County of statue and marker: Greene County
Location of marker: 5th St. & Main St., courthouse lawn, Carrollton
Marker erected by:
Greene County Historical and Genealogical Society, Greene County Board, and The Illinois State Historical Society
Date marker erected: 2000
Statue Sculptor: Victor Sophus Joachim Holm, 1876-1935
Statue Dedicated July 4, 1917
Marker text:
THOMAS CARLIN
Thomas Carlin, sixth Governor of Illinois (1838-1842), was an early settler of Illinois and a prominent figure in organizing Greene County and establishing Carrollton as its county seat
Born in Kentucky in 1789, Carlin came to the Illinois Territory and served in the War of 1812. He settled on farm land, part of which is now Carrollton.
He served as the county's first sheriff (1821), as a captain in the Black Hawk War Militia (1832), as a senator (1825-33), and as a land office receiver (1834).
He died in 1852 and is buried in the Carrollton City Cemetery.
"Thomas Carlin was born near Shelbyville, Kentucky in 1786. In 1803 the family moved to Missouri where his father died. Thomas Carlin served as a ranger during the War of 1812." ~ Carrollton Area History
"He was a self-taught man, who maintained his passion for reading and learning throughout his life. Carlin's military duty consisted of service in the War of 1812 and the Black Hawk War, where he served as captain of the Illinois militia and commanded a spy battalion." ~ Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 1, Westport, Conn.
"Thomas Carlin served as a ranger during the War of 1812." ~ Illinois Genealogy Trails History Group
"Thomas Carlin (July 18, 1789 – February 14, 1852) was the seventh Governor of Illinois, serving from 1838 to 1842. Born in 1789 in Frankfort, Kentucky, Carlin removed from Kentucky to Madison County, Illinois in 1812. He was married at Edwardsville, Illinois in 1814 to Rebecca Huitt (August 27, 1799 - September 5, 1865). They eventually relocated to Greene County, Illinois in 1819. He laid out the town of Carrollton, and donated a large parcel of land upon which the county seat was constructed. He served as Greene County's first sheriff. he served in both houses of the Illinois General Assembly, and was instrumental in obtaining passage of a bill in January 1829 creating Macoupin County. The city of Carlinville, Illinois is named in his honor. The first two years as Governor were spent in Vandalia, with the remaining two years in Springfield, once the capital was transferred there. Carlin died in 1852 in Carrollton, Illinois.[1][2] His wife survived him. During their marriage, the Carlins had at least 12 children: Mary Ann, b.1816; Eugene, b. 1817; William H., b. 1818; Nathaniel, b. 1819; Elizabeth, b. 1820; Emily St. Aubert, b. 1821; John Massingill, b. 1829; Julia, b. 1830; Andrew Jackson, b. 1832; John Clark, b. 1832; Eugenia, b. 1839; and Thomas B., b. 1842." ~ Wikipedia