The 1860s were full of Cheney family events.
The Civil War had ended. The Cheney boys were home.
The Cheneys continued their lives, marked by births, marriages, work and civic life, and loss.
A teacher
After the war, William Cheney returned to teaching, taking charge of Pleasant Grove School in Greenwood Township. He also worked as a farm hand.
Eliza Watkins
Elizabeth T Watkins, our 3rd great grandmother, was born November 29, 1839, in Leesburg, Carroll County, Ohio. Her parents, John S Watkins and Anna Gamble, are our 4th great grandparents.
Recall that Shadrach Cheney was assigned to Leesburg, Ohio in 1852 as a Methodist preacher, so the Cheney family knew the Watkins family during their time in Leesburg. It’s likely that William Cheney knew Eliza Watkins when both were in their early teens.
The two families must have coordinated their moves to Christian County, Illinois. They both arrived in the late 1850s and they lived near each other.
Will and Eliza
Will and Eliza had likely begun a courtship before the Civil War began. The war delayed their courtship, but Will and Eliza married soon after Will returned home after the war.
William Cheney and Eliza Watkins were married on Sunday, March 20, 1864. They’re our 3rd great grandparents.
A daughter Maggie
Sarah Margaret “Maggie” Cheney was born to Will and Eliza Cheney on December 14, 1865.
Sarah was the namesake of William’s sister Sarah Cheney and Eliza’s sister Sarah Watkins.
Margaret was the namesake of William’s sister Margaret Cheney.
Shadrach Cheney died
Shadrach Cheney died in May 1866. He was age 69. Shadrach is our 4th great grandparent.
He was born in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania in a log cabin in 1796. He spent many of his years as a Methodist circuit rider.
During his 1824 assignment in Lewis County, (West) Virginia, Shadrach met and married Mary Taylor Squires.
It’s hard to imagine today the difficult life of the itinerant Methodist preacher, and perhaps even harder to realize the hardships imposed on the absent preacher’s family.
Shadrach’s will was simple and straightforward. He gave his possessions and farm to his wife Mary, except for a 20 acre parcel in the northwest corner that he gave to his son James. I think James and his family were already living there, and they would continue to do so for many years.
Shadrach named Mary and his son William as executors.
After his death, Mary remained on the family farm with children Franklin, Belle, and Charles. Daughter Sarah Simpson lived on the adjacent farm, and son James lived nearby.
A daughter Sue
Sue Cheney was born to Will and Eliza on June 13, 1868.
Civic affairs
Throughout his life, Will Cheney was always involved in civic affairs.
He was elected “Collector” for Greenwood Township, and re-elected for several terms from 1868 through 1874. A Township Collector collected property taxes, handled school levies, managed receipts and records, and reported to the township board. Sometimes the Collector had the authority to initiate legal proceedings to enforce payment.
Will helped found the Fairview Methodist Episcopal Church and served as one of the first trustees, alongside his father-in-law John Watkins.
Bought a farm
In February 1869, Will and Eliza purchased an 80-acre farm from widow Sarah Smith for $1,200.
The farm was located in Section 25 of Greenwood Township, just three miles south of the Cheney “home place.” So Will Cheney was close to his mother Mary, brother James, and sister Sarah, as well as younger siblings still at home Margaret, Franklin, John, and Charles.
Throughout the 1860s, Cheney life was based in southern Christian County, in Greenwood and Rosamond Townships.
The children of Shadrach and Mary Cheney found work, married, started families, and built their lives around their communities. They lived near their parents and siblings and in-laws and cousins.
You wouldn’t think they would pick up stakes and leave?
But they will.
Timeline
Sources:
- Images – Photos of Shadrach Cheney and Mary Cheney – family photo collection of Ralph and Emily Cheney
- Image – Will Cheney school administrator – History of Christian County – 1880 –
- Image – Marriage Record – William Cheney and Eliza Watkins – 1864 – FamilySearch – https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939Z-Y69B-TP?view=index&personArk=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AX2GC-P49&action=view&cc=1803970&lang=en&groupId=
- Maps – Cheney and Watkins, Cheney home place and William Cheney – based on Map of Christian County, Illinois – Library of Congress – https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4103c.la000101/?r=0.428,0.792,0.137,0.117,0
- Image – Will of Shadrach Cheney – 1866 – Ancestry.com – https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9048/images/007654754_00474?pId=1209767
- Image – William Cheney, Collector – Illinois sesquicentennial edition of Christian County history – 1880 – https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/27445/images/dvm_LocHist011587-00001-0?usePUB=true&_phsrc=uDP2644&pId=2000000000
- Image – William Cheney, Church trustee – Illinois sesquicentennial edition of Christian County history – 1880 – https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/27445/images/dvm_LocHist011587-00001-0?usePUB=true&_phsrc=uDP2644&pId=2000000000
- Deed – William Cheney from Sarah Smith – E Half of NE Qty Sec 25 Twp 11N Range 2W Christian Co IL Book 39 Page 370 – 1869 – FamilySearch – https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3QC-6S4B-C?view=fullText&keywords=Cheney&lang=en&groupId=
- Family trees – Ancestry.com
- Audio – Butter’d Peas – The Fashionable Lady – James Ralph – 1729 – Hesperus – Early American Roots – Internet Archive – https://archive.org/details/hesperus-early-american-roots/Early+American+Roots/06+Butter’d+Peas+(The+Fashionable+La.mp3
Family Nibbles 