ILLINOIS STATE ARCHIVES

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Fayette County

Established
February 14, 1821 (Laws, 1821, p. 164)

Origin of the name of the county
Named in honor of the Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, the famous French General who fought for the colonies in the Revolutionary War.

Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in
1816–1821 — Crawford
1819–1821 — Clark
1817–1821 — Bond
1812–1817 — Madison
1815–1816 — Edwards
1790–1812 — St. Clair
1790–1801 — Knox, Northwest Territory

County Seats
1821–  — Vandalia

History of county governing board
1821–1849 — County Commissioners’ Court
1849–1860 — County Court
1860–  — County Board of Supervisors

Township Government
Adopted — November 9, 1859

Township Names
Avena — Name changed from Howard on September 24, 1860.
Bear Grove — Formed as Johnson sometime in 1869; name changed to Bear Grove in June, 1869.
Bowling Green
Carson — Formed from Bowling Green (date unknown).
Kaskaskia
LaClede
Lone Grove — Formed from LaClede and Wilberton in September, 1876.
Loudon
North Hurricane — Formed from a split in Hurricane after 1921.
Otego — Name changed from Cumberland on September 24, 1860.
Pope — Formed from Kaskaskia in March, 1878.
Ramsey
Sefton
Seminary
Shafter — Formed from Sharon in December, 1920.
Sharon
South Hurricane — Formed from a split in Hurricane after 1921.
Vandalia
Wheatland
Wilberton — Name changed from Richland on September 24, 1860.

Township Map

Pertinent Databases
Federal Township Plats of Illinois
Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database
Illinois Statewide Death Index, 1916–1950
Illinois Statewide Marriage Index
Local Governmental Records Database
Name Index to Illinois Local Governments