ILLINOIS STATE ARCHIVES

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Jefferson County

Established
March 26, 1819 (Laws, 1819, p. 51)

Origin of the name of the county
Named after Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States (1801–1809) and author of the Declaration of Independence.

Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in
1815–1819 — Edwards
1815–1819 — White
1812–1815 — Gallatin
1795–1813 — Randolph
1790–1803 — St. Clair
1790–1801 — Knox, Northwest Territory

County Seats
1819–  — Mount Vernon

History of county governing board
1819–1849 — County Commissioners’ Court
1849–1870 — County Court
1870–  — County Board of Supervisors

Township Government
Adopted — November 2, 1869

Township Names
Bald Hill
Blissville
Casner
Dodds — Formed from Pendleton (date unknown, after 1921).
Elk Prairie — Name changed from Anderson on April 29, 1870.
Farrington
Field
Grand Prairie
McClellan — Name changed from Allen on April 29, 1870.
Moore’s Prairie
Mt. Vernon
Pendleton
Rome
Shiloh
Spring Garden
Webber

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