JOSEPH
ROBINETT, a farmer living near Spark's Hill, Hardin county, Ill., was born
Feb. 8, 1841, on the farm now owned and occupied by J. B. Hetherington, ten
miles southwest of Shawneetown. He is a son of Joseph and Clara
(Nighswonger) Robinett, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of
Ohio. Joseph Robinett, the father, was born in 1790, came to Illinois in
1818, fought in the Black Hawk war, and at the time of his death in 1853 was
one of the largest land owners in that section of the state. He owned land
in Gallatin, Hardin and Saline counties, and was an extensive dealer in live
stock, the market for which in those days was New Orleans. He was twice
married. His first wife was Rachel Tatman, by whom he had five children, all
now deceased. After her death he was married to Clara Nighswonger, and of
the eight children born to this union three are living. Blueford lives in
Shawneetown; Rachel Jane lives with her brother Joseph, who is the subject
of this sketch. The mother lived to be eighty-six years of age. Joseph
Robinett attended the subscription and district public schools in his
boyhood, and remained with his parents until about twenty-two years of age,
when he enlisted as a private in Company I, One Hundred and Eighteenth
Illinois volunteer infantry, commanded by Col. John G. Fonda, and was
mustered in at Camp Butler. The regiment was first sent to Memphis, where
Mr. Robinett was taken sick and was assigned to hospital duty. He continued
in this capacity for over two and a half years, and was then discharged.
Before going into the service he had bought the farm of two hundred and
eighty acres where he now lives. In 1867 he was married to Angie Thomson, a
native of Saline county, and with the exception of eight months spent in
Eldorado they have lived on this farm. Mr. Robinett has about two hundred
and thirty-five acres under cultivation, devotes a great deal of attention
to stock raising, and has one of the finest orchards in Southern Illinois.
In political matters he is a Republican, but is not an active politician.
He and his family belong to the Presbyterian church. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Robinett: William Allen, deceased, and Mrs. Laura Zinn, a widow, now living with her parents. She has four children: Gertie, Jacob, Gretchen and Angie.
Extracted 2016 May 15 by Norma Hass from Memoirs of the Lower Ohio Valley, Personal and Genealogical with Portraits, published in 1905, Volume 2, page 372
| Saline | Gallatin | Union KY |
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| Livingston KY Crittenden KY | ||
