John Foster Creasey
The Western Illinois Museum is pleased to post the story of John Foster Creasey researched and written by Janet Creasey Sowers in 2006. Beginning the photograph of a young Civil War soldier was the inspiration to investigate her family’s genealogy and is a great example of how treasured artifacts can be a source for a greater understanding of our collective and personal history.
John Foster Creasey was the second child and son born to Bird Smith and Nancy George Wilks Creasey. He was an older brother to Hiram Furgerson, father of my grandfather, Vilasco, Charles, Burt and Ralph Creasey as well as five sisters. James Francis was the first child born to Bird and Nancy. Public documents list James’s or “Frank” as he was known and John Foster’s birth place as Alabama. Family records from Nellie Creasey’s scrapbook and Vindy Martin’s Bible report that James Frances was born June 5, 1841 and John Foster was born in April of 1843. Bird and Nancy Creasey’s family is listed on the 1850 census in Greenup County, Kentucky. Four children are listed with them, James F. age 9, John F. age 7, George W., age 3 , and Hiram F. age 1. A daughter Mary Ann was born on December 20, 1844. She died in October of 1849. One more son, Henry Thomas was born in Kentucky on September 20, 1850. A marriage license was issued to Bird and Nancy on December 12, 1839 in Lauderdale County, Alabama, present day Florence, AL. Gaylord Mason found this document with great difficulty at Florence library site as Bird’s name is listed as B.S. Grason. The document was found by searching the bride’s index with Nancy George Wilk’s name. Nellie Creasey’s scrapbook and Vindy Martin’s family history from her Martin family Bible provided birth dates for Nancy and Bird as well as their wedding date which allowed verification that Bird’s name was misspelled.
The Creasey family has not been located on public documents in Alabama after this December 12, 1839 date. They next appear on the 1850 census in Greenup County, Kentucky. The birth places of their two oldest children (James and John) are listed on this census as being in Alabama. Nancy George’s mother, Mary “Polly” Wilks is also on this 1850 census living in Greenup County, KY with her son James, an ordained minister, and his wife. James and his wife have no children but a child is living with them. James, Nancy’s brother, died in 1851 and it is surmised that Mary “Polly” Wilks went to live with Nancy and Bird. Creasey family history from obituaries and anecdotal accounts reveal the Creasey family came to Illinois in 1854. Mary “Polly” Wilks came with them. She died in Illinois on November 18, 1863. She is buried at Friendship cemetery with Bird Smith and John Foster Creasey. Nancy, James Francis “Frank”, George W., Hiram, and Henry Thomas are all buried at Argyle cemetery. Henry’s is an unmarked grave but obituaries indicate he is buried at Argyle. Obituaries also indicate that Grover Cleveland Creasey, a son of George Washington Creasey is buried at Argyle in an unmarked grave. Two little girls were born to the Creasey family after 1850 and prior to their leaving for Illinois in 1854. Sarah Lavinda Creasey, sister of Hiram Furgerson (his wife was Sarah Lavinia) was born April 10, 1852 and Mariah Adeline Creasey was born January 8, 1854. Two more little girls joined the Creasey family after they arrived in Illinois, Martha Alice born February 18, 1857 and Eliza Jane born May 29, 1858. It is reported on a special census taken for individuals who died in the census year of 1860 that Bird Smith died on July 25, 1860 of cancer. A family history sheet in a scrapbook of Nellie Creasey reports he died of a tumor.
Last year (2005) at the Creasey reunion held at Larry and Tina Creasy’s country home, I was given a picture and told that it was thought to be “one of the Creasey boys.” It does indeed appear to be one of the Creasey boys and the only Creasey boy that I did not have a picture of. The picture is not labeled so we may never know for certain that it is John Foster Creasey. The hat the individual is wearing is not a typical Union soldier’s hat. The picture was in Alleynne Creasy Kelley’s collection. I am so thankful to have this picture to complete the Bird Smith Creasey family picture album. There is no known picture of Mary Ann, the third child and first daughter of Bird and Nancy, who died at age 5 ½ in 1844.
Here is what we know about John Foster Creasey. John Foster, age 16 is listed with his family on the 1860 McDonough County, Hire Township census. He then appears on a McDonough County 1862 Military Census for Hire Township. His age is 18. He is listed as born in Kentucky (this is a common finding with this family, we are fairly certain the three older children of Bird and Nancy, that is, James, John, and Mary Ann were born in Alabama as the family is not on a census in Kentucky until 1850 and on that census undoubtedly with correct information provided by their parents Alabama is listed as their place of birth). John is listed as a farmer on the 1862 military census, Enlisted in Company (none listed, mustering out records report it as Co I.), 124th Regt. Illinois Vol. James F. Creasey, John’s oldest brother, is also listed on this military census, age 21 born in Kentucky and a farmer.
This is what we know in part from the Illinois Archives about the 124th Illinois Infantry. The ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FOURTH INFANTRY was representative, self-raised Regiment recruited from Henry, Kane, McDonough, Sangamon, Jersey, Adams, Wayne, Cook, Putnam, Mercer and Christian counties. August 27, 1862, the first company went into camp at Camp Butler near Springfield. Six days later all were in camp, and the field officers chosen. September 10th it was mustered into the United States service for three years, by Lieutenant F.E. DeCourcey.
Additional information from Illinois Archives tells us that Captain Abraham Newland from Tennessee, Illinois was also in the ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FOURTH INFANTRY, company I the same as John Foster Creasey. June Moon in her book Multum In Parvo provides the following account written by Captain Newland. “Colchester soldiers played an important part in the surrender of Vicksburg, a turning point in the war. The Confederate soldiers located at Fort Hill were so protected that any attack by the Union soldiers resulted in many deaths and no gains for them. So it was decided the soldiers who had been miners before the war should tunnel under the ground to where the Confederate soldiers were established and blow up the Fort. These coal miners included Walter Enness, John Terrill, Joseph Jackson, and William Foster of Colchester. Fort Hill was blown up on June 25th but it was not very successful. The dirt fell in such a way as to make a ridge which protected the Confederate men and at the same time left a crater in front of them. As the Union men rushed into this crater they were easily killed and this place was called the “slaughter pen”. On July 1st, Fort Hill was again mined and blown up. This time with no loss of men to the Union Army and a great loss to the Rebels. The Fort was completely destroyed and 130 men killed in the explosion .”
This account is corroborated by the Illinois Archives records regarding the ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FOURTH INFANTRY. The reader is encouraged to read the achieves report in its entirety for a complete accounting of events. The following information about the ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FOURTH INFANTRY form the Illinois archives must be included in this writing. “The regiment was one of the most fortunate in the service. It always obeyed orders, taking and holding every position to which it was assigned unflinchingly. Regiments by its side sustained fearful losses in officers and men while its numbers were comparatively intact. One officer alone was killed in the service, and he was sitting in his tent off duty when struck, at the siege of Vicksburg. Two others resigned from wounds, and two died. Twenty men were killed in action, twenty-nine died from wounds, five were captured and when detailed on a scout, four of whom did not live to return, and one hundred and thirty-seven died of disease. Very many others, officers and men, were wounded and some seriously, but they were not lost to the Regiment. The Regiment never was repulsed, never retreated a step in the face of a foe and never lost a prisoner in action. ….On the 28th of July left Vicksburg on the good steamer Ida Handy, and on the 3rd day of August reached Chicago in company with the Seventy-sixth Illinois, Colonel Busey commanding. On the 16th of August, eleven days less than three years since the first company went into camp at Springfield, the Regiment was mustered out at Camp Douglas” (located in Chicago, Illinois).
Mustering out Civil War records do not tell us about wounds John Foster Creasey may have endured during the war. The obituary of Mariah Creasey Foster, a sister of John Foster, reports that two of her brothers served in the Civil War and one died of his wounds. George Washington Creasey was a brother of Mariah who served in the Civil War. The second brother who served and the central figure in this writing, was another “one of the Creasey boys,” John Foster Creasey who died on August 25, 1865 only ten days after he mustered out of Civil War. He was twenty-two-years old and is buried at Friendship cemetery. His grandmother Mary “Polly” Wilks (died 1863) and father Bird Smith Creasey (1814-1860) are buried to the north of John Foster. His epitaph reads, “His happy soul has winged its way to a more bright and beautiful day.” It is hoped that now John Foster Creasey has been given a life story of his brief stay on this earth.
Compiled and written by Janet Creasey Sowers, 2006
A wide range of collectables will be a part of the silent auction such as a History of McDonough County by S.J. Clarke, printed in 1878, which Includes a complete business directory of the county, donated by Lowell Lueck. Joyce Steiner of Plymouth Antiques has donated a rare full plate (6.5 x 8.5) tintype, framed, that depicts a horse and buggy in front of a white board fence with a woman standing on the porch. Guests can also bid on a quilt donated by Gene and Linda Miller with unusual solid colored fabric that is hand quilted in the Texas Star pattern. In addition, a depression era ice bucket in the Tea Room Pattern by Indiana Glass Company donated by Lois Lueck. More items are on view at the museum or on the museum’s facebook page and web site.
