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Descendants of James Lingo

Generation No. 2

2. JAMES² LINGO (JAMES¹)^11,¹² was born July 05, 1777 in Virginia (Probably Essex Co.)^13,^14,¹⁵, and died August 11, 1835 in Bond County, Illinois ^16,^17,^18,¹⁹. He married JANE THOMPSON^20,²¹ July 07, 1810 in Campbell County, Kentucky ^22,^23,²⁴, daughter of WILLIAM THOMPSON and NANCY DRINKARD. She was born January 30, 1790 in Flag Spring, Campbell County, Kentucky ^25,^26,²⁷, and died August 11, 1845 in Probably Bond Or Jefferson County, Illinois ^28,^29,³⁰.

Notes for JAMES LINGO:
From the Biographical Sketches section, biography of G.B. C laussen, pages 291-293, PAST AND PRESENT OF CHRISTIAN COUNT Y, ILLINOIS (McBride, 1904): "Our subject’s mother was bor n in St. Charles county, Missouri, February 19, 1817, and i s a daughter of James and Jane (Thompson) Lingo, the forme r born in Virginia, July 5, 1777, and the latter in Kentuck y, January 30, 1790. Her paternal grandfather, James Lingo , Sr., was a member of Washington’s army during the Revolut ionary war and fell in battle in 1780 or 1781. His widow w as left with three small children, the oldest being a gir l and the second James, Jr. She died when the latter was o nly twelve years of age and the children were then bound ou t to different persons in Virginia as their property had be en destroyed by the Tories during the war. James Lingo, Jr ., remained a resident of that state until grown and then w ent to Kentucky, where he was married in 1810 to Jane Thomp son." James was 33 and Jane was 20 when they were marrie d with the consent of her father, William Thompson. The ma rriage is recorded in Campbell County, Kentucky.

"In 1811, the year following his marriage, Mr. Lingo and hi s wife removed to Missouri. They went up the Mississippi r iver in what was known as a keel boat and stopped at St. Lo uis, which was then a small village, inhabited mostly by Fr ench and Spaniards." James and Jane were among the earlies t pioneers in Missouri.

"During their sojourn in Missouri they lived a part of th e time in St. Charles county..." (Sarah was born there in 1 817, and the family appears in the 1819 Missouri enumeratio n in St. Charles twsp, St. Charles Co. There was also a men tion in the local Missouri newspaper between 1819-24 of Jam es Lingow having lost a mare.) "...and the remainder in St . Louis county. Much of the time they were in great peri l on account of the hostile Indians, who would often kill w hole families. The early settlers would build their house s without windows so that no light could be seen at night t hat might be a guide to the Indians. In 1824, Mr. Lingo br ought his family to Illinois, our subject’s mother being th en seven years of age, and settled in Madison county. The y crossed the river at St. Louis in a ferryboat propelled b y horses. At that time herds of deer were often seen on Lo oking Glass prairie and the large number of wolves made i t dangerous for children and even grown folks to venture ou t alone, especially after night. Thrilling tales were tol d of people being torn to pieces by the ferocious wolves. T hey would come round the houses at night and eat the scrap s that were thrown out." James Lingo's family is listed i n the Madison County, IL federal census of 1830 (p. 26, l . 191).

"Amid such surroundings Mrs. Claussen grew to womanhood. H er father died August 11, 1835, and her mother passed awa y August 11, 1845."

The biography of Tyre M. Lingo, first published in a Texa s County, Missouri newspaper in 1888, adds this: "James Lin go was reared chiefly in his native State (Virginia), but a fter attaining manhood went to Kentucky, where he met and m arried Miss Thompson, and when Daniel Boone moved from tha t State westward, they came in the same company, and locate d in St. Louis County, Mo., and in 1824 took up their abod e in Madison County, Ill., . . . He was a Whig in politics , and the only official position he ever held was that of m agistrate. He and wife were members of the Presbyterian Ch urch and became the parents of nine children."

Perhaps the Lingo's affiliation with the Presbyterian Churc h provides some insight into their attitude toward slavery . The Presbyterian Church and it's off-shoots at that tim e were strongly anti-slavery in their beliefs. Maybe the L ingo's anti-slavery views were a factor in their moves fro m Kentucky to Missouri, and then to Illinois. Each move wa s to a state more strongly anti-slavery.

In regard to traveling to Missouri with Daniel Boone's comp any, although the Thompson's may have known Boone while h e lived in Kentucky, it does not appear possible that th e Lingo's came with him on his initial trip, which was in 1 799. However, it is likely that Boone made an occasional t rip back to Kentucky and then home to Missouri, and perhap s the Lingo's traveled to Missouri on one of those occasion s. Boone biographer James P. Pierce, in his story, "Danie l Boone's Last Hunt", recounts how friends of Boone's fro m Kentucky came to visit him in Missouri, late in the summe r of 1810. Perhaps the Lingo's accompanied this group or a nother like it. We do know that Boone settled in St. Charl es County, which is where the Lingo family also lived, an d in that day the area was sparsely populated, so it is ver y possible that they knew each other.

They came to Madison Co., Illinois, about 1824, settling ne ar what is now Highland, at Looking Glass Prairie, which la y between Silver Creek and Sugar Creek, and varied in widt h from 6 - 10 miles. Charles Dickens visited the area in 1 842, and wrote about it in "Jaunt to Looking Glass Prairi e & Back" (American Notes), describing it as "...a vast exp anse of level ground, unbroken save by one thin line of tre es until it met the glowing sky." A large group of Swiss i mmigrants formed a colony at Looking Glass Prairie in abou t 1831, about the time the Lingo family moved on.

It appears that the family made its final move around 1831- 33 to Bond County, Illinois, where they lived in the northw est part of the county, in Old Ripley township, a mile or t wo northwest of the town of Old Ripley. The deed records i ndicate that James Lingo, in 1833, purchased 320 acres most ly in Sections 5 and 6, Township 5N, Range 4W, but also inc luding 80 acres in Sec. 28, just north of Pocahontas. Amon g their neighbors is Johnston Fitz Henry, who later becam e a son-in-law. A year after purchasing the land, in 1834 , James remortgaged it for $375, with the full amount due o n Sept. 16, 1835. According to the contract, if not paid i n full on that date, interest would accrue at 12%.

James became ill in August of 1835, and he dictated a wil l to three neighbor men, leaving all to his wife, and stati ng that she should sell his goods to pay off debts, and die d that same day, leaving his wife with several children sti ll at home, the youngest being just 1 year old, and his wif e possibly expecting a baby. Not only this, but the mortgag e on the property was due in 1 month, and there were crop s standing in the fields unharvested. A list was made of h is possessions, and many were then sold, including farm equ ipment, standing corn in the field, farm animals, tools, hi s rifle, and household items. Seeing the list of items sol d, one wonders what was left for the widow and her children . Included in his possessions were two chests of books, on e being medical books. This indicates he was well educated , as many people did not read or write at that time. Perha ps he was a local doctor of sorts, or perhaps he kept the b ooks to help provide care to his family when needed. Jan e sold another 40 acres in 1837. By this time there was se vere financial depression throughout the midwest that laste d until about 1843. The court ordered the public sale of 1 25 acres in 1839.

In addition to financial struggles following James' death , Jane may have lost a baby, William, and also her toddler , America. She had family members around her, as her oldes t child, James, appears near her in the Bond Co. census o f 1840, as well as her daughter Mary and her new husband . Her daughter Sarah and her family were just a few mile s away across the county line in Montgomery Co. In 1841, i n response to a request by her son-in-law Johnston Fitz Hen ry and daughter Mary, the court ordered another public sal e to pay debts, at which time Jane sold all the remaining l and except her dower, which would have been her home and ju st enough land to support her and her minor children as all owed under the law, 53 acres in Sect. 6. In July of 1843 , Jane sold her home and her remaining land. She may hav e remained in Bond County, moving in with one of her adul t children, or she may have relocated to Jefferson County , as did Sarah's family. Jane died in either 1844 or 1845 . Her youngest children lived with older siblings after he r death.

A great-granddaughter of James and Jane reported they wer e buried at Kirkland's Grove, near Sorento, Illinois. Thi s is the oldest cemetery in the county, and the oldest grav e markers and records of burials are now gone, including th e Lingo's, if they were there. But one can still see the o ld section of the cemetery on this small hill nestled amon g farms. It is still in use and well kept. This cemetery i s about 5 miles north of where the James Lingo family is be lieved to have lived in Bond County. Their daughter Sara h lived very near this cemetery at the time of James' death . There are some other interesting notes about the area nea r Kirkland's Grove and the people who settled there. The Ki rkland family patriarch, John Kirkland, fought in the Battl e of Brandywine and was at Valley Forge during the Rev. War , as was James Lingo's father. The Kirkland's were Scotch-I rish, as were the Lingos and most of the early settlers i n that area, and came to Illinois via Kentucky, then Missou ri, as did James and Jane Lingo. Peter Cartwright, wh o Jane Thompson Lingo is said to have grown up with, organi zed a group of Methodist's at the site of the Kirkland's fa rm, making it the first church in the township, in 1824. T he HISTORY OF BOND AND MONTGOMERY COUNTIES, ILLINOIS, 1882 , states on p. 373, "A burial ground was laid out on the fa rm of John Kirkland, in the southern part of the township , in a very early day, and is now known as the Kirkland Gra veyard. Among the first internments here were....There wer e several graves here previous to this time, as different p arties had been brought here for burial from the little set tlement farther south in Bond County."

More About JAMES LINGO:
Record Change: January 02, 2005

Notes for JANE THOMPSON:
Alt. Birth
Alt. Death
(Included in James Lingo notes.)

More About JANE THOMPSON:
Alt. Birth: 1787, Campbell Co., KY
Alt. Death: 1844, Jefferson Co., IL ³¹
Record Change: January 02, 2005

Marriage Notes for JAMES LINGO and JANE THOMPSON:
Alt. Marriage

Children of JAMES LINGO and JANE THOMPSON are:

JAMES ROBINSON³ LINGO³², b. July 29, 1814, St. Charles Or St. Louis County, Missouri³²; d. March 04, 1872 ^33,³⁴; m. ELIZABETH CARTRIGHT, November 16, 1837, Bond Co., IL ³⁵; d. Y.

Notes for JAMES ROBINSON LINGO:
Alt. Death
James R. Lingo is residing in Bond County, Illinois in 183 7 on land he purchased adjacent to his parent's farm. Thi s is the year he married, and his movements after that dat e are largely unknown. He doesn't appear on the 1840 Bon d Co. census on this land. He had land in Fayette County a s well, 45.64 acres in Sect. 6, T 5N, R 1W, and may have mo ved there at some point. The only later record of him loca ted so far, indicates that he sold his Bond County land i n 1857 through an attorney, and he was "residing outside th e county".

More About JAMES ROBINSON LINGO:
Alt. Death: March 04, 1872
Record Change: December 27, 2004

Notes for ELIZABETH CARTRIGHT:
Elizabeth Cartright may have been a member of Peter Cartwri ght's family, a well known Minister of that time. The PAS T AND PRESENT OF CHRISTIAN COUNTY, 1904, referring to Jan e Thompson Lingo, states, "Her ancestors migrated to Kentuc ky when that region was inhabited only by the savage Indian s, being a member of the same colony with Peter Cartwright’ s father." Peter Cartwright settled in Fayette County, Ill inois, which neighbors Bond County.

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Record Change: January 02, 2005

4.	ii.	SARAH FRANCES "SALLIE" LINGO, b. February 19, 1817, St. Charles Co., Missouri; d. September 14, 1910, At Home, 4 MI. From Stonington, Christian Co., IL.
5.	iii.	MARY E. LINGO, b. February 18, 1819, St. Charles Tsp., St. Charles Co., MO; d. 1858, Probably Jackson Co., IL.
6.	iv.	TYRE MARTIN LINGO, b. August 20, 1821, St. Louis County, Missouri; d. January 27, 1903, Plato, Texas County, Missouri.
7.	v.	ARCHIBALD ALEXANDER LINGO, b. November 24, 1823, St. Charles Or St. Louis County, Missouri; d. 1863, Probably Jackson Or Randolph Co., IL.
8.	vi.	MARTHA JANE LINGO, b. December 06, 1825, Madison County, Illinois; d. February 02, 1900, Dry Hill, Kinkaid Twsp., Jackson County, Illinois.
9.	vii.	HARTLY JEHODIA LINGO, b. January 03, 1828, Madison County, Illinois; d. September 06, 1917, Probably Post Oak, Johnson Co., MO.
	viii.	MELVINA C. LINGO^36,³⁶, b. May 21, 1830, Madison Co., Illinois ^37,^38,³⁹; d. July 15, 1856, Probably Jackson County, Illinois ^40,⁴¹; m. THOMAS SPENCER⁴², September 28, 1853, Jefferson County, Illinois ⁴³; d. Y.

Notes for MELVINA C. LINGO:
Melvina Lingo was only 5 years old when her father die d, and 10 when her mother died in 1845. In 1848, when sh e was 13, her brother Tyre was appointed her guardian in Ja ckson County, Illinois. It may be that she never actuall y lived with Tyre, but with her sister Sarah. At age 15, M elvina appears with Sarah Claussen's household in the Jeffe rson County, Illinois census for 1850. This was the year f ollowing the death of Sarah's husband Emil in the cholera e pidemic, and one may assume that Melvina was able to provid e important assistance to Sarah with the farm and her 6 chi ldren. She married in Jefferson County in 1853, apparentl y moving to Jackson County, and died when she was only 26 . She is buried in the small neglected Zion Cemetery, in n orthwestern Jackson County, near where some of her sibling s lived. Her name is spelled on her grave marker, "Malvina ". It is unknown whether she had any children and what beca me of her husband.

More About MELVINA C. LINGO:
Record Change: December 27, 2004

Notes for THOMAS SPENCER:
Little is known of Thomas Spencer. He may have had clos e relatives, perhaps brothers named William and James. A g rave marker for "T. Spencer", no dates, is in the old secti on of Pleasant Grove Cemetery in Shiloh Township of Jeffers on Co., Illinois. This old section was used in the late 18 00's and early 1900's. The JEFFERSON COUNTY ILLINOIS HISTOR Y, 1810-1962, states that a T.O. Spencer was minister at Pl easant Grove Methodist Episcopal Church in 1863, and also i n 1869.
We know that Melvina died in Jackson Co., IL in 1856, s o it may be assumed Thomas was with her there at that time.
T.B. Spencer, age 40-50, appears in the 1865 State censu s of Jackson Co., Illinois, in Kinkaid precinct. There i s a female age 40-50, and another age 10-20, and 2 males , 1 under 10 years and 1 age 10-20 in his household. Perha ps this is our Thomas Spencer with a 2nd wife and family.

More About THOMAS SPENCER:
Record Change: January 02, 2005

ix.

AMERICA C. LINGO⁴⁴, b. June 23, 1832, Probably Madison County, Illinois⁴⁴; d. April 08, 1836, Probably In Bond County, Illinois ^45,⁴⁶.

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Record Change: December 27, 2004

10.	x.		LUCINDA EVALINE LINGO, b. July 18, 1834, Probably Bond County, Illinois; d. Aft. 1860.
	xi.		WILLIAM LINGO⁴⁷, b. 1836, Probably Bond Co., Illinois⁴⁷; d. 1836, Probably Bond Co., Illinois.

Notes for WILLIAM LINGO:
This child, if he existed, was born after his father's pass ing, and apparently did not live long. Heis not mentione d in known records, but only in a pedigree chart filed b y a descendant of Tyre Lingo, and no source is given, so hi s existence is uncertain and probably the source is famil y lore.

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Record Change: December 27, 2004

3. ARCHIBALD D. ?² LINGOW (JAMES¹ LINGO)^48,⁴⁹ was born February 25, 1780 in Probably Essex County, Virginia ^50,⁵¹, and died June 24, 1859 in Rutherford County, Tennessee ⁵². He married MARTHA CLEVELAND April 1806 in Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Virginia ⁵³. She was born December 11, 1787 in Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Virginia?⁵⁴, and died February 09, 1876 in Rutherford County, Tennessee⁵⁴.

Notes for ARCHIBALD D. ? LINGOW:
Much evidence in family lore, naming patterns, and dates in dicates that James Lingo's brother was Archibald Lingow, wh o was born in 1780, and who settled first in Albemarle Co. , Virginia, then Tennessee, raised a large family, and die d there in Rutherford Co., in 1859. However, no records th at could be considered primary sources have so far been fou nd as to who Archibald's parents may have been. He is incl uded here because it is highly likely he was the younger br other of James Lingo mentioned by Sarah (Lingo) Claussen He witt in an interview. Evidence to support this is his yea r of birth, which corresponds to the documentation that Jam es and Caty Lingo's third child was a son, born after 1777 , but within 9 months of his father's death in spring, 1781 . Naming conventions in Archibald's family and his brothe r James' family also support this, as does the continuing c lose relationship of some of their adult children, most not ably Benejah Lingow and Tyre M. Lingo of Texas Co., MO.

More About ARCHIBALD D. ? LINGOW:
Burial: McLean Watkins Cem., Midland, Rutherford County, Tennessee ⁵⁵
Record Change: December 27, 2004

More About MARTHA CLEVELAND:
Burial: McLean Watkins Cem., Midland, Rutherford County, Tennessee⁵⁵
Record Change: December 27, 2004

Children of ARCHIBALD LINGOW and MARTHA CLEVELAND are:

SCIOTA OR SCIOTHA P.³ LINGOW, d. Y; m. THOMAS G. STRATTON, May 26, 1847, Davidson County, Tennessee; b. Abt. 1820; d. Y.

Notes for SCIOTA OR SCIOTHA P. LINGOW:
An unsourced report gives her birth date as 1813.

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Record Change: January 02, 2005

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Record Change: December 27, 2004

ii.

MARY FRANKLIN LINGOW⁵⁵, b. March 22, 1809, Virginia; d. Aft. 1888; m. (1) ROBERT C. MOORE, Abt. 1828; b. May 15, 1805; d. Abt. September 1830; m. (2) JOHN M. WATKINS, Abt. 1838, Fosterville, Rutherford County, Tennessee; d. Y.

Notes for MARY FRANKLIN LINGOW:
One researcher without citing sources shows 2 children of t he first marriage: Martha J. Moore, who marr. Alne H. McLe an; and William R. Moore. Also shows 3 children from her s econd marr: John F., Thos. I., and Albert Watkins.

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Record Change: December 27, 2004

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Record Change: December 27, 2004

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Record Change: January 02, 2005

iii.

ALIC LINGOW⁵⁵, b. Bet. 1815 - 1820, Virginia; d. Bet. 1844 - 1850; m. LIVING.

Notes for ALIC LINGOW:
Family lore tells that Alic died in a riverboat accident.

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Record Change: December 27, 2004

iv.

MARTHA ELIZABETH LINGOW⁵⁶, b. 1816 ⁵⁷; d. Y; m. BENJAMIN MERRITT⁵⁸; b. 1811; d. 1870.

Notes for MARTHA ELIZABETH LINGOW:
A Merritt family researcher in an undocumented report list s 8 Merritt children: Andrew Jackson, Malinda P., Mary C. , Thos. H., James, Martha Jane, Archibald Benjamin, and Wil liam.

More About MARTHA ELIZABETH LINGOW:
Record Change: December 27, 2004

More About BENJAMIN MERRITT:
Record Change: December 27, 2004

BENEJAH GENTRY LINGOW⁵⁹, b. Abt. 1820, Virginia; d. Y; m. MARY J. PLEASANTS, Abt. 1840; b. Abt. 1820, Virginia; d. Y.

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Record Change: December 27, 2004

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Record Change: December 27, 2004

vi.

CATHERINE MILES LINGOW^59,⁶⁰, b. June 18, 1821; d. September 13, 1850, Fosterville, Rutherford County, Tennessee; m. JAMES ALEXANDER ELAM⁶⁰, November 04, 1841, Robertson, Tennessee; b. April 24, 1816, Rutherford, North Carolina; d. March 29, 1890, Fosterville, Rutherford County, Tennessee.

Notes for CATHERINE MILES LINGOW:
An undocumented report lists 3 children of Catherine and Ja mes: Martha, Jane, and Thomas.

More About CATHERINE MILES LINGOW:
Record Change: December 27, 2004

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Record Change: December 27, 2004

vii.

MARGARET A. LINGOW⁶¹, b. January 07, 1835; d. 1907; m. JAMES ALEXANDER ELAM⁶², July 07, 1851, Davidson County, Tennessee; b. April 24, 1816, Rutherford, North Carolina; d. March 29, 1890, Fosterville, Rutherford County, Tennessee.

Notes for MARGARET A. LINGOW:
Margaret married her older sister's widower. An unsource d report lists these children from Margaret and James' marr iage: Edwin, Ella, Archie, Louisa, and Minnie.

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Record Change: December 27, 2004

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Record Change: December 27, 2004

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