SPERRY, Truman
Truman SPERRY, a veteran in the late war,
is a self-made man in every particular. He resides on a
beautiful farm on section 29,
Hopewell
township. His father, Truman SPERRY, was a native of Connecticut, born in 1812. He left home when
quite young, going to
Dayton,
Ohio. In his youth he learned the
marble-cutter’s trade, and after locating in Ohio, engaged in contracting. He built a
bridge across the Sciota river at
Columbus. He married Miss Sarah DAVIDSON,
a native of Virginia, then
residing in Franklin county, Ohio. They were married
at Dayton, Ohio, which place they made their home until
the death of the father in 1841. They were the parents of two
children – Elias, who was a soldier in the
United States
regular army, and was killed at the battle of Chickamauga, and Truman the subject of our
sketch. After the death of her first husband, Mrs. SPERRY
married Charles CARROLL, by whom she had one child, Samantha.
Truman SPERRY, who is the only survivor of
the family, was born January 7, 1840, at Dayton, Ohio.
His boyhood and youth were spent in that city, and he was
educated in its public schools. At the age of seventeen he went
to Franklin
county, Ohio, and in 1860,
married Miss Leah HARRIS, a native of that county, and a
daughter of Miller and Eleanor (CARR) HARRIS, both of whom were
born in Ohio,
the former in 1811, and the latter in 1812. In 1850 her father
started across the plains to
California, and died en route. The
mother survived him four years, dying in 1854. They were the
parents of eight children – Mrs. Nancy PIERCE, Mrs. Barbara
PIERCE, Mrs. Mary PENN, Leah, William, John, Sophia and George.
One son, William, served in the Forty-sixth Ohio Volunteer
Infantry during the civil war.
After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. SPERRY
settled upon a farm in Franklin
county, Ohio, and he was there
engaged in tilling the soil when the civil war commenced. In the
fall of 1864, he joined Company E, Sixty-sixth Ohio Volunteer
Infantry, at Atlanta, Georgia.
Soon after joining the regiment it started on the campaign to
Savannah,
Georgia, participating in the
celebrated march to the sea, on through the Carolinas, to
Goldsboro,
North Carolina, then to
Raleigh, and was present at the surrender of
Johnston’s army. It was then ordered to
Richmond,
Virginia, and from thence to
Washington, D. C., where it took part in the grand review. From Washington it went to
Bladensburg, where it was mustered out of service and the men
honorably discharged in June, 1865. During his entire term of
service, the regiment formed a part of the Twentieth army corps.
While in the service he was fortunate in never having received a
wound or being captured.
Returning to his home, Mr. SPERRY at once
made arrangements for his removal to
Illinois, and in September, 1865, located in
Marshall
county, where he has since continued to reside. He first settled
in Richland township, and in
the spring of 1889, purchased his present farm on section 29,
which was but partially improved. The farm comprises one hundred
and seventy-nine acres of valuable land, one hundred and forty
acres of which are under cultivation. Since coming to this place
he has remodeled the house, built the present barn and otherwise
improved it.
To Mr. and Mrs. SPERRY five children have
been born – Frank married Clemina WINBERN, by whom he has two
children, Frank and Charles, and they now reside in Arkansas;
Charles married Dora SHAYNE, and now lives in Kansas; Sherman is
yet unmarried, and is living at home; Annie, who married Fred
WEIR, resides in Hopewell township, and they have three children
– Fred, Charles and Leah; Elsie yet resides at home.
Fraternally, Mr. SPERRY is a member of
Lacon Post, No. 130, G. A. R., and also of the Mutual Aid
society of Lacon. Politically, he was born a democrat. In local
affairs, however, he votes for the man. At present he is serving
as road commissioner of Hopewell township. Each of his children have
received a good education in the district schools, his youngest
daughter holding a teacher’s certificate.
Mr. SPERRY came to
Marshall
county with but very limited means, but with the determination
to succeed if success wee possible. He has been a hard and
persistent worker, and all that he has is the result of his own
individual efforts, assisted by his good wife and family.
Extracted March 2011 by Norma Hass from
The Biographical Record of Bureau, Marshall and Putnam Counties, Illinois,
1896.
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