In a letter dated June 2, 1907 Nancy's daughter, Sade Mann complained about "so elderly lady having to rewrite her history because of someone's carelessness."
"Henry and Charles Clendenin came from Dumfires, Scotland to Westmoreland County, Virginia in the early part of the seventeenth century, the date of their arrival is not known, but John Clendenin, a son of Henry was born in Virginia and was old enough to serve in the Revolutionary War he served in a Virginia Regiment... He married Mary Sympson and to them was born eight children, Henry, William, James, Margaret, John, Nancy, Harvey and Maria.
1790 John Clendenin and family, William Clendenin, a brother of John and Wm Sympson who was the husband of Rebecca Clendenin, a sister of John and William, moved from Westmoreland County, Virginia to Green County, Kentucky where John and family remained until 1811 when they came to Randolph County, Illinois. The Sympsons remained in Kentucky.
William Clendenin moved to Missouri where he raised a family. The second marriage that is recorded in Pulaski County, Missouri was that of Wm McDonald and Abigail Clendenin, they were married by Isaac Clark, J. P. 1833. This family had two sons named Theodore and Perry who in 1844 live in Illinois, perhaps Green County. They were engaged in farming and stock raising, took their cattle, hogs, etc. to New Orleans by steamboat to market.
John Clendenin and family consisting of his wife, himself and five sons and three daughters, also his son-in-law George Gaddie and family consisting of his wife, two children, and a colored man and woman who belonged to Gaddie. (This was when Illinois was under Territorial government and slavery was permitted in the territory.) The Clendenin Family left their Kentucky home in the month of November 1811 and commenced their journey to Illinois. They traveled in wagons, and on horseback, as there were no steamboats on the Ohio or Mississippi at that date.
The moving family camped for the night at the close of the first day's journey, prepared supper and got ready to rest, when the father in looking over baggage discovered that they had left a bundle of apple scions, which they had prepared to bring with them. The next morning, John, the third son, 17 years old who had a fine saddle horse was sent back to get the apple trees. The family remained in camp until he returned. The family reached Kaskaskia in the month of December, rested their team and looked round for a place to locate. They were farmers and commenced farm life on a tract of land where the town of Chester is situated, the part known as Buena Vista. There were 4 sons, the son-in-law Gaddie, the Father and the colored man. They went to work to make themselves comfortable in their new home, built a dwelling house for the family, stables for the horses, planted the apple trees which they had brought from Kentucky with them. They were comfortable in their new home until the autumn of 1813 when the family was stricken with an epidemic of typhus fever. Henry, the oldest son aged 25 years, Margaret, the married daughter, William, the third son and their mother all died and were buried in what is now the Chester cemetery, perhaps the first burials made on the place. These were sad days for the Clendenins they perhaps thought many times of their old Kentucky home. Soon after this Gaddie
took his team, his colored folks, and his children and went back to Kentucky where he lived to old age,
His son, Buford in 1836 came back to visit his Clendenin relation and took malaria and died at the home of his Uncle Harvey Clendenin is buried in the Ebenezer Cemetery. James Clendenin married Margaret
Herd who died leaving three sons; Wm. Sympson, John Herd and James. James died when 18 years old. Sympson married a Miss Oliver who died leaving two children, Emeline and Calvin Clendenin. After the death of his Oliver wife, Sympson married a widow Mann to them was born a family. They went to Stockton, California where Sympson died. His descendants live in California. Emeline married a Mr. ___ She is now dead. John Herd Clendenin married Mary Elizabeth Vickers. Their children who lived to maturity were Wm. Harvey, Moses Walter, Margaret Ann, Sarah Jane, Content Elizabeth, Joseph H. Benjamin H. and Lettie. William Harvey was a merchant married Emily Jones, died in Kansas City leaving two sons and one daughter. The eldest son resides in Chicago, Illinois, second, Roscoe Turner lives in Atchison, Kansas, is a dealer in woolen wares. The daughter Daisy is the wife of Bower of Kansas City. Moses Walter Clendenin was a physician, graduated from Jefferson Medical College, married Lydia Wagoner. They were the parents of two sons and two daughters. Ernest, the oldest is a railroad man, his home is now in St. Louis, Mo."
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In 1956 Mildred Midjaas took me to visit the old Clendenin farm in Randolph County, IL. The original buildings were all gone but some of the foundations showed where they stood. A large pear tree was still producing fruit. Mildred said it was from an original scion brought from Kentucky by John Clendenin.