b. 1805, in Kentucky. Blankenship married Julia Riley on February 10, 1838, and by 1850 they had two children. He had partnerships in the dry goods business with James D. Allen and Abner Y. Ellis. In June 1837, Blankenship tried to have Illiopolis made the state capital. In 1850, he made his living as a farmer in Sangamon County, Illinois, and he possessed real estate worth $3,000.