ILLINOIS STATE ARCHIVES

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Ford County

Established
February 17, 1859 (Laws, 1859, p. 29)

Origin of the name of the county
Named after Thomas Ford, the eighth Governor of the State of Illinois. Ford served Governor of the State of Illinois from December 8, 1842 to December 9, 1846.

Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in
1826–1859 — Vermilion
1823–1826 — Edgar
1819–1823 — Clark
1816–1819 — Crawford
1815–1816 — Edwards
1812–1815 — Madison
1801–1812 — St. Clair
1790–1801 — Knox, Northwest Territory

County Seats
1859–   —Paxton—Name changed from Prospect City in September, 1859.

History of county governing board
1859–1861 — County Court
1861–   — County Board of Supervisors

Township Government
Adopted — November 6, 1860
The area included in Ford County was first organized into townships while it was still a part of Vermilion County. Some of the notes below are based on Vermilion County records.

Township Names
Brenton — Name changed from Stockton on May 9, 1864; Stockton was formed from part of Patton on March 15, 1859.
Button — Formed from Patton in December, 1864.
Dix — Name changed from Drummer Grove in September 2, 1864.
Drummer — Formed from Dix on March 1, 1869.
Lyman — Formed from Brenton on September 9, 1867.
Mona — Formed as Delhi from Rogers on March 2, 1870; name changed to Mona on June 16, 1870.
Patton — Named Prairie City when established as a township in Vermilion County; name changed to Patton on September 14, 1857.
Peach Orchard — Formed from Sullivant on September 14, 1868.
Pella — Formed as Clyde from Brenton on March 2, 1870; name changed to Pella on June 16, 1870.
Rogers — Formed as Grant from Stockton (Brenton) in September, 1863; name changed to Rogers on May 9, 1864.
Sullivant — Formed from Dix on September 9, 1867.
Wall — Formed from Patton on June 12, 1867.

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