THE POLSON-CHENEY FAMILY

        Husband: Return Jonathan Cheney
           Born: 24 AUG 1828 in Cheney's Grove, McLean County, Illinois
        Married: 10 DEC 1846 in Cheney's Grove, McLean County, Illinois
           Died: 06 JUN 1890 in Cheney's Grove, McLean County, Illinois
         Father: Jonathan Cheney
         Mother: Catherine Owen
        Spouses: Martha Ellen Rice; Cordelia Louisa Towner
     Occupation: Farmer
           Wife: Margaret Elizabeth Green
           Born: 30 JAN 1831 in Ross County, Ohio (1)
           Died: 05 MAR 1858
         Father: Thomas W Green
         Mother: Eleanor Moser
        Spouses:
Children
01          (M): Oscar Cheney
           Born: 06 NOV 1847 in Illinois
           Died:
        Spouses: Sarah J.
02          (M): Alonzo Cheney
           Born: 29 MAY 1851 in Illinois (2)
           Died:
        Spouses: Nancy
03          (M): Seymour Lyman "Lyman" Cheney
           Born: 08 JUL 1853 in Illinois (3)
           Died:
        Spouses: 
04          (F): Rebecca Cheney
           Born: 11 JUL 1856 in McLean County, Illinois
           Died: 28 SEP 1874 in McLean County, Illinois
        Spouses:

Additional Information

Return Jonathan Cheney:

Notes:
Return lived with his parents up to the age of 20, helping them with their farm. He then entered land on Section 33, improved it, and sold it two years later. The 1850 Census for Cheney's Grove reports that Return was 21, a farmer with real estate valued at $1,000.00 who was born in Illinois. His wife Margaret was 19 and born in Ohio. Their son Osker (sic) was 3 and born in Illinois,

Return then entered and improved a farm in Belleflower Township. He was listed in the 1859-1860 Directory of McLean County Townships as residing in Bellflower. On February 5, 1870 he moved to his last residence near Saybrook.

According to the 1870 Illinois Federal Census for Cheney's Grove, Return was a farmer with real estate valued at $6,750 and personal property valued at $1,560. Return was living with his children Alonzo 19, Seymour 17, Margaret 10, Frank 8, and Mary 6. Return also was living with a 32 year old female named Maria. I don't know if that was his wife Martha Ellen or his next wife Cordelia, or someone who was helping him between wives.

Return held the office of Supervisor of Belleflower Township for 1 term. He also was elected Commissioner of Highways for McLean County. (From "The History of McLean County, Ill, Wm. Le Baron, Jr & Co, 1879; page 898)

(03) Seymour Lyman "Lyman" Cheney:

Notes:
The 1870 Federal Census for Cheneys Grove listed Seymour, 17, living at home with his father. Seymour was laboring on his father's farm and he had attended school within the last year.

Footnotes

  1. EMAIL from Virginia Hassenflu.
  2. 1870 Illinois Federal Census (M593, Roll 258, Cheney's Grove Township, McLean County, Illinois, dated 4th day of August, 1870), Page 16, line 6, dwelling 113, family 113.
  3. Ibid., Page 16, line 6, dwelling 113, family 113.

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Revised: August 13, 2005
Copyright © 2005 Lisa Sorensen. All rights reserved.