Counties (click on the name of a county to see information specific to that location) |
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Adams County | (Formed 13 JAN 1825) |
Alexander County | (Formed 04 MAR 1819) |
Bond County | (Formed 04 JAN 1817) |
Boone County | (Formed 04 MAR 1837) |
Brown County | (Formed 01 FEB 1839) |
Bureau County | (Formed 28 FEB 1837) |
Calhoun County | (Formed 10 JAN 1825) |
Carroll County | (Formed 22 FEB 1839) |
Cass County | (Formed 03 MAR 1837) |
Champaign County | (Formed 20 FEB 1833) |
Christian County | (Formed 15 FEB 1839) |
Clark County | (Formed 22 MAR 1819) |
Clay County | (Formed 23 DEC 1824) |
Clinton County | (Formed 27 DEC 1824) |
Coles County | (Formed 25 DEC 1830) |
Cook County | (Formed 15 JAN 1831) |
Crawford County | (Formed 31 DEC 1816) |
Cumberland County | (Formed 02 MAR 1843) |
DeKalb County | (Formed 04 MAR 1837) |
De Witt County | (Formed 01 MAR 1839) |
Douglas County | (Formed 08 FEB 1859) |
DuPage County | (Formed 09 FEB 1839) |
Edgar County | (Formed 03 JAN 1823) |
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State of Illinois
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Edwards County | (Formed 28 NOV 1814) | |
Effingham County | (Formed 15 FEB 1831) |
Fayette County | (Formed 14 FEB 1821) | |
Ford County | (Formed 17 FEB 1859) |
Franklin County | (Formed 02 JAN 1818) | |
Fulton County | (Formed 28 JAN 1823) |
Gallatin County | (Formed 14 SEP 1812) | |
Greene County | (Formed 20 JAN 1821) |
Grundy County | (Formed 17 FEB 1841) | |
Hamilton County | (Formed 08 FEB 1821) |
Hancock County | (Formed 13 JAN 1825) | |
Hardin County | (Formed 02 MAR 1839) |
Henderson County | (Formed 20 JAN 1841) | |
Henry County | (Formed 13 JAN 1825) |
Iroquois County | (Formed 26 FEB 1833) | |
Jackson County | (Formed 10 JAN 1816) |
Jasper County | (Formed 15 FEB 1831) | |
Jefferson County | (Formed 26 MAR 1819) |
Jersey County | (Formed 28 FEB 1839) | |
Jo Daviess County | (Formed 17 FEB 1827) |
Johnson County | (Formed 14 SEP 1812) | |
Kane County | (Formed 16 JAN 1836) |
Kankakee County | (Formed 11 FEB 1853) | |
Kendall County | (Formed 19 FEB 1841) |
Knox County | (Formed 13 JAN 1825) | |
La Salle County | (Formed 01 MAR 1839) |
Lake County | (Formed 15 JAN 1831) | |
Lawrence County | (Formed 16 JAN 1821) |
Lee County | (Formed 27 FEB 1839) | |
Livingston County | (Formed 27 FEB 1837) |
Logan County | (Formed 15 FEB 1839) | |
McDonough County | (Formed 19 JAN 1829) |
McHenry County | (Formed 17 JAN 1829) | |
McLean County | (Formed 14 SEP 1812) |
Macon County | (Formed 24 JAN 1823) | |
Macoupin County | (Formed 19 JAN 1839) |
Madison County | (Formed 20 JAN 1841) | |
Marion County | (Formed 08 FEB 1843) |
Marshall County | (Formed 25 JAN 1826) | |
Mason County | (Formed 16 JAN 1836) |
Massac County | (Formed 25 DEC 1830) | |
Menard County | (Formed 15 FEB 1839) |
Mercer County | (Formed 13 JAN 1825) | |
Monroe County | (Formed 06 JAN 1816) |
Montgomery County | (Formed 12 FEB 1821) | |
Morgan County | (Formed 31 JAN 1823) |
Moultrie County | (Formed 16 FEB 1843) | |
Ogle County | (Formed 16 JAN 1836) |
Peoria County | (Formed 13 JAN 1825) | |
Perry County | (Formed 29 JAN 1827) |
Piatt County | (Formed 27 JAN 1841) | |
Pike County | (Formed 31 JAN 1821) |
Pope County | (Formed 10 JAN 1816) | |
Pulaski County | (Formed 03 MAR 1843) |
Putnam County | (Formed 13 JAN 1825) | |
Randolph County | (Formed 05 OCT 1795) |
Richland County | (Formed 24 FEB 1841) | |
Rock Island County | (Formed 09 FEB 1831) |
Saline County | (Formed 25 FEB 1847) | |
Sangamon County | (Formed 30 JAN 1821) |
Schuyler County | (Formed 13 JAN 1825) | |
Scott County | (Formed 16 FEB 1839) |
Shelby County | (Formed 23 JAN 1827) | |
St. Clair County | (Formed 02 MAR 1839) |
Stark County | (Formed 27 APR 1790) | |
Stephenson County | (Formed 04 MAR 1837) |
Tazewell County | (Formed 31 JAN 1827) | |
Union County | (Formed 02 JAN 1818) |
Vermilion County | (Formed 18 JAN 1826) | |
Wabash County | (Formed 27 DEC 1824) |
Warren County | (Formed 13 JAN 1825) | |
Washington County | (Formed 02 JAN 1818) |
Wayne County | (Formed 26 MAR 1819) | |
White County | (Formed 09 DEC 1815) |
Whiteside County | (Formed 16 JAN 1836) | |
Will County | (Formed 12 JAN 1836) |
Williamson County | (Formed 28 FEB 1839) | |
Winnebago County | (Formed 16 JAN 1836) |
Woodford County | (Formed 27 FEB 1841) | | |
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See Also: Territory Northwest of the River Ohio (1787-1800) Indiana Territory (1800-1809) Illinois Territory (1809-1818) |
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Authority (click on a title below to view laws involved in the formation or governance of the area)
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1609 | The Second Charter to the Treasurer and Company, for Virginia, erecting them into a Corporation and Body Politic, and for the further enlargement and explanation of the privileges of said Company and First Colony of Virginia |
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1763 | The Definitive Treaty of Peace and Friendship, between His Britannick Majesty, the Most Christian King, and the King of Spain. Concluded at Paris, the 10th Day of February 1763. To which, The King of Portugal acceded on the same Day |
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1783 | An act to authorize the delegates of this state in congress, to convey to the United States, in congress assembled, all the right of this commonwealth to the territory north westward of the river Ohio |
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1784 | Resolved, that so much of the territory ceded, or to be ceded by individual states, to the United States, as is already purchased, or shall be purchased, of the Indian inhabitants, and offered for sale by Congress... |
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1787 | An ordinance for the government of the territory of the United States, North-west of the river Ohio |
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1800 | An act to divide the territory of the United States north-west of the Ohio, into two separate governments |
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1809 | An Act for dividing the Indiana Territory into two separate governments |
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1818 | An Act to enable the people of the Illinois territory to form a constitution and state government, and for the admission of such state into the Union on an equal footing with the original states |
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1818 | Illinois Constitution |
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1848 | Illinois Constitution |
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1870 | Illinois Constitution |
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1970 | Illinois Constitution |
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Background (general information on the area to put it in the context of history)
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The Virginia Colony originally claimed the land of present-day Illinois through its Second Charter to the Treasurer and Company, for Virginia, erecting them into a Corporation and Body Politic, and for the further enlargement and explanation of the privileges of said Company and First Colony of Virginia, 1609 [click here for more information].
The claim to the northwest lands was later vacated in 1783 by the Act to authorize the delegates of this state in congress, to convey to the United States, in congress assembled, all the right of this commonwealth to the territory north westward of the river Ohio, 1783 [click here for more information].
At the time of the cessation of land by Virginia, a Federal committee suggested dividing the area into ten states in the
Plan for the Temporary Government of the Western Territory, 1784 [click here for more information].
Three years later, the land of Illinois was organized into the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio under the An ordinance for the government of the territory of the United States, North-west of the river Ohio, 1787 [click here for more information], and subsequently a part of Indiana Territory [click here for more information]. Later the Illinois Territory [click here for more information] was organized on March 1, 1809. The following clause from the act separating it from Indiana Territory defines its boundary:
From and after the first day of March next, all that part of the Indiana Territory which lies west of the Wabash River and a direct line drawn from the said Wabash River and Post Vincennes due north to the territory line between the United States and Canada shall, for the purpose of temporary government, constitute a separate Territory and be called Illinois. (Tenth Congress, second session.)
On December 3, 1818, it was admitted as a State, with its present boundaries. The enabling act defines these boundaries as follows:
An Act to enable the people of the Illinois Territory to form a constitution and State government, and for the admission of such State into the Union on an equal footing with the original States. [click here for more information]
The said State shall consist of all the territory included within the following boundaries, to wit: Beginning at the mouth of the Wabash River; thence up the same and with the line of Indiana to the northwest corner of said State; thence east with the line of the same State to the middle of Lake Michigan; thence north along the middle of said lake to north latitude forty-two degrees thirty minutes; thence west to the middle of the Mississippi River; and thence down along the middle of that river to its confluence with the Ohio River; and thence tip the latter river along its northwestern shore to the beginning. (Fifteenth Congress, second session.)
The northern boundary of Illinois was run and marked in 1832-3.
Census (click on a year below to view information on the population of the area)
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For an introduction to the censuses enumerated for Illinois see Illinois Censuses. To see information on a particular census, select a year from the table below.
Maps (click on title below to see a contemporary map of the State)
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Resources (click on a title below to learn more specifics about the area)
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- An Act to extend the right of suffrage in the Illinois territory, and for other purposes, 1812 [click here for further information] set forth the framework for voting for the territorial legislature.
- An Act supplemental to an act entituled "An act for dividing the Indiana territory into two separate governments," 1812 [click here for further information] leaves in the place the court system that existed under the Indiana Territory.
- An Act to authorize the surveying and making a road in the territory of Illinois," 1816 [click here for further information] authorized the surveying of a road from Shawneetown to the U.S. Saline and then to Kaskaskia.
- An Act to provide for the appointment of a surveyor of the public lands in the territories of Illinois and Missouri, 1816 [click here for further information]
- An Act to ascertain and mark the line between the state of Alabama and the territory of Florida, and the northern boundary of the state of Illinois, and for other purposes, 1831 [click here for further information]
- An Act to create additional land districts in the states of Illinois and Missouri, and in the territory north of the state of Illinois, 1834 [click here for further information]
Bibliography (click on the title of the following works to learn more about life in the area; for those items not available online, check with your local library for availability)
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- Alvord, Clarence Walworth. The county of Illinois. [Springfield]: Illinois State Historical Library, 1907
- Alvord, Clarence Walworth. Kaskaskia records, 1778-1790. Springfield, Ill: Trustees of the Illinois State Historical Library, 1909
- Buck, Solon Justus. Illinois in 1818. Chicago: A.C. McClurg & Co., 1918
- Constitution of the State of Illinois. Springfield: Lanphier & Walker, Printers, 1847
- Illinois constitution, 1818
- Norton, Margaret Cross. Illinois census returns 1810, 1818. Springfield, Ill: Trustees of the Illinois State Historical Library, 1935
- The constitution of the State of Illinois. Springfield, Ill.: Illinois Journal Company, 1870
- Verlie, Emil Joseph. Illinois constitutions. Springfield, Ill: Trustees of the Illinois State Historical Library, 1919
- White, C. Albert. A history of the rectangular survey system. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, [1983]