In the books' own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. The later printing (1904) is folded below the first. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
Born 1829, Carroll County
From Biographical sketches of leading citizens of Macoupin County, Illinois (1904), History of Macoupin County, Illinois (1879)
JOHN F. ROACH
Was born in Carroll county, Tenn., Aug. 16th, 1829. The Roach family are of Scotch-Irish ancestry. William Roach, the father, was a native of North Carolina, and was a soldier of the war of 1812. He was at New Orleans in Gen. Carroll’s command, and shared with the soldiers of Gen. Jackson the honor of meeting and signally defeating the British forces under Packenham. The whole of Jackson’s army from Tennessee went down on flatboats, and after the routing of the enemy returned home on foot William Roach suffered greatly from fatigue and sickness, and would have died had it not been for the kindness and care shown him by the Choctaw Indians. He was a matter by trade, and worked at the business for many years, but subsequently abandoned it and engaged in farming. He married Anna 1 Smith, by whom he had twelve children; all lived to maturity except one, who died in infancy. Eight of the children have survived the parents. William Roach left Tennessee June, 1844, and came to Illinois, and settled in Morgan county, eight miles east of Jacksonville. He remained there until the fall of 1848, when he came to Macoupin county, and settled near Scottville, where he remained for two years, and then removed to a farm four miles north-west of Carlinville. Here he remained until his death, i which occurred July 4th, 1861. His wife and mother of the present sketch died in April, 1846. John F., spent his boyhood days in the common schools of his native state, and in the summer months helping to cultivate tobacco. In 1849, when he was twenty years of age, he started out in life \ for himself. He bought a team of oxen and commenced breaking prairie
November, 1852, he was united in marriage to Miss Martha H. Cherry. Four children have been born to them, two of whom are living. The eldest, Mary Etna, is the wife of Henry Lemons, and James McCoy Roach, the only son, is yet at home. After his marriage he raised one crop, and in March, 1854, he moved to Girard, where, as above stated, he followed breaking prairie for four or five years. In 1856 he purchased forty acres of land in section thirty-six, and commenced its improvement; built a house and moved into it; he remained there three years, when he rented the farm upon which he now lives. He remained there but one year, at the end of which time he bought a house and lot in the village of Girard and moved into it.
From this time dates his entrance into the stock business. About this time he received a contract from the government to supply the army with beef. He also purchased stock and shipped to the different markets. In 1863 he purchased eighty acres of the land on which he now resides, and added stock breeding and raising to his other business. As a stock breeder he has been very successful, and has received favorable and complimentary notices in this direction from both the Chicago and St. Louis papers. His breeds of short-horned Durhams are unexcelled in this section of the state. He has added to the original eighty acres of land until he has now three hundred and twenty, all of which is devoted to stock-raising and grazing. He is also in connection engaged with others in buying and shipping cattle from Kansas to eastern markets. In politics he is an ardent and staunch republican. He was one of those men who early learned to believe that slavery was wrong and antagonistic to free institutions. In 1856 he voted for John C. Fremont, going a distance of eight miles through a blinding snow-storm in order to secure this privilege. It is needless to say that he still adheres to the party of his first choice. Both he and his wife are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.
As printed in History of Macoupin County, Illinois (1879). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
JOHN ROACH.
John Roach, deceased, formerly president of the Bank of Girard and a director of the People's Bank of Girard, was one of the prominent citizens of Macoupin County, a leading farmer and an extensive stock raiser. He was born August i6, 1829, in Carroll County, Tennessee, being one of 12 children born to William and Anna (Smith) Roach.
William Roach, our subject's father, was born in Tennessee and was engaged throughout his life in the pursuits of an agriculturist. The 12 children born to him and his good wife were: William, Joseph, Rachel (Wright), Angeline (McGinnis), Ellen (Davenport), Ehzabeth (Chandler), Celia (Smith), Susan (Waters), John, our subject, and three whose names are not given.
The late John Roach, who was reared to manhood on his father's farm in Tennessee, had only the advantages of a district school education. He followed farming in his native State until 1854, when he came to Macoupin County, and was one of the little band that first broke the soil on the site of the present city of Girard. Throughout the remainder of his life he took a generous pride in her growth and development, and was identified with many of her most successful business enterprises. He was a successful farmer and a man who used good taste, as well as good judgment, in raising stock, and the breeding of Shorthorn cattle gained for him a reputation that was general in Macoupin County and this section of the State. Until he retired from business activity, he continued to be an extensive raiser of Shorthorn cattle and a large shipper to the St. Louis and Chicago markets. During the Civil War he secured a number, of important contracts, and in the shipping of stock and cattle laid the foundation of an ample fortune. By taking advantage of opportunities, as well as by the sweat of his brow, he accumulated considerable land of a choice nature. He was very active in the establishment of Girard's financial institutions and was associated with those other substantial citizens, S. Owen Smith and T. H. Cherry, whose sketches appear, elsewhere in this volume. Several years previous to his decease, he resigned from the presidency and disposed of his entire interest in the Bank of Girard; but was a director and stockholder of the People's Bank, at the time he was called to the great beyond, June 16, 1903.
[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]
His burial took place on June 18, his funeral being attended by so many friends that before all had assembled even standing room was not to be had. The officiating ministers were Rev. R. D. Miller, of Petersburg, and Rev. Berryhill, of Girard. The pall-bearers were Joseph Liston, of Carlinville, and C. C. Armstrong, John Beeby, H. S. Webb, Henry Stewart and W. S. Garretson, of Girard. His death was sincerely mourned by an exceedingly large circle of friends and acquaintances.
As printed in Biographical sketches of leading citizens of Macoupin County, Illinois (1904). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
Named in this biography: C. C. Armstrong (b. 1800) Henry Lemons (b. 1853) Joseph Liston (b. 1838) S. Owen Smith
The printed record stops around 1904. We trace your line from there down to you, with every source cited.