Drury Families of Mercer County and Rock Island County, Illinois

Drury Families
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Sketch from Jimtown Mystery by Gloryl Parchert (1992), a Drury's Landing Schoolteacher.
Located in Rock Island County

Alternate Spellings - Drewery, Drewry, Drurey, Drurye

Links - Fisher, Ballard,Boruff, Cole, Ives, Leech, Noble, Noland, Lewis, Lequat/Lequatte, Lowe, McGreer, Mannon, Garard (Misc. Families), Moore, Prentiss, , Reed, Reynolds, Southward, Spolader, Sheriff, Thirtyacre, Thornton, Thompson, Wolfe, Willits (This is the generalized Willits link. There are several Willits family pages and throughout the narrative the appropriate family pages are mentioned.), Dungan/Delabar, Web Site Indexing the Drury Reynolds Cemetery in Rock Island County

Contacts - for Jane Burns Drury who married William Willits, Bartley Casteel; for Stewart Reynolds Drury of Rock Island County, Kim Collins; for both the Drury and the Reynolds families, Wayne Reynolds; Daniel Paxton has sent us a great deal of information on the Drury family including the will of William Drury proving he was the father of Isaac and Edward Drury who came to Mercer County. Lorna MacIver is a descendant of John and Polly Reynolds Drury and has sent us much other Drury information. Jim Greenwell is also a descendant of John and Mary Drury and has sent information. Thanks to correspondence with Jim in 2010 we have been able to correct some errors in two James Drurys mentioned below. Jack Mason has sent information on Andrew and Eliza Drury Hamer (Eliza was daughter of Arnold and Sarah Shortridge Drury). 2010: Jim Cook has sent us his research on Squire Thompson Drury and descendants.

Caution - some of our information is from History of Mercer County, 1882 and from other County Histories. County Histories are notoriously inaccurate. They are good for hints but all facts presented need to be verified from primary sources! We try to indicate below when we have confirmed facts from primary records.

When we set out to search for information on the Drurys, we found the name almost as common as Smith, lending some credence to the thought that many families might bear the name of Drury Lane in London. In fact descendants of the Mercer County Drurys carry stories in the family that their ancestor was the one that Drury Lane was named for. This smacks of the genealogies that were "sold" in the late 1800's connecting people to famous names or places. But who knows, it could be true! Variations given in Surnames Listed in the 1790 United States Census include Drury, Drewery, Drewry, Drurey, Drurye. At that time there were 78 heads of household of these names, containing 419 individuals. They were grouped in New England and in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. We have searched in vain for a comprehensive Drury Genealogy and have been only able to connect the Mercer County Drury's back to Fairfield County, Ohio. Dan Paxton has provided further evidence that they came from Pennsylvania.

One cannot discuss the Drurys of Mercer County without mentioning the Drurys of Drury Township in Rock Island County. It is also almost impossible to talk about the Drurys without mentioning the Reynolds. We included the sketch above from Gloryl Parchert's book as it is where the Drurys who first settled in Eliza Township ended up - just slightly above the Eliza Township border in Rock Island County. Ms. Parchert's book is an excellent murder mystery, historically researched, and geared toward children. We found it fascinating for the flavor of the times, especially steamboat travel on the Mississippi. The sketch is from a newspaper in 1899, furnished to the newspaper by John McGreer (stepson of Charles Drury?). The caption states that the warehouse belonged to Reynolds Drury and was where the steamboats landed. The platform in the center is the Bloomington horse-ferry landing. The long building with a double porch is [Stewart] Reynolds Drury's house and store. Next to it is Dr. Eli Reynold's office and apothecary shop. The store belonged to Asbury Warfield.

The Moline, Illinois Dispatch 5/14/2000 carried a short article on Drury's Landing and a photo of Drury's Grotto: "In the early 1800s, a small town called Drury's Landing sprang up in the area. Packet boats stopped, loaded the cord wood they used for fuel and went on their way. Richmond was another small town just up the hill from Drury's landing. Some history buffs said Richmond, nicknamed Jimtown because of the number of Jims that lived there, was nothing more than a few tarpaper shacks. Others said it was a bustling, growing town. Either way, Drury Landing was a lively commercial river town that included a store, blacksmith, post office and grain elevator. Immigrants got off the boat there on their way to new lives. When the river channel was dredged on the Iowa side of the river, the town and dreams of it being a major city died, leaving little, save a few names of the people who lived and visited the area, carved on rock... .It's just a big rock, like hundreds, maybe thousands , along the Mississippi shoreline... .After church, people went to the grotto for picnics. They spread their blankets, opened their baskets and visited with friends while the children played among the rocks along the riverbank...."

Drurys in Berks County, Pennsylvania

Daniel Paxton has confirmed that the father of William Drury who married Rachel Willits was Edward Drury who died 16 October 1763 in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Edward Drury died intestate and administration went to Sarah Drury, widow, who was Sarah Maugridge. Sarah Maugridge was connected to the George Boone family (grandfather of Daniel Boone) as was Susannah Boone Willits, wife of Isaiah Willits. This tends to confirm that the Willits and Drury families did indeed migrate west together from Pennsylvania.

Drurys in Wayne County, Indiana

Daniel Paxton sent us a copy of William Drury's will written in Jackson Township in Wayne County, Indiana on the nineteenth day of the eleventh month in the year 1823. In the will he names wife Rachel, and sons Isaac and Edward. He gives possession of his farm to his son Isaac upon the death of this wife Rachel. He names Edward as executor of his will. This tells us that Edward was oldest son and Isaac was youngest son. It was typical to leave the farm to the youngest son upon the death of a wife - this would assure that the wife would be cared for for the longest time possible. The will directed that Isaac should have the use of the farm for three years after the death of Rachel and then that it should be sold and the proceeds divided among all the children. Unfortunately the will does not name the other children.

Wife Rachel was Rachel Willits, daughter of Isaiah and Susannah Boone Willits. Both William and Rachel were members of Whitewater Monthly Meeting [Quaker] in Wayne County, Indiana. They were received there in 1815 indicating that is probably the date they arrived from Pickaway [formerly Fairfield] County, Ohio.

William's will was entered into probate on 7th day of September in 1827 per Will Book A, page 177 in Wayne County. Witnesses to the will were Isaac Willits [brother of Rachel] and Thomas Moore [married to Rachel's niece Harriett Willits, daughter of Isaac]. As witnesses to the will they were protecting the interests of Rachel Willits Drury. Rachel Willits died 11/30/1838 in Wayne County, Indiana. This would mean that the property was to be sold about 1842 according to the directions of William's will.

Children of William and Rachel Willits Drury

The children that have been identified as probably belonging to William and Rachel Willits Drury were: Edward Drury (b 1776); Isaiah Drury (born 1778); Samuel Drury (born 1782); Sarah Drury (born 1784); William Drury (born 1789, died 1792); John Drury (born 1790); Arnold Drury (born 1792); James Drury (born 1796); Isaac Drury (born 1799). Of these several immigrated to Mercer and Rock Island County, Illinois (and/or descendants immigrated.)

Immigration to Mercer County, Illinois

Listed among the settlers who came to Mercer County in 1834 and then went back to Indiana for their families are William & Isaac Drury. (Since William Drury, Sr. and his son William were both deceased by this time, this William is probably the son of Edward Drury.) Also listed in 1834 are Silas Drury, his father Isaiah, and his cousin Charles Drury [son of Samuel Drury.]

Numbered among the voters in the first election of Mercer County in 1835: William Drury, Silas Drury, Isaac Drury, and Eli Reynolds (this list is taken from the actual poll book so is proof these men were in Mercer County in 1835). When the court convened in April 1835, it included commissioner Isaac Drury and sheriff Silas Drury. Among the grand jurors selected were Isaac Drury, William Drury, John Reynolds, Robert Reynolds, Eli Reynolds, John P. Reynolds, and one Drury Reynolds [son of William and Sarah Drury Reynolds.] At the first regular court term on June 1, 1835, William Drury was appointed clerk and served until October 1837. His signature on legal documents was made with a characteristic flourish. A legend has it that his successor was found one day sitting barefoot trying to imitate Drury's flourish for his own signature in the sand.

One of the county's first homemade record books is credited to William Drury. It consists of about a hundred pages of foolscap paper which the maker ruled with columns to suit his convenience. The cord for binding the leaves seems to have been fishing line. The sides are two oak boards, evidently rived from a straightgrained tree and dressed down with a draw shave. The back and corners are buckskin, doubtless taken from a deer shot by the rifle of the bookmaker and tanned by himself. This legend gives us a flavor of people living on the far edge of civilization and making their own tools.

The History of Mercer County gives us a further clue in locating the Mercer County Drury origins. In a short sketch of Silas Drury (son of Isaiah and Priscilla Reynolds Drury and grandson of William and Rachel) it mentions he was born in Pickaway County, Ohio, 1808, and removed to Wayne County, Indiana, in 1811 with his parents. Pickaway County was created in 1810 out of Ross, Fairfield, and Franklin Counties. In the 1806 Tax List for Clearfield Township in Fairfield County, Ohio, we find William, Edward, Isaiah, and Samuel Drury. As nearly as we can determine these were three brothers and father William. (We also find several Willits on the same tax list.)

The Mercer County notation that Silas Drury moved with his parents to Wayne County, Indiana, in 1811 is corroborated in the Wayne County, Indiana, History, 1872 which notes that William G. Reynolds from Ohio with his brother-in-law, Isaiah Drury, came in 1811 [William G. Reynolds was married to Isaiah's sister Sarah]. Samuel Drury also was an early settler. The Wayne County History contains an interesting snippet about Isaiah, stating: "In 1811, John Shortridge was shot by an Indian...This was said to have been done by mistake. The Indian had had some difficulty with a man by the name of Isaiah Drury. Shortridge, having on Drury's overcoat, was mistaken for the owner, and shot on his white horse." Edward Drury purchased the SW 1/4 of Section 28 on 10/24/1811 in Jackson Township in Wayne County. On 8/6/1814 the adjoining quarter section was purchased by John Woodward, ancestor of Jill Martin and Nadine Holder, owners of this site. John Woodward's daughter Rachel and family would later also move to Mercer County.

Isaiah Drury and Levi Willits both served in Shott's Battalion of the Indiana Militia during the War of 1812. This accounts for some of the Drurys being able to obtain land in Mercer County with military land warrants. That both men served in the same battalion is another bit of evidence of the closeness of the families.

The Wayne County History states that Isaiah Drury moved to Mercer County, Illinois, in 1855, but we find numerous land purchases by Isaiah in Eliza Township, totaling over 400 acres, with the first purchases made May 30, 1835. The Wayne County History date is probably a typographical error. Other early purchases in Eliza Township included Eli Drury, 40 acres, 1837; James Drury, 40 acres, 1836; John Drury, 260 acres, 1835 & 1836; Miles S. Drury, 40 acres, 1836; Minerva Drury, 111 acres, 1838; Priscilla Drury, 80 acres, 1837; Silas Drury, over 500 acres, 1835-1838; William A. Drury, 160 acres, 1837. William Drury purchased 500 acres in New Boston Township in 1839. Several of the Drurys purchased substantially more acreage over the next few years. Several purchases were made by military warrant implying that an ancestor had served in a war (Isaiah in War of 1812, and perhaps others). We are listing the early purchases here so interested descendants can locate the parcels on the New Boston Township Plat and the Eliza Township Plat (note some land in New Boston Township is still in the Drury name in 1875) and be assured that these Drurys were in Mercer County at this early date. These are primary records from the State of Illinois Public Land Purchases:
Isaiah Drury: E2SE 19 15N5W 7/18/1835; W2SE 19 15NR5W 5/30/1835; E2SW 20 15N5W 5/30/1836; E2NW 20 15N5W 4/11/1837; W2SW 15NR5W 2/12/1836; SW 19 15N5W 5/30/1835
Priscilla Drury (wife of Isaiah): E2SE 20 15N5W 4/28/1837
James Drury: SWNE 33 15N5W 7/27/1836
John Drury: NWNE 34 15N5W 5/30/1836; E2NE 34 15N5W 7/18/1835; E2SE 34 15N5W 7/12/1836; NWNW 35 15N5W 7/12/1836
Miles L. Drury NE 17 13N4W(future Abington Twp) 7/11/1835; W2NE 7 15N5W 4/22/1836
Silas Drury E2SW 30 15N5W 2/12/1836; E2SE 30 a5N5W 10/5/1835; NWSE 30 15N5W 4/5/1836; E2NW 30 a5N5W 9/16/1835; NENW 30 15N5W 9/16/1835; W2SW 2 15N5W 6/16/1836; W2NW 2 15N5W 6/15/1838
William Drury SWNW 31 14N5W 9/16/1835; E2NE 35 14N5W 9/27/1839; W2SW 35 14N5W 9/27/1839; W2NE 35 14N5W 9/27/1839; W2NW 35 14N5W 9/27/1839; E2NW 35 14N5W 9/17/1839; W2SW 6 15N 5W 4/28/1837; W2SW 20 15N5W 6/16/1837

It has taken a great deal of searching to try to knit this collection of Drurys into a family or families. It is clear they were all related but a lot of our evidence is circumstantial. We will gladly listen to anyone who has a better idea, or some real proof! We will start with Edward, Isaiah and Samuel as we suspect they were brothers since they are named together on the 1806 Tax List in Fairfield County, Ohio. We include John here as well as he may be another brother. There are John Drurys mentioned in War of 1812 records, but the name is too common to be sure it is this John.

Edward Drury Family

Edward Drury died in Wayne County, Indiana, but there are many connections to Mercer County in his family. As nearly as we can tell, the Edward Drury found in the 1806 tax list in Fairfield County, Ohio, married Jane Burns in Ohio. Edward Drury's will was proven March Court Term 1830 Wayne County, Indiana, and he named wife Jane, as well as his children. The children of Edward and Jane Burns Drury were: Harriett Drury born about 1806 in Ohio; William Drury born 9/17/1809, in Ohio; Clarinda Drury born 7/28/1811, in Wayne County, Indiana; Chariah Drury, born 1814, Indiana; Cecelia Drury, born 1816 and died 1822, Indiana; Margaret, born 1818 and died 1832, Indiana; Courtney Drury, born 11/23/1820, Indiana; Maria, born 1823 and died 1833, Indiana; Nancy Theresa, born about 1825, Indiana; and Edward Drury, born 12/21/1827, Indiana. Dan Paxton sent us a copy of the will of Edward Drury, written 11/2/1829, in Wayne County, Indiana and the will names all of the children except Cecelia, who was deceased. The will was witnessed by Milton and Orpha Reynolds. Milton was son of Edward's sister Sarah Drury who married William G. Reynolds (more below) and Orpha was his wife.

Jane Burns Drury married next to William Willits as his third wife on 3/4/1832 in Wayne County, Indiana. Several of the Edward and Jane Burns Drury children above also married into the Willits family. In the land records of Wayne County, Indiana, we find Isaac Willets and Edward Drury buying adjoining parcels of land on October 24, 1811. We therefore suspect the Willits and Drurys may have come together from Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Jane Burns Drury Willits died 7/16/1878 in Mercer County and is buried in New Boston Cemetery.

Children of Edward and Jane Burns Drury

Harriett Drury: Daughter Harriett married Eli Willits, son of Jesse and Sarah Van Horn Willits, on 4/13/1826 in Wayne County, Indiana. Their children are listed on the Isaac Willits page. Harriett died 4/11/1851 and her children were raised by a nephew of Eli (Levi who married Harriett's sister Clarinda - more below).

William Drury: Son William married Vashti Lewis, daughter of Caleb and Mary Willits Lewis, 7/1/1840 in Wayne County, Indiana. There is a lengthy sketch of William on page 93 of the History of Mercer County, 1882. "In 1833 Mr. Drury came to Illinois to look at the country, and for the first time saw real prairie land - quite a curiosity to one who has been reared in a wooded country. Mr. Drury determined to make this his home, made a selection, and in 1834 returned and made a claim, and settled down at the foot of the bluffs, near where he now resides. Through his influence several families came with him. So disgusted with things were they, that they threatened a dissolution of friendship with him if he did not desist in speaking in praise of the country. In 1840 Mr. Drury returned to Indiana, and was married... ."

William Drury filled the office of county recorder for a number of years [the story about his record book is above]. In 1836 he commenced a small trade in dry goods and groceries in partnership with Levi Willits, under the firm name of Drury and Willits. They bought pork, grain and other products, and shipped them to St. Louis. They did the first pork packing in the county. They furnished the people with all the necessaries required. In 1848 they sold out to Courtney Drury (below) and James Thompson (also see Nancy Theresa Drury below).

In 1850 Mr. Drury set up a small cash store, which he conducted until 1853, when, on account of failing health, he sold out his interest, and gave his attention to the importation and raising of fine stock . In 1871, in partnership with other wealthy men of the county he assisted in organizing a Farmer's National Bank, at Keithsburg, of which he was a large stockholder and president.

Mr. Drury did extremely well in his many ventures and there is a sketch of his mansion and more information at the bottom of this page. The extent of his land holdings can be seen around the town of New Boston in Sections 28, 29, 33, 34, and 35 on the New Boston Plat Map of 1875. His estate included a deer park. "Mr.Drury says he has made it a practice all his life, that at the end of each year his income shall be greater than his expenses. He thinks this accounts for his large estate, and not to any mental gift. This he would recommend to all young men starting in life. Mr. Drury was among the first settlers of the county. He was well acquainted with Black Hawk and Keokuk, the two noted Indian chiefs." William and Vashti Lewis Drury had one son: Edward S. Drury, born about 1857. He married Fannie F. Garard 5/3/1877 in Mercer County. They had a son Clair born about 1878. There is a Levi Lewis buried with William and Vashti Lewis Drury. Vashti had a brother Levi who was supposted to be born and died in 1847 but the stone says born 1820 and died 1847 (information courtesy of Jamie Paul).

Clarinda Drury: Daughter Clarinda was born 7/28/1811 in Wayne County, Indiana, and died 6/4/1896 in Mercer County, Illinois. She married Levi Willits on 12/1/1832 in Raysville, Wayne County, Indiana. Both Levi and Clarinda are buried in New Boston Cemetery. There is more about them on the Willits page.

Chariah Drury: Daughter Chariah was born in 1814 in Indiana, and died 1850 in Mercer County. Her three year old daughter, Teressa, died in 1850 as well and both are buried in the Davis Cemetery in New Boston Township. Chariah married William Willits, son of Jesse and Susanna Van Horn Willits on 4/1/1830 in Wayne County, Indiana. There is information on their children on the Willits page.

Courtney Drury: Son Courtney was born 11/23/1820 in Wayne County, Indiana. He married (1) Ruth Willits, daughter of William and Mary Willits on 4/12/1843 in Wayne County. He married (2) Cynthia Ann Willits, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Thornton Willits, on 11/30/1848 in Mercer County, Illinois. He married (3) Cornelia Howell on 11/23/1865 in Mercer County. The History of Mercer County, 1882 tells us that Courtney came to Mercer County with William Willits in the fall of 1834. In 1842 he returned to Indiana where he married William's daughter Ruth and they returned to Mercer in the fall of 1843. They had a daughter Alice, infant, died 5/11/1844, buried next to an infant of Clarinda and Levi Willits, in New Boston Cemetery.

Courtney Drury lost his wife in February 1847 and advertised in the New Boston Times, March 10, 1847 : "The subscriber will sell at Public Vendue at his residence in New Boston on Saturday the 27th (on a credit of nine months) the following named property to wit: 1 head of horses, 3 head of cattle including 1 milk cow, a first rate two horse wagon and harness, fanning mill, ploughs, sleds and a patent bee palace [bee hive], bed steade and bedding, 1 cook stove, household goods, &c. As it is my intention to leave the country, persons indebted to me are requested to settle up. C. Drury." He went back to Indiana but soon returned, and with James S. Thompson he purchased the mercantile establishment of Drury and Willits in 1848 (previously owned by William Drury and Levi Willits and called the "People's Store"). In the 1850 census in the town of New Boston: Courtney Drury, 29, Merchant, born Ind; Scyntha, 21, born In; Edna A., 7/12, born Il; Wells Willits, 24, Clerk, Ind; Edward Drury, 22, Clerk, In; Martha Doak, 38, Pa. It appears from this census record that Courtney and Ruth had no living children. In the 1860 census children Omer, age 5, and Ada, age 3, have been added. Courtney sold his business about 1856 and purchased land near the town of New Boston (see S/2 Section 33 on the New Boston 1875 Plat Map), and commenced a specialty of breeding fine horses. Courtney and his brother Edward took a prize for the best stallion as a stock-getter, with 6 colts in the 1859 Mercer County Fair. Courtney may have lost his New Boston Town property in 1859 as a Sheriff's sale in favor of Stanton Prentiss against M. M. Prentiss and Courtney Drury of Lot 5, Block 3 Town of New Boston was advertised on November 15, 1859 in the Aledo Weekly Record (we do not know the connection between M. M. Prentiss and Courtney). In the 1861 tax list Courtney is shown only as owning rural property. In the 1880 census Courtney's third wife, Cornelia Howell, is shown keeping a millinery store. They apparently had no children together.

Courtney and Cynthia Willits Drury's daughter Edna married Levi Lewis Cole on 2/15/1872 in Mercer County. Son Omer married Mary Minnie Southward, 3/22/1880. We have no further information on Ada.

Nancy Theresa Drury: Daughter Nancy Theresa married James S. Thompson, son of A. and Elizabeth Scarff Thompson, on 1/28/1841 in Mercer County, Illinois. James Thompson is the one mentioned in Courtney's biography above as partnering with him. Nancy and James Thompson appeared to have three children: Clarinda, born 1845, died 1848; Omer, born 1846, died 1847; and possibly Eliza J. Thompson, possibly a twin of Omer and raised by a Daniel Jones family. James Thompson had a sister Eliza J. and we suspect this child was named after her. Nancy Theresa died 10/7/1847 and is buried in New Boston Cemetery.

Edward Drury: Son Edward was born 12/21/1827 in Wayne County, Indiana and died 3/9/1897 in New Boston. He married Caroline V. Lowe on 12/29/1859 in Mercer County. Caroline was born 5/13/1841 and died 3/1/1897. (We will be putting up a Lowe page.) Both are buried in New Boston Cemetery. Edward and Caroline are found in New Boston town in 1870: Edward Drury, 42, dealer in stock, born Indiana; Carrie, 29, born Il. They had no children in the census and there are none buried with them in New Boston Cemetery. Jane Burns Drury Willits, age 81, born Kentucky is living with them in 1870. Jane died in 1878 at the age of 85 and is buried in New Boston Cemetery.

Isaiah Drury Family

Isaiah Drury is listed on the Fairfield County, Ohio tax list of 1806 along with his brothers Edward and Samuel, and his father William. He had married Priscilla Reynolds, daughter of William and Nancy Griffith Reynolds, on 6/7/1804 in Fairfield County. The History of Wayne County, Indiana says that Isaiah Drury arrived from Ohio in 1811 with his brother-in-law William G. Reynolds [husband of Isaiah's sister Sarah below]. They are documented in Wayne County, Indiana where a deed was signed in 1820 by Isaiah Drury and Priscilla, his wife, and William G. Reynolds and Sarah, his wife (more on the Reynolds page). The deed is witnessed by William and Rachel Willits Drury.

The children that have been identified in various sources for Isaiah are: Miles, Silas, Stewart Reynolds, Minerva, Eli, William Achilles, Melissa, Charlotte, possibly James, and Helen. Three of the sons of Isaiah were living next to each other in Rock Island County in 1850: Eli Drury, 32; Silas Drury, 42; and Stewart R. Drury, 39 (misidentified in the census as William R. Drury - see proof that it was Stewart R. Drury below.) Silas and Stewart Reynolds Drury were born in Ohio and Eli in Indiana.

The History of Mercer County, 1882 tells us that Silas Drury and his father [Isaiah], accompanied by a cousin, Charles Drury [son of Samuel], and J. P. Reynolds, arrived in the spring of 1834. The History states that Silas Drury's father, Charles Drury, and J. P. Reynolds returned to Indiana by steamboat via Cincinnati.

That Isaiah returned to Mercer County by 1835 is well documented by a number of land purchases he made in 1835 in Eliza Township (listed above). That more of his sons came is documented in the 1882 Mercer County History in a story of the burial of a young boy, Samuel Jack, as the first burial in the Davis Cemetery in New Boston Township. "There were none to assist in the interment but Joseph Glancey, Achillis (sic) and Miles Drury. There was no coffin to be had nearer than from Monmouth, and Mr. Glancey and the Messrs. Drury made a rough box out of the wagon box in which Mr. Glancey and his family came to Illinois..."

The History of Rock Island County then tells us that Isaiah, Reynolds, Miles and Eli Drury came about 1837 and settled in Drury Township. The township was named for the Drury family. The History does not mention Silas, but Silas purchased the E2 Sec 4, Township 16N Range 5W on 4/11/1837. Stewart R. Drury purchased land in Section 32 17N5W on 5/8/1840. The 1840 census shows a J. D. Drury (James?) who has an older man and woman in the household. The ages of 60-70 and 50-60 fit Isaiah and Priscilla. There are then 3 males 20-30, 1 male 15-20, 1 female 20-30, 1 female 15-20, 2 females 10-15 also in the household. Miles Drury is not far away (next to Drury Reynolds). Miles has 1 male 30-40, 1 male 20-30, 1 male under 10, and 1 female 20-30 in his household. S. R. Drury (Stewart Reynolds) is two pages away with 1 male 30-40, 8 males 20-30, 1 male 15-20, 1 female 20-30, 2 females 15-20, 1 female 5-10 in the household. It is hard to tell in 1840 what is significant - for instance Stewart Reynolds Drury could have been taking in boarders or they may have been people working for him!

The History of Rock Island County continues, "Reynolds Drury was the first storekeeper of the township. He opened his little store at the landing that bore the name of his family, and as he was the only trader within a number of miles, did a large business. In return for the grain and pork of the settlers, he furnished them with the bare necessities of life. Probably weeks went by without the exchange of a single cent of money, for currency was scarce in those days. There was but little need of it, the merchant readily accepting produce in trade for his goods. To the Drury family is also due the establishment of several mills, Isaiah and Silas Drury building a grist-mill, a sawmill and a wool-carding machine, quite a novelty in those days, on Copperas creek, as early as 1837. To these mills, operated by water power, came the settlers for miles around, carrying their grain on horse-back, or in flat-boats, if they made the trip by water. Going to mill was a journey in those days, and often was used by fathers as a reward of merit, to be bestowed upon the best worker on the family farm." Also "Miles Drury's barn held the first religious gatherings, presided over by a wandering preacher, who visited the township from time to time."

Isaiah Drury died 11/12/1854, age 78, in Rock Island County, where he is buried in the Drury Reynolds Cemetery. Isaiah is found in the 1850 census in Rock Island County, 37th District: Isaiah Drury, 71, born Pennsylvania; Priscilla, 64, Pa; David (or Daniel?) Reynolds, 26, Indiana; W. P. Ballard, 27, miller, born Indiana. Note the variation in age - this happens often in early records.

Possible Children of Isaiah and Priscilla Reynolds Drury

Miles Drury: Miles Drury seems well documented as a son of Isaiah and Priscilla. Miles evidently went back to Indiana for a bride as his marriage license is documented 9/27/1838 in Hendricks County, Indiana "Miles S. Drewery" " Dorothy Hobson." Miles and Dorothea Hobson Drury had children: Achilles Corwin Drury, William S. Drury, Miles Dudley Drury, Mary Priscilla Drury, and Electa J. Drury. These are documented in census records. Miles Drury died sometime before the 1870 census where Dorothea Drury and son Miles Dudley are living near Corwin in Drury Township. At some point Dorothea must have come upon financial hard times as she and son Miles Dudley are working in a boarding house in Muscatine, Iowa in 1880; she as housekeeper and he as liveryman. Dorotha, A. Corwin, Corwin's wife Rose B., and Miles Dudley Drury are all buried in the Drury Reynolds Cemetery. Daughter Electa married Hiram B. McCabe on 6/20/1867 in Rock Island County.

Silas Drury: It is clear that Silas is a son of Isaiah and Priscilla Drury from all the connections in County Histories. There is a curious story in the 1882 History of Mercer County (Eliza Township) about an encounter that Silas Drury had with Virginia land agents while he was Sheriff of Mercer County (he was elected sheriff in 1835). There is another story that Black Hawk was a frequent visitor to his cabin where he often spent the night on the cabin floor. This must have occurred sometime between 1835 and 1837 as Silas moved to Rock Island in 1837. Another part of the history tells us Silas served in the Black Hawk War in 1832 (with uncle Henry?) Another part lends some confusion to the history of the Drury family as it states Silas's grandfather was English, born in Drury Lane in London, where he was educated for a lawyer. After this he turned Quaker and moved to America, settling in Baltimore, Maryland, where he followed legal writing as a profession. (When time permits we will add the stories to this history.)

Silas Drury married Malinda Bentley on 1/8/1843 in Rock Island County. He had by then built a large mill on Copperas Creek, known as Drury's Mill. In spite of his move to Rock Island County there is a biography of him under Eliza Township in Mercer County. It tells us he held offices of justice of the peace, assessor, and several other offices in Rock Island County for twentysix consecutive years. Comments about his ancestors (above) indicate they may have come from Maryland. Both he and William Achilles give their parents born Maryland in the 1880 census so someone in the family apparently had this kind of information. We suspect the information may have been off a generation, that the original immigrant may have come to Maryland, and then the parents of the Mercer County group were born Pennsylvania. Both Isaiah and Henry give Pennsylvania as their birthplace in census records. There is of course always the possibility that the family moved about and some of the children were born in different places.

The 1882 History of Mercer County states that Silas and Malinda had children: Silas, Sarah, Oscar, and Byron. Silas, Sarah and Oscar are proven by census and cemetery records but there is no evidence of Byron anywhere. We think, if he existed, he was born and died between census periods. We do not find a cemetery record for him.

Daughter Sarah was born 8/17/1846 in Rock Island County and died 1/4/1847. She is buried in the Drury Reynolds Cemetery.

Son Silas is one year old in the 1850 census. The 1860 census, however, has him as age 14. In the 1880 census he is at home with his parents, age 29. In 1920 he is in Cheyenne County, Kansas, age 69, with a wife Elizabeth, age 59, and Carroll J. Whisenant, 29, stepson, born Kansas. So apparently Silas, Jr. had no descendants.

Oscar Drury was born about 1852. He married Margaret Cook, 7/1/1875 in Rock Island County. They are living next door to Silas and Malinda in 1880: Oscar Drury, 27, Il, parents born Ohio; Maggie, 22, Ia, father born England, mother born Ireland; Priscilla, 3; Oscar 6/12 born Dec. In 1920 they are in Jewell County, Kansas with a son Eddie, age 23, born Kansas, indicating they went to Kansas before the turn of the century. There may have been more children between Oscar, Jr. and Eddie.

Stewart Reynolds Drury From the various county history articles discussed above we know that Reynolds Drury went to Rock Island County with his father and brothers. We could not locate him in the 1850 census and there was a mysterious William R. Drury living next door to brother Silas. The census record of William: #1752 Township 17N R5W Rock Island County Wm. R. Drury, 39, merchant; Jane B., 34; Minerva, 11, James P., 3. With them were 5 people working for them (note this is consistent with the 1840 census for Stewart Reynolds Drury where there were 8 young men in the household - that is laborers or other workers). When we learned that Stuart R. Drury married Jane Lequat 3/13/1846 in Rock Island County we suddenly realized that this record was actually Stewart Reynolds Drury and not William R. Drury! Stewart R. Drury married first to Celinda Thornton, daughter of Edward and Ruth Willits Thornton, on 6/4/1836 in Mercer County. They had a daughter Minerva, born about 1839 in Rock Island County which is the Minerva, age 11, shown in the 1850 census. Reynolds and Jane Lequat Drury had a son Isaiah P. Drury, born about 1847 in Rock Island County (per 1860 census) and this is the "James P." shown in the 1850 census. Reynolds and Jane had another son, Leander L. Drury, born about 1850. Stewart Reynolds Drury then married Mary Ann Reed, daughter of Jacob and Mary Smith Reed, sometime before the 1860 census. We do not believe Reynolds and Mary Ann had any children, but Mary Ann is with him as wife in the 1860, 1870 and 1880 census. Kim Collins is descended from Reynolds Drury and tells us he laid out the town of Richmond. When the River channel was widened it ruined him and he died in the County Home and is buried there with daughter Minerva. This ruining of Drury's landing by the River channel widening is mentioned in the newspaper article above. Dan Paxton has a death date of Jan 21, 1893 at the Rock Island County Infirmary for him.

Daughter Minerva never married. Son Isaiah is next to his father in 1870 in Rock Island with a wife Lydia, age 29. There is a marriage record in Muscatine County for a J. P. Drury married to Lydia Brown on 39 January 1869. This may actually be Isaiah P. Drury but it is not proven (I's and J's written in the old style were often confused in transcription). We do not find them in a further census anywhere in the U.S. (we also checked as James P. Drury in the event that is the correct version of the name). There is a Lettie Drury, born about 1874, with Stewart R. and Mary Ann Drury in 1880 and she is listed as granddaughter. She may be a daughter of Isaiah and Lydia, but might also be a child of Leander. She married J. W. Morehead 11/13/1890 in Muscatine County, Iowa.

Leander L. Drury was born about 1850, but after the census was taken. His mother Jane may have died in childbirth with him. He is at home, age 20, in the 1870 census. He married Mary J. Stickrod, daughter of Joseph and Jane Stickrod on 3/23/1872 in Rock Island County. There is no further record of Leander in the census either.

The absence of Isaiah and wife, Leander and wife in the 1880 census is odd coupled with the fact that John Stickrod, parent of Mary disappeared about 1875 and his wife Jane had remarried by 1880. Something smacks of an accident here - not an uncommon thing along the Mississippi River.

Minerva Drury Smalley: Minerva Drury married Shepherd Smalley, son of Andrew Smalley, on 2/19/1845 in Rock Island County, Illinois. Thanks to the Iowa Cemetery records we have good information on this family. Minerva was born 4/13/1813 and died 6/25/1888 in Muscatine County, Iowa, and is buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in Bloomington. Shepherd Smalley was born 8/12/1827 and died 12/26/1897 and is buried in the same cemetery. The record for Shepherd Smalley contains additional information on the family from a newspaper account (probably his obituary). It gives him as son of Andrew, married to Minerva Drury, and with children William D., Andrew J., Frank, Mrs. James Hartman, and Mrs. George Shields.

The 1870 census in Ward 1, Muscatine, Muscatine County, Iowa confirms the family information: Shep Smalley, 52, farmer, farm valued 15,000, born Ohio; Minerva, 53, In; William, 24, Iowa; Andrew, 22, Ia; Priscilla, 20, Ia; Rhoda, 18, Ia, Frank, 16, Ia. William married Annis Vanatta on 5/10/1881; Andrew married Rosa B. Hintermeister 9/14/1873; Priscilla married James B. Hartman 10/31/1877, and Rhoda married George Shields 9/30/1875. We did not find a marriage for son Frank.

In 1880 James B. Hartman and Priscilla are living with Shepherd Smalley and Minerva in Muscatine and have an unnamed daughter born May 1880. Shepherd Smalley gives his parents born New Jersey. Minerva gives her father born Pennsylvania and her mother's birthplace as unknown.

William Achilles Drury: We believe that W. A. Drury was the son of Isaiah and Priscilla from the following article sent to us by Lorna MacIver. Source: History of Muscatine County Iowa, Biographical Section, 1879, page 602: "W. A. DRURY, grocer, Second street; was born in Wayne Co., Ind., in the year 1816; in 1820, his parents removed to Morgan Co., thence to Mercer Co., Ill. in 1834, and from the latter county they removed to Rock Island Co., Ill, in which county W. A. Drury married Miss A. Comstock, a native of Vermillion Co., Ind., born in 1827; they have one son--Ross Drury, who married Miss C. Russel, of Chicago, Ill; they reside in this city (Muscatine). W. A. Drury has been a resident of Muscatine since 1845; engaged in his present occupation in 1854; previous to that was engaged in the real estate business. Politically, Mr. Drury acts with the Democratic Party; he has filled various local offices of trust in this city; his reputation as a business man stands high; and fair dealing and strict integrity have characterized all his intercourse with his fellow-citizens; his grocery store on Second street is as large as any in the city.

William A. Drury married Armilda M. Comstock on 12/29/1844 in Rock Island County. She appears to be the daughter of Frances H. Comstock, a female widow found in 1850 in Sweetland, Muscatine County, as she was born New York and Armilda gives mother born New York in the 1880 census (father born Connecticut). There was a Samuel C. Comstock in Muscatine in 1840 and not found in 1850 but no way to guess if he is the father.

William and Armilda did have one son Ross, born about 1845 who did marry Chottie Russell on 12/20/1867, Muscatine County. She is given as Charity in the 1880 census, 30, born New York, parents born West Virginia. Ross is 34, and a bill poster in 1st Ward, Muscatine. They had a daughter Kitty, age 2, born Iowa.

Eli Drury: Son Eli Drury was born about 1819 in Indiana. He married Margaret Hobert, daughter of Alexander and Mary Hobert, 3/29/1846 in Mercer County. Both are buried in Drury Reynolds Cemetery in Rock Island County: Eli, died 3 Jan 1892, age 73; Margaret Hobert, wife, died 26 Dec 1891, age 71 years. Alexander Hobert is also buried there: born in Cork Co, Ireland 5 August 1779, married to Mary Jane Gilmore who died in Kincaid Co, Ks; died 13 April 1855 (per cemetery record).

Eli and Margaret Hobert Drury had children: Hardin Drury(b. abt 1847); Mary Drury(b. abt 1849, died 9/27/1853); Millard Filmore Drury (b. about 1852); Mary H. Drury (b. about 1854); Infant Son Drury (b. 1856, d. 9/9/1856); Emma Drury (b. about 1858); Lizzie Drury (b. abt 1865, d. bef 1870).

Hardin Drury apparently never married. He was at home, single in 1880, working in a sawmill in Rock Island County. He died 12/20/1891 and is buried in the Drury Reynolds Cemetery in Rock Island. Millard Filmore may never have married either. He is also still at home, single in 1880.

Mary H. Drury married Solomon S. Ricketts, son of Anthony Ricketts, 1/28/1879 in Rock Island County. They are found in 1880 in Green Castle, Marshall County, Iowa, with a son Leonard, born 9/1879 in Iowa.

Emma Drury (1857-1949) married Newton Byron Ricketts on 11/23/1881. Newton Byron Ricketts was half-brother of Solomon, son of Anthony and Amanda Ricketts. He was born 9 March 1857 and died 14 February 1902 and is buried in Drury Reynolds Cemetery.

Melissa Drury DeMoss: Daughter Melissa Drury married Peter DeMoss on 11/14/1841 in Rock Island County. We do not know the parentage of Peter DeMoss. He was born 2/23/1816 in Ohio and died 12/27/1899 in Rock Island County and is buried in the Drury Reynolds Cemetery. Melissa was born 1/2/1821 in Indiana, died 11/14/1891 in Rock Island County and is buried in the Drury Reynolds Cemetery.

Peter and Melissa Drury DeMoss had children: Priscilla (b. 1/11/1843, d. 7/7/1844); James DeMoss (b. abt 1844); Miles DeMoss (b. abt 1849); Mary Adaline DeMoss (b. abt 1851); Isaiah L. DeMoss (b. abt 1854); Homer DeMoss (b. 7/11/1857, d. 11/3/1858); Flora H. DeMoss (b. 1859); Infant Son DeMoss (b. and d. 3/9/1863); William DeMoss (b. abt. 1865).

Approximate birthdates for the children come from the 1860 census in Rock Island County. Exact birthdates come from tombstones in the Drury Reynolds Cemetery. The 1880 census gives us more information: #91 Drury Township, Rock Island County: Peter DeMoss, 64, born Oh, father Ky, mother Oh; Malissa, 59, In, parents Maryland; Sarah, 33, Il, no occupation; Mary A., 28, Il, teaching school; Flora, 20, Il, teaching school; William S., 15, works on farm; Lola Terry, niece, 10, Il, NY, In. Lola Terry as niece proves the relationship to Helen Drury Terry (more below). We found nothing for Miles or Isaiah in the 1880 census. There were too many James DeMoss families to identify this one although he was probably the James DeMoss who married Nellie Rowley 21 December 1871 in Muscatine County, Iowa.

Charlotte Drury LeQuatte: Charlotte Drury married Jeremiah Lequat on 10/26/1843 in Rock Island County, Illinois. There is information about their family on the LeQuatte Page.

James Drury: Some researchers carry a son James for Isaiah and Priscilla Reynolds Drury. As mentioned above Isaiah and Priscilla were living in the household of J. D. Drury in 1840, so it seems possible. J. D. Drury was a male, age 20-30, and was therefore born between 1810 and 1820. We find no further information on a possible James Drury that might have been the son, but the name James Drury is far too common to try to trace if he did not live in Muscatine, Iowa, or Rock Island or Mercer County, Illinois.

Helen Marr Drury Terry: Helen Marr Drury married Isaac C. Terry on 6/16/1846 in Rock Island County. They had children: James Kelly Terry (b. abt 1849); Charlotte Mandana Terry (b. abt 1850); Cyreen Terry, male (b. abt. 1852); Dorothea E. Terry (b. abt 1854); Helen B. Terry (b. abt 1856); Henry or Harry W. Terry (b. abt. 1859); Rhoda E. Terry (b. abt. 1861); Mattie E. Terry (b. abt 1867); Lola E. Terry, b. abt 1870). Helen died in 1872 (probably in childbirth) and is buried in Drury Reynolds Cemetery (1826-1872). Isaac is also buried there (1812-1893).

Son James Kelly Terry married Louisa J. Axtell on 7/30/1871 in Rock Island County. In 1880 James was working in a saw mill in Des Moines, Iowa, and they had children Grace Terry, born about 1872; Kelley Terry, born about 1879. Louisa's brother Eben was living with them and also working in the saw mill.

Daughter Charlotte Mandana Terry is listed on a marriage license 2/29/1868 in Rock Island with a Henry S. Groff but she is living at home as Charlotte Terry in the 1880 census so apparently the marriage never took place.

Son Cyreen Terry married Sarah A. Foster, daughter of Isaac and Sarah Foster of England, on 7/31/1872 in Rock Island County. We cannot locate him in the 1880 census but it is probably a spelling problem. His name is given variously as Cyrene, Syrene, and Cyreen.

Daughter Helen B. Terry married George E. Brown 3/20/1878 in Rock Island County. He had children William, Elizabeth, and Sarah by a previous marriage and they are found in Buffalo Prairie Township in Rock Island County in 1880 where he was a fire insurance agent.

Daughter Rhoda E. Terry married Howard M. White on 12/18/1878 in Rock Island County.

Daughter Lola E. Terry, age 10, is listed in the household Of Malissa and Peter DeMoss in 1880 and is listed as niece, thus giving proof that Helen was another child of Isaiah and Priscilla Reynolds Drury. Lola married Frank Fox on 8/14/1885 in Rock Island County.

Samuel Drury Family

The Samuel Drury family is a difficult one as Samuel apparently died before 1830 as he is found nowhere in the 1830 census. This leaves us with little information on his family. His marriage to Ann Reynolds is documented in Fairfield County, Ohio in Probate Marriage Book A, Part A. License was issued 4 January 1808 and they were married by J. P. Charles Friend on 8 February 1808. They soon migrated with other Drury family members to Wayne County, Indiana. Wayne County Indiana History, 1872, tells us that Samuel Drury and Job Raines settled in Washington Township west of Milton, but does not give a date. We assume it was about the same time as Isaiah Drury who settled on the east side of the Whitewater River in 1816. Edward Drury is documented as purchasing a parcel of land in the southeast part of Washington Township in October 1811.

Sorting out Samuel's family gets further complicated because there were two Samuel Drurys listed in Wayne County, Indiana, in the 1820 census. Samuel Druery is listed next door to Arnold Dreury: 1 male 26-45, 1 male under 10; 1 female 26-45, 1 female 16-18, 1 female under 10. The other Samuel Drewry is located next to Larkin Reynolds: 1 male 26-45, 1 male under 10; 1 female 10-16, 2 females under 10. Since Larkin Reynolds was brother of Ann Reynolds who married Samuel Drury this one is a likely candidate to be the correct Samuel as well as the one next to Samuel's brother Arnold Drury. The family composition of each is a little different but both had a son and daughter under the age of 10. These are likely Emily and Charles Drury both of whom seem to prove out as children of Samuel. Note that in the one next to Larkin Reynolds there apparently is no wife of Samuel in the family.

There were two Samuel Drury marriages in Wayne County: to Violet Shortridge on 2/2/1819 and one to Polly Boswell on 9/4/1821. Without a will or other evidence there is no way to tell which of these marriages might apply to the correct Samuel Drury (if either). It might be important as the correct Samuel may have had more children before he died.

Charles Drury: The History of Mercer County, 1882 tells us that Charles Drury, cousin of Silas [son of Isaiah above], returned to Mercer County in the fall of 1835 and married Nancy Prentice [Prentiss], who died eleven months after. Charles Drury then moved to Rock Island County and studied medicine with Dr. Reynolds[whose establishment is seen in the sketch at the beginning of the page]. Charles then married Mrs. Eliza
If Charles and Eliza did go to Oregon they soon returned to Muscatine County, Iowa where they lived out their lives. Charles evidently no longer practiced medicine, although he is buried as Dr. Charles Drury in the Drury Reynolds Cemetery (died 11 Feb 1891 age 77 yr). According to census records he became a dealer in lumber (1860) and in 1870 was retired and his census record carries a notation "severely debilitated."

Emily Drury Hopper: Emily Drury who married Wesley Hopper 1/22/1829 in Wayne County, Indiana is probably a daughter of Samuel and Ann Reynolds Drury. Wesley and Emily had a son Samuel Hopper born about 1832 who is with Charles and Eliza Drury in 1860 in Muscatine County, Iowa. Wesley and Emily had additional children: Charles; Minerva; Melina; and Reuben.

Sarah Drury Reynolds Family

Sarah Drury was married to William Griffith Reynolds, son of William and Nancy Griffith Reynolds. They are mentioned briefly on our Reynolds page but because of the Drury connections we will keep their family information on this page. William and Sarah are found in the 1850 census in Wayne County, Indiana #312 Washington Township William G. Reynolds, 68, farmer, born Maryland; Sarah, 65, born Pennsylvania. Nearby is son Milton Reynolds. By 1860 they are living in Rock Island County, Illinois, next to son Drury Reynolds (more below)

William and Sarah apparently had other children as in 1840 in Jackson Township, Wayne County: William G. Reynolds, 1 male 60-70, 1 male 30-40, 1 male 10-15; 1 female 50-60, 1 female 20-30, and 1 female 15-20. Milton was already married and on his own by 1840. The name Reynolds is too common in Wayne County to identify the others but we feel certain that Drury Reynolds was the son 30-40 at home in 1840 as he is found living next to William and Sarah Reynolds in 1860. The name Drury Reynolds would make sense since Sarah Drury was the wife of William Reynolds. There is a probate for William Reynolds in Rock Island County in 1866 and perhaps it will list heirs.

Milton Reynolds Milton is identified as a son of William and Sarah by the fact that he and his wife witnessed the will of Edward Drury, brother of Sarah Drury Reynolds, in Wayne County. Milton Reynolds married Orpha Crum on 3/6/1828 in Wayne County. They are also found in the 1850 census in Washington Township, Wayne County: Milton Reynolds, farmer, 41, born Ohio; Orpha, 38, Ohio; Lorenzo, 21, Indiana; Alma, 19, In; William, 18, In; Mary, 13, In; Corydon, 9, In; Thadeus, 7, In; Levina, 5, In; Willard, 3, In; Clarissa, 1, In.

By 1860 Milton and Orpha have moved to Louisa County, Iowa, just across the river from Drury Township in Rock Island County, where father William and brother Drury are found in 1860. #552 Milton Reynolds, 52, farmer, born Pa; Orpha, 49, Ohio, Mary, 23, domestic, In; Corinda (male), 19, farm hand, In; Theodore, 17, In; Lavina, 15, In; Willard, 13, In; Amanda, 11, In; Candace, 9, In; Homer, 7, In; Wm. Bell, 3, In. Sons Lorenzo and William have married and are found in Drury Township, Rock Island County. Lorenzo's wife is Matilda but we do not find a marriage record for them and they do not yet have children. William Reynolds married Rosanna McNall 11/7/1853 in Rock Island County and they have children Milton, 6, Nancy, 4, and George, 1, all born Illinois. Rosina Reynolds died in 1865 and is buried in the Drury Reynolds Cemetery. William apparently died sometime before 1870 as there is a probate for him in 1870 in Rock Island County, but we do not find a burial for him there. We believe William and Rosina had a son Drury Reynolds who is found with his grandparents in 1870, age 9, and in 1880 census, age 18.

By 1870 Milton and Orpha and son Lorenzo and family had moved to Athens, Ringgold County, Iowa. A descendant told us they later moved on to Missouri, though they are still in Iowa in 1880.

Drury Reynolds: We have no real proof that Drury was son of William and Sarah other than the name and the fact that they were living next door to each other in 1860 in Drury Township, Rock Island County. #77 William G. Reynolds, 79, gentleman, Md; Sarah, 75, Pa (the term "gentleman" is an old one referring to someone who owned but did not work the land.) #76 Drury Reynolds, 53, born Ohio; Esther, 30, Oh; Rhoda, 7, Il; Monroe G., 4, Il; Ira, 2, Il; Alex Taylor, 13; Samuel Taylor, 13 (twins). We do not know the identity of the two Taylor boys. We did not find any marriage listed in Indiana, Illinois, or Iowa for Drury Reynolds, but the name of his wife is given as Esther Love Reynolds on her tombstone in the Drury Reynolds Cemetery (1830-1909). Drury and Esther married sometime before 1850 as they are #1787 in District 37, Rock Island County in 1850: Drury Reynolds, 43, farmer, Oh; Esther, 20, Oh; J. Allison, 17, laborer, In. Drury and Esther only had the three children as in 1870 they are found still in Rock Island County, Drury Township and Esther's parents are living with them: #28 Drury Reynolds, 63, farmer, Oh; Ester, 41, Oh; Rhoda, 17, Il; Monroe, 14, Il; Ira, 12, Il; Samuel Love, 76, So. Car; Hannah, 75, Va. Samuel died 19 April 1875 and is buried in the Drury Reynolds Cemetery. Hannah died 22 Feb 1871, age 76, and is buried there as well. Drury is probably also buried there as there is a tombstone with no readable first name (1807-1873). Esther was a widow living with son Ira in 1880 so it seems to fit.

Daughter Rhoda married Edmund H. Dungan 23 March 1876 in Rock Island County, Illinois. He was son of Aaron and Tamar Pratt Dungan (see Delabar/Dungan page)Son Ira married Minnie Pullen 1/7/1880 in Rock Island County. Monroe G. Reynolds was a physician in Aledo. He married twice, to Emma Hartwig in 1883 and to Ella Graham 19 Nov 1900 in Mercer County. Ella was daughter of George and Emaline Hunt Graham and we will be putting up a Graham page. Monroe and Ella had no children. Monroe and Emma had a son Carl who was living with his widowed father in Aledo in 1900 but we find no further information on him.

Both William and Sarah are buried in the Drury Reynolds Cemetery in Rock Island County: Wm. G. Reynolds 2/2/1783-1/26/1865; Sarah (wife of Wm. G.) 4/9/1780-11/1/1864.

John Drury Family

Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois, 1903, page 745: "John Drury (deceased) pioneer farmer, Eliza Township, a native of Pennsylvania, located seven miles northeast of New Boston village in Eliza Township in 1834 or 1835 and spent the rest of his life there. He entered government land and improved it; served in the War of 1812 and later participated in the Indian War on the Missouri River. For many years he served as a Justice of the Peace. His death occured in 1848. Married Mary Reynolds and they had 11 children: Louise, Stewart, Eliza, Frances, John (who died while serving in the Mexican War), Elias, Mahala, Hannah, James, Rachel (widow of Gideon Ives of New Boston), and Sarah. All are deceased excepting James and Mrs. Ives."

Also, page 744, is a biography of son James Drury: "farmer, Eliza Township, born in Wayne County, Ind., Feb 16, 1825, son of John and Mary Reynolds Drury. Removed with his parents to Eliza Township in 1835, and has always been engaged in agricultural pursuits and stock-raising. In 1853 Mr. Drury crossed the plains to California, where he spent three years. In the fall of 1861 he enlised in Company A, Seventh Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and served three years and three months in Mississippi and Tennessee. He was married in 1851 to Jane Randolph, daughter of Hartshorn Randolph, an early settler of New Boston Township, and of this marriage four children are now living, viz.: Elizabeth, wife of Fred Needham; Hannah, wife of Jackson Boruff, Byron, and Mettie, wife of Rank LeQuatt. This union was terminated by divorce, and on May 27, 1886, Mr. Drury married for his second wife, Millie [Amelia] Spolader, daughter of Augustus and Millie (Schrader) Spolader, who settled in New Boston Township in 1853." More below on son James Drury.

John Drury was probably another brother of Edward Drury. He was born about 1790, so would not have been old enough to appear on the 1806 tax list in Fairfield County, Ohio. He was born in Pennsylvania, so if he was indeed a brother, this is another clue to Drury origins. The biggest clue to the relationship is that Thompson Drury (son of Arnold Drury and grandson of William and Rachel) lived directly next door to John Drury in Mercer County for about five years. In addition John Drury is found with Isaac and Arnold Drury in 1830 in Madison County, Indiana.

John Drury served in the Black Hawk War. This may have been the impetus for him to settle in Mercer County, as it was for a number of the Black Hawk War soldiers. He no doubt returned home with many stories of the fine country.

John Drury married Mary Reynolds, 9 August 1810 in Fairfield County, Ohio. Dan Paxton carries her as daughter of John and Sarah Stewart Reynolds. He tells us John Reynolds was from Ireland and does not appear related to other Reynolds in the area. Mary Reynolds Drury died 12/31/1870, age 81, and is buried in Eliza Creek Cemetery. She is buried next to son-in-law Harper Reed.

The History of Mercer County, 1882 tells us that John Drury and family came to Mercer County in the spring of 1835. The 1903 History (above)gives a death date of 1848 for John, but John is still alive in the 1850 Eliza Township census, age 60. He and wife Mary, age 61, are living with daughter Rachel, age 18, and granddaughter Mariah Reed, age 5, daughter of Louisa Marie Drury & Harper Reed. The 1848 death date no doubt applies to John, Jr., who died in the Mexican War.

John Drury died 7/22/1850, age 53 yr 6 mo 9 dy, and is buried in Eliza Creek Cemetery. We do not believe the DAR reading of the tombstone was correct (a descendant tells us it is likely 63 yr 6 mo 9 dy and he has actually seen the tombstone). John was age 60 in the 1850 census which would align his age more nearly with that of his wife. Given the corrected cemetery record would make him born January 1787 which is the date carried by some researchers.

Children of John and Mary Reynolds Drury

We have tried to confirm the alleged 11 children without too much success. In the 1840 census we find the following in Mercer County: John Drury, males 1 10-15, 1 15-20 (John, Jr?), 1 20-30 (James) 1 50-60 (John); females 2 5-10, 2 15-20 (Rachel and?), 1 50-60 (Mary). At that time Mahala was deceased, and Hannah, Sarah, Louisa, and Elizabeth were married. Counting all these, we find a total of 12 possible children. It is hard to tell because especially in 1840 there were often non-related people in the household as everyone took care of everyone else in the wilderness. Also if a married daughter was visiting she might be censused in two places. Since the History says son John died in the Mexican War, he is probably the male 15-20 in the 1840 census. Following are the children that we have further information on.

Stewart Drury: We find no record of a Stewart Drury except a single record in 1840 in Johnson County, Iowa. Johnson County was formed from Muscatine, among other counties in 1837, so is feasible. The record consists of two males, age 20-30. This could be Stewart and a friend or the missing brother Elias. It would make sense that the eldest son was named for the Stewart side of the family and the age would fit as an eldest child for John and Mary. We considered Stewart Reynolds Drury as a possibility for quite awhile but his records and location are so intertwined with those of the children of Isaiah and Priscilla Reynolds Drury that it seems he belongs with them and his age fits into the birth sequence of the children of Isaiah and Priscilla. We find nothing further in later census records about this Stewart Drury. A couple of researchers have sent information that he too participated in the Mexican War and was missing and presumed dead during the war. Since he is not found after 1840 this may indeed be the case.

Elizabeth Drury: Elizabeth married William Fisher, son of Martin and Rachel Reese Fisher, probably before coming to Mercer County, but we have not located a marriage record in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, or Iowa. Martin and Rachel Reese Fisher lived very near the Drurys in 1840 and William's brother, John Fisher, lived directly next door to them. For more on this family see the Fisher page.

Jane Frances Drury Davis Parsons: Jim Greenwell, a descendant of John and Mary Reynolds, tipped us off to the identity of daughter Frances Drury. She was briefly married to James Davis, son of Benjamin Davis, and brother of Isaiah Davis who married Frances's sister Hannah. This is indicated as widow Jane Davis had remarried and was living only 4 doors from Hannah and Isaiah Davis in the 1850 census.

Frances Davis married (2) Lorenzo Parsons on 8/11/1847 in Muscatine County, Iowa. They are found in the 1850 census in Sweetland, Muscatine County: #41 Lorenzo Parsons, 33, farmer, born NY; Frances, 33, born Indiana; Sarah Davis, 9, Iowa; Simeon Parsons, 12, Ohio; Adalade Parsons, 6/12, Iowa; James W. Parsons, 33, farmer, New York. We do not know the parentage of Lorenzo Parsons. They are still in Sweetland in 1860: #220 Lorenzo Parsons, 47, New York; Frances, 44, Mo; Sarah F. Parsons [actually Davis], 19, Ia; Mary A[Adelaide] Parsons, 11; Eliza J. Parsons, 8; Phebe T. Parsons, 6; Chester B. Parsons, 4.

Lorenzo Parsons died 29 July 1864 and is buried in Harker Cemetery, Flat Iron Pt, Sweetland, Muscatine. Jim Greenwell sent us the following interesting obituary information: A researcher (Margaret Linehan) submitted the following to the Muscatine Genweb site: "MUSCATINE JOURNAL, Muscatine, Iowa, August 1, 1864: DEATH FROM BITE OF A RATTLESNAKE. Lorenzo Parsons, a farmer residing in Sweetland Township, in this county, was bitten on the forefinger of his hand by a rattlesnake, on Saturday 23d ult., from the effects of which he died last Saturday forenoon. At the time of receiving the bite, he was in the act of taking some corn out of a crib on the premises of Mr. Truitt. The snake it is supposed, was concealed in the husks, and if it sounded its rattle noise was not heard because of the rustling of the husks. The reptile was afterwards killed, and proved to be a small one, with only one rattle and a "button" on its tail--indicating its age to be a year and a half. Mr Parsons seemed but little concerned about the bite. He put some tobacco on the wound and went to work in the field, but in less than two hours was seized with vomiting. His arm became badly swollen and the swelling soon extended to his body, causing intense suffering and the purging of blood. In this condition he lingered for a week, when death ended his suffering. The deceased was about fifty years of age, and was one of the oldest residents of the county. He was a local preacher of the Methodist Church, an exemplary Christian, a valued neighbor and a respected citizen. Editors' note: Submitter mentioned that Lorenzo left a wife, Frances and five children, one of which was serving in the Civil War. Frances had a first husband, James Davis." [None of the children of Frances were old enough to serve in the Civil War! This probably refers to Simeon Parsons, stepson, who served in Co K 36th Illinois Infantry.]

Frances is found as widow in the 1870 census in Sweetland, Muscatine County: #200 Jane F. Parsons, 54, keeping house, born Mo; Jane [Eliza], 18, born Iowa; Phebe, 16, Ia; Chester, 14, Ia. Mary Adelaide had married Jackson H. Meade on 25 Dec 1865 in Muscatine County. We also find a marriage for Phebe to John Mann on 2 May 1872.

In 1880 we find step-son Simeon Parsons in David City, Butler County, Nebraska: Simeon Parson, mail carrier, 41, born Il, father born NY, mother Pa; Hattie Parson, wife, 36, born Il, father born NY, mother born New Hampshire; Frances Parson, other, 64, born Mo, father born Md and mother born Ohio. It is noted that only in the 1850 census record does Frances give herself as born Indiana and in other records she gives Missouri. Also the 1880 census gives parents birthplaces that do not match John and Mary Drury so there is still a possibility that this is not the correct Frances. We find nothing in 1880 on the other children of Frances.

Louisa Drury Reed: Louisa Marie Drury married Harper Reed. Louisa died sometime before 1847 (probably at the birth of daughter Louisa Maria Reed), as Harper married widow Sarah Canada in 1847. Harper was born 12/26/1809, died 4/22/1870 in Mercer County and is buried in Eliza Creek Cemetery, next to his mother-in-law, Mary Drury. The 1882 History of Mercer County mentions Rachel Reed, born 1843, as daughter of Harper and Louisa Drury Reed. This gave us the clue to daughter Louisa. Also the daughter Maria Reed is found with John and Mary Drury in the 1850 census, age 5.

Sarah Drury Sheriff: Sarah Drury was born 6/20/1820, died 5/14/1849, and is buried in Greenmound cemetery in Mercer County. She married Abram B. Sheriff on 10/20/1842 in Mercer County. He was a businessman and nurseryman in Keithsburg. They had children: Mary Frances Sheriff m. Calvin S. Orth; Courtland Sheriff; Rose Sheriff m. William B. Wolfe; and William Sheriff born 4/28/1849, died 5/12/1849 and buried in Greenmound cemetery. Since Sarah died on 5/14 it probably was of childbed fever. Abram Sheriff married again in 1851 to Anna Munson and had several more children.

James Drury: (Note - information on James has been corrected 8/8/2010 thanks to notes from Jim Greenwell and a revisit to Mercer County Cemetery Records.) James Drury was born 16 February 1825 and died 6 February 1918 in Mercer County, Illinois. He is buried in New Boston Cemetery along with second wife Amelia who was born 5 June 1840 and died 24 July 1908. The 1903 biography for James Drury gives his birthdate as Feb. 16, 1825.

James Drury married Jane Randolph 10/9/1851 (probably license date) in Mercer County. Lorna McIver tells us they divorced and married again as confirmed in the marriage records of Muscatine County, Iowa, where James Drury married Jane Randolph on 17 December 1861. (In the absence of proof of divorce, we also wonder if the Muscatine record is a transcription error for 17 December 1851 and the first marriage actually took place then?) During the first period of marriage they had children Elizabeth, born about 1852, Hannah born about 1854, and Byron born about 1857 per the 1860 census in Rock Island County.

We are not entirely sure when they actually remarried (if indeed there was a remarriage) as the next child was Metta Drury born 3/5/1870 according to her tombstone date in Eliza Creek Cemetery. She is shown as Metta, age 3/12 and born March according to the 1870 Rock Island census (also confirmed in the 1880 census where she is age 9). Lorna MacIver tells us the name was actually Palmetta, though she has a different birth date. Since the tombstone agrees with the census we feel it is likely correct. Metta Drury married Frank W. LeQuat on 11/5/1891 in Muscatine Iowa. We are not sure of the parentage of Frank LeQuat as he is found in the 1880 census in Rock Island: Eli Gambrel, 37, farmer, born In; Phebe, 38, wife, born Oh; Frank Lequatte, 17, stepson, working on farm.

That there were no Drury children between Byron and Metta is confirmed in the 1870 census in Drury Township, Rock Island County: James Drury, 45, farmer, born In; Jane, 38, born Pa; Hannah, 16, Il; Byron, 12, Il; Metta 3/12 (Mar), Il. Elizabeth is not at home in the 1870 census and we feel she could be the Lizzie Drury who married Levi Moss on 12/21/1869 in Rock Island County. We did not find Levi Moss in 1870 or 1880 to confirm whether or not this is the correct Elizabeth. The 1903 History gives her as wife of Fred Needham, but we could not corroborate that information either. According to the 1903 History, daughter Hannah married Jackson Boruff and Mettie married Frank LeQuatt.

James and Jane also had a son Orville G. Drury, born about 1873 and died 2/22/1876. He is buried next to his grandmother Mary Drury in Eliza Creek Cemetery and is identified as son of Jas. and J. D. Drury.

Lorna MacIver believes that James and Jane divorced again sometime in the 1880's and this may account for no burial record for her. The 1882 History also indicates a possible divorce in the 1880's with James Drury marrying second to Millie Spolader. There is a marriage between James Drury and Amelia Spolander on 27 May 1886 in Mercer County.

Hannah Drury Davis: Daughter Hannah Drury married Isaiah Davis, son of Benjamin and Catherine Thomas(?) Davis on 5/27/1844 in Mercer County. Hannah's sister Frances first married James Davis, brother of Isaiah. Benjamin Davis was born in 1780 and died 6 July 1848. He is buried in Crell Cemetery in Muscatine County. His wife Catherine supposedly died 1834 in Madison County, Indiana (information on Catherine is from World Family Tree and has not been verified).

Hannah was born 9/29/1823 in Indiana and died 11/15/1889 in Sweetland, Muscatine County, Iowa. She is buried in Harker Cemetery, Flat Iron Pt, Sweetland. Isaiah was born 2/10/1816 in Virginia and died 10/5/1890 in Sweetland and is buried next to Hannah in Harker Cemetery. There is a GAR marker indicating he served in the Civil War (we do not find him in Civil War records as serving from Iowa and wonder if this is correct, given his age?).

Isaiah and Hannah had children: Shepherd Davis (born about 1845, Iowa); Rachel Davis (born 1/14/1847 and died 6/20/1864, Sweetland and buried Harker Cemetery); John Davis (born about 1849, Iowa; Benjamin Davis (b. abt 1851); Charles Davis (b. abt 1853); Frank Davis, (b. abt 1856); Lucy Davis (b. abt. 1858); Lincoln Davis (b. 1861, d. 1917, buried Greenwood Cemetery, Muscatine); Dell Davis (b. abt 1863); Isaiah Davis (b. abt. 1865).

Lorna MacIver, who has helped with Drury information, is descended from Dell Davis who married George A. Ashby on 3 September 1884 in Muscatine County, Iowa.

Mahala Drury: Mahala Drury was born about 1829 and died 3/18/1840. She is buried in Eliza Creek Cemetery.

Rachel Drury Ives: Rachel is given as the widow of Gideon Ives in the history of John Drury above (Gideon died 1897). We will be putting up an Ives page but in the meantime will include the information here. Gideon Ives was born 1825 in Wallingford, New Haven, Connecticut, son of Gideon and Charlotte Hall Ives. He married Rachel Drury 6/2/1853 in Mercer County, Illinois. Gideon purchased the W/2NW Section 22 and SWSW Section 15 in Township 15N Range 5W (future Eliza Township on 10/17/1855.

According to the History of Mercer County, 1882 Gideon came west in 1843 and was involved for a number of years in merchandising. He first partnered with Elmer Denison as Denison and Ives until 1865. After 1880 he formed a partnership with his son Frank Ives and his son-in-law C. H. Ballard as Ives, Ballard & Co.

The children of Gideon and Rachel Drury Ives are listed in the History as: Frank, who married Miss Lizzie Moll; Jennie, wife of C. H. Ballard; Flora, Fred, Nellie (died in infancy), Hattie and Paul."

We find Frank Ives in Detroit, Michigan in 1880, boarding at 374 Woodward Avenue: Frank Ives, 26, boarder, bookeeper, born Il, parents birthplace not known; Elizabeth, wife, 25, born Ohio, parents born Germany. We did not find an Illinois marriage so they probably married in Michigan. Her name is verified in her second marriage: Mrs. Elizabeth M. Moll Ives married Charles Burt 1/28/1896 in Mercer County.

Jennie Ives married Charles Ballard, son of Robertson Shelton and Sarah Ann Griffith Ballard on 5/25/1880. We have nothing further on children.

We have nothing further on the other children except that they are verified in the 1880 census in New Boston: #101 Gideon Ives, 54, farmer, born Ct, parents born Ct; Rachel, 47, keeping house, Indiana, parents born Ohio; Flora, 20, Il; Fred, 18, Il; Hattie, 14, Il; Paul, 12, Il.

Arnold Drury Family

Arnold Drury married Sarah Shortridge on 6/7/1816 in Wayne County, Indiana. They are found in the 1850 census in Fall Creek Township, Madison Co, Indiana: #599 Arnold Drury, 56, farmer, born Pennsylvania; Silah [Sarah?], 63, born Pa. Next door to them at #600 is son James A. Drury, 25, born In, no occupation; Mary Ann, 24, born Va. Some distance away is son Morgan Shortridge Drury: #559 M. S. Drury, 23, merchant, born In; Elizabeth, 23, Va; Mariah 8/12, In. We do not find the marriages in Madison County but suspect some records may be missing. Arnold and Sarah had another son, Squire Thompson Drury, who had gone to Mercer County by 1850 where he is found living next to his uncle John Drury (more below). Dan Paxton has two daughters in the family, Keziah, born about 1829 and Eliza, born about 1832. We believe this completes the family as it matches census records for 1830 and 1840 in Madison County, Indiana: 1830: 2 males under 5 (James and M.S.), 1 male 10-15 (Squire Thompson), 1 male 30-40 (Arnold); 1 female under 5 (Keziah), 1 female 30-40 (Sarah). In 1840: 2 males 10-15 (James & M. S.), 1 male 40-50 (Arnold); 1 female 5-10 (Eliza), 1 female 10-15 (Keziah), 1 female 40-50 (Sarah).

Children of Arnold and Sarah Shortridge Drury

Squire Thompson Drury: Son Thompson Drury is found in Eliza Township in 1850 next door to John and Mary Reynolds Drury. Township 15N Range 5W #676: Thompson Drury, 32, farmer, born Indiana; Rebecca, 32, Va; Melissa E., 7, Ind; Emily P., 5, Ind; Salinda [Celinda], 4, Ind; Newton, 2, Il. Thompson was married to Rebecca Newton although we do not find the marriage record. Her daughter-in-law Ella Bishop Drury gives the surname and says that the Newton family was also of English ancestry and came from the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.

Thompson and Rebecca had another son, Wells Drury, born 9/16/1851 in Mercer County. When Wells was just ten months old, Thompson and Rebecca succumbed to the lure of the West and joined a wagon train to Oregon. On the way they both contracted Asiatic cholera and died within a few days of each other and are buried along the Platte River. The children were taken by different families but all kept their Drury names and kept in touch with each other.

Wells Drury was an exceptional person and had phenomenal experiences in the West. These are documented in a book written by Wells "An Editor on the Comstock Lode" which includes a forward written by his wife Ella Bishop Drury about the Bishop and Drury families and Wells' many accomplishments. A review of the book was written in the Reno Evening Gazette, October 22, 1836, as the book was published posthumously and the review documents some of his exceptional experiences. The book has been republished many times and there are used copies available at a very nominal price at Barnes and Noble.com. Look for one of the editions that includes the foreward by Ella, and includes photographs ( Photo of Wells Drury from the book.) Ella jokes in the book about their marriage on May 23, 1888 in a Nevada Insane Asylum. Her father Dr. Simeon Bishop was head of the State Hospital in Reno and their home was on the grounds of the asylum. Simeon Bishop married Alcey Hellen Apperson on 4/18/1855 in Clay County, Illinois, so Ella was born and bred in Illinois as well. She too had her tragedies as her mother died in Nevada when she was only 5 years old and she and a sister and brother were sent back to Clay County, Illinois, where they were in a boarding house in 1870 (probably with a relative). When her father remarried the children went back to Nevada.

An interesting item in the book is that Wells served under Abraham Lincoln as an Indian interpreter at the ripe age of 11 years. He applied for the position as his foster father, Alfred Ridgley Elder, was a boyhood friend of Lincoln. Wells, however, passed an exam for the position, making a higher score than adult applicants. He saved his federal salary and used it to attend college, first in Oregon, then at the University of California in Berkeley. Ella also mentions that Squire Thompson Drury was aware of his connection to the Boone family [through Susannah Boone Willits, mother of Rachel Willits Drury] so there is a possibility he was actually named for Squire Boone.

Other children of Squire Thompson and Rebecca Newton Drury: In 2010 Jim Cook sent us his research on Squire Thompson Drury. He tells us that daughter Melissa Ellen Drury was born 9 February 1843 in Madison Co, In and that she married Martin V. Payne in 1858 in Yamhill Co, Oregon. They had children Ellspeth, Clayborn, Milford, Rhodam, and Wells, all born Oregon. Daughter Emily Frances Drury was born 6 February 1845 in Madison Co, In and married Edmund Snow Saling in 1863 in Yamhill Co, Or. Daughter Celinda Susan Drury was born 22 December 1847 in Madison Co, In, and married Albert F. Roberts in 1865 in Yamhill Co, Or. They had children John Roberts, Minnie Roberts, Roxie Roberts, Rosella Roberts, William Roberts, Fred Roberts, and Lille Roberts. Son Newton Drury was born 10 Nov 1849 in Mercer Co, Il and died 16 Jan 1875. Jim Cook has considerably more information on all the children above and your Web Master has a copy of his research.

James Drury: Arnold Drury's son James is proven in the 1850 census in Fall Creek Township in Madison County, Indiana where he is living next door to Arnold and Sarah Drury: #599 Arnold Drury, 56, born Pa; Silah, 63, Pa; #600 James A. Drury, 25, born In; Mary Ann, 24, born Va; Lucinda Scott, 34, no birthplace; Malinda Scott, 4, In. We assume Lucinda was Mary Ann's sister but cannot prove it as no marriage is found for either Mary Ann or Lucinda in Indiana records. There is no record found for James Drury in either the 1860 or 1870 census. We suspect that his wife died and as many young men did in this time period that he "went west" and is not found in census records.

James Drury was born December 1, 1826 and died 11/30/1895 and is buried in Eliza Creek Cemetery. His birth date is calculated from his tombstone which gives his death date as age 68 yr 11 mo 29 dys. We speculate he returned at some time to Mercer County to visit his relatives. We did not find him in the 1880 census in Mercer or Rock Island Counties and there is no 1890 census for the area.

Morgan Shortridge Drury: In Historical Sketches and Reminiscences of Madison County, In, 1897, by John L. Forkner and Byron H. Dyson, it is mentioned that Morgan Drury owned a store in Menden and was later postmaster. The post office closed in 1851. This is born out by the 1850 census in Fall Creek Township, Madison County, Indiana: M. S. Drury, 23, merchant, born In; Elizabeth, 25, Va; Marion, 8/10, In. Researchers have his wife as Elizabeth Lambert, daughter of John Lambert. This seems credible, though the marriage record is not found, as John Lambert of the right age is found in Madison County in 1850.

In 1860 and 1870 Morgan and family are found in Bloomfield, Winneshiek County, Iowa: 1860 Morgan S. Drury, 33, farmer, In; Elizabeth, 33, In, Marion R., 10, In; Augustus W., 9, In; Mary E., 7, In; John L., 4, Ia; William L, 1, Ia; Peter Anderson, 26, laborer. 1870: M. S. Drury, 44, farmer, farm valued $13,880, Elizabeth, 44, Va; Marion R., 20, In; A. W., 18, In; Eva, 16, In; J. L., 14, Ia; Joseph Moak, 20, farm laborer. All the children were attending school.

In 1880 Morgan and family are found in the Village of Western, College Township, Linn County, Iowa: M. S. Drury, 53, minister, born In, father Pa, mother Ky; Elizabeth, 54, Va, parents born Va; John Norris Drury, 25, student, son. Son Marion R. Drury is found in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Ward 2: M. R. Drury, 31, minister, born In; Lucinda, 31, In; Florence B., 5, Oh; Philo W., 4, Ia.

Jim Greenwell found a link to the 1900 census and we found: 1900 Pasadena, Precinct 3, Los Angeles, California, Morgan S. Drewry, born August 1826, age 73, married 51 years, born In, father born Pa, mother born Ky; Elizabeth, born July 1826, 73, married 51 years, eight children born, 4 living, born Va, father born Pa, mother born Va.

Morgan and Elizabeth and Marion and Lucinda Drury are all buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Tama County, Iowa: Elizabeth Drury 1826-1905; Rev. M. S. Drury 1828-1902; Marion R. Drury 1849-1938; Lucinda D. Drury 1849-1921. Since Morgan and Elizabeth were in California in 1900 we are not sure whether they had returned to Iowa before their deaths or if they died in California.

We did not find Augustus in the 1880 census but he is found in 1920 in Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio: Augustus W. Drury, seminary professor, 68, born In, parents born In; Sophia B. Drury, 63, born Oh, father Oh, mother England; Agnes Drury, 39, Oh, teacher at state university. John L. Drury is found in San Diego, California in 1920: John L. Drury, 64, real estate office, born Ia, father US, mother Va; Carry M. Drury, wife, 51, Ia, father Oh, mother Ia.

Keziah Drury: We have no further information on Keziah Drury.

Eliza Drury Hamer: Jack Mason has sent us information on Eliza Drury who married Andrew J. Hamer. Eliza was born April 24, 1832 in Madison County, Indiana. She died October 5, 1917 and is buried in West Maplewood Cemetery in Anderson, Madison County, Indiana. Andrew Hamer was born November 19, 1827 in Ohio, and died December 28, 1893 and is also buried in West Maplewood Cemetery. They had children Evalene Salinda (9/14/1849-11/19/1913); Sisley Jane (2/13/1853-2/11/1911); Zoa Amelia (1/30/1856-1949); Selah Johanah (1/17/1859); Eliza (probably Ida Eliza born about 1862 in Missouri); Susan Ellen (12/9/1864-1947); Ulysses Grant Morton (12/12/1867-8/25/1930); Myrtle Zuiters (10/6/1870). We have much more from Jack and have census records verifying his information which we will post soon.

James Drury Family

James Drury was born between 1794 and 1804, probably in Pennsylvania, and died before 1829 in Wayne County, Indiana. He married Jane Moore on 2/18/1819 in Wayne County. She was daughter of Robert and Deborah Willits Moore, and was born between 1802 and 1804 in Pennsylvania. They are found in Wayne County in 1820: 1 male 16-26, 1 female under 10, and 1 female 16-18. Jane Moore Drury married Robert Deever on 10/29/1829 in Union County, Indiana which tells us James died before that date. James and Jane likely had another daughter born between 1820 and 1825 and a son born between 1820 and 1825 according to the 1830 census for Robert Diver. There is a bit more about Jane Moore Drury Diver on the Moore page.

Isaac Drury Family

Isaac Drury married Hannah Reese on 4/4/1821 in Wayne County, Indiana. He was born in 1799 in Pennsylvania and she was born 1800 in Pennsylvania. Isaac is not found in the 1850 census, but wife Hannah is found in 1850 in Drury Township in Rock Island County: Hannah Drury, 50, born Pa; Sarah J., 16, Pa; Jesse R., 14, Il; Horace 12, Il; James M., 10, Il. Next door to her is daughter Celia who married David Duffield on 1/3/1850 in Mercer County. With David and Celia are Emily Duffield, age 8, and Minerva Drury, age 6. We believe both of these are sisters of Celia. Minerva is later censused as Vasthti. We also believe that the boy censused as Horace is actually Paris Drury as he is proven later to belong in the family and Horace is not mentioned again. We did not find Isaac in 1850. He bought land in Putnam County, Missouri in 1856 and 1857 and he might have been out and about looking for land as early as 1850. He did not join in the buying of land in Mercer and Rock Island County as his brothers did so was apparently not so satisfied with the country.

We believe Isaac and Hannah had two other sons: Isaiah, born about 1827, and William, born about 1829. Isaiah is living two doors from Hannah in Rock Island County in 1850 (listed as Isaac), age 23, with wife Margaret and children Samuel and Mahala. Later census records correctly identify him as Isaiah. We do not find William in 1850 but wonder if he was with his father, having just reached the age of majority and not yet married.

By 1860 Isaac and Hannah are living in Union County, Putnam County, Missouri: Isaac Drury, 60, farmer, born Pa; Hannah, 60, Pa; Jesse, 23, Il; Piras(sic), 22, Il; Emily, 18, Il; Vashti {Minerva in 1850}, 16, Il. Next to them are daughters Sarah (married to James Robins) and son James M. Drury. Isaac and Hannah then lived out their lives in Missouri.

Children of Isaac and Hannah Reese Drury

Isaiah Drury: Isaiah was born about 1827 in Indiana. He married Margaret Jane Leech, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Leech, 11/24/1846 in Mercer County. (Susan Parks has researched the Leech family and her research is linked to our Leech page.) She was born about 1829 in Virginia. The marriage record is as Isaiah. In 1870 they are in Marion Township, Marshall County, Iowa, but had spent some time in Missouri: Isaiah Drury, 43, farmer, In; Margaret, 41, Va; Samuel, 22, Il; Reese, 17, Il; Albert, 15, Mo; Mary, 13, Mo; Lafayette, 10, Mo; William, 9, Mo; Clara, 5, Ia.

William Drury: Though we did not find William near Hannah in the 1850 census, he married Mary Lucretia Krisler on 9/1/1853 in Rock Island County. She was daughter of John and Martha Krisler, born about 1834 in Pa, and the Krisler family lived very near Hannah Drury in 1850. (Note: the marriage record is as Kistler). By 1870 William was a sheriff in Rock Island County. In the 1870 census there are a bunch of people with them and also a deputy sheriff so we would guess they lived at the jail. One of the people is characterized as "jail bird." One of their children was born Missouri, indicating they too had been there briefly. 1880 2nd Ward of Rock Island, Rock Island County: William Drury, 41, sheriff, born In; Mary, 36, Pa; Perry, 15, Il; John, 11, Mo; Jessie (f), 6, Il; Logan, 2, Il.

Celica Drury Duffield: Celica Drury married David M. Duffield on 1/3/1850. They had one child Addison, born about 1850 and died before 1860 according to family lore. Celica may have died as a result of the birth as David had remarried before 1855. Curiously, in the 1870 census there is an Addison Duffield, age 20, with the David and Rebecca Noland Duffield family (for more on David Duffield and his third wife, Rebecca Noland, see the Noland page). Addison's age matches this Addison but his birthplace is given as Pennsylvania, and he proved to be a son of David Duffield's brother George of Bedford County, Pennsylvania.

Sarah J. Drury Robbins: Sarah J. Drury married James L. Robbins on 11/7/1851 in Rock Island County. They too went to Missouri, where Sarah died, perhaps in childbirth, about 1864. James and a second wife Dorcas are found in Union, Putnam County, Missouri in 1870: James L. Robbins, 42, Pa; Dorcas, 29, Ky; Oliver, 15, Mo; Edmund, 12, Mo; Lee, 10, Mo; Ida, 7, Mo; Keziah, 2, Mo. In 1860 they were living next to Isaac and Hannah Drury in the same county.

Jesse Reese Drury: Jesse Drury may have married in Missouri as we do not find a marriage in Illinois. He and wife Sarah are found in the 1880 census in Union Township, Putnam County, Missouri: Jesse Drury, 45, farmer, born Il, father Va, mother Pa; Sarah, 41, Il, father Tn, mother Ky; Mary M., 18, Mo; Hannah M, 17, Mo; Jas M. 14, Mo; Ira N., 13, Mo; Wm, 12, Mo; Ruth, 10, Mo; Sarah J., 8, Mo; Dollie, 6, Mo; Elizabeth, 5, Mo; Daniel, 2, Mo.

Paris Drury: Paris Drury is also found in Union Township, Putnam County, Missouri in 1880: Paris Drury, 41, farmer, born Il, father NY, mother Pa; Mary, 42, NY, parents born Ireland; James M., 18, teacher, Mo; William M. Boner, 18, nephew, teacher, Mo. William Boner is son of Paris's sister Emily Drury Boner.

James M. Drury: James M. Drury is found next to sister Sarah J. Robins in 1860 in Union Township, Putnam County, Mo, and two doors from Isaac and Hannah Drury. 1860: Jas M. Drury, 21, In; Artemissa, 20, Il; Courtney 2/12, Mo. In 1870 they are in Prairie Township, Bates County, Missouri: James M. Drury, 32, farmer, Il; Artimi, 32, In; Sarah B., 9, Mo; Isaac J, 4, Mo; Charles T, 2, Mo; Charlotte 3/12 Mo. Dan Paxton has much information on this family from Civil War pension papers and obituaries.

Emily Drury Boner: Mathew and Emily Drury Boner are found in Sherman Township, Putnam County, Missouri in 1870: Mathew Boner, 31, farmer, born Il; Emily, 28, Il; William W., 8, Mo; Isaac, 6, Mo; Horace, 4, Mo; James L., 2, Mo. That it is the correct Emily is verified by son William Boner who is living with Paris Drury in 1880 (see above) and is listed as nephew.

Vashti Drury Campbell: Vashti Drury married Jesse Campbell, probably in Putnam County, Missouri. They are found in the 1880 census in Wilson, Putnam County, Missouri: Jesse Campbell, 39, farmer, born Oh, parents born Ohio; Vashti, 35, born Il, father Oh, mother Pa; Delno {Dell in 1870}, son, 13, Mo; William, 10, Mo; Edward, 9, Mo; Millie, 5, Mo; Fanny, 2, Mo.

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"Pathways to the Present in 50 Iowa and Illinois Communities" gives us some interesting bits of information about William Drury, the builder of Verdurette. "...one historian notes, 'Spiritualism was tolerably strong in New Boston.' William Drury was a Spiritualist and vowed that he would return after death. ... William Drury, one of Mercer County's most colorful citizens... In 1850, Drury started a cash store, but he retired for health reasons in 1853. His idea of retirement was to make a fortune in real estate. ...Drury built Verdurette, his elegant Gothic mansion east of New Boston, in 1855, surrounding it with a deer park filled with buffalo, elk and deer. He willed money for the founding of William and Vashti College in Aledo to perpetuate his memory and that of his wife. After much litigation, the college finally opened, but it lasted only 15 years...."

Updates:
8/8/2010 Corrected burial information on James Drury, son of John and Mary Reynolds Drury, and added burial information for James Drury, son of Arnold and Sarah Shortridge Drury.
8/29/2007 Added information from the 1903 Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Mercer County to James Drury, son of John and Mary Reynolds Drury.

7/2010 Adding inforation to the Squire Thompson Drury family courtesy of Jim Cook and his research.

Drury Families-----------------------------