Jacob J. CUMPSTON

  General Notes:

1854 MARRIAGE of Jacob J. Cumpston and Pleasant Kirby on September 18 in Woodford County, Illinois

1855 MOVE from Woodford County, Illinois to Livingston County, Illinois

1860 CENSUS, Illinois, Livingston County, Indian Grove Township, P. O. Fairbury (August 8) ("Jacob," age 35, "Farmer") (wife "Pleza," age 25) ("Cumpston" on census page)

1863 REGISTRATION, Civil War Draft, Illinois, Livingston County, Indian Grove Township, 8th Congressional District (June) ("Jacob Cumpston," age 43, "Farmer," born in Pennsylvania) (Class 2)

1870 CENSUS, Illinois, Livingston County, Indian Grove Township, P. O. Fairbury (August 4) (Jacob J.," age 50, "Farmer") (wife "Pleasant," age 45) ("Compton" on census page)

1880 CENSUS, Illinois, Livingston County, Indian Grove Township (June 1) ("J. J.," age 57, Farmer") (wife "Plessy," age 50) ("Compston" on census page)

1880 CENSUS, U. S. Federal Census Non-Population Schedule, Illinois, Livingston County, Indian Grove Township (June 1) (Jae J. Compston," Agriculture)

1880 CENSUS, U. S. Federal Census Non-Population Schedule, Illinois, Livingston County, Indian Grove Township (August 3) ("Jacob Compton, Jr.," Manufacturing)

1900 CENSUS, Illinois, Livingston County, Indian Grove Township (June 30) ("Jacob," age 79, "Farmer") (wife "Pleazy," age 66) (Pleasant is documented as the mother of 1 child, 0 children living in the year 1900; she and Jacob had been married 47 years) ("Cumpston" on census page)

1909 DEATH, Jacob J. Cumpston at 88 years 8 months 25 days

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1910 CENSUS, Illinois, Livingston County, Indian Grove Township, Fairbury (April 20) ("Pesant," widow, age 76, "own income") (census taken in April) (In contrast to the 1900 census, Pleasant is shown as the mother of 0 children, 0 children living in the year 1910)

1910 DEATH of wife, Pleasant (Kirby) Cumpston, at 77 years 6 months 0 days (in December)


Jacob and Pleasant have no descendants




BOOK: HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY, ILLINOIS published by W. Le Baron, Jr. & Co., Chicago, Illinois, 1878, page 739:

JACOB J. CUMPSTON, farmer, Sec. 14; P. O. Fairbury; born in Greene Co., Penn., Dec. 24, 1821, where he resided till the Spring of 1852, when he removed to Illinois, locating in Brimfield Tp., Peoria Co., and in the following December removed to Cazenovia Tp., Woodford Co.; removed to his present home in the Spring of 1855; owns ninety acres of land, valued at $4,500. Married in Woodford Co., Ill., Sept. 18, 1854, to Miss Pleasy (sic) Kirby, who was born in Greene Co., Penn., June 6, 1833. Mr. Cumpston's father (Jacob) who now resides with his son, is probably the oldest person in Livingston Co.; he was born Nov. 10, 1784.




BOOK: LIVINGSTON COUNTY BUSINESS DIRECTORY, Charles A. Stuck, Publisher, Odell, Illinois, 1898, includes a bio with photo of Jacob J. Cumpston, as follows:

Jacob J. Cumpston

One of the oldest settlers and best known citizens of Indian Grove Township is Jacob J. Cumpston, who lives on his fine eighty-acre farm one mile south of Fairbury.

Mr. Cumpston is a native of Pennsylvania. He was born in Greene County, in that state, December 14, 1820*. His father was a farmer and Jacob was brought up to hard labor working with his father on the farm until he was twenty-one years of age, acquiring habits of thrift and industry. After he reached majority he engaged in working for others on a farm. His mother was a descendant of one of the oldest families of Virginia. (What family might that have been?! --DeeAnna) He was married in September, 1853 to Miss Pleasant Kirby, of Greene County, Pa., by whom he had one child, a son, who died in infancy. Mr. Cumpston came to Livingston County in 1855 and purchased the farm which has been his place of residence for forty-three years and on which he still lives. Settlers on the broad prairie were few and far between when Mr. Cumpston settled there. He has witnessed the wonderful growth and advancement of Central Illinois during the latter half of the nineteenth century, advancement unparalleled in the history of the world. He is a man of strict integrity and is honored and respected by all who know him. Politically he is a Democrat, yet the confidence placed in him by his neighbors was such that he was elected School Trustee of his Township, in which a large majority of the voters were Republicans.

Mr. Cumpston is a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity.


*The 1878 HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY provides Jacob's date of birth as December 24, 1821. Because the 1900 census also provides "December, 1820," I have used the year 1820 in this database. --DeeAnna

Jacob married Pleasant KIRBY, daughter of James KIRBY and Orpha MYERS, on September 18, 1854 in Woodford County, Illinois. (Pleasant KIRBY was born on June 6, 1833 in Greene County, Pennsylvania, died on December 6, 1910 in Livingston County, Illinois and was buried in Graceland Cemetery, Fairbury, Livingston County, Illinois.)