Bracken, Matthew

Born: 1789-06-17 Virginia

Died: 1853-02-02

Flourished: Tazewell County, Illinois

In 1824 or 1825, Bracken settled in Sangamon County, Illinois, in an area that later became part of Menard County. In 1829, Bracken moved north to a portion of Tazewell County, Illinois, that later became part of Woodford County. He was appointed in 1835 as one of the first justices of the peace in the area. In 1850, Bracken was a hotel-keeper in Washington, Illinois, and he owned $4,000 in real property.

U.S. Census Office, Seventh Census of the United States (1850), Washington, Tazewell County, IL, 3; The History of Menard and Mason Counties, Illinois (Chicago: O. L. Baskin, 1879), 361; The Past and Present of Woodford County, Illinois (Chicago: Wm. Le Baron Jr., 1878), 223, 229, 321; Gravestone, Baker Cemetery, Woodford County, IL.