Richard Talley, formerly known as Dick, was born in Ireland, May 30,
1826. He came to America in 1830, with his parents, where he grew up to
manhood, after which he was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Ann Wilkinson,
daughter of Bennie Wilkinson, of Missouri, and settled down farming in
Franklin county, Illinois, on what is known as "Town Mount Prairie," the
postoffice being Plumfield. In time two children were born to this union,
James Benjamin Talley and Elizabeth Talley. In 1861, on June 6th, he
volunteered and enlisted in Company I of an Illinois regiment, and served
three years in the war after which he received an honorable discharge and
returned home. He began farming in the coming spring, and in the same spring
a quarrel ensued between him and his brother-in-law, resulting in the
fighting of a duel, in which they shot each other and both died. Richard
left his wife, son and daughter to mourn his loss. Eleven months after his
death his wife, Sarah Ann, died, leaving James Benjamin Talley and Elizabeth
Talley to grow up in the world the best they could. James Benjamin was but
five years and ten months old, his sister, Elizabeth Talley, being one year
his senior. They were then taken by Ben Wilkinson, their uncle. When sixteen
years old, James Benjamin Talley came to Jackson county, and Elizabeth
Talley, when ten years old, went to her grandfather, Bennie Wilkinson, in
Northwest Missouri. There, at the age of seventeen years, she was married to
George Taylor, after which they began traveling and their whereabouts are
unknown to this day.
James Benjamin Talley came to Jackson county
and settled down at Oraville, Illinois, after which he was engaged in the
timber business with Dutch Payne for about six months. He then began farming
for Bill Bradley, but after farming for him three years he left and went
into the blacksmith business with Freel Robinson at Oraville, staying there
six months. Selling out, he then began railroading, but after eight months
returned to farming, working for Frank Bastien for six months. Next he
engaged in the timber business at Vergennes, staying there three months and
then went to Severance, Kansas, and took up farming there, but only
remaining at that place about two months, when he returned to Oraville,
Illinois, and engaged in farming again for Bill Bradley.
During that
time Mr. Talley was united in marriage to Miss Mary Bastien, daughter of
Frank Bastien, who resided one mile west of Oraville, and began farming for
himself on Frank Bastien's farm. One child was born to them, named Henry;
after two years Mr. Talley moved to E. H. Snider's farm, four miles north of
Murphysboro, Illinois. There to their union was born the second child, named
Edward. Farming there one year, he then moved to the R. A. McCord farm,
one-quarter of a mile west of Oraville, farming there one year, when he
moved to his own farm in Levan Township, in section sixteen, residing there
off and on for twenty-two years. To their union seven children were born, as
follows: Marion, Willie, Gertrude, Ida, Lulu, Frank and Sarah.
About
March 10, 1903, Mr. Talley bought Mr. Elex Ripley's farm, located
three-quarters of a mile west of Oraville, and moved there, but after one
month sold it back to Mr. E. Ripley and returned to the farm in Levan
Township, staying there six months. He then bought the John Murray property,
on the north edge of Oraville, staying there until the middle of the next
summer, when he sold and moved back to the farm in Levan Township. Leaving
the farm in the care of his sons Edward and Willie the remainder of the
family moved back to Oraville, where they all reside at present with the
exception of Sallie Gertrude, who is in East St. Louis, Illinois. The son
Edward married Miss May Deitz, daughter of Noah Deitz, of Levan Township,
and his brother Willie lives with him.
J. B. Talley and son Henry
purchased the merchandise business of J. L. Bradley & Son, of Oraville,
where they are at present. Mr. J. B. Talley's knowledge of the needs of the
people of his community has stood him in good stead in selecting his new
stock. He has lived in this locality for a long period, is well known to the
citizens here and bears an excellent reputation as a man of sterling
integrity and upright business principles. Politically, he is a Republican.
Extracted 11 Nov 2018 by Norma Hass from 1912 A History of Southern Illinois, by George W. Smith, volume 3, pages 1149-1150.