CORBLEY, Thomas and Margaret Dempsey – Thomas was born in County Meath, Ireland, in 1835, and came with his widowed mother Ellen (Hanley) to America about 1842 and settled in New Jersey. He came west into Illinois in 1856 and in 1861 settled in El Paso Twp. as a farmer. There were four children born to Thomas and Margaret: John, Peter, Mary (Cleary) and Ann. Mr. Corbley was a Roman Catholic and a Democrat.

CRAM, Leland and Elizabeth – Purchased the W 1/2 of the NE 1/4 and the E 1/2 of the SW 1/4 in Section 29, GreeneTwp. on February 15, 1848, from Allen and Eliza J. Patrick, and settled there. The old "Cram" School No. 2 was named for them.

CRAWFORD, James H. and H. H. – James came to Illinois from New York state in 1856. He had a hall of some sort where Gayle Andrew's home now stands at the corner of Cherry and Second Streets, and helped organize El Paso's first Baptist Church in it on January 21, 1858. He purchased Lot 8 in Block 30 on April 5, 1858. He was a furniture dealer.

CROSLEY, William A. – Operated a Gabetown store around 1854 with Isaac Hammers, Sr. He and Thomas Patterson opened a store in Panola in 1854. Patterson sold out to a Mr. Lewis, and the firm was Crosley and Lewis thereafter. He purchased the SW 1/4 of the NE 1/4 in Section 7 in Panola Twp. on March 21, 1856 from a George H. and Lucy Crosley, who may also have been early residents there. William Crosley purchased his first land in Section 15 on August 23, 1854. He was Panola Twp.'s first overseer of the poor in 1855.

CROW, Peter – Early Secor Grain dealer who came there when the town was new, date unknown. He came to Woodford County from West Virginia in 1852.

CRUSIUS, Jacob Sr., and Louesa Stiegelmeier – Jacob was born in Bavaria, February 20, 1834, and at 18 came alone to America, landing August 19, 1853 after 52 days at sea. With only 45 cents left, he found work driving a horse for a canal tow-line, and arrived at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, about two weeks later when the boatowner gave him a dollar. He then found work in the mills until 1855, when he came to Panola, and found work on a nearby farm. That year he rode horseback over the trail to Kappa where clothing was sold. He married in 1863. Miss Stiegelmeier had come from Westphalia in 1852 with her parents. Purchasing a farm southwest of El Paso for $9.00 per acre, they built a home and became the parents of 12 children, four dying in childhood, two in one night in 1872 when all the family but the father had the small pox. Known in our area were: Elizabeth (Dressler), Mary, Katherine, John, Jacob Jr., Ida (Mayne), Emma (Benson), and Millie (Krug). Mr. Crusius died September 20, 1920 and Mrs. Crusius on July 20, 1924.

CUMMINGS, Stephen – Came from Ohio in 1855 and settled on the NW 1/4 of Section 13, Palestine Twp. His home was at the west side of the section on the center line.

CURTISS, Samuel T. and Mary Kate Skinkle – Samuel was born in Binghampton, New York, December 4, 1830; died in El Paso on December 21, 1898. He came to Illinois in 1854, and to El Paso in 1864, a tailor in the Smith Johnson-G. H. Campbell tailor shop. Samuel bought the August Cazelot residence at 61 E. First St., still in use. Children born to Samuel and Mary were: George R. Curtiss, El Paso Journal publisher for many years; C. F. Curtiss, and Miss Cora Curtiss.

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