Thomas, Cheney

Born: 1806-XX-XX Virginia

Flourished: McLean County, Illinois

In 1831, Thomas was one of the first purchasers of town lots in Bloomington, Illinois. He was also an early teacher and justice of the peace in the county. In 1832, voters elected him as the first sheriff and county collector of McLean County, positions he held until 1835. On January 9, 1834, he married Sarah Olney. In 1835, voters elected him as probate justice for the county. From 1836 to 1844, he served as school commissioner for the county.. Thomas served one term in the Illinois House of Representatives alongside Abraham Lincoln, from 1838 to 1840, where he represented McLean County. In 1850, he was working as a farmer with his wife Sarah and six children.

U.S. Census Office, Seventh Census of the United States (1850), McLean County, IL, 103; Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, McLean County, 9 January 1834, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; The History of McLean County, Illinois (Chicago: Wm. Le Baron, Jr., 1879), 198-99, 201, 219.