Wead, Hezekiah M.

Born: 1810-06-01 Vermont

Died: 1876-05-10 Peoria, Illinois

Wead attended local public schools and the Castleton Academy in Vermont and later taught school in New York while studying law. He was admitted to the bar in both New York and Vermont in 1832 and returned to Vermont to practice law. In 1840, Wead moved to Lewistown, Illinois, where he continued his legal practice. In 1841, Wead married Eliza Emery, with whom he had four children. In 1847, he served as a delegate from Fulton County to the Illinois Constitutional Convention and from 1852 until 1855, he served as a circuit court judge. In 1855, Wead moved to Peoria, where he continued to practice law for the rest of his life.

David McCulloch, ed., History of Peoria County Illinois (Chicago: Munsell, 1902), 635; Peoria City and County Illinois: A Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress and Achievement (Chicago: S. J. Clarke, 1912), 2:171-72; Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, Peoria County, 5 January 1841, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL.