Category Archives: Prominent figures

Sangamon County sheriffs, 1821-2024

Posted on September 20, 2024 by editor

This entry has been updated. Here is a list of people who have served as sheriff of Sangamon County since the county was established on Jan. 30, 1821. Dates indicate when the sheriffs were commissioned unless noted. John Taylor: 1821, … Continue reading →

Posted in Law enforcement, Local government, Politics, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

‘Patty Reed’s doll’ (Donner Party artifact)

Posted on September 10, 2024 by editor

Like the Donner Party itself, the best-known relic of that pioneer tragedy hails from Sangamon County. The Donner Party, of course, is remembered primarily because some of the emigrants, snowbound in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains in 1846-47, reportedly resorted to … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Disasters, Early residents, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

Edgar Shanklin suicide, 1926

Posted on August 27, 2024 by editor

Searchers used boats, grappling hooks and dynamite to try to retrieve the body of Edgar M. Shanklin from Lick Creek. But it took more than a month for the icy, swollen stream to relinquish the remains of the Springfield business … Continue reading →

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Henson Robinson Co./Henson Robinson Zoo

Posted on July 25, 2024 by editor

The standard version is that Henson Robinson planned to go to California but got distracted by Springfield. The real story is more complicated, but the result was the same. Robinson (1839-1900), a tinner born in Ohio, became the founder of … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry, Museums, Parks, Prominent figures, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Philemon Stout’s big party (1898)

Posted on July 15, 2024 by editor

Philemon Stout knew how to throw a party. It was 1898, and Stout (1822-1910) had had a good life. He owned nearly 2,000 acres of prime farmland near Cotton Hill. He had served as school trustee, highway commissioner, and justice … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Celebrations, Early residents, Farming, Prominent figures, Social life, Spectacles | 1 Comment

Mary Lincoln funeral, 1882

Posted on July 8, 2024 by editor

Thousands of people viewed Abraham Lincoln’s body between the time of his assassination on April 14, 1865, and his burial two weeks later. By contrast, only relatives and friends were given access to a private viewing following the death of … Continue reading →

Posted in Lincoln, Abraham, Presidents, Prominent figures, Spectacles, Women | Leave a comment

George and Winnie Colin, folk art

Posted on June 27, 2024 by editor

George and Winnie Colin came as a set. George (1929-2014) was the artist, self-inspired and self-taught. He produced drawings, paintings, wooden cutouts and quirky sculptures at an amazing pace from a studio in tiny Salisbury. Colin’s style was variously described … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and letters, Photos and photosets, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

George Brinkerhoff mystery, 1893

Posted on May 19, 2024 by editor

George M. Brinkerhoff Sr. and his daughter Bessie climbed aboard an Illinois Central Railroad sleeper the evening of July 28, 1893, on their way home from the World’s Fair in Chicago. When the train arrived in Springfield the next morning, … Continue reading →

Posted in Prominent figures, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Buster Bartholomew, coach & educator

Posted on April 7, 2024 by editor

As an athlete, Buster Bartholomew was a one-armed wonder. But he made his mark as a coach, teacher and booster of country schools. Homer “Buster” Bartholomew (1891-1943), born in Tuscola, was the son of Charles and Susan Myrtle Bartholomew. His … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Prominent figures, Schools and school districts, Sports and recreation | 1 Comment

Edmund D. Taylor, (not the) ‘father of the greenback’

Posted on March 22, 2024 by editor

Edmund “Dick” Taylor was a legislator, businessman and investor. He was one of the winners in the only direct election Abraham Lincoln ever lost. And he probably wasn’t “the father of the greenback.” Taylor (1804-91) lived in Springfield in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Lincoln, Abraham, Politics, Prominent figures | Leave a comment