James K. & Elizabeth Scott family
JAMES K. SCOTT s/o John Wilson & Nancy Keith
Scott b. 12 or 18 Apr 1793 (source - SAR application of Lt. Chester C. Edwards), probably
South Carolina (though he reported North Carolina in the 1850 census)
d. 5/6 Jun 1853 Dewitt co. Ill. (dropsy) m. ca. 1814 Elizabeth Scott
d/o Wilson Scott? b. ca. 1797 Tennessee d. 1863 Daviess co.
Mo.? James and Elizabeth were first cousins (per son Crafton's
Civil War pension application, Thomas Franklin Scott's research, Ethel
Scott Fraser's 1959 DAR application, and Mary Jane Bebout's 1960 DAR application),
and her maiden name was Scott (per daughter Lucinda's second marriage
record and Mary Jane Bebout's 1960 DAR application). All records
say James died on June 5th, but his obituary in the Bloomington Intelligencer
says the 6th.
There is some confusion as to when and where Elizabeth died- one record
says 1863 in Daviess co. Mo., another says 1874 or 1878 in Madison co.
Iowa, and I don't know what the source is for any of them.
James was a minister in the Christian church, a physician, a justice
of the peace, and served two terms in the state legislature from 1842-1846.
In the first election when Dewitt county was formed in 1839, he lost 263-206
in the race for Justice. He was also foreman of the grand jury in
Dewitt county in September 1847 and again in September 1848. He is
buried in Rock Creek Cemetery, but there is no stone, and I don't think
there ever was. Elizabeth was said to have been returned to Illinois
and buried in Rock Creek, but there is no stone for her, either.
In 1840, James wrote a letter to a medical
journal called "The Botanico Medical Recorder" that survives. In
it, he thanks Dr. A. Curtis for his "letter in relation to the health of
my son", and says his "practice is so great that I have but little time
to be at home, day or night". He also says his "success is good in
curing all curable diseases common in this country [but] [t]he most difficult...
are chills and fevers, or cold extremities and warm head and body".
Curtis provided advice on curing chills, and admonished James, saying "[i]t
is not right to neglect your own son, in your efforts to relieve the distressed.
Many [doctors] have neglected their own families and themselves also, till
too late to do good... and this done injury instead of good to the cause".
In 1843, James and four other men were tasked with locating the county
seat of Woodford county, Illinois, which they did at Metamora on 21 Feb
1845.
On 12 Feb 1850, James wrote a letter to Stephen A. Douglas, probably
asking for help pleading the case for Dewitt county to recieve new construction
projects from the state. The letter will soon be available in the
Stephen A. Douglas archives.
In an affadavit for Crafton Scott's pension application dated 10 July
1877, Judge John J. McGraw described James K. Scott as "a short stout man"
and Elizabeth as "a frail weakly woman of a consumptive nature".
In the 1820 census, James & Elizabeth had 3 sons under 10
years old; in 1830, they had 2 aged 10-15, 1 aged 5-10 and 1 aged under
5. That would mean either Lorenzo's birthdate is very wrong (and
possibly John W.'s, to allow enough time between their births) or there
were two unnamed sons who died young, one in the 1820's and one in the
1830's.
They had at least 9 children:
-
Male born ca. 1815 (aged under 10 in 1820 census, Crawford co. Ind.)-
this child might not exist, depending on how accurately you believe census
reports.
-
Male born ca. 1817 (aged under 10 in 1820 census, Crawford co. Ind.)
-
Lorenzo Dow b. ca. 1817 or 1821 Crawford co. Ind. or Jackson (now
Clay) co. Tenn. d. Feb 1857 Dewitt co. Ill., never married.
His birthdate is a big question- he is listed as being age 29 in the 1850
census, but in his 20's in 1840 and 10-20 in 1830, so he seems in fact
be older than John Wilson. He owned land in Henry co. Missouri, and
according to a scrawled note I have, "1841 Vernon co. Mo. among the missing",
whatever that means (Vernon county wasn't formed until 1851). He
voted in the election in Dewitt county in 1844.
-
John Wilson (M. D.) b. 22 Jan 1819 Hermitage Springs, Jackson (now
Clay) co. Tennessee d. Dec 1854 Texas twp., Dewitt co. Ill. ("while erecting
a house", but no word on how literally that should be taken) m. 24 Nov
1836 Macon co. Ill. Leuinda Blair b. 25 Feb 1820 Kentucky d. 13 Sep 1907
Dewitt co. Ill.; 8 children. John or his cousin John W. Scott
III was indicted for assault with a knife in Dewitt county in October 1851.
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Martin Henry b. 1823 Sangamon co. Ill. d. before 1882 m. 5 May 1845
Hannah Mariah Rosencrans b. 15 May 1829 Butler co. Ohio d. 11 Apr 1892
Dewitt co. Ill. No children. Hannah filed for divorce (under
her middle name) on 13 July 1860, stating that Martin had been absent from
the household (desertion) for more than two years. Martin did not
answer the summons and the divorce was granted (I believe it was thought
that he had left the state). I do not know where Martin went after
1850; he was not in Illinois in 1860, and I don't know the source of Hannah's
death date. She married 2nd 11 Aug 1861 Dewitt co. Ill. John Adam
Schmidt, and they had 3 children by 1870.
-
Crafton Porter (M. D.) b. 12 Sep 1825 Sangamon co. Ill. d.
4 AM, 8 Jan 1900 Lincoln, Logan co. Ill. (dropsy and heart failure), buried Union Cemetery, Lincoln, Ill. m.
5 Jun 1845 Rhoda Davenport b. 1826/7 Kentucky d. after 1900 (but not in the 1900 census). Crafton
Scott was indicted along with a G. F. Davenport for larceny, pled guilty,
and fined $10 each in Dewitt county in May, 1855. He served in the
Civil War, as a musician, mustering in on 4 Sept 1862 at Wapella, Dewitt
co. Ill. and being discharged 17 Sept 1863 on account of a disability.
-
Mary Ann b. 1830 Tazewell co. Ill. d. after 1900; last known living
in Clinton co. Missouri, but may have moved to Oklahoma (her sons were
there in 1910). m/1. 31 Aug 1853 Dewitt co. Ill. Ezra Smith Pierce
s/o Ezra & Mary Rachel Hinshaw Pierce? d. 1860/1 Madison co.
Iowa, 4 children (however, in 1900 Mary reported having 7 children and
3 were living); Mary m/2. 16 Dec 1866 Madison co. Iowa James Harris
b. 1814/5 North Carolina d. 7
Jun 1873 Des Moines, Polk co. Iowa, buried Winterset cemetery, Madison
co. Iowa; 1 son.
-
James Campbell (M. D.)
b. 22 Feb 1833 Tazewell (now Dewitt)
co. Illinois d. 3 Sep 1902 Atlanta, Logan co. Ill. m. 12 Aug 1853 Narcissus
Asa d/o Elijah & Susannah Asa b. 24 Jul 1835 Indiana d. 22 May 1920
Kenney, Dewitt co. Ill. James and Narcissus are buried in the Evergreen
cemetery, Dewitt co. Ill. James inherited his father's library of
books. 9 children, 6 survived.
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Lucinda M. b. 1834/5 or 1839 Illinois d. 1896 Daviess co.
Mo. m/1. 21 Dec 1856 Benton co. Mo. James A. Garton b. 1828 Kentucky
d. 1870's, probably Buchanan co. Mo.; Lucinda m/2. 1870's John M. Spandau
s/o Charles & Henrietta Spandau b. 1837 Bavaria/Germany
d. 2 Jun 1908 Pawnee co. OK, buried Bethany Cemetery, Hallett, Pawnee co.
OK. (with his second wife Annie R. 1860-1953, see below); John served in
the Civil War, Co. H, 77th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (Private), he enlised
6 Aug 1862 in Peoria, Illinois, and was mustered out on 17 Jun 1865..
James and Lucinda lived in St. Joseph, Missouri at least through 1870;
in 1880 Lucinda had remarried and was living in the town of Grafton, Fillmore
co. Nebraska, but shortly afterward they moved back to Daviess co. Mo.
James may have been a preacher; there was a J. Garton listed as performing
marriages in Madison co. Iowa (where Lucinda's sister Mary lived) in Dec
1871. Lucinda and James had one son:
-
James Martin b. Jun 1861 Daviess co. Mo. d. after 1920, lived Pawnee
co. OK; m. 8 Dec 1886 Daviess co. Mo. Anna Rebecca Cole b. Jan 1860
Iowa d. 1953, 3 children, she was buried under the name Spandau and
as John M.'s wife. In the 1920 census, James and Anna (listed as
"Standau A.") are living with their son William F. Garton, and are both
listed as widows. I think that means Anna and James divorced
and she married his stepfather before he died. A
story is online that mentions a woman of Pawnee county as "Mrs. Garton
Spandau" in 1903, and that Etta Garton (b. 30 Nov 1890, d/o James &
Anna) was the best friend of the author's sister who died (Etta herself
died 2 Feb 1909, six years later).
Author:
Matt Scott