John Sinnet, Father of John Senate?

John S. Sinnet was an Illinois Territorial pioneer. His story is told in several County History books and recounted here. What documents confirm the information in those un-sourced publications?

How do we know that John S. Sinnet was the father of John E. Senate?

1818 Marriage

The 1818 marriage record confirms that John Sinnet married Rhoda Hanon.

1818 Marriage Return¹“Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1940”, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X2RW-QJP : Sun Mar 10 00:42:34 UTC 2024), Entry for John Sinnet and Rhoda Hanon, 1818. FHL #004539834 image 014.

This is to certify that I joined together on the 30th of April 1818 as Husband and wife John Sinnet and Rhoda Hanon by authority of a license signed by the clerk of the county court of Bond county [Illinois] Given under my hand this 2nd day of May 1818.  __ Jones J.P. [Justice of the Peace]

Death Records

The 1929 Missouri death certificate for John Elijah Senate lists his parents as John Senate [sic] and Rhoda (no surname given).

John’s sister’s obituary²Mrs. Almeda McBride Obituary. Pekin (IL) Daily Times, 30 Jun 1915, page 8, column 2. lists her parents’ names and specifically names her one living brother (emphasis mine):

MRS. ALMEDA MCBRIDE

The funeral of Mrs. Almeda McBride was held this afternoon.  A service was held at 1 o’clock from the home of her daughter, Mrs. McGowen, in Elm Grove township, and the body was then taken to the Woodrow Union Church, where services were held at 2 o’clock.  Interment was made in the Woodrow Cemetery.

Almeda (Senate) McBride was born in Christian County, Illinois, on the 6th day of April, 1832, died Sunday night, June 27, 1915, aged 83 years, two months and 21 days.

Mrs. McBride was the daughter of John and Rhoda Senate.  She was one of a family of ten children, of which only one is living now, namely John Senate, of Milan, Mo.

At the age of 8 years she, with her parents, moved to Tazewell County, Illinois, where she has since resided, with the exception of a few years when she resided in Kansas.  On the 13th day of Sept, 1856, she was united in marriage to John McBride, who preceded her in death some nine years ago.  To this union six children were born, all living.

James Sylvester, of Peoria; Mrs. Nancy Wineburner, of Cincinnati township; William E., of Delavan township; John, of Elm Grove, Jacob C, of Stark county; and Mrs. Ann McGowen, of Elm Grove.  Mrs. McBride leaves to mourn her departure, one brother, four sons, two daughters, twenty-eight grandchildren and twenty great-grandchildren.

Mrs. McBride was a member of the Bethel Mennonite Church, and lived a true Christian life.  Mrs. McBride, realizing her time was short here, made all arrangements for her funeral, selecting her scripture reading and her singers, and desiring her four sons and two grandsons to act as pall bearers.

This newspaper clipping names, and thereby confirms the brother-sister relationsihp:

Milan (MO) Standard, July 1, 1915, page 10

John Sinnet, father of John Senate

These documents confirm that the John S. Sinnet (1796-1872), chronicled in County Histories, was the father of John E. Senate (1836-1929).

Lingering Question

Why is the surname spelled Sinnet?

SOURCES

• 1
  “Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1940”, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X2RW-QJP : Sun Mar 10 00:42:34 UTC 2024), Entry for John Sinnet and Rhoda Hanon, 1818. FHL #004539834 image 014.
• 2
  Mrs. Almeda McBride Obituary. Pekin (IL) Daily Times, 30 Jun 1915, page 8, column 2.