ILLINOIS STATE ARCHIVES

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Whiteside County

Established
January 16, 1836 (Laws, 1836, p. 274)
County organization was completed in 1839.

Origin of the name of the county
Named for Samuel Whiteside, a Colonel of the Territorial militia, Representative in the First General Assembly, and Brigadier General of the militia during the Black Hawk War.

Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in
1837–1839 — Attached to Ogle (Laws, 1836, p. 277)
1836–1837 — Attached to JoDaviess (Laws, 1836, p. 277)
1827–1836 — JoDaviess
1825–1836 — Henry
1825–1827 — Putnam
1823–1825 — Fulton
1821–1823 — Pike
1812–1821 — Madison
1795–1812 — St. Clair

County Seats
1839–1841 — Lyndon
1841–1842 — Sterling
1842–1846 — Lyndon
1846–1847 — Circuit Court at Sterling, County Commissioners’ Court at Lyndon
1847–1857 — Sterling
1857–  — Morrison

History of county governing board
1839–1849 — County Commissioners’ Court
1849–1852 — County Court
1852–  — County Board of Supervisors

Township Government
Adopted — November 4, 1851

Township Names
Albany
Clyde
Coloma
Erie
Fenton — Name changed from Eden in September, 1852.
Fulton
Garden Plain
Genesee
Hahnaman
Hopkins
Hume — Name changed from Jackson in September, 1852. Como (originally named Homer, but changed in September, 1852) was absorbed into Hume (date unknown, before 1921).
Jordan
Lyndon
Montmorency
Mount Pleasant
Newton — Name changed from Greenfield in September, 1852.
Portland
Prophetstown — Volney (originally named Washington but changed in September, 1852) was absorbed into Prophetstown (date unknown, before 1921).
Sterling
Tampico
Union Grove
Ustick — Name changed from Eustick (date unknown).

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