Biography - Benjamin F. Ozbun
BENJAMIN F. OZBUN was born in Sumner county, Tennessee, Nov. 11, 1810, and
is the fourth of a family of seven children of Bartholomew and Elizabeth
Ozbun. Bartholomew Ozbun was a native of Botetourt county, Va., and was born
in the year 1777. His father, Benjamin Ozbun, had two sons who served in the
army during the revolutionary war, and after peace was declared, Benj. Ozbun
removed, with his family, to North Carolina, where he was engaged in farming
a few years. He then settled, with his family in Bourbon county, Ky., lived
there between six and eight years and then left the "dark and bloody ground"
for the more genial climate of Sumner county, Tenn., where he soon became
quite a large planter, growing, as the staple crops, cotton and corn. He
continued to reside on his plantation until his death. Bartholomew Ozbun was
married, in 1805, to Elizabeth Abbott, daughter of John and Margaret Abbott.
Mr. Abbott was an old soldier in the struggle for American liberty. In the
fall of 1816 Mr. Ozbun moved, with his young family, to the territory of
Illinois, locating on a tract of land, and the following spring his wife and
his youngest son were prostrated by the malarious disease infecting that
neighborhood and, after a brief illness, died. Disheartened by the loss of
his wife and child, whose deaths occurred in July, 1817, he soon after
returned to the scenes of his boyhood in Sumner county, and there bought a
portion of the farm which he had previously owned. Soon after, he married
Elizabeth Bandy, by whom he had four sons and two daughters. About the year
1860 he came to Greene county, and soon after died.
Benjamin F. Ozbun came to the territory of Illinois with his parents in
1816, though most of his early boyhood was spent in clearing up his father's
farm, and, like boys of that period, he early became inured to the toils of
farm labor, and it is said that he has split more rails than the illustrious
Lincoln himself, though he did not happen to become President. The old
gentleman is an original genius, and a fair type of a Tennessean. In 1832 he
left home and went to Greene county, Ind., where he stayed until the fall of
1834, when he located in Greene county, Ill., landing here with fifty cents
in silver and a horse; and with that outfit he set out for himself. His
first work was done for that veteran pioneer, Samuel Thomas, at twelve
dollars per month. Not liking a bachelor's life, with the accustomed
Tennessee gallantry he concluded, as he humorously expressed it, "to take a
wife in out of the cold," in the person of Miss Nancy McCool. Their union
took place on the 9th of July, 1837. She was born in Pope county, Ill.,
August 10, 1817, and was the daughter of Jesse McCool, who was formerly from
Ireland. After his marriage, Mr. Ozbun moved on the farm which he previously
purchased, situated in the northeast part of the county, near the Sulphur
springs. In 1857 they moved on the farm where they now reside, about three
and a half miles south of Carrollton. They have had ten children, four of
whom are deceased. Their eldest daughter, Elizabeth J., is the wife of John
Roberts, resident of this county. A sad bereavement to the family occurred
in August, 1872, occasioned by the accidental death of their son, George W.
Ozbun. Mr. Ozbun can be considered to have been successful. Besides raising
a large family, he has surrounded himself with the comforts of home.
Democratic principles seem to have been inborn in Mr. Ozbun. He says he
remembers seeing the old "Hermitage" and its illustrious owner. He voted
first for Andrew Jackson for President, and has made it a point to vote at
each succeeding election. He is classed as among the old settlers of Greene
county.
Extracted 07 Sep 2018 by Norma Hass from Atlas Map of Greene County Illinois, 1873, page 50.
