My Mostly Hardin County, IL ancestors
SMITH frank was born 1885. He died 1993 in milan. TN. He married HURLEY daisey 1919.
Other marriages:PIPES, lanty
WESTON, mae
HURLEY daisey was born 11 Jul 1901. She died Nov 1973 in milan, TN. She married SMITH frank 1919.
They had the following children:
M i SMITH benjamin b. M ii SMITH lynn died 1999 in parkersburg, WV. M iii SMITH glen F iv SMITH jean F v SMITH sue M vi SMITH milton F vii SMITH opal F viii SMITH regina was born 1948. She died 1993.
Chester Arthur LEONBERGER [Parents] 1, 2, 3, 4 was born 13 Mar 1906 in Campbell, Dunklin, Missouri. He died Dec 1976 in MO. He married Sophia SLAUGHTER Abt. 1922 in Misc, Illinois.
Sophia SLAUGHTER 1 was born 12 Aug 1898. She died Sep 1977 in MO. She married Chester Arthur LEONBERGER Abt. 1922 in Misc, Illinois.
ELLIS mose was born 11 Nov 1873. He died 10 Aug 1954. He was buried in soward cem. hardin co., IL. He married eller.
eller was born 1 Jul 1883. She died 13 Mar 1968. She was buried in soward cem. hardin co., IL. She married ELLIS mose.
They had the following children:
F i ELLIS eval ellen
EICHORN fowler [Parents] was born 21 Apr 1910. He died 18 Jul 1993 in eldorado, saline co., IL. He married Gladys BLACK 23 Feb 1951.
Gladys BLACK [Parents]
Other marriages:LOVE, ezra
George CLEVENGER [Parents] 1 was born 1848 in TN. He died. He married Christina LEONBERGER 13 Aug 1879 in gallatin co., IL.
Christina LEONBERGER [Parents] 1, 2, 3 was born 1858 in Bowlesville, Gallatin, Illinois. She died. She married George CLEVENGER 13 Aug 1879 in gallatin co., IL.
They had the following children:
M i CLEVENGER otto william
COWSERT steven thomas was born 19 Aug 1959. He died 7 Jul 1995. He was buried in cowsert #1, hardin co., IL. He married LEONBERGER lynn 7 Jun 1985.
LEONBERGER lynn [Parents]
FRAILEY wiley died. He married DUTTON florence.
DUTTON florence [Parents] was born Jul 1874 in IL. She died. She married FRAILEY wiley.
DENTON andrew [Parents] was born 1869 in hardin co., IL. He died 20 Oct 1893 in hardin co., IL. He was buried in adams-irby, hardin co., IL. He married HESS susan "sudie". He had other parents.
A SCHOOL TEACHER,
HESS susan "sudie" [Parents] was born 1874 in hardin co., IL. She died 20 Nov 1893 in hardin co., IL. She was buried in adams-irby, hardin co., IL. She married DENTON andrew.
They had the following children:
F i DENTON phoebe iris
OXFORD james was born 1798 in NC. He died. He married PENNELL mary.
PENNELL mary was born 1799 in NC. She died. She married OXFORD james.
They had the following children:
F i OXFORD hannah F ii OXFORD mary was born 1839 in IL. She died. M iii OXFORD james was born 1840 in IL. He died.
DENTON james emmitt [Parents] was born 13 Mar 1873. He died 20 Jan 1937. He was buried in empire IOOF,hardin co., IL. He married BROWNFIELD ida ann 1894. He had other parents.
A TRIBUTE TO JAMES E. DENTON
BY JUDGE ELIHU HALL
Many men of ambitious type of mind dread the dotage and senility of old age even more than death. Shakespeare dreaded this and wrote of it as the time in a man's life when he is "sans" (without) teeth, sans eyes, sans hair, sans everything." Dying at the age of 56 he did not see that dreaded period in his own life and experience, so Attorney Denton had expressed the wish to depart from this life, as Moses the greatest lawyer of all time departed, "with his eyes not dim and his natural manhood unabated." And as so many of our wishes inadvertently expressed unsuspectedly come true, so this one was fulfilled with alarming suddenness and untimeliness.During the court week beginning with the 18th of January, He with Capt. R. F. Taylor and State's attorney 0. F. Soward of the Elizabethtown Bar attended to legal business in Golconda and at the forenoon session, Tuesday, they argued the, validity of some indictments, usually a laborious and intricate procedure.
At noon Mr. Walker, Mr. Denton's son-in-law drove by for him and found him complaining of a rather strange and sudden attack of headache. As they drove home he looked about the car, asking his son-in-law if the car shades were lowered, which accounted for the darkness, to which Mr. Walker answered without apprehending any seriousness, "This is an unusually dark day." on arriving he still complained of being indisposed, choosing rather to lie on the sofa than eat dinner. To Mr. and Mrs Walker's offer to call a physician, he replied, "Maybe I'll feel better after I rest a few minutes."
Soon Mr. Walker did call Dr. Ward who found Mr. Denton seriously ill, and hurriedly administered some palatives while he was diagnosing his ailments. The doctor discovered that he had extremely high blood-pressure, and he believed that he was suffering from cerebro-hemorrage in the left cerebral hemisphere causing loss of speech and vision, as well as of action in the limbs on the right side of his body. His condition failed to respond to all efforts of treatment, but growing worse he passed away January 20, 1937. He was 63 years, 10 months and 7 days old at the time of his death, but had every appearance of a much younger man.James Emmitt was the third son of Allen Denton, who as a young pioneer made his way from the Carolinas across to the Illinois Country, where he married Mary Ann Patton, sister of the late James, Elias, and Grant Patton, of Mrs. Sarah Carr, and of Mrs Rebecca Sutton. He settled what was later known as the W. D. Davis farm near Sparks Hill. I have heard those old land claims talked of, but cannot be certain just now that he entered that property, for much land here was being entered at that time through the Shawneetown Government Land Office.
My father had come down the Ohio on a flat-boat; had seen the East and South with quite a little of the Civil War; had married a cousin of Mrs. Denton's and he and Uncle Al could match far-away yarns, as few other men here could do. They drove over to our house or we to theirs for the week end, and there were wild turkey, fat possum, wild honey, maple syrup, wine of the wild grape, hoecakes, and all those "good eatings" which people ate before dyspepsia was written in the books or in the stomachs of mankind either.
The Denton children consisted of three boys, Andrew, William, and James Emmit. There were two girls who died young. Emmit was all nerve and play; an inveterate wrestler, always daring some boy to "dirty his back." ever genial and jovial in humor, but took no insults from big or little without a hard fight. If a boy was too big he went after him with clubs and stones, and Andrew and William often had to interfere to keep him from doing some bad work.
In school he learned easily, with time off for amusement, but every teacher learned to trust him among his best friends. When he discovered a large boy concealing a dangerous stone for the teacher. Emmit spoke up fearlessly appraising him of danger. But alas, how few of that gay class are left to match such reminiscences. There is one incident happening on that long September afternoon that we all carried through life. We learned that day to rest our backs by balancing the old peg leg seat on two legs. This was too tempting for Emmit's teasing wit, but all we know was that some fellow rather spasmodically straightened his leg, whereupon boys and bench piled over on the floor. Every boy in that pile was on his feet or near it, when the irate teacher joined us, except one that long tangled-legged one lives to this day to remember how unceremoniously the teacher helped him up.
About this time the Denton home met with an inestimable misfortune. That frugal wife and patient mother died. After a while Emmit hired to his Uncle James Patton, who found plenty of work for him, but saw to it that he continued his schooling, just at an age when a boy is likely to forget his books. His Uncle was a sort of King Midas; everything turned to money he touched, and if as the wise man hath charity covereth a multitude of sins, James Patton has many, many noble deeds to his account; and when Emmit married rather young, he backed him for a good Harris Creek farm, by some additional help by his father and father-in-law he was soon marketing products with the rest of those sturdy farmers.
He married Ida Ann Brownfield, second daughter of Esq. B. F. Brownfield. By this marriage he became brother-in-law of James Brownfield, the writer, Ernest Oxford, Wiley Leonberger, and James Watters.He farmed and taught a few years, as did his two brothers. Andrew married Miss Sudie Hess but died not long after his first child was born. She is Mrs. Phoebe Manhart of Owasso., Mich. William wedded Sarah, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Leonberger. There was a half sister born about this time or later, who is Mrs. Herbert Ledbetter of Elizabethtown.
Soon after his marriage Emmit and his brother William entered Yellow Springs School again, which at this time was raised to academic proportions, and many of the best scholars and teachers in the county took advantage of this, some attending both winter and summer. Emmit burnt late oil and soon became a good Latin scholar, with a knowledge of Greek, higher Mathematics, history, science, literature and political economics. In a year or two he assumed courage in our literary society to meet the eloquent Judge Schneider in debate, and vied with the scholarly J. J. Page as a parliamentarian.
From this school he and his brother William went to Huntington Law School in Tennessee. After finishing this course, William formed a partner-ship with Attorney John C. Oxford of Elizabethtown, but in about a year he gave his place up to Emmit and went out in-search of other fields, locating at Golconda and later in Shawneetown, where he still lives and where he has held an honorable status as an attorney and served Gallatin a few terms as States Attorney.
After a few years of successful practice, Emmit was elected States Attorney, and under his sane and economical advice at careful court procedure, Hardin County at the close of his term could boast of being wholly out of debt for the first time in her history. Economy has been a chief characteristic of all his business. It is generally true that men who are careful and frugal in the management of their own business, may be safely trusted with the management of public funds.At the time of his term he was not what we would call a wealthy man, yet he lived within his income and accumulated some valuable farming lands and city properties, as well as some money. After the close of his office of States Attorney, he acted as adjusting attorney for Labor Claims in West Frankfort and other coal fields; that is . I suppose, I may so speak of this position without memory of the true wording. At about the same time his services were called for in other courts in Southern Illinois, and he took and held a wide reputation as a learned attorney dreaded by opposing counsels as a "hard fighter". There are many wiley arts played by lawyers in suits, but Mr. Denton calmly preserved his reputation and respects of courts by adhering scrupulously to approved legal ethics.
Lawyers tell a story of an elder attorney's advising his nephew as he was going out to try a case before a rural justice that is in point with what I am trying to say, he advised, "Now John, if you find the evidence against you, dwell loud and long on the law; but if you find the law of the case against you, then you must dwell long on the evidence" Where upon John asked, "But Uncle, suppose I should find both the law and evidence against me, what am I to do?" His uncle continued, "Such cases are rare, but should it so happen, then turn on your opposing lawyers and give them hell."
Such tactics are often played in courts, till both the bench and constability take efforts, to keep sparring lawyers from each other's throats, but no one ever saw Att'y Denton engage in such non ethical practices. However I have seen attorneys turn upon him with their usual line of scathing vituperations (but he never took his time to answer such things, nor seldom referred to them in any closing argument, for "Legi Semper Fidelis (to the law he was always faithful.)In all this James E. Denton has done perhaps even more than a one-man's part to maintain the enviable reputation of the Elizabethtown Bar Association. Some readers may not know that though located in one of the smallest counties of the state, this bar long since took and held a reputation as one of the brainiest bars in the southern half of Illinois.
I may not be able to name impromptu all whose legal lore has contributed to the winning of this enviable reputation but their names are worthy of places, on the scrolls of memory. They are: W. S. Morris, E. F. Littlepage, James Warren, R. F. Wingate, Louis Plater, J. Q. A. Ledbetter, Jonathan Taylor, Capt. R. F. Taylor, H. Robert Fowler, L. F. Twitchell, James A. Watson, John C. Oxford, George W. Pillow, H. M. Winders, J. H. Ferrell, W. A. Rittenhouse, William Denton, James Emmit Denton, James Gullett, Noah Gullett, T. H. Stubbs, David Warford, Deneen Watson, and James G. Gullett.Perhaps the greatest service rendered to his county was unofficially performed by Mr. Denton soon after the world war. Hardin County, like most counties with meagre revenues, has had her struggles against financial reverses, but she faced her worst crisis during the business slump which followed on the heels of that war. Citizens began to say "the county is hopelessly bankrupted," to add to this hopeless plight the Elizabethtown court house was completely destroyed by fire. Thereupon citizens began to say, "Hardin county is gone; she will have to be taken over by some sister county." But the question as often came "what county wants her with all her debts and extravagance?"
It was facing this impenetrable gloom that James E. Denton joined two of his fellow barristers, James A. Watson and Richard F. Taylor to preach one of the most fervent crusades known to the past of Hardin County or that her may ever know, for all that. Contrary to the expectations of many people confidence was rebuilt, and an excellent new court house was also rebuilt which, I am led to venture the assertion, stands in a great measure, at least as a monument to the heroic crusade of these three sturdy men.
Mr. Denton has served his county as States Attorney since the completion of the new court house, and with his accustomed economy in balancing the county budget did much during his four years in office to pay off our bonded indebtedness. Virtually all his six children were born while he was in his preparatory studies on the farm. These are: Loren B., Arzie Virgil, Olney, Beulah, and Rachel. Virgil died in infancy, but the others live to mourn the loss, it seem to me, one of the most devoted fathers I have ever known. I knew his home life as I knew any other epoch from his cradle to the grave, and the firmest impressions he left with me were those constant virtues which shone out in his vigilance for the education and success of his children, as well as a sublime-like patience which daily saw to it that an invalid companion never wanted for a tidy home or other necessities of life.
All five of his children hold high grade certificates under the laws of Illinois. The sons have had college and university training, and all are teaching at present, Beulah became the companion of Mr. Percy Howard, efficient electrician in Rosiclare, and Little Gene Howard is Mr. Denton's only grand-child. Mr. Walter Walker, successful merchant of Golconda is Rachel's husband in whose home Mr. Denton passed to the beyond.
Uncle Al Denton was one of those pioneers who came to Illinois then known as the "Poor Man's Country" to escape the horrid rule of southern slave barons. This powerful oligarcy soon took control of the Democratic party and then the nation, and they frowned upon "poll white trash who could not be driven by them, as of far less worth to the country than negro slaves. His boys growing up in another age became democrats. Emmit was a well-informed yet a liberal politician. He admired many republican leaders and I doubt that I ever heard him speak reproachfully of any public officer. He held Theodore Roosevelt one of the greatest of men, and believed that the party of Abraham Lincoln died with him.
Religion is one of the strongest urges in human life, yet it is the most weird, the most occult of all other urges. The Jews were once believed to be a peculiar people, because they had hidden away in a secret chamber deep in their temple, known as the Holy of Holies into which no man ever looked, except the high priest only, once a year after many ceremonial ablutions. However later ethnologists have been surprised to learn that virtually every tribe of amn, maybe all have their Holy of Holies, either hidden in a secret place or under codes which no one but the highest priests can decipher. These things are very largely true of individuals; even great minds and scholarly men have their Holy of Holies hidden in some deep recess of their hearts, into which few, very few are ever permitted to look.
Very few knew that Emmit held rather deep religious convictions or that he was a Universalistic in belief. He knew the practicts of this great Christian movement and the Scriptures on which they based their faith, and argued to me that in their liberal policies they stood aloof from and far above the narrow creeds and warring sects which I was trying to teach. In this he was an admirer, maybe I could say a follower of that Greatest of American Lawyers, Abraham Lincoln, who like wise refused to subscribe to the narrow creeds of sects, but assured his friends that if they could find him a church which held for its sole article of faith, "Thou shall love as yourself" that he would join that church with all his heart.When one has a chance to look within the Holy of Holies of such great lawyers, he will find that they have an attorney "an advocate,' with nail prints in his hands, who they say has never lost a case; and we all join them in the hope that they are his clients as well as his family and other relatives there are many friends who will miss his cordial associations, free legal counsel, and sane advice in many matters. The Latins spoke of such a loss as "Alter Ipse Amicus" (a friend who is a second self), His brother, William, Thomas Angleton, Edward F. Wall, and the writer are among those especially to whose broken interstices of our hearts such an ache will cling, as the vine clings to the crannied wall.
When extremes of sorrow come there is a soothing tenderness in song, rhyme, and rhythm more intimately felt than at other times, and I shall conclude with the "Dragon-Flylls Metamorphosis." This term is what science uses to describe that change through the pupa or cacoon "to a life beyond" Mother Nature offers many examples of this strange "change to a life beyond."From the Shawnee Thursday 16 August 1917
James E. Deaton left last Friday afternoon for Harris Creek, and from there will go to his step-mothers, near Sparks Hill, and on to Shawneetown to visit his brother a few days. Mr. Denton moved into his new office building across the street south of the courthouse last week, in which he is snugly ensconced in a conveniently arranged and well furnished law office, and his hatchslip hangs invitingly on the outside, especialy to prospective clients.
BROWNFIELD ida ann [Parents] was born 16 Mar 1878 in hardin co., IL. She died 1958 in hardin co., IL. She was buried in empire IOOF,hardin co., IL. She married DENTON james emmitt 1894.
They had the following children:
M i DENTON loren e. M ii DENTON arza F iii DENTON beulah M iv DENTON olney F v DENTON rachel M vi DENTON virgil died.
