Ancestor of A. Hixenbaugh,

Milton Colton was born 6 May 1834 in Crawford County, Illinois to Nathan Colton and Mary "Polly" Houts (or Hoates). He first appears in the US Federal census in 1850 Crawford County Illinois, in the home of his step father Needham Cox, who had married his mother, Mary Colton 6 September 1837 in Crawford County. Mary Cox died 1859 in Crawford County, Illinois. She and Needham Cox are both buried in Bradbury Cemetery, Hutsonville in Crawford County Illinois.

According to marriage records of Crawford County, Milton Colton married Rhoda J. Hand on 21 September 1855. They had six known children: Eldredge K., Mary E., Charles E., Martha J., James W., Henry E., Jesse M.

Together with Rhoda's brother Woodford Hand (who had married Milton's half sister, Mary J. Cox), Milton enlisted in Company D of the 30th Illinois Infantry on the 5th of October 1861 at Hutsonville, Crawford County. A link to the Unit Roster is here . Milton was wounded twice at the Battle of Belmont Missouri on November 7, 1861.

After the war, he filed Homestead in Wright County, Missouri, in Section 29, Township 30N, Range 14W.

Milton died 21 June 1890 of Typhoid Pneumonia complicated the gunshot wounds he received in the Civil War. He is buried at Mt Moriah Cemetery in Wright County, Missouri.

Peyton Jasper Forester was born about 1832 in Lincoln County Tennesssee to Eli Forester and Polly Jordan. He moved to Stone County Misouri where he is found on the 1860 Federal Census in Pearce Township with wife Jane O'Quinn and three children.

According to the 1890 Veterans Schedule of Unon Veterans living in Stone County, Peyton enlisted 12 Oct 1864 in Company K, 46th Missouri Infantry. He contracted Smallpox while in service. Service for Peyton Foister (sic) is also found on the Missouri State Archives Soldier Database, as Company B, 72nd Regiment E.M.M.

His Homestead (filed under the spelling of Peyton J. Forster) for 80 acres in Section 17, Township 26 North, 24 West was granted 25 March 1873.

Peyton died 7 August 1901 (grave marker says 1908) and is buried at Bradfield Cemetery  in Stone County, Missouri.

A Biography of Woodford Hand, who was from a prominent Crawford County family, was published in the 1883 History of Crawford and Clark Counties, Illinois by William H. Perrin, and has been published to the web on the Crawford County GenWeb.

Woodford Hand married Mary Jane Cox, half sister of Milton Colton, and he was also the brother of Rhoda Hand, who married Milton Colton. Hand and Milton Colton served in Company D,  30th Illinois Infantry.

Obituary for W. D. Hand, published 22 December, 1909 in the Robinson Illinois Argus:

Woodford D Hand Dead

Woodford D. Hand died at his home in this city, Tuesday evening about 7 o'clock. He was a native of Crawford County, having been born near Hutsonville where he lived all the life until December 1890, when having been elected sheriff he came to Robinson, and since has been a residence of this city. He was a soldier in the Illinois 30th Regiment during the War of the Rebellion. He was well informed and had a good memory of early events, which he delighted to recount.

His wife died some ten or twelve years ago, since which time he and his daughter, Miss Ella have lived alone. He was in his 74th year. The funeral will take place Thursday morning at 8 o'clock, from the home. Services by Rev. Carpenter of the Baptist Church, of which he had been a member for many years. The remains will then be taken to the Draper cemetery, northwest of Hutsonville for burial.