Father: William Hastings
Mother: *****
Spouse-1: Elizabeth Cope - b: 22/Jun/1817 - Harrison Co.,
OH
d: 23/Feb/1854 - La Salle, Co., IL
m: 22/Oct/1840 - Harrison Co., OH
Child-1: Mary - b: 10/Sep/1841 - Harrison Co., OH
d: 21/Aug/1844 - Harrison Co., OH
2: William
- b: 20/Jun/1844 - Harrison Co., OH
d: 22/Dec/1852
3: Jacob
- b: 1845/1846 - Harrison Co., OH
4: John
Winfield - b: 1848/1849 - Harrison Co., OH
5: Camelia
6: Elizabeth
Jane
Spouse-2: Harriet A. Shedd - b: 1835 - NH - d:
~1860 - IL
m: 24/Mar/1855 - La Salle Co., IL
Spouse-3: Harriet (Hattie) S. Thompson - b: Feb/1845 -
IL
d: 1932 - bur: Prosser Cem.,
Benton Co., WA
m: 12/Mar/1861 - La Salle Co., IL
Child-1: Leslie Edwin - b: 1862 - La Salle Co., IL - nra:
1880
2: James
M. - b: 1863 - La Salle Co., IL - nra: 1870
3: Charles
W. - b: 1866/1867 - La Salle Co., IL - nra: 1930
4: Harriet
(Hattie) - b: May/1869 - La Salle Co., IL - nra: 1930
m: William A. Joyce
5: Florence
- b: 1874/1875 - IL
Biographical Details:
James Hastings was born in Ireland and was the son of William Hastings and his wife, whose name remains unknown. It is likely that James' mother died in Ireland, perhaps, at the time of his birth. Indeed, the mortality of women in childbirth was high in the early nineteenth century and this would have not been unusual. Of course, she quite likely died of other causes such as infectious disease, again, probably in Ireland, but also possibly during immigration to North America. In any case, James immigrated to the United States as a very young child with his father and grandfather's family. The extended Hastings family settled in Athens Township of Harrison County, Ohio, which was the localiity in which James presumably grew up. There is strong circumstantial evidence that he lived with his father and grandparents and had no living brothers and sisters. Elizabeth Cope and James Hastings were married by Charles Thorn in Harrison County on October 22, 1840. This appears to have been shortly before the death of his grandfather, John Hastings, Sr., the following December. As noted elsewhere, it appears that James and Elizabeth Cope Hastings continued to live with his father, William, and his grandmother, Jane, in the family homestead in Athens Township. Within this context, James Hastings was listed as the head of the household in the population schedule of the 1850 US Census for Harrison County, Ohio. Moreover, in addition to his father and grandmother, the family included three small sons, William, Jacob, and John, and possibly a serving girl, Margaret Beatty, age fourteen, although she may have also been a relative. In any case, the children are confirmed in a published history of the Cope family, which also identifies three additional children.1 Sadly, it appears that none of the six known children of James and Elizabeth Cope Hastings survived to reach adulthood, since this same source, which was published in 1861, states that all of these children were deceased prior to that time. Even so, some researchers have identified James Hastings, who married Jennie A. Nelson in La Salle County, Illinois, in 1866 as a son of James and Elizabeth Cope Hastings. However, it is evident that this cannot have been the case. Again, according to historians of the Cope family, James and Elizabeth Cope Hastings migrated to Illinois, presumably La Salle County, where she died on February 23, 1854. If this is correct, it suggests that James Hastings and, perhaps, his father, William, may have preceded John Hastings, Jr., and his family by a few months in their move from Ohio to the village of Mendota, Illinois. Moreover, a marriage that took place on March 24, 1855, between James Hastings and Harriet A. Shedd was recorded in La Salle County. It is not certain that this was James Hastings, son of William Hastings, but it seems likely.2,3 However, if Harriet Shedd was James' second wife, she apparently died without children before 1861 because on March 12 of that year it is almost certain that he married Harriet S. Thompson.4 As James' putative third wife, Harriet (Hattie) Thompson Hastings would have been at least twenty-five years his junior. The couple, subsequently, had five children. Indeed, four of these can be confirmed by the population schedule of the 1870 US Census for La Salle County and the fifth from 1880 census records for Adams County, Illinois. In addition, James' elderly father, William, was also living in the household at the time the census was taken in 1870. As his uncle, John Hastings, had been, it seems that James Hastings was also a prominent citizen of the village of Mendota. Indeed, he was reported to have been Treasurer in 1855-6, Street Commissioner in 1861-2, and Assessor in 1863-4. In addition, after the town was chartered in 1867, James Hastings served three terms as Mayor in 1874-5, 1878-9, and 1879-80. Moreover, according to a town directory published in 1877, he operated a wagon factory, although earlier census records indicated his occupation as "farmer". Therefore, it would seem clear that, just as several of his other close relatives, James was an enterprising businessman. Nevertheless, according to a subsequent biographical sketch of Marcus L. Thompson, his wife's brother, James and Hattie Thompson Hastings left Illinois and moved to the Pacific Northwest, perhaps, in the early 1880's. Indeed, the family has not been found listed in any 1880 population schedule; however, 1880 census records do indicate that three of their children, Leslie E., Hattie, and Florence, were living with the family of their uncle and aunt, Marcus L. and Louisa Thompson, in Fall Creek Township of Adams County, Illinois. This may be an indication that the family was at that time in the process of migrating to the Pacific Northwest, but this is purely speculation. James Hastings evidently died in King County, Washington, June 18, 1896, and was buried in Lake View Cemetery in Seattle. This is supported by the population schedule of the 1900 US Census for Snohomish County, Washington, which listed Harriet Hastings, a widow of age forty-five, as then living in Index Precinct. Moreover, on the same page of the population schedule just a few lines above, the household of James H. and Christina Hastings was listed, which indicates that they were living in nearby. Of course, James H. Hastings can be identified as the youngest son of John and Jane Knox Hastings. Hence, it seems likely that this implies that James and Harriet Thompson Hastings may have moved to the Seattle-Everett area first, to be followed later by his younger first cousin and wife. It is not known why these two families left Illinois, but as always it was likely due to the attraction of economic opportunity since the Seattle area was expanding rapidly at this time.Source Notes and Citations:
1. Gilbert Cope, A Record of the Cope Family, King & Baird Printers, 607 Sansom St., Philadelphia, PA, 1861: pgs. 69-70, & 150.
back to bio.2. U. J. Hoffman, History of La Salle County, Illinois, The S. J. Clarke Pub. Co., Chicago, IL, 1906: pg. 196. Exerpted from a short description of the early settlers of the village of Troy Grove:
"William G. Shed, and wife, Lucy R. Noyes, from Massachusetts, came in 1835; died in 1851 or '52. His children are: Harriet, who married James Hastings; Clinton, married Emily Reed."
back to bio.3. Elmer Baldwin, History of La Salle County, Illinois, Rand, McNally & Co., Chicago, IL, 1877: pg. 409. Exerpted from a short description of the early settlers of the village of Troy Grove:
"William G. Shed, and wife, Lucy R. Noyes, from Massachusetts, came in 1835; died in 1851 or '52; his widow is now living. His children are: Harriet, who married James Hastings--she is dead; Clinton, married Emily Reed, in Mendota."
back to bio.4. William Collins, Past and Present of the City of Quincy and Adams County, Illinois, The S. J. Clarke Pub. Co., Chicago, IL, 1905: pg. 1060. Exerpted from a short biographical sketch of Marcus L. Thompson:
"Harriet (Thompson), who married James Hastings and lived in Mendota and afterward in Seattle, Washington, where his death occurred and where she still makes her home, while two of their five children are yet living."
back to bio.
Additional Citations:
5. 1850 US Census Population Schedule for Harrison County, Ohio, National Archives, Washington DC: pg. 219A, (microfilm: roll M432_693; img. 14).6. 1870 US Census Population Schedule for La Salle County, Illinois, National Archives, Washington DC: pg. 391A, (microfilm: roll M593_244; img. 53).
7. 1880 US Census Population Schedule for Adams County, Illinois, National Archives, Washington DC: pg. 125A, (microfilm: roll T9_174; img. 252).
8. 1900 US Census Population Schedule for Snohomish County, Washington, National Archives, Washington DC: pg. 37A, (microfilm: roll T623_1750; img. 75).
9. 1920 US Census Population Schedule for King County, Washington, National Archives, Washington DC: pg. 162B, (microfilm: roll T625_1930; img. 932).
10. 1930 US Census Population Schedule for Franklin County, Washington, National Archives, Washington DC: pg. 227B, (microfilm: roll T626_2486; img. 1048).
11. Marriage Records, Bk. C, pg. 76, Harrison County, Cadiz, OH, (LDS Family History Library microfilm: roll #0894637, Salt Lake City, UT, 2009).
12. Charles Augustus Hanna, Historical Collection of Harrison County, in the State of Ohio, privately published, New York, NY, 1900: pg. 265. (Reprint available from Genealogical Publishing Co., 1001 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, MD, 21202-3897) (Saundra Gibb; database - :993466; worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com, 2001.)
13. Anonymous, Past and Present of La Salle County, Illinois, H. F. Kett & Co., Chicago, IL, 1877: pg. 483.
14. Anonymous, History of La Salle County, Illinois, Inter-State Pub. Co., Chicago, IL, 1886: pgs. 663-7.
15. Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, Illinois State Archives & Illinois Genealogical Society, Springfield, IL, 2002. (Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, Illinois State Archives & Illinois Genealogical Society, Springfield, IL, 2014. ("Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900", www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/databases/marriage.html)).
16. Prosser Cemetery, Benton County, Washington (www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=732916&CScn=Prosser&CScntry=4&CSst=50&, continuously updated).
17. Melba Hastings, "Hastings Family Genealogical Charts and Family Group Sheets", 1970, unpublished.