History of the Brooks FamilyMiles Brooks, born December 1, 1781, and his wife, Lucy Pullian, born August 5, 1784 were both born in Virginia. Miles and Lucy would be our great-great-great-grandparents. Later living in Kentucky, Miles is listed on the Hart County KY Tax Lists of 1819 as having land in Green River. In the 1820 KY Federal Cenus, Miles had two males under ten years of age, one male 16-26 years of age, and two females under ten years of age, four between 10 and 16. He and his wife were listed as between 26-45, engaged in commerce. Also included in this 1820 Census was a listing for one female slave and one male slave, both ‘under the age of 14.’ Miles ‘disposed of his possessions in 1828 and started for the prairies of Illinois, stopping during the winter of that year and the summer of 1829 in Indiana. In the fall of 1829 he came into Sangamon County, where he remained until December, then entering a tract of land in what is now Allin Township. There were no other white settlers in the area and he is considered to have been the founder of Allin township. In March of 1830, the family moved into a log cabin that he built. The Indians, wolves, and deer ‘had everything their own way, but the Indians were friendly.’ Miles went into the lumber and grain business when the village of Stanford first began and followed that with stock-buying and -shipping. At the time of his death on December 24, 1840, he owned 500 acres of ‘choice land with modern improvements’ as well as his town property. His wife died on February 11, 1844. Miles and Lucy were the parents of eleven children; America, Elizabeth, Virginia, Millie (our great-great-grandmother), Benjamin P, Elzey, Sarepta, Zerilda, Presley T, Lucy A, and Martha D. In Kentucky the Brooks were connected with the Baptist Church but became members of the Christian Church after moving to Illinois. Miles and Lucy are both buried at Brooks’ Grove. Milley’s younger brother, Presley T. Brooks, was born in Hart Co., KY, on November 9, 1821. He received a very limited education in the ‘common schools’ and was married to Eliza Silvay Larrison on December 29, 1842. They located in Allin Township, on Government land, and in 1848 entered the land that he located on in 1842. He then purchased additional land, until he eventually owned 480 acres which he then cultivated and upon which he built their home, ‘with a good barn and all necessary out-buildings.’ He donated one acre of this land for the Brooks’ Grove Cemetery and for a school building. He held offices of Constable, Justice of the Peace, Township Supervisor, Assessor, and Treasurer for eighteen years. He officiated as magistrate for twenty-five years. Although a Democrat early in his life, he later identified himself with the Prohibitionists. He and his wife were both members of the Christian Church and was reportedly instrumental in its organization and inception. Eliza was born on October 1, 1824. According to the 1870 Census, she was born in Ohio. She and Presley Brooks had eight living children, Catherine, Miles, Mary, Abel, Rachel, Lucy A, Millie, and Ella. Two of their other children included a son who died at 6 months of age and a daughter, America A., who died at 6 days of age. On the 1870 Census, Presley is 48 and is a lumber dealer. His real estate value is $2000 and personal property worth is $1000. Eliza is 45. The children in the home include Able 18, Rachel 16, Lucy A. 14, Milly M 11, Eliza E 5, and Smith Winfield, age 8. On December 31, 1892, Presley and his wife were surprised with a Golden Wedding Anniversary party given by their children and grandchildren. “A beautiful gold watch and chain were presented to them in a little speech…The air was filled with happiness and merry making…Old memories were overhauled of those days when cooking stoves were unknown in the outfit of beginners and the cost of receiving a love letter by mail was 25 cents, and that without an envelope.” Presley died on February 21, 1908, and Eliza on June 15, 1897. Presley, Eliza, America, and the baby boy are all buried at Brooks Grove Cemetery, as are several of their other children, Abel and Rachel among them. According to a book of biographical sketches of various citizens of McLean County, written in the late 19th century, a grandson of Miles and Lucy Brooks was also named Miles. The younger Miles Brooks was born in Allin Township, IL, on October 8, 1845. According to his obituary, he attended school in Atlanta, Illlinois, and taught school in Stanford for several years. He was a district insurance agency for the American Insurance Company for thirty-five years, under the name of Brooks, Harrison, & Garlough. He was ‘a life-long Democrat’ and served one term in the legislature of Illinois in the 1890’s. Miles was the eldest son of Presley T. Brooks.. He married Sarah R. Johnson, daughter of Caleb Johnson of Danvers Township, on May 13, 1869. In the 1870 Census for Stanford, a Myles Brooks is listed, age 24, married to Rebecca, also age 24. His occupation is listed as a Liquor Dealer. At the time of the publishing date of this book of biographical sketches, they had two living children, Alpha, born on September 27, 1874, and Pearl, born on July 17, 1877. Their first child died in infancy, unnamed. In 1876 he was elected Police Justice in Stanford and was re-elected in the Spring of 1879. Miles was one of the Notary Publics involved in submitting at least one pension claim for Benjamin. Note: In the 1880 Census, there is a Miles H. Brooks listed, age 44. His wife is listed as Phebe A, age 36. Their children include Lillie M 13, William D 12, James E 10, and Minnie 7. On the 1900 Census in Stanford, Miles is 54, an insurance agent. His wife is Rebecca, age 55, and Pearle, age 21, lives at home with them. His father-in-law, Caleb Johnson, also from Virginia, lives with them. According to a newspaper article announcing his death in November of 1920, he had suffered a ‘slight stroke’ the previous year which had left him no longer able to take care of his business activities.
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