108. Julia Colville6 BRANT (David7, Jacob, Sr.8, David9, Samuel10, William11) was born in nr.Westfield, Essex Co., New Jersey 25 Dec 1823. Julia died 12 Feb 1904 in Kilbourne, Mason Co., Illinois, at 80 years of age. AN OLD PIONEER (obituary of Julia Colville Brant Drake)
Mrs. Julia Colville Drake was the daughter of David and Frances Brant. She was born near Westfield,Essex County, New Jersey, December 25, 1823. October 1, 1843, she united with the Second Baptist Church at Plainfield, NewJersey, Daniel T. Hill being the pastor. She was married to Mr. Piatt Drake January 1, 1845 and soon after changed her church membership to the First Baptist Church of Plainfield, to be in company with her husband. In 1852 she came with her husband to Illinois, landing at the foot of Market Street, Havana, June 6th. They resided in Havana one year, after which they rented a farm five miles east of this place. They lived in that community, finally settling on a farm of their own in 1867, until the death of Mr. Drake in October, 1889. Mrs. Drake still made this her home, making extended visits with her children, till the fall of 1897, when she was compelled by increasing feebleness to give up house-keeping entirely and make her home with her children. She spent about a year in Nebraska and one summer at Kinderbrook, Ill. Since that time she has made her home with her children near Kilbourne, Ill. Mrs. Drake was the mother of sixteen children, seven dying in infancy. The remaining nine are all living and married. George, Clinton, Iowa; Samuel Harvey, Topeka, Ill.; Eden, Marshalltown, Iowa; Mrs. Eliza Frances Hopping, Beaver City, Nebraska; David Brant, Pawnee City, Neb.; Sylvester, Kilbourne, Ill.; Edward Randolph, Virginia, Ill.; Mrs. Sarah Jane Blakeley, Kilbourne, Ill.; Warren W., Griggsville, Ill. All of these were present at the funeral services except Eden. In Illinois, Mrs. Drake and her husband united by letter with the Quiver Baptist Church at George Coon's school house. F. W. Ingmire being pastor at the time. May 5th, 1872, they united with the Baptist Church in Havana, where her church relations remained till her death. Written sketches of her early Christian life breathe a deep and sweetly exultant spirit of devotion and praise. Her public expressions of faith and purpose were always made with quietness and reserve, but with her husband she reared a large family who rise up to call her blessed for the firm discipline, earnest faith, and transparent integrity which were such prominent features in her life. For twenty years she taught in the Methodist Episcopal Sunday School in Topeka, Ill., where most of her children where received into the church. She has been helpless since last June, but except for occasional ailments, felt quite well until Feb. 7th. She died Feb. 12th at the home of her son, Sylvester Drake, being at her decease eighty years, one month and eighteen days of age. The funeral services were conducted by Rev. German, of Bath, at the home of Sylvester Drake, near Kilbourne,. Monday, February 15th, 1904. The text and lesson were selected by the deceased in 1860. The former was Psa. 31:5, the latter, Isaiah, twelfth chapter. The six sons present acted as pall bearers. The interment took place at the Point Pleasant Cemetery, five miles east of Havana. Her body was interred 14 Feb 1904 in Pt.Pleasant, Topeka, Mason Co., Illinois, Point Pleasant Cemetery.
She married Piatt D. DRAKE in Plainfield, Union Co., New Jersey, 1 Jan 1845. Piatt and Julia were married by Reb. Simeon Drake. (See Piatt D. DRAKE for the children resulting from this marriage.)
At 22 years of age Julia became the mother of George DRAKE in New Jersey, 5 Apr 1846. At 23 years of age Julia became the mother of Samuel Harvey DRAKE in New Jersey, 29 Oct 1847. At 24 years of age Julia became the mother of Amanda A. DRAKE in New Jersey, 21 Oct 1848. At 26 years of age Julia became the mother of Eden DRAKE in New Jersey, 13 Apr 1850. At 27 years of age Julia became the mother of Mary Brant DRAKE in New Jersey, 1 Sep 1851. She emigrated, 31 May 1852. Point of origin: pt of origin unknown. Extracts from Family Record written by Julia Colville (Brant) Drake for her children
Piatt Drake and family consisting of wife and three children, namely George, aged six years, Samuel H. aged four and a half years, and Eden aged two years emigrated to Illinois, leaving Plainfield, New Jersey, Monday morning, May 31, 1852, via railroad to Dunkirk (New York), thence across Lake Erie on steamer St. Louis, again landing at Detroit, Michigan, thence by railroad to Chicago, Illinois, from there in canal pocket to LaSalle, Illinois, thence via steamer down Illinois River, landing at Havana, Mason County, Illinois, at the foot of Water Street. We were accompanied by our sister Mary G. Brant. Lonely indeed we felt when the steamer went on without us, and we standing around our trunks sitting on the sandy beach, all strangers in a strange land, with our little all and all that we possessed in this world encompassed in that small space, without a home and not knowing which way to turn, coming to a new country to find our future home. It was Saturday afternoon, June 5, 1852. We must look up a place to stay over Sunday. Mr. Lewis Munday an acquaintance on board the steamer gave us a satchel to take to one Mr. James Quick, that he had left while on a visit to the East. He lived six miles out from the river, we ascertained. Piatt hired a team to take us out to his house. We arrived at his house before night. We found them all kind, and willing to keep us a day or two, and we spent our first nights in Illinois on the prairies in a primitive house of the early days, that is a "Log Cabin". But is was a nice one and the people were first-rate housekeepers. The next week Mr. Quick took us to the town "Havanal", where we stepped off the steamer, and we rented a house of Hugh Fullerton, paid five dollars per month rent, lived there the remainder of the year. It was the house due east of the Court House, and there our eldest daughter, Eliza F. was born, our first western baby, on the 25th day of November, 1852, on Thanksgiving Day. We next rented a small place of Reuben Coon, six miles east of town. Moved in it March, 1853, lived there two years. There, in May, the 14th, 1854, our sister Mary G. Brant was married to John Harpham. We next moved three miles further up the Quiver Creek on the farm of Old Alexander Boggs, living there six years. From there on to the farm of Moses Eckard, formerly owned by David Beale, living there two years, and from there moving back again to the farm of Reuben Coon. The old man being dead, we rented it of his son, George D. Coon. We lived there four years and from there moved on to this place we bought February, 1867, of Dr. Rider and his mother, Mrs. Jane Boone,and have lived here near two years.
Topeka, Illinois, Mason County January 7th, 1869 Julia C. Drake
At 28 years of age Julia became the mother of Eliza Frances DRAKE in Illinois, 25 Nov 1852. At 30 years of age Julia became the mother of Lucy Ellen DRAKE in E. of Havana, Mason Co., Illinois, 26 Aug 1854. At 31 years of age Julia became the mother of David Brant DRAKE in Illinois, 15 Oct 1855. At 33 years of age Julia became the mother of Lewis DRAKE in E. of Havana, Mason Co., Illinois, 26 Aug 1857. At 34 years of age Julia became the mother of Sylvester DRAKE 18 Sep 1858. At 35 years of age Julia became the mother of Edward Randolph DRAKE in Illinois, 3 Nov 1859. At 37 years of age Julia became the mother of Sarah Jane DRAKE in Illinois, 22 Jan 1861. At 38 years of age Julia became the mother of Christopher DRAKE in E.of Havana, Mason Co., Illinois, 17 Dec 1862. At 40 years of age Julia became the mother of Greenleaf DRAKE in E. of Havana, Mason Co., Illinois, 23 May 1864. At 41 years of age Julia became the mother of I. DRAKE in E. of Havana, Mason Co., Illinois, 27 Jul 1865. Stillborn daughter of Piatt & Julia Drake.
At 43 years of age Julia became the mother of Warren W. DRAKE in Mason Co., Illinois, 23 Jan 1867.
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