Biographical Sketch for
John Thain Family
John
Thain---+ Isabella Hepburn--+ Margaret Jamieson--+ +--Ann Belle-------+
| | +--+ |
+--+ +--+--James Lunan--------+ | George Hardie---+
Isabella | | | | | |
Taylor--+ +--John--------------+ | Isabella Thom------+ +--Elsie Jane------+
| | | | |
| | +--John H.------------+ | Homer Leonard---+
| | | | |
| Marie Ball--------+ | Frances Palmer-----+ +--Margaret Keith--+
| | | |
| +--William Watson-----+ | John Stewart----+
+--((four siblings)) | | |
| Eliza Rusk Powell--+ +--Maria Louise
| |
+--Alex---------------+ +--John Alex-------+
| | | |
| Ellen Watson-------+ | Hattie Howard---+
| |
| +--Emaline Frances-+
| | |
| | Peter Fisher----+
| |
| +--William Gordon
| |
| +--May Eunice
| |
| +--Mamie Hannah----+
| |
| Scott Levoy-----+
|
+--Ann----------------+
| |
| Alex Kennedy-------+
|
|
|
| Hannah Abbott------+ +--Mabel
| +--+--Ida
+--Richard Sampson R.-+ +--Helen
|
|
| +--Wilbur
Emma J. Jeuness----+--+--Richard
+--Hazel
John Thain
Born 1767 at Bonnahil, Scotland.
Baptised on February 5, 1775, at Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
In 1841 he was a farmer living at Blackhills, Tyrie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
Came to Millburn, Ill, in 1845, at age 78 with his son John.
Married Isabella Taylor.
Died February 26, 1851
Isabella Taylor
Married John Thain.
Died in Scotland.
Children of John and Isabella Taylor Thain
John, Jr.
Born 1804 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
Married Isabella Hepburn.
She was born in 1802 in Ardlaw, Scotland.
She died in 1861 (1857?).
Children
Married Marie Ball (Bald?) about September 2, 1858.
She died February 5, 1896, at age 90, and is buried in Poplar Grove, Illinois.
Brought family to Millburn in 1845.
Bought
land from federal government.
Had a grist and sawmill on Mill Creek
(
photo of mill remains).
Died 1861.
Jannet
Also known as Jessie.
Married Alexander Bannerman on February 23, 1831, in Rathen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
He was a saw miller and later a crofter.
They had at least six children.
Later, married Mr. Cortez.
Stayed in Scotland.
((three other siblings))
William, born 1804 Stricken, Scotland, died 1866;
Ann, married James Milne;
George, born and died in Scotland.
Children of John, Jr. and Isabella Hepburn Thain
James Lunan
Born 1834 in Scotland.
Married Margaret Jamieson about December 22, 1855.
She was born February 29, 1832, and died January 5, 1888.
Children [7 girls 2 boys].
Came to Millburn when 12 years old.
Married Isabella "Isa" White Thom about February 03, 1897.
She was born July 25, 1842, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland,
and died in December 28, 1904, in Nebraska.
A sister of
William Thom,
she is buried in Millburn Cemetery (
obituary).
Died April 16, 1897 of appendicitis, which Dr. Taylor believed did
not require an operation
(
obituary).
(photo available:
1895)
John H.
Born about 1836 in Scotland.
Married Frances Palmer in 1860 at Racine, Wisconsin.
Lived near Sturgeon Bay, Wis.
Wagon maker.
Died October 29, 1902, at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
(
obituary).
(photo available:
1895)
William Watson
Born January 21, 1837 in Scotland.
Ran away from family farm in 1852.
Five years service in US Navy as Gunner's Mate.
Married Eliza Rusk Powell, a widow with one young son,
at the York Street Methodist Episcopal Church, Brooklyn,
on September 21, 1858.
She died of cardiac failure on November 23, 1920.
Children:
Anna Eliza, born July 18, 1859;
William Watson, born February 12, 1861;
Emma Augusta, born February 3, 1863,
married Mr. Surman;
Richard Samson, born December 7, 1865;
George Samuel, born September 15, 1867;
Isabella Hipburn, born November 19, 1869;
Caroline, born January 2, 1872, died May 10, 1876,
at age 4 years 5 months 8 days.
Worked as locksmith in Brooklyn, New York.
Naval officer during civil war.
Proprietor of hardware store in Brooklyn.
Died December 11, 1872, of heart disease.
Rev. Alexander R.
Born 1840 in Scotland.
Corporal during
Civil War.
Married Ellen Wesson.
She was born in 1849 and died in 1922.
Children:
Oscar S., 1872-1881.
Minister at Galesburg, Ill., and Milwaukee, Wis.
Died 1923.
Author.
All buried in Millburn Cemetery.
(photo available:
1895)
Ann
Born about 1842 in Scotland.
Married Alex Kennedy.
Had eight children.
Moved to Wesley, Iowa.
(photo available:
1895)
Richard Sampson Robinson
Born June 12, 1845, on a boat on Lake Michigan.
Named after the ship's captain.
Served during
Civil War.
Married Hannah L. Abbott on December 25, 1869, in Chicago.
She was born in 1859(?).
Children by Hannah:
Mabel A.,
born May 2, 1874;
Ida Margaret,
born June 10, 1876,
married Prof. Effinger of Ann Arbor, Michigan, on June 24, 1908;
Helen K.,
born February 12, 1878.
Hannah died on May 18 (14?), 1879, leaving these three small girls to be raised
by Richard's brother James.
Married Emma Jane Jeuness (died 1939) on January 11, 1881, at
Chicago, Illinois.
Children by Emma:
Wilbure,
born August 12, 1883;
Richard J.,
born April 8 (9?), 1886;
Hazel I.,
born October 22, 1889.
Advertising agent in Chicago.
Died November 26, 1912, at age 67, at Oak Park, Illinois.
(photo available:
1895)
More on Richard's Civil War service (from pension records):
Enlisted as a private on August 6, 1862, in Company D of 96th
Illinois Infantry.
At the time of enlistment, he was five feet eight and one-half
inches tall, had brown hair, and hazel eyes.
In Franklin, Tennesee, in March, 1863, he contracted typhoid
and was overdosed with calomel. He was sent out in a storm without
shelter. Ultimately, he developed stomach and mouth disease. He was
treated at Hospital #4 in Nashville for between two and three months.
After fighting the remainder of the war, he was mustered out at
Nashville in June, 1865.
Children of James Lunan and Margaret Jamieson Thain
View a group photo of a Thain Family
gathering, taken about 1891.
Ann Belle
Born 1854.
Married George Hardie.
He was a fireman in Waukegan, Ill.
Children:
Lois Evaline, born 1878, died 1909;
Zella W., born 1879, married Herbert Amet.
Died 1921.
Elsie Jane
Born 1855.
Became second wife of Dr. Homer Leonard about November 23, 1875.
He practiced at Millburn and Rosecrans, Ill., before moving to Kansas City.
Children:
Winnie;
Homer, became a doctor;
Clifford, married Grace Leslie, moved to Texas;
Russell, died of tuberculosis;
Margaret.
Died 1921.
Margaret Keith
Born 1857.
Second wife of John Thomas Stewart,
married on Monday, November 7, 1887, at Millburn.
No children of own. Raised two stepchildren.
Moved to Deerfield, Illinois.
Moved to St. Paul, Minn.
Died April 25, 1914.
Maria Louise
Known as Lula and Lulu.
Born 1859.
Did not marry.
Began a teaching career at age 16,
eventually becoming principal of Waukegan's North School.
Died January 1, 1914, of diabetes (
obituary).
John Alexander
Born November 2, 1861.
Married Hattie Howard on June 3, 1885.
She was born October 2, 1861, in Cypress, Wis.,
daugher of Martin A. (December 7, 1898 - December 7, 1898)
and Mary Howard (April 4, 1839 - March 4, 1926).
Hattie died February 25, 1944.
Children.
Member of Antioch High School board.
Secretary of the
Millburn Mutual Insurance Co.
for 25 years then president for four years.
President of the Millburn Cemetery Association.
Died March, 1927
(
obituary).
(photo available:
1910)
Hattie Howard's mother, Mary Elizabeth Story Howard, wrote a
lengthy article After a Lapse of
Fifty Years in 1912, which documents her family's migration
to California and subsequent return.
Group photo of women in 1901.
Emaline Frances
Born 1864.
Married Peter Fisher about October 24, 1884.
He was born on September 21, 1848, at Somerville, New Jersey.
He was a teacher, teaching for a while at Grubb School, before
becoming Lake County Supt. of Schools in 1881.
He became a lawyer.
He died in February, 1922, at Kenosha
(
obituary).
Children: Peter and Josie.
She was a school teacher for a while.
Lived in Pasadena, California.
William Gordon
Born 1866.
Died 1870 of scarlet fever.
May Eunice
Born 1869.
Died 1870 of scarlet fever.
Mamie Hannah
Born 1871.
Married Scott Levoy about October 9, 1897.
He was born in 1871 and died in 1938
(
coverage).
Children:
John Thain, born 1903;
James Keith, born 1906.
Moved frequently.
Died 1930 (29?).
Children of John Alexander and Hattie Howard Thain
Gussie Zoe
Born October 31, 1886.
Married Robert Guy Hughes
on October 3, 1906.
Children.
Died December 7, 1980
(
obituary).
(photos available:
1890).
Hazel Margaret
Born March, 1888.
Married
W. Ernest White.
James Lyman
Born April 8, 1901, in Millburn.
Married Anna C. Christianson (Christensen?) on August 20, 1923.
She died on March 23, 1969.
Children
Farmer until he retired in 1964.
Died July 30, 1983, at age 82
(
obituary)
(photos available:
1901,
1919,
1932,
1935,
1936,
1938).
Children of James Lyman and Anna C. Thain
Alan L.
Doctor in Antioch, IL.
Children:
John,
CEO of NYSE.
John A.
Farmer.
Moved to Clinton, Wisconsin.
