James  H. COTTON was born in Pope County on the 4th of November 1836, and is a resident of Simpson Township, Johnson County. He is a son 
of George W. and Elizabeth (Larsen) Cotton, the former of whom was a son of Elias Cotton, and came to Illinois in an early day, settling in Pope County, where he was a farmer and a preacher. After living some years in Pope County, he sold his land there and bought a farm in Simpson Township, Johnson County, where he resided until his death.

James H. Cotton remained at home until he was twenty-one years old, and then lived on a rented farm for about five years. At the expiration of this period 
he purchased the farm upon which he now lives. He was married in December, 1859, to Sarah Ann Simpson, who was born in Johnson County April 10, 1844. Her father was born in Tennessee, and her mother in Kentucky. He owned at one time two hundred and forty acres of land, but disposed of half of it, and now has one hundred and twenty acres. He was burned out in 1891, but has since built a good frame house. Our subject is the father of eight children: Dora, Zynthia, William E., Arista, Flora, Causcon, Charlie and Artie. In religious views, he is a liberalminded man. and in politics he belongs to the People's party. While he did not have the best of educational advantages in his youth, yet by private reading and study he has become possessed of a useful fund of information.