William Bender Capron was born in Albany, New York to Charles Capron and Charlotte Dodge on July 26, 1842, a family descended from early settlers of New York. He was baptized in a Presbyterian church in Albany, New York on September 23, 1842. By the time the 1860 census was taken, William aged 16 and a brother known only in the census as C. aged 14 were living alone with a large farm family in Sangamon County Illinois.
On August 14th, 1862, William B. went to Springfield, Illinois and enlisted in Company B of the 114th Illinois Infantry. William’s enlistment record listed him as 5′ 10″ tall, fair complexion, light hair and blue eyes. He was mustered into the union army on September 17, 1862 at Camp Butler in Springfield. William was captured by confederates at Brice’s Crossroads, near Guntown, Mississippi on June 10, 1864 and was imprisoned at Andersonville prison in Georgia for eleven grueling months. He was mustered out of the service at Springfield, Illinois on May 30, 1865.
After the army, William returned to Clinton, Illinois in Sangamon County where he married Laura B. Willis on September 26, 1866. By the 1870 federal census, William, a farmer then aged 28, and his 25 year old wife, Laura had two children. The children were listed as Jacob age 2 and Catherine aged 1. William surprisingly claimed a real estate value of $2,400 and personal estate of $500.
In the 1880 federal census, the Capron’s were still located in Clinton, Illinois. William and Laura’s children were listed as Jacob 12, Catherine 10, Fred 7, Clyde 5, Laura 4 and Willie aged 1.
Since the 1890 federal census was burned up in a fire, it leaves a hole as to the families presence but records found indicated that William and his wife Laura purchased property SE of Marion in August of 1893 and their son Frederick got married to Cordelia Burnett on December 12, 1894 so the family had made the move to Marion between 1880 and 1893. Cordelia was the daughter of John H. Burnett and Nancy C. Parks.
In 1896 William B. served as Marion city alderman under his son Jacob’s father-in-law, Mayor John H. Burnett. That relationship was broken when Jacob & Cordelia divorced in 1900.
In the 1900 federal census, the couple were living in Marion in a mortgaged home. A question on the census record revealed that the couple had birthed 8 children but only 7 were living. Their children living in the home during the census were Lula 23, Willie 21 and Mable 13.
In April 1897, William B. and his wife began purchasing more property to add to his farm already located on Old Creal Springs Road near the intersection of what is now Golf Course Road. They added more land to the property in May 1900 and again more in July 1904. This property and its location can be seen on an attached 1908 plat map.
By 1907, William, was semi-retired at 65 years of age and purchased the old Benjamin B. Griggs home located at 1001 E. College Street which he owned with a mortgage. In January of 1908, William and his wife sold all of their property on Old Creal Springs Road to a neighboring farmer named James E. Finucane and his wife Savannah for $8,000.
His wife Laura B. Willis, born in Illinois on February 5, 1844 passed away in their home on October 15, 1909. Likely overcome with grief, William B. followed her only 8 days later on October 23, 1909. Both were interred in Rose Hill Cemetery.
There is a street in Marion called E. Capron St. which is only two blocks long connecting S. Madison and S. Buchanan Streets one block north of E. Boyton Street in southeast Marion.
Notes on Children:
William Capron, born abt 1879, graduated from Marion high school in 1897, attended Metropolitan Business College in Chicago, completed law school at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, practiced law in Chicago. Married Nettie Weld on October 3, 1913 in Clinton, Illinois and moved to Spokane, Washington
Frederick Clarence Capron, born abt 1873, married Cordelia Burnett December 12, 1894, divorce in 1900
(Sources: Federal Census Records, Illinois Marriage Records, W.C. Mortgage Books, Marion City Cemetery, FindaGrave, Marion City Directories, Civil War Regiment Records. Compiled by Sam Lattuca on 9/8/2023)