JOHN A. STALIONS was born in Trigg County, Ky., July 17, 1837, and now resides in township 11, Pope County. His father was W. P. Stalions, of the same county, born March 21, 1811. who, like his father, Reuben Stalions, was a farmer. Reuben Stalions was a native of North Carolina, and at an early day became a settler in Kentucky. He was twice married, and by his first wife had three sons: Moses, Aaron and Joshua. Of these Moses and Aaron were soldiers in the War of 1812 under Gen. Jackson. By the second marriage he had four sons and three daughters, and of these children W. P. Stalions was the third child and second son. Mr. Stalions died in middle life, his wife living to be almost seventy years of age.
W. P. Stalions, our subject's father, was married four times, having by the first wife one daughter, and by the second wife one son and three daughters, our subject being the eldest of the four children. By the third wife he had two daughters and one son. The first wife of W. P. Stalions was in her maiden days Nancy Armstrong, of Kentucky. Her only child was Elizabeth, wife of Samuel Lampson, who died in the prime of life, leaving a family of children. The second wife of W. P. Stalions was Melinda Thomas, daughter of Richard and Sarah (Barnes) Thomas, of Kentucky, who was born May 3, 1819, and died April 8, 1846, at the age of twenty-five years. Her children were as follows: John A.; Mary Jane, who died in early childhood; and Amanda M., who died in Hardin County, Ill., in February, 1886, aged forty-two years. The latter was married twice, her first husband having been John Quincy Adams, named after the fourth President of the United States, and her second husband T. L. Jenkins. The third wife of Mr. Stalions, and the stepmother of our subject, was formerly Mrs. Elizabeth Parish, nee Matthews, daughter of John and Sarah Matthews, and the widow of George Parish. By her first husband she had five children, four sons and one daughter, and by her marriage to Mr. Stalions she had two daughters and one son: Mary Ann, deceased wife of James Matthews; Bethany, now Mrs. William O'Neal, of Williamson County; and Samuel K., a farmer of Union Township. The fourth wife of Mr. Stalions was Martha Bruce, widow of Cornelius Bruce, who died soon after her marriage. Mr. Stalions died in Caldwell County. Ky., October 15, 1857, in his forty-sixth year.
John A. Stalions was reared on the farm and received what little education he could in a subscription school. He was married October 1, 1857, fifteen days before his father's death, to Miss Mary E. Lowery, of Crittenden County. Ky., daughter of James and Elizabeth Lowery. in September, 1858, they emigrated to Illinois by means of their team and located first near Eldorado, Saline County, on a rented farm. August 15, 1862, Mr. Stalions enlisted in Company E, One Hundred and Tenth Illinois Infantry, George Burnett being his captain. He served as a private soldier until June 8, 1865, and was mustered out at Washington, D. C, on that day, at which time he was a member of Company H, of the same regiment. He was not off duty save a few times, a day or two at a time, when unfit for service on account of sickness, He endured the hardships of the war better than the great majority of his comrades, and also escaped the measles, a disease from which many of them suffered and died. His first fight was at Perryville, Ky., where he displayed great courage and valor, and he was also in a skirmish at Cumberland Gap, the battle of Stone River, Chattanooga, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Peach Tree Creek, in the famous march from Atlanta, and charged the batteries at Jonesborough the day that city fell. In this charge many of his comrades fell near him, but he escaped unhurt, and marched with old Tecumseh to the sea, thence up into the Carolinas, where he saw Gen. Johnston surrender, after which he returned to his wife and three children at his home in Union Township.
In this township he purchased eighty acres of land for $400, which had been improved, and upon which he built a good hewed-log house, now a part of his present fine large residence. It has been improved by siding up outside and ceiling inside, until now it has the appearance of being a frame house, and is doubtless more comfortable than a frame house would be. The main part of the house is 20x50 feet in dimensions, and the L part is 14x18 feet in measurement and is one and a-half stories high. He has added to what may be called his home farm proper, which is the eighty acres, from time to time until he now owns two hundred and fifty-five acres, one hundred and seventy-five acres of which are under cultivation.
Mr. Stalions also owns forty acres of land upon which his son lives, besides a forty-acre tract of timber land, on which he is carrying on general farming. He built his commodious store in the spring of 1892, and put in a stock of general merchandise. He is a stalwart Republican and was appointed Postmaster at the new post office called Colorado when it was established, and has served the township as Justice of the Peace three terms. He was elected County Commissioner and on the expiration of one term was appointed to fill a vacancy in the same office. He also served some eight years as Township Treasurer, and as District Clerk and Treasurer of Highways. He is a Royal Arch Mason and since 1881 has been an Odd Fellow in good standing. He and his wife are members of the United Baptist Church, and are the fond parents of the following children: W. R,, living on the farm, and having a wife and four children, two sons and two daughters; Amanda M., wife of I. F. Jenkins, a farmer near by, who has two sons and four daughters; Ann V., wife of W. W. Matthews, who is working the home farm and has one son and three daughters; Serilda J., wife of W. M. Gee, a farmer, whom she bore one son and two daughters; Mary E., wife of Frank Hancock, and who has one daughter; Samuel S., who married Nora Rose; John T., a youth of sixteen, at home; and Ida Belie, a miss of thirteen years, in school. They have all had a good common-school education, and are well informed on current events. Miss Melinda M. Stalions, a sister of Mr. Stalions, has made her home with him for some time. He was married the second time, November 19, I880. to Miss Sarah A. Kirby, of Union Township, but who was born in Tennessee, and is a daughter of Pleasant and Harriet M. (Wood) Kirby, who came from Tennessee in the spring of 1855. The mother died at their farm home in Union Township in 1858, in middle life, leaving her husband and eight children. The father is still living, and is in good health for a man of his years, as at the present writing he is nearly eighty years old. Mr. Stalions is a man of sterling qualities, of high moral standing, and is thoroughly respected by his fellow-citizens and loved by friends.
Extracted from Biographical Review of Johnson, Massac, Pope, and Hardin Counties, Illinois, published in 1893, page 325
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| Livingston KY Crittenden KY | ||
