Irwin, James S.

Born: 1820-03-23 Woodford County, Kentucky

Died: 1893-01-04 Pike County, Illinois

Irwin graduated from Centre College in Kentucky in 1838. In 1840, he moved to Jacksonville, Illinois, where he began to study law. After receiving his law license in 1842, he moved to Mt. Sterling, Illinois, and began practicing law. In 1849, he followed the Gold Rush to California, returning to his law practice in Mt. Sterling in 1852. In 1860, Irwin owned $36,000 worth of real estate. The following year, he relocated his family to Pittsfield, where he continued to practice law. Politically, Irwin was a Whig and later a Republican.

History of Pike County Illinois (Chicago: Charles C. Chapman, 1880), 688-89; U.S. Census Office, Eighth Census of the United States (1860), Brown County, IL, 677; Gravestone, Pittsfield West Cemetery, Pittsfield, IL.