Biography - Thomas Stewardson
THOMAS
STEWARDSON, one of the early pioneers of Shelby County and a man who has
made his record for industry, hard work, perseverance and integrity, has a
pleasant home on section 24, Shelbyville Township, where his residence dates
from the fall of 1849. He was born in the North of England, March 18, 1818,
and is the son of William and Mary (Nicholson) Stewardson. The mother died
when the subject of this sketch was but a small boy, leaving seven children,
of whom Thomas was the eldest. Those who followed him were: Robert, who died
in Shelby County; Samuel, went to the West Indies and there died; Isabella,
married Mr. Brewster and died in Shelbyville; William; John, who resides in
Texas, and Mary, who died in Indiana in 1844. The father of our subject came
to the United States, and settling in Illinois, lived in Shelby County until
his death. He took up the land for this son two years previous to our
subject's coming here.
Thomas Stewardson was reared a farmer, and when a young man of some
twenty-three years came to the United States, settling in Ohio in the year
1840, and there married three years later the lady whom he had chosen from
all the world to be his companion through life. She was Elizabeth Parnell. a
native of England and a daughter of John and Agnes Parnell. After marriage
they resided in Ohio for some nine years with the exception of one season,
which they spent in Northern Indiana. Elizabeth Stewardson became the mother
of six children, but was called from them by death in 1856, leaving them to
mourn a mother's loss. They are all now grown to manhood and are occupying
positions of responsibility and honoring their parents by lives of
usefulness and worth. They are as follows: John, who resides in Sac County,
Iowa; Thomas, who lives in the State of Washington; James, Robert and
William P., who live in Shelby County; and Samuel, who makes his home in
South Dakota.
In December, 1856, our subject was married to Sarah Brady, a daughter of
Thomas and Martha (Vaughn) Brady, and a native of Shelby County, where she
was born October 20, 1839. Her parents were of Southern birth and came to
Illinois in the pioneer days, taking up and improving land here. Their death
occurred in Shelby County, and they left six children, as follows: William,
deceased; Jane, the wife of Perry Reed, who resides in Butler County, Kan.;
Samuel, deceased; Sarah, Mrs. Stewardson; Narcissa A., who married Hiram
Brown and died in Shelby County; and James, who is also deceased.
The first possession of Mr. Stewardson in Illinois was forty acres, and he
now owns two hundred and sixty, all excellent and well improved land,
bearing upon it good fences, excellent barns and a substantial home. He
followed sheep-raising for a number of years very successfully and has the
qualities which lead to success in that department of work, as he is prudent
and attentive to the needs of his stock. He now pursues general farming.
Mrs. Stewardson is a member of the Hard Shell Baptist Church and has brought
up her seven children in the faith of the Christian religion. They are
named: Martha Jane, wife of John Richardson; Edward; Douglas; Henry; Mary,
now Mrs. Benjamin Field; Eliza, the wife of Mathew Bainbrig; and Albert.
The political views of our subject have brought him into sympathy with the
Democratic party, for whose success he is desirous, but he is not at all an
office-seeker, although he has filled successfully the position of School
Director. Elsewhere in this volume the reader will find a lithographic
portrait of Mr. Stewardson.
Extracted 29 May 2017 by Norma Hass from 1891 Portrait and Biographical Record of Shelby and Moultrie Counties Illinois, pages 286-288.
