| John Riley Babbs
was born November 17, 1841 in Washington,
Washington County, Indiana.He was the second
child of seven born from the union of George W.
Babbs and Elizabeth Babbs (Carter). John 's first
vocation was that of a farm laborer which many
young men of his age did in the area. On July 17, 1863, at the
age of 22, he enlisted as a private in Company G,
115th Indiana Volunteer Infantry.His term with
the 115th was spent in east Tennessee under
extreme hardships due to harsh weather and lack
of provisions. He was mustered out on February
25, 1864 at Indianapolis, Indiana. He reentered
the service of his country on October 20, 1864.
He enlisted in Company F 6th Indiana Cavalry. The
unit saw action in the battle of Nashville and in
the pursuit of John Bell Hood's army after the
battle. He was mustered out on September 15, 1865
at Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
He moved to
Illinois following the war settling in Steeles
Mills, Randolph County and took up the vocation
of mining. He married Annie Eaton on November 9,
1878. Seven children were born from this union.
One child, Alva, died at an early age. He moved
to Collinsville in the early 80's and continued
his work as a miner. In later years he became a
policeman, janitor and a messenger for city hall.
He was an active member of the Samuel T. Hughes
Post. G.A.R. He passed on April 5, 1914 and was
laid to rest in the Glenwood cemetery.
Note:
Photo of John R. Babbs contributed by Jack
Leckel.
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