Benson, Jesse bio

History of Fulton County, Illinois; together with Sketches of its Cities, Villages and Townships, Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History; Portraits of Prominent Persons and Biographies of Representative Citizens. Chas. C. Chapman & Co., Peoria, Illinois, 1879, page 713-714, Isabel Township
Jesse Benson, whose portrait we give in this volume, was born at Avon, Livingston Co., N. Y., Dec. 2, 1804, and there grew up to manhood. In early life he was engineer in the construction of the New York & Erie canal. He first came to Fulton county with Moses Freeman in March, 1828, and after looking at the country returned home the same year. Sept. 15, he joined a company composed of Isaac Benson, Moses Lewis, Alexander and Richard W. Freeman (including the families of Moses and Lewis Freeman), built a boat and came to Illinois by way of the Alleghany, Ohio and Mississippi rivers, arriving in St. Louis in Nov., 1828, where they remained all winter; the following spring they came up the Illinois river, landing at the mouth of Spoon river April 15, 1829; the following spring he took a trip to the north; while absent he helped to re-build Fort Dearborn in Chicago when there were only a blacksmith shop and a very few other buildings in the place. About 1831, in company with the Freemans, he built quite an extensive mill, on sec. 6, Isabel tp., for grinding and sawing, on Spoon river near where the old Hackelton bridge used to stand; but a big freshet and the use of quicksilver from the hands of some ill-disposed person washed the foundation from under the building so much that they were in danger of losing their valuable structure, when they removed the building to Beardstown, a part of the machinery being used in a mill on Otter creek where they operated successfully for a number of years. Mr. Benson and the Freemans made brick of which the present court-house was built.
Mr. Benson was first married in 1834 to Miss Mary W. Hackelton, sister of Maj. Hackelton, an officer in the Mexican and Black Hawk wars. She died June 3, 1835. His second marriage occurred Jan. 1, 1842, with Miss Mary A. Hendee. This lady died, and he again married, in 1851, to Miss Harriet E. Hendee. His third and last wife has been dead four or five years. He was the father of 12 children, 10 of whom are living.
Mr. Benson was an Adventist in his religious views. He was widely known throughout this county and greatly honored. Mr. Benson held many local offices; indeed he was not free from official responsibilities for perhaps a third of a century. Thirty years ago he was one of the three Associate Judges of the county; was also frequently elected Assessor. To this day his efficiency in these stations are remembered and commented upon by the pioneers as a pleasant memory of pioneer life. Socially he was remarkable for his genial and hospitable characteristics. He was attached to his home and his children, as their grief at his death most pointedly attest. He had been in failing health for many months, caused by falling from a load of hay; but on the day of his death seemed stronger and more hopeful than he had been in many days. March 27, 1879, he was sitting in his chair talking pleasantly with a neighbor and his children, when he desired to lie down; he declined assistance as he walked to his bed and lay down; within five minutes he was dead. His remains were buried at Freeman’s Cemetery.