Lukins, Peter

Born: 1809 Fleming County, Kentucky

Flourished: 1832-1834 Menard County, Illinois

Lukins resided in the county of his birth until September 1831, when he moved to Sangamon County, Illinois, renting a farm with his brother Gregory near what would become the town of Petersburg, Illinois. In January 1832, Lukins and George Warburton purchased 160 acres of public land on which the town of Petersburg would stand. Lukins and Warburton were the original proprietors, and the town was named after Lukins. Shortly after laying out a portion of the town, Lukins and Warburton sold out to Hezekiah King and John Taylor. Lukins became the owner of the first tavern and the first shoemaker in Petersburg. Known for his intemperance, Lukins was discovered dead in this bed one morning, his demise caused supposedly by excessive drinking.

Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales, Menard County, 68:118, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; Robert D. Miller, Past and Present of Menard County, Illinois (Chicago, S. J. Clarke, 1905), 93; The History of Menard and Mason Counties, Illinois (Chicago: O. L. Baskin, 1879), 286, 289, 293, 294; Laura Wayland Smith-Hatch, comp., Rectors Remembered: The Descendants of John Jacob Rector (Williamson, NY: Salmon Creek, 2014), 4:2086; Election Returns for the New Salem Precinct in Sangamon County, Illinois; Election Returns for the New Salem Precinct in Sangamon County, Illinois; Election Returns for the New Salem Precinct in Sangamon County, Illinois.