Mary "Polly" Birks was born on 26. May. 1803 at Georgia. She was the daughter of
Jeremiah Birks and
Elizabeth Brown. Mary "Polly" Birks married
Robert B. Buckles, son of
John Buckles and
Anna VanDeventer, in 1818 at White County, Illinois. Mary "Polly" Birks died on 19. Oct. 1888 at Mount Pulaski, Logan County, Illinois, at age 85. Last name also spelled Burks
Notes for **MARY (POLLY) BIRKS:
Some information taken from CD #403, WFT Family Archives, Marriage Records; Selected U. S. International Marriage Records 1340-1980 from Yates Publishing. Source #3606.015.
Information on this family WFT Disc # 1 Tree # 3235. Disc # 11 Tree # 1909.
The following information about Mary Birks was taken from World Family Tree Disc # 16 Tree # 167.
In 1812, moved with family from Tennessee, in 1822 , moved to Arkansas.
In 1822, returned to White County, Illinois. In 1822, moved to Lake Fork, Logan County, Illinois. In 1880, sent letter to Logan County Old Settler's Association. In 1889, buried in Steenbergen Cemetery.
The following information was sent to me by Cindy Buckles Walker, Dixie Thorpe, sent it to Cindy. I believe it was sent to Dixie by Marilyn M. Durchholz, July , 1999.
The following obituary was printed in "Times-News, Mount Pulaski, Illinois, Thursday, May 31, 1956.
OBITUARY OF MRS. POLLY BUCKLES, TELLS OF "HARDSHIPS" OF PIONEER DAYS HERE.
The following story was clipped from my mother-in-law's scrapbook. She was Mrs. Donna Jones Woods, who passed away December 11, 1955. This is the obituary of her great-grandmother Buckles on her mother's side, who passed away in 1888. She would be the great-great-great-grandmother of our children and also many of the young people around Mount Pulaski and vicinity. Mrs. E. A. Wood, Lincoln Park, Michigan.
LIFE'S CANDLE BURNS OUT
Mrs. Polly Buckles, a Logan county Octogenarian, died at the home of her son-in-law Daniel Handlin, 3 miles southwest of Mount Pulaski,, at 1:30 p.m., Friday, October 19, 1888. Mrs. Mary (commonly called Polly) Buckles, aged 85 years, 4 months and 24 days. Funeral services were conducted by Elder A. C. Layman of Girard, at the Buckles church at 11 o'clock Sunday, October 21, 1888, after which the remains were interred in the Steenbergen cemetery, in the presence of a very large assemblage of sorrowful relatives, neighbors and friends. The day being quite cold, a brush fire was started in the cemetery for the comfort of those gathered there to await the arrival of the funeral cortege from the church. This made the burial present an unusual aspect, but without the fire the people would have suffered much discomfort, and possibly impaired health.
"Grandmother Polly" Buckles was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jeremiah Birks and was born in the state of Georgia, May 26, 1803. Removed with her parents from her native state to Tennessee in 1807, and from there to White county, this state in 1815. (Illinois) There she resided until 1818, when she was united in marriage to Robert Buckles deceased 23 years since. Robert Buckles was a representative of the best type of the frontiersman-the brave, honest, hardy vanguard of civilization; he was noted for generosity and open-handed charity in the midst of a people who were universally generous and hospital. In his home the homeless and friendless ever found shelter, and the hungry, bread. He was a model husband, father and neighbor.
In 1822 Mrs. Buckles, with her husband, made a horseback journey to the home of her parents who had again moved, settling at some point in Missouri or Arkansas. They travel through swamps and prairies and over hills, a distance of 800 miles, each carrying a child in front of them on their horses.
The country was wild and full of dangers; no traveled roads indicated their course; civilized habitations were very few and far between; they were dependent wholly upon their own resources to find the place they sought, as well as to provide themselves with food and stopping places for the night on route. It is difficult for us, with a dense population and means of rapid travel to form an adequate conception of such a trip taken westward from Illinois 66 years ago.
In the fall of 1822 Mr. and Mrs. Buckles came to Lake Fork where they settled and built a log cabin 10-feet square. In this rude home in the wilderness Polly Buckles spent the long and dreary winter, without seeing a white woman. The family lived on fish and game. For a quarter of a century Mrs. Buckles did not enjoy the luxury of a cook-stove. She baked on a board before the fire, bread was made of corn meal, which was prepared in the end of a log (hollowed out for that purpose) by an iron wedge attached to the end of a spring pole. Her life spanned the various periods from the crudest pioneer life to the advanced civilization of the present.
Mrs. Buckles was the mother of 15 children, the order of their birth being as follows.
Wm. R. Buckles, who died February 10, 1885: Jeremiah Buckles, who died October 11, 1885; John Buckles, living 3 miles southwest of this place--the well known livestock raiser and shipper; Elizabeth Ann, wife of S. M. Copeland, one of our prominent farmer citizens; Lavina, first wife of our well known banker and capitalist, L. K. Scroggin. She died January 16, 1863.
Andrew Buckles, another one of our substantial farmers; Peter Buckles, who died April 25, 1838; Chalton C. Buckles, who was killed by lightening June 26, 1879, Mary, wife of Abner Copeland, an old citizen of this township, but moved to southwestern Iowa several years ago;
Robert Buckles, who is still among us, and is employed by his vast interests;
Whiley (Wiley) Buckles, who died at Champaign, Illinois, September 1, 1888. He was one of the first leading fine stock raisers of Champaign county. H. H. Buckles, well known is this community, but who has resided in Kansas the past 10 or 12 years; Sarah Jane, wife of our esteemed fellow-citizen Henry Freeman; Jemima Almira, wife of W. W. Sams, one of the leading business men of Sedan, Kansas: Lucinda Marget, wife of D. D. Handlin, on of the substantial farmers of this township.
Besides her own children above named, Mrs. Buckles descendants include 138 grandchildren, 125 great-grandchildren, and seven great-great-grandchildren, the majority of whom live in this township and among our best citizens.
In 1840 Mrs. Buckles united with the church and live a consistent Christian life thence forward. When she was called upon to leave all she held most dear upon earth, it was without fear that she crossed the dark river, for she had implicit faith in that passage of "Holy Writ which reads: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me;
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me."
More About **MARY (POLLY) BIRKS:
9Q@: 1822, Moved to Arkansas.
Burial-Old Crumley: 1812, Moved with family from Tennessee.
Date of Sailing: 1880, Sent letter to Logan County Old Settler's Association.
Unknown2088: 1822, Moved to Lake Fork, Logan County, Illinois.
Unknown2089: 1822, Returned to White County, Illinois. She was buried at Steenbergen Cemetery, Mount Pulaski, Logan County, Illinois.