Preston Breckenridge

son of
Alexander and 2nd Mary (Chadd) Breckenridge

BRECKENRIDGE, PRESTON, was born Aug. 5, 1807, near Paris, Bourbon county, Ky. The name of Breckenridge originated in a singular manner. In one of the wars in Scotland between the Protestants and Roman Catholics, a family by the name of McIlvain participated on the side of the Protestants, who were defeated. Some of the McIlvain brothers saved their lives by taking refuge under a low shrub, called brack, which grows on the ridges in the Highlands of Scotland. This circumstance so impressed them, that they determined to give themselves a new name, hence Brack-on-ridge. As Protestants, the Breckenridges took part in some of the wars in Ireland at a later period, in which the great, great grandfather of Preston was a leader. The Protestants being again defeated, two of the Breckenridge brothers fled to America. One of them settled in Pennsylvania, and the other in Virginia. Their first names are not preserved, but the descendants of the one who settled in Pennsylvania have retained the original spelling: Brackenridge. The brother who settled in Virginia raised a family, among whom was one son Alexander, who had a son Robert, who had a son John, who had two sons, Robert Jefferson, known as the late Rev. R. J. Breckinridge, D. D., of Kentucky, and Joseph Cabell, the latter to Martha H. Barnhill, who was born Aug. 19, 1833, in Wayne county, Ill. They had eight children, two of whom died in infancy. The other six, ELIZABETH C., MARY A., FELIX H., NANCY L., CHARLES A. and ROBERT CARROLL, reside with their parents, half a mile east of Breckenridge.

HUGH, born Dec. 9, 1829, in Kentucky, married Feb. 22, 1855, to Sarah M. Randolph, who was born June 20, 1837, in Logan county. They have two children, HERBERT C. and EDITH A. Hugh Breckenridge enlisted Oct. 10, 1861, in Co. B, 10th Ill. Cav., for three years; re-enlisted as a veteran Jan., 1864, served full term, and was honorably discharged Jan. 6, 1866, at Springfield. He resides at Breckenridge.

CORNELIUS, born March 12, 1831, in Kentucky, married Sept. 4, 1855, to Elizabeth L. Barnhill, who was born May 29, 1838, in Wayne county. They had five children, two of whom died in infancy. The other three, ELIZABETH F., WILLIAM R., and GEORGE E., reside with their parents near Breckenridge.

JOSEPH, the last in Kentucky, born July 17, 1832, married March 28, 1855, to Sarah J. Matthew. They had two children; one died in infancy. The other PRESTON, resides with his mother. Joseph Breckenridge enlisted Sept. 1862, in Co. E, 114th Ill. Inf., for three years. He was taken sick at Camp Butler, and died at home, Nov. 29, 1862.

ELMORE, born Nov. 4, 1834, the first of the family born in Sangamon county, married Nov., 1857, to Susannah Randolph, had six children, two died in infancy, and Mrs. B. died. The four children, LEANOR, MARY A., ELMER P. and SIMON F., lived with their uncles and aunts in Missouri. He resides at Forest City, Neb.

CLEOPHAS, born Aug. 7, 1836, in Sangamon county, enlisted Aug. 18, 1861, for three years, in Co. D, 33d Ill. Inf. He was dangerously wounded at the siege of Vicksburg, but recovered, served to the end of his term, and was honorably discharged Oct. 18, 1864, at Springfield. He was married Jan. 30, 1868, to Lilian T. Cave. They have two children, INEZ and IDA, and reside with his father, three and a half files west of Breckenridge.

CATHARINE, born June 19, 1838, in Sangamon county, married Jan. 30, 1856, to Simon P. Randolph. They had six children, three of whom died in infancy. The other three, PRESTON B., MAY and EDITH, reside with their parents at Seattle, Washington Ter.

ELIZABETH and MARY (twins), born Jan. 13, 1841, in Sangamon county.

ELIZABETH, married April, 1862, to James H. Abell. They had four children, EMMA J., WILLIAM A., JOHN P. and HENRY E., reside with their parents in Taylorville. MARY, married March, 1863, to Thomas Rishton, and resides at Council Bluffs, Iowa.

PRESTON, Jun., born Dec. 11, 1842, enlisted Aug., 1862, in Co. E, 114th Ill. Inf., for three years; served full term; was honorably discharged at Vicksburg, Aug. 3, 1865; was sick at the time, but returned home with his comrades, arriving at his father's house on the 7th, and died the 8th of August, 1865, seventeen hours after his arrival.

JANE, born Feb. 9, 1845, in Sangamon county, was married August, 1864, to William Kamlage. They have three children living, LUCY J., ANNIE M. and WILLIAM, and reside at Lincoln, Ill. Mrs. Catharine Breckenridge died Feb. 4, 1847, and Preston B. was married March 29, 1849, to Lucy Robb. They had two children: DAVID, born Dec. 28, 1850, in Sangamon county, is unmarried, and resides near Cedar Hill, Dallas county, Texas.
LUCY D., born Aug. 13, 1854, in Sangamon county, was married Oct. 13, 1874, to William H. Hunter, who was born Dec. 10, 1848, in Muskingum county, O. His grandfather, Charles Hunter, was born and married in Scotland; came to America, and settled in Muskingum county, O. His eldest son, William, was the father of William H. Hunter, the latter of whom, with his wife, reside in Cotton Hill township.

Mrs. Lucy Breckenridge died Nov. 18, 1854, and Preston Breckenridge resides on the farm settled by him in 1834. It is in the northeast corner of Cotton Hill township, three and a half miles west of Breckenridge.

Preston B.'s father was sixty-five years old when he was born. Their united ages to the present time (1876) is one hundred and thirty-four years. Preston Breckenridge was one of the representatives of Sangamon county in the State Legislature of 1851 and '2. Abraham Lincoln was a candidate before the convention, but Mr. B. beat him. Mr. B. was a member of the Sangamon county Board of Supervisors for 1873.

Preston Breckenridge remembers that the fall of 1834, when he came to the county, was dry, and continued dry through the winter; that May 12, 1835, a great rain storm set in, and rain continued to fall for about forty days and nights, which so seriously interfered with plowing and planting that but very light crops were put in. When the rain creased, and hot weather set in, the stagnant water and decaying vegetation poisoned the atmosphere, and chills and bilious diseases prevailed to such an extent that in many case there were not enough well persons to take care of the sick and bury the dead. that year has ever since been spoken of as the wet and sickly summer and fall.

The wheat crop looked well in the fall of '34, but it nearly all froze out, and in 1835, '6 and '7, the wheat crop was a total failure, and wheat bread was so scarce that a biscuit became an object of interest, so much that women would send them to the children when visiting took place between the families.

The difficulty of obtaining food during the winter of 1835 and '6 was very great, there being nothing for bread in Central Illinois except for frost-bitten corn. Good crops were raised in the southern part of the State, and those who could pay for it went there for corn. That is believed to have been the origin of calling the southern part of the State Egypt, and not because of any unusual darkness prevailing there."

Source: [HISTORY of the EARLY SETTLERS OF SANGAMON COUNTY, ILLINOIS, "CENTENNIAL RECORD," BY JOHN CARROLL POWER, pages 136 - 138.]