Jacob Martin Angle, son of David M. and Maria (Friedly) Angle was born November 27, 1842 in Welch run, Pennsylvania. He was married December 21. 1863 to Rosan Elizabeth Zeller born May 15, 1840. They made their home in Polo, Illinois where their children, two boys and five girls, were born. His occupation was farming and in the spring of 1881 the fam­ily moved to Jefferson County, Illinois where they purchased 120 acres of land from Joshua Patterson located one and one­half miles northeast of Camp Ground on Old Farrington Road. They lived in a two story log home, later remodeled twice.

Jacob and his wife, Rosan, were both of German descent and were members of the Church of the Brethren where he served as a deacon. He was very strict and conscientious. He once walked a mile through deep snow to give a neighbor a penny he owed. He moved to Jefferson County during a dry season and was the only farmer to raise a crop in the locality, according to an old newspaper clipping. Jacob died August 8, 1927 and his wife died August 21, 1906. He, his wife and his father and mother are buried in the Atkinson Cemetery.

One of the daughters, Grace Angle. born June 4, 1879, attended the Camp Ground School. On March 1, 1911 she married William Luther Nelson and moved to Ottumwa, Iowa, where he was maintenance foreman in the John Morrell pack­ing plant. They had one son, Vern Martin Nelson. born April 17. 1912. When her husband died July 5, 1916 as the result of an accident, Grace came back to Jefferson County with her four year old son and made her home with her father. When he died she inherited the home with twenty acres of land. Grace Angle Nelson lived there and raised her son until the house burned in the spring of 1936 with very few possessions saved. Her son, Vern Martin Nelson, still owns five acres of the farm where the house was located on the North side of the road. Grace was married a second time to Charley Floyd Atkinson and divorced after several years. She died August 27, 1957 and is buried in Atkinson Cemetery.

Vern Nelson also attended the Camp Ground School, one year at Barrens, graduating in 1928. He then worked at odd jobs, among them logging and cutting railroad ties, during the depression. He also worked on construction jobs, including the Junior High School, the Courthouse and the Armory building. Vem went to work at Vernois. Inc. in September of 1942 where he is still employed. His main hobby is photography and a pro­jectionist. Has shown movies in many local churches. Vern

Nelson has shown pictures weekly at several nursing homes for the past six years. He has the Angle family bible brought from Europe in 1763 which belonged to his great-grandfather, David M. Angle.

On October 17, 1936 Vern married Lorene Troxtell. She was born in Jefferson County on March 4, 1918, the daughter of George and Hattie (Jines) Troxtell. They are the parents of three boys and two girls. They now reside at 1309 North 12th Street, Mt. Vernon, Illinois.
- Vern Nelson

JACOB M. ANGLE

The Jacob M. Angle families have lived five miles northeast of Mt. Vernon area for several generations. The earliest Angles migrated west in the early 1860's as a group. from Welsh Run. Pennsylvania. They traveled to western Indiana. stopping for some years. where three children were born. then went on west to Ogla County near Polo. Illinois, where the other children were born. Since winters there were cold. the family members moved and settled about 1880. near Camp Ground communit) on a 120-acre farm five miles east of Mt. Vernon. The next year. 1881. was the drouth and nothing was raised.

Family members included Jacob Martin Angle. his wife Rose Ann Elizabeth (Zeller) Angle: the children were: Mar) A.: Howard Melvin; Ida Urilla; David Zeller: Cora May; Alpha Grace; also Jacob M.'s father and mother. David M. and Marie (Friendly) Angle and their daughter Marion.

A two-room log cabin was on the farm they moved too, but before long, they enlarged it to make an eight-room one and a half story home: no modern conveniences.

Jacob Martin, tall six-foot slim, rather stern, lived the Golden Rule, friendly and loved his family. He and son David were both charter members of the Church of the Brethren at Scheller. IL. Jacob liked farming, but walked very little; he was among the first to buy a grain binder, all riding equipment horse drawn.

David Z. Angle taught school but later following family tra­dition. bought 20 acres and began farming. Even though he was engaged. he met and married another girl. Ava Lena Hut­chison. on November 25. 1908. The next year. they built a one-and-a-half story home. which still stands. The frame was tim­bers from home place woods.

Three children were born: Pauline Virginia Angle Dobbe; Virgil Franklin; Dorothy Pearl Angle Sapp. Pauline and Virgil live on the home place. where each follows hobbies. Virgil rents part of the 60-acre farm. He is an organic farmer and many kinds of trees and herbs are to be found there.

*NOTE* Some ommisions may have occured to protect living individuals.

Source: Facts and Folks of Jefferson County, Illinois Page 74 &75
Submitted by Sandy Whalen Bauer