My Genealogy Hound

JOHN P. McCLURKEN is a bright, intelligent young writer, who is making the Coulterville Republican a wide awake and well managed newspaper. He was born in Washington County, Ill., and is the son of William McClurken, a native of South Carolina, where his birth occurred in 1828. The father accompanied his parents on their removal to this state in 1833, and settled in Washington County, where he grew to man’s estate, and where his father was the owner of a large tract of land.

Miss Mary Cherry, as the mother of our subject was known in maidenhood, is a native of Randolph County, and the daughter of the late George Cherry, a pioneer of this section. Here she was married to William McClurken, and soon afterward they removed to Washington County, this state, where they were residing at the time of the father’s decease, in the fall of 1861. The mother is still living (1894) and has attained the age of sixty-two. Their family consists of two living children, our subject and Maggie E., Mrs. James Torrens, of Washington County. The parents were members of the Covenanter Church, in which body they were active workers.

Our subject was born September 26, 1854, in this state, and remained upon the home farm until sixteen years of age. Then with his mother and sister he went to Colorado with the St. Louis Western Colony, of which their pastor, Rev. A. C. Todd, was President. While in that state he worked in the Evans Journal office. After a sojourn of two years in the west, he returned home, and for a few years gave his entire time and attention to the completion of his education, attending successively Geneva College, at Northwood, Ohio; Monmouth College, this state; the Northern Normal and the Valparaiso Normal, in Indiana, thus fitting himself to occupy any position in life. Afterward he taught school for five years, and on July 4, 1891, he became the editor and manager of the Republican, in Coulterville, which he is conducting very successfully. The paper is non-partisan in politics, and since Mr. McClurken has had charge of it, the list of subscribers has been largely increased. Our subject is a member of the Covenanter Church, and is an Elder of the congregation at Oakdale, and also takes an active part in Sunday-school work.