In the books' own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. The later printing (1887) is folded below the first. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
From Portrait and biographical album of McLean county, Ill., containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county, together with portraits and bio (1887), The good old times in McLean County, Illinois / containing two hundred and sixty-one sketches of old settlers, a complete historical sketch of the Black Hawk War and ... all matters of interest relati (1874)
John Rust was born August 11, 1816, in Murray County, Middle Tennessee. In 1824, the family went to Monroe County, Mississippi, but after two years they went to Hardeman County, West Tennessee, and afterwards to Hickman County. In 1829, they came to Hamilton County, Illinois. During the winter of the deep snow, John Rust amused himself by hunting coons. In the winter sd&son he often hunted muskrats and tore open their houses and killed them with hoes. He first knocked on the houses, and if any muskrats were within they would jump into the water and their plush could be heard.
In the spring of 1834, Isaac and Jesse Funk came down to m'lean county.' 807
Hamilton County to buy cattle. John Rust then hired out to Jesse Funk for six months, and was to receive fifty dollars as his wages. He started on his journey with the cattle to McLean County. He carried his extra clothes on his back. As they troubled him a good deal, he pulled off his trousers, stuffed his clothes into the legs, tied the bottoms, threw them over his shoulders and went on. The wages, which John Rust earned, were paid to his father, until the former was twenty-one years of age. For seven years, John Rust worked driving cattle, exposed to all kinds of weather. In January, 1836, he drove hogs to Chicago for Isaac Funk. A heavy snow came shortly after they started. At Wolf Grove they commenced dragging an elm log fastened to the rear axle of a wagon to break the way. The weather was desperately cold, and during one night about six inches of snow fell on them as they lay on the ground. At Sulphur Springs they found the road somewhat broken, and they abandoned their elm log. They found the rapids at the Kankakee partly frozen and partly open, and they were obliged to break the ice clear across. The hogs refused to go into the water until the drovers built parallel rail fences, and compelled the swine to follow down between them and go into the water. When the drivers came out of the water, their clothes were frozen on them in a few moments. They arrived at last at Chicago. It was Mr. Rust's first sight of the place, and he was much interested in Fort Dearborn, which was then standing. Mr. Rust received fifty cents per day for his work. On his return, he went with Gardner Randolph with a drove of swine to Galena. His greatest trouble on this trip was the crossing of Rock River at Dixon, which was attended with difficulty on account of the drifting ice. But the cold was very severe when he returned, and he was sick for some time with rheumatism brought on by exposure.
During the sudden change in December, 1836, Mr. Rush was hauling a load of cord wood from Sulphur Springs, where Mr. Hinshaw now lives, to Mr. Thompson's mill in Pone Hollow at Bloomington. When he arrived at the mill he had difficulty in unyoking the oxen, as the keys were frozen fast in the yoke. When he drove the oxen into the barn lot he found the chickens frozen into the slush. During this winter he worked for sixteen dollars per month, and his father drew his wages. But he worked after time and made extra wages, and with this money be bought his first good suit of clothes. These were the clothes which he afterwards wore at his wedding.
In January, 1838, Mr. Rush went with "William and John Lindley with a drove of swine to Aurora. The cold was severe and a heavy snow was on the ground. One of the drovers, named Hiram Reilley, was about to freeze to death on his horse. The men pulled him off, rolled him in the snow, whipped and pounded him into life and took him to the house. During that night he burnt his boots to a crisp while trying to keep warm. He was discharged and sent home the next day. Many of the hogs had become injured or disabled and were placed in a wagon and drawn by oxen. Bat when they attempted to cross Long Point Creek, the oxen could not pull the wagon with its heavy load up the steep bank. Mr. Rust jumped into the water on that bitterly cold day, pulled out the end board, and the load of disabled swine was dumped into the creek. The wagon was pulled out, reloaded, and the party proceeded. While on their way to Chicago, they were subjected to severe changes of weather. It was first very cold, then warm and then cold again. The drove of swine swam across the Vermilion River, but crossed the Illinois and Fox Rivers, and Buck Creek above Ottawa ou the ice. On Mr. Rust's return from Aurora, a winter thunderstorm set in, and he and his brother were obliged to swim Buck Creek. When they came out of the water, they wrung their socks, poured a pint of whisky into their boots and went on. Shortly afterwards it became so intensely cold that their clothes were frozen on them stiiF. They stopped at the house of a man, named Clark, at Ottawa. When Mr. Rust pulled oif his overcoat it stood up straight against the wall. From Ottawa they came home without further adventure.
[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]
Mr. Rust has had eleven children, of whom eight are living. They are:
George "W. Rust lives three miles east of his father's.
Thomas J. Rust lives about a mile and a quarter east of Randolph Station, in Randolph township.
John L., Jennie, Alice, William Douglas, Minnie and Ben Rust, all live at home.
Mr. Rust is five feet and ten inches in height, weighs about two hundred and ten pounds, has a sanguine complexion, a bald head, and thin, sandy hair. He is muscular, has a great deal of courage, and the best of business qualifications. Perhaps his most marked characteristic is his fidelity, his faithfulness to his trust. Everything entrusted to his care has been well attended to, and everybody by whom he was employed had great confidence in him. He owns about nine hundred acres of land, has a great deal of stock, drives his business carefully and succeeds well.
William Marion Rust.
As printed in The good old times in McLean County, Illinois / containing two hundred and sixty-one sketches of old settlers, a complete historical sketch of the Black Hawk War and ... all matters of interest relate (1874). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
OHN F. RUST, a pioneer settler of Randolph Township, is now engaged in general farming and stock-raising on his fine homestead of 190 acres, located on section 16. He has been a resident of the Prairie State for over fifty-three years, coming here when a young man and unmarried. He first came to Hamilton County, Ill., in 1828, and in the spring of 1834 came to McLean County.
Mr. Rust was born in Maury County, Tenn.,
Aug. 11, 1816. His father, William Rust, was a farmer all his life and died at the residence of his son, our subject, in August, 1873. He had married, in early life, Miss Nancy McGee, who was born in the same county as her husband, Granville County, N. C. She died at the residence of her son, George Rust, in Randolph Township, in August, 18C8.
The grandfather of our subject, Mathew Rust, died in North Carolina in the prime of life when his son William was a small boy. His grandfather McGee, whose name was Nathan A., was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and after his retirement from the military service settled in North Carolina, where he engaged in farming and raised his family to man and womanhood, and after his daughter married William Rust, he removed with them to Tennessee, living there for a time, when he moved to Smith County, Middle Tennessee, where he died.
John F. Rust lived until eight years of age on the homestead of his father in Middle Tennessee. When he arrived at that age his father, who was of a roaming disposition, went to Mississippi for a few years, then returned to Tennessee, and later emigrated to Illinois, locating in Hamilton County with his family as early as the winter of 1 828. There our subject lived until he was eighteen years old, when he came alone to McLean County and settled in Randolph Township, which since then has been his home, lie employed himself at whatever his hands could find to do, and was quite prudent in expending his money. He was principally engaged with stock dealers and from them learned the art of buying and selling and feeding live stock. In a few years he was enabled to purchase eighty acres of land, which he began to stock, and profiting by his experience purchased and sold live stock to good advantage. His land was unimproved when it came into his possession, but he worked upon it industriously and soon brought it to a fine state of cultivation. He has now an excellent set of farm buildings and all necessary implements and machinery required for the carrying on of agriculture and stock-raising in a first-class manner. The homestead presents one of the attractive points in the landscape of Randolph Township.
Mr. Rust was married in Bloomington Township,
As printed in Portrait and biographical album of McLean county, Ill., containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county, together with portraits and bio (1887). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
Named in this biography: Jesse Funk (b. 1803) John Lindley (b. 1806) W. Rust William Marion Rust (b. 1821) William Rust (b. 1792)
Their biographies name John F. Rust: Lee Rust Harvey Rust (b. 1823)
The printed record stops around 1887. We trace your line from there down to you, with every source cited.