History of Sterling, (Whiteside County) Illinois United States of America

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Biographies:

Edward N. Kirk, soldier, was born in Jefferson county, Obio, Feb. 29, 1828. His parents were Quakers and he was graduated with honors at Friends' academy, Mount Pleasant. He taught school at Cadiz, Ohio, studied law there and at Baltimore, Md., where he was admitted to the bar in 1853. He practised in Baltinmre one year, and in 1854 removed to Sterling, Ill. He was married, Oct. 15, 1858, to M. E. Cameron, of Philadelphia, Pa. In August, 1861, he recruited and equipped a regiment of volunteers and tendered it to Governor Yates, but the state quota being filled his regiment was rejected by the governor but subsequently accepted by the war department at Washington. He was commissioned colonel of the 34th Illinois volunteers to date from Aug. 15, 1861, and was assigned to the 5th brigade, 2d division, Army of the Ohio, General Buell. He was made a member of the military board of examiners at Mumfordsville, Ky., to pass upon the qualifications of officers. He was in charge of an expedition in defence of Lebanon, Ky., and when that danger had passed he assumed command of all the forces at Louisville, until relieved by General Gilbert, when he was assigned to the command of the 1st brigade, 2d division, Army of Kentucky, commanded by General Nelson. On Sept. 28, 1861, he assumed command of the 5th brigade, 2d division, and on Nov. 29, 1861, he was commissioned brigadier-general for heroic action, gallantry and ability. At the battle of Shiloh, April 6-7, 1862, he was wounded; at Richmond, Ky., Aug. 30, 1862, he covered the retreat of the Federal army with his brigade and a detachment of cavalry with great success, and at Murfreesboro, Dec. 31 to Jan. 3, 1862-63, he commanded the 2d brigade, 2d division, and occupied the right wing of the Army of the Cumberland, Gen. R. W. Johnson. In this engagement his brigade lost 500 men killed and wounded, and he himself was mortally wounded, the command devolving upon Col. Joseph B. Dodge. He died at Sterling, Ill., July 21, 1863.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Jesse Lynch Williams, author, was born at Sterling, Ill., Aug. 17, 1871; son of Meade Creighton and Elizabeth (Riddle) Williams; grandson of Jesse Lynch and Susan (Creighton) Williams, and of David Hunter and Elizabeth (Brown) Riddle, and a descendant of David Meade of Virginia, who, with his brother, Richard Kidder Meade of Washington's staff, are said to have been the originals of Thackeray's "Virginians." He was graduated from Princeton university, A.B., 1892, A.M., 1895; was married, June 1, 1898, to Alice, daughter of Henry B. and Elizabeth (Onderdonk) Laidlaw of New York city, and is the author of: Princeton Stories (1895); History of Princeton University in collaboration with John DeWitt (1898); The Stolen Story and Other Newspaper Stories (1899); The Adventures of a Freshman (1899); New York Sketches (1902).

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor