ILLINOIS STATE ARCHIVES

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Sangamon County

Established
January 30, 1821 (Laws, 1821, p. 45)

Origin of the name of the county
Named after the Sangamon River which flows through the county which derived its name from the Pottawatomie Indian word Sain-guee-mon or Sangamon (pronounced sang gä mun) meaning literally "where there is plenty to eat" or what we would call the "land of milk and honey."

Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in
1817–1821 — Bond
1812–1821 — Madison
1790–1812 — St. Clair
1790–1801 — Knox, Northwest Territory

County Seats
1821–1825 — Springfield—Temporary designation.
1825–  — Springfield—Permanent designation.

History of county governing board
1821–1849 — County Commissioners’ Court
1849–1861 — County Court
1861–  — County Board of Supervisors

Township Government
Adopted — November 6, 1860

Township Names
Auburn
Ball
Buffalo Hart
Capital — Formed from Springfield on July 1, 1877; on February 17, 1892, the limits of Capitol Township were made co-extensive with the limits of the City of Springfield.
Cartwright
Chatham — Name changed from Campbell on September 2, 1863.
Clear Lake
Cooper
Cotton Hill
Curran
Divernon — Formed from Pawnee (date unknown, before 1921.)
Fancy Creek — Name changed from Power on September 11, 1861.
Gardner
Illiopolis
Island Grove
Lanesville — Formed from Illiopolis (date unknown, before 1921.)
Loami
Maxwell — Formed from Loami (date unknown, before 1921.)
Mechanicsburg
New Berlin — Formed from Island Grove on March 3, 1869.
Pawnee
Rochester
Salisbury — Name changed from Sackett on September 9, 1867.
Springfield
Talkington
Williams
Woodside

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
Sangamon County Guardian's Case Files Index (1825–1901)
Sangamon County Probate Case Files Index (1821–1906)