I wanted to thank you for providing so much transcribed data on your GenWeb site. I just found out something major concerning my Jersey County ancestors and it was all because of your page. It's amazing to me since I've been doing genealogy for almost 30 years and never uncovered this!
My great-great-great grandfather was John Ross (b. 1829). Previously, I had found him in the 1850, 1860 and 1870 censuses living in Jersey County, and then he disappeared after that. There was plenty of mention of his two younger brothers in town histories and records, but John didn't seem to be as successful and owned no property. Then in the newspaper transcriptions on your page, I found this:
"January 17, 1868 PARDONED - Oglesby upon petition numerously signed, and upon favorable report of the Warden has pardoned John Ross."
I didn't know what this meant, so I sent for the record of the petition from the Illinos State Archives. And I received a thick file of letters and documents telling the story of how in 1866 my ancestor burglarized a grocery store and was sentenced to three years in prison. A year later, James C. Ross organized an petition to get his brother John pardoned. It sounds like my ancestor was the black sheep of the family!
I have transcribed the file and was wondering if you might want to put it on your GenWeb page. There are letters written by prominent people in Jerseyville and the petition itself was signed by 162 men. There was also an interesting letter included from ten men who didn't want my ancestor pardoned! I have included my transcription below. As a side note, the 14 year-old son of John Ross who was involved in the crime was my great-great grandfather, James Ross. He would marry his first cousin Mary E. Luckey in 1872 and move to Labette County, Kansas in 1878. He had five children, but died of pneumonia in 1884 after trying to repair his roof in a sleet storm.
Thanks again for the great GenWeb site!
Laura Mitchell, Brooklyn, NY, Lormit@aol.com.
Carrollton, Ill.
Nov. 27th 1867
Gov. Oglesby
Dear sir,
John Ross was convicted at a special term of the Jersey Circuit Court in December 1866 of larceny and sent to the penitentiary. I have known his father and brother for a number of years as highly respectable men, and on their account, I recommend him to executive clemency. Public Justice [unintelligible] has been satisfied in his case, and his pardon I think would give satisfaction.
Very respectfully,
D. Woodson
I concur in the recommendation herein of Judge Woodson, for the reasons therein stated.
Wm. Brown
States Atty. 1st Ct.
Warden's Office
Joliet, November 26th 1867
This is to certify that John Ross who was convicted at the December Special Term 1866 of the Circuit Court of Jersey County of the crime of burglary and sentenced to three years imprisonment, was received at this institution on the 18th day of December 1866. And that since his incarceration he has at all times conducted himself strictly in accordance with the rules of prison.
B. Dornblaser Butterfield
Jerseyville, Ill. November 10, 1867
To his excellency Richard J. Oglesby, Governor State of Illinois
My dear sir,
This will be handed you by Mr. James Ross, who will present to you a petition for pardon of his brother who is now in the penitentiary. As a general thing, I decline signing petitions for pardon, but the facts in this case are not of an old offender, but King Whiskey. He was drunk and had been for several days previous to the robbery. In fact he was at the time crazy with whiskey.
The signees on the petition are all bona fide (not bogus names) and of the most respectable portion of our community. And so far I have not heard any objection to his pardon, most all feeling that having been confined now nearly one year is sufficient to vindicate the majesty of the law. In fact he would not have been sent up for more than one year, only there was great excitement at the time. Larceny had a great many more thieves in the county.
I am decidedly of the opinion that under all the circumstances, the ends of justice will be fully as well served by his release as to longer continue in confinement. When I was at the penitentiary in June last, the officers spoke well of him, and I have no doubt would recommend his pardon.
I have been acquainted with his parents for near thirty years and they and his brothers are amongst our most respectable farmers.
I hope you will give this matter a favourable consideration and consistent with your views of propriety grant the [unintelligible] of the petition. In which I shall be under many obligations and remainā?¦
yours very truly
Wm. Shephard
Jerseyville, Ill. Dec 17th 1867
His excellency
Richard J. Oglesby
Governor of Illinois
Honored sir:
We learn that a petition has been presented to your honor for the release from the penitentiary of one John Ross, who was sent from this place for three years, for breaking into and robbing a grocery store.
The excitement connected with the commision of the crime show Ross to be a hardened criminal (he compelling his son, a boy of 14 years, to assist him in the robbery). Ross has been a lawless character for many years, but he has been screened from the law by his being respectably connected. His last act was so bold, that they could protect him no longer. He pled guilty, and Judge Woodson under the circumstances sentenced him for three years, being the very lowest term his conscience would allow. His friends now resort to the last expedient that is to fee lawyers: to make false statements to your honor on his behalf; to induce you to do for him that which they could not do in the court where the facts were best known.
We simply ask that the said Ross remain in prison for the full term for which he was sentenced as an act for the community, for there is no such thing as reforming such a man as Ross. And the only good that can result in this matter will be to the community by keeping Ross where the law has placed him, and where he can not gratify his propensity for stealing.
Very Respectfully Your Obedient Servants,
Benj. Wedding
Enoch Briggs
H. N. Wyckoff
Alfred Rue
J. L. White
H. E. Hayes
Wallace Leigh
D. G. Wyckoff
H. L. Adams
M. B. Miner
To his Excellency R. J. Oglesby
Governor of the State of Illinois
Whereas a petition has been circulated amongst a certain set for your honor to grant one John Ross (who was sentenced on the 6th day of December 1866 for three years to the State's Prison for the crime of burglary) a pardon, I deem it a duty to give you a history of the case before granting or rejecting the petition.
On Sunday evening November 18th about 1/2 past 10 o'clock PM, Mr. Levi Halliday (who was a clerk for Darby & Hodgkin) was passing down Main Street in this place. He discovered a light (there being no shutters or blinds on the front of their store) in Darby & Hodgkin's store, and on looking in the front discovered John Ross and his son in the store helping themselves to some of the groceries.
He immediately gave the alarm. The store was surrounded, and one of the partners, together with an officer, went in the front door. Ross & his son attempted to escape through the back door when he was arrested.
They immediately took them to the jail. On searching them, their pockets were found to be full of candies. Ross said they might as well let him go, and in the morning he (Ross) would come up and pay for the things.
In addition to the candies he had in his pockets, there were several jugs filled with molasses, coal oil, etc.; sacks containing tea, sugar, coffee, starch, etc.; two baskets containing fire crackers, soap, candles, pickles, nutmegs, cinnamon, gun caps, lead, powder, shot, etc.
On the 19th, he was arraigned before Esqrs. Goodrich & Hurd, and after examination, they held them to answer to the charge, in the sum of twenty five hundred dollars. They made default in giving bond and were committed to jail. It must be remarked that the sum they were required to give bonds in was by far the largest ever required in this county for any similar offence or I might say in any other case. The community, likewise Darby & Hodgkin, were afraid that if bonds were fixed at the sum of $1000, his father & brothers would come forward and pay the amount and let the State's Prison be cheated out of an old offender.
On the first Monday in December, there was a Special Term of the Circuit Court for Jersey to clear the jail of criminals and for other purposes.
Mr. Jas. W. English was retained with me to assist the states attorney in the prosecution. Ross' brother wished Mr. English to defend him (Ross). I called on Darby & Hodgkin and stated Ross' wish to them. Also that English could get a good fee out of the Rosses, also that English was in need of all the money he could get, that there was no danger of Ross being acquitted. And they consented that he (English) might take a fee in defence of Ross.
It also was Darby & Hodgkin's wish that John Ross' son might be let go on account of his being taken there by his father (although the boy has a very bad character), in hopes that his uncles would take him out of the town and try to reform him. Also that Ross was respectably connected and out of sympathy for his mother, they (D & H) consented that he might plead guilty and they would offer no obstruction to his attorney getting the best sentence out of Judge Woodson that he could.
It must be borne in mind that this was hurried through so that the judge might not hear any outside talk. And on the 6th day of December 1866, the judge sentenced him for 3 years, remarking that it was as low as his conscience would allow him to go.
I have only wished to present you with the facts of the case that you might hear both sides before coming to any conclusion.
Very respectfully,
H. N. Wyckoff
Atty who conducted the examination before the justices of the peace
The above is a plain unvarnished statement of the facts in the case of Ross
J. C. Darby, One of the parties from whom the goods were stolen
The foregoing is a true statement of the facts in the case of John Ross.
Levi Halliday, The one who first discovered Ross & helped to arrest him
To his Excellency Richard J. Oglesby
Governor of the State of Illinois
Your petitioners would respectfully represent and show unto your honor that at the December Special Term AD 1866 of Jersey Co. Circuit Court, one John Ross was indicted for larceny of a small lot of goods from the store house of Darby & Hodgkins in the town of Jerseyville, Jersey Co., Ills. That on said indictment, said Ross entered the plea of guilty, and was by the judge of the Circuit Court of Jersey County, sentenced to be confined in the State's Prison for the term of three years. And that immediately thereafter the said John Ross was carried to said State's Prison where he is still confined. Your petitioners state and believe that said John Ross is of a very respectful and honorable family, who till this reproach against them, have never had any tarnish upon their fair name. And the offence charged against John was the first ever proffered against him. And we have good reason to believe that on a drunken spree, he committed said offence, and that he has already sufficiently been punished for his crime. We therefore, citizens of Jersey County, earnestly petition your excellency to grant him a pardon restoring him to citizenship and to release him from further punishment in said State's Prison.
Jno. C. Darby
Geo. H. Hodgkins
Robt. H. White
F. H. Shattgen
F. F. Randolph
L. C. Derby
John C. Jackson
J. H. Ames
H. V. Voorhees
C. Du Hadaway, M. D.
Jas. M. McLuer, Blacksmith
E. F. Short, Farmer
James O. R. Campbell
O. A. Tiff
John Wiley
M. Ten Eick
Joseph C. Williamson
William J. Hodge
J. N. Beardslee
Geo. H. Jackson
C. H. Bowman, Sherriff
Geo. Parent
David R. Herdman
John R. Beatty
Wm. A. Anderson
R. C. Morehous
J. C. Beaty [name hard to read]
James H. Anderson
Jacob E. Whitmark
James Miller
J. N. Hutchinson
Oscar Hill
Robert Newton
James A. McGanon
W. H. Pogue
Daniel McFain
Wm. Keith
George Egelloff
[name cut off on copy]
Wm. Hall
G. H. Woodruff
W. A. Black
D. Coddington
Jas. S. Blythe
John N. Squier
Edward L. Bailey [hard to read]
W. H. Saltar
Langdon Caldwell
Charles Wharton
L. C. Thurston
George S. Rue
Thos. G. Houston
J. N. English
Wm. Embley
J. Van Duyn
C. N. Adams
Chas. M. Tack
Nathaniel Miner
J. E. Sanford
H. Beekman
L. N. Tu----
J. M. Herd
Thomas Lyons
Thomas M. Herdman
E. B. Force
G. W. Herdman
R. A. King
D. T. Bonnell
Thos. J. Wilson [hard to read]
Geo. N. Ward [hard to read]
Jacob R. Van Duyn
William V. F. Thompson
Wm. V. Shephard
O. M. Paris
J. Halstead
M. E. Bagley
E. A. Piner [hard to read]
Charles Jackson
Charles H. Knapp
James K. Smith
Henry Nevius
Wm. Shephard
R. P. Elliott
J. C. McFain
H. J. Rosekrans
J. T. Nelson
N. E. Keller
Alexander Adams
J. F. Smith
Thos. Boons [hard to read]
J. J. Paris
James D. Russell
Levi D. Cory
L. S. Hansell
Wm. Kirby
Dennis Brown
J. M. Wedding
R. M. Knapp
A. W. Cross
G. R. Swallow
Robert Beatty
James S. Daniels
H. S. Spencer
A. Smith
S. R. Bowman
James McKinney
B. F. Davis
John Flamm
W. W. Douglass
J. P. Reed
J. C. Dey
Wm. E. Pitt
S. R. Barnes
Geo. C. Cockrell
N. L. Smith
William Stout
John Fraser
John Jackson
John W. Vinson
Charles Miner
J. M. West
Abram S. Baird
Oliver Randolphe
J. C. Brown
Geo. E. Cramer (for his mother)
T. J. Selby
T. H. Spencer [could be F. H.]
G. E. Wyte
William J. C. Hill
William N. Hill
C. A. Hill
A. K. Van Horne
John Christopher
James S. Pearis
J. S. Miles
E. A. Casey
A. P. Powel
Elisha Bowman
Jas. H. Boulter
John [unintelligible]
David Birch
Andrew Jackson
Wm. R. Lane
[unintelligible] Randolphe
T. T. Alexander
N. W. Carlhuff
William --ellas
Jas. S. Hatch [hard to read]
John Beaty
John R. Leigh
Jn. C. Swan
Lewis R. Myers
Henry Whyte
Smith Hill
Theodore Hill
J. E. Van Pelt
M. C. Stanley
Isaac Snedeker
Geo. P. Foster
Robert Beaty
Geo W. Burke