Hamilton County, Illinois

County: Hamilton

State: Illinois

Lat/Long: 38.0667, -88.5500

The first settlers came to what became Hamilton County, Illinois, around 1816. On February 8, 1821, the Illinois General Assembly created the new county out of the western portion of White County, naming it for Alexander Hamilton. Commissioners appointed for the purpose located the new county's seat at McLeansboro in 1821. The legislature further defined its boundaries in 1854, confirming its dividing line from Saline County.

"An Act Forming a Separate County out of the County of White," 8 February 1821, Laws of Illinois (1821), 113-14; History of Gallatin, Saline, Hamilton, Franklin and Williamson Counties, Illinois (Chicago: Goodspeed, 1887), 241-333; Origin and Evolution of Illinois Counties (Springfield: Illinois Secretary of State, 2010), 7, 58, 62.