Emanuel Hunter’s Log Cabin Purchased

By Richard H. Hunter

Emanuel Hunter moved from Tennessee to Illinois in 1818 and built a log cabin for the Hunter family on the high ground northeast of Marion. He lived in this cabin for a number of years. The property later came into the hands of Wyatt S. Grant and served as a home for the Grants until around 1897 when the Grants built a house in the yard next to the cabin. They rolled the cabin several yards north of its original location and built a shed around the cabin structure. It has remained as the main supporting structure for this shed until now. The present property owner is Wendell Grant, a retired airline pilot. Over the years I have kept in contact with Wendell informing him of our interest in purchasing the property, the cabin, or both in the event he was ever willing to sell. In February, Wendell Grant contacted me with an offer to sell the log cabin if I would have it moved from his property. The next day I purchased the cabin for $1,000.00. Wendell agreed to remove most of the shed and I agreed to have the cabin taken apart and moved soon thereafter (hopefully by early summer).

This is an important purchase for the Jacob Hunter Trust. We have the opportunity to preserve a part of our family history by reconstructing the very cabin built by our ancestor Emanuel Hunter in 1818! A committee has been formed to assist in determining the best course of action. We have made contacts with the President of John A. Logan College in Carterville to see if the college is interested in locating it on its campus. Dr. Mees indicated an interest and is willing to look into this further. Other ideas include rebuilding the cabin at the Allen Hunter Cemetery. In fact, this is the location of the farm and home where Emanuel Hunter lived after leaving his original home site. However, it would be hard to protect the cabin from vandals at this site and the Trust would incur ongoing maintenance expenses.

The Log Cabin Committee consists of Larry Hunter, Lettie and Lawrence Hunter, Thomas Hunter, Laura Hunter-Johnson, and Richard Hunter. We are looking into various options and learning ways to protect the logs from further decay.

The project will entail fairly large costs. In addition to dissembling and moving the cabin, we will need to totally construct a roof and front porch, install windows and doors to keep weather out of the structure. We are trusting in the commitment and good will of many others who see the value of preserving this historic family home. If you are interested in assisting or have ideas about the best way to preserve this cabin, please get in touch with the Trust.

The Hunter’s Migration into Illinois in 1818

Common belief held that Emanuel Hunter and his family were part of a wagon train of people leaving middle Tennessee between the years of 1816 and 1820, but the exact year of this migration has not been firmly established. Recent research by Lettie and Lawrence Hunter brings us to the conclusion that this migration to Illinois was in 1818. They support this date by the original handwritten applications of granddaughters of Emanuel Hunter when documenting their historical roots as “Pioneer Daughters of Williamson County” in the 1930s. Copies of these applications were published by the Williamson County Historical Society in 1996. One applicant was Philinda Hunter, daughter of the Reverend Allen Hunter and granddaughter of Emanuel Hunter. Philinda was a school teacher in Marion and was 8 years old when Emanuel died. Her application, along with many other descendants, list 1818 as the year Emanuel moved his family into Illinois. There were a total of 15 people who applied as descendants of Emanuel Hunter. Eleven stated the year he came to Illinois was 1818 and four listed the year as 1816.

Comments on these applications revealed that Emanuel served in the War of 1812 in Captain Abraham Allen’s West Tennessee Milita, Napiers commanded by General Andrew Jackson. He enlisted on January 28, 1814 and was honorably discharged May 10, 1814. He served again as a Private in Captain Edward Archer’s 1^st Regiment, Yancey’s 1^st Virginia Militia from August 1, 1814 to February 3, 1815. He also served as a Corporal in the Blackhawk War in Captain Armstead Hoalman’s Company, 1^st Illinois Brigade.

Several of these Pioneer Daughter’s applications list Emanuel and his father, Jacob Hunter, the Revolutionary War soldier, as “Irish stock.” This is believed to be the common reference of the time for people of Scots-Irish heritage.

Trust Receives Generous Donation

Charles and Faye Rodd and Charles’ two daughters Kathy Ockuly of Seattle and Sharon Whitehead of Atlanta donated $ 10,000 to the Jacob Hunter Trust on July 29, 2004. Charles had indicated his intentions of making the substantial contribution after the sale of Dilla and Belva Hunter Hall’s home in Marion. Charles and his first wife Florence Chamness Rodd lived with Belva and Dilla and cared for them in their later years. Florence was a beloved niece of Belva and Dilla. She and Charles took responsibility for caring for the Allen Hunter Cemetery for many years after Belva and Dilla were no longer able to manage the responsibility. Belva and Dilla devoted many years to caring for the Allen Hunter Cemetery.

Most of the funds were used to purchase and install a new fence at the Allen Hunter Cemetery. Belva was a granddaughter of the Reverend Allen Hunter.

New fence at the Allen Hunter Cemetery

2004 served as a banner year for the Allen Hunter Cemetery. Thanks to a very generous donation by Charles and Faye Rodd and his daughters Kathy Ockuly and Sharon Whitehead a new fence was installed around the Allen Hunter Cemetery. The old chain link fence installed in the early 1950s was literally rusting and falling over. It was not feasible to attempt repairs. A beautiful decorative fence was installed across the front of the entire cemetery property along the road. Thomas Hunter and I then removed the barbed wire fence around the field, cleared brush away from the property and installed a new barbed wire fence around the back field. A gate was installed on the North property line for vehicles and mowing equipment. Thanks to generous donations and support the Allen Hunter Cemetery is now professionally maintained and is as beautiful as any municipal cemetery in the area.

Dilla and Belva Hunter Hall’s Home in Marion Sold to Hunter Decendant

On July 26, 2004, Dilla and Belva Hunter Hall’s home at 1011 West Goodall Street in Marion sold. The home was owned by Charles and Faye Rodd and Charles’ two daughters Kathy Ockuly of Seattle, WA and Sharon Whitehead of Atlanta, GA. Kathy and Sharon’s mother was Florence Chamness Rodd, deceased. Florence was a neice of Belva and Dilla and cared for them in their later years.

The home was purchased by David and Barbara Chamness Vaughn. Barbara is a great neice of Belva and Dilla Hall. Barbara’s father was Thomas Chamness, a nephew of Belva and Dilla Hall and a brother of Florence Rodd. Barbara Chamness Vaughn is a teacher at Marion High School. David and Barbara are ministers of The Good Fight of Faith Church in Marion.

Pictures of Reverend Allen Hunter and Wife Elizabeth

A couple of years ago Charles Rodd was cleaning closets in Dilla and Belva Hunter Hall’s home and found a large, framed, charcoal portrait of an elderly gentleman. He gave it to the Trust under the condition that we attempt to identify who it was. After a few months we conclusively identified the drawing was of the Reverend Allen Hunter. It was most likely drawn before photographs were common (est. before 1850).

On July 24, 2004, an auction was held at the home of Belva and Dilla Hall, now owned by Charles Rodd and his daughters. Sharon Whitehead, Charles’ daughter, found a picture, also in a beautiful frame, that she was hesitant to put in the auction. She asked if I could identify the elderly lady, and I referred her to Lawrence Lee Hunter who was present at the auction. Lawrence immediately recognized the picture as that of Elizabeth Lee Hunter, wife of Reverend Allen Hunter. This was the only known picture of Elizabeth, Belva Hunter Hall’s grandmother.

Elizabeth Lee Hunter was born on December 7, 1820 in Hamilton County, IL. She was the daughter of Charles Brooke Lee and Mary Griffin of Virginia and Kentucky respectively. She married Allen Hunter on April 15, 1838 and they had 15 children. Allen and Elizabeth’s children include: Dr. Charles Thomas Hunter, b. 6/1/1839, d. 3/11/1914; Aaron Manuel Hunter, b. 4/13/1841, d. 5/7/1897; Celia A. Hunter, b. 5/7/1843, d. 1/29/1911; Talitha Cumi Hunter, b. 6/1/1845, d. 2/13/1902; Dulcenia Hunter, b. 10/30/1847, d. 10/27/1928; Tobitha Hunter, b. 9/17/1849 (still born); Lazarus Hunter, b. 9/18/1850 (still born); Dempsey Allen Hunter, b. 6/19/1851, d. 1/18/1911; Mary Hunter, b. 6/19/1851 (a twin of Dempsey, still born); Lafayette Hunter, b. 10/31/1853, d. 8/30/1932; Clementine Hunter, b. 11/4/1855 (lived only 14 days); Noah Hunter, b. 12/19/1856, d. 5/20/1924; Marion Jacob Hunter, b. 1/13/1859, d. 1/29/1938; Sarah Elizabeth Hunter, b. 11/22/1860, d. 9/8/1916; and Philinda Hunter, b. 3/9/1866, d. 9/18/1943. Elizabeth died on July 21, 1910 at the age of 89 years, 7 months, and 14 days. She is buried along side Allen Hunter at the Allen Hunter Cemetery.

Elizabeth joined the United Baptist Church when she was 20 and was baptized by her father, Reverend Charles B. Lee. Her obituary published in the Herrin Promoter stated the following: “Mrs. Hunter and her husband, Elder Allen, were both strong characters and the very soul of honor. Her home on the old farm for more than 50 years was one of hospitality and numerous were the people who enjoyed it. She and her good husband spared no pains to teach their children to be true men and women and they hesitate not to rise up and call her blessed.”

The Trust had a few 5 X 7 copies made of the picture of Elizabeth Lee Hunter and of the portrait of the Reverend Allen Hunter. Copies of these photographs are available for a donation to the Jacob Hunter Trust of $ 25.00 for each picture. If you would like a picture, please write or call the Trust and include your complete mailing address.

Lamenting Lost Memories

By Fred E. Hunter, Falcon, CO

I am now 65 years old and just beginning to realize how much of my life I have lost. I am trying to find some lost relatives and learn more about our family. In the early 1960s I asked my father and Uncle Louis about my grandfather. They referred me to a distant cousin, Bessie Atwood, and she in turn referred me to Clyde Hunter. Clyde was very generous and sent me quite a lot of information. Other demands took over and I put the information away until I retired 35 years later. Now, as I attempt to assemble this information, I regret just how much knowledge I let slip away over these years.

The best memories my father had are forever gone. He was born in 1893 and died in 1978. He lived when people drove buggies instead of cars. He lived and died within 10 miles of where he was born. But he had stories told to him by his father and grandfather. In those days, before TV, families gathered more, spent more time visiting, and would pass down stories about family that is rarely done today. My father and his brother were in World War I and two of his younger brothers were in World War II. Sadly, all of their memories are gone. When I stop and look at the copy of my great grandfather James Luke’s discharge papers from the Civil War, I realize what an opportunity I have missed by not asking my father more questions about his memories. Those memories and others that are lost now would be priceless and something my family would cherish forever.

Why do we let these precious memories die and only realize their value after they are gone? Too bad we don’t all spend more time recording the past, sharing important family events and history with our children, and making sure that we don’t leave our children and grandchildren someday lamenting the fact that their lives would be enriched if they only had just taken the time…………………………………….

A Memory of Mary Moore Duncan Hunter Recorded by Clyde H. Hunter

In a letter to Mrs. Cleveland Harrill of Arlington, VA dated December 4, 1983, Clyde Holland Hunter (b. 3/18/1889, d. 2/8/1989) shared the following memory of Mary Moore Duncan Hunter, wife of Jacob Hunter: [Ed. Note: Aunt Pop was the nickname given to Mary Moore Duncan Hunter, wife of Jacob Hunter. She lived on the farm where the Jacob Hunter Cemetery is located. Jacob and Mary had a double log cabin home (two cabins separated by a surrounding porch and covered walkway between cabins). The Hunter farm was south of Johnston City and just North of White Ash. Aunt Pop was John Jacob Hunter’s grandmother and Clyde Hunter’s great grandmother.]

“When I was a child (age 4) we lived in Carterville. Father (John Jacob) drove us to Johnston City to see his sister, Dora (Mrs. “Lon” Peterson). Next morning we drove to see “Aunt Pop,” who had raised Aunt Dora and father, after the marriage of Manuel to his housekeeper.”

“She was sitting on the log cabin porch alone with hands folded and a serene look on her face – everything spotlessly clean. She was truly a pioneer, no schooling, could neither read nor write. When we came in and she saw father, she threw her arms around him, tears running down her face. ‘Oh, Johnny, you have come to see me, and who is the young man with you?’ She was truly a saint.”

According to Clyde’s account of the visit, Mary Moore Duncan Hunter would have been around 79 at the time of his visit, circa 1893. Mary Moore Duncan Hunter died three years later on August 21, 1896. She is buried along side Jacob Hunter at the Jacob Hunter Cemetery.

Gifts and Bequests to the Jacob Hunter Trust

By Judge Robert S. Hunter, Quincy, IL

Your gift or bequest can help to assure that the Jacob Hunter Cemetery and the Allen Hunter Cemetery can be restored and maintained for eternity. The easiest way to accomplish this is to make gifts from time to time. You can do so by making checks payable to “Jacob Hunter Trust” where funds will be strictly controlled and used only for purposes that are consistent with the trust objectives.

You can remember the trust in your will. A simple bequest, as follows will suffice: “I give and bequeath to the Jacob Hunter Trust, a trust created to preserve the burial grounds of descendants of Jacob Hunter in Williamson County, Illinois, the sum of $(amount).”

Another simple way to make a gift to the trust is known as the payable on death account (POD). You can open such an account at your bank or savings and loan. You open this kind of account by creating it in the name of “(Your name) Payable on Death to the Jacob Hunter Trust.” The Trustee is Richard H. Hunter, 10202 Briggs Road, Marion, IL 62959-5844.

There are numerous advantages to such an account: 1. you retain full control over it as long as you live, 2. you can increase or decrease the amount or close it out without notifying anyone, 3. you are entitled to the income therefrom as long as you live, 4. it is entirely confidential. The only difference between it and any other account you own is that, upon your death, the balance that is in the account is paid to the Jacob Hunter Trust.

By contributing to the Trust, you will be strengthening our efforts to preserve family cemeteries, compile further historical information, and share information with interested relatives and selected public libraries.

The Jacob Hunter Trust Account for 2004
The Jacob Hunter Trust Account for 2004

DATE	ACTIVITY	DEBIT	CREDIT	BALANCE
1/1/2004	Balance Forward			$11,051.55
1/5/2004	Checking Account Interest		$2.23	$11,053.78
1/7/2004	Judith A. Mathews		$100.00	$11,153.78
1/7/2004	Richard H. Hunter		$100.00	$11,253.78
1/20/2004	Thomas Edward Hunter		$100.00	$11,353.78
1/27/2004	Herrin News Lithographers—Newsletter	$ 132.00		$11,221.78
1/27/2004	Postmaster Stamps for newsletter	$ 60.00		$11,161.78
2/3/2004	Ella L. Abney		$100.00	$11,261.78
2/5/2004	Checking Account Interest		$2.38	$11,264.16
2/6/2004	Marilyn L. Fisher		$20.00	$11,284.16
2/12/2004	Robert Cowsert		$50.00	$11,334.16
2/12/2004	R. F. Hunter		$200.00	$11,534.16
3/7/2004	Checking Account Interest		$2.42	$11,536.58
3/29/2004	C.E. Peck		$100.00	$11,636.58
4/5/2004	Checking Account Interest		$2.29	$11,638.87
4/30/2004	Interest on Federal T-Bill		$81.25	$11,720.12
5/5/2004	Checking Account Interest		$2.39	$11,722.51
5/13/2004	Ferrell's AHC X4, JHC X2	$ 200.00		$11,522.51
6/6/2004	Interest on checking account		$2.54	$11,525.05
6/21/2004	Williamson County Treasurer	$ 9.84		$11,515.21
7/2/2004	Deborah S. Harrison		$20.00	$11,535.21
7/5/2004	Interest on checking account		$2.28	$11,537.49
7/22/2004	Ferrell's AHC X4, JHC X2, mowing field X1	$ 240.00		$11,297.49
7/29/2004	Charles&Faye Rodd, Kathy Ockuly, Sharon Whitehead		$10,000.00	$21,297.49
8/4/2004	French Studio Photo reproductions	$ 160.00		$21,137.49
8/5/2004	Interest on checking account		$2.63	$21,140.12
8/25/2004	Aztecas Landscaping;Cut brush & spray fence AHC	$ 250.00		$20,890.12
8/28/2004	Ferrell's AHC X 5; JHC X 3	$ 265.00		$20,625.12
9/6/2004	Interest on checking account		$4.59	$20,629.71
9/7/2004	Terrace Fence AHC	$ 6,059.00		$14,570.71
9/22/2004	Rural King; fence supplies for AHC field	$ 262.14		$14,308.57
9/25/2004	Aztecas Landscaping; AHC fence work	$ 60.00		$14,248.57
10/5/2004	Interest on checking account		$3.11	$14,251.68
10/10/2004	Anonymous		$200.00	$14,451.68
11/1/2004	Interest on Federal T-Bill		$81.25	$14,532.93
11/7/2004	Interest on checking account		$3.25	$14,536.18
11/16/2004	Ferrell's AHC X 2, JHC X1	$ 115.00		$14,421.18
12/6/2004	Lettie & Lawrence Hunter		$75.00	$14,496.18
12/6/2004	Interest on checking account		$2.76	$14,498.94
12/28/2004	Fred E. Hunter		$100.00	$14,598.94
12/31/2004	Marilyn L. Fisher		$15.00	$14,613.94

	TOTAL	$ 7,812.98	$11,375.37

Ernest E. Hunt, IV Updates Hunter Genealogy Website

Ernest E. Hunt, IV continued to add a significant amount of Hunter family history to his website during 2004. He invites all interested in this research to visit the website at: http://www.mindspring.com/~hunter-family/index.htm. The Trust is very appreciative of the work Mr. Hunt has done in researching Hunter family history and in making his work available through his website. He also maintains a website for The Jacob Hunter Trust Newsletter and has available on the web all previous issues of the Newsletter at http://www.mindspring.com/~hunter-family/JHTNewsletter/index.htm. If you have additional information to share with Mr. Hunt, you may contact him by e-mail at: eehiv@mindspring.com, or by mail at 200 E. 66^th Street, # D 1502, New York, NY 10021-9190.

The Jacob Hunter Trust

10202 Briggs Road

Marion, IL 62959-5844

Phone: 618/985-2814 Fax: 618/985/2933 e-mail: rhunter@midwest.net
Website: http:\\www.mindspring.com\~hunter-family\JHTNewsletter\index.htm