David Standiford Talbott

From: History of the Early Settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois; by John Carroll Power; pub. 1876

TALBOTT, DAVID, was born Jan. 6, 1786, in Baltimore county, Maryland. "There is a tradition that has been handed down to the Talbotts in this country, that prior to, or about the year 1700, three brothers came over from England, two of whom settled in Virginia and one in Maryland. They seem to have visited and continued their acquaintance, and in the course of time united in looking up up their old-fashioned silver plate, of which they appear to have had a considerable quantity. After a general consultation, they decided to return this silver plate to England for remodeling. It was consequently shipped for that purpose, but the vessel in which it was sent was never heard from." The above was taken from a letter written by Thomas E. Talbott, of Dalhoff, St. Charles county, Mo., to his cousin, Thomas Talbott, of Sangamon county. He facetiously adds: "Perhaps some of the Spirit Rappers might call up the spirit of the captain of that old ship and ask him the name of the shippers of this precious plate." He thus disposes of the effort to trace the geneology of the three brothers, but at the same time makes it quite plain that the one who settled in Maryland was named John. He had a son Edward who married an English lady by the name of Margaret Slade. Edward Talbott died soon after marriage. A son, Edward, was born April 6, 1764, after the death of his father, on what was called "My Lady's Manor," in Baltimore county, Maryland. This Edward Talbott was married in 1783, in Harford county, Maryland, to Elizabeth Standiford. They had twelve sons and one daughter. It was their second son, David, whose name heads this sketch. When David Talbott was about ten years old his father moved to Shelby county, Kentucky. He was there married Dec. 4, 1806, to Harriet Harding, who was born Dec. 25, 1787, in Berkley county, Virginia. Her father, Nathan Harding, moved to Shelby county about 1802. David Talbott and wife had twelve living children in Shelby county, Kentucky. The whole family, with the exception of the eldest son, moved to Sangamon county, Illinois, arriving April 16, 1835, in what is now Curran township, south of Spring creek. In the fall of that year they moved north of Spring creek, in what is now Garden township. Of their children--

(1.) LUCINDA, born Dec. 14, 1808, in Kentucky, is unmarried, and resides with her brother Thomas, at the family homestead.

(2.) FLETCHER, born March 24, 1810, in Shelby county, Kentucky, commenced the study of medicine in 1832, with Dr. Hanson Harding, in Shelbyville, Kentucky, attended lectures at Transylvania University, Lexington, Kentucky, in the winters of 1834 and '5, and in the spring of the latter year commenced practice in Spencer county, Kentucky. He came to Springfield, Illinois, in the autumn of 1836, where he practiced medicine one year and returned to Lexington, Kentucky, attended a second course of lectures and graduated in March, 1838. He returned to Springfield in May and continued there until September, when he moved to the country a few miles west of Springfield, where he has continued practicing his profession until the present time. Dr. Fletcher Talbott was married in Morgan county, Illinois, June 18, 1839, to Ruth R. Gatton. They had seven children. WILLIAM T., born July 6, 1841, in that part of Morgan which is now Cass county, Illinois, was married November 2, 1864, in St. Louis county, Missouri, to Sarah F. Gardner, a daughter of Thomas Gardner. She was born April 6, 1842. They have five children, THOMAS G., JOHN F., NETTIE E., MABEL and CHARLES D., the latter born May 13, 1876, is the "centennial" of the family. William T. Talbott is one of the neatest farmers I have found in Sangamon county, or any other place. That he is thoroughly posted on all the latest improvements in agriculture, a visit to his farm, "Elder Grove," will convince the most casual observer. He has an extensive library, a large collection of minerals, fossils, copper coins, etc., etc. Mr. Talbott and family reside at "Elder Grove," two miles northwest of Farmingdale, Sangamon county, Ill. David C., born August 1, 1843, in Sangamon county, was married Oct. 28, 1868, to Elizabeth A. Pirkins. They have three children, namely, WALTER, CARLTON and HENRY FLETCHER, and reside in Curran, Sangamon county, Illinois. JAMES L., born April 25, 1846, in Sangamon county, was married June 19, 1873, to Jennie Gill. They have two children, ROSE and JOHN GILL, and live two miles west of Springfield. FLETCHER H., born October 28, 1848. MARY R., EDWARD R. and CHARLES R. live with their parents. Dr. Fletcher Talbott and wife reside six miles west of Springfield, Illinois.

(3.) ELIZABETH, born Oct. 14, 1811, in Kentucky, was married in Sangamon county, to Noah Mason. See his name.

(4.) DAVID, Jun., born July 22, 1813, in Shelby county, Kentucky, was married in Sangamon county, Oct. 3, 1850, to Susan Rickard. They had one child, ELLA BELLE, who was born July 5, 1855, and died August 20, 1875. David Talbott and wife reside six and one-half miles west of Springfield, Illinois.

(5.) ARSENETH, born Nov. 12, 1814, in Kentucky, was married in Sangamon county to James M. Bradford. See his name.

(6.) THOMAS, born Feb. 21, 1816, in Kentucky, is unmarried and lives at the homestead, where his parents settled in 1835, six and a half miles west of Springfield, Illinois.

(7.) HARRIET, born Jan. 31, 1818, in Kentucky, was married in Sangamon county March, 1838, to Noah M. Rickard. See his name.

(8.) LUTHER, born Feb. 11, 1820, in Shelby county, Kentucky, was married in Sangamon county, Illinois, June, 1851, to Mary M. Rickard. They have eight children, namely, CHARLES W., CATHARINE L., ELIZA F., THOMAS F., ARSENETH H., CAROLINE L., DAVID K. and EMILY BELLE.

Luther Talbott and family reside near Harristown, Macon county, Illinois.

(9.) MARY R., born Jan. 2, 1822, in Kentucky, was married Dec. 9, 1858, in Sangamon county, Illinois, to Rev. Moses Summers, of the M. E. Church. They have two children, EMILY F. and MOSES W., and live two miles north of Curran, Sangamon county, Illinois. Rev. Moses Summers was born Sept. 11, 1818, in Onondaga county, New York. He came to that part of Morgan county which has since been added to Cass county, Illinois, arriving Nov. 3, 1838. He was there married to Eleanor Yaples. They had three daughters. AZUBA R. lives with her father, MARY E. married Preston H. Gibson, and lives at Brownsville, Nebraska. SARAH C. married Irwin B. Towl, and lives in Lincoln, Illinois. Mrs. Eleanor Summers died Oct. 5, 1857.

(10.) EMILY, born Oct. 21, 1823, in Kentucky, was married in Sangamon county to George Brunk. See his name. He died and she married Lindsey H. English, and resides two miles southeast of Springfield, Illinois.

(11.) CAROLINE, born August 24, 1825, in Kentucky, died April 22, 1875, at the family homestead, unmarried. Her death was the first of the twelve children David Talbott brought to Sangamon county, forty years before.

(12.) SARAH, born May 1, 1827, in Kentucky, was married in Sangamon county, Oct. 12, 1847, to H. K. Cooper, who was born Jan. 5, 1820, in Mercer county, Pennsylvania. They had two children, ROSE H. married William E. Pirkins. See his name. WILLIAM K. married Kate S. Van Patten. They live one and a half miles northwest of Bradfordton, Sangamon county, Ill. Hugh K. Cooper died Sept. 7, 1850. Mrs. Cooper was married Sept. 5, 1858, to William J. Shaver, who was born May 10, 1834, in Rensselaer county, New York. They had three children, JAMES A., and THOMAS T., the eldest and youngest died under four years. GEORGE lives with his mother. Wm. J. Shaver died Jan. 25, 1864, and Mrs. Sarah Shaver lives in Gardner township, one and a half miles northwest of Bradfordton, Sangamon county, Ill.

David Talbott died Oct. 31, 1867, and Mrs. Harriet Talbott died Dec. 22, 1867, both in Gardner township, Sangamon county, Ill.