Owen, Parnoch (Owens)

Died: 1845-XX-XX Allamakee County, Iowa

Flourished: Knox County, Illinois

Alternate name: Owens

In 1829, Owen moved from Ohio to Knox County, Illinois, accompanied by his two sisters and their widowed mother. As one of the earliest settlers in the area, Owen became a prominent citizen of the county. In 1831, he contracted to complete construction on the county courthouse. Owen, who was a surveyor and land speculator, sold to the county the land for their first county seat and he also surveyed the town. Owen also served as a trustee of Knox College from its creation in 1837. Religiously, Owen was a Presbyterian, and he served as a ruling elder of the Knoxville Presbyterian Church. He later moved to McDonough County and then to Iowa.

An Act to Incorporate the Knox Manual Labor College; Albert J. Perry, History of Knox County Illinois (Chicago: S. J. Clarke, 1912), 17-19, 20, 440, 618; Chas. C. Chapman, History of Knox County, Illinois (Chicago: Blakely, Brown & Marsh, 1878), 105, 497-98.