IREDILL WALTON, the owner and occupant of two hundred and forty-eight acres of excellent farming land in Foster Township, is a native of Marion County and was born November 10, 1838, in Patoka Township. He is the son of George II. and Mary (Terry) Walton, the former of whom was born in Virginia in 1801. When four years old George was taken by his parents to Gallatin, Tenn., where they were large slave holders. There he grew to mature years and received such schooling as the times afforded.
In 1819 George H. Walton came on a prospecting tour to Illinois, but did not decide at once to locate here. Returning to Gallatin, Tenn., he removed his family to Union, Franklin County, Mo., where he lost all his earthly possessions by a flood. In 1837 he came to Marion County and entered eighty acres of land, on which he carried on his farming operations until his decease, in July, 1852, from cholera. His wife, son, daughter and son-in-law also died the same year from that dread disease.
The parental family included seven children, four of whom are living, namely:
Joel T. was teaching school on the outbreak of the Civil War, but on the call for more volunteers, in August, 1862, he joined Company D, One Hundred and Eleventh Illinois Infantry, and after minor expeditions and skirmishes went to the front and participated in the battles of Resaca, Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain and Atlanta. He was captured at the latter place and taken a prisoner to Andersonville, where he was held in confinement until the close of the war.
The parents of our subject dying when he was a lad of thirteen years he went to live with an elder sister, with whom he remained until the fall of 1858, in the meantime working out on neighboring farms during the summer. In the winter months he attended the district school and gained such an education as the times afforded. In 1859, having purchased a small tract of land, he engaged in farming on his own account, and a year later was enabled to buy his sister's interest in the old homestead, which he subsequently traded for his present fine estate.
July 1, 1858, Iredill Walton was united in marriage with Miss Louisa, the daughter of Andrew Foster, and to them has been born a family of eleven children, all of whom are living and bear the respective names of
Mr. Walton is a stanch Democrat in politics and for the past ten years has been Treasurer of the School Board in Foster Township. He was also the incumbent of that position for 'the same length of lime while residing in Patoka Township. He has been School Director, Assessor and Clerk of his township for a term of one year each, and on numerous occasions has served as Road Commissioner.
Mr. Walton acted as guardian for four years of the family of the late David Nichols, of Foster Township. He is regarded as one of the foremost men of this section of Marion County and commands the respect of all with whom he comes in contact.
His family are all members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in the congregation near his home our subject has been Class-leader, and for about fifteen years has filled the responsible office of Steward.
Source: "Portrait and Biographical Record Clinton, Washington, Marion and Jefferson Counties, Illinois"
Chapman Publishing Co, Chicago, 1894
Pages 364 - 365
Submitted by Sandy (Whalen) Bauer