Wayne County

Emanuel Orr

1884 Biographical Sketches of Mt. Erie Twp

EMANUEL ORR farmer, P. O. Mount Erie. was born in Mecklenburgh County, N.C., on September 4, 1812, and is a son of Alexander and Lucy (Collins) Orr. The father was born in Maryland, and his father emigrated to this country from Ireland about two years prior to the Revolution, and was afterward a soldier in that conflict. The mother was descended from Old Virginia stock.

Our subject was the third of ten children. of whom four are now living--

  1. Anna Jennings, in Grayson County, Tex.
  2. Emanuel (our subject)
  3. Tabitha
  4. Lewis, in Edwards County. Ill.
  5. Alfred, in Missouri

When he was five years of age, his parents moved to Bedford County, Tenn. and there subject attended the old subscription schools. After six years' residence in that county. the parents moved to Alabama. but only lived there two years. They then returned to Tennessee, and there resided till March 3, 1830. On that date, they left Tennessee and came to Edwards County. Ill. In that county the parents lived for up-ward of thirty-five years, and then moved to the southern part of Wayne County, where the father died on July 12, 1858, the mother having departed this life on October 5, 1855.

Our subject lived with his father in Edwards County until he was about twenty. He then settled down and commenced life for himself in what is known as Shelby Precinct, that county. There he resided for about twenty years, and then came to this county. Here he settled in Section 5, of Township Range 9 east, where he now owns eighty acres.

Mr. Orr was married, in Edwards County, Ill., on September 1, 1833, to Miss Matilda Bell, a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Saunders) Bell, who were originally natives of Tennessee. Mrs. Orr was born on January 16,1814, and was the mother of fifteen children, of whom nine are now living—

  1. John B., born September 29, 1834
  2. Lucy, born April 6, 1836, and now the wife of William Bennett (deceased)
  3. Emanuel J.. born on February 28, 1838
  4. Amos, born on October 8, 1839
  5. Alexander, born on August 28, 1845
  6. Ash, born on January 6 1847
  7. Harlan, born on March 10. 1852
  8. Matilda, born on October 17, 1856, and now the wife of Marion Overton,of Gibson County
  9. Charles, born on June 8, 1858

This lady died on February 10, 1870, and our subject was married the second time, on December 24, 1872, to Mrs. Nancy Brinker, nee Pepple, a daughter of Samuel and Nancy (Jones) Pepple, natives of Columbiana County, Ohio.

Mr. Orr has served as Justice of the Peace for the past thirty years in this and Edwards County. He is a member of the Baptist Church. and in politics has been a life-long Democrat.



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