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Robert Cinnamon was born near Belfast, Co Down, Ireland, in 1830 of Scots-Irish parents. In 1849, at the age of nineteen, he set out for America on a sailing vessel which took almost 2 months to cross the Atlantic Ocean and landed him in Quebec Canada. Then he made his way to Kingston, Canada, where he remained with a brother until October 1849, when he came to Lacon, Illinois, and joined his brother James who lived there. The following spring found him at work as a farm hand on Round Prairie, employed by Charles Parker, a long time resident of Wenona. His wages were $8. a month. He worked here until 1853. At this time, he became a mail carrier employed by Abner Shinn of Lacon for $18 per month. He detailed the various routes traveled in the performance of his duties, which gave him knowledge of localities of this part of the state.
During the one and a half years He was thus employed, he spent most of his time on one of the several routes and had many unpleasant experiences. Although during the whole time he drove over various routes unarmed, he was never molested and no attempt was ever made to interfere with the mail or its carrier.
In 1855, Mr Cinnamon purchased an eight horsepower Martin Ferry threashing machine sent from Ohio by steamboat to Lacon and then engaged in threshing grain. This was his first business venture, which proved to be a success. In breaking soil near Lostant for Judge Parrett of Wenona, the "green-headed" horse flies with so distracting to his team he was compelled to give up the job.
Mr Cinnamon contributed to the early development of Marshall County, being one of it pioneers. His habits of enterprise and industry brought their early reward and he soon became the owner of land in Sec 23 in Bennington Township, and later added more until he owned more than 200 acres of land.
In 1863, he married Jane McLeane in Galesburg. She was born in County Armagh, Ireland in 1833 and came to this country in 1857 with her father and settled in Henry County.
Mr Cinnamon was a very prominent and artistocratic gentleman, and from the time he came to the United States he resided and died in Marshall County. All of his six children were born, lived, and died in Bennington Township, Marshall County.
(Paraphrased from article written by Lorene Schumacher for book Pioneers of Marshall County.)
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