Article by Eunice Day in
Lohn News
Brady Standard-Herals
August 1, 2007
"Information on the Coonrod family begins with the legend thatGeor ge Coonrod landed in New York (date unknown) as a stowaway,settled in G reen County, Ill. and changed his name from Conrad orpossibly Konrad t o Coonrod. It is believed that he was of Germandescent.
It is known, however, that he married a lady named Rhody McHuse in1 791 in Woodford County, Ky. They had five sons: Henry, John,Stephen, T homas and Owen, all born in Kentucky."
Residences & events:
1791 Woodford Co, KY where he married Rhody.
Bef 1812 Hardin Co, KY. Son Henry married there that year.
1820 Grayson Co, KY. That census taker found George Coonrod therealo ng the westward move. In his household were 1 male under 10, 1 at10-1 5, 1 was 16-18, George was over 45, 1 female under 10, 1 age16-25, 1 a t 26-44, and 1 was over 45. Four people were engaged inagriculture.
1829 Greene Co, IL. His name and that of sons, Jefferson andStephen, w ere included as early settlers of the county. Son Thomasarrived the f ollowing year.
1830 Same place. In that census were George, John, Stephen, Thomas,a nd Henry Coonrod but George was only 20-29 years old along with afemal e, sale age, and on little girl under 5. Who? Where was thisGeorge?
1840 Carrollton, Greene Co, IL. In the census that year, George was6 0-70 years old, one female (probably his wife) was 50-60. Alsocounted t here were 1 male under 5, 1 at 5-9, 1 was 20-39 and 1 femalealso aged 2 0-29. The younger people appear to be the family of oneof the childre n, probably taking care of the old folks. In the samecounty were sons J ohn and Stephen and grandson Dudley.
Most families say George was born in Woodford Co, KY but at that timet here was no Woodford. The progression of that area went thus:
1772 - Fincastle Co, VA (abolished 1777, records transferred toMontgo mery Co)
1777 - Kentucky Co, VA
1780 - Fayette Co, KY
1789 - Woodford Co, KY
He was missing from the Sept 1850 census.
Oddly enough, unless son Stephen put up the gravetone, it says:
George Coonrod and wife.
Parents of Rev. Stephen Coonrod
From the Gazette-Patriot, Carrollton, IL, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2002 -from a n article on Greene County Days.
"A large, well-kept cemetery on the north edge of Greenfield, situatedo n land donated by the Coonrod family, some of whose members areburied i n a crypt on the grounds. At one time a Baptist church waslocated at t his cemetery, which recorded its firsdt burial in 1836.When J. Russell S hields locked the Coonrod crypt for the last time,he took the key and t hrew it in a Greenfield pond as he had beendirected by the Coonrods, w ho also donated the land for a park nextto the cemetery. Years ago, a c ircus visited Greenfield, and a smallboy, who was a clown, died. The p eople of Greenfield helped thefamily bury the boy, and for years decor ated the child's grave. Thereis also an unconfirmed but persistent rum or that a circus elephant isburied there."
