Hackett, Oliver C. (Huckett)

Born: 1823-03-29 Scott County, Kentucky

Died: 1905-04-08 Douglas County, Illinois

Flourished: Douglas County, Illinois

Alternate name: Huckett

Oliver C. Hackett was a brick maker, farmer, miner, and land speculator. Hackett moved with his parents from his native Kentucky to Springfield, Illinois, in 1829, and 1841, he moved to Coles County, where he engaged in brick making and farming. Striking out on his own, Hackett traveled to Wisconsin to work in the lead mines but became ill and returned after only a short time. He resumed work in the brick business and traded cattle. In 1850, he struck out again, traveling to California for the Gold Rush and came back after a year. After returning, Hackett speculated in land for three years before moving to Douglas County in 1854 and purchasing a large farm near Tuscola. In March 1854, he married Ellen R. Wyeth, with whom he had twelve children. In 1860, Hackett owned real property valued at $15,000 and had a personal estate of $1,000. He was a temperance advocate.

County of Douglas, Illinois: Historical and Biographical (Chicago: F. A. Battey, 1884), 351-52; Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, Coles County, 11 March 1854, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; U.S. Census Office, Eighth Census of the United States (1860), Douglas County, IL, 184; Gravestone, Tuscola Township Cemetery, Tuscola, IL.