My Genealogy Hound

E. E. GREENMAN, retired merchant and farmer; P. O. Le Roy; one of the early pioneers of McLean Co.; born in Washington Co., Ohio, Jan. 23, 1816. His grandfather, Jeremiah Greenman, was a Lieutenant Colonel in the army during the revolutionary struggle, and was a warm friend and associate of Gen. Washington. At the close of the war, he located in Washington Co., Ohio, where he died about the year 1827. His father, John Greenman, emigrated to Illinois with his family and located in the southeast part of Blooming Grove, Aug. 29, 1829. He taught school during the following winter, and, during the summer, clerked for James Allin, of Bloomington, while his sons raised a crop of corn upon eighteen acres of land rented of William Dimmit, upon land now completely covered by buildings, being located between the Court House and the Illinois Central Railroad. He entered his first land Feb. 2, 1830, being the west half of the southwest quarter of Sec. 4, and upon which now stands a part of the city of Bloomington, the whole tract being now improved by business and dwelling houses. His first house he built upon what is now West Washington street, where he lived until the spring of 1831, when he with his family removed to De Witt Co., engaged in farming during the summer, and died in the fall of the same year. The subject of this sketch, with the family, returned to Bloomington, and, the following year, raised a crop at Old Town, when he learned and worked at the carpenter’s trade in Bloomington nearly two years, after which he went to Dixon’s Ferry, Lee Co., where he assisted settlers in laying claims and erecting houses for six months, then to Plattville, Wis., where he followed his trade, selling goods and mining two years. Returning to Bloomington, he worked at his trade for one year, when he went to Iowa, and the next two years was engaged building a mill, farming and working at his trade. In the spring of 1842, he again returned to Bloomington and was engaged one year in peddling goods through the country with a one-horse buggy. In the spring of 1843, he was associated with S. D. Baker, now a prominent merchant of Bloomington, and engaged in the general merchandise trade at Le Roy, which business he successfully followed until 1858, when he retired from active business until 1865, at which date he engaged in the grocery trade, which he followed until 1869, when, on account of ill health, he retired from active business. In 1873, he was elected Township Treasurer, which office he has since held. When Mr. Greenman located at Blooming Grove, there were only thirty-seven families there. They have nearly all passed away, there now being two or three living, of which Mr. G. is the oldest of the first settlers at Bloomington. His marriage with Martha A Pearce was celebrated Feb. 14, 1848. She was born in Champaign Co., Ohio, Feb. 27, 1831. She died July 14, 1864, leaving three children now living, having lost five by death. The living are — Mary B., born Oct. 18, 1853, now Mrs. Scott Crumbaugh; John E., Sept. 6, 1855; and Charles E., March 1, 1861.