Eleazer Stillman Ingalls (1820 - 1879)

Born 10 Jun 1820 in Nashua, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 1 Nov 1879 at age 59 in Menominee, Menominee, Michigan, United States

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Biography

PIONEER

THE JUDGE ELEAZER INGALLS --A PIONEER by Sally Sawyer Michaelsen. (A biography of Eleazer Stillman Ingalls by his great-granddaughter.) Excerpt. (Eleazer B2210)

As a young man Eleazer started his early days of exploration as a salior by Shipping out on the Salem and Beverly^[1]

In 1844 he married his childhood sweetheart Martha Marie Pearson. Distant cousins, they had been born in the same bed, in the same room in New Hampshire, just six years apart. Martha was the daughter of his parent's dear friends, the Lamoi Pearsons. Her brother had made the arduous journey herding the cattle from New Hampshire. The families had become even closer through their move to the frontier of Illinois.

...While busy with the forge and the law, the same year he married, he finally began to use the press which he and Charles Livingston had built in New Hampshire. In the Journal of the Illinois Historical Society, Phillip Jordan writes of one earliest newspaper in the Midwest which he attributes to Eleazer S. Ingalls.^[2] It went by the curious and delightful name of The Prairie Hen, Jericho Jingle, Land of Nod Loophole, and Antioch Pill. His fey sense of humor sparkles throughout the first edition. Discussing the price in the Prospectus he writes:

"The price of our little craft, should we conclude to keep “it before the wind", will be one dollar and fifty cents, regular bona fide chink, or two dollars-worth, large measure, of any kind of fish, flesh, fowl, fruit or vegetables, that can be eat, drank, or converted into sleep or other comforts. We don't need any wheat or onions - the first-we have plenty of, and then later we have never put into mince pies."

As though being a black-smith, lawyer and editor were not enough, it appears he ran a general store in connection with the printing plant and was one of his own best customers for advertisements.

"All sorts of fixtures and fixins, and a little of everything else can be found on our premises. We have only nineteen different branches of domestic industry displayed in our sanctum. We'll not enumerate them, but invite all to come in and see the live lion dance with the hippopotamus - the rarest sight this side of the Indies."

While he was certainly spending more time at home, the following advertisement in the first edition shows he had not completely given up his love of the outdoors.

"BOY WANTED: Have any of your friends a small sized boy-say one knee high to a Dutch bumble-bee - whom they would like to have initiated into the scientific principles of "Bossing the devil's tail"? If so, just give us a call - the field of immortal fame is open ... we just want him soon, to break into our place, so that we can go hunt buffalo next season."

In explaining just why anyone would want to undertake the troublesome task of editing a newspaper, he explained to his readers: "Did you ever know a Yankee to do anything voluntarily that he didn't want to do? That's our case to a shade..We was "tuk with the fever"...

There are few copies of the "Prairie Hen" and it is not certain how long Eleazer published the paper, but the next four years seem to have been idyllic for him and Martha. He was practicing law, working for the smithy, and they became the parents of two daughters, Abby and Amy.

This brings us to 1849, and the great gold-rush had begun. His older brothers James had joined the family in Antioch and would inherit the family farm. Having spent days and weeks roaming the wilderness with his Winnebego friends, he already felt Antioch was becoming overcrowded and offered little to complete the dreams he had for Martha and himself. In truth...."he tuk the fever" and headed off to California. Along the way he decided to keep a journal of the trip as a reference for other to use.^[3]

NOTES In 1844 when Judge Ingalls first published the "Prairie Hen, Antioch and Jericho had only been settled for six years and were very small frontier villages in Illinois. He later went on to publish other works.

1. Journal of a trip to California by Ingalls, E. S. (Eleazer Stillman), Pub. 1852 ^[4]
2. Centennial history of Menominee County by Ingalls, Eleazer Stillman, 1820-1879 ^[5]

Birth and Family

Birth

Eleazer was born on 10 Jun 1820^[6] at Nashua, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, United States.

Parents

Eleazer is the Son of Eleazer Ingalls and Amy Pearson.

Syblings

Eleazer is the Brother of

1. William Harrison Ingalls (1806-1859)^[7]
2. Nancy Ingalls (1808-)^[8]
3. Caroline Mary (Ingalls) MacKean (1810-)^[9]
4. James Ingalls (1812-)^[10]
5. Thomas P Ingalls (1814-)^[11]
6. Sarah Ingalls (1816-1870)^[12]
7. Abigail French Ingalls (1818-1841)^[13]
8. Nathan Ingalls (1822-1896)^[14]
9. Mary Ingalls (1824-1846)^[15]
10. Charles B Ingalls (1826-1892)^[16]
11. Elizabeth Ingalls (1830-1834)
12. Ellen Ingalls (1833-1833)
13. Joseph French Ingalls (1836-)

Marriage and Children

Marriage

In 1844 Eleazer married his childhood sweetheart Martha Marie Pearson

Children

Children by Martha Marie Pearson

1. Abbie Ridgeway Ingalls b. 28 May 1845
2. Mary Amy (Ingalls) Milbury b. 23 May 1848
3. Susan Jane (Ingalls) Cole b. 3 Jul 1850
4. Charles Livingston Ingalls b. 21 Aug 1852
5. Frederick Stillman Ingalls b. 21 Aug 1852
6. Josephine Stillmanette (Ingalls) Sawyer b. 9 Mar 1857
7. Martha Maria Ingalls b. 26 Jan 1859
8. Arthur Jabez Ingalls b. 27 Aug 1861

Residence

United States Census

Antioch, Lake, Il. 1850,^[17]

Marinette, Oconto, WI. 1860^[18]

Menominee, Mi. 1870, ^[19]

Death

Eleazer died in 1 Nov 1879 in Menominee, Michigan, United States and was laid to rest at Riverside Cemetery, Menominee, Michigan, United States.^[20]

Will and Probate

Eleazer S Ingalls in the Michigan, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1784-1980 ^[21]

Researchers Notes

See also:

Family Search Profile KP7V-2CT ^[22]

Sources

1. ↑ "Massachusetts, Salem and Beverly Crew Lists and Shipping Articles, 1797-1934," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9GZ-Q2LB?cc=2302948&wc=3FCX-3TG%3A1583442802%2C1583444403 : 2 October 2015), Crew lists > 1825 > image 346 of 431; citing NARA NAID 1600758, 1600870, and 1600759, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.
2. ↑ GENERAL INDEX TO JOURNAL of the ILLINOIS STATE Historical Society VOLUMES I to XXV April 1908 to January 1933. Published by: University of Illinois Press on behalf of the Illinois State Historical Society https://www.jstor.org/stable/41201336
3. ↑ https://archive.org/details/journaloftriptoc00ingarich/page/n7/mode/2up Journal of a trip to California, by the overland route across the plains in 1850-51 by Ingalls, E. S. (Eleazer Stillman), 1820-1879
4. ↑ https://archive.org/details/GR_2106
5. ↑ https://archive.org/details/centennialhistor00inga
6. ↑ "New Hampshire Births and Christenings, 1714-1904", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FDJ4-9Z9 : 18 January 2020), Eleazer Stillman Ingalls, 1820.
7. ↑ "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VQ6M-34X : 15 January 2020), William Ingalls, 1807.
8. ↑ "New Hampshire Birth Records, Early to 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FLGW-MWY : 23 February 2021), Nancy Spaulding Ingalls, 16 Feb 1809; citing Dunstable, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, United States, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, Concord; FHL microfilm 1,001,007.
9. ↑ "New Hampshire Birth Records, Early to 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FLGW-MM1 : 23 February 2021), Eleazer F in entry for Mary Caroline Ingalls, 14 Sep 1810; citing Dunstable, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, United States, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, Concord; FHL microfilm 1,001,007.
10. ↑ "New Hampshire Birth Records, Early to 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FLG7-12K : 23 February 2021), Eleazer F in entry for James Ingalls, 26 Dec 1812; citing Dunstable, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, United States, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, Concord; FHL microfilm 1,001,007.
11. ↑ "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FCLL-W8W : 6 March 2020), Eleazer F. Ingalls in entry for Thomas Pearson Ingalls, 1814.
12. ↑ "New Hampshire Birth Records, Early to 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FLGW-M26 : 23 February 2021), Eleazer F in entry for Sally Ingalls, 09 Nov 1816; citing Dunstable, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, United States, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, Concord; FHL microfilm 1,001,007.
13. ↑ "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FCLN-SSH : 6 March 2020), Eleazer F. Ingalls in entry for Abigail French Ingalls, 1818.
14. ↑ "New Hampshire Birth Records, Early to 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FLGW-MWG : 23 February 2021), Eleazer F in entry for Nathan Pearson Ingalls, 24 Oct 1822; citing Dunstable, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, United States, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, Concord; FHL microfilm 1,001,007.
15. ↑ "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FCLF-1QC : 6 March 2020), Eleazer F. Ingalls in entry for Mary French Ingalls, 1825.
16. ↑ "New Hampshire Birth Records, Early to 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FLG7-YFF : 23 February 2021), Eleazer F in entry for Charles Ingalls, 20 Dec 1826; citing Dunstable, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, United States, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, Concord; FHL microfilm 1,001,007.
17. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8R9-Z2M : 4 April 2020), Eleazer S Ingalls, Antioch, Lake, Illinois, United States; citing family 179, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
18. ↑ "United States Census, 1860," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GBSC-9D42?cc=1473181&wc=7QK5-TG2%3A1589422311%2C1589437339%2C1589437341 : 24 March 2017), Wisconsin > Oconto > Marinette > image 13 of 13; from "1860 U.S. Federal Census - Population," database, Fold3.com (http://www.fold3.com : n.d.); citing NARA microfilm publication M653 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
19. ↑ "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DZ73-YVM?cc=1438024&wc=K5SV-4WL%3A518655401%2C519560301%2C519561201 : 12 June 2019), Michigan > Menominee > Menominee > image 9 of 40; citing NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
20. ↑ "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch 13 December 2015, Eleazer S Ingalls, 1879; Burial, Menominee, Menominee, Michigan, United States of America, Riverside Cemetery; citing record ID 86072804, Find A Grave: Memorial #86072804.
21. ↑ Ancestry.com. Michigan, Wills and Probate Records, 1784-1980 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestr.com Operations, Inc., 2015.[https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=8793&h=287404&tid=&pid=&queryId=bfee918635ece9d5826b0c9b99559a72&usePUB=true&_phsrc=twH22274&_phstart=successSource
22. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/sources/KP7V-2CT