Oliver Harper “Harp” Wiley was born in Cabarrus County, North Carolina November 30, 1807.
“Harp” Wiley married Matilda Krantz (1808 – 1891), daughter of Thomas Krantz and Elizabeth Kent. Matilda was a teen-aged orphan when she and her sister, Sarah, came from Cheatham County, Tenn. to Franklin County, Illinois with a Sanders family in an oxcart. Her sister, Sarah married Wiley Berry Chamness (1811-1882), founder of the Chamness settlement, now in the Wildlife Refuge. Continue reading
James William “Willie” Westbrook, the first President of the First National Bank and two term Marion Mayor, was born in Gallatin County, Illinois. On January 26, 1855 his father, Francis M. Westbrook married Paulina Lafferty and on November 8, 1855, gave birth to their first child, James William.
In January 1857, his family moved to Marion and on the following July his father rented a building off of Samuel Dunaway at 116 E. Main St. on the corner of Madison Street and opened a general store. Continue reading
December of this year brought a change to Illinois law requiring that all births and deaths be duly recorded on public record. Before this date, it was not technically required to register the events.
See also, 1877, News Clippings, January thru June Continue reading
William Thompson Davis was a pioneer citizen of the county and according to his obituary was born in Saline Precinct, now named Stonefort Township, near what was known as Sayersville Bridge just west of Stonefort, January 31, 1842, and the entire sixty-four years of his life were spent as a citizen of Williamson County. His parents were John Tribble and Nancy (Thompson) Davis. Continue reading
George Benton Calhoun, Mayor of Marion in 1913 & 1914 and Williamson County Circuit Clerk, was born May 19, 1875 in Johnson County, the son of Thomas Hayes (1831-1894) and Mary Jane Elizabeth (Robinson) Calhoun (1837-1877. His siblings were: Martha Alice Calhoun, William M. Calhoun, James A. Calhoun, Sarah Francis Calhoun, Susan Calhoun, Charles R. Calhoun, Jacob Jefferson Calhoun and Thomas J. Calhoun. Continue reading