DRENNAN, John Thomas

Other Events and Attributes:

• Obituary: From the Fresno Morning Republican, 5 Feb 1906: John P Drennan aged 74 years died at the residence of his brother-in-law, C J Puliam, No. 1753 K street at 2 o’clock yesterday morning. The deceased who was a native of Illinois, served throughout the civil war and was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic at his death. He wiil he interred with full military honors. He arrived in California twenty-nine years ago and engaged in agricultural pursuits and took up residence with relatives in this city ten years ago. Senile decay accelerated by kidney trouble from which he suffered for years was the cause of his death. The funeral services will take place at 2 o’clock today at tho undertaking parlors of A B Hopkins corner of J and Merced streets under the auspices of the G. A. R. after which the remains will be shipped to Auburn, Ill. for interment in the family lot. The decedent who was unmarried is survived by two sisters who live in this city Mrs C J Pulliam and Mrs Capt Ewing.
• Obituary: A second obituary, source unknown, but probably from an Illinois paper: Sangamon County Pawnee Pawnee, Ill, Feb 16 -- The death of John T Drennan on February 4, 1906 in Fresno, Cal., removes one of the oldest and most worthy citizens of the country.  He was the son of William and Margaret Drennan (nee Anderson) and a grandson of William Drennan sr., who was one of the first settlers within the present limits of Sangamon county.  Mr. Drennan was born in Ball township, January 13, 1832, where he continued to reside until November, 1895, when he removed to Fresno  county, Cal. where he resided until the date of his death. His remains were brought back to Auburn, Ill., and buried in the old Sugar Creek cemetery on February 11, 1906. he is survived by Mrs. J. M. Bennington of Glenarm, Ill., Mrs. B. F. Fletcher of Springfield, Mrs. J. A. Ewing and Mrs. C. I. Pulliam of Fresno, Cal. sisters, and one brother, F. N. Drennan of Butler, Mo. He was a member of the Sugar Creek Cumberland Presbyterian church since 1853 an elder since 1859, and Sunday school superintendent from 1861 until his departure for California in 1895.  He was always regarded as humble, earnest and faithful in the discharge of all the duties assigned him.  Without a family of his own, his influence upon the youth of the community was helpful and beneficial. His funeral was conducted by the Rev. G. G. Hudson of Decatur, Ill., in the old church of which he was a member so long.  Rev Shelton, pastor of the church, spoke of Mr. Drennan as a representative of the local church in presbyteries, synods and general assemblies. N. H. Ingels spoke of him as an elder in the church, and James Canham spoke of him as a Sunday school superintendent. Rev. Mr. Hudson referred to the close relations he and the deceased sustained to each other during his pastorate of eight years.  R. H. Ensley, as an old friend and comrade in arms, spoke as follows: "We gather in solemn presence to honor the memory of one we knew and loved and to commit his silent form to the kindred dust of kindly earth.  Through our tears we glance over the records of his humble, brave, Christian and useful life.  Everywhere he won the respect and friendship of those with whom he associated by the gentleness of his manner and thej purity of his life, always breathing a spirit of patriotism, loyalty and devotion.  He belonged to that class that believed that honest toil is honorable. Such is his record a man of gentle nature, kind deeds and high Christian character. One who in his daily living has kept in view the last hour in which he would no doubt desire to say, 'I have fought a good fight; I have finished my course; I have kept the faith, and am now ready to be offered up' "It is said the story of every human life if rightly told, may be a useful lesson to those whom survive. There are none whose lives teach to us a nobler, a grander, a more profitable lesson that the life of this man. He had a kindly heart and open hand, which prompted him to many acts of generous aid to the needy and distressed and will live in greatful memory of many for his generous sympathy. Honored and beloved by all who knew him, a life of self-sacrifice, of devotion, brave actions and kindly deeds.  All these blighted and blackened by the dread shadows of the Angel of Death. "On the death of a man some ask: 'What property does he leave?' 'Was he rich?'  The more important this is, 'What are the good deeds?'  He was rich in many ways. A large, comprehensive soul, a heart filled with love and sympathy for those about him: earnest, patriotic and loving. A man the people loved and trusted.  When the country was in terrible danger and distress he went boldly forth under the grand old flag, to do and to dare for her honor and in support of the constitution and law of the land, and to save from disruption and dismemberment this grand nation of ours.  Serving in the Army of the Cumberland, part of the time under the gallant and intrepid Sheridan, having been through the fierce battle of Perryville and the bloody battle of Stone River, seeing service on the rock Tennessee, treading the mountain passes, and at last meeting the enemy on the dreaded field of Chicamauga, where Bagg and Longstreet hurled their veterans upon our army and rent in twain the badly handled part of our army.  It was there, trying to resist their onslaught that he fell, wounded and lay there, bled and suffered, and finally was taken prisoner.  From this wound he always suffered. "But his useful life was not to end there. There was more service to his country his neighbors, his friends, his relations and comrades, to be rendered. And we that know him best know how grandly and nobly he performed them.  His services are those that reflect unfading luster on the American volunteer. The snows of winter and flowers of summer may come and go, and he will heed it not. A comrade, a Christian, ad good man, a kind neighbor and a dear friend is gone. May the trees bud, grass grow green and the flowers bloom fragrantly about his resting place until the great 'Resurrection day.' Until then, dear friends, until then, farewell" At the conclusion fo Mr. Easley's remarks the remains were borne from the church to the cemetery near by with six old comrades as pallbearers. There he was laid to rest with the regular services of the G. A. R. post of which he was a faithful member. 
• Residence: 1870, Ball, Sangamon, Illinois
• Residence: 1900, Township 3, Fresno, California

Notes:

Served in Civil War as Private, 73 Illinois infrantry. Was wounded and taken prisoner. Lived most of his life in and around Sangamon county, IL, but came to California around 1895, when he moved to live with relatives in Fresno (probably his sister, Emily and her husband, C I Pulliam).

In his will, he left $5,000 to Lincoln School in Lincoln, IL.

Notes:

History of William Drennan and Mary Thomas in Sangamon County, IL

William and Mary were married about 1790. Six of their children were born in the Pendelton district (South Carolina), and they moved to Caldwell county, KY, about 1803, where they had six children. In the fall of 1817, they moved to Illinois, first stopping on Wood river, about two miles from Alton, in Madison county. Their destination was the San-ga-ma country, but it was more economical to remain idle that winter than to move up, and thus incur the necessity of hauling provisions for themselves and stock. Early in 1818 William Drennan, his half brother, Joseph Drennan, his son-in-law, Joseph Dodds, and George Cox, left their families near Alton, and, with their teams, farming implements, provisions, and all the young men and boys belonging to the families who were able to assist in making a home, started, piloted by a white man named William Moore, who had belonged to a company that had been over the country before, in fighting the Indians. He was called an Indian Ranger. Arriving at Sugar creek, they took a day or two for exploring, and on March 10, 1818, drove to the spot on which William Drennan built his cabin and which proved to be section 32, town 14, range 5 west, when the government made its survey. It is on the northwest side of Sugar creek, and about twelve miles nearly due south of Springfield, and near where the Sugar creek Cumberland Presbyterian church now stands. Immediately after their arrival they built two cabins. One was occupied by George Cox alone. The other was occupied for the summer by William and Joseph Drennan and Joseph Dodds. That was the one spoken of as belonging to William Drennan. As they had not the slightest idea of cultivating the prairie, these three men agreeed to clear all the land they could in one body, and have a crop from it that year in common, with the understanding that before another year they were all to work together until an equal sized piece was cleared for the other two. They cleared the timber from about fifteen acres, fenced it, plowed as well as they could among the roots and stumps with a little short wooden mould board plow, and planted it in corn and pumpkins. The soil in the timber was very light -- so much so that in some places they would almost sink in over their shoes. In fencing this land, they inclosed about three-fourths of an acre of prairie. After they had plowed and planted their crop, one of the men suggested that it was quite a waste to have that under fence and nothing growing on it, and proposed that they break it up and plan something on it. In order to make sure work, they uncoupled one of their wagons, hitched four horses to the forward wheels, and fastened their wooden mould board plow to the axle. They soon found this was a failure.

Try as they would, the plow would not center the sod, and they reluctantly gave it up. While they were taking off the team and plow, one of the boys, full of fun and mischief, took up a hoe and began to shave the grass off, saying he could break the prairie with his hoe. That suggested an idea to one of the men, and he, also, took a hoe and began shaving the grass. It was the work of but a few minutes to remove the sod from a spot several feet in diameter. He then called one of the othermen, and proposed that, as they were well advanced with their work, and there were seven or eight of them, and all had hoes, that they call all hands together , and shave the grass from the whole piece, plant something on it, and see what would be the result. The man spoken to first, laughed at the idea as ridiculous, but after studying a moment, he fell in with it, and the men and boys were all called up, and the grass shaved off, holes dug, and corn and pumpkin seed planted. They did not tought it any more; that killed the grass. The crop was fully twice as much in proportion to the area, as that planted among the stumps, and the next spring it broke up the nicest of any land they had ever seen. This taught them an important lesson, and caused them to make greater exertions to induce some one to invent a plow that would break up the prairie. I have this account from the venerable William Drennan, who was one of the young men that assisted in doing the work, and who has lived in sight of the spot to the present time. Several years elapsed before a plow was invented that would do good work at breaking. In the mean time the early settlers continued clearing their land, that they might have it to cultivate, and were always uneasy for fear their timber would be exhausted.

There can be but little doubt that the same labor required to destroy the timber on one acre would have shaved the grass from two acres, with no better implements than a hoe. They could, by that means, have had better land to cultivate, twice the quantity of grain raised, and saved their timber, but the probability is they never thought of it. After the provisions they brought with them were exhausted, one fo their number would return south, load a couple of horses with provisions, salt, and other indispensibles, in regular pack saddle style, and bring them to their new home. The distance was between sixty and seventy miles. They brought cows in the spring, and had plenty of milk. Wild honey was abundant, and Mr. Drennan told the writer that two of their number would cut down a hollow tree where bees had stored their wealth, and with a few hours work, would bring in from two to five gallons of honey. While they were doing this, others of their number would be looking for more bee trees, so that they always had four or five trees ahead, and knew just where to go when they needed more honey. For meat, they would hunt as the necessitieis required, some times one, and often all would hunt. In warm weather they would take venison, the breast of turkeys and geese, cut the meat into thin slices, sprinkle a small quantity of salt on it, and dry it on a frame work of sticks about three feet hight, setting the frame in the sun, with a smouldering fire underneath. In this way the meat would soon be cured, and ready for use at any time. This they called jerked meat, a considerable supply of which could be kept on hand. Fresh meat, jerked meat, milk, honey and bread, constituted their bill of fare during the first summer. As trips were made back and forth, some fo the younger sons and those who had families were brought to the new settlements. After the crops were cultivated, the men who had families returned to them, leaving the unmarried men and boys to take care of the property. The four men who came up in the spring, all brought their wives and childern in the fall of that year. Mr. Cox arrived first, Joseph Drennan next, and, William Drennan, with his son-in-law, Joseph Dodds, came together, arriving Dec. 3, 1818. Of the twelve childeren of William Drennan, Sen.---

Mattie, born in South Carolina, married in Kentucky.

Samuel

William, born Oct 15, 1797, in Pendleton district, SC, came to Kentucky, and from there to Sangamon county with his father, arriving March 10, 1818 in what is now Ball township. He was married May 30, 1822, in Sanagamon county to Margaret Anderson. They had twelve childern, all born in Sanagmon county, viz: James A., born Aug 6, 1828, married Dec 8, 1853, to Rachel Cannan. They have six children, Jannetta F, Mary E, Robert W, Minnie W, Ira and Frederick, and reside in Ball township, five miles northeast of Auburn. Samuel, born Oct. 30, 1829, went to the Pacific coast in 1852, and was married there May 28,1868 to Lousia Fernald, who was born April 4, 1839 in North Berwick, Maine. They have three children, Edith A., Mabel L, and Dora A, and reside in Santa Cruz county, Ca. John T, born Jan 14, 1832, enlisted August 9, 1862 at Chatham, in Co. I, 73d Ill INf, for theree years. He was wounded at the battle of Chickamauga, Sept 20, 1863, lay five days on the battlefied, before medical aid was given. He recovered, but is permanently disabled. He was dischard on account of physical disability, June 16, 1864, and resides with his parents in Ball Township...

"History of the Early Settlers, Sanagamon County, Illinois, "Centenial Record"" 1876

William married ANDERSON, Margaret L on 30 May 1822 in Sangamon Co, IL. Margaret (daughter of ANDERSON, James and FLETCHER, Nancy) was born on 28 Mar 1806 in Rockbridge, VA, USA (Alt Botetourt Co, VA); died on 28 Aug 1881 in Sangamon, IL, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Military: 1812, Pvt S.C. Mililitia, War of 1812

Notes:

William and Mary were married about 1790. Six of their children were born in the Pendelton district, and they moved to Caldwell county, KY, about 1803, where they had six children. In the fall of 1817, they moved to Illinois, first stopping on Wood river, about two miles from Alton, in Madison county. Their destination was the San-ga-ma country, but it was more economical to remain idle that winter than to move up, and thus incur the necessity of hauling provisions for themselves and stock. Early in 1818 William Drennan, his half brother, Joseph Drennan, his son-in-law, Joseph Dodds, and George Cox, left their families near Alton, and, with their teams, farming implements, provisions, and all the young men and boys belonging to the families who were able to assist in making a home, started, piloted by a white man named William Moore, who had belonged to a company that had been over the country before, in fighting the Indians. He was called an Indian Ranger. Arriving at Sugar creek, they took a day or two for exploring, and on March 10, 1818, drove to the spot on which William Drennan built his cabin and which proved to be section 32, town 14, range 5 west, when the government made its survey. It is on the northwest side of Sugar creek, and about twelve miles nearly due south of Springfield, and near where the Sugar creek Cumberland Presbyterian church now stands. Immediately after their arrival they built two cabins. One was occupied by George Cox alone. The other was occupied for the summer by William and Joseph Drennan and Joseph Dodds. That was the one spoken of as belonging to William Drennan. As they had not the slightest idea of cultivating the prairie, these three men agreeed to clear all the land they could in one body, and have a crop from it that year in common, with the understanding that before another year they were all to work together until an equal sized piece was cleared for the other two. They cleared the timber from about fifteen acres, fenced it, plowed as well as they could among the roots and stumps with a little short wooden mouldbourd plow, and planted it in corn and pumpkins. The soil in the timber was very light -- so much so that in some places they would almost sink in over their shoes. In frencing this land, they inclosed about three-fourths of an acre of prairie. After they had plowed and planted their crop, one of the men suggested that it was quite a waste to have that under fence and nothing growing on it, and proposed that they break it up and plan something on it. IN order to make sure work, they uncoupled one of their wagons, hitched four horses to the forward wheels, and fastened their wooden mould board plow to the axle. They soon found this was a failure.

Try as they would, the plow would not center the sod, and they reluctantly gave it up. While they were taking off the team and plow, one of the boys, full of fun and mischief, took up a hoe and began to shave the grass off, saying he could break the prairie with his hoe. That suggested an idea to one of the men, and he, also, took a hoe and began shaving the grass. It was the work of but a few minutes to remove the sod from a spot several feet in diameter. He then called one of the othermen, and proposed that, as they were well advanced with their work, and there were seven or eight of them, and all had hoes, that they call all ahands together , and shave the grass from the whole piece, plant something on it, and see what would be the result. The man spoken to first, laughted at the idea as ridiculous, but after studying a moment, he fell in with it, and the men and boys were all called up, and the grass shaved off, holes dug, and corn and pumpkin seed planted. They did not tought it any more; that killed the grass. The crop was fully twice as much in proportion to the area, as that planted among the stumps, and the next spring it broke up the nicest of any land they had ever seen. This taught them an important lesson, and caused them to make greater exertions to induce some one to invent a plow that would break up the prairie. I have this account from the venerable William Drennan, who was one of the young men that assisted in doing the work, and who has lived in sight of the spot to the present time. Several years elapsed before a plow was invented that would do good work at breaking. IN the mean time the early settlers continued clearing their land, that they might have it to cultivate, and were always uneasy for fear their timber would be exhausted.

There can be but little doubt that the same labor required to destroy the timber on one acre would have shaved the grass from two acres, with no better implements than a hoe. They could, by that means, have had better land to cultivate, twice the quantity of grain raised, and saved their timber, but the probability is they never thought of it. After the provisions they brought with them were exhausted, one fo their number would return south, load a couple of horses with provisions, salt, and other indispensibles, in regular pack saddle style, and bring them to their new home. The distance was between sixty and seventy miles. They brought cows in the spring, and had plenty of milk. Wild honey was abundant, and Mr. Drennan told the writer that two of their number would cut down a hollow tree where bees had stored their wealth, and with a few hours work, would bring in from two to five gallons of honey. While they were doing this, others of their number would be looking for more bee trees, so that they always had four or five trees ahead, and knew just where to go when they needed more honey. For meat, they would hunt as the necessitieis required, some times one, and often all would hunt. IN warm weather they would take venison, the breast of turkeys and geese, cut the meat into thin slices, sprinkle a small quantity of salt on it, and dry it on a frame work of sticks about three feet hight, setting the frame in the sun, with a smouldering fire underneath. In this way the meat would soon be cured, and ready for use at any time. This they called jerked meat, a considerable supply of which could be kept on hand. Fresh meat, jerked meat, milk, honey and bread, constituted their bill of fare during the first summer. As trips were made back and forth, some fo the younger sons and those who had families were brought to the new settlements. After the crops were cultivated, the men who had families returned to them, leaving the unmarried men and boys to take care of the property. The four men who came up in the spring, all brought their wives and childern in the fall of that year. Mr. Cox arrived first, Joseph Drennan next, and, William Drennan, with his son-in-law, Josephy Dodds, came together, arriving Dec. 3, 1818. Of the twelve childeren of William Drennan, Sen.---

Mattie, born in South Carolina, married in Kentucky
Samuel
William, born Oct 15, 1797, in Pendleton district, SC, came to Kentucky, and from there to Sangamon county with his father, arriving March 10, 1818 in what is now Ball township. He was married May 30, 1822, in Sanagamon county to Margaret Anderson. They had twelve childern, all born in Sanagmon county, viz: James A., born AUg 6, 1828, married Dec 8, 1853, to Rachel Cannan. They have six children, Jannetta F, Mary E, Robert W, Minnie W, Ira and Frederick, and reside in Ball township, five miles northeast of Auburn. Samuel, born Oct. 30, 1829, went to the Pacific coasat in 1852, and was married there May 28,1868 to Lousia Fernald, who was born April 4, 1839 in North Berwick, Maine. They have three children, Edith A., Mabel L, and Dora A, and reside in Santa Cruz county, Ca. John T, born Jan 14, 1832, enlisted August 9, 1862 at Chatham, in Co. I, 73d Ill INf, for theree years. He was wounded at the battle of Chickamauga, Sept 20, 1863, lay five days on the battlefied, before medical aid was given. He recovered, but is permanently disabled. He was dischard on account of physical disability, June 16, 1864, and resides with his parents in Ball Township...

"History of the Early Settlers, Sanagamon County, Illinois, "Centenial Record"" 1876

William married THOMAS, Mary in 1790. Mary was born on 13 Jan 1771; died on 21 Oct 1856 in Sangamon, Illinois, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Marriage
Date: 1790
Place: Pendleton Dist, South Carolina, USA«s103 Online publication - Ancestry.com. OneWorldTree [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc.»

James married FLETCHER, Nancy in 1802 in Rockbridge Co., Virginia, USA. Nancy was born in 1786 in Rockbridge Co., Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

From Early Settlers of Sangamon:

ANDERSON, JAMES, was born in 1784 in Botetourt county, Va. Nancy Fletcher was born in 1786, in Rockbridge county, Va. They were there married, in 1802, and had two children in Virginia.

William married BARNES, Sarah in 1760. Sarah was born in 1742 in Pendleton, South Carolina, USA; died in 1817 in Caldwell, Kentucky, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]