Posted by Admin on 23 May, 2009
Salters Grove Cemetery is a small family cemetery located near where the Salter family used to
reside and farm. Their neighbors were my great grandparents and Mary Salter McAllister, one of their
descendents, was kind enough to share a picture of the families that was taken during a large
gathering, many years ago. I originally visited this cemetery as I wanted a picture of the grave marker
for my great, great grandmother and grandfather. This is a picture from several years ago and as I
didn't have this site then, the only picture I took was of their grave marker. I will revisit this site
and add more pictures as time allows.
John and Abigail Birdsall
This next photo is the above mentioned grave marker of my great, great grandparents, John Birdsall and
his wife Abigail Birdsall Wentworth. John was the son of John Birdsall Sr. and Leticia Fowler and was
born in Ontario Canada. His father John was born in Westchester County, New York. He married Leticia
and their family removed to Canada prior to 1820 and then made their way to Illinois in 1838. Leticia
and her daughter died on the way to Illinois and John Sr. is buried in Ellison Cemetery in Warren
County. Abigail Wentworth Birdsall is the daughter of John Heard Wentworth and Mary "Polly" Spencer.
She was born in Knox county Illinois. They gave birth to my great grandmother Catherine "Kate" Carson
Birdsall who married John Samuel Bixler and gave birth to my grandmother Edna Abigail Bixler Harris.
This is a Biography for John Birdsall from the "Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois" edited by Newton
Bateman, LL.D and Paul Selby, A.M. and History of Warren County edited by Hugh R. Moffet and Thomas H.
Rogers. Vol. II. Illustrated. Munsell Publishing Company, Publishers. Chicago. 1903
Birdsall, John. Retired farmer of Smithshire, Warren County, is one who well deserves an interval of
rest between the activities of mature life, in which he has displayed manly qualities of a high order.
Mr. Birdsall was born in Oxford, Oxford County, Canada West, March 28, 1832, and secured his education
in the district school. He is a son of John and Letitia (Fowler) Birdsall, both natives of Westchester
County, New York, and early settlers of the Oxford County, Canada West. They remained in that country
some eighteen years, accumulating considerable property, and coming to Illinois in 1838.
The elder Mr. Birdsall bought a half section of land in Henderson County, where he died in 1862. His
wife was taken ill with typhoid fever while on the way west, and died in Joliet. The journey from
Canada was made with wagons and took four months for its completion.
John Birdsall began for himself very early in life, working at first for twenty-five cents a day and
then receiving eight dollars a month. He was industrious and economical, and presently came somewhat
fore-handed. His first marraige occurred March 6, 1856, prior to which he had already bought a farm and
erected a house. He worked steadily and intelligently at farming and stock-raising for many years,
until his retirement to Smithshire in 1892. He owns at the present time about 350 acres of land, and is
Vice-President of the Smithshire Bank, of which he was one of the organizers in 1895. The first Mrs.
Birdsall died November 28, 1892, being the mother of six children: Alfred C., Catherine C., Charles C.,
Frank, Dudley and Jennie. Charles is Supervisor of the town of Ellison; Dudley hs been Deputy County
Clerk of Warren County since 1894; James lives in Victor, Colo. Mrs. Birdsall was Abigail N.,the
daughter of John H. and Letitia (Fowler) Wentworth. Her father, who was born in Vermont, was one of the
first settlers of Knox County. Late in life he removed to Bates County, Mo., where he died. He was a
cousin of John Wentworth, long prominent citizen and at one time Mayor of Chicago, and a grandson of
Governor Wentworth, of Vermont.
Mr. Birsall was married October 1, 1896 to Mary A. (Johnston) Boyd, who was born in York County,
Pennsylvania, a daughter of Joseph and Annis (Watt) Johnston. Her parents were born in Ireland, and
emigrated to the United States in 1850. They always lived in Pennsylvania. Mrs. Birdsall's first
husband, John R. Boyd died August 29, 1881. Frank Birdsall is a farmer on the homestaead where John
Birdsall settled in 1853.