Fellows, Hart

Born: 1799-XX-XX Massachusetts

Flourished: Schuyler County, Illinois

Fellows moved with his family from his native state first to Cincinnati, Ohio, and later to Indiana, where he spent most of this childhood and early adulthood. Around 1825, he moved to Greene County, Illinois, where he married Rosannah Foss. In late 1825, Fellows and his family moved to Schuyler County, settling in what would become Rushville. Fellows built one of the first dwellings in the town and established a dry-goods and grocery business out of his home. Besides his mercantile business, Fellows served in various capacities in the county government of the newly-established Schuyler County. He became the first postmaster in the county and was among the first justices of the peace. In 1825, he received appointment as clerk of the Schuyler County Circuit Court, a position he held until December 1836. In 1826, he became the first judge of the Probate Court. In 1827, he became clerk of the Schuyler County Commissioners Court, remaining in that post until 1837. He also served as recorder from 1827 to 1839. In 1829, he was appointed to supervise construction of the Schuyler County Courthouse. In 1840, he sold his mercantile business and entered into the practice of law. In 1850, Fellows moved to Sacramento, California, to assume the position of collector of revenue.

Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, Greene County, 13 October 1825, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; Combined History of Schuyler and Brown Counties, Illinois (Philadelphia: W.R. Brink, 1882), 60, 79, 81, 82, 107, 112, 113, 234, 239; U.S. Census Office, Seventh Census of the United States (1850), Rushville, Schuyler County, IL, 306; U.S. Census Office, Seventh Census of the United States (1850), Sacramento, Sacramento County, CA, 154.