Back to Hemphill-Taylor Index
[HEMPHILL DOC #3]
September 4, 1948
Mr. Paul H. McCalla
2320 Cottage Grove Avenue
Apt 3
Chicago 16 IllinoisDear Mr. McCalla:
This is in reply to your letter of August 31 and also
your letter of September 1, 1948 and I regret that I cannot claim
relationship with judge Hemphill of Carlinville, Illinois for I
am well acquainted with him and esteem him most highly. My branch
of the family is a different one and I am enclosing a copy of a
letter that my aunt, the late Mrs. Peter S. Nowland, received in
1944. The information on the first two generation is very sketchy
but the current ones are more or less complete.In my own family there should be added the two children of my
son Robert C. Hemphill, namely: Jeanne T. born August 18, 1945
and Stuart R. born July 20, 1947,I would be glad if you would return the enclosure when it
has served the purpose and if you have any information linking up
this branch of the family with any of the others, I shall be most.
interested in hearing about it.In regard to your question as to additional data about
myself, I am Vice President of the Elliott State Bank in Jacksonville,
Illinois and also a Director or that institution. I am also a member
of the Board of Trustees and Treasurer or MacMurray College for Women
in this city and I am a graduate of the University of Illinois with the
Class of 1915 and a member of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity.
PAUL H. McCALLA-2320 Cottage Grove Ave (Apt 3)-Phone CALumet 2075 CHICAGO(16), Ill
Chester Hemphill, Chicago – 9/1/1948
Elliott State Bank
Jacksonville Illinois (Hemphill Family F).Dear Kinsman:
May I ask you a question ? which might aid me greatly in locating some of
our “'missing Hemphills” of my own Family A?Living as you do in Jacksonville, Illinois, you ma have met several of the
Name Hemphill, who were not of your own immediate Family F, and who were
probably of some other Hemphill Family. Could you give me their Names-
Addresses, so that I can write them, in search for Hemphill information?You see, many of our Hemphill Family A emigrated to Illinois, and also to
Indiana-Ohio-Kentucky-Tennessee, etc, and became lost to the family records.For example: William McQuiston Hemphill (Hemp.A-42), married a Miss Elder
and emigrated in 1835 from Chester County, South Carolina to Illinois.
He was in St. Clair County, Illinois, in 1836. He was the elder brother
of the John R. Hemphill (Miss McMillan) (Hemp.A-43), who went to Ohio, and
whom I mentioned in my letter of yesterday to you, dated 8/31/1948. You
might have met one of his descendents.Then there was a John Hemphill (Hemp.A-31), son of Robert Hemphill, who was
one of the original brothers who Emigrated from N. Ireland to Chester Co.,
South Carolina. This John, according to our records, "Emigrated to Illinois,
and left descendents.” His sister, Eliza Hemphill (Hemp. A? 34), married
a Mr. McMillen, and they lived near Catawba River in Chester Col, SC, and
they are marked: “Emigrated to Illinois, and lost all trace.” Of this
brother and sister, we now have no records.There were a lot of these Hemphills who came to Illinois and disappeared
from our family records – some of them going first to such places as Tenn-
essee-Kentucky-Indiana-Ohio, etc, and then moving an to Illinois. So you
can see, I am very anxious to learn the Names?Addresses of ? any Hemphill
descendents in this part of the country. You might have met someone named
Hemphill, who could supply me with considerable of this missing data - hence
my request to you.Chester County ? South Carolina, was the 'Nesting place " of so many of the
Hemphills, whose descendents are now in the middle West. There were 3 diff-
erent families of Hemphills who “nested" there ? and as' the children grew
to manhood, “Went West”, as stated to such places as Tenn?Ky?Ind?Ill-Ohio,
etc. These 3 families, were my own Family A, Mrs R. M. Strange’s Family B,
and also Family “D". There in Chester, SC, we also had 3 separate families
of McCallas, who came over from N. Ireland, "nested” there in Chester Co
for a time, and then “Went West". My own ancestor, Thomas McCalla (M?3),
lived first in Philadelphia, where he married the “favorite Cousin” of
General "Mad Anthony” Wayne. He served 2 enlistments in the Revolutionary
war from Pennsylvania, and then during the War moved South to Chester, SC,
to join his brother, David. Sr, who had established the famous old “Hazel-
wood Plantation” there in 1768 ? and then my Thomas served another enlist-
ment from South Carolina, and most of his McCalla children came back North
to Bloomington and Princeton, Indiana, after the Revolution. The Hemphills
likewise used Chester County as a Nesting Place" ? and then later "Went
West”.Being a prominent man in the region about Jacksonville, Illinois, it is
9/1/1948 – Page 2
very possible that you may have met persons by the name Hemphill, or with
Hemphill as a middle name. If you can recall their Names-Addresses, and
Can send them to me, this might lead to my getting on the trail of some of
These numerous “Missing Hemphills,” whose descendents we are so anxious to
Locate. There also might be some Hemphills listed in the Telephone Direct-
ory, as living in Jacksonville, or in the surrounding to territory.Thank you very much for your kindness.
Cordially yours,
Paul H. McCalla (M?361-35 & Hemp.A?511?35)
2320 Cottage Grove Ave (Apt 3)
Chicago, (16), Illinois
Back to THIRDEYEDAHO OM PAGE