William Cohenour
I am a descendant of William Cohenour that Paul Rickart has on your Tazewell County, Illinois site. The correct information is that there was 2 William Cohenour's in Tazewell County at the time. One born in Ohio and my ancestor who was born in Illinois.
The following was submitted by Mary Watts on 5-12-2016
The following is on my William Cohenour:
William Cohenour born March 4, 1839 in Tazewell County, Illinois, married January 17, 1867 Appanoose County, Iowa to Sarah Jane Green.
Born to this marriage was Louis Franklin Cohenour (December 8, 1867), Mary Elizabeth Cohenour (August 1, 1869), Sarah Etta Cohenour (February 28, 1871), William Sanford Cohenour (January , 1875), James Aaron Cohenour (April 30, 1877), Jemima Ellen “Nellie” Cohenour (September 16, 1882), Bessie Olive Cohenour (February 2, 1886), Florence Ethel Cohenour (November 8, 1892)
William Cohenour died November 18, 1918 in Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa.
William was in Company F, Unit was 11th Illinois Calvary, he joined September 21, 1861 in Pekin, Illinois, mustered in December 20, 1861 was discharged for disability (date not listed). He was 20, 5'-7” Light hair and Hazel eyes, single and a farmer, Nativity listed in Illinois. His residence was listed as Pekin, Tazewell County, Illinois
William was also in Company F, Unit 8 Illinois US Infantry, he joined January 14, 1864 in Pekin, Illinois, mustered in February 2, 1864 at Camp Butler, mustered out May 4, 1866 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was 22, 5'-8 ½”, Dark Hair, Hazel eyes, Farmer Nativity was listed in Pekin, Tazewell County, Illinois.
William's parents are unknown and so are his siblings.
He does list his parents as being born in Illinois on all the census' I can find.
I have a letter that was transcribed for him to the military about the information concerning his birth. He states he was raised by his Grandparents but did not list their names since they were deceased. So I have no information on him before the military. I have possible found him working for Jacob and Ellen Jackson as a laborer on the 1860 Tazewell County, Spring Lake, Illinois.
Louis Franklin Cohenour is my line through his eldest daughter.
This record shows another William Cohenour:
Born 1842 in Ohio died June 29, 1911 in St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri, married May 2, 1867 in Tazewell County, Illinois to Alma Cline
They had 2 children that I could find, Henry Cohenour born March 16, 1868 in Tazewell County, Illinois and Melvin Cohenour born 1869 in Tazewell County, Illinois. They were on the 1870 Tazewell County, Illinois Census.
William's parents were Jacob Cohenour and Mary Wood. William's siblings were Jacob Cohenour Jr., Robert Cohenour, Hiram Cohenour, Mary Cohenour, John Cohenour, Susanna Cohenour, Levi Cohenour, David L Cohenour, Sarah Cohenour and Emma Jane Cohenour.
William Cohenour was in Company E, Unit was 47th Illinois US Infantry, he joined August 16, 1861 in Peoria, Illinois, mustered in August 16, 1861, mustered out in October 11, 1864 in Springfield, Illinois. He was 22, 5'-6”, Light hair, Blue eyes, Single, Farmer, Nativity was listed in Ohio
The following summary was submitted by Paul Rickert on 7-8-2009:
William Cohenour, a member of Company F, 11th Illinois Cavalry, was a resident of Pekin, Tazewell County, Illinois according to records in the Illinois State Archives. At the time of his mustering at Camp Butler, Springfield, IL., William was 22, 5'-8 ½ ” with dark hair, hazel eyes, light complexion, and listed as a farmer. He mustered in for a period of 3 years. William was mustered out May 4, 1866 in Baton Rouge, LA. (This information is from Illinois Civil War Muster and Descriptive Rolls of the Illinois State Archives.)
The parents of William appear to be Richard McCormack and Jane Hill who were married in Scott County, Sep. 7, 1841 according to the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index. Nov 14, 1848 in Scott County, a Jane McCormack is listed as having married Caleb H. PercThe various census records list Calebs surname as PERRY.'. Apparently, Richard Sr. died before November 1848 as he does not appear in later census records. In succeeding censuses, Richard Jr. is listed in the household of Caleb H. Perry.
It appears that William had 2 wives. He married Alma Cline Mary 2, 1867 in Tazewell County, IL. Her last child was born in 1876. Note that the 1900 census indicates that William's wife was Sarah and that they had been married 26 years. It would appear that William migrated to Wapello County before 1880. There is no obvious reason why he migrated there.
According to the WPA reading of the Ottumwa Cemetery, William was born in 1841 and died Nov 18, 1918 in Ottumwa, IA. He was listed as a member of Company F, 11th Illinois Cavalry.
Sources
Illinois Statewide Marriage Index
Cohenour, William married Alma Louisa Cline May 2, 1867 in Tazewell County. Book C, page 188. (The Tazewell county records do not issue a license numbers for marriages at the time.)
Census Records
1850 IL, Scott Co. John Conner (56, DE, farmer), Ealonor (35, PA), James (22, OH, farmer), Margaret (17, OH), John (13, IL), William (8, IL), Martha A (4, IL).
1860 IL, Tazewell Co., Spring Lake. William Cohenour (18, IL, Laborer) was living in the living in the home of Jacob Jackson (47, OH, laborer).
1870 IL, Tazewell Co., Pekin. Wm. Cohenour (25, IL, teamster), Alma L (23, IL), Henry (2, IL), and Melvin (1⁄12, IL).
1880 IL, Tazewell Co., Cincinnati. William Coehnous (42, OH, Laborer), Alma (28, NY), Henry (10, IL), Hillen (7, IL, son), and George (4, IL).
1900 IA, Wapello, Center Twp. William Cohenour (53, born April 1847, IL, teamster), Sarah J (wife, 50, born Dec 1849, IA), Nellie (daughter, 17, IA), Bessie (daughter, 14, IA), Mary Adcock (daughter, 30, born Aug 1870, IL, widow), plus Mary's 7 children.
Sarah had 6 children, 5 living. Sarah and William were married 26 years which puts their marriage in 1874. So Alma Cline may have died in the early 1870s'. The census shows that William's father was born in Illinois and his mother in Ireland.
1910 IA, Wapello, Ottumwa. William Cohenour (64, IL, laborer), Sarah J (60, IA), and James (38, IA, divorced). They had been married for 45 years which was in 1875. NOTE: Even though Alma is listed on the 1880 census, the 1900 and 1910 list censuses indicate that William and Sarah were married about 1875.
1920 IA, Wapello, Ottumwa. Sarah J Cohenour (67, IA, widowed) and James O (41, IA)
Civil War Records
Ancestry.com
Pension Records show that William, who was in Co F, 8th IL Inf. and Co F, 11th IL Cav., was approved for invalid pension 16 March 1882. In 1919, Jan 10, Sarah J was approved for a widow's pension. Death (from WPA records)
1 No clues were found as to reason for William's migration to Wapello County, Iowa.
3 The various census records list Caleb's surname as PERRY.