Cobbey, John Furmes

1827–1854

John Furmes Cobbey was born on 17 May 1827 in Illinois, one of seven sons born to Thomas D. Cobbey.

John left Illinois in April 1850 for California. By 8 May 1852 he had returned to Illinois, as he is found in the Illinois Public Land Purchase Records.

On 8 September 1852, John wrote an essay for Walnut Grove Academy, located in Woodford County, Illinois. Established by the Disciples of Christ, Walnut Grove Academy focused on preparing young men for the Christian ministry.

The Academy became Eureka College (Ronald Reagan’s alma mater) in 1855. John had passed away the previous year, however, at the age of twenty-seven, perhaps from another outbreak of asiatic cholera which had swept through the school in 1852.

Bibliography

A History of Eureka College. St. Louis: Christian Publishing Company, 1894.

Cobbey Journal, 1850. Mss sc 158. BrighamYoungUniversity Special Collections.

State of Illinois. Illinois Land Records. [database on-line] Orem, UT: Ancestry, Inc., 1999.