Jesse Laird
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Jesse LAIRD - Died, March 5, 1887, aged 61 years, 10 months and 28 days. He was a son of David LAIRD, and was born April 7, 1825. While he was yet a lad his father came to this county about 1840, located in Moore's Prairie and reared a family of five sons. Joseph married to Emaline ALLEN, March 4, 1841;John, married to Catherine CAMPBELL, Jan. 12, 1842; Nicholas, married to Nancy J. MARTIN, Sept. 1, 1846; Jesse, married to Martha J. GOODNER, June 18, 1856; and Samuel, married to Louisa RIGGS, July 22, 1862, and to Charity C. LEONARD, May 15, 1867 and two daughters, Anna, married to Thornton COFIELD, Sept. 23, 1845; Nancy, married to Wm. COFIELD, Sept. 22, 1853. Jesse was a young man of immense energy, and bought stock over a large scope of country to ship South. He thus acquired a large amount of property, of which he lost much latterly by unfortunate moves. In April, 1874, he and Wm. COFIELD laid out the town of Belle Rive. He was licensed to preach under Rev. A. CAMPBELL nearly thirty years ago, and preached his first sermon at New Hope, where his remains are now reposing. He had been laboring quite actively at the late protracted meeting at the Frong Pond school house, and on Monday, the last day of February, was quite unwell. He kept is bed only a part of the time till a day or two before his death, so that his death was a shock to his neighbors. Rev. W. A. BROWDER, of this city, went down on last Sunday and preached the funeral sermon. Mr. LAIRD leaves a widow, two children single, (Samuel L. and Cora), and Mrs. Mary A. SHIELDS of Belleville. Mr. and Mrs. SHIELDS and Miss Cora, who was visiting there, came over the day before their father died. Jesse LAIRD was a man of much more than ordinary natural intellectual powers. He was a student, but much more a thinker; well informed, and with clear cut opinions which he maintained because he believed them right, regardless of what others might think of them. This gave him the appearance of an uncompromising spirit, though really a man of kind heart and strong sympathy. Whatever his style might lack in rhetoric, his sermons were always sound and instructive. Of the family of David LAIRD, above mentioned, only Samuel of Ottawa, Kansas, now survives. Source: Mt. Vernon IL Register (Weekly) Date: March 2, 1887 Submitted by Mary Zinzilieta Note from Sandy (Whalen) Bauer My 3rd great grandfather, John S. Laird, is buried at Laird Cemetery near Belle Rive in Pendleton Township, Jefferson county, IL. |
For corrections or additions, please contact me: Sandy Bauer