The Cornish Family

Richard Eustice (1821-1900) was born in Crowan 8 April 1821 and christened there 22 Apri1 1821. He was the son of Richard Eustis (spelling later changed to Eustice) (1796-1851) and Ann Barkle (1798-1842) and grandson of Richard Eustis (1772-1853) and Grace Pooley (1774-1835).  He is the ancestor of the author of this article.

The death certificate for Richard (1821-1900) mistakenly lists his mother’s maiden name as Ann Pooley. Her correct maiden surname was Barkle (alternately Bartle or Barkell). The informant confused the maiden surname of the mother with that of the grandmother. The marriage of Richard Eustis (1796) to Ann Barkle and the christening of their first child, Anne, are recorded in Gwinear parish registers. Richard’s father Richard (1772) signed as a witness the marriage. Ann (Barkle) Eustis was christened 1 Apr 1798 in Gwinear and was the daughter of William and Ann (Hockin) Barkle. This older Mrs. Ann Barkle was living with the Eustice family in the 1841 census of Camborne parish, Cornwall . The death of Mrs. Ann Eustis is recorded in the family bible of Josiah Barkle/Barkell, her brother. There would be no reason for Ann’s death to be recorded in a Barkle/Barkell family bible, if she were a Pooley. Neither a marriage of a Richard Eustis to an Ann Pooley nor a suitable birth of an Ann Pooley has ever been located.

Richard (1821-1900) moved with his parents to nearby Camborne before the 1841 census. On 3 April 1842 , five days before his 21^st birthday, he set sail for America from the port of Hayle in Cornwall aboard the Brig Ruby which had sailed from South Shields on the northeastern coast of England . After nearly two months at sea, the ship landed at the port of New York on June 1.  Also aboard were Richard’s sister Ann (Eustice) Richards, his uncle, James Eustis, and their families. After briefly working in the mines of Pennsylvania , Richard settled in southwestern Wisconsin , first near Benton , Lafayette County , and later in neighboring Hazel Green, Grant County . He worked in the lead mines and ran a small farm and was also lay minister for the Methodist Episcopal Church. At one point he owned or was in partnership in some profitable mines, but suffered financial reverses and died a pauper, so poor that the family could not even afford a stone for his grave.   

On 3 April 1845 at Galena , Jo Daviess County, Illinois, Richard married Jennifer “Jane” Carnsew, daughter of James Carnsew and Mary Harvey, who was born 22 May 1825 in Crowan. According to the 1900 and 1910 censuses, they had 14 children, but only 10 have been identified by name.  The others probably died young. Richard died 21 May 1900 in Hazel Green at age 79 and Jennifer died there 14 Dec 1915 at age 90.

John Eustice (1827-1860) was born 7 Feb 1827 in Crowan and christened there 4 Mar 1827 , son of Richard Eustis and Ann Barkle and brother to Richard. John sailed from Liverpool aboard the Roscius on the 11 January 1846 , celebrated his 19th birthday at sea, and arrived at the port of New York on March 7. According to family legend there were two other John Eustices aboard, but the passenger list has been located and it shows no other Eustice aboard at all. According to a notation on the passenger list, his intended destination was Canada , but if he ever actually went there, it was a short stay.  He soon joined his brother in southwestern Wisconsin , where he continued in the mining trade that he had learned in the old country. He was married about 1850 to Jane Oatey, who was born 29 May 1830 in Gwinear parish, Cornwall , daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Floyd) Oatey, and had five children – four sons and one daughter. By the 1860 census, the family had moved across the Mississippi River to Dubuque , Iowa , where he died late that same year at the young age of 33. He is believed to be buried in an unmarked grave in Center Grove Methodist Cemetery just outside Dubuque . His widow returned to Lafayette County , Wisconsin and married again in 1865 to James Liddell (alternatively Liddle or Little), had four more children and died in 1885.

3. John G. Eustice (1806-1882) was born 10 Sep 1806 in Crowan and christened there on 26 Oct 1806 , son of William Eustis and Elizabeth Glasson, and first cousin to the father of the aforementioned Richard and John. He was married 10 Apr 1830 in Crowan to Ann Ward, daughter of John and Ann (Eddy) Ward, by whom he had nine children. He arrived in the United States in 1841, spent one year in the mines of Pennsylvania then moved to Wisconsin while it was still a territory. Soon thereafter he bought a farm of 120 acres in Elizabeth Township , Jo Daviess County, Illinois, and established a home for his family who joined him from Cornwall about 1843. His first wife died 16 Jun 1849 and on 8 Oct 1853 , he married as his second wife, Mrs. Elizabeth (Smith) Green, daughter of William and Elizabeth Smith and widow of John Green, and had two more children. In addition to farming, John was involved in both mining and milling. He died on 13 Feb 1882 in Elizabeth, Jo Daviess County, Illinois at age 75.

William Eustis (1801-c1870+) was born 15 Apr 1805 in Camborne, Cornwall , son of John and Mary (Goldsworthy) Eustis. He was married 9 Dec 1830 in Camborne to Mary Vine, daughter of Joseph and Lucy (Eudey) Vine. They had three children in Camborne and then sailed from port of Falmouth in Cornwall 30 March 1837 and arrived in New York Harbor on May 6. They settled in British Hollow, Potosi Township , Grant County, Wisconsin, where William worked in the lead mines.  They had six more children there, for a total of nine, and Mary died there in 1872. It is not known if William died there or perhaps went west with his children.  By the 1880 census, one child was living in California , two in Minnesota and one in Utah .  One son, William, died in the civil war and a set of triplets died in infancy.

William Eustice (1828-1889) was born in 1828 in Crowan parish, Cornwall and christened there on 1 Jan 1829 , son of Thomas and Phillipa (Davey) Eustis. He married 3 Jun 1849 in Camborne, Cornwall to Mary Jane Gundry, daughter of John Gundry and Ann Saunders and they had at least eight children. They came to America about 1852 and, after a brief stay in New Jersey , settled in Grant County, Wisconsin. He died on 23 Aug 1889 in Buncombe, Grant County , when the mine in which he was working caved in on him. His wife died in Grant County in 1895 or 1896.

John Eustice (1844-1902) was born 19 Aug 1844 in Camborne, Cornwall , son of Thomas and Sarah (Hicks) Eustice and nephew of the preceding William. He married 28 May 1865 to Grace Hocking, daughter of Nicholas and Grace (Bennetts) Hocking and had one known child.  John immigrated to America in 1875 and obtained work as a mining engineer.  He settled first in Morris County, New Jersey.  By 1878 he was a widower when he married again in Morris County to Sarah Jane Prisk by whom he had nine children.  About 1884 he moved to Pennsylvania and about  1889 to Iron Mountain and finally about 1890 to Bureau County, Illinois where he died in 1902, age 58 years.

James Eustice (1847-1911) was born 8 Mar 1847 in Camborne, Cornwall and christened in the Tuckingmill Chapel on May 10, son of Thomas and Sarah (Hicks) Eustice and brother of the preceding John.  He left for America in 1863, but returned to Cornwall by 1868 where he married at Tuckingmill to Elizabeth Jane Mitchell Polglase born there 7 Dec 1850 , daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Rowe) Polglase.  Their first child was born in Tuckingmill in 1870 and soon after he left again for America and made his way to the Schelbourne Mountains in Eureka County , Nevada Territory, where gold had been recently discovered.  His wife and child joined him there a few years later.  After having two more children, his wife died 15 Nov 1881 .  Shortly thereafter, on the run from the law, he fled Nevada , deserting his three children, ages 12, 4 and 1 who were placed in an orphanage.  By 1883, he had resettled in Utah where he worked as an undertaker.  He married again in 1883 to Emma Roscoe by whom he had 10 children, 6 died in infancy.  James died in Eureka , Juab County , Utah on 11 Feb 1911 , aged 63.

Josiah Eustice (1849-1909) was born 14 May 1849 in Camborne, Cornwall , son of Thomas and Sarah (Hicks) Eustice and brother to the preceding James and John.  He married 26 Jun 1869 at the Registrar’s Office in Redruth, Cornwall to Eliza Jeffery born Nov 1852 in Christow Parish, Devon County , England , daughter of George and Caroline Jeffery. They had 10 children.  Shortly after marriage, they went to Wales where Josiah worked for a few years in the coal mines of Gelligaer parish in Glamorganshire.  In 1875, Josiah sailed for America and the coal fields of the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania.  He settled in Plymouth in Luzerne County and was joined within a year or so by Eliza and their two young children.  Josiah worked as a fireman at the mines and later as a breaker boss, supervising the crushing, sizing and loading of the ore. He died at Plymouth   3 June 1909 at the age of 60. His son, William James, died in 1893 in a mining accident.

George Eustice (1816-1898) was born 15 April 1816 in Gwinear, Cornwall son of John Eustis and Catherine Pascoe, who were married there 22 Jul 1815 . As a child, he moved with his parents to St. Ives parish and there he married Philippa Richards, daughter of Richard Richards and Philippa Rodda on 21 Sep 1837 .  After they had four children in Hasletown, St. Ives, they sailed in August 1845 aboard the Ship Resolution to Quebec , Canada .  They made their way to Wisconsin and settled in Potosi Township , Grant County had five more children there.  George was a blacksmith and, after Philippa died in 1884, he followed some of his children to Gilroy (the Garlic Capital) in Santa Clara County , California , where he continued that occupation until he died in 1898.

[Notes: Some have concluded that John Eustis, father of George, was christened at Gwinear on 26 Oct 1794 , son of John and Charity Eustis.  This is not possible for two reasons. First, in the 1841 St. Ives census, John and Catherine are found as age 60-64 and thus born 1776-1781.  Also, the burial records of Gwinear show that said 1794 John was buried in 1796, so obviously he couldn’t have been anyone’s father. John and Charity moved to Redruth parish and had another John there in 1799, but he is not old enough to be the ancestor. 

It has also been asserted that Catherine Pascoe was born 1785, daughter of Henry and Catherine King Pascoe.  This is highly unlikely as the death certificate for Catherine Eustis, widow of John, states that she died of dropsy (congestive heart failure) at Hasletown, St. Ives on 29 Dec 1842 , age 64.  Based on her age at death (and confirmed by her age in 1841 census), she was born about 1778 – some 7 years before the daughter of Henry was born.  As John and Catherine were in their mid to late 30s when they married, it is likely that it was not a first marriage and perhaps Pascoe was not her maiden/birth name, but her prior married name.]

George Eustis (1847-1909) was born on 3 Jul 1847 in Marazion parish, Cornwall , son of William and Jennifer (Phillips) Eustis and grandson of William and Ann (Williams) Eustis. He immigrated to America about 1865 and went for a short time to work in the mines in Michigan and then by 1870 in Cambria County , Pennsylvania .  His parents also came to America .  His mother died in 1870 and his father in 1890 and both are buried in Sandyvale Cemetery , Johnstown , Cambria County .  George soon moved to Westmoreland County , where he became a mine foreman and was instrumental in opening several coal mines. In 1868 he married Sarah Ann Richards, born 30 Apr 1850 in Germoe parish, Cornwall , daughter of William Henry and Nanny (Potter) Richards.  They became the parents of nine children. He died 20 Aug 1909 at the age of 62 and Sarah died 22 May 1910 .

Richard Eustice (1811-1854) was born 12 May 1811 in Crowan parish, Cornwall , son of John and Margary (Williams) Eustis and christened there 22 Sep. He married there 28 Jul 1832 to Johanna Stephens, born there 4 Sep 1811 , daughter of John and Jane Stephens. They had at least 8 children, including John Samuel Eustice who married Harriet Fritz. Richard, his wife, children and his brother, John sailed from Liverpool and arrived in America at the port of New York in September 1841 aboard the ship, England . They settled in Pennsylvania , first in Schuykill County and later in Carbon County .  Richard died in August 1854, aged 43, of injuries incurred in an explosion in the mine where he was working at the time.

John Eustice (c1804-1850+) was born about 1804 in Cornwall (parentage not yet determined), married 30 Jun 1825 in Crowan to Christian (aka Christina) Nicholas christened 7 Mar 1802 in Sithney parish, daughter of John and Christian (Hocking) Nicholas. They are said to have had seven children, but only four have been identified.  The oldest son, John, was born 1826 in Crowan and soon thereafter the family moved to Ireland , perhaps to work in the Knockmahon Copper Mine in County Waterford .  While in Ireland , at least three more children were born, William James (1830), James (1832) and Thomas Henry (1835). Christian and these three sons arrived at the port of New York on 3 Oct 1849 aboard the ship Mountaineer, which had sailed from the harbor at Penzance in Cornwall , so perhaps the family had returned to Cornwall after 1841.  The father and oldest son had come to America earlier. John settled his family in Tamaqua, Schuykill County , Pennsylvania and was the superintendent of copper and lead mines.  He died before the 1860 census.  Christian was last known living in 1880 in Plains Township , Luzerne County , Pennsylvania with her son, John. 

[Note: Ann born 1829 and George born 1832 in Crowan have been mistakenly identified as their children.  However, said Ann and George were children of John and Christian (Arthur) Eustice who remained in Cornwall .]

John N. Eustice (1826-1899) was born 17 Mar 1826 , christened 16 Apr 1826 in Crowan, son of the aforementioned John and Christian, arrived in the United States about 1846.  He joined a party which was exploring for copper on Lake Superior and then was variously engaged in mining in Michigan , New Jersey , and Connecticut (where he was in the 1850 census). By 1860 he had settled in Luzerne County , Pennsylvania where he became a citizen in 1866. He continued his work in mining as foreman until 1889, when he was compelled to retire on account of failing eyesight. He was married about 1848 to Mary Raugh, by whom he is said to have had 20 children, though only 9 have been identified with certainty.   John died in Plains Township , Luzerne County , Pennsylvania on 11 Jun 1899 at the age of 73.

James Eustice (1832-1916) was born Apr 1832 in Ireland of Cornish parents, son of the aforementioned John and Christian and brother to the preceding John N. and William James.  He lived in Luzerne County , Pennsylvania where he worked in the mines.  He was married about 1857 to Sarah Reed and had at least five children.  She died about 1869 and he married again in 1871 to Elizabeth “Eliza” Cavanaugh and had six more children.  His second wife died before 1900 and James died 26 May 1916 in Inkerman, Luzerne County , Pennsylvania at the age of 84.

William Eustice (1816-1858) was christened at Crowan parish 28 Apr 1816 , son of Richard and Sarah (Noble) Eustice. His father died when he was about one year old and his mother when he was six. He married 2 Jun 1838 in St. Blazey parish in Cornwall to Mary Williams born 1 Nov 1817 Crowan, daughter of Richard and Ann Williams, by whom he had nine children. About 1840, soon after the birth of their oldest child, they left for America .  They lived briefly in Tioga County , Pennsylvania and then in Ontonagan County , Michigan and then finally, by 1850, settled near the town of Elizabeth in Jo Daviess County, Illinois where he worked in the lead mines.  He had nearly completed building their new house there, when tragedy struck on 3 Jun 1858 . He was standing near the chimney and his son William was taking the wash basin to the back door to empty it.  A bolt of lightning suddenly struck the chimney and followed through to the back door, killing both father and son. Mary died 4 Jun 1902 .

Thomas Eustice (1846-1885+) was christened 20 Jul 1846 at Perranuthnoe Parish, Cornwall , son of George and Thomasine (Symons) Eustis.  He married there 1 Aug 1865 to Mary Ralph who was born there Dec 1846.  They settled first in Camborne parish where three children were born.  Thomas left England for America in 1870 and went to work in the mines of Central City, Gilpin County , Colorado .  Mary and the children followed in 1874 and they settled in Clear Creek County , Colorado and had at least seven more children. Thomas died between 1896 and 1900, probably in Jefferson County , Colorado . Mary died there in 1910.fe died before 1900 and James died 26 May 1916 in Inkerman, Luzerne County , Pennsylvania at the age of 84.

William Henry Eustice (1810-c1870+) was born in Cornwall about 1810 (parentage  not yet determined).  He married 15 Dec 1838 in Crowan parish to Charlotte Rodda who was christened there 24 Mar 1813 , daughter of Thomas and Honour (Pearce) Rodda. Five children were born in Crowan before they sailed from Penzance on the ship Oregon , arriving at the Port of New York on 6 May 1852 .  They first settled in Bristol , Connecticut where a sixth child was born.  During the 1870 census, the family was in Richmond , Berkshire County , Massachusetts .  William had died by 1880, when his widow Charlotte was living in Cheshire , New Haven County , Connecticut . Two sons moved to Vermont .

John P. “Jackie” Eustice (1826-1900) was born 17 May 1826 in the village of Troon near Camborne, Cornwall and was christened at Camborne 20 May 1826.  He married 5 Feb 1846 at Redruth parish to Mary Ann Trevena, daughter of Henry and Ann (Ivey) Trevena, by whom he had Ann born in Gwennap 23 Sep 1846.  John’s first wife died and he married her sister Eliza, as his second wife. By Eliza Trevena, he had a son, John Henry born 6 Sep 1850 . Sometime after the 1851 census, John left England for America and his second wife and daughter Ann followed later.  Family tradition says that the second wife died at sea and that Ann was taken in by some fellow passengers for a few years before reuniting with her father. The 1851 census of Gwennap parish includes John Eustice, a miner, age 24, wife Eliza age 23 born Redruth, daughter Ann age 4 and son John age 7 months, both born in Gwennap.  Also in the household is lodger, John Trevena age 18 born in Redruth.  John soon left for America and was followed later by his wife and daughter.  Family tradition says that this wife died at sea. By the 1860 census, John was a miner in Polk County, Tennessee (surname misspelled Ustell) with his third wife, Susan 23 born in North Carolina, 14 year old Ann born in England and Mary 4 and Matilda 2, both born in Tennessee.  John and Susan are believed to have divorced. John married about 1862 as his fourth wife, Lucinda Ricketts and had at least 10 more children in Polk County .  Polk County was the location of the Copper Basin which at the time had the largest metal mining operation in the southeastern United States . Sometime after 1880 the family moved to Hamilton County , Tennessee .  John died there 4 Jul 1900 and Lucinda died in 1941.  Both are buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery , Soddy , Tennessee .

Thomas Eustice (1811-1858) was born 9 Oct 1811 in Phillack parish, Cornwall and christened there 24 Nov, son of John and Elizabeth (Roscrow/Roscoe) Eustice.  Thomas married 23 Mar 1837 at Phillack to Susan Ley who was born in Cornwall 20 Aug 1819 .  They had two daughters (Eliza and Jane) in England before Thomas left for America about 1846.  Susan and the children followed in 1849, arriving at New York Harbor on 5 May aboard the bark Marquis of Chandos which had sailed from the port of Hayle in Cornwall .  Thomas and Susan settled in Jo Daviess County, Illinois had another child, John.  Susan died in 1852 and Thomas in 1858

William Eustice (1845-1893+) was born 20 Apr 1845 in Polladias, Breage parish, Cornwall , son of John and Rosina (Allen) Eustis.  He married Mary Jane Williams and had one child in England before leaving for America about 1871.  He settled in Morris County, New Jersey where he worked as a mining engineer and had at least 10 more children. He probably died between 1893 and 1900.  His mother died in 1857 and his father remarried that same year to Mrs. Mary Ann (Jeffery) Prideaux.  The father and step mother and family came to New Jersey for a short time around 1870, but soon returned to England .  They lived in Lancashire , where Mary Ann died in 1884 and John in 1899.

The pioneer history of JoDaviess County, Illinois would scarcely be complete without prominent mention of this gentleman, who came within its limits as early as 1840. He has for the last eleven years made his home on sec. 23 in Elizabeth Township, among whose people he has lived and labored to excellent purpose, establishing himself in their confidence and esteem, and securing a goodly proportion of this world’s goods. Our subject received his first impressions of life in the County of Cornwall, England, his birth taking place July 15, 1840. He was the oldest child in a family of eight, the offspring of William and Mary (Williams) Eustice, the former of whom died June 3, 1858. The latter is living and makes her home at Lena, Stephenson County, this State. When their son, Richard was an infant of four months the family set out for America, and the father employed himself a short time thereafter in the coal mines of Pennsylvania. In 1842 they came to this county settling first at Weston, in Elizabeth Township, where the father was engaged in lead mining a number of years. He also spent about two years in the copper-mining regions of Lake Superior, having his family with him there also. Upon returning from there he purchased seventy acres of land on section 27 in Elizabeth Township, this county, where he prosecuted agriculture successfully until his death, which occurred June 3, 1858, from a stroke of lightning. With him also perished his son William. They were standing in a door of their house, and the electric fluid came down the chimney, killing them instantly. The mother of our subject, after thus being sadly widowed, moved to Elizabeth Village of which she was a resident a number of years, and whence she repaired to Lena Ill., and is now making her home with her son James H., being now nearly seventy years old.

Richard our subject, was deprived of many of the advantages given the youth of today in the way of schooling and social training, working mainly on a farm until twenty years of age. He then began teaming for the firm of Greene & Goldthorpe, proprietors of a lead blast furnace which located in the vicinity of the present farm of our subject. He was thus employed for a period of seventeen years, and in the meantime also was assigned the duty of weighing the mineral at the mines before hauling it to the furnace. A portion of this was transported to Galena for shipment elsewhere.

About 1878 Mr. Eustice in the company with his brother-in-law, William Tippett commenced farming on a tract of rented land, that which is now owned by Mr. Eustice. They operated together five years, it being at that time owned by the Hon.H.Green. It was purchased by our subject in the fall of 1882 and comprises 146 acres, the soil of which has been brought to a though state of cultivation and the farm improved with neat and substantial buildings, which may be classed among the best in the township. A self-made man Mr. Eustice is indebted solely to his own persevering efforts for the handsome property which he enjoys to-day. The 1st of January, 1865 witnessed the marriage of our subject with Miss Mary K., daughter of William and Jane (King) Tippett, who, like the Eustice family, were numbered among the pioneer settlers of Jo Daviess County. The young people commenced their wedded life at a modest, but comfortable home in Elizabeth Township, and labored together with a mutual purpose for the future. Their union has resulted in the birth of six children, viz: Edith A. , William M., James E., Richard J., Authur R., and Ernest Russell. Mr. Eustice upholds with all the natural strength of his character, the principles of the Republican party. He served two terms as Commissioner of Highways in Elizabeth Township, and as School Director, also, two terms. Both he and his estimable wife identified themselves with the Methodist Episcopal Church many years ago, and take an active interest in its prosperity. Their sterling worth of character and their habits of industry and economy have had a perceptible influence upon the people around them, stimulating them to exertions of a like character. No man can live very long in a community without imparting to it something either good or bad, and the former has unquestionably been the character shed upon their community by Richard Eustice and his estimable partner. Mr. Eustice is a breeder of Shorthorn cattle.

From Portraits and Biographical Jo Daviess County

We have in the record of the life of the subject of this biography the career of one of the pioneer settlers of this county. He came to Northern Illinois as early as 1844, when a lad of twelve years of age. He has since made it his abiding place, and borne no unimportant part of its phenominal growth and development. A man of strong character and decided ideas, he proved to be of the stuff which was most needed to assist in the development of one of the richest sections of country in the Great West. Our subject made permanent settlement a long distance from the place of his birth, which was in Cornwall County, England, where he first opened his eyes to the light March 29, 1831. His parents were John and Ann (Ward) Eustice, who were also of English birth and parentage. The father in his native country labored in the mines of Cornwall until 1841, when he crossed the Atlantic with his family and spent the first year in the State of Pennsylvania. At the expiration of this time he set out for the farther West, going to Wisconsin while it was still a territory.

In 1843 he came to this county, which remained the home of the father until his death. The elder Eustice came alone to America and did not send for his family until 1844, after becoming established in this county. He was in that year joined by his wife and their four children. He had in the meantime purchased 120 acres of government land on section 36, in Elizabeth Township, paying therefore $1.25 per acre. After he had made a considerable improvement on this, he added to his landed area by the purchase of 160 acres additional, for which he paid $6.25 per acre. Upon this he labored until his death, which occurred in February, 1882. He was successful in constructing a comfortable homestead, and bought the land to a good state of cultivation. Taking up his land just as the Indians had left it, it required no small outlay of labor and money to bring it to its present state. The father of our subject was one of the first pioneer farmers of Elizabeth Township. His first dwelling was a log cabin, and for a number of years, in addition to working upon his farm, he also engaged in mining. He was a man of great enterprise and energy, and in 1856 put in the Woodbine Township what was first known as Eustice Mill, but is now the Mitchell Mill, which has become one of the standing institutions of this part of the county. During the last years of his ownership of the mill-property he operated it in partnership with his son, our subject. The parental household included nine children six of whom are living. The mother died in 1849. William H., our subject acquired his education in the primitive schools of his county, and at an early age was taught to make himself of use around the homestead, assisting his father both in farming and mining. In 1852 he made his way across the plains to California, where he was engaged in gold mining about four years. By this means he obtained sufficient capital to buy land, which he invested upon his return to this county.

His next important step was his marriage, which occurred March 26, 1858 with Miss Sarah, daughter of William and Sarah Davis. The latter were also natives of England, whence they emigrated to America and settled in Elizabeth Township, this county, in 1841. The father engaged in mining, and both parents here spent the remainder of their lives; William Davis passing away in 1860 and his excellent wife in 1879. Mrs. Eustice was a little child three years of age when her parents came to America, she having been born in Cornwall County, England, Oct. 4, 1838. With the exception of one year spent in Adair County, Mo., Mr. and Mrs. Eustice have been residents of Elizabeth Township since their marriage. The nine children born of their union are recorded as follows; Sarah A. is at home; Clara E. is the wife of Joseph Reed, of Neosha County, Kan.; Harry A. married Maggie Williams, of Galena; Jennie H. and Willie C. are at home; Bertha, Willie and Winnie all died in infancy; one child died in inf ancy unnamed. Not long after his return from the Pacific slope Mr. Eustice purchased a half interest in the gristmill owned by his father, and they operated in partnership under the firm name of Eustice & Son until 1865. In the meantime they had made an addition to the building and began purchasing wheat, running the establishment as a custom mill until the year mentioned, when William H. sold out his interest to Edward Mitchell. Shortly afterward the father of our subject also disposed of his interest in the establishment, which is now operated by Mr. Mitchell. William H. Eustice is what may be called a successful man; that is, he has acquired a competence and has firmly established himself in the esteem and confidence of his fellow-citizens.

While a resident of Woodbine Township he served as School Director, and in Elizabeth has officiated as Clerk of the Village Board of Trustees. He has long been considered a man worthy the honored of office and one who would serve efficiently, but he is not ambitions for the cares and responsibilities connected therewith, although frequently solicited to assume them. He votes the straight Republican ticket, and socially belong to the Masonic fraternity. He has had some experience in mercantile business, having been engaged therein three years at Elizabeth with his brother-in-law, Thomas Prior, but was obliged to abandon it on account of ill health; and this was also the reason why he withdrew from the mill business. Mr. Eustice has visited his old England three times since making his first voyage to America, his physician advised him to do this on account of the state of his health. Mrs. Eustice and her daughter are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and prominent in the social circles of Elizabeth. They occupy a pleasant home in the west part of town, and are surrounded by all the comforts of life and many of its luxuries. Among the distinguished and well-known citizens of JoDaviess County, Whose portraits grace the paged of this volume, is included that of Mr. Eustice.

From Portraits and Biographical Jo Daviess County