Illinois Territory was formed by splitting off the western part of Indiana Territory by an Act of Congress on February 3, 1809. The new territory of Illinois included the present boundaries of the State of Illinois and all of the land north of it to the Canadian border (now the state of Wisconsin). Kaskaskia was made its capital.
The population of Illinois Territory had increased so much that the Illinois Territorial Legislature, in January, 1818, asked Congress to admit Illinois into the Union. A bill for that purpose was soon introduced in Congress. It fixed the boundary lines as they are at present for the State of Illinois with the exception of the northern boundary line. This line was further south at 41° 39’ which is around the southern point of Lake Michigan.
If this northern boundary line had prevailed, the cities of Chicago, Waukegan, Elgin, Rockford, Freeport, Aurora, Naperville, and Des Plaines would now be part of Wisconsin instead of Illinois as would about half of the present population of Illinois.
Nathaniel Pope, the Congressional delegate from Illinois Territory, asked Congress for the northern boundary to be made at 42° 30’ as it is now. He argued that if 41° 39’ were made the boundary, the commerce of Illinois would be confined to the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and so be mostly with the Southern States. He argued that should the slave states of the South ever attempt to withdraw from the Union, Illinois would naturally cast her lot with the Southern states. But on the other hand, to fix the boundary at 42° 30’ would give a northern outlet to her commerce by way of Lake Michigan, which would unite her interests with those of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. Fourteen counties were eventually created out of this sixty mile wide strip of territory.
Pope’s request was granted with the boundaries of Illinois as they are at present. Illinois was declared a state by resolution of Congress on December 3, 1818, having only 15 counties at that time, 12 of those counties were in the southern one fourth of the state. Illinois now has a total of 102 counties.
When George Rogers Clark and his company from Virginia captured, during the Revolutionary War, the area that became Illinois, this area was annexed to Virginia. In 1784, Virginia surrendered to the federal government all claims to this territory. It was then organized as part of the Northwest Territory which consisted of the territory northwest of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River and including what is now the state of Ohio northward to the Canadian border.
From 1790 until 1801 present White County was part of Knox County when Indiana Territory was created. The eastern half remained part of Knox County and the western half became part of Randolph County of Indiana Territory where it remained until Illinois Territory was created in 1809. All of present White County, along with the present counties of Hamilton, Gallatin, and Saline became part of Randolph County until Gallatin County was created in 1812.
On December 9, 1815 White County was created consisting of the area that is now White, Hamilton, and the southern part of Jefferson Counties. Most of present Franklin County was added to White County in 1816. Franklin County was then made a county in 1818. Jefferson became a county in 1819 and Hamilton became a county on February 8, 1821. At that time White County acquired its present boundaries.
Therefore in December of 2018, Illinois will be celebrating its 200th Anniversary as a state and White County will be celebrating its 203rd Anniversary as a county.
If anyone has any information or pictures to share with the readers of these articles, please contact me at Edward Oliver, P. O. Box 456, Norris City, IL 62869, telephone 618-378-3176, or email me at edoliver2@yahoo.com.
