McDonough County Genealogical Society
STEPHEN A. HENDEE
A large granite monument in the Bushnell cemetery marks the grave of Stephen A. Hendee, one of the community’s most successful early businessmen. His life carried him from the hills of Connecticut to the California Gold Rush and back again to western Illinois, where he built a business empire that helped shape Bushnell’s growth.
Stephen was born in Windham County, Connecticut, the son of Amasa Hendee. In 1838, his father and stepmother settled near Halkental’s Bridge on Spoon River. There Stephen learned the trade of milling before moving to Lewistown by 1850, where he clerked in the mercantile store of Joel Solomon.
Like many ambitious young men of his generation, Hendee headed west during the California Gold Rush in 1852. During his years away, he worked for Wells Fargo Express and reportedly spent several months in Central America before returning to Illinois. Back in Lewistown, he purchased the mercantile stock of Nathan Beadles, a man whose influence on Hendee’s life was later reflected in the names of several of his children.
