The Illick name was held in very high esteem in my family. The more I researched the story of my 2x great grandparents and their children the better I understood why. My great-great grandparents were devout Christians who met each
other at a Methodist prayer meeting. Samuel Illick and Harriet
Kressler were married on June 4, 1842 in Upper Mt. Bethel Township,
Northampton County, Pennsylvania. They became the parents of 10 children
born and raised on their farm, all of whom lead remarkable lives.
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| Samuel C. llick |
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| Harriet Kressler |
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| The Samuel Illick Homestead |
The Richmond United Methodist Church contains a stained-glass window
placed there in their honor. However, Sam grew up in the Lutheran
Church and as a young man he helped his father build what is now Trinity UCC church in Stone
Church in 1832. The Brodt history says that when he
married Harriet Kressler, an ardent Methodist, he "turned" for
her church, something his family did not think too highly of.
They had the following children who were all born at home:
1. John Theron was born on October 24,
1843. He was a graduate of Dickinson
College, Pennsylvania. He moved out to Illinois where he was elected
principal of the high school in Carthage. Later he studied law and was admitted
to practice in Burlington, Iowa. He married Martha Cilley and
had a family of four children. He died in Burlington, Iowa, on August 30,
1914 and is buried in Aspen Grove Cemetery,
Burlington, Des Moines County, Iowa. He was 70.
2. Josephine Amanda was born
on July 22, 1845. After marrying Russell L. Mack on Jan. 20, 1870, they moved
to Wellsboro where he had a carriage making business. They were the parents
of six children. Josephine died in Wellsboro, Tioga Co., PA, on August 15, 1919. She was 74.
3. Hiram James was born on
July 27, 1847. He became a Methodist minister. He married Helen
Kunsman in 1872 and they were the parents of nine children. He died at the
age of 75 in Philadelphia on March 23, 1923. He is buried in
the Beechwood
Cemetery, Hulmeville, Pennsylvania.
4. Mary Alas who was born on
November 9, 1849 lived only 5 weeks when she passed away on December 17, 1849.
5. Joseph Henry was born on December 30, 1851 and died soon after on Jan. 13, 1852.
6. Sarah Amelia was born on December 28, 1852. Aunt Sallie never married. She was a nurse and was
the one who stayed with her parents to take care of them. She lived for a
time at the farm of Clara and Henry McEwen. Aunt Sallie died on June 25, 1932 at
the age of 79. She is buried at Three Church Hill Cemetery.
7. Anna Susan was born on October 31,1857. She married Henry Cox and was a teacher in the
Wellsboro, PA school district. Anna Susan died in Lower Mt. Bethel on September 18,1898 and is buried at Three Church Hill Cemetery. She was 40.
8. Clara Matilda was born September 15, 1859. She married Henry McEwen on Christmas Day, 1878. They
operated a dairy farm and were the parents of one son, Wm. Homer. Clara and Henry were
married 64 years when she died on February 20, 1942 at the age of 82.
9. Charles Kressler was born
on September 20, 1861. A Methodist minister, he married Lizzie D. Hile
and was the father of Harriet and Earl. He died at the age of 40 and is buried
at the Three Church Hill Cemetery.
10. Laura Bell was born on July
13, 1864. Aunt Laura was a nurse. As the youngest in her family she
became the guardian of the family history. In her Bible, and
in her sister Clara's, I found the obituaries of so many of their brothers and
sisters. The Illick family Bible, now in my possession, was
found in the McEwen attic. Since Laura outlived all her siblings,
she probably brought the Illick Family Bible to the McEwen farm where she
died in 1947. She was 83 and is buried at Three Church Hill Cemetery.
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| Harriet K. Illick & Samuel C. Illick |
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| Illick plot, Three Church Hill Cemetery |
Originally, Sam was buried in the Richmond Methodist Church graveyard, but his daughter
Laura had the body reburied at Three Church Hill Cemetery, where she created a
family plot for herself, her sister Sally, her parents and her brother Charles
and his wife Lizzie. Harriet Kressler was born September 6, 1822. She was the daughter of John Kressler and his wife Mary Seidel. Samuel Christopher Illick was born October 31, 1815. He was the son of Christopher Illick and Susanna Brodt and the Grandson of Stofel Illick and Elizabeth Huber. Sam and Harriet truly left us with a legacy of character and faith to live by.
Sources:
- First Methodist Church, 2nd
Street, Easton, PA, Marriages 1836 – 1885.
http://www.raub-and-more.com/eastonmar/husband2.html.
- Illick Family Bible.
- Buzzard, Myrtle May Brodt. History
data of the Brod- Brode- Broad- and Brodt families in the U.S.A.
1740-1952.
- Find A Grave, database and images
(https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 29 March 2019), memorial page for
Samuel Christopher Illick (31 Oct 1815–31 Jan 1900), Find A Grave Memorial
no. 69731163
- Find A Grave, database and images
(https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 29 March 2019), memorial page for
Henrietta Kressler Illick (6 Sep 1822–21 Feb 1899), Find A Grave
Memorial no. 69731300.
Please see list of all My Revolutionary War Ancestors
Please see the Index to my "Who's Your Grammie" Blog
GENEALOGY IS A WORK OF HEART
Your comments and suggestions below are appreciated. It is with pleasure that I am able to present this information here for you to see. If you discover a relationship here, I would very much enjoy hearing from you.
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