African-American Ashbys of Pekin and Peoria.
Second Generation
James W. Ashby, prob. son of Dr. James Ashby; b. c.1825 in Virginia, d. unknown; m. 23 Oct. 1845 in Knox Co., Ill., Margaret Beverly, b. c.1824 in Ohio, d. unknown; had issue six sons and three daus. James was a day laborer who lived in Knox County, but at the time of the 1850 U.S. Census he and his wife and children lived in Peoria — and at that time among their neighbors was the family of George and Abigail (Brown) Washington, in whose house then lived Mary Beverly, age 16, b. in Ohio (prob. sister of James W. Ashby’s wife Margaret), and Nathan Ashby, 14, b. in Ill. (prob. brother of James).
Children:
Robert Ashby, b. c.1845 in Ill., d. unknown; listed as “deaf mute” in the 1880 U.S. Census Schedule of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes for Oneida, Knox Co., Ill.; no further information.
James A. Ashby, b. c.1847 in Ill., d. unknown; enumerated with his parents and siblings in Knox, Knox Co., Ill., in the 1860 U.S. Census; no subsequent record.
Sarah A. Ashby, b. c.1852 in Ill., d. unknown; m. 21 Oct. 1869 in Knox Co., Ill., (his 2nd m.) Frank Gash, b. c.1837 in Mo., had issue one dau. and three sons.
Mary Ashby, b. c.1854 in Ill., d. unknown; enumerated with her parents and siblings in Knox, Knox Co., Ill., in the 1860 U.S. Census; no subsequent record.
John Henry Stewart Ashby, b. 10 Feb. 1855 in Peoria, Ill., d. 28 Feb. 1917 in Galesburg, Ill., buried in Linwood Cemetery, Galesburg; m. 1st 16 Dec.1875 in Knox Co., Ill., Mary Duke, b. 1 May 1859 in Ky., d. unknown; had issue one dau. and two sons; m. 2nd 27 Oct. 1881 in Knox Co., Ill., Sarah Duke, b. Sept. 1867 in Ky., d. 19 May 1953 in Galesburg, Ill.,; had issue three sons. John was a scavenger wagon teamster.
Franklin T. (‘Frank’) Ashby, b. c.1857 in Ill., d. unknown; m. 1st 6 Nov. 1879 in Knox Co., Ill., (her 2nd m.) Sarah A. (Lewis) Curtis, b. c.1858 in Iowa, d. unknown; issue unknown; m. 2nd 1 Nov. 1888 in Knox Co., Ill., Hattie Dunlop, b. c.1860, d. unknown; issue unknown.
Elizabeth Ada Ashby, b. May 1860 in Knox, Knox Co., Ill., d. unknown; enumerated with her parents and siblings in Knox, Knox Co., Ill., in the 1870 U.S. Census; no subsequent record.
Abram (‘Abe’) Ashby, b. c.1862 in Knox Co., Ill., d. unknown; m. 6 Jan. 1910 in King Co., Wash., Zella M. Carter, b. c.1881 in Ohio; issue unknown.
Lillie Ashby, b. c.1865 in Ill., d. unknown; m. 26 Aug. 1886 in Knox Co., Ill., Harry Monroe, b. c. 1864, d. unknown, son of Mike and Sarah (Gash) Monroe; issue if any unknown; no subsequent record.
Alonzo M. Ashby, b. c.1872 in Ill., d. unknown; enumerated with his parents and siblings in Knox, Knox Co., Ill., in the 1880 U.S. Census; no subsequent record.
Lavinia Ashby, dau. of Dr. James Ashby; b.4 March 1832 in Liverpool Twp., Fulton Co., Ill., d. 14 Aug. 1920 in Chicago, Ill., buried 17 Aug. 1920 in Lincoln Cemetery, Blue Island, Ill.; m. 1st 3 Nov. 1848 in Peoria County, Ill., Hiram Chavous, “a colored man,” (name in marriage record of poor legibility – looks like ‘Knam Charoule’), b. c.1823, had issue prob. two children who died young; m. 2nd 30 March 1860 in Peoria Co., Ill., Henry Chase, b. c.1830 in Maryland, d. post 13 June 1880 prob. in Peoria, had issue two sons and two daus., but Henry and Lavinia divorced c.1878; m. 3rd 10 March 1885 in La Salle Co., Ill., Hilliard H. Harris, b. April 1832 in Indiana (or North or South Carolina), d. 6 Sept. 1910 in Peoria, Ill., buried 8 Sept. 1910 in Springdale Cemetery, Peoria, no issue. The 1880 U.S. Census says Hilliard Harris was a gardener working for, and living in the household of, Moses Pettengill of Peoria. The 1900 U.S. Census says Lavinia had a total of six children, two of them still living in 1900 — six four of her children were born of her marriage to Henry Chase, the other two apparently were born of her first marriage.
Children:
(NN) Chavous, son or dau. of Hiram and Lavinia (Ashby) Chavous, prob. died young.
(NN) Chavous, son or dau. of Hiram and Lavinia (Ashby) Chavous, prob. died young.
James Chase, b. c.1860 in Peoria, Ill., son of Henry and Lavinia (Ashby-Chavous) Chase, enumerated in 10 June 1870 U.S. Census of Peoria in the family of Henry and Lavinia. No further record. Prob. died before 1880 U.S. Census.
John Chase, b. c.1863 in Peoria, Ill., son of Henry and Lavinia (Ashby-Chavous) Chase, enumerated in 10 June 1870 U.S. Census of Peoria in the family of Henry and Lavinia. No further record. Prob. died before 1880 U.S. Census.
Louisa Chase, b. c.1870 in Peoria, Ill., dau. of Henry and Lavinia (Ashby-Chavous) Chase, enumerated in 10 June 1870 U.S. Census of Peoria in the family of Henry and Lavinia. No further record. Prob. died before 1880 U.S. Census.
Lavinia Chase, b. c.1873 in Peoria, Ill., dau. of Henry and Lavinia (Ashby-Chavous) Chase, enumerated in 8 June 1880 U.S. Census of Peoria with her mother Lavinia. No further record.
Elizabeth (“Eliza”) Ashby, prob. dau. of Dr. James Ashby; b. c.1834 perhaps in Ohio or Ky., d. after the 1880 census prob. in Peoria, Ill.; m. 1st 28 Jan. 1849 in Peoria Co., Ill., David Shipman, b. c.1826 in Ill., d. prob. c.1853 in Peoria, Ill., had issue a son and a dau.; m. 2nd 8 March 1854 at African M. E. Church in Peoria Co., Ill., Henry Chase, b. c.1830 in Maryland, d. post 13 June 1880 prob. in Peoria, had issue two daus. Elizabeth and Henry apparently divorced, for she m. 3rd 8 Aug. 1859 in Peoria Edwin Howard, b. c.1831 in Kentucky, d. in or after 1887 prob. in Pekin, Ill.; she and Edwin had issue two daus. Elizabeth’s ex-husband Henry rem. 30 March 1860 in Peoria Co., Ill., to Elizabeth’s probable sister Lavinia (see above).
Children:
Charles T. Shipman, son of David and Elizabeth (Ashby) Shipman, b. c.1850 in Peoria Co., Ill., d. 18 Nov. 1929 in Hennepin Co., Minn. Charles was very prob. the free colored male under age 10 enumerated in the 1855 Illinois State Census as living in the household of Henry Chase in Peoria. The 1860 U.S. Census shows Charles, 11, mulatto, living in the household of Hilliard Harris of Peoria (see above); m. 1st 5 Sept. 1877 in Polk Co., Iowa, Fanny Johnson, b. c.1858 in Iowa, issue, if any, unknown;. m. 2nd 23 Oct. 1899 in Minneapolis, Minn., Josephine Anna “Johanna” (James) McIntosh, b. 2 May 1852 in Minnesota, d. 2 Feb. 1920 in Minneapolis, Minn., buried 1 March 1920 in Hillside Cemetery, Minneapolis, widow of Isaac McIntosh; no issue of this m., though Johanna and Isaac had had 11 children together. In the 1900 U.S. Census of Minneapolis, Charles and Johanna are listed in the same domicile as James Willis Costley, youngest child of Benjamin and Nance (Legins) Costley.
Sarah Jane Shipman, dau. of David and Elizabeth (Ashby) Shipman, b. c.1853 in Pekin, Ill.. Sarah is very prob. the free colored female under age 10 enumerated in the 1855 Illinois State Census as living in the household of Henry Chase in Peoria; m. 1st 1 Nov. 1869 in Tazewell Co., Ill., Pvt. Allen Travis Davison (a.ka. Travers Davidson), b. Aug. 1843 in Alabama, d. 27 June 1902 in or near Sparland, Marshall Co.. Ill., buried in Sparland Cemetery, son of Chapman and Charlotte (Andrews) Davis, a Civil War veteran who saw action in the 47th U.S. Colored Infantry, Co. D, and was present at the first Juneteenth in Galveston, Texas, issue of this m., if any, unknown; Sarah and Travis divorced, and she afterwards m. 2nd 27 Aug. 1880 in Peoria, Ill., Charles Smith, b. c. 1854 in Hamilton, Hancock Co., Ill., son of Cester and Elizabeth Smith, issue of this m., if any, unknown. The marriage record for Sarah and Charles misspells her father’s surname as “Christman,” and her mother’s maiden name as “Ashwood,” but the record also says Sarah’s maiden name was “Shipman.” Sarah is almost certainly the “Sarah Smith” who d. June 1893 of pneumonia in Peoria was was buried in Moffatt Cemetery, Peoria.
Josephine Chase, b. c.1855 in Peoria, Ill., dau. of Henry and Elizabeth (Ashby) Chase, enumerated in the household of Henry Chase of Peoria in the 1860 and 1870 U.S. Censuses, and in the household of her step-father Hilliard Harris of Peoria in the 1900 U.S. Census; m. (NN) Lee.
Mary A. Chase, b. c. 1857 in Peoria, Ill., dau. of Henry and Elizabeth (Ashby) Chase, enumerated in the household of Henry Chase of Peoria in the 1860 and 1870 U.S. Censuses. No further record.
Mary Melinda Howard, b. May 1860 in Pekin, Ill., dau. of Edwin and Elizabeth (Ashby-Shipman) Howard, enumerated in the household of Edward and Elizabeth Howard of Pekin in the 1870 U.S. Census. No further record.
Elizabeth (‘Liza’) Howard, b. Dec. 1869 in Pekin, Ill., d. prob. before 24 May 1893 prob. in Peoria, Ill., dau. of Edwin and Elizabeth (Ashby-Shipman) Howard, enumerated in the household of Edward and Elizabeth Howard of Pekin in the 1870 and 1880 U.S. Censuses; m. 21 Feb. 1883 in Peoria, Ill., Edward Phillip Ewing, b. 10 Nov. 1850 in Nashville, Tenn., d. 22 April 1926 in Peoria (Limestone Township), Ill., a distillery fireman, son of Edward and Margaret (Chavers) Ewing. Issue of this m., if any, unknown. Edward subsequently rem. 24 May 1893 in Peoria Laura Smith, b. c.1869 in Missouri, enumerated in the 1900 U.S. Census in Peoria as Edward’s wife; issue of this m., if any, unknown. Edward m. 3rd 15 Feb. 1909 in Peoria Willie Brewer, b. c.1882 in Macon, Miss., dau. of Dallas and Malinda (Pope) Brewer, enumerated in the 1910 U.S. Census in Peoria as Edward’s wife, with one child noted who apparently had died in infancy.
Pvt. Nathan Ashby, prob. son of Dr. James Ashby; b. c.1836 or c.1839 in Fulton Co., Ill., d. 31 July 1899 in Bartonville, Peoria Co., Ill., buried in the former Moffatt Cemetery, Peoria, Ill.; m. 16 Aug. 1860 in Peoria, Ill., Elizabeth Warfield, b. 1831 in Ill. or Ohio, d. 26 July 1906 in Peoria, Ill., buried in Springdale Cemetery, Peoria; had issue prob. a son, and also an adopted dau.; served in 29th U.S. Colored Infantry, Co. G., from 21 Sept. 1864 to 30 Sept. 1865; Juneteenth 1865 eyewitness. Nathan and Elizabeth moved back and forth between Pekin and Peoria, finally settling in Bartonville. Nathan’s occupation is given in Peoria city directories and censuses as “fireman” (a stoker of an industrial furnace) and a day laborer.
Children:
Olive Jane Ashby, adopted dau., b. c.1872 prob. in Pekin, Ill., no further record.
Nathan Ashby Jr., prob. son of Nathan and Elizabeth Ashby, b. perhaps c.1880 prob. in Pekin, Ill., or Mapleton, Ill. The Peoria City Directories of 1903, 1904, and 1905 show Nathan Ashby living in south Bartonville, Ill., and working at Keystone Fence Co. and American Milling Co., both in Bartonville. The 1903 Peoria directory also lists Elizabeth Ashby, widow of Nathan Ashby, as a resident of south Bartonville. These are the only Ashbys living in south Bartonville in those years, lending support to identifying the laborer Nathan Ashby of 1903-1905 as a son of Pvt. Nathan Ashby and his wife Elizabeth. No further record.
Pvt. William J. Clark-Ashby, son of William and Elizabeth (Macklin-Clark) Ashby; b. 17 Jan. 1840 in Fulton Co., Ill., d. 17 June 1925 in Ill., buried in Sunset Cemetery, Quincy, Ill.; served in 29th U.S. Colored Infantry, Co. G., from 21 Sept. 1864 to 6 Nov. 1865, but was sick in hospital from March 1865 on; m. 30 July 1866 in Peoria County, Ill., (her 2nd. m.) Sarah Jane (Lowder) Carroll, dau. of Samuel and Lucretia (Reynolds) Lowder of Hendricks Co., Ind., and Fulton Co., Ill., b. 29 Jan. 1835 in Indiana, d. 4 Nov. 1900 in Pekin, Ill., buried in Lakeside Cemetery, Pekin. William and Sarah had issue two sons and two daus., besides two daus. and one son born of Sarah’s 1st m. to Samuel Carroll of Liverpool Twp., Fulton Co., Ill. William worked as a laborer and coal miner. In 1870, William was indicted by a Tazewell Co. grand jury for allegedly murdering his stepson Alfred Carroll on 12 Aug. 1870, but he was acquitted of the charge.
Children:
Louis N. Ashby, b. c.1867 prob. in Pekin, Ill., d. unknown; enumerated with his parents and siblings in Pekin in 1880 U.S. Census; listed as “Ashby Louis N, lab, r 129 Caroline” in 1887 Pekin City Directory; perhaps the “Ashby Louis, plaster, bds R. R. Exchange” in 1906 Peoria City Directory. No further record.
Catherine Clark-Ashby, b. 14 July 1869 in Pekin, Ill., d. 28 May 1938 in Summum, Fulton Co., Ill., buried in Lakeside Cemetery, Pekin; m. 1st 20 Jan. 1886 in Tazewell Co., Ill., (his 1st m.) Leonard B. Hoover, b. 1 Sept. 1871 in Wawpecung, Ind., d. 6 May 1934 in Peoria, Ill., b. in Lakeside Cemetery, Pekin; had issue one son; m. 2nd 1904 in Henry Co., Ill., William B. Clark, b. 2 Aug. 1862 in New York State, d. 11 Aug. 1921 in Limestone Twp., Peoria Co., Ill., buried in Lakeside Cemetery, Pekin; no issue of this m.
Charles Ashby, b. c.1873 in Pekin, Ill., d. unknown; enumerated with his parents and siblings in Pekin in 1880 U.S. Census; listed as “Ashby Charles, cigar mkr. Moenkemoeller & Schlottmann, res. 127 Caroline” in 1887 Pekin City Directory. No further record.
Sarah Lisabeth (‘Sadie’) Ashby, b. c.1873 in Pekin, Ill., d. ante 9 June 1900 prob. in Pekin; buried in Lakeside Cemetery, Pekin; m. 30 July 1894 in Peoria Co., Ill., Richard Emmett (‘Dick’) Byrnes, b. 6 Oct. 1862 in Pekin, Ill., d. mysteriously 15 Oct. 1927 in Havana, Mason Co., Ill., buried in Lakeside Cemetery, Pekin; had issue one dau.
Matilda Jane Clark-Ashby, dau. of William and Elizabeth (Macklin-Clark) Ashby; b. 17 Aug. 1846 in Fulton Co., Ill., d. 29 Dec. 1927 in Jasper Co., Mo., buried in Fairview Cemetery, Joplin, Mo.; m. 1st 6 April 1862 in Fulton Co., Ill., William Henry Oatman, b. c.1827 in Ohio, d. after 1880 U.S. Census, had issue three sons and three daus.; m. 2nd c.1890 in Missouri (his 2nd m.) Daniel Messenger, b. Ohio, d. 27 June 1898 in Jasper Co., Mo., buried in Fairview Cemetery, Joplin, Mo., no issue of this m.
Children:
William Henry Oatman Jr., b. c.1863 in Fulton Co., Ill., perhaps is the William H. Oatman who m. 1st 7 May 1885 in Greene Co., Mo., Jennie Williams, m. 2nd 31 Oct. 1892 in Springfield, Green Co., Mo., Polly D. Brown, and m. 3rd 17 July 1896 in Springfield, Greene Co., Mo., Emma Oliver, and d. 22 May 1899, buried in Hazelwood Cemetery, Springfield, Mo. No further record.
Francis Marion (‘Frank’) Oatman, b. Oct. 1866 in Fulton Co., Ill., d. post 1934 prob. in Missouri; m. 1st 29 May 1902 in Jackson Co., Mo., Mamie A. Smith, b. Aug. 1877 in Mo., d. prob. bef. 1920 U.S. Census; m. 2nd Lena (NN), b. c.1871 in Arkansas, d. unknown. Issue, if any, unknown. Frank was a farm laborer.
George Lewis Oatman, b. 1 Dec. 1868 in Fulton Co., Ill., d. 30 Jan. 1930 in Chicago, Ill.; m. c.1897 Jennie (NN), b. c.1872 in Missouri, d. 31 Dec. 1945 in Chicago, Ill.; had issue one dau.
Sarah Anna (‘Annie’) Oatman, b. 5. Jan. 1871 in Fulton Co., Ill., d. 7 Jan. 1929 in Joplin, Mo.. buried 9 Jan. 1929 in Fairview Cemetery, Joplin, Mo.; m. c.1897 in Joplin, Mo., (his 2nd m.) Jacob F. (‘Jake’) Becker, a butcher supplies retail salesman, b. 13 March 1854 in Indiana, d. 23 Sept. 1921 in Joplin, Mo., buried 23 Sept. 1921 in Fairview Cemetery, Joplin, Mo.; had issue two sons.
Adaline Oatman, b. c.1872 in Fulton Co., Ill., d. ante the 17 June 1880 U.S. Census; enumerated with her parents and siblings and her grandfather William Ashby and great-uncle John Ashby in the 1876 Missouri State Census for Stone Co., Mo.
Ida Frances Oatman, b. 5 Aug. 1875 in Fulton Co., Ill., d. 20 Sept. 1959 in Joplin, Mo., buried 22 Sept. 1959 in Fairview Cemetery, Joplin, Mo.; by William Wesley Walkenshaw, b. 14 May 1879 in Kansas, d. 22 Oct. 1941 in Dallas, Texas, Ida had issue one son; by Jesse Jabez Shelby, b. 31 July 1875 in Butler Co., Mo., d. 30 Oct. 1955 in Joplin, Mo., Ida had issue one dau.; by various unknown fathers, Ida had issue three daus. and two sons; by C. E. Martin, Ida had issue one son; by her husband Edward Franklin Copher, b. 26 Oct. 187 in Eureka Springs, Carroll Co., Arkansas, d. 10 Oct. 1950 in Joplin, Mo., buried 12 Oct. 1950 in Fairview Cemetery, Joplin, Mo., Ida had two sons and one dau.
Clarissa R. (‘Clara’) Clark-Ashby, dau. of William and Elizabeth (Macklin-Clark) Ashby; b. 11 March 1849 in Liverpool Twp., Fulton Co., Ill., d. 6 July 1935 in Texas City, Galveston Co., Texas, buried 7 July 1935 in La Marque Cemetery, La Marque, Texas; m. 30 July 1875 in Fulton Co., Ill., John Matney, b. June 1853 in Indiana, d. 22 March 1916 in Texas City, Galveston Co., Texas, buried 24 March 1916 in La Marque Cemetery, La Marque, Texas, had issue three daus.
Children:
Margaret J. (‘Maggie’) Matney, b. Feb. 1877 in Illinois, d. unknown; m. William T. Smith, b. Nov. 1848 in Vermont, prob. d. ante 16 May 1910 U.S. Census; had issue a son and a dau. Maggie ran a boarding house in Texas City, Texas.
Emeley Ellen Matney, b. 14 Oct. 1880 in Missouri, d. 22 July 1943 in Galveston, Texas, buried 24 July 1943 in South Park Cemetery, Pearland, Texas; m. (NN) Jacobs, issue if any unknown.
Fred Thomas Matney, b. 7 July 1883 in Springfield, Greene Co., Mo., d. unknown, but ante 10 Sept. 1976 when a Social Security Claim was paid; m. 1st c.1906 in Missouri, Maud (NN), b. c.1885 in Nebraska; m. 2nd 12 Dec. 1919 in Louisville, Jefferson Co., Ky., Dorothy M. McKinley, b. c. 1901 in Pa. Issue if any unknown. Fred was a theater stage hand in New York City and elsewhere.
Bessie Kathryn Matney, b. 30 Sept. 1887 in Missouri, d. 3 Aug. 1944 in Houston, Texas, buried in South Park Cemetery, Pearland, Texas; m. c. 1914 William Robert Conway, b. 13 Jan. 1886 in Pa., d. 16 Oct. 1959 in Houston, Texas, buried in South Park Cemetery, Pearland Texas; had issue one son.
Mary Margaret Clark-Ashby, dau. of William and Elizabeth (Macklin-Clark) Ashby; b. 14 Feb. 1851 in Fulton Co., Ill., d. 29 Nov. 1938 in James Twp., Stone Co., Mo., buried in Nickerson Cemetery, Kimberling City, Stone Co., Mo.; m. 1 March 1870 in Fulton Co., Ill., Joshua Nickerson, b. 3 Feb. 1845 in Indiana, d. 10 March 1930 in Stone Co., Mo., buried in Nickerson Cemetery; had issue one dau. and one son.
Children:
America Frances Nickerson, b. 15 June 1874 in Fulton Co., Ill., d. 18 Nov. 1943 in Stone Co., Mo., buried in Nickerson Cemetery, Kimberling City, Stone Co., Mo.; m. 9 May 1891 in Stone Co., Mo., John L. White, b. 1865 in Carroll, Boone Co., Arkansas, d. 27 Oct. 1946 in Stone Co.. Mo.; had issue three daus. and four sons.
William Albert Nickerson, b. 28 Jan. 1877 in Fulton Co., Ill., d. 1 June 1952 in Butte Co., Calif.; m. 2 March 1897 in Stone Co., Mo., Dellah Pearl Harris, b. 21 Feb. 1879 in Henderson Co., Tenn., d. 22 Nov. 1948 in Oroville, Butte Co., Calif.; had issue one dau. and one son.
The account of the descendants of William Ashby of Liverpool Township, Fulton County, Illinois, will continue next week.
Shown here is an old printed copy of the first four of Major Gen. Gordon Granger’s five “General Orders” implementing martial law in Texas following Texas’ surrender after the end of the Civil War. General Order No. 3, issued 19 June 1865, in Galveston, Texas, proclaimed “all slaves are free” and that they had “absolute equality” with their former owners. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons
For those who were unable to attend Pekin’s first-ever Juneteenth celebration at the Pekin Public Library that was co-sponsored earlier this month by the Pekin YWCA Coalition for Equality along with the library, below is a link to the program presented by Jared Olar, the library’s local history specialist, telling the stories of four Pekin men — Pvt. William Henry Costley, Cpl. William Henry Ashby, Sgt. Marshall Ashby, and Cpl. Nathan Ashby — who served in the U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War and were eyewitnesses of the first Juneteenth in 1865. (Besides Pekin’s four Juneteenth eyewitnesses, a fifth Tazewell County volunteer for the Colored Troops, Thomas Marcellus Tumbleson of Elm Grove Township, was also present at the first Juneteenth.)
Before the Juneteenth program, Jared Olar was interviewed by WCBU Peoria Public Radio News Director Tim Shelley about the same subject. Quotes from that interview are included in the following WCBU news report at their website. Twenty-minutes of the interview aired on WCBU during the local news half-hour on Friday at 6 p.m. (the eve of Juneteenth) in the middle of the “All Things Considered” broadcast. Audio of the entire 45-minute interview is linked on the WCBU website immediately below this article:
From the History Room 