Of Hickory Point township, is one of the few surviving soldiers of the Mexican war, living in Macon county. His father, James B. Black, was a native of Humphreys county, Tennessee, and married Mary McCaslin, who was born in Caldwell county. Her father, whose name was James McCaslin, emigrated to American from Ireland. The oldest of the four children of James B. and Mary Black was James R. Black, who was born in Caldwell county, Kentucky, on the fifteenth of October, 1825. In the year 1830, when he was five years old, the family moved to Illinois, and settled on Beaver creek, in Bond county, six miles south of Greenville. After living there ten years they moved to the southern part of Montgomery county, ten miles from Hillsboro. In that vicinity Mr. Black grew to manhood, attending school as he had opportunity. The schools were usually held in summer, from three to six months in the year, and he obtained a fair education for that day.
In the year 1844, when nineteen years old, he left home and went to the state of Arkansas. He secured work in a tan yard, at Morrison's Bluffs, in Johnson county. Arkansas was then a wild and rough country. He was living in that state at the time of the breaking out of the Mexican war in 1846, and on the 15th of June, of that year, enlisted in company C, of the first Arkansas cavalry, for service against the Mexicans. From Little Rock, Arkansas, the regiment marched through a wild and uninhabited region to Texas. Arriving at San Antonio on the 28th of July, they remained in camp at that place till the following 18th of September. They then marched into Mexico, crossing the Rio Grande at Presidio del Norte. The regiment went into camp near Saltillo. It took part in the battle of Buena Vista, which fought on the 22d and 23d days of February, 1847. The First Arkansas was composed mostly of men used to a frontier life, and embraced good fighting material, though ordinar! ily, the men were hard to discipline and keep in subjection. The regiment fought bravely, was in the thickest of the fight, and did its full share toward securing a brilliant victory over the Mexican General Santa Anna and his forces, which greatly outnumbered the Americans. The Arkansas troops were in General Wool's command. After the battle of Buena Vista, they lay in camp, near the battleground, till June the 5th, when they set out for Camargo, where they were discharged, their term of enlistment having expired. This was the only regiment which Arkansas sent to the war. From the mouth of the Rio Grand, he sailed in a vessel across the Gulf of Mexico to New Orleans, and then came by boat to St. Louis.
On returning to Illinois, he bought a tan-yard, four miles north of Greenville, which he carried on three years. On the 22d of February, 1848, he married Mary Jane White, who was born and raised in Bond county. After quitting the tanning business he engaged in farming. He resided in Bond county till 1866, and then came to Macon county and settled in Hickory Point township. The death of his first wife happened in June, 1867. He was married to his present wife on the 25th of December, 1867. Her maiden name was Rachel Ritchie, daughter of Samuel Ritchie. She was born in the state of Pennsylvania. Mr. Black has nine children, whose names are as follows: Henry C., Albert H., Mary A., William F., Arthur A., Edward R., Ella, Ida F. and Clara S. All but the last two were children by his first marriage. He has lived on his present farm of one hundred and eighty acres, in section 18, of Hickory Point township, since 1872. He was at first a member of the old whig party, and! in 1848, after returning to Illinois, he had the pleasure of casting his first vote for president, for General Zachary Taylor, the hero of the Mexican war. When the whig party went to pieces he became a republican, and has since voted that ticket. His name deserves a place in this work, not only as a good citizen of Macon county, but as one of that constantly increasing number which took part in the most brilliant war in which this country was ever engaged. A war which added much wealth to the United States, extended its territory, and in which every battle was a victory.
History of Macon County, Illinois, p. 263
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