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American bow back Windsor desk chair

Last year, the McHenry County Historical Society & Museum celebrated 60 years of collecting, preserving, and sharing its county's history with the public. To commemorate this anniversary, our featured exhibit, “60 Years, 60 Objects: Stories from McHenry County,” remains on display through October 2024. This exhibit highlights sixty artifacts from the historical society’s collection. Object #42 is an American bow back Windsor desk chair with a woven cane seat. Known as the “Squire’s Chair,” it was owned by William McConnell of Richmond.

 William McConnell was born March 20, 1810, at Williamsport, Pennsylvania. His parents were John McConnel and Agnes Scott McConnel, and his siblings were Thomas, John, Charles, and James. The additional "L" was added in the next generation. William arrived in Richmond, Illinois, on May 10, 1837. Here, he selected a homesite and built a cabin. In 1838, he returned to Pennsylvania, married, and brought his new bride and belongings back to Richmond. 

William McConnell married Elizabeth Bodine on January 18, 1838. They had 3 sons: Abram, John, and George. He served as postmaster of Richmond, an associate county judge, Justice of the Peace, an Illinois State Legislator, and Supervisor of Richmond Township. William McConnell died in Richmond on October 9, 1887 and is buried with his wife in the Richmond Cemetery.

 Visit the McHenry County Historical Society’s Museum to view the Windsor desk chair and the other 60th anniversary objects on display when it reopens on March 16, 2024.  

 

Comments

  1. W.A. McConnell FoundationAugust 6, 2024 at 2:09 PM

    This is wonderful. How did this get to be part of the MCHS collection? What provenance
    do you have for it? Are there any other McConnell pieces in the collection?

    ReplyDelete

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