Craig, James (of Jo Daviess, Co., IL)

Born: 1785-11-21 Loudon County, Virginia

Died: 1847-03-31 Jo Daviess County, Illinois

Flourished: Jo Daviess County, Illinois

Alternate name: James Holmes Craig

Craig emigrated to Jo Daviess County in 1825, soon settling on land that later became the town of Hanover. A surveyor, he helped to lay out the town of Galena in 1826. During the Black Hawk War in 1832, Craig served as a Captain of a company of Illinois militia. From 1836 to 1840, Craig served alongside Abraham Lincoln in the Illinois House of Representatives. Craig was also a member of the Fraternal Order of Masons.

Gravestone, Evergreen Cemetery, Hanover, IL; History of Jo Daviess County, Illinois (Chicago: H. F. Kett, 1878), 245, 246, 512, 591; Ellen M. Whitney, comp., The Black Hawk War, 1831-1832: Illinois Volunteers, vol. 35 of Collections of the Illinois State Historical Library (Springfield: Illinois State Historical Library, 1970), 1:499-501, 526-30; John Clayton, comp., Illinois Fact Book and Historical Almanac, 1673-1968 (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University, 1970), 205, 207.