The

Edgerton

Database

Index

Sources

David Morgan Edgerton, son of Luther and Elizabeth McKennan (Morgan) Edgerton.

born:	April 29, 1835; Virginia. (GI) (FG9)
died:	March 10, 1921; Chicago, Cook Co., IL. (IL State DoH DC #6006517) (GI)
buried:	Oak Grove Cemetery; Marietta, Washington Co., OH. (GI)

married:

~1861. (CR WI1900 Burlington – “m. 39y”)

Jane Harper Ford

born:	May 1843; Pennsylvania. (CR WI1900 Burlington)
died:	February 20, 1911; Chicago, Cook Co., IL. (IL State DoH DC #4622)

Children:

Lillian M., b. January 28, 1864; Tarentum, Allegheny Co. PA.
Charles H., b. March 17, 1866; Tarentum, Allegheny Co. PA.
Mary E., b. June 1868; Tarentum, Allegheny Co. PA.

The household of David Edgerton was recorded in the 1870 Federal Census of Tarentum Precinct, Allegeny County, Pennsylvania (pg. 71; dwelling #150; family #142; enum. June 6, 1870). They were enumerated as follows:

David Edgerton	36	b. PA	oil merchant $2,000 real est. / $300 pers. est.
Jane	26	b. PA	keeping house
Lillie	6	b. PA
Charles	4	b. PA
Mary	2	b. PA
Agnes Adams	46	b. PA	keeping house

The household of David Edgerton was recorded in the 1880 Federal Census of St. Louis, St. Louis County, Missouri (pg. 687; dwelling #76; family #90; enum. June 8-9, 1880), as follows:

Name	Rel.	Age	Bp	F Bp	M Bp	Occ
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
David Edgerton		46	OH	VA	VA	Rail Road Clerk
Fanny	wife	37	PA	PA	PA	Keeping House
Lillie	dau.	16	PA	OH	PA	School
Charles	son	14	PA	OH	PA	School
Mary	dau.	12	PA	OH	PA	School

The household also included three servants. The family was residing at 1832 Lafayette Avenue.

David M. Edgerton and his wife, Jane, were recorded in the 1900 Federal Census of Burlington City, Racine County, Wisconsin (pg. 19; dwelling #30; family #32; enum. June 4, 1900). They were residing as boarders in the household of Louis Smithers, and were enumerated as follows:

Name	Rel.	Birthdate & place		Age	Marital	Parents’ birthplace
					Status	Father	Mother
----------------------------	--------	------------------------		--------	-----------	----------	----------
David M. Edgerton	boarder	Apr. 1835	VA	65	M 39y	CT	PA
Jane wife	boarder	May 1843	PA	57	M 39y	PA	PA

According to the above census record, Jane was the mother of three children, all of whom were still living. David’s occupation was listed as “Railroad [----]”. The family was residing on Pine Street.

When the 1920 Federal Census was taken, David and Jane Edgerton were residing in the household of their elder daughter, Lillian (Edgerton) Prussing, in Chicago City (1st Precinct), Cook County, Illinois (pg. 201; dwelling #70; family #76; enum. April 19, 1910). The household was enumerated as follows:

Name	Rel.	Age	Birthplace	Marital	Parents’ birthplace
				Status	Father	Mother
----------------------------	--------	--------	-----------	----------	----------	----------
Eugene E. Prussing	head	54	IL	M 7y	Germany	Germany
Lillian E.	wife	42	PA	M 7y	VA	PA
Margaret A.	dau.	20	IL	S	IL	Germany
George F.	son	18	IL	S	IL	Germany
Louise V.	dau.	15	IL	S	IL	Germany
Jane Edgerton	m-i-l	63	PA	M 45y	France	PA
David M.	f-i-l	74	VA	M 45y	CT	PA

According to the above census record, Jane was the mother of three children, two of whom were still living. The family was residing at 1519 Dearborn Avenue.

The following obituary for Mrs. Jane Ford Edgerton was published in the Chicago Daily Tribune on February 21, 1911:

“EDGERTON – Jane Ford Edgerton, Feb. 20, wife of David Morgan Edgerton, late of St. Louis, at the residence of her daughter, Mrs. Eugene E. Prussing, 1519 Dearborn-av. Funeral private. Interment at St. Louis.”

The following obituary for David Morgan Edgerton was published in the The New York Times on March 11, 1921:

“COL. D. M. EDGERTON DIES.

Built the First Railroad West of Mississippi River in 1874.

CHICAGO. March 10. Colonel David Morgan Edgerton, formerly of St. Louis, died here tonight at the James C. King Home for Aged Men, aged 86 years. Colonel Edgerton was one of the founders of the Republican Party. He was best known as a builder of railroads, having built the Kansas Pacific Railroad, the first road west of the Mississippi River, in 1874.

When he built the Kansas Pacific, he performed the feat of swimming across the Missouri River with General William T. Sherman. General Sherman, with his soldiers, fought off the Indians while the intrepid railroad builder pushed forward laying the steel rails along the steel rails along the old wagon and indian trails.

He became successively President of the Denver Pacific, the Junction City and Fort Kearney, the Solomon Valley and many other of the earlier Western railroads now long since absorbed by the giant system of today.”