Wilson, Douglas L., ed; Davis, Rodney O., ed. 'Register of Informants' in 'Herndon's Informants: Letters, Interviews, and Statements About Abraham Lincoln' . Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1998. [format: book], [genre: history]. Permission: University of Illinois Press
Persistent link to this document: http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/file.php?file=herndon737.html

Powell came from Ohio in 1836 to Peoria, where he practiced law and was involved in local politics. In 1856 he was elected judge of the Sixteenth Circuit to fill a vacancy, returning to private practice at the end of his term. (Peoria Transcript, July 17, 1871; History of Peoria County [Chicago, 1880])