Champaign County IL Archives Biographies.....McCann, Elihu T 
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Celia Snyder cgsnyder@uiuc.edu September 1999

Biography of Elihu T McCANN, Champaign County, Illinois

From:  "History of Champaign County, Illinois with Illustrations," 1878


ELIHU T. MCCANN - Was born in Erie county, Penn., October 7, 1824.  Mr.
McCann is of Irish ancestry; his grandfather, Hugh MCCANN, emigrated to
America from Ireland, about the close of the last century, and settled in
Lancaster county, Penn.  There were eight children in the family.  The
third, whose name was Thomas, was the father of the gentleman whose name
stands at the head of this sketch.  When Thomas MCCANN was a mere boy, he
moved with his family to Erie county, Penn., where he afterwards married
Harriett CLARK, daughter of Timothy CLARK, a native of that state.  This
union was blessed with three children - two boys and one girl.  Elihu is
the eldest.  Mr. McCann passed his early life upon a farm, and as his
father was an invalid he found the management of affairs largely devolving
upon himself.  He had but little time to attend school, though he made good
use of his opportunity, for acquiring a rudimentary education, and added
these to a large experience.  On the 13th of May, 1856, Mr. McCann was
united in marriage to Martha J., the accomplished daughter of George BROWN,
a native of Pennsylvania, but of German extraction.  During the following
August Mr. McCann and his wife moved to Champaign, where he engaged in the
lumber trade for a couple of years.  He was appointed to take the census of
1860.  When that was finished he engaged in buying stock for the army, with
his headquarters in St. Louis, where he resided at that time.  In 1864 he
went to the oil regions of Pennsylvania, but failing to "strike oil"
returned to the city of Champaign, where he has ever since resided.  When
the town of West Urbana was incorporated and raised to the dignity of a
city, with the name of Champaign, no one was found more worthy of the honor
of Mayor than the subject of this brief sketch.  He was, therefore, the
first Mayor of Champaign.  He has also served as Marshal four years, and
has held the office of constable for sixteen years.  So well has he
discharged all the duties devolving upon him, that he was unanimously
nominated for the office of Sheriff, by the Democratic party, with whom he
has always been identified.  Although descended from a Whig family, Mr.
McCann has been considered a Democrat ever since his majority, but never
enters any of the partisan strifes.  He has been nominated for various
offices, at different times, but was never personally present at a
convention in his life.


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