Thornton, Hiram W.

Born: 1812-10-16 Pennsylvania

Died: 1896-07-30 Millersburg, Illinois

On February 25, 1839, Thornton married Elizabeth Norbury in Pennsylvania and settled in Illinois that same year. From 1839-40, Thornton was a clerk of the county commissioners' court in Mercer County. A Whig, Thornton won election to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1840. He was the first state representative from Mercer County. In 1850, he was making his living as a farmer in Millersburg, where he lived with his wife and four children. During the 1850s, he was the postmaster of Millersburg.

Theodore C. Pease, ed., Illinois Election Returns, 1818-1848, vol. 18 of Collections of the Illinois State Historical Library (Springfield: Illinois State Historical Library, 1923), 348; Newton Bateman and Paul Selby, eds., Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Mercer County ed. by William A. Lorimer, (Chicago: Munsell, 1903), 666, 668, 716; George W. Hawes, comp., Illinois State Gazetteer and Business Directory for 1858 and 1859 (Chicago: George W. Hawes, 1859), 143; Gravestone, Oak Ridge Cemetery, Millersburg, Illinois; U.S. Census Office, Seventh Census of the United States (1850), Millersburg, Mercer County, IL, 381; Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-1971, NARA Microfilm Publication, M841, 145 rolls, Records of the Post Office Department, RG 28, 1845-1855, 18:98, National Archives Building, Washington, DC.