Dudley, Guilford

Born: 1795-12-07 Raymond, New Hampshire

Died: 1864-02-04 Coles County, Illinois

Guilford Dudley was a farmer, merchant, and local government official. Dudley lived at his family’s home until the age of twenty-one, when he moved to Ohio, where he engaged in agriculture. After working on a farm for a year, Dudley moved to New Orleans, Louisiana before moving to Coles County, Illinois in either 1825 or 1826. He worked on his brother’s farm, and in 1829, he purchased eighty acres of public land in what would become Ashmore Township. In November 1829, Dudley married Mary Wiley, with whom he had nine children. Between 1831 and 1853, Dudley added an additional 160 acres of public land to his farm; he would eventually own 900 acres of public and private land. In addition to his agricultural pursuits, Dudley served as justice of the peace and Ashmore Township treasurer. When his health began failing, Dudley quit farming and opened a store on his property. In 1850, he was a merchant and owned real property valued at $3,000.

The History of Coles County, Illinois (Chicago: William Le Baron, Jr., 1879), 596; Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales, Coles County, 291:23, 61, 159, 245, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, Edgar County, 16 November 1829, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; U.S. Census Office, Seventh Census of the United States (1850), Coles County, IL, 109; Gravestone, Enon-Ashmore Cemetery, Coles County, IL.