Saunders, Presley A.

Born: 1803-07-12 Loudoun County, Virginia

Died: 1868-06-03 Springfield, Illinois

Flourished: Springfield, Illinois

Alternate name: Sanders

In 1828, Saunders, who at different times went by "P. A." or "Asbury," moved to Springfield, Illinois, where he established himself as a saddler and harness-maker. He enlisted in the militia during the Black Hawk War campaign of 1831; he re-enlisted for the 1832 campaign and served in the same company as Abraham Lincoln. In 1833, Saunders married Charles R. Matheny's daughter Lucy, and together they had one child before Lucy's death in 1836. In 1839, Saunders re-married to Margaretta Ogden. Politically, Saunders was a Whig. He served as a Springfield alderman from 1843 to 1845, and in 1845 he declined the offer to run for mayor but reconsidered in 1847 and ran for the office. In 1860, Saunders owned $6,000 worth of real estate.

John Carroll Power and S. A. Power, History of the Early Settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois (Springfield, IL: Edwin A. Wilson, 1876), 479; Ellen M. Whitney, comp., The Black Hawk War, 1831-1832: Illinois Volunteers, vol. 35 of Collections of the Illinois State Historical Library (Springfield: Illinois State Historical Library, 1970), 1:90, 227; Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, Sangamon County, 27 May 1833 (Sanders/Matheny), 25 January 1839 (Saunders/Ogden), Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; History of Sangamon County, Illinois (Chicago: Inter-State, 1881), 566; Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL) 13 September 1834, 4:3; 28 February 1840, 2:7; 17 April 1845, 2:7; 1 April 1847, 2:6; Illinois Journal (Springfield), 29 June 1848, 1:3; 20 July 1848, 2:1; Illinois Daily Journal (Springfield), 27 February 1850, 3:3; U.S. Census Office, Seventh Census of the United States (1850), Sangamon County, IL, 123; U.S. Census Office, Eighth Census of the United States (1860), Sangamon County, IL, 261; Gravestone, Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, IL.