Loyd, Tarleton

Born: 1784-05-09 Rockingham County, Virginia

Died: 1881-11-14 Menard County, Illinois

Flourished: 1832-1838 Menard County, Illinois

Alternate name: Lloyd, Loyed

In 1800, Loyd married Nancy Hunter, with whom he had seven children. When the War of 1812 commenced, Loyd enlisted in the army and saw action in several battles. Loyd was among the first white settlers to Sangamon County, Illinois, emigrating from his native state to the region in 1820. He settled in the Rock Creek area, which would later become part of Menard County. He was the first blacksmith in the region, opening a shop as early as 1822. Besides his blacksmith shop, Loyd was a farmer who acquired 400 acres of public land in the area. In 1824, Loyd's home became the location for the first school in Rock Creek. In 1834, Nancy Loyd died, and in 1837, Tarleton wed Catharine Keltner, with whom he had nine children. In 1860, Loyd was farming in Rock Creek and owned real property valued at $3,660 and had a personal estate of $200.

The History of Menard and Mason Counties, Illinois (Chicago: O. L. Baskin, 1879), 276, 384, 389, 390, 750-51; Robert D. Miller, Past and Present of Menard County (Chicago: S. J. Clarke, 1905), 121; Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales, Menard County, 68:22, 55, 110, 169, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; Election Returns for the New Salem Precinct in Sangamon County, Illinois; Election Returns for the New Salem Precinct in Sangamon County, Illinois; U.S. Census Office, Sixth Census of the United States (1840), Menard County, IL, 304; U.S. Census Office, Eighth Census of the United States (1860), Menard County, IL, 22.