Oak Ridge in Springfield in Sangamon County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Ninian Edwards

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 7, 2023

1. Ninian Edwards Marker

Inscription.
Only Governor of the Illinois Territory 1809-1818
United States Senator, State of Illinois 1818-1824
Governor State of Illinois 1826-1830
Born in 1775 in Maryland. His father Benjamin, was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates and also served in the United States House of Representatives.

Ninian Edwards attended Dickinson College (Pennsylvania) studying medicine and graduating in 1792. He then studied law and was admitted to the bar. Migrating to Kentucky in 1794, he served in the Kentucky House of Representatives, as a Circuit Court Judge, a presidential elector, Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals and attained the rank of Major in the Kentucky State Militia. In 1803, Edwards married Elvira Lane, a relative from Maryland.

Appointed governor of the Illinois Territory by President James Madison, Edwards oversaw transition to statehood. During the War of 1812 he served as commander-in-chief of the Territorial militia. Upon statehood, Edwards resigned as governor and was elected as a United States Senator on the first ballot.

In 1826, Edwards ran for Governor, won with 49.5 percent of the vote. In 1827, Edwards ordered militia troops north to participate in the Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) War. The show of force by the militia convinced the Ho-Chunk to surrender.

Edwards's

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term as Governor ended in 1830. He retired to Belleville, Illinois donating his time and giving financial support to the medical care of local residents. In 1833 a cholera epidemic hit Belleville. Edwards devotedly stayed in Belleville to care for victims but caught the disease and died.

Originally buried in Belleville, he was reinterred at Hutchinson Cemetery in Springfield in 1855 and later moved to Oak Ridge.

Erected 2012 by Ninian Edwards Chapter, National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Science & Medicine. In addition, it is included in the Daughters of the American Revolution series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1775.

Location. 39° 49.527′ N, 89° 39.489′ W. Marker is in Springfield, Illinois, in Sangamon County. It is in Oak Ridge. Marker can be reached from Monument Avenue, on the left when traveling north. Marker is in Section 10 of Oak Ridge Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1441 Monument Ave, Springfield IL 62702, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Grand Army of the Republic Mound (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Sangamo Electric Co. War Memorial (about 500 feet away); First Resting Place of Abraham Lincoln

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 7, 2023

2. Ninian Edwards Marker

Edwards' remains were reinterred in Oak Ridge Cemetery's "Aristocracy Hill" in 1866.

(approx. 0.2 miles away); This Vault (approx. 0.2 miles away); In Memory of Abraham Lincoln (approx. 0.2 miles away); Oak Ridge Cemetery Arch (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Lincoln Tomb Custodian's Residence (approx. 0.2 miles away); Revolutionary War Patriots (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Springfield.

Also see . . . This Week In Illinois History: The Complicated Legacy Of Ninian Edwards (July 20, 1833). He oversaw the long, complicated political process that allowed Illinois to achieve statehood, though he bristled at the idea of Illinois being a free state. (Clint Cargile, Northern Public Radio, posted July 19, 2021) (Submitted on July 31, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Ninian Edwards (1775-1883) image. Click for full size.

Unknown via U.S. Senate Historical Office (Public Domain)

3. Ninian Edwards (1775-1883)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 31, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 57 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 31, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.