Courtright, Isaac

Born: 1800-11-17 Sussex County, New Jersey

Died: 1854-7-22 Iroquois County, Illinois

Alternate name: Cortright

Around 1818, Courtright's family began a migration from New Jersey that ended in 1830 when Isaac and his brothers settled permanently in an area of eastern Illinois that would later become Iroquois County. From 1832 to 1853, Courtright purchased a significant amount of public land along the Iroquois River, amassing over 1,200 acres by the time his death. In addition to constructing and operating a sawmill and gristmill, he held numerous local offices, including postmaster between 1833-46 and justice of the peace from 1835-53. Courtright, a prominent local Democrat, also served as a representative to the Illinois General Assembly between 1836-44. Courtright married Catherine Newcomb in 1832; after her death he wed Ruth Wright Kay. In 1854 the couple contracted cholera and died one day apart.

Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales, Iroquois County, 236:6, 9, 27, 33, 58, 103, 109, 116, 237:74; 819:143, 144, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; U.S. Census Office, Seventh Census of the United States (1850), Iroquois County, IL, 156; Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, Vermilion County, 5 July 1832, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; H. W. Beckwith, History of Iroquois County (Chicago: H. H. Hill, 1880), 1:338, 342, 348, 407, 2:14, 15, 209; John M. Palmer, ed., Bench and Bar of Illinois (Chicago: Lewis, 1899), 2:1122.