Greenville has sustained in the death of Othniel Buchanan the loss of one of her oldest and most respected citizens. Mr. Buchanan has been a citizen of this county since November – 1833 and had lived continuously in Greenville since 1850 – 42 years. His life had been a quiet, peaceful one but not one of idleness and inactivity. He served 8 or 10 years as Justice of the Peace and nearly twice as long as constable having assisted as bailiff in more terms of Circuit Court than any other man in the county. He was born in Wayne Co. Kentucky April 26 – 1813 ten miles from Monticello on the Cumberland river and died in Greenville, Ill Saturday October 15 – 1892. He located near Mulberry Grove March 4 – 1834 but soon came to Greenville and worked for Samuel White who was one of the first settlers in Greenville. He remained with Mr. White until May 14, 1835 when he returned to near Mulberry Grove and settled on the east half of the southwest quarter of Section 24, town 6 where he resided until 1845 when he moved to Wisetown or Beaver Creek neighborhood now. In 1850 he located as stated above in Greenville.

December 29, 1835 Mr. Buchanan was married to Miss Evaline, daughter of William and Anna Sellers at Mulberry Grove. The marriage was solemnized by the late James Woolard and is said to be the first performance of that sacred rite. They lived more than 50 years together his wife surviving him. Twelve children were given to this marriage, seven of which have already gone to the spirit world. Five are living as follows – Mary A. Russell of Hillsboro, Mrs. Kate M. Jones of Kansas City, E. V. Buchanan of Waverly, Mrs. Alice DeLaVergne of Clinton Mo. and Mrs. Emma Johnson of St. Paul Minn. His Funeral was preached last Sunday afternoon by Rev. L. W. Thrall (sp?) to a large congregation after which his remains were laid to rest in Rose Hill Cemetery. (editor's note; there is no Rose Hill Cemetery in Bond Co. Ill; his wife is buried in Montrose Cemetery, Greenville, Bond Co. IL. The nearest Rose Hill Cemetery to Greenville, IL is 70 miles distant in Greenfield, IL.)

Mr. Buchanan left of record that he was converted to the Gospel of Christ before he was 12 years old but did not make a public confession until he joined the M. E. Church after his marriage in 1836, and was baptized on Zion Camp ground in the fall of that year. Mr. Buchanan was all his young years a Democrat but about the time the Republican party was born he left the old party and became a Know Nothing or American. In 1856 the Democrats nominated Pres. James Buchanan but the family name did not secure the constancy of Mr. Buchanan, the subject of this sketch for his party. In company with his son-in-law Thos. J. Russell, who was with him at his death, they bought a press and moderate supply of those articles that were those days considered indispensable to a county printing office and started a Know Nothing paper in Greenville, of course to do what they could to elect Millard Fillmore President. Bond Co. had been up to this time reliably Democratic but Russell and Buchanan American Courier broke the record and brought the county and 156 for Fillmore, being a majority over both Buchanan and Fremont and the county has not been Democratic since.

The material for that printing office has quite a history. It was bought of Mr. Bright in the old St. Louis Type Foundry on Vine St. and through lack of definite understanding had a hard time to reach its destination. There was no railroad in Bond Co. at that time and the newly pledged publishers drove to Carlyle to have their outfit home but did not find it there. They next drove to Hillsboro with no better success but finally heard from some passers that the office material was in the freight house in Vandalia. Wagons soon brought it here and the work of publishing began. Mr. Bright who sold the material to Russell and Buchanan in 1856 is yet (w)hole (?) and active in the same establishment and will be glad to outfit others who are anxious to embark in the fascinating business. Some of that material may still be recognized in the Advocate office and many copies of the American Courier may be seen at the same place. After the Campaign was over, Mr. Russell withdrew from the firm and Mr. Buchanan published the American Courier as a Republican journal. In Feb. 1858 he sold the office to J. F. Alexander having previously bought the Greenville Journal office and consolidated it with that of the Courier. Mr. Alexander then changed the name to Greenville Advocate and it has ever since been published under that name.