B.F. WHISSENHUNT, farmer, PO Spring Garden, was born in Middle Tennessee May 21, 1830; is the son of Uriah & Dorcas (Roach) Whissenhunt, natives of that State. The Grandparents, however came from Pennsylvania.

Our Subject was the only child. When about one year old, his parents came to Marion Co.,IL, where they remained about 12 years. In that county our subject attended his first school.

In 1843, the family came to Jefferson County and settled on the farm where our subject now lives, where the mother died in 1859, the father in 1860.

In this county our subject had but little chance to attend the subscription schools, and consequently his education is very limited. His life for upward of twenty years was spent at home with his father, and then commenced life for himself on a piece of Congress land which his father entered for him. That has since been increased until he now owns about 160 acres in Sections 2 and 3 of Town 4 Range 3 East.

Mr. Whissenhunt was married April 3, 1850 to Susan Book, a native of this county, and a daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (SHELTON) Book. The father was a native of Virginia, the mother of North Carolina. This marriage resulted in nine children, and of that number two are living-- Ellen Catherine, Wife of George Harveil, and George Washington. Is a member of Moore's Prairie Baptist Church. In Politics, he is a Democrat.

History of Jefferson Co,IL Date - 1883
by William Henry Perrin
Part IV Biographical Sketches Spring Garden Township Page 111

Submitted by: Lonnie Fink