William Elliott

Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, 1902
Transcribed by John Melton

ELLIOTT, WILLIAM E.; ex-Architect and Builder; born in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1832. His great-grandfather, John, grandfather, William, and his grandmother, Esther (Griffith) Elliott, were born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; his maternal great-grandfather, Caleb Kirk, his grandfather, also named Caleb, and his grand-mother, Esther Kirk, were natives of the same State and city. His parents, John Griffith and Hannah (Kirk) Elliott, were born in Philadelphia, the former in 1797. Eight children were born to them: James M., Rebecca A., Sarah K., Samuel A., Phoebe A., William E., Esther E. and John A. William E. Elliott went to Ohio with his parents in 1838. His mother, his brother John and his sister, Phoebe, died with a week of each other at their home near Dayton, Ohio, in 1838. In 1845 the remainder of the family removed to Indiana. In 1847 they removed to Bond County, Illinois, and in 1848 to St. Louis, Missouri. The father was in the engineer department of the United States service, and died of cholera in 1849. William E. returned to Illinois in 1863 and became supervising architect of the Universalist and Presbyterian churches near Knox Collage, Galesburg. He came to Peoria County in 1866 and erected the school house at Elmwood. In June, 1876, he took charge, as superintendent, of the erection of the County Court House of Peoria. The building was completed in the best possible manner and to the entire satisfaction of the taxpayers of the county. In 1879 he began to devote his time to farming, which he has carried on successfully ever since. Mr. Elliot was twice married: First, to Mary Carpenter in Muscatine, Iowa. There were three children: Charles E., George R. and Frank H. George R., who is a farmer in this township, married Charity Hathaway, of Brimfield, and they have had seven children: Lucien E., Mary E., George C., Maud F., John F., Robert A. and Florence M. Charles E. married Martha Moore, now deceased. His second marriage was with Amelia Jergison, and they have two children: Frank H. is a farmer of Princeville; he married Letitia Hathaway, of Monica. Mr. William E. Elliott’s second marriage was with Julia C. Cornwell, September 20, 1877. They have two children, Harlan C. and Emily E. L. Mrs. Elliott’s father, Solomon S. C, was born in Dutchess County, New York, in 1808, where he was educated and selected teaching as a profession. He came to Princeville in 1838. He promoted the building of Monica, and in 1861, Mr. Elliott erected the first house in that village, a hardware store on the site of the present Wilts building. Mr. Cornwell married Emily Munson, May 3, 1832, in Rochester, New York. They had four children: W. Hughes, Charles A., Julia C., and Adie D. Mr. Cornwell died October 4, 1891, and his wife, February 3, 1895.

The Elliott family, whose name was originally “Eliot,” dates back to one Sir Jon Elliott, member of the House of commons, who was born in Port Eliot, April 20, 1502. He was the son of a country gentleman of Cornwall, England. He labored for the cause of liberty in his native land, and lost his life in the Tower of London, November 27, 1632, for his earnest efforts against taxation by the Crown without consulting Parliament. The ancestry of the family is England and Welsh. Mr. and Mrs. Elliott are members of the Methodist Church. Mr. Elliott is a Republican.

Pages 783-784