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Crawford County

Established
December 31, 1816 (Territorial Laws, 1815–16, p. 21)

Origin of the name of the county
Named for William H. Crawford of Georgia, United States Senator, Minister of France, Secretary of War, Secretary of the Treasury, and a prominent candidate for the Presidency in 1824.

Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in
1816-1819 — Crawford
1815–1816 — Edwards
1812–1815 — Madison
1809–1812 — Randolph
1801–1809 — St. Clair
1790–1809 — Knox, Northwest Territory

County Seats
1816–1818 — Home of Edward N. Cullom
1818–1843 — Palestine
1843–   — Robinson

History of county governing board
1816–1818 — County Court
1818–1819 — Justices’ Court
1819–1849 — County Commissioners’ Court
1849–1868 — County Court
1868–   — County Board of Supervisors

Documented Record Losses
March 28, 1999 — Fire. Some records lost or damaged.

Township Government
Adopted — November 5, 1867

Township Names
Honey Creek — Defined in report of June 21, 1869.
Hutsonville
Lamotte — Name changed from Palestine (date unknown, before 1921).
Licking
Martin — Defined in report of June 21, 1869.
Montgomery — Defined in report of June 21, 1869.
Oblong
Prairie
Robinson
Southwest — Defined in report of June 21, 1869.

The Board of Supervisors’ report to the Auditor of Public Accounts on June 21, 1869, included "corrections and new towns;" it resulted in the creation of four new townships (Honey Creek, Martin, Montgomery, and Southwest) and the disestablishment of three original townships (Franklin, Hardin, and Hebron).

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