Watson, Benjamin A.

Born: 1818-12-09 Nashville, Tennessee

Died: 1901-06-21 Pike County, Illinois

Flourished: 1836-1865 Springfield, Illinois

In 1834, Watson's father moved his family from Nashville to St. Louis, and two years later, they settled in Springfield, Illinois. In October 1839, Benjamin joined his father, William W., in his confectionary business, renaming the business W. W. Watson & Son. In 1845, Benjamin married Emily R. Planck, and together they raised seven children. Watson remained in the confectionary business until January 1865, at which point he moved to Pike County. In 1860, Watson owned $20,000 worth of real estate and $2,000 worth of personal property. Watson was a Whig in the 1840s.

John Carroll Power and S. A. Power, History of the Early Settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois (Springfield, IL: Edwin A. Wilson, 1876), 754; Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 17 September 1836, 2:7; 1 November 1839, 3:4; U.S. Census Office, Eighth Census of the United States (1860), Sangamon County, IL, 261; History of Pike County, Illinois (Chicago: Chas. C. Chapman, 1880), 511; Proceedings of Whig Convention at Pekin, Illinois regarding Candidates for Congress; Illinois Daily State Journal (Springfield), 23 January 1865, 3:4; Gravestone, Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, IL.