<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>Josheph Riley Field's House, Greene County Illinois</title> <STYLE> A { text-decoration: none } </STYLE> </head> <STYLE> <!-- A { text-decoration: none } --> </STYLE> <body bgcolor="#fff8e6" text="grey" link="#660000"> <center> <img src="images/jrfieldhouselogo.gif"> <p align="center"> <br> <table align=center width=900 border=0> <cellpadding="3"> <!--picture 1--> <tr> <td valign=bottom align=right <img src="images/beckyhouse01.jpg" hspace=5 vspace=5 width="450" border=1> </center> <!--picture 2--> <td valign=bottom align=left > <a href="fieldfarm.html"><img src="images/fieldfar3.jpg" hspace=5 vspace=5 width="450" border=1><a/> </p> </td> </tr> </tr> <!--picture 3--> <tr> <td valign=top align=right> <img src="images/beckyhouse02.jpg" hspace=5 vspace=5 width="450" border=1> <td valign=top align=left> <img src="images/beckyhouse03.jpg" hspace=5 vspace=5 width="450" border=1> </table> <!--picture 4--> <td valign=top align=center> </td> </tr> <td valign=top align=center> <!--previous and next page--> <table align=center width=900> <tr> <td> <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" COLOR="#660000" size="2"><b>This is the farm and home of Joseph Riley Field</B>, Sec. 12 Tp. 12 Range 13, Greene County, Illinois. This house stood until about 1985. Ancestors of the present owners were neighbors of Joseph R. Field.</P> <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" COLOR="#660000" size="2"><b>Joseph Riley Field</b> was the fifth child of Keen and Anne Lewis Field the pioneers of Gibson County, Indiana. He married Elizabeth Kell probably also of Gibson County. By 1831 Joseph and Elizabeth had moved to Alton, Illinois, and by 1832 they were in Greene County. By 1848 they had five children, Anna Jane, Abraham James Ryley, Margaret and Joseph J. Then in December of 1853 Elizabeth died. In November of 1857 Joseph married Ophelia Peck and they had two children, Laura B. and J. R. <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" COLOR="#660000" size="2"> Joseph Riley's youngest brother, Keen Wither Jr., moved to Greene County, then back to Gibson County, back to Greene County and finally out to Oklahoma where he died. The father, Keen Field, died in 1815. At some point Anna, their mother, Anna Lewis Field, moved over to Greene County and was last recorded in the 1850 census some where near Apple Creek in Greene County. That is the last record of her and it is not known where she is buried.<p> <p align=justify><font face="verdana" FONT COLOR="#660000" size="2"> The family seems to have had a reputation for being a rough and ready family and not too well liked by the people of the area as the article linked below indicates. Joseph Riley was a farmer and stockman and had a lot of money and obviously felt he could buy anything, including the freedom of his murderous son. At the age of 77 old Joseph Riley fell out of a wagon, suffered apoplexy and died. He was buried in the White Hall Cemetery in Greene County, Illinois.</p> <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" COLOR="#660000" size="2">These photos have been provide by Becky Shewin who also granted us permission to use them on this website. The photos were taken prior to 1985 when the house was demolished. A larger photo of the sketch of the farm can be seen by clicking the drawing above.</p> <p align=justify><font face="verdana" size="2" FONT COLOR="#660000">An article reprinted 100 years after the incident tells about Joseph J. Field killing a man named Padgett. It was his second murder and the locals were ready to mob the jail and lynch him.</p> <p align=justify><font face="verdana" size="2" FONT COLOR="#660000"><a href="fieldfarm.html"><b>The Joseph Riley Field family farm.</a></p> <p align=justify><font face="verdana" size="2" FONT COLOR="#660000"><a href="view.html"><b>Arel view of the the Joseph Riley Field family farm today.</a></p> <p align=justify><font face="verdana" size="2" FONT COLOR="#660000"><a href="greenecountycemetery.html">The Joseph Riley Field family cemetery.</b></a></p> <p align=justify><font face="verdana" size="2" FONT COLOR="#660000"><a href="jjfieldarticle.html">Article about Joseph J. Field.</b></a> </p> <center> </b><a href="index.html">[home|</a><a href="landlinks.html">land</a>|<a href="albumlinks.html">album</a>]</font> </p> </table> </body> </html>