A RAMBLER'S NOTES ------ L. H. CHURCHILL INTERVIEW
Canton newspaper, unknown date, reprint on Aug. 4, 1971
courtesy of Nicki Fox and transcribed by Judy Churchill

1908 - L. H. Churchill was born in Oneida County, N. Y., 31 miles from Utica, April 20, 1818 and is the son of Charles B. and Elizabeth (Hubbell) Churchill. His parents were natives of Connecticut and were born near Weatherfield or Middletown and were of English descenty. Grandfather Churchill came over from England in the Mayflower.

The subject of our sketch pickup up stones on a farm in Ohio at $5.00 a month and the sharp stones cut his feet and he cried as he filed them up. Ohio was at that time a new country and game of all kinds was plentiful. He drove from Ohio to Fulton County and settled below Civer, in Captain Haacke neighborhood. All the members of the family were at one time down with typhoid fever and were treated by old Dr. Newton. One sister died and is buried in the old Blackaby Cemetery.

"This" said Mr. Churchill "was in the early 30's. We first settled on the old Bagley Farm and then settled on the Ensign place. The Ensign place is now owned by Daniel Miller. Later we moved on the Frank Churchill place where we lived for five years. C. B. Churchill and myself bought some land and I paid $500 for the 160 acres on which I now live."

"I at one time cut 80 acres of wheat with a cradle and did the most of the work myself. I did this work in a little over six days. I hauled rails from Spoon River and started at 3 o' clock in the morning and made my two loads a day. I scored and hewed the timber for the old Captain Haacke barn and there is not a stick of soft wood timber in the frame."

"I was a great wrestler in my day and never met a man who could lay me flat although I only weighed about 160 pounds. When we were building the Captain Haacke barn, Ed Nichols bet a gallon of whiskey that i could throw the boss, who was six feet in height and weighed over 200 lbs. Well, I laid him flat on his back three times on the grass and Ed Nichols did not have to pay for the whiskey."

"On Dec. 4, 1849, I was married to Miss Harriet McBroom. She belongs to one of the pioneer families of Fulton County. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hewett McBroom, who came from Indiana to Illinois before the winter of the deep snow which if I remember rightly was 1830. We were married at the old McBroom homestead."

"I worked for old Lyman Ensign for $10 a month and helped him mow 100 acres of grass. Old man Erb and Bill Jones gave out and I was the only an on my feet Sat. night."

"My wife and myself are the parents of 14 children--three girls and 11 boys. The names of these children are: Mrs. A. Jones; Charles H. in Putman Township; John B. and Alexander of Joshua Township; Chester, deceased; Robert and Frank, Joshua Township; Mrs. Dollie Ash, Canton; Mrs. G. Stucky, Canton; and Mrs Myra Jones, Putman; Chauncey, deceased; and George, deceased."

"Mr. Churchill's parents were German-Irish descent and she is related to the Fouts and Johnson families." "I cast my first vote for James K. Polk in 1844. I used to play the violin and have played at old-time country dances. But I never made any money playing the fiddle."

"I went to school to the Rev. Mr. Pigsley, the father of Mrs. Joseph Mitchell. The old log school house used to stand on the Dan Vittum place. It was a pay school and we had to pay so much per quarter. Miss Eliza Creigston was one of our old-time teachers. George S. Hall and William Haskell were among the early teachers of Central Fulton."

"I went to Bernadotte to mill and stayed a week to get my grist. I sold hogs in Canton, ready dressed for $1.25 a hundred pounds. I ran a threshing machine in Fulton County for 30 years. I have hauled wool to Canton and traded it for jeans cloth, from which our winter clothing was made. Our shoes were made by a local shoemaker."

"I have heard Rev. James Tatum preach many times. The Rev. Goforth was another old time preacher. Mrs. Churchill was born in 1833 in a cabin on the old Shepley farm."

"Mathew Mitchell, Peter Wheeler and the Rev. Joe Morgan were some of the early settlers ere. I have lived on this farm for over fifty years."

OBITUARY (provided by contributor C.T. #46958945)

Leonard H. Churchill died at 1:30 o'clock Sunday afternoon after a long illness. Two years ago last November, Mr. Churchill suffered a stroke of paralysis, which left him an invalid. For the past seven months he has been worse, his condition being very low since December. Saturday evening he was taken much worse and suffered until death came to relieve him.
The deceased was born April 28, 1820, near Boonville, Oneida county, N. Y., a son of Charles B. and Elizabeth Churchill. Mr. Churchill and Miss Harriet McBroom were married Dec. 4, 1849. She was born in this county April 19, 1833. To this union 13 children were born. Those living are Mrs. Mina Jones, Cuba; Charles H. (Hereford, Tex.), Alexander H., John B., Robert I., Frank and Daniel W. all of Joshua township; Jerry L. of Cuba; Mrs. Lon Ash of Canton and Mrs. Fred Stuckey of near Fairview. Four children are dead. There are 26 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Mr. and Mrs. Churchill were both members of the Christian church.
Mr. Churchill started his life as a farmhand at $14 a month. He came to this county in the early 30's settling in Putman township. By hard labor he became one of the large landowners of that township and was rated a first class farmer. Four years ago he gave up farming and moved to town. He was held in high esteem by his neighbors. The funeral arrangements are not yet complete.