Robert McConnell (April 2, 1806 – October 15, 1862) was an early settler in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, namesake of

McConnell, Illinois McConnell is an unincorporated community in Waddams Township in Stephenson County, Illinois. McConnell is southwest of Orangeville, northeast of Lena and southeast of Winslow. McConnell has a post office with ZIP code 61050. History In 1 ...

. He served as a member of the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

from 1846 to 1848. Earlier, on August 6, 1838, he was elected a County Commissioner (known as the County Board of Supervisors) in

Stephenson County Stephenson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 47,711. Its county seat is Freeport. Stephenson County is included in the Freeport, IL Micropolitan Statist ...

. He moved to Waddams Township in

Stephenson County, Illinois Stephenson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 47,711. Its county seat is Freeport. Stephenson County is included in the Freeport, IL Micropolitan Statis ...

, United States in 1838. He purchased a land development from John Dennison and John Van Zant. He renamed it McConnell's Grove and started a trading post, which became the current town of

. In 1843 he married 19-year-old Elizabeth, who was born and raised in

Jefferson County, Ohio Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,249. Its county seat is Steubenville. The county is named for Thomas Jefferson, who was vice president at the time of its creation. ...

. Elizabeth died on April 19, 1849, at the age of 25. Prior to Elizabeth's death, they had three children. One daughter, named Adeline, died on February 11, 1848, at the age of four. The second child's sex, age and resting place are unknown. The youngest child was a son named William Wylie Moore McConnell. The graves of Elizabeth and Adeline are located at Silent Hill Cemetery in McConnell.''History of Stephenson County, Illinois,'' by Addison L. Fulwider, Volume 1 After Elizabeth's death, McConnell met and married Laura Hibbard. Together they had two daughters, Ella Hibbard McConnell and an adopted daughter named Lizzie. Lizzie died on July 11, 1862, at the age of 18. Robert McConnell's grave is located in the City Cemetery of

Freeport, Illinois Freeport is the county seat and largest city of Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 23,973 at the 2020 census, and the mayor of Freeport is Jodi Miller, elected in 2017. Freeport is known for hosting the second Linc ...

. Lizzie McConnell's grave is also located there; the resting places of Laura, Ella and William are unknown.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McConnell, Robert W. County commissioners in Illinois People from Stephenson County, Illinois Members of the Illinois House of Representatives 1806 births 1862 deaths 19th-century American legislators 19th-century Illinois politicians