Amos Bennett

Amos Bennett, born in 1797 in Connecticut to freed slaves, was the first African American settler in Lake County. In the mid 1830s he settled and farmed this land with his wife and children, and later farmed 150 acres north of Grand Avenue on Dilleys Road. Active in his community, he became the first African American to run for public office in Lake County in 1843. Known for his healing skills with herbs, "Doctor" Bennett is credited with saving the life of a neighbor. Bennett and his family left Lake County in 1852, possibly heading north into Wisconsin.

Illinois · United States