Zadok Casey (1796 - 1862)

Born 7 Mar 1796 in Greene County, Georgia, USA

Ancestors

Husband of Rachel King — married 31 Aug 1815 in Smith County, Tennessee, USA [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 4 Sep 1862 at age 66 in Caseyville, St. Clair, Illinois, USA

Biography

Zadok Casey was born in Georgia in 1796, the son of Randolph Casey and Charity Pennington.

Zadok moved with his family to Tennessee at age 6. He grew to be about 6 feet tall. His father died in 1814 when he was 17 and some of his older brothers had already moved to IL. He married the next year in 1815 when he was only 19 years old and in 1817 he moved to IL with his wife, baby Samuel, and mother and settled near Mt. Vernon. One story is that, as a young man, he witnessed a murder. Because he did not wish to testify, he fled to the frontier.

Zadok Casey was the founder of Mount Vernon, Jefferson, Illinois.

He was a Methodist Episcopal minister and preached the first sermon in the first church organized in Jefferson Co, IL in 1818. He was illiterate when he married, but Rachel taught him to read and write and he became something of a scholar. James Douglas, while teaching at the old Shiloh school, became a boarder at the Casey home, which enabled Zadok to improve his education.

In 1819 he became one of the 3 commissioners in the newly-formed Jefferson County at the young age of 23, and the 3 commissioners named Mt. Vernon. He was a Justice of the Peace in Jefferson County.

Military

In 1832 he was a volunteer private in the Black Hawk War and had a horse shot out from under him at the battle of Kelloggs Grove.

Politics

In March 1833 he resigned as Lt. Gov. to take his seat in the U.S. Congress, from which election he had received 383 of the 384 votes cast in Jefferson County (he refused to vote for himself). He stayed in the U.S. House as a representative from Illinois 2nd District until 1843 when he was defeated for voting for the National Bankrupt Law. He was elected as a Jacksonian to the 23rd & 24th Congresses, as a Democrat to the 25th & 26th Congresses, and as an Independent Democrat to the 27th Congress (serving March 4, 1833-March 3, 1843); he was chairman, Committee on Public Lands (25th Congress), Committee on Private Land Claims (26th Congress).
In 1843 he presided over the Illinois Constitutional Convention; was a delegate to Illinois state constitutional convention, 1847/8 & 1860. In 1848 he returned to the State legislature (by then moved to Springfield from Vandalia) where he served 1848-52 (state house, speaker in 1852), 1860-62 (state senate).
He retired to his farm, "Elm Hill," near Mount Vernon, IL [on West Broadway]. He died in 1862 in Caseyville, St. Clair Co, IL (which was named after him). Rachel died 1868. On her tombstone is inscribed: "Rachel, wife of Z. Casey, born in Tennessee Sept. 19, 1797, died in Jefferson County, Illinois, Jan. 16, 1868. Her children rise up to call her blessed." They were buried at the Old Union Cemetery, Mt. Vernon, Jefferson Co, IL. On the site of the old family home on West Broadway in Caseyville now stands the Casey Junior High School.

In 1823 “Zadoc Casey,” representative from Jefferson Co, introduced a bill creating Marion County from the north half of Jefferson. He also “was instrumental in having the new county named Marion after his father’s revered and beloved commander of the Revolution, under whom he had served in the the Carolinas.” [Francis Marion, The Swamp Fox] source:Brinkerhoff’s History of Marion county, Illinois, p39

He was a Democrat, though not strictly, and was always involved in politics. Served in the Illinois House of Representatives in 1822-26 & 1848-52; Illinois state senate 1826-1830, 1860-1862; (the 4th) Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, 1830-1833. IL rep in the US House 1833-43; Speaker of the Illinois State House of Representatives, 1852;

United States Federal Census

1820 United States Federal Census

He was in Illinois in 1820 census, Jefferson Co, IL , living in Caseys Prairie twp, Jefferson Co, IL, along with his brothers, Isaac & Abraham, and his sister Rebecca DePriest. Zadoc Casey 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 (doesn't seem right, prob should be 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1) which means: 1 male 16-26 = Zadoc-24 1 female 16-26 = Rachel-23 1 male 0-10 = Samuel King-3 1 female 0-10 = Mahala P-1 1 female over 45 = his mother Charity Casey-abt 73 1 engaged in farming

1830 United States Federal Census

He was in Jefferson Co, IL:1830 census, Jefferson Co, IL, (p218a) Casey, Zadok 021001 -- 10101 which means: (don't have birth years for some of his children) 1 male 30-40 = Zadok 1 female 20-30 = Rachel 1 male 10-15 = Samuel-16 1 female 10-15 = Mahala-11 2 males 5-10 = Hiram-9 1 female 0-5

1860 United States Federal Census

He was in Jefferson Co, IL:1860 census, PO Mt. Vernon, p. 818 Casey, Zadok - 63 Ga . . . . Rachel - 62 Tn . . . . Elizabeth - 35 Ohio Casey, Thos S. - 28 IL, lawyer Dwight, Samuel S. - 18 IL, student Casey, Alice - 15 IL

Find a Grave

Find a Grave, database and images https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48207995 : accessed 18 June 2020), memorial page for Zadok Casey (7 Mar 1796–4 Sep 1862), Find a Grave Memorial no. 48207995, citing Old Union Cemetery, Mount Vernon, Jefferson County, Illinois, USA.

Sources

• wikipedia entry - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zadok_Casey
• Jefferson Co, IL bios -

http://sites.rootsweb.com/~iljeffer/bios/casey_zadoc.htm

• Mount Vernon Illinois History
• Randolph Casey History
• United States Census, 1860," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MX45-HL3 : accessed 15 February 2015), Zadok Casey, T 2 S R 3 E, Jefferson, Illinois, United States; from "1860 U.S. Federal Census - Population," Fold3.com; citing p. 28, household ID 188, NARA microfilm publication M653, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.; FHL microfilm 803,187.