John S. Langton

John S. Langton was a younger brother of Jeanette's great-grandfather. He was born about 1838 in Pennsylvania, probably in Mifflin county, where he was enumerated in both the 1850 and 1860 census along with his parents, Joseph and Catherine Langton.

Civil War Service. John Langton was one of the "First Defenders" of the Union when the Civil War broke out. Immediately after the attack on Fort Sumter, SC, John marched with the Logan Guards of Lewistown and four other PA volunteer companies to protect our nation's nearly defenseless capital against the threat of rebel attack. The Guards mustered in 18 April 1861 in Harrisburg, PA, and returned there to muster out 26 July 1861. John's name is listed in the Logan Guards' muster-in roll among the men who enlisted in April. The roster gives his age as 21 years. (See his file card in the Pennsylvania State Archives.)

Reenlistment. Some of the Logan Guards re-entered service in Company "A" of the 46th Regiment, or in other units. Uncle John Langton seems to have reenlisted at least twice. Another file card lists a John Langton who enrolled in a different unit at Lewistown 15 Sep 1862 and was discharged 4 Oct. Although this card appears to relate to a "Mann's Independent Company", the only unit we can identify with this name was a Militia Infantry unit which the PA Civil War archive lists as being organized at Philadelphia 17 Jun 1863 and mustered out 24 July 1863. Yet another card identifies a John S. Langton who served in Company "F" of the 205th Pennsylvania Infantry. This card has no details of his service, but according to the 205th's page at the National Park Service's Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System web site, the unit was organized at Harrisburg 2 Sep 1864 and was involved in operations in Virginia leading up to the capture of Petersburg 2 April. It participated in the GAR's grand review 23 May and mustered out 2 Jun 1865.

Move to Illinois. In 1865, John's father moved to Moultrie county, Illinois. John joined him the following year. We're able to identify the time of John's move via his entry in an 1875 Atlas of Moultrie County which lists among its patrons:

Did John move to Illinois after Joseph because he needed to wrap up business and sell property in Pennsylvania after his discharge from the Union Army? A map in the same atlas shows J. I. and J. S. Langton's extensive holdings along the south edge of Marrowbone township. John had 120 acres at the time, which were listed in the 1875 Moultrie county plat book, as follows:

Descendants. John married Martha Roney 17 Jan 1867 in Moultrie county,¹ and they were enumerated there in both the 1870 and 1880 censuses. There are numerous Roneys listed in census and land records in Marrowbone township, including some who owned property adjacent to that of John and his father. According to census data, Martha was born in Illinois about 1844 and the couple had the following children:

1. Dora Belle Langton, born October 1868 in IL. Dora Belle married Curtis S. Calhoon 28 Apr 1891 in Moultrie county.¹ In the 1900 census, this couple was living in Decatur, in neighboring Macon county, with their two children. The census gives Curtis' last name as Calhoun, which is the usual spelling for this surname. He was working as a piano tuner.
2. Margaret C. "Maggie" Langton, born about 1872 in IL. Maggie married Walter S. Dalton about 1901. Walter was born about 1860 in Illinois, the son of Thomas Dalton, an Englishman who married Sarah Roney in Moultrie County in 1857.¹ The Prairie Farmer's Reliable Directory of Farmers and Breeders, published in 1917, lists a Walter Dalton married to a Margaret Langton and living on Maple Lawn Farm in Section 8 of Marrowbone township, near Dalton City. Walter had been married previously and had several children who were born in Kansas. (A 32-year-old Margaret Elizabeth Dalton died 17 Dec 1899² in Marrowbone township.) He and Maggie Langton apparently didn't have any children together. Walter and Maggie were enumerated in Marrowbone township in both the 1910 and 1920 censuses. A Walter Scott Dalton, who could be either Maggie's husband or his son, of unknown age, died 1 Dec 1934³ in Bethany, in Moultrie county, and a Margaret E. Dalton, also of unknown age, died 3 Jan 1938³ in Moultrie county.
3. Ella May Langton, born in 1876 or 1879 in IL. Married Edward J. Monroe 5 July 1895 in Macon county, IL.¹ In the 1900 census, they're living in Sullivan, in Moultrie county, but some time between 1906 and the 1910 census, this family moves to Miller county, Arkansas, where they are enumerated in the tiny farming community of Garland, about 20 miles east of Texarkana. They're still there in 1920.

Later years. In the 1910 census, John Langton was still living in Moultrie county, but now with a young (41 years old!) wife named Mary and her 15-year-old son. As a veteran of the American Civil War, John Langton probably participated in the Decoration Day ceremonies organized by Moultrie Post 318 of the Grand Army of the Republic 30 May 1915 honoring the county's veterans on the 50th anniversary of the end of the war.

Death. According to Moultrie county's Roll of Honor, John S. Langton died 19 Feb 1928 and is buried in Marrowbone Cemetery. A John Shaffer Langton is listed as dying in Bethany, Moultrie county, on that date.³