ILLINOIS STATE ARCHIVES

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St. Clair County

Established
April 27, 1790 (Territorial Records of the Northwest Territory, St. Clair Papers, Vol. 2, p. 165)

Origin of the name of the county
Named for Arthur St. Clair, a soldier of the French and Indian wars, a Major General during the Revolution, Commander-in-Chief of the Army after the Revolution, and Governor of the Territory of the United States northwest of the Ohio River.

Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in
St. Clair County was the first county established in Illinois, at the time a part of the Northwest Territory.

County Seats
1790–1814 — Cahokia*
1790–1795 — Kaskaskia*
1790–1795 — Prairie du Rocher*
1814–  — Belleville

* Arthur St. Clair established three judicial districts with court sessions held in Cahokia, Kaskaskia and Prairie du Rocher. With the formation of Randolph County in 1795, Cahokia became the sole seat of government for St. Clair County.

History of county governing board
1790–1806 — Court of Quarter Sessions
1806–1809 — Court of Common Pleas
1809–1811 — County Court
1811–1814 — Court of Common Pleas
1814–1818 — County Court
1818–1819 — Justices’ Court
1819–1849 — County Commissioners’ Court
1849–1873 — County Court
1873–1884 — Board of County Commissioners
1884–  — County Board of Supervisors

Township Government
Adopted — November 6, 1883

Township Names
Belleville
Canteen — Formed from Centreville Station when it was subdivided into Canteen and Centreville on March 5, 1910.
Caseyville
Centreville — Formed from Centreville Station when it was subdivided into Centreville and Canteen on March 5, 1910.
East St. Louis — In February, 1888, East St. Louis was reorganized as two townships: the township of the City of East St. Louis and Brooklyn (Stites) which comprised the territory outside of the city.
Engelmann
Fayetteville
Freeburg
Lebanon
Lenzburg
Marissa
Mascoutah
Millstadt
New Athens
O’Fallon
Prairie du Long
Shiloh Valley — Name changed from Shiloh (date unknown).
St. Clair — Formed from Belleville on October 5, 1885.
Smithton
Stites — Formed when East St. Louis township was reorganized in February, 1888: territory outside of the city of East St. Louis was designated Brooklyn; this name was then changed to Stites in April, 1888.
Stookey
Sugarloaf

Township Map

Pertinent Databases
East St. Louis City Court Naturalization Papers (1874–1906)
Federal Township Plats of Illinois
Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database
Illinois Statewide Death Index, 1916–1950
Illinois Statewide Marriage Index
Illinois Servitude and Emancipation Records
Local Governmental Records Database
Name Index to Illinois Local Governments
St. Clair County Circuit Court Chancery Case Files Index (1815–1870)
St. Clair County Farm Board Record Index (1874–1879)