Whiteside County IL Archives Biographies.....Birdsall, Edmund W ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/il/ilfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Deb Haines http://www.rootsweb.com/~archreg/vols/00003.html#0000719 January 31, 2008, 1:18 am Author: Portrait/Bio Album, Whiteside County IL 1885 Edmund W. Birdsall, farmer, section 8, Hopkins Township, is a son of James and Lydia (De Garmo) Birdsall, natives of New York State, who married and resided there till 1845, when they came to Whiteside County and settled in Sterling Township. They died in the city of Sterling,—he July 11, 1866, and she June 27, 1868. They had a family of five children, as follows: Edmund N., Elias D., Henry L., Harriet W. and George A. The subject of this sketch was born in Dutchess Co., N. Y., Feb. 16, 1830, and was 15 years old when he came to Whiteside County. He received a common-school education and lived at home till he was 30 years of age, although he was married some years previously. He has been engaged in agricultural pursuits. He is the owner of 154 acres of land in Hopkins and Genesee Townships, besides property in the village of Sterling; 140 acres of his land is tillable. In 1876 he erected a fine frame house, and in 1881 built a fine barn, and his buildings are second to none in the county. He was first married in Genesee Township, Feb. 16, 1854, to Clarissa Danes, a native of this State, who bore him one child, George D., but he died at the age of five months. Mrs. Birdsall died Aug. 9, 1855, and Mr. B. was again married, in Carroll Co., Ill., Oct. 20, 1860, to Sarah J., daughter of Robert L. and Jane (Wilson) Fleming; her parents are natives respectively of New York State and Pennsylvania, and came to Carroll County in 1848, where they lived till their deaths. He died January 27, 1879, and she Sept. 9, 1881. They had a family of eight children who lived to grow up, namely: Jasper, Sarah J., Hugh M., Angeline, Margaret, Nancy, Bruce and Eveline. Mrs. B. was born in Washington Co., Ind., Feb. 22, 1836. Mr. and Mrs. B. are the parents of two children,—Charles and Pinkie. Charles was married Sept 6, 1883, to Ida Baker, daughter of George and Mary Baker. They have one child, Edmund G. In politics Mr. Birdsall is an Anti-monopolist. As a gentleman worthy to be classed among the representative men of Whiteside County, we place a likeness of Mr. Birdsall in the gallery of portraits given in this Album. Accompanying his we also give that of Mrs. Birdsall. Both these portraits are made from photographs recently taken. Additional Comments: Portrait and Biographical Album of Whiteside County, Illinois, Containing Full- page Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the County. Chicago: Chapman Brothers, 1885. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/whiteside/bios/birdsall2134nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/ilfiles/ File size: 3.1 Kb