Simon Elliott

HON. SIMON ELLIOTT, who, for almost half a century, has been prominently identified with the interests of Bureau county, was born on the loth of February, 1827, in Clermont county, Ohio, and is a son of Simon and Maria (Robinson) Elliott, natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio, respectively. Simon was the son of John Elliott, who was born in Ireland and came to America in the early colonial days to look at the country. He was pleased with it, and returned to Ireland and brought over his family. He was a man of means and brought with him valuable goods and considerable gold. The ship (Stewart) was wrecked off the Atlantic coast and all were drowned but two sons. They were robbed by the wreckers when the goods were washed ashore. The father asked the sons if they could get ashore with the gold, and they replied that it would be all they could do to save their lives. These sons were William and Simon.

William located near Steubenville, Ohio, and Simon settled on Copperish Creek, Fulton county, Illinois, where he died. The father, who was born in 1788, was a miller and farmer by occupation, owning a sawmill and distillery in connection with relatives, and sending their products down the rivers to New Orleans at an early day. He was quite a popular gentleman, widely and favorably known, and a Mason of high standing. He faithfully served his country through the. entire war of 1812, for which he received a land warrant, that our subject located in Bureau county in 1852, securing eighty acres, and was later captain of a militia company. He died of a cancer in Ohio in 1854, but his wife long survived him, dying in 1881. Her birth occurred in 1799. They were both earnest members of the New Light church. Our subject is the fourth in order of birth in their family of six children, four of whom are still living. John and Samuel still reside upon the old homestead in Ohio. Arthur died at Yellow Springs, Ohio. James lives at Manson, Iowa.

Mr. Elliott of this review was educated at Parker’s Academy, Ohio, which institution furnished the best opportunities to be had in those early days for scholastic training. He is one of the pioneers of Bureau county, Illinois, where he entered land and removed in 1848, securing one hundred and sixty acres, then in its primitive condition. He now has a tract of two hundred acres pleasantly situated on section 7, Dover township, and devotes his attention principally to farming and shipping stock. He has raised considerable stock, particularly cattle and hogs in former years, but now has upon his place both horses and mules, having about sixty head on hand at the present writing.

On the 23d of April, 1856, Mr. Elliott led to the altar Miss Sarah A. McCoy, of Woodford county, a daughter of William McCoy, who was a strong abolitionist, and took an active part in conducting the underground railroad. Her parents, who are now deceased, came from Ripley, Ohio, to Illinois in the spring of 1848. Six children were born to our subject and his wife, name ly: Edwin F., a railroad conductor on the Santa Fe railroad, now residing at Nickerson, Kansas; Alfred S., who was drowned at the age of eight years while swimming in the pond on the home farm; Kate, wife of Harry. A. Gibbs, a hardware merchant of Princeton, by whom she has two children, Fred and Cathryn; Lillie, wife of B. Y. Benson, a hotel keeper of Tampa, Florida, by whom she has a son, Edwin; Minnie, at home, and Nora, who died of a cancer in the eyes at the age of two and a half years.

Mr, Elliott has ever taken a prominent part in public affairs, and has been called upon to till many offices in the township, county and state. For several terms he acceptably served as supervisor of his township, and on the democratic ticket at one time he ran for the office of sheriff. In 1878 he was elected on the greenback ticket to the legislature, receiving the large majority of three thousand one hundred and fifty-eight votes, and was one of the ten greenbackers in the legislature of 1879. He had the greatest battle of his life over the stock yards bill, which he piloted through the house, he being the author of the same. It was lost, but the papers stated that it cost one hundred and fifty thousand dollars to beat the bill. Their chief opponent was Sol. Hopkins, of Chicago. The bill was to regulate the price charged at the yards for grains, corn being one dollar per bushel and other things accordingly. Mr. Elliott was on other important committees, but none so important as this, and he faithfully served the interests of his constituents. For four years he has been a member of the state board of agriculture, and served as vice-president for the same length of time from the seventh, now the eleventh congressional district. In politics he is a free silver democrat, not agreeing with the present administration. As a representative man of the county and old pioneer he stands well, occupying a high place in the estimation of all who know him. Although he has almost reached his three score years and ten, he is still active and well preserved and takes a commendable interest in public affairs.

As printed in The Biographical record of Bureau, Marshall and Putnam Counties, Illinois .. (1896). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

HON. SIMON ELLIOTT. Hon. Simon Elliott, who as a representative citizen and pioneer settler occupies a high place in the estimation of his fellowmen and who at one time was honored by election to the state legislature, now resides in Princeton. He was born February 10, 1827, in Hamilton county, (Jliio, and is therefore in his eightieth year. His parents were Simon and Maria (Robinson) Elliott, also natives of Ohio. The paternal grandfather, John Elliott, was a native of Ireland, born in 1702, and was of Scotch-Irish lineage. When he was twenty-two years of age his father told him to come to America and spend one year here and if he liked the country he was to write back home and tell his father to do something which was impossible to do, the interpretation of which was that the family should come to America. This method of notifying the father of the desirability of this country as a place of residence was used because of the fact that the sons were subject to three years' service in the army and if the government knew of the intention of the family to remove to the new world means would be taken to prevent the emigration. John Elliott accordingly came to the United States in 1784 on a sailing vessel, the Lazy Mary. A year later he wrote back to his father that he did not have a very good house here and asked his father to send his house over to America to him. This was the means employed to indicate to the father that the family should come to the new world. They were quite wealthy people and after receiving a favorable report tiiey started for this country, the party consisting of father, two sons and five daughters. As they neared the American coast a storm struck the ship, Stewart, and wrecked the vessel in Mahogany bay off the coast of New Jersey, and all were drowned except the two sons. When they saw that the vessel was going to be wrecked the father asked the sons if they could not get ashore with the bags of gold they had brought with them, but it was impossible for them to do this and save their own lives. They had brought with them valuable goods and a considerable amount of money. The sons managed to reach the shore but were robbed by wreckers when the goods were washed on shore. These two brothers, William and Simon, afterward found their brother John, the grandfather of our subject, in Pennsylvania. William settled near Steubenville, Ohio, while Simon settled on Copperish creek in Fulton county, Illinois, where he died.

John Elliott, the grandfather, was married in Pennsylvania, in 1786, to Miss Mary Miller, a lady of German descent. They settled at a mill site on the Miami river near Cincinnati, Ohio, at which time their possessions consisted of a horse, a cow, an ax and a few other implements. John Elliott worked hard, cleared the land and paid for his farm. He also built a dam across the river and erected a flourmill, a sawmill and a distillery. He likewise built a two story stone house which is still standing. The products raised in that locality or manufactured in the mill were sent down the river to New Orleans and many of the dilTiculties and hardships of pioneer life were experienced. In the family were three sons

As printed in Past and present of Bureau county, Illinois (1906). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.