John L. Scott was born in 1790 in Wilkes County, North Carolina. He was the son of William Scott and his wife, a daughter of Solomon and Sarah Sparks (Sarah Sparks' maiden name unknown). William and his wife married about 1772 in Surry County, North Carolina. William was of Scottish heritage, and his father may have been the family's immigrant ancestor.
Although John's mother's given name has not been documented, the naming customs of the period suggest it may have been Sarah, after her own mother. No records have been found to reveal what John's middle initial "L" stood for. John grew up in a family where naming traditions reflected community connections. His brothers Solomon and Samuel both named sons Larkin—a name especially popular in Wilkes County, likely in honor of Larkin Cleveland, the brother of Colonel Benjamin Cleveland. Both Clevelands were notable Revolutionary War figures and veterans of the Battle of Kings Mountain. William Scott was listed in Benjamin Cleveland's district in the 1774 Surry County tax list and later purchased land from him in Wilkes County.
Early Years in Kentucky
By 1796, the Scott family had moved to Lincoln County, Kentucky (which became Casey County in 1806). By 1803 William had acquired about 800 acres of land. In December 1805, William Sr. must have directed son, William Jr. to deed all his land to his children who did not yet own property. Fifteen-year-old John received 100 acres on Brush Creek.
Marriage and Early Moves
On December 6, 1810, in Garrard County, Kentucky, John married Susanna Johnson, daughter of Job Johnson and Sarah Mosby. The bondman was Robert P. Letcher, later governor of Kentucky. Letcher married in 1818 to Charlotte Robertson, step-sister to Susanna. John's sister Elizabeth "Betsy" Scott lived in Garrard County with her husband, Limeledge Stringer, whose land bordered that of Job Johnson — likely how John and Susanna met.
Shortly after their marriage, John and Susanna were in the Territory of Indiana, selling his Brush Creek land to Limeledge Stringer in 1812. They soon returned to Casey County, where their first children, Charlotte (1813) and George (1814), were born. They were once again in Indiana, where Samuel was born in 1816.
By 1818 they were in Cooper County, Missouri, where John purchased 80 acres in 1819 — the first known record using his middle initial "L." He sold the land in May 1821, appearing before his brother Sabert Scott, Justice of the Peace. Their remaining children — Job (likely born soon after arrival), America (1820), and William (1824) — were all born in Cooper County. No further Missouri records for John are found after 1821.
Family Connections in Missouri
John's brother Sabert had left Kentucky in late 1810 or early 1811, arriving in Cooper County (then Howard County) before the others. Sabert enlisted in the War of 1812 under Capt. L. Cooper's Missouri Militia. John's sister Rachel Scott and her husband Phillip Spoonamore also migrated to Cooper County; their son Sabert Spoonamore was born there in 1816.
Settlement in Illinois
At an "Old Settlers Meeting" in Schuyler County, Illinois, John stated he arrived on February 1, 1829, though he does not appear in the 1830 census. A Garrard County, Kentucky deed dated December 1830 shows John W. Johnson mortgaging inherited land to John L. Scott of Illinois; John Wesley Johnson was a brother of his wife Susanna. On November 11, 1831, John signed the note stating he had received the amount in full; the witness was James Letcher, Garrard County Clerk, likely indicating John was present in Kentucky at the time.
In April 1831, John purchased two tracts of government land in Schuyler County, and by August he and 'wife Susan' sold 65 acres, confirming their Illinois residency. The Kentucky deed suggests John traveled back to Kentucky in 1830–1831, possibly during the census period.
Later Life
John remained in Schuyler County, buying and selling several tracts of land. In 1866, he sold his remaining government parcels for $5,500 and purchased 160 acres in Bainbridge Township for $4,000. In 1870, he conveyed this land to his sons Samuel and Job for $2,000.
Susanna died sometime after the 1850 census but before 1860 in Schuyler County. In 1870, John was living with his son Samuel in Bainbridge Township, where he later died. His estate settlement, dated November 1, 1873, records:
"Deceased leaves no widow; children: Charlotte C. Spoonamore, George W. Scott, Samuel M. Scott, Job J. Scott, America L. Leezer, and William B. Scott."
– Signed by William B. Scott, executor.
Children
John and Susanna's six children were:
- Charlotte C. Scott – m. Samuel Spoonamore; s/o Phillip and Rachel Scott Spoonamore
- George W. Scott – m. (1) Martha Six, (2) Mary Wilson, (3) Harriet Bennett
- Samuel M. Scott – m. Elizabeth Rigney; d/o Jesse and Elizabeth Scott Stringer Rigney
- Job Johnson Scott – m. Amanda Lawler
- America L. Scott – m. John Adam Leezer
- William B. Scott – m. (1) Eliza M. Harris, (2) Catherine Houck, (3) Malinda Sanders Wright
Siblings
John was one of nine children of William Scott and his wife:
Solomon, Samuel, Sarah Scott Son, Rachel Scott Spoonamore, Elizabeth Scott Stringer Rigney, William Jr., Eleanor Scott Campbell, and Sabert.
Obituary
"Mr. John L. Scott — Died on the 10th inst., at the residence of his son, Samuel, five miles east of Rushville, Mr. John L. Scott in the 87th year of his age. Mr. Scott was among the first settlers of Schuyler County, having located to this vicinity in 1828 or 1829."
John L. Scott died on April 10, 1873, in his 83rd or 84th year. An old family history paper suggests John and Susan were buried in the Rushville cemetery; 'the spaces are there but no headstones.'
John L. Scott was born in 1790 in Wilkes County, North Carolina. He was the son of William Scott and his wife, a daughter of Solomon and Sarah Sparks (Sarah Sparks' maiden name unknown). William and his wife married about 1772 in Surry County, North Carolina. William was of Scottish heritage, and his father may have been the family's immigrant ancestor.
Although John's mother's given name has not been documented, the naming customs of the period suggest it may have been Sarah, after her own mother. No records have been found to reveal what John's middle initial "L" stood for. John grew up in a family where naming traditions reflected community connections. His brothers Solomon and Samuel both named sons Larkin—a name especially popular in Wilkes County, likely in honor of Larkin Cleveland, the brother of Colonel Benjamin Cleveland. Both Clevelands were notable Revolutionary War figures and veterans of the Battle of Kings Mountain. William Scott was listed in Benjamin Cleveland's district in the 1774 Surry County tax list and later purchased land from him in Wilkes County.
Early Years in Kentucky
By 1796, the Scott family had moved to Lincoln County, Kentucky (which became Casey County in 1806). By 1803 William had acquired about 800 acres of land. In December 1805, William Sr. must have directed son, William Jr. to deed all his land to his children who did not yet own property. Fifteen-year-old John received 100 acres on Brush Creek.
Marriage and Early Moves
On December 6, 1810, in Garrard County, Kentucky, John married Susanna Johnson, daughter of Job Johnson and Sarah Mosby. The bondman was Robert P. Letcher, later governor of Kentucky. Letcher married in 1818 to Charlotte Robertson, step-sister to Susanna. John's sister Elizabeth "Betsy" Scott lived in Garrard County with her husband, Limeledge Stringer, whose land bordered that of Job Johnson — likely how John and Susanna met.
Shortly after their marriage, John and Susanna were in the Territory of Indiana, selling his Brush Creek land to Limeledge Stringer in 1812. They soon returned to Casey County, where their first children, Charlotte (1813) and George (1814), were born. They were once again in Indiana, where Samuel was born in 1816.
By 1818 they were in Cooper County, Missouri, where John purchased 80 acres in 1819 — the first known record using his middle initial "L." He sold the land in May 1821, appearing before his brother Sabert Scott, Justice of the Peace. Their remaining children — Job (likely born soon after arrival), America (1820), and William (1824) — were all born in Cooper County. No further Missouri records for John are found after 1821.
Family Connections in Missouri
John's brother Sabert had left Kentucky in late 1810 or early 1811, arriving in Cooper County (then Howard County) before the others. Sabert enlisted in the War of 1812 under Capt. L. Cooper's Missouri Militia. John's sister Rachel Scott and her husband Phillip Spoonamore also migrated to Cooper County; their son Sabert Spoonamore was born there in 1816.
Settlement in Illinois
At an "Old Settlers Meeting" in Schuyler County, Illinois, John stated he arrived on February 1, 1829, though he does not appear in the 1830 census. A Garrard County, Kentucky deed dated December 1830 shows John W. Johnson mortgaging inherited land to John L. Scott of Illinois; John Wesley Johnson was a brother of his wife Susanna. On November 11, 1831, John signed the note stating he had received the amount in full; the witness was James Letcher, Garrard County Clerk, likely indicating John was present in Kentucky at the time.
In April 1831, John purchased two tracts of government land in Schuyler County, and by August he and 'wife Susan' sold 65 acres, confirming their Illinois residency. The Kentucky deed suggests John traveled back to Kentucky in 1830–1831, possibly during the census period.
Later Life
John remained in Schuyler County, buying and selling several tracts of land. In 1866, he sold his remaining government parcels for $5,500 and purchased 160 acres in Bainbridge Township for $4,000. In 1870, he conveyed this land to his sons Samuel and Job for $2,000.
Susanna died sometime after the 1850 census but before 1860 in Schuyler County. In 1870, John was living with his son Samuel in Bainbridge Township, where he later died. His estate settlement, dated November 1, 1873, records:
"Deceased leaves no widow; children: Charlotte C. Spoonamore, George W. Scott, Samuel M. Scott, Job J. Scott, America L. Leezer, and William B. Scott."
– Signed by William B. Scott, executor.
Children
John and Susanna's six children were:
- Charlotte C. Scott – m. Samuel Spoonamore; s/o Phillip and Rachel Scott Spoonamore
- George W. Scott – m. (1) Martha Six, (2) Mary Wilson, (3) Harriet Bennett
- Samuel M. Scott – m. Elizabeth Rigney; d/o Jesse and Elizabeth Scott Stringer Rigney
- Job Johnson Scott – m. Amanda Lawler
- America L. Scott – m. John Adam Leezer
- William B. Scott – m. (1) Eliza M. Harris, (2) Catherine Houck, (3) Malinda Sanders Wright
Siblings
John was one of nine children of William Scott and his wife:
Solomon, Samuel, Sarah Scott Son, Rachel Scott Spoonamore, Elizabeth Scott Stringer Rigney, William Jr., Eleanor Scott Campbell, and Sabert.
Obituary
"Mr. John L. Scott — Died on the 10th inst., at the residence of his son, Samuel, five miles east of Rushville, Mr. John L. Scott in the 87th year of his age. Mr. Scott was among the first settlers of Schuyler County, having located to this vicinity in 1828 or 1829."
John L. Scott died on April 10, 1873, in his 83rd or 84th year. An old family history paper suggests John and Susan were buried in the Rushville cemetery; 'the spaces are there but no headstones.'
