Connie Coy Rice posted at RootwWeb severl biographies of Jacob:
Jacob Swigart, farmer, stock raiser, and State legislator, of DeWittCo unty Ill. Born in Marion Country, Ohio, Sept. 21, 1827 (son Danieland E lizabeth Swigart, the father born in Lancaster County, Pa. themother i n Virginia, both of German parentage, who moved to Ill. in1849). Taugh t school several years. In 1850 married Rebecca Savis-nine children. E lected to State Legis. 1868.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1882 HISTORYhttp://www.rootsweb.com/~ildewitt/Histories/PeoplefromtheHistories.htm
JACOB SWIGART
Jacob Swigart who is one of the largest farmers and stock raisers inth e county, was born in Marion County, Ohio, September 21st., 1827and wa s the son of Daniel and Elizabeth Swigart. Daniel Swigart wasborn and r aised in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. His grandparentswere Germans, w ho settled there at a very early date. His wife wasreared in Virginia; s he also descended from German parents. DanielSwigart came to De Witt C ounty in 1849, and settled where Jacob nowlives, where he resided unti l his death, February, 1869; his wifesurvived him until March, 1875. T hey raised a family of elevenchildren. The subject of our sketch came w est two years previous tohis father's coming, and worked by the month, a nd taught school until1850. October the 3d of that year he was united i n marriage to Mrs.Rebecca Davis. They have raised a family of nine chi ldren, seven nowliving. Mr. Swigart has been very successful in life, a s he startedout without aid, but with good constitution and willing ha nds hedetermined to succeed the world, and as a natural consequence of labor coupled with good management and economy, he is now the possessora l arge landed estate of upwards of 2,500 acres finely improved. Inpoliti cs he is a staunch Republican; for many years he hasrepresented his to wnship on the board of supervisors. In 1868received the nomination of h is party to represent this district theLegislature, and the election f ollowing was elected to a position hefilled with credit to himself and s atisfaction to the people.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Name: Judy Simpson
Email: 2simpsons@earthlink.net
Portrait and Biographical Album of DeWitt and Piatt, Illinois
Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1891
Page 956
HON. JACOB SWIGART. DeWitt County has in this gentleman a finerepresen tative of its agricultural interests, as his energy andenterprise have b een leading factors in advancing its growth in thisdirection. He is th e most extensive farmer within the limits of thecounty, tilling more l and than any other man in this part of Illinoiswithout exception. He i s a prominent and well-known resident ofFarmer City and his name is as sociated with many plans that havepromoted its welfare.
Mr. Swigart is a native of Grand Prairie Township, Marion County,Ohio, w here he first opened his eyes to the light of the world in thehumble p ioneer home of his parents September 21, 1827. DanielSwigart, his fath er, was a native of Lancaster County, Pa., and was ason of Daniel and C atherine (Nazer) Swigart, natives of Pennsylvania,who came of Dutch or G erman parentage. After Daniel Swigart, Sr., andwife were married they b egan life near Mercerville, Pa., where hecarried on business as a butc her. Some years later after the birth oftheir only two children, John a nd Daniel, Jr., the Swigarts moved toCircleville, Pickaway County, Ohi o, in 1810, and there Mr. Swigartfollowed butchering till 1825. In tha t year he moved with his familyto Marion County, and was one of the fi rst to settle on the SanduskyPlains when that section was a wild and u nbroken wilderness. Mr. andMrs. Swigart improved a farm in Grand Prair ie Township, and spenttheir remaining years there, th! e grandfather o f our subject dyingwhen seventy-eight years old and his wife a few yea rs before that.They were representative pioneer people, and he swerved a s a soldierthrough the War of 1812 under Gen. Harrison and fought with h imagainst Gen. Hull at Ft. Meigs, and other prominent battles of that contest.
Daniel Swigart, Jr., was the younger of the two sons born to hisparent s, his birth occurring in 1793 in Mercerburg, Pa. He was youngwhen his f amily moved to Ohio, and he attained his majority inPickaway County, a t Circleville. He was there married to MissElizabeth Coonrod, who was b orn in 1797 at a place in Greenbriarcounty, Va., now known as Coonrod F erry. She was thirteen years oldwhen her parents, Jacob and Eve (Vande vender) Coonrod, moved toPickaway County. The father died subsequently i n Greenbriar County,Va., and the widowed mother went with her children t o Ross County,Ohio, and later to Marion County, that State, where she ( Mrs. EveCoonrod) died when a very old lady.
After the birth of four of their children, Mr. and Mrs. Swigart tookup t heir abode in Marion County in 1825, and there he tilled a smallfarm. O ur subject was the first child born in the new home and latersix other c hildren followed him. In 1849 the whole family came toDeWitt County, o ur subject having preceded them to this locality twoyears before. The p arents passed their remaining days in DeWittTownship, the father dying F ebruary 14, 1869, at the age ofseventy-seven years, and the mother Mar ch 5, 1875, at the same age.During their residence in Ohio they were f or many years activemembers of the United Brethren Church, but after c oming to Illinoisthey were associated with the Protestant Methodist Ch urch. DanielSwigart served as a soldier throughout the War of 1812 und er Gen.Harrison, but his position in the quartermaster's department prevented him from taking an active part in any battles. While his oldle ader was alive Mr. Swigart was an ardent Harrison ma! n inpolitics, an d he only left the Whig party on its dissolution to jointhe Republican s.
Jacob Swigart was twenty years old when he came to Illinois and hesoon b ecame associated with the interests of DeWitt County, and fromthat tim e to the present has been one of the principal factors inadvancing its g rowth and prosperity as a great agricultural center.He has also been p rominent in its public life and has been one of itsmost valued civic o fficials. As a farmer and stock-raiser he has everbeen progressive and e nterprising and has met with extraordinarysuccess. It is said that his f arm of seventeen hundred acres inDeWitt Township represents the larges t body of land that is operatedby its owner. A few winters after he ca me here Mr. Swigart wasengaged in teaching school as well as in farmin g. He purchased hisfirst land in DeWitt Township in 1849, and has sinc e added to it,until at one time he possessed twenty-five hundred acres o f choiceland, but he has since disposed of a good share of it, giving t o eachof his sons a portion to start them out in ! life.
By his marriage in Farmer City to Miss Rebecca Davis, Mr. Swigartsecur ed a wife who has been to him everything that word implies, andtheir d omestic life has been one of true happiness. Mrs. Swigart is anative o f Ross County, Ohio, and was there born February 14, 1833,the date on w hich occurred the wonderful shower of falling stars ormeteors. Her par ents, James and Elizabeth Davis, also natives ofOhio, came to DeWitt C ounty in 1837 and located near Farmer City onland which is now within i ts corporate limits. They thus becamepioneers of this region and secur ed by purchase three hundred acresof wild prairie, nearly half of whic h is now covered by the city. Oneyear after the family came here the f ather died while yet in life'sprime, his fellow pioneers thus losing t he aid of a practical farmerand his community was deprived of a valued c itizen. His widow died in1854 at the age of fifty-seven years. Both we re Methodists inreligion and were upright Christians. ! Mrs. Swigart i s the youngestof her parents' children living. She was a small child w hen sheaccompanied them to her pioneer home in this county and here sh e wasreared and educated. She is a woman of a kindly and charitable disposition and her motherly heart and sympathizing manners have broughtt o her many friends.
Of the nine children born to Mr. and Mrs. Swigart, two aredeceased-Dwi ght and Bruce-both of whom died young. Those living areCarl, O. H., E. C ., Edwin S., Harry, Lora B., and Hattie. Carl is aresident of Weldon a nd is connected with his father's bank which wasorganized in 1888 unde r the firm name of Swigart & Sons. He has beentwice married. His first w ife was Sarah A. McConkey, and the maidenname of his second wife, who w as a cousin to his first wife, was KateMc Conkey. O. H., who is connec ted with the Bank of Deland, PiattCounty, of Jacob Swigart & Sons, is a f armer near Champaign. Hemarried Sarah Heaton. E. C., who is engaged in f arming in Blue RidgeTownship, married C. Arbogast. Edwin S., who is a c ashier in theDeland Bank, married Nellie Lapham, of Whiteside County. H arry, aresident of Weldon and cashier of the bank of Jacob Swigart & S ons,married P. Hattie Johnson. Lora B., who is at present at the home o fher parents, is a graduate of the Cincinn! ati, Ohio, Musical Collegea nd is an accomplished pianist. Hattie N., who lives at home with herpa rents, is a bright young miss. The [word unreadable] have beengiven ev ery advantage to secure a good education, and three of thesons attende d Lombard College in Knox County, from which institutionone of them wa s graduated.
Mr. Swigart's life career has been distinguished by rare energy andsta bility of character and prompt and systematic business habits,combined w ith honorable conscientious dealing, and his coursefurnishes an illust rious example to the young who are just startingout in the world to se ek fortune's favors. He enjoys a high personalstanding throughout the c ounty and has many true friends among hisfellow-citizens with whose in terests his own have been identified forso long a period. We have seen t hat as an agriculturalist he has donemuch to develop the county, and i n the establishment of the banksmentioned he is doing a great deal to s trengthen the financialcondition of Central Illinois. He has been a co nspicuous figure inpolitics in and in public life, being one of the le ading Republicansof this section. He was Supervisor of DeWitt Township f or more thantwelve years, being first elected to that important office i n 1863,and he has held other local offices though h! e has never sough t thesuffrages of his fellow citizens. In 1868 he was nominated on the Republican ticket to represent his county in the State Legislature andw as elected to that position by a good majority. His legislativecareer w as honorable to himself and his constituents, and he did goodservice a s a member of the Committee of Roads, Bridges, Canals andNavigation.
