Hancock County, Illinois - Chapter 21: Township Organization, 1880

The Township Organization Act, entitled " An Act to Provide for Township and County Organization," under which an}' county may organize wlienever a majority of the votes of such county at any general election shall so determine, was passed by the Legislature and approved Feb. 12, 1849. Accordingly the question of " Township Organization" or " No Organization" was submitted at the annual election, on the 6th of Nov. 1849, and return made to George W. Thatcher, County Clerk, and by him canvassed on the 7th, in conjunction with Michael Rickard and David Greenleaf, Justices of the Peace. We give the vote by precincts in full, as matter for future reference: Precincts For Against

The County Court appointed Mathew McClaughry, John G. Fonda and George Edmunds as commissioners tnlay off and divide said county into townships, in accordance with law; and on the 26th day of February, 1850, they filed their report as follows:

On the iirst Tuesday in April, 1850, the election for township officers was held, and County Clerk Wm. W. Steele called a meeting of the Board of Supervisors to be held at Carthage on Monday, Aug. 12, 1850. Board met, and the following members answered to their names:

Bill of Commissioners to lay ofl' the townships, at $5.00 each, and $2.50 to Mr. Fonda, additional, for making plat of the county, presented. Board voted members an allowance of $1.50 per day each for services.

At next session in November, the following additional members elect appeared and took their seats: Lemuel Mussetter, Warsaw; John Banks, Rocky Run; Joseph Kidson, Pontoosuc; and Stephen H. Tyler, Fountain Green.

On September 12, 1854, Prairie township was set off from Carthage and Montebello, embracing the whole of township 5 north, 7 west. And at the same time Harmony was set off from Chili and Carthage, embracing the whole of -4 north and 6 west. On April 27, 1855, Hancock township was established from St. Mary's and Fountain Green, embracing the whole of 5 north, 5 west; and Rock Creek was established from Pilot Grove and Sonora, embracing the whole of 6 north 7 west. Nov. 15, 1855, Wilcox township was established, embracing all of Warsaw township, 4 north 9 west, excepting the city of Warsaw, which is made a separate township. In 1860 Dallas was set off from Pontoosuc, and at a later date, March, 1876, on petition of residents, that portion of Prairie township embraced in sections 13 and 24, the south half of section 12 and the north half of section 25 - -three sections in all - was detatched and annexed to Carthage township. This includes tlie two depots and all that population in their vicinitv.