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 EVI DOTY, deceased, formerly a resident of Charleston Township and an early settler of Coles County, is worthy of an honorable place among the pioneers of Illinois. By native force of character he struggled successfully against disadvantages, and won from the wilderness of the Western frontier a home for himself and a heritage for his children. He was born in Butler County, Ohio, Jan. 26, 1806, and was the son of John and Anna (Mann) Doty. His parents were natives of Maryland, and in about the. year 1818 they removed to Illinois, locating in Crawford County, where his father’s death occurred, and in 1826, Levi removed with his widowed mother to Coles County. The parental family consisted of six children, whose record is as follows: Levi, Samuel, James, Sarah, Isaac and Anna; the three latter deceased. Upon their arrival in Coles County, Levi Doty assisted his mother in carrying on a farm, and also worked by the month for the neighbors, when his help was not required at home. There was stern, uncompromising work to be done in those early days, and done also through great inconvenience and privation. Enough can hardly be said in praise of the stout hearts and willing hands of those whose enterprise and courage subdued the wilderness, and made a highway which has led to the present prosperity of Illinois. There were neither school advantages nor time for study, and Levi had no opportunity to learn to read until after his marriage, when his wife became his teacher. April 20, 1829, our subject was married to Miss Matilda Phipps, who was born in Lawrence County, Ind., Oct. 17, 1812. Previous to his marriage, he had by hard work and economy, earned enough money to purchase a farm containing forty-five acres of unimproved land, and here in the wilderness he built a log cabin, and with his young wife, proud in the possession of land that he could call his own, set resolutely to work upon his small kingdom, trusting in God and his own right hand. He was industrious and painstaking and with a careful wife to share his burdens, it was not long before he became the owner of 425 acres of land. January 23, 1853, his wife, the companion of his early pioneer life, was taken from the home circle by death. She was the mother of nine children, whose record is as follows: Harriet A., deceased, formerly the wife of Alex. Ferris; Mary J., deceased, formerly the wife of Levi Watson; Cynthia A., the wife of Samuel Doty; Melinda, deceased, formerly the wife of John W. Doty; Amanda, who became the wife of John W. Doty, her deceased sister’s husband; Loisa, deceased, was formerly the wife of M. T. Freeman; John M.; Sarah, deceased, and Irvin A. Mr. Doty was married the second time, to Mrs. Melinda White, the sister of his former wife. She died Oct. 16, 1865, leaving four children: James; Lavina and Samuel, deceased, and Joseph. Oct. 30, 1866, Mr. Doty was married the third time, to Mrs. Lillis (White) Gillett. She had a family of seven children by her first marriage, two of whom are now living John Ira and Almeda. Mr. Doty gave his attention closely to agricultural pursuits until 1875, when he was obliged to discontinue active business on account of rheumatism, and since 1884 was confined to his bed, unable to walk. He gave each of his children a portion of his property, affording them a good start in life. Mr. Doty voted for Andrew Jackson early in life, and always sustained the Democratic party as long as he was able to attend the polls. He served in public affairs as Commissioner of Highways and School Director, and for nearly half a century had been a member of the Baptist Church, and after a long life of usefulness and toil, of which his children are reaping the benefits, feeble and worn in the strife, he passed away July 14, 1887, deeply regretted by his family and numerous friends. |
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