Amos Bennett, First African-American Settler

Amos Bennett was the county's first African-American settler, arriving in Gurnee by the fall of 1835.

Despite this remarkable distinction, Bennett's story was sparsely documented in early histories and went unresearched by historians until the 1990s. The discovery that sparked the museum's groundbreaking primary research on Bennett occurred in 1993 when museum volunteer Al Westerman was researching land records at the Lake County Recorder of Deeds. There, Westerman came across records of Bennett's land purchases. The find aroused curiosity since local legend and one published history claimed that Bennett had been merely a "squatter" and not a land owner.

If the squatting story was incorrect, what else might we find about this pioneering settler? The research eventually took myself and Al Westerman to Delhi, New York, where we met historian Shirley Houck, who was also interested in the Bennett Family story.

Amos Bennett (1797-post 1852) was born in Fairfield, Connecticut, to enslaved parents Timothy Bennett and Lil Disbrow Bennett. In 1799, Timothy and Lil were given a manumission paper freeing them "by the consent" of their enslaver, Joseph Bennett. The Bennetts then moved their family to Delhi, New York, taking the paper verifying their freedom and safe passage with them. The Bennetts became the first free Blacks to settle in Delhi and leased property in an area known as the Hardenburgh Patent on Federal Hill. They worked as sheep shearers, laborers, and farmers.

Elijah Haines wrote in his Past & Present of Lake County, Illinois (1877) that Bennett arrived in 1834. He "was a colored man, and the first of the African race who came to what is now Lake County; he is said to have once remarked, with much self-satisfaction, speaking apparently with reference to the Indians, that he was the first white man that ever planted corn in Lake County. He was a very intelligent man and much respected."

Gravemarker for Miles Bennett, the brother of Amos Bennett. Bennett Family Cemetery, Delhi, NY. 

Photo courtesy of Shirley Houck.

However, I believe that Amos Bennett left for Lake County, Illinois, in the fall of 1835. He left behind his parents and siblings, including a twin brother, Almon. His first wife, Clara, and their children, Henry and Emily, likely joined him after he settled in Illinois. This timeline follows the last record of Amos Bennett in Delhi, which is dated August 28, 1835, when he paid a portion of his father’s lease.

Historian John Halsey also felt that the 1835 date was likely. Halsey stated in his county history of 1912 that Amos arrived "before the close of 1835," settling "on the River above Vardin's Grove [Libertyville]."

Others have speculated that Bennett came west much later and may have been part of the westward migration of 100 families from Delhi that settled in the Gurnee area. This group included Philip Blanchard, a friend and neighbor to Bennett, and an abolitionist.

Bennett built a log cabin southwest of the intersection of Washington Street and Milwaukee Avenue in Gurnee. He later had a house and property on Dilley’s Road north of Grand Avenue near today’s Gurnee Mills. His brother Alfred (1805-1881) and his family lived with him for a time in Gurnee and purchased property in what is now Greenbelt Forest Preserve. Alfred later moved his family to Ottawa County, Michigan.

Amos Bennett owned 148 acres in Lake County. He sent his children to the local one-room school. Bennett was known as Dr. Bennett for his healing skill with herbs. He is reported to have saved the life of Hannah Blanchard (wife of Philip) after she was struck by lightning.

According to primary research by Debra Mieszala, in the spring of 1840, Bennett appeared at the first session of the circuit court in Libertyville. His complaint? He wanted a divorce from his wife, Clara. Mieszala's published article on the proceedings "Clara, Clary, Clarice! Amos Bennett's First Wife Identified Through the Use of Court Records," appeared in the Lake County Illinois Genealogical Society newsletter, (Volume 21, No. 4, Apr-Jun 2001) excerpted as follows:

"Amos told the court that he had married his present wife, Clara, in the State of New York in July 1820. He stated that in July 1836, Clara had committed adultery with Thomas Wilkinson, a Mr. Wood, and other persons unknown to Amos.... he "remonstrated" against the "wicked practices of said Clary," and as a result, she left him. Clara removed to Cook County, where Amos claimed she was living with other men... The case was found in Amos's favor in April 1841."

By 1843, Bennett remarried. The story is that he "traveled south," and when he returned, he brought a new wife, Ann Frances. 

In August 1843, Bennett ran (unsuccessfully) for public office as Lake County Commissioner against William Shephard, Seth Washburn, and Stephen Bennett. This makes him the first African-American to run for public office in Lake County.

He and his children were welcome at community gatherings, including a Fourth of July celebration at Third Lake in 1844. It was the first Fourth of July celebration in Lake County and was held at the confluence of Second and Third Lakes (northwest of Washington Street and U.S. Route 45). Nearly 100 people gathered from neighboring communities, including the Bennetts. When dinner was ready, all the families paraded in a circle and came together at the chowder kettle, where Reverend Dodge (Millburn Congregational Church) blessed the food. After the meal, Reverend Dodge prayed for the freedom of the slaves in the South, and Nat Doust read a copy of the Declaration of Independence.

In 1846, Bennett and 30 other families pooled their money, purchased a three-acre tract of land, and created the Warren Township Cemetery.

Bennett bought and sold many acres of land and borrowed money using his land, horses, and a wagon as collateral. The last record documenting Bennett in Lake County is dated May 13, 1852. That is the day he sold his remaining land (40 acres) to Philip Blanchard for $200 and paid his mortgage.

Despite much effort, the story of Amos Bennett ends in 1852. We have been unable to discover what became of him and his family. Although at least one source claimed he moved to Wisconsin, the Bennetts do not appear in census records there or elsewhere in the United States. It would probably take visits to county courthouses to find records verifying where Bennett re-settled his family.

Delhi, New York historian Shirley Houck (1926-2013), visiting the Bennett Cemetery on Federal Hill near Delhi. 

Photo courtesy of Shirley Houck.

In 1997, the Lake County Forest Preserves placed a memorial plaque commemorating Bennett along the Des Plaines River trail near Washington Street in Gurnee.

In 1997, the Lake County Forest Preserves honored Amos Bennett by placing a plaque near the site of his homestead in Gurnee. 

Photo courtesy of LCFPD. 

In 2008, descendants of Tim and Lill Bennett gathered in Delhi, New York, for a family reunion. 

In 2023, the Village of Gurnee and Warren Township High School's Black Student Union dedicated a new plaque to Bennett at the historic Mother Rudd Home site in Gurnee. 

The Bess Bower Dunn Museum of Lake County staff continues researching the Amos Bennett Family. We would very much like to hear from descendants or historians with more information. 

- Diana Dretske ddretske@lcfpd.org