W.R. Padfield

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: 1880, Summerfield, St. Clair Co, Illinois

Notes:

History of St. Clair County Illinois
Abbrev: William R. Padfield Biography from History of St. Clair Co., Ill
Publication: Brink, McDonough & Co., Philadelphia 1881
Text: The following information is from:
History of St. Clair County, Illinois. With Illustrations Descriptive of its Scenery, and Biographical Sketches of some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers. By Brink, McDonough & Co., Philadelphia.; Corresponding Office, Edwardsville, Ill.; 1881; pp. 349-50
Transcribed by Donnell Wisniewski, from original copy in Belleville Public Library, May, 2001.

W. R. PADFIELD
One of the oldest residents of St. Clair county, was born two miles and a half south of Summerfield, on the 30th of September, 1821. His ancestors formerly lived in Maryland, and from there moved to Kentucky. His great grandfather emigrated from England and settled in Maryland. His grandfather, whose name was Wm. Padfield, was born in Maryland, and during the Revolutionary war served in the American army as the driver of a provision wagon. His father, Thomas Padfield, was born in Maryland, in the year 1792. In 1793, when he was not yet a year old, the family moved to Kentucky, and settled in Christian county, near Hopkinsville. They were among the early residents of that part of the state.

W. R. Padfield was raised in the country, and attended the old-fashioned subscription schools, held in log school-houses with puncheon floors and slab benches. He went to school as much as he had opportunity, but most of his education was obtained at home, nights, without instruction, by the light of a brushwood fire.

He was married in June, 1853, to Miss Caroline Alexander, daughter of John Alexander. The Alexander family came to Illinois from Pennsylvania, and settled near Shiloh. She died of consumption within a few months after her marriage.

Mr. Padfield engaged in farming on his father's old farm, two miles and a half south of Summerfield, and lived there till he moved to his present residence just west of Summerfield in 1880. A view of this place appears on another page. He owns three hundred and fifty acres of land south of Summerfield. Beside his residence adjoining Summerfield, he is the owner of considerable property in that town.

His second marriage took place in the spring of 1863, to Anna Klein, a native of Mannheim, Germany. She died in the spring of 1874.

His present wife, to whom he was married in the spring of 1875, was Elizabeth Klein, a sister of his second wife. She was born on the ocean while her parents were coming to this country. Her father is Powell Klein, of Mascoutah. He has two children by his last marriage, whose names are Damon and Sideros, the former now five and the latter less than a year old.

Mr. Padfield has been a member of the Republican party ever since it first started, and voted for Fremont in 1856, the first Republican presidential candidate. He is a member of the Masonic lodge at Summerfield. He was elected Justice of the Peace in 1874, and has filled that position with satisfaction to the people. One of the characteristics of his administration of this office has been his desire to have parties to a suit settle their disputes without litigation, and in this he has been generally successful.

Note:
Information obtained from the e-mail dated May 11, 2001 from Donnell Wisniewski to Cindy Young regarding the biography of W. R. Padfield. A copy of this e-mail is in the possession of Cindy Young, genealogy correspondence files for Donnell Wisniewski.
Page: 349-350
Quality: 2
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=cbyoung&id=I5078&style=TABLE

W.R. married Caroline Alexander in Jun 1853 in Illinois. Caroline died about 1853 in Illinois. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

W.R. married Anna Klein, (immigrant) in 1863 in Illinois. Anna was born in Mannheim, Germany; died in 1874 in Illinois. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

W.R. married Elizabeth Klein, (immigrant) in 1875 in Illinois. Elizabeth was born in at sea; died after 1881. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]