Nathaniel Green/Hannah Powell

Contributed by Sandie from Wisconsin. Extracted from "History of Marshall County, Illinois" printed in 1983 Call Number
F547 H34 H57 1983

On Nov. 21, 1854, two former residents of NY State were married in La Prairie Township of Marshall Co. - Nathaniel P. GREEN, born in Coeymans, NY in 1826 and Hannah POWELL, born in New Baltimore, NY in 1834. Hannah lived until her 90th year and wrote a booklet, "A Pen Portrait of a Pioneer," about her family's experiences moving with eight children to
Marshall Co. in 1846 when she was 12 years old. They left Albany by boat on the Hudson River to Buffalo, then on a line boat drawn by an old mule on the Erie Canal and on to Chicago by steamer across the Great Lakes. Chicago was just a swamp and "not a fit place to live". As soon as horse and wagon teams were arranged they started for the 160 acres of prairie land her father (Joshua Powell) had purchased. "Over the 180 miles we never saw a bridge from Chicago to Blue Ridge - our stopping place. It required from six to eight days to make the trip, for we had to come through sloughs, tall grass and weeds." They built a cabin and "We could often look out and see deer and wild turkey roaming around - and wolves howling was no treat." Hannah's mother (Ann SMITH Powell) soon died of the "fever" and was the first woman buried in the Blue Ridge Cemetery. Nathaniel Greene had purchased the land for his farm, known since as "Prospect Hill Farm" in 1851. He paid $200 or $5 an acres for the "west 40
acres," and $225, or about $2.80 an acre, for the "east 80." Three children were born of this marriage: Henry Smith Greene, who died in infancy; John Webster Greene; and Ann Elizabeth (Mrs. Willis BIGGS). 

John Webster was the next resident on the farm. He married Alma WEBBER from Stark Co. in 1883. They had four children: Mildred (Mrs. Ethan WILMOT); Ralph Palmer who married Rena TANQUARY from a nearby farm and was the next resident of Prospect Hill farm for the few years before his death; Ruth (Mrs. Clifford MARSHALL), who moved to the farm after her brother's death and whose second son, Rodger, is the present resident); and Howard Webber, who married the neighboring Margaret TURNBULL. Ralph Palmer Greene served overseas in WWI and his son Ralph Edward, currently living in Peoria, served in WWII. Mildred's son, Ralph Allen Wilmot, served in WWII and was killed in the Battle of the Bulge.

The property across the road from Prospect Hill Farm has also been owned by the Greene family for over 100 years. It is currently called "Greene Acres" and is owned by Howard W. Greene of Peoria. Submitted by Howard W. Greene and Carolyn Greene Axt.

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