Rankin, William S.

Born: 1810-XX-XX Pennsylvania

Flourished: Tazewell County, Illinois

William S. Rankin was a farmer and landowner in Tazewell County, Illinois. He began purchasing public land near Barnesville in the eastern portion of the county in 1835, eventually amassing approximately 280 acres. By 1850, he owned real property valued at $4,500. Rankin eventually moved to Groveland, northeast of Pekin, where he became a merchant. In 1860, he owned real property valued at $10,000 and had a personal estate of $2,000.

Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales, Tazewell County, 68:208; 69:38; 70:15, 98, 144; 825:7, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; U.S. Census Office, Seventh Census of the United States (1850), Tazewell County, IL, 65; U.S. Census Office, Eighth Census of the United States (1860), Groveland, Tazewell County, IL, 159.