Col. George H. Paddock Collection

The collection contains photocopies of research done by Carol R. McGee regarding George H. Paddock and Richard B. Paddock. McGee's research focused primarily on George H. Paddock as she is the current resident of the home he built in 1903. Included in the collection are photocopies of newspaper clippings from the Bureau County Republican ranging from 1901 to 1935. Clippings from other newspapers are also included as is an entry from Heitman's Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army for Colonel Paddock. Newspaper clippings pertaining to Caption Paddock are included in the collection as well. The collection contains an invoice for McGee's research at the National Archives, which provided a picture of Colonel Paddock, a statement of military service and a statement regarding Paddock's disability. Photocopies of personal documents from Colonel Paddock, including probate documents, births, deaths, and marriages pages from his family's Bible are also contained in the collection. The collection also contains emailed correspondence between McGee and Elizabeth Snow, pertaining to the Paddock Family and a letter to the St. Augustine Historical Society requesting information on Col. Paddock for the United States Military Academy. Information pertaining to Dr. Solomon Allen Paddock, George's father is also included. Brochures for the Bureau County Historical Society and the Bureau County Genealogical Society are also included in the collection. A number of photographs of the home George Paddock built are also included in the collection as is a photocopy of a photograph of the home. The remainder of the collection is comprised of information compiled by McGee, including a timeline for George H. Paddock and a four generation ancestor chart.

  • OCLC #: 253619876
  • Physical Location: Special Collections — Papers — PAPERS 032
  • Physical Description: .25 linear feet (five file folders)
  • General Notes:
    • Title supplied by the cataloger.
  • Biographical/Historical:
    • George Hussey Paddock was born in on January 14, 1852 in Princeton, Illinois. His father died in 1862 while serving in the Civil War. Seven years later, when George was 17, he entered the U.S. Military Academy. In 1903, Paddock built a home in Princeton, Illinois next to his boyhood home. He was declared disabled from health problems caused from his service in the Philippines in 1906 and retired from active duty. In 1916, Paddock married Katherine R. Paul of New York. He was recalled to active duty in 1917 and promoted to Colonel in 1919. He moved to New York, Washington D.C. and finally Florida. Paddock died on December 29, 1934 in St. Augustine, Florida. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. Richard B. Paddock, George Paddock's cousin, was born in Princeton, Illinois is 1859. Paddock had a charmed upbringing, being educated in the best schools and receiving a position as an assistant at the clerk's office with his father. In 1883 he joined the army and commanded the Sixth Cavalry at the battle of Santiago, Cuba. Following that battle, he was promoted to captain. In 1890, Paddock married Grace Pershing, John Pershing's sister, and together they had two children, Richard B., Jr. and May. In 1901, Captain Paddock deployed with the 6th Cavalry to China, as part of the multinational expedition responding to the Boxer Rebellion. After several engagements and grueling marches, Paddock contracted pneumonia and died near Tiensten. Captain Richard B. Paddock's photograph was exhibited at the Pritzker Military Library as a part of the Faces of Valor exhibit in 2008.
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