Gridley, John

Born: 1810-XX-XX New York

Flourished: Tazewell County, Illinois

Gridley lived in Pekin, Illinois, as early as 1838. A Democrat, Gridley was a frequent local and county office-holder. In the town's early years, Gridley served as assessor and clerk of the board of trustees on several different occasions. He also served as the city's treasurer in 1849 and 1850, and again from 1856 to 1862. In 1854 and 1855, he was the town clerk, and from 1853 to 1865, he was the Tazewell County clerk. From May 1849 to April 1853, Gridley was postmaster of Pekin. In 1860, he was serving as Tazewell County clerk and owned real property valued at $2,000 and a personal estate of $500.

History of Tazewell County Illinois (Chicago: Chas. C. Chapman, 1879), 567-68, 614-16, 713, 715; U.S. Census Office, Seventh Census of the United States (1850), Pekin, Tazewell County, IL, 105; Fitz Henry Warren to Abraham Lincoln; Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-1971, NARA Microfilm Publication, M841, 145 rolls, Records of the Post Office Department, RG 28, 1845-1855, 18:186, National Archives Building, Washington, DC; Register of all Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1849 (Washington, DC: Gideon, 1849), *485; Register of all Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1851 (Washington, DC: Gideon, 1851), 544*; Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military, and Naval, in the Service of the United States, on the Thirtieth September, 1853 (Washington, DC: Robert Armstrong, 1853), 514*; U.S. Census Office, Eighth Census of the United States (1860), Pekin, Tazewell County, IL, 65.