It is thought that Jacob McParegien was born on April 12, 1816. One census record states he was born in Kentucky, but family tradition has it that he was born in northern Ireland and came to the U.S. as a stowaway at the age of 14 (about 1830). He was living near Murphysboro in Jackson County, Ill., when the 1840 census was taken.
His first marriage was to Nancy Morgan. She was born in 1821 in Warren County, Kentucky and died in Jackson County, Illinois. Her parents were Robert H. Morgan (Born March 19, 1786 in North Carolina and died on Sept. 7, 1855 in Jackson County, Illinois) and Hanna Moyers Myers (born about 1794 in Tennessee), who were married on Feb. 5, 1812 in Warren County, Kentucky (see: Ancestral File Number: 1LX1-WLN and 1LX1-WMV). Nancy Morgan had two brothers and four sisters. We think she died on 12-19-1856.
Their nine children were:
(1) W.H.H. Paregien--born 11-23-1837 Jacob's first wife, Nancy Morgan, died on 12-19-1856.(2) James Alexander Paregien--born 3-21-1841 in Murphysboro, Ill.
(3) Muley Jane Paregien--born 6-24-1844
(4) Emily E. Paregien--born 1230-1845
(5) Sarah A. Paregien--born 3-10-1849 (??)
(6) Robert H. Paregien--born 3-24-1849
(7) Lowiset E. Paregien--born 12-26-1851
(8) Samuel M. Paregien--born 2-10-1853; died 5-4-1864
(9) Thomas J. Paregien--born 11-20-1854; died 2-21-1859
SECOND MARRIAGE
Widower Jacob married a widow named Arys Murdon Parmley, of Jackson County, Ill. She had had six children by her first husband (Daniel Webster Parmley--he is buried in the Looney Springs Cemetery in Jackson County, ILL.). Three of her children--John, Sarah and Bob--died of typhoid fever in 1850. So at the time of her marriage to Jacob, she had three living children:
(1) Rebecca Ann Parmley
(2) Harvey Parmley
(3) Matthew Parmley (Lillian Paregien Hughes said he was blind)
Jacob and his second wife and their large number of children lived on his farm. They hauled water to the house from a spring about one-quarter of a mile away.
Jacob and Arys went on to have four children of their own:
(1) Henry Clay Paregien (began spelling his name as "Pearigen")
(2) Stephen Arnold Douglas ("Doug") Paregien
(3) Nancy Paregien
(4) Molley Paregien
Lilian Paregien Hughes told Evelyn Paregien in 1970 that she remembered seeing her grandmother Arys paregien. She said that Arys smoked a piple, and she swept the floors with a short-handled broom which she had to stoop to use. Lillian also recalled seeing her wash their clothes. They had a tree stump which they would beat their clothes on, after soaking them,to get them clean. She wore her hair slicked back in a knot. In later life, Arys lived with her son, Henry Clay Paregien, at Wapanucka (Johnston County), Okla. She is buried near there.
During the Civil War, he organized a trained a company of soldiers for the Union Army. However, he was so hard of hearing that he himself could not enlist. His son, James Alexander Paregien, did join the service.
Jacob worked as a carpenter the last years of his life. Here is a photo of a house that he built in St. Louis (Can anyone identify the woman??):
It is believed that he died at Rolla, Missouri. Can anyone provide proof of where he lived out his last days and where he is buried?
Early in 1997, while surfing the Internet, Stan Paregien solved the mystery of whether Jacob's last name was originally Paregien or McParegien. He came across two documents listed under Illinois Land Purchases. It showed that Jacob McParegien made two purchases in 1953, one on April 28 and one on April 30. The April 30 document says it was a Federal sale in which he bought .38 acres of land in County 39, Section 19, Township 09S, Meridian 3, Section NESW, Range 02W, for $1.25.
However, the International Geneological Index (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) lists him as "Jacob M. Paregin" (Film #: 1985215) and has the same spelling for his son, James A. Paregin. They have the same spelling for James Edward "Bud" Paregien, son of James A. Paregin (Batch Number: M586174).
There is also a record of a William A. Paregien (his son??) buying on 09-21-1852 40.12 acres of land in County 39, Section 19, Township 09S, Meridian 3, Section NENW, Range 02W. And on 9-30-1952 he bought .12 acres of land in County 39, Section 19, Township 09S, Meridian 3, Section NENW, Range 02W.
Please note: If anyone has a photograph of Jacob McParegien, his wives or any of his children, we would like to have a copy of them and post them on this page.
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