THE HISTORY OF THE BOLIN FAMILY
THE HISTORY OF THE BOLIN FAMILY
by
H.E. Bracken
This is a short history of the Bolin Family and by no means a complete one.
This part of the family’s history was written by H.E. Bracken at the Bolin Reunion
in the year 1939 and retyped by William Albert Lane (Bill) for this grandfather,
John William Bracken
Nancy Bolin (born Taylor) was born October 24, 1803 on the Ashly River six miles from Charleston,
South Carolina. Her family then moved to Kentucky when she was about six weeks old and settled on
the Sinking River. James Bolin was born second day of December 1796 in the state of Tennessee. He
was raftsman and he floated logs in rafts to New Orleans with other men and they walked back from
the trips hunting as they came. About the time Illinois became a state or a little later the Taylor family
left Kentucky and spent a winter in a log camp at the mouth of the Little Wabash River, after crossing
the Ohio River at Shawnee town. They later lived in Hamilton County. While living here Polly Taylor,
a sister of Nancy Taylor Bolin, married Nathin Garrison. When the fourth child, Meletha was borne in
1880, the family moved to Moultrie County and settled on where is now the Brackin farm. Granny
Bolin always said they came the "Winter of the Deep Snow", and drove over Stake and Ridered
Fences. She also said that Meletha was six weeks old at the time, having been born the 26th of
January 1830. According to the history of Moultrie County, James Bolin made the second entry of
land, in what is now know as Jonathan Creek Township, in 1831.
James Bolin died April 18, 1847. Nancy Bolin died April 8, 1887.
John Taylor was married twice, both wives having the name Susan. Nancy Bolin was a child of the
first wife. The second wife was nicknamed "Granny Sukey" by the older children. When they were
leaving Kentucky they had to cross the Ohio River and they had to cross in a "flat boat". The wind
(rather strong at the time) was blowing causing "white caps" to dance across the boat. With all of the
rough water, Granny Sukey was so scared that she thought that she would never get across alive.
When grandfather Bolin came to this farm, a man by the name of Martin lived there. He was what was
called a "squatter". I suppose that grandfather Bolin bought out Mister Martins "squatter’s rights. The
first man who lived on this farm was a hunter by the name of Jonathan Bordon, and he had a lean-to
on a log camp about thirty five rods south west of the present Bracken residence.
The Bolin family was making the trip up to what is now Moultrie county with another family. The
family being comprised of Uncle Ben Auxier, several half brother of James Bolin by the name of
Standerfer. All the names that I can remember are; Uncle Jerry, Uncle Frank and Uncle Arch. Aunt
Sally Standerfer married Evan Waller and she afterwards married Tom Purvis.
Granny Bolin told me of one incident of the trip on the way up here as follows. It seems that the
weather turned bad either cold, rainy or snowy, and they came to a settlers house and asked if the
women and children could stay in the house for the night. The man turned them down almost before
he was asked. Uncle Ben Auxier told the rest of the family to drive in and that he was going to have to
throw down the Amish man. Afterward Granny said that they had no trouble from the Amish man and
that he was actually a very nice man. She said that the wife of the Amish man got milk for the children
and glad to have them stay.
The older people of the Reunion of 1939 will remember the Standerfer family and what became of
them. Of the Taylor family I couldn’ t locate my history of them but what I remember of it is as
follows; John Taylor, Granny Bolin's brother, settled on the farm that Frank Pound now owns and
another son on the old Martin farm where Russell Yaw now lives. About the time of the death of
Grandfather Bolin (1847) John Taylor and some of his sons moved to Ames, Iowa. Several of Granny
Bolins's brothers settled around Springfield, Illinois. The ones I remember are Uncle Simon, Uncle
Isaac and Uncle Ninian, but he was nick named "Ning".
The Taylor family organized a reunion about 1910 and our (the Bracken Family) have attended some
of them. They had as many as 400 people at some of the reunions. I tried to get some of the family
history recently but Roscoe Taylor’s house burned down and all of the records were lost. I have the
Book of Josepheus in which the names and dates of birth of the Bolin family is recorded. The book
also has part of the births of Uncle Will Bolin’s family and Aunt Meletha Drew. A copy of birth record
of the Bolin is as follows:
William B. Bolin (son of James Bolin) was born Monday the 26th of April 1824.
Job Bolin was born Tuesday the 12th day of March 1826
John Bolin was born Saturday the 5th day of April 1828.
Meletha Bolin was born Tuesday the 26th day of January 1830.
James R. Bolin was born Tuesday the 8th day of April 1832.
Jeremiah Bolin was born Saturday the 29th day of March 1834.
Zerilda Bolin was born Friday the 4th day of August 1836.
Elisabeth Bolin was born Wednesday the 23rd day of January 1839.
Martha Amm Bolin was born Friday the 15th day of November 1841
Nancy Bolin was born Saturday the 10th day of November 1844.
The marriages of Nancy Bolin’s children are as follows:
William Bolin married Jane Fulton.
Job Bolin married Harriet Hagerman.
John Bolin first married Mrs. Eliza Jane Wolford
(She was born Shanton near Quincy, Illinois).
and after her death he married Mrs. Seize Kercheval.
(She was born Standerfer)
John and Seize were divorced and he married Louise Miller.
Meletha Bolin married Chesley Drew.
James R. Bolin married Ann Hayes.
Jeremiah Bolin married Margaret Bouhaw.
Zerilda Bolin married Samuel Miller
Elizabeth Bolin was first married to Tennessee Bonham
and she afterward married Silas Kearney.
Martha Amm Bolin married James Purvis.
Nancy Bolin marred John E. Bracken.
I have heard Granny Bolin tell of things she remembered while she was growing up. She told of
hearing about the battle of New Orleans, how the Americans whipped General Packenhaw by firing
chain shot at the British, that seemed to be two cannon balls on each end of a chain that mowed the
British down. I don’ t know whether Grandfather Bolin was in the battle or not. She also heard talk
about the French General Lafayette being in this country. I think about the year 1825. She also told
about the Stars falling about 1835 and some religious sect that put on white robes and got up on
stumps ready to fly to Heaven when they jumped off they just fell to the earth.
Some of the superstitions of the old folks were; that you must never raise an umbrella in the house
and that you must never carry any hand tools, such as an ax, spade, hoe or a shovel, through the house
on your shoulder. They also had an old saying that if you sing before you had eaten you would cry
before you went to sleep. This saying only referred to breakfast.
copied from twillastinytreasures.com