Early, Jacob M.

Born: 1806-02-22 Virginia

Died: 1838-03-11 Springfield, Illinois

Flourished: Sangamon County, Illinois

Around 1831, Early moved to Springfield, Illinois. Soon thereafter, he married Catharine Rickard, with whom he had two children. In addition to working as a physician and a Methodist preacher, during the Black Hawk War, Early commanded a company of mounted volunteers that included Abraham Lincoln. Henry Truett shot Early in 1838 after hearing that Early had pushed for a resolution removing Truett from his political office. Lincoln defended Truett in the subsequent murder trial.

Gravestone, Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, IL; John Carroll Power and S. A. Power, History of the Early Settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois (Springfield, IL: Edwin A. Wilson, 1876), 275-76; People v. Truett, Martha L. Benner and Cullom Davis et al., eds., The Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln: Complete Documentary Edition, 2d edition (Springfield: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, 2009), http://www.lawpracticeofabrahamlincoln.org/Details.aspx?case=140184.