Hello Listers, Does anyone have any info on Toppingtown/Toppinton, in Union Co? My SILL ancestor resided there. There is no info that I can find, and there is no marker where it was..its one of those ghost towns in Southern ILL. --Kathryn Sill

Kathryn: http://www.topowest.com/Illinois/Places/T/TO.html Mentions "Toppingtown School (historical)" in Union County in the quad of Makanda. This must be in the northern part of the county, north of Cobden. http://www.iltrails.org/union/uc_news.htm Mentions some folks living at Toppingtown in 1888. http://www.pastonline.org/schools.html Says Toppingtown was in the Cobden area. http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilgssi/obit_1889-1892.htm Mentions John T. Ellis of Toppingtown being buried at Cobden Cem. http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilsgs/ilcemetery-mz/union.html Toppingtown Cem (aka Walker Cem) is located in Section 10 of Cobden Township. [If I'm not mistaken, that would place the cemetery about three miles northeast of Cobden and between one and two miles south of the Jackson County line.] See the biography of N. B. Walker, P.O.: Makanda (Jackson County), at http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/ILUNION/2003-09/1064872193 "...October 8, 1863, he was married a second time, to Miss A. A. Sill. She was born in Washington County, Ind., to Commodore Perry and Sarah (Beard) Sill; he died in Marion County, Ill., and she is still living in this county. By his second wife, Mr. Walker has seven children living - Sarah D., Lavina Lucinda, Alice Catherine, Polly Isabella, Huldah Ellen, John Logan and Etta Araminta, and three dead." Andy ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2005 12:26 AM Subject: [ILUNION] Toppingtown/Toppington > Hello Listers, > Does anyone have any info on Toppingtown/Toppinton, in Union Co? My SILL > ancestor resided there. There is no info that I can find, and there is no > marker where it was..its one of those ghost towns in Southern ILL. > --Kathryn Sill > >

Kathryn: In running across an occasional mention of Toppingtown in the past I never knew where exactly it was, but I've always assumed it was named for the Topping family. The Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales database http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/GenealogyMWeb/landsrch.html shows that in 1865 Sanford and Mary Topping bought land in the NW quarter of the SW quarter of Section 10, Township 11S, Range 1W. This is the same section in which Toppingtown Cemetery is located. Rockford Map Publishers' 1964 plat book of Union County shows the name Ben Walker in all quarters of the SW quarter of Section 10 except for the NW quarter. I think some of the landowners whose names appear in this 1964 plat book may have died long before that year, so Ben may be the Benjamine Walker in the census listing below. The name Sill does not show up in the index. The name George Sill appears in the Jackson County 1968 plat book in Section 16 of Somerset Twp, a mile or so north of Murphysboro. 1880 CENSUS, UNION CO IL http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=census/search_census.asp (LDS transcription), South Pass Precinct, page 166A. I believe South Pass Pct was only another designation of Cobden Pct. NEPOLEAN WALKER 52 IL IL IL farmer Acenous A. wife 33 IN IN IN Benjamine 23 son IL IL IN Sarah D. 15 dtr IL IL IN Levina 14 dtr IL IL IN Alice 11 dtr IL IL IN Polly 9 dtr IL IL IN Hulda E. 7 dtr IL IL IN Eliza M. 5 dtr IL IL IN Illinois marriage records http://www2.sos.state.il.us/GenealogyMWeb/marrsrch.html show Napoleon B. Walker married "Asenith" A. Sill 10/08/1863. Benjamine's mother's birthplace is listed as IN, but should be NC, according to his father's bio. Andy > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2005 12:26 AM > Subject: [ILUNION] Toppingtown/Toppington > >> Hello Listers, >> Does anyone have any info on Toppingtown/Toppinton, in Union Co? My SILL >> ancestor resided there. There is no info that I can find, and there is >> no >> marker where it was..its one of those ghost towns in Southern ILL. >> --Kathryn Sill >>