Trailor, Henry

Born: 1800-04-15 Green County, Kentucky

Died: 1868-01-06 Menard County, Illinois

Flourished: Menard County, Illinois

Alternate name: Traylor

In 1829, Trailor moved to Illinois with his brothers Archibald and William. Henry married and settled in Clary's Grove. In 1841, Trailor falsely accused his brothers William and Archibald of murdering Archibald Fisher; Logan & Lincoln defended the brothers, who were exonerated for the crime when Fisher appeared alive and well. In 1860, Trailor was a farmer near Petersburg, Illinois, and he owned $350 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), 720-24; Abraham Lincoln to Joshua F. Speed; Remarkable Case of Arrest for Murder; People v. Trailor & Trailor, Martha L. Benner and Cullom Davis et al., eds., The Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln: Complete Documentary Edition, 2d edition (Springfield: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, 2009), http://www.lawpracticeofabrahamlincoln.org; U.S. Census Office, Eighth Census of the United States (1860), Menard County, IL, 65; Gravestone, Concord Cemetery, Petersburg, IL.