Conrad Will of Brownsville

Dr. Conrad Will, the “Father of Jackson County,” was born in Pennsylvania in 1779 and came to Illinois in 1813. He was a physician, but also operated a grist mill, tannery, and salt works. He was one of the founders of Jackson County and in 1816 donated land for Brownsville, the first county seat. Dr. Will was Jackson County’s delegate to the first Illinois Constitutional Convention. He served in the General Assembly from 1818 until his death in 1835. When Will County, Illinois, was created in 1836, it was named in his honor.