ALEXANDER PETRIE

 

Hon. ALEXANDER P. PETRIE was born. at Rosendale on the Hudson, in Ulster county, New York, August 31, 1837. He came to Illinois with his father's family in 1844, via the lakes to Chicago, and thence by wagon to Richland Grove township, arriving at the house of Samuel Clark, one of the pioneers of that township, June 6, 1844, the next day after the great tornado that had blown from their foundations the McMullen and Wilcox houses, the only two houses then on the prairie south of Edwards creek.

His youth was spent on the farm with only the very limited advantages for education afforded by the common schools of that day. He afterward took a course in a commercial school at Chicago. On August 9, 1862, he enlisted in Co. C, 112th reg. Ill. Vol. Inf., and at the company organization was elected orderly sergeant, was mustered into the United States service as second lieutenant, at Peoria, September 22, 1862, went with his regiment to Covington, and thence to Lexington, Kentucky, where he wintered; went with a detachment from his regiment in the summer of 1864, on Saunder's raid into east Tennessee, destroying railroads and confederate supplies.

Some of his command were captured near Cumberland Gap, but he escaped. Reaching Lancaster, Kentucky, they celebrated July 4, 1863, there, and afterward rejoined his regiment at Danville, Kentucky; was at the siege of Knoxville, Tennessee, and at Kelly's Ford, east Tennessee. January 27, 1864, he was wounded by a shot in both legs during a cavalry engagement. For his wound he received a furlough for two months and visited his home. He rejoined his command, then a part of Gen. Sherman's grand army, rendezvoused near Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the spring of 1864, taking part in that wonderful hundred days' campaign which resulted in the fall of Atlanta, his command being in the Twenty-third Army Corps under Gen. Schofield. He com­ manded his company after the battle of Resacca, in the spring of 1864, until after the battle of Franklin; Tennessee, November 30, 1864, in which his brother, Edward R., a member of his company, was killed and borne from the field by Lieut. Petrie in person.

He was also with his command in. the right wing of the army under Gen. George H. Thomas, when Gen. Hood received his final defeat at Nashville. His command. having been sent to Fort Fisher after the battle of Nashville, to take part with Gen. Sherman in the Carolina campaign, he joined it at Kingston, North Carolina. in March, 1865.

He was mustered out at Greensboro, North Carolina, June 20, 1865, as first lieutenant, reaching home on July 9, following. August 28. 1862, Mr. Petrie united in marriage with Miss Alice, daughter of Dr. T. S. Petrie, probably a distant relative, as both parties trace their lineage back four or five generations to one James Petrie, gardener and florist, Forest, Elginshire, Scotland. Miss Alice was born in Liverpool, England, April 1, 1839, and came to America with her parents in 1840, via New Orleans and the river, to Peoria, Illinois, settling first at Trivoli, in Peoria county, thence moving to Brimfield, and thence to Rivoli, Mercer county. Mr. and Mrs. P. have four children, two sons and two daughters. The oldest, Maggie, being now in attendance at St. Mary's school, Knoxville, Illinois.

In the spring of 1867 Mr. Petrie was elected supervisor for Rivoli township, to which office his neighbors continued to call him until he had served them ten years. He has been an. active member of the republican party ever since his majority, but not in the roll of an office seeker, the offices having sought him. In 1880 his party called on him to represent the twenty- second senatorial district in the house of representatives of the Illinois legislature, which position he fills with as much honor to himself and his constituents as any of the new members of that body. Mr. T. is a member of the. Congregational church, of New Windsor, and of Oxford Lodge, No. 367, A.F.A.M., of New Windsor, of which lodge he was. W.M. for two years. His farm, consisting of 560 acres, lies near the village of New Windsor ; his residence, where he has lived since Feb­ruary, 1866, is on the southwest quarter section 12. The farm is in a high state of cultivation and has 1,600 rods of drain tile laid at present. His business has been farming and stock raising, and for a few years, he was engaged quite extensively in raising hedge plants. His father, William F. Petrie, was born at Forest, Elginshire, Scotland, April 19, 1803, and came to America in 1828, and was overseer several years for Commodore Stockton, of the United States navy, at his place, near Princeton, New Jersey.

Here he married Miss Ann Regan, who was born in Ireland in 1809, and was at the time a nurse in the family of Commodore Stockton. Went from Princeton, New Jersey, to Rosendale, New York, and engaged in mercantile pursuits; then on to a farm in Oneida county, New York; thence to Illinois in 1844, settling on the southwest quarter section twenty-five, in Richland Grove township, Mercer county. In 1849 he crossed the plains of California, where he remained two years, most of the time plying his vocation as gardener, near San Francisco. While there he took the contract to grade Stockton street in the above named city. Having sold his farm in Richland Grove township, he bought land on sections 12 and 13. in Rivoli township, and moved on to the northeast quarter section thirteen, in 1857.

He was one of the original proprietors of the village of New Windsor, part of the town plat being on the northeast of section 13. Mr. P. had nine children, one daughter and eight sons, four dying in infancy and one, Edward R., killed in battle as mentioned before. The four survivors reside in and near New Windsor, viz : Mary C., (wife of W. D. Fleharty), Alexander P., Richard S., and Cornelius L. Mr. P. was an energetic, thorough going man in all that he undertook, being awarded the premium three successive years by . the Mercer County Agricultural Society, for the best cultivated farm in the county. He died August 19, 1866, his worthy wife surviving him until September 10, 1874. Their remains are deposited with those of their heroic son, Edward R, in the village cemetery north of New Windsor, the site for which was donated by Mr. Petrie.

 

 

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