Category Archives: Government

Marion City government, its officials, departments and buildings.

Denison, Dr. Edward L. 1835-1900, Physician, Legislator and Marion Alderman

Posted on by August 30, 2023

 

Dr. E.L. Denison by horse in front of his office in Marion, Illinois ca 1880. Unknown Goodall standing on walk. Photo courtesy of the Williamson County Museum

Dr. E.L. Denison by horse in front of his office in Marion, Illinois ca 1880. Unknown Goodall standing on walk. Photo courtesy of the Williamson County Museum

Dr. Edward L. Denison, physician, legislator and Marion Alderman, was born August 16, 1835, in Senaca, New York.  He was the son of Edward L. Denison (1789-1871) and Eveline Hitchcock (1808-1886) and the brother of prosperous Marion businessman and Mayor, Charles H. Denison.

Edward had four brothers and sisters:  David Delome Denison (1827-1864), Charles Hoton Denison (1837-1908), Harriet Newel Denison (1840) and Amelia Emma Denison (1843). Charles H. married Mary Elizabeth Bundy Mar. 21, 186x; Harriet married George A. Seaver June 20, 185x, and Amelia married J. D. Walden on October 24, 1864.

Edward L., the father, moved the family to Huron County, Ohio in 1844 and in the 1850 census the family was living in Ruggles, Ashland County, Ohio. All four of their children were born in Ohio.  He then moved the family on to McHenry County, Illinois in 1854.  Edward L., the son and our subject, attended college at Marengo Seminary and moved to Southern Illinois in 1857. He taught school in Jackson, Union and Williamson Counties and studied medicine. Continue reading →

Howell, William H. 1845-xxxx, Merchant, Alderman, & Entrepreneur, Westbrook & Howell

Posted on by June 9, 2014

William H. HowellWilliam Harvey Howell, merchant, alderman, & entrepreneur was born in Monongalia County, West Virginia, on the 4th day of May, 1845, the son of George and Mary Howell. His great-grandfather, Samuel Howell, emigrated from England to Maryland, and his grandparents, Annie and Laban Howell, came from Maryland into West Virginia.

William H. Howell’s father, George Howell, was one of seven sons, good old English stock. His father died when he was only three years old and his mother married again two years later, which caused William to live with his grandfather Howell until he was sixteen years old. In March, 1862, he came west to Carbondale, Illinois, and there learned fine carpentering and soon became a contractor. In 1869 he went to Kansas and during the boom in that state he carried on an extensive contracting business. Continue reading →

Cover, Samuel 1835-xxxx, Marion Trustee, Postmaster and Civil War veteran

Posted on by June 5, 2014

Samuel Cover, Marion Trustee, Postmaster, saddle maker and Civil War veteran, arrived in Jonesboro, Illinois when he was four years old. He was the last of ten children born to Daniel Cover and Susannah (Hahn) Cover and was born in Pipe Creek, Carroll County, Maryland in 1835. Soon after Samuel’s birth, his father died, so in 1839 his mother gathered her brood of children and came down the Ohio River, then to Jonesboro, where she settled permanently and purchased a lot on August 15, 1840 from John McIntosh, Lot #5 in his addition to the town of Jonesboro. Her children were all educated in Maryland and Jonesboro. Her three oldest children, Hiram, Daniel and Catherine were all married in Jonesboro before 1842. Continue reading →

Davis, Thomas 1840-1910, Marion Alderman, Civil War Veteran, Davis Livery Stable

Posted on by September 23, 2018

Baker and Davis cousins
Thomas Davis 1840-1910
1904 County Officers and friends
Oliver H. Davis 1806-1885
Hezekiah Davis

Thomas Davis, Marion Alderman, merchant and Civil War veteran, was born September 18, 1840, the son of Oliver H. Davis (1805-1885) and Rebecca Ann Baker (1809-1885). Oliver Davis came from Tennessee to Illinois about 1828 with his wife and baby daughter Jane.  His wife and daughter rode on a horse, and he walked by their side.  He settled on the bank of Crab Orchard Creek in what is now Williamson County Illinois, about 1/2 mile East of Pittsburg, Illinois. Continue reading →