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Lee County

Established
February 27, 1839 (Laws, 1839, p. 170

Origin of the name of the county
Named for Richard Henry Lee, an orator and statesman of the Revolutionary period, a member of the Continental Congress, a Representative in Congress and United States Senator from Virginia.

Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in
1836–1839 — Ogle
Eastern Part:
1831–1836 — LaSalle
1825–1831 — Putnam
Western Part:
1827–1836 — JoDaviess
1823–1825 — Fulton
1821–1823 — Pike
Eastern Part:
1819–1821 — Clark
1816–1819 — Crawford
1815–1816 — Edwards
Western Part:
1817–1821 — Bond
1815–1817 — Madison
1812–1817 — Madison
1801–1812 — St. Clair

County Seats
1839–  — Dixon

History of county governing board
1839–1850 — County Commissioners’ Court
1850–  — County Board of Supervisors

Township Government
AdoptedC — November 6, 1849

Township Names
Alto — Formed from Willow Creek on February 28, 1860.
Amboy
Ashton — Formed as Ogle from Bradford on February 12, 1861; name changed to Ashton on November 7, 1867.
Bradford
Brooklyn
China — Name changed from Fremont on May 14, 1850.
Dixon
East Grove — Formed from Hamilton on November 9, 1864.
Hamilton
Harmon — Formed from Marion on March 3, 1857.
Lee Center
Marion — Formed from Hamilton and Amboy in September, 1854.
May — Formed from Hamilton in September, 1854.
Nachusa — Formed from China on February 8, 1871.
Nelson — Formed from Dixon on February 28, 1860.
Palmyra
Reynolds — Formed from Brooklyn in September, 1858.
South Dixon — Formed from Dixon on February 12, 1867.
Sublette — Name changed from Hanno (date unknown).
Viola — Formed as Stockton from Brooklyn on February 12, 1861; name changed to Viola in September, 1861.
Willow Creek — Formed from Wyoming in September, 1854.
Wyoming — Name changed from Paw Paw on May 14, 1850.

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