Husband John England Sharp Sr.
Born: 1832 at: West Halton Lincolnshire, , England 1
Christened: at:
Died: December 2, 1886 at: Casey, Clark Co, Illinois 2
Buried: December 3, 1886 at: Washington, Cemetary, Casey, Illinois 2 3
Father: John Sharp (1805- )
Mother: Jane England (1805-1840)
Married: April 18, 1886 Place: Casey, Clark Co, Illinois
Other Spouse: Margaret Ann Sedgwick (1854-1879) 4 Date: August 10, 1878, Brides Home, Cumberland Co., Illinois 5
Events
1. Baptism 1, March 4, 1832, West Halton Lincolnshire, , England
2. Military Service, 28 Dec 1863 - August 3 1865
Civil War Service. Battery E 1st Regiment Michigan Light Artilliary
Wife Abigale Alice (Lowrey) Rodgers 6
Born: Abt 1828 at: Fairfield Co, Ohio 4
Christened: at:
Died: Abt 1888 at: Casey, Clark Co, Illinois
Buried: at:
Father: Nicholas Rodgers
Mother: Drusilla Linch
Other Spouse: Mr. Downey Date:
Husband's Notes
[UL:FROM THE CUMBERLAND COUNTY HISTORY:UL] SHARP, JOHN ENGLAND (b. MAY 8 1836-d. 21 DEC. 1886) was born in Hull, Yorkshire, England. He came to America and settled in Michigan. In the Civil War he enlisted and was in battery E. 1st Michigan Light artillary. When he mustered out of the army after the war he came to Cumberland Co. and married Margaret Ann Sedgwick (b. 18 July-d. 8 Sept. 1879) daughter of Robert and Mary Ann Sedgwick. One son was born to this marriage, John England Sharp Jr. (b. 12 Oct 1878-d. 6 Jan 1962) Margaret lived a little less than a year after the birth of her son. John England Sharp Sr. purchased 40 acres of land from Peter Burnett. This lies in Cumberland Co., Crooked Creek Township on the old York road, across from the old Washington School House. This 40 acres is still owned as part of a tract owned by his grandson, Ralph England Sharp. John England Sharp married a second time to a Miss or Mrs. (first name unknown) Rogers. She survived him by a few years and died about 1888 or 90. This is a letter written from John's sister in England. 35 Fountain St. June the 17th 1883 My own darling brother; I have been waiting and waiting think every week I should be having an answer to the last letter, I wrote to you but I have never received one. I hope your long silence you are not ill again for I am sure if you are that ill it is a very sad thing and I sincerely hope it is not so. I should have written before but I felt you would be writing soon so kept waiting in hopes you would do so. You will remember me telling you in my last letter how ill Mrs. Sharp was. Well she was taken much worse and died the 9th of February. I would send you a card but have not got one here but if I do get one will send it. I went over to the funeral, it was very simple indeed. Sam managed it all. She had an oak coffin covered with black cloth and brass mountings. She was carried to the grave with my fathers own men servants and laborers. Aunt Mary, Aunt Jane and John Naylor and Uncle and Aunt Haldenly Sharp came. Will Whitehouse and his wife could not come., she was ill Dora came but had to go back to Mary Annies directly. Jesse Leornard also came, but no more relations, only friends in the neighborhood, and my husband came just for the day and a most fearful day it was, rained and stormed most fearfully but was just fair for us to get her buried. We all walked. There was sixteen couple. She was awfully worn she had suffered so much. and I could not get to know if she had died happy. I did feel for my poor father. Poor old man he looked so ill. They had been so disturbed at nights with her. He has been very ill since but has been much better now. Mary Annie Whitehouse has yet another baby and has never got her strength since and was very poorly the last time they wrote, and now I must tell you about poor William Langrick, he has been in a low queer way a lon time. You would remember me telling you in my last letter how queer he was and would lay in bed for days together. John gave him a little work when he would do it but there was nothing much to do in the spring so he laid in bed. Just got up at tea time. Well there was a show of horses on Monday and he saw all the cully men pass, and Mary said talked like a madman nearly-said he once had a horse and ?ully, but now he had lost it no one would look at him and seemed sadly cut up. That was on Monday and Mary was very poorly. Well at night he took Mary a drink and asked her if she felt any better and kissed her and went to bed. In the morning Mary got up she spoke to him, then he still laid in bed all the morning and at dinnertime Louisa took him his dinner and he eat it and he said what a fine day it is. I think I will get up and have a walk and Louisa said do, I will go with you, and he said no for your eyes are too bad (She had been in the infirmary with them for about four months) Well she said will you take Poppue (?) then he said we'll see. She went upstairs again to fetch the pots and they none of them went near him again until 6 o'clock. When Mary went up to tell him to get up, to his tea, when she went into the room he had hung himself. He had got a lot of rope and tied it all together and hung himself up on the bed. Mary went up and felt if he was cold and he was, so she durst not touch him but sent for a doctor and the police and they cut him down. The doctor said he had been dead for 2 hours. The doctor said he would be a long time in dying but he had not died a painful death. I fancy he had been unconscious, no one ever thought for a moment ( all tho he had been so queer) that he would ever really destroy himself. They though he did and said such things to frighten them. He asked Leonard in the morning to give him his razor to cut his corns, but Leonard said it was locked up in his box and he would cut his corns for him at night. Poor fellow he needed no corns cutting at night. The deed was done. They are all in a sad way about it. Tom came down from EDinburgh at once to see about the funeral. It was most respectible. Tom Langrick came from Cave, John and myself went also. His son Harry was not able to get in time, does it not seem sad even for him to come too. Tom told me he hurt his head once and he had him to Dr, Daly and he said some of the skull wanted recovering and a silver cap putting on. I am sure I do feel for poor Mary. She does seem to have a troubled life. I had a letter from Ellen Sharp the other day, she said Mary Annie Whitehouse is very poorly indeed. My father is staying with her now. John Sharp, Uncle Haldenly's oldest son has gone to Canada with his wife and children. He had to leave his farm and has never been able to get on very well since. I suppose there will be a lot of money for his children when some friends on his wife's side dies, but while the grass grows the horse is starving. I had Fanny Sharp to see me lately. Be sure and tell me when you write what you call your little boy. I have never heard and be sure and try to write to me soon for it seems an age since I have ever had a letter from you, my own darling brother. I wrote to you in January and have never had a line from you since. We had grandma Collinson to see us the other week. She will be 80 the last day in this year if she lives, and she is so fresh and well and walks wonderfully. I have been very lame lately with the rheumanes in my feet and my legs swell so much but I think on the whole they are rather better this week. I am glad to say my husband and all of them are pretty well. be sure and write to me soon. it does seem such a thing to think I have only one brother in the whole world and I am never able to see him and very seldom able to hear from him, if on that great sea did not roll between us Would not I come every Sunday and get my tea and run away with his fruit that he tells me about and it would cheer me so much that I should be like a new woman and able to work most brasely for there is nothing like a few words of love for helping us along this rough old world and I know I should get some from my own darling brother for he loves me and I love him most dearly & all my children & John send their dearest love along with me and give my kindest regards to Mr. William Sedgwick & also his mother, I never forget their kindness to you. and with much love and kisses kisses again my my pet. Believe me.... ever to remain your own true loving devoted sister. Jenny Collinson p s do try to write to me soon God bless you my darling. Family tradition has it that John came down from Canada to Detroit on a horse buying trip and there enlisted in 2nd Michigan Light Artilliary in the civil war. He was mustered out in St. Louis Missiouri in 1865 and for 7 years was in a mystery place until he settled in Casey, Il.
1 West Halton Parish Parish Register.
2 Obituary.
3 Pension Record John E. Sharp.
4 Cumberland County History.
5 Marriage Certificate John E. Sharp Sr.
6 Pension Record, John England Sharp, (National Archive , Xerox Copy, Repository: unknown repository).
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