John Robert SEYBOLD of Sciota twp, McDonough Cty The following gleaned from various newspapers, marriage and deed records, books, family lore and other sources. J.R. Seybold's father, David Seybold, came to McDonough county Illinois from Kentucky soon after marrying Delilah Gordon of Kentucky in 1830. John Robert "J.R." Seybold was born about 1832 in McDonough county Illinois and married Amanda Jane Welch (b. 1846 KY) there in 1865. Originally called Clarkesville, the town of Sciota was laid out in September, 1867. It was situated on the T.P.&W. Railroad, about 10 miles North of Macomb, and six miles East of Blandinsville, having a population of not less than 300 souls. Entirely surrounded by prairie, 30 miles to the North and about one mile to timbered land to the South. The first plat contained 24 lots, 60 x 170 feet, and sold for $50 to $75 each. "J.R. Seybolds purchased the first lot and erected a small residence thereon." The First Baptist Church, of Sciota, was organized February 17, 1870, at a meeting held in the Christian church, by J.L. Benedict, D.D. The first members of the organization were J.R. Forrest and wife, ..... John Seybold, ...." The first election for Trustees for Sciota township was held in 1870. In 1874, a second election was held and John R. Seybold was elected a member of the Board of Trustees, along with Wm. B. Clarke, M.E. Lavens, Wm. Trower, and J. Obemeyer. J.R. was not on the board the next year of 1875. A periodical extolling the virtues of Sciota township listed the businesses in the area and had this to say about J.R. Seybold: "J.R. Seybold -- This gentleman commenced business in this town in 1870. He comes of an old and highly respected respectable family, well known throughout the whole county. He carries a fine stock of staple and fancy groceries, glassware, queensware, hardware, etc., and proposes to sell the same in competition with any living man. His room is one of the largest in the town, and his stock is always first class and kept full and complete and up with the times. We trust his success will at all times equal his anticipations." Among the businesses of the town, there is listed "J.R. Seybold, Buell Street, groceries, queensware and hardware". Buell was also known as "Main Street" and J.R.'s store was on the West side of the street, between the alley and Obemeyer's store on lot 10 of the original Clarksville division, being at the corner of Douglas and Buel Streets and just North of the railroad tracks. The 1870, Sciota Township Illinois census says that J.R. Seybold was a grocer there. He moved from Illinois to Texas, arriving there in early 1883. He purchased land near Corsicana, Navarro County Texas in April of that year and family lore says he owned a store there. In a letter dated March 8, 1885 from Chatfield Texas, J.R. Seybold writes to a "cousin" in Decorra Illinois: "Margret Foot "Dear Cousin "Yours received, & noted. Was glad to hear from you. We are all well & hope this will find you enjoying the same blessing. I expect from accounts we have had here, that it has been very cold north. The winter has been colder than usual gere, but the winters here would not be called cold north. It seldom freezes hard enough to stop the plow. I have two renters on my place; they have planted their corn. I expect to commence planting in the morning. This will give you an idea of the difference between this climate, & where you are. I am farming but do not expect to farm longer than shis season, if curcumstances favors going into the mercantile business. The crop was not good here last season, money matters are close here. Now is a good time to buy land here. Land is steadly (sic) increasing in value here, & is a good investment. They generaly (sic) have prety (sic) good schools here, but of course not so well fited (sic) up, as in older states. The people here are generaly (sic) kind, & clever. We have as a (????) Illinoians, Indianians, Kentuckians, Alabamians, Tenneseians (sic), & some from other States, but few of Texians. It is best for persons from the North to come here about the 1st of Octo, the change is too great in climate to come in the Spring. Now since I left Ills, I have not heard any thing about the Canada money, left there by Silus Seybold. It is very strange to me that nothing of a definite nature can be learned of it. There is something wrong somwhere (sic). Write to John Coffman & see if they have heard out anything "Now as to this country, it is not as fertile a Soil as Ills, compared with the part where we lived, but compared with a majority of the States, it is a fine soil and excels. The climate far surpasses Ills. I would not live in as cold a climate as Ills. I am not far from a 150 miles South of the North Texas line, & Sometimes I wish I was further South. There is a good place adjoining me, thats for Sale it belongs to heirs. Three are not of age yet. They intend getting a ????? from court to sell it. It (sic) think it will come in this fall. If I had the money I would buy it. Tell aunt Hatie (??). She is old to change climate, but it might be beneficial to her, but do not come before about the 1st of Oct. ..." In January of 1889 he sold the land to Christian Moschel. The family subsequently moved from there in March or April of 1890 to Ardmore, I.T. (Indian Territory -- now Oklahoma) where he is shown in front of his store in a photo in May 1890. J.R. Seybold's store in Ardmore It is suspected that he died soon after arriving in I.T. In his daughter, Idema's, petition for citizenship in the Cherokee Nation in August of 1896, she notes that he is deceased but no date is given. He (or Amanda after his death) purportedly owned the JR Cattle Ranch close to Antlers and Kiamichi, I.T. Idema said, in her petition to the 1896 Dawes Commission, that he was a Cherokee Indian, but many of her supporting statements appear to be either mistaken or blatantly false and we know J.R.'s ancestry is German and Scottish. On April 7, 1926, his son, Zeb Seybold, who was a barber in Ada, Oklahoma, wrote the following to a Mr. Emmett Seybold of Macomb Illinois on a piece of sheet music he'd published: "My father ran a store at Sciota, Ill. for 15 years and his name was John Robert Seybold. He had a brother named George. My mother was born in Ky. Her name was Amanda Welch. She had one relation in Ill. named Sylvester Welch. Do you know of any of these folks and write me their address & names ..... P.S. I run a Barbershop, music is just a sideline only." (I think the Emmet Seybold he wrote to was, in fact, his first cousin, the son of George Latham Seybold, J.R. Seybold's brother, both the sons of David Seybold and Delilah Gordon.) John Zebulon "Zeb" Seybold's barbershop in Ada, Oklahoma: There are currently well in excess of 140 known descendants of John Robert Seybold and Amanda Jane Welch living in Texas, Oklahoma, California, Missouri and other states. --------------------------------------------------------------------- UGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Tom Cloud