My Genealogy Hound

WAGGONER, JOHN, farmer and stock raiser, Sec. 9, P.O. Carrollton. It was nearly half a century ago that John Waggoner, then poor and unknown, became a resident of Greene County; he was born in Montgomery County, Va., Nov. 18, 1796, the oldest son of David and Mary Waggoner. In the Old Dominion State our subject passed his boyhood and early youth, earning small wages as a farm hand. At the early age of 18 he was married to Mary Lockhart, a daughter of Wm. Lockhart, whose occupation cannot be learned. Four years from this date he moved to Kentucky, where he followed fanning until his emigration to Illinois and location in Greene County in 1830; he was then in limited circumstances, but shortly after his settlement here, through the kindness of friends, he was enabled to enter 80 acres, on which he secured his first start in life. Year by year emigration flowed, and it was not long before the youthful aspirant for agricultural honors began to see his way clear to a more prosperous condition than he had heretofore enjoyed. In 1852 Mrs. W. was laid at rest within the borders of Greene County, leaving to the care of her husband seven children: Mary Ann, Wm., John D., Daniel, Adam, Joseph, and Lafayette. In 1855 Mr. Waggoner united his fortunes to Mary Jane Alabaugh, a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Alabaugh, by whom he had seven children, five of whom are living: Sarah E., Maria E., George R., Fanny and Frank. Mrs. Waggoner died in 1873, and was laid at rest in the Cemetery of Providence. In drawing this sketch to a close it may be truthfully said that few if any ever entered Illinois under more discouragements than the subject of this sketch, who, by unremitting energy has achieved his present success, and from the little patch of ground entered nearly half a century ago, he has gathered together an estate of over 500 acres of valuable land, and ranks among the more opulent farmers of this section.