Wilton, Harry

Born: 1794-07-04 Stapleford, United Kingdom

Died: 1879-07-28 Greenville, Illinois

Wilton's parents brought him to the United States when he was a small baby, and in 1811, they settled at Shawneetown, Illinois. In 1817, Wilton established a farm near what would later become the town of Carlyle, and the following year he was elected sheriff. In 1819, he married Elizabeth Allen, with whom he had twelve children. Wilton eventually held the offices of clerk of the circuit court, judge of the probate court, recorder of deeds, clerk of the county commissioners' court, justice of the peace, and postmaster. A Democrat, Wilson was appointed U.S. marshal for Illinois by presidents Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren, serving from 1832 to 1841, during which time he moved his family to Hillsboro, where he continued to farm. He was again appointed a U.S. marshal by President Franklin Pierce from 1853 to 1856, during which time he lived in Springfield. In 1860, he lived with his family in Greenville and held an appointment from President James Buchanan as a federal pension agent. Religiously, Wilton was a Methodist.

U.S. Census Office, Sixth Census of the United States (1840), Montgomery County, IL, 364; U.S. Census Office, Seventh Census of the United States (1850), Montgomery County, IL, 130; U.S. Census Office, Eighth Census of the United States (1860), Bond County, IL, 201; Daily Illinois State Register (Springfield), 15 March 1853, 2:1; 24 January 1878, 2:4; 3 August 1879, 2:1-2; Daily Illinois State Journal (Springfield), 11 July 1856, 3:1; Illinois Daily Journal (Springfield), 1 August 1853, 3:1; Gravestone, Oak Grove Cemetery, Hillsboro, IL.