Ephriam Adkinson Perkins (abt. 1792 - abt. 1856)

Born about 19 May 1792 in Pendleton, Anderson, South Carolina, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Delphia Eda Elizabeth Jobe — married Aug 1813 in White, Tennessee, United States

Descendants

Died about 15 Mar 1856 at about age 63 in Burnside, Hancock, Illinois, United States

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Biography

History of McDonough County, Illinois, together with sketches of the towns, villages and townships, educational, civil, military and political history; portraits of prominent individuals, and biographies of the representative citizens. History of Illinois. (Springfield, Ill. : D.W. Lusk, State Printer.) by S. J. Clarke (1878)

page 67

Job's Settlement.—About the same time that Riggs Pennington and William Carter were forming a settlement in the south part of the county, "William Job and a few others moved to the north part near the present town of Blandinsville. To the older residents of the county the name of Job's Settlement is very familiar. Hugh Wilson and family started in 1826 from Schuyler county to go to some place on the Mississippi, near the Des Moines Rapids, and when they arrived near the preeent village of Webster, Hancock county, they were met by William Job, William Southward, and Ephraim Perkins, all brothers-in-law, who had settled in that vicinity a short time previous. Through the solicitude of Mr. Job, Mr. Wilson changed his course and went to the northwest part of this county, and settled upon section 9 ot the present township of Hire, on the farm now owned by James Seybold. Here he erected a " half-faced camp," being nothing more than a shed with three sides and an open front. Preparing his ground, he planted it, and raised a crop. When his harvest was over he built himself a more substantial house, iuto which he moved, hut only lived therein about two weeks, when a friendly Indian came to his cabin and gave the alarm by stating that a band of hostile Indians was coming that way, and he had better leave. This advice he followed, going to the Des Moines Rapids. Job, Southward and Perkins, who had also settled in the vicinity, went to Morgan county, but returned the following spring. Wilson never came back.

This Wilson was a pioneer, truly, for he could not endure living near a wholly civilized community. In 1814 he moved from Tennessee to Indiana. After a few years he went to Kentucky; thence to Missouri; thence to Arkansas. From there he desired to emigrate farther south, but his family objecting, he returned to Missouri, from whence he moved to Schuyler county, this State, in 1825. The following year, as related, he settled in this county, in Job's Settlement, and thence pushed on to Iowa. He kept even pace with the Indians, being just far enough in their rear to be out of danger. His wife delighted in being on the move as much as he did, she averring "the food always tasted better when they were moving." Mr. Wilson was the father of John Wilson, of Industry township, and died in Iowa some years ago—as much from grief as of old age, it is said, because he could not influence his sons to go further west as far as the new State of Colorado. He had a decided distaste for living in a town, saying he would as soon go to the penitentiary.

When William Job returned to the county in 1827, he drew around him a goodly number of people, and soon a very flourishing settlement was formed. John Vance, Nathaniel Heron, Redmond Grigsby, Coffman, Bagby and others were among the first.

page 857

"The first person to make a settlement within the borders of what is now Blandinsville township, was William Job, who came from Morgan county, this state, in company with several other men, to look for land and a home, in the fall of 1825. After spending some time in looking over the county he returned to Morgan to spend the winter, and the following spring brought his family to the county, stopping some three weeks with a man by the name of Richard Dunn, just across the line in Hire township, while Mr. Job constructed a cabin of split logs on the land he had previously selected, on the southeast quarter of section 33. The rudely-constructed habitation, erected by Mr. Job, was their home but a short time, when it was replaced by a hewn log cabin, which was well built for the kind at that time. The same building is still in existence, and is now occupied by J. C. Phillips as a residence in the village of Blandinsville, and is, consequently, the oldest building now standing in the town-

page 858

ship. More modern improvements have been made to it, but the same old logs are there as were placed ,by the Job family almost sixty years ago. Previous to the time of Mr. Job coming to McDonough county, he settled in Hancock county, on the Mississippi river, but at that time the Indians were so troublesome that they only remained one season and then removed to Morgan county, three miles from Jacksonville. It was only after great solicitation and urging on the part of Mr. Job, after he returned from this county for his family, that they were induced to again come to the frontier, as Mrs. Job was deathly afraid of the Indians. Even after they came to Blandinsville, in the spring of 1826, the Indians would frequently nourish their tomahawks over the heads of the children and women and display to them how a scalp was taken. This pioneer was, in his way, a determined man, and resolved to here make a home, notwithstanding the apparent difficulties and set about opening up a farm, but the cold hand of the grim destroyer, death, came upon him ere his hopes were realized, although a goodly start toward the goal of his ambition had been obtained, and he passed away, on the identical spot where the first settlement was made, in the fall of 1835. One daughter, Parmelia Davis, is the only survivor of that pioneer family, who resides on the old Job homestead, at an advanced age.

p. 859

With Mr, Job came his two brothers-in-law, Ephraim Perkins and William Southward. The latter selected a farm on section 9, where he lived for some years. He was the first sheriff of McDonbugh county. After the expiration of his term of office, he followed the tide of emigration westward into Missouri. The place is now owned by William Woodside.

Residence

Name Ephraim Perkins
Sex Male
Age 58
Event Date 1850
Event Place Hancock Township, Hancock, Illinois, United States
Event Place (Original) Hancock county, part of, Hancock, Illinois, United States
Birth Year (Estimated) 1792
Birthplace Tennessee
Race White
Event Type Census
Household Identifier 1173
House Number 1172
Line Number 11
Schedule Type 1850 Population
Affiliate Film Number 109
Affiliate Publication Number M432
Affiliate Name The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)^[1]

Name E Perkins
Event Date 1855
Event Place Pilot Grove, Hancock, Illinois
Event Type Census
Number in Family 7^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch [1] : 20 December 2020, Ephraim Perkins, Hancock Township, Hancock, Illinois, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
2. ↑ "Illinois State Census, 1855," database with images, FamilySearch [2] : 11 March 2018, E Perkins, Pilot Grove, Hancock, Illinois; citing Pilot Grove, Hancock, Illinois, 7, p. 3, Illinois State Archives, Springfield; FHL microfilm.

• 1812-13 -served in the war of 1812. He volunteered for service in Fayetteville, TN in September

• 1817 -September 18; Ephriam and Absalom Perkins witnessed a deed for some of Wm. P. Anderson's land, at the line between Dodson and Ephriam Perkins, in White Co. TN.

• 1819 -Went to Nodaway Co, Missouri -later returned to TN

• 1830 -Perkins and Job were in Schyler Co, but returned to McDonough in 1832

• Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 05 May 2022), memorial page for Ephraim Adkinson Perkins (19 May 1792–23 Mar 1856), Find A Grave: Memorial #21217054, citing McKay Cemetery, Carthage, Hancock County, Illinois, USA ; Maintained by No Reins (contributor 46595053) .

• 1) Miss Katharine Reynolds (l968-l975)

• 2) Geneva L. Roberts (descendant of this line)

• s) Many others whose names I don't remember at the moment!!!