The following pages describe the history of each township in Adams County as described by the book "Past and Present of the City of Quincy and Adams County, Illinois" by the S.J. Clarke Publishing Co, printed in 1905. Although the Thompson Settlement is listed below under townships, it is not a township, but an early settlement. For some reason, it is listed under Townships in the book. To go directly to a particular township, simply click on the name of the township below. BEVERLY TOWNSHIP BURTON TOWNSHIP CAMP POINT TOWNSHIP CLAYTON TOWNSHIP COLUMBUS TOWNSHIP CONCORD TOWNSHIP ELLINGTON TOWNSHIP FALL CREEK TOWNSHIP THE THOMPSON SETTLEMENT GILMER TOWNSHIP HONEY CREEK TOWNSHIP HOUSTON TOWNSHIP KEENE TOWNSHIP LIBERTY TOWNSHIP LIMA TOWNSHIP MCKEE TOWNSHIP MELROSE TOWNSHIP MENDON TOWNSHIP NORTHEAST TOWNSHIP PAYSON TOWNSHIP RICHFIELD TOWNSHIP RIVERSIDE TOWNSHIP URSA TOWNSHIP PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY 315 William Ross,of Pike….................................1834 H. S. Davis, of Adams....................................1876 Thomas H. Owen…………………….........1834 J. H. Hendrickson, of Adams...................... 1876 George Galbraith, of Adams…….......……1836 Thos, G. Black, of Adams............................1876 James H. Ralston, of Adams.......................1836 Absalom Samuels, of Adams........................1878 Archibald Williams, of Adams....................1837 Jos. N. Carter, of Adams...............................1878 A. Williams, of Adams ..............................1838 Samuel Mileham, of Adams .........................1878 Wm. G. Flood, of Adams............................1838 Jos. N. Carter, of Adams...............................1880 Robert Star, of Adams ................................1840 John McAdams, of Adams………………….1880 William Laughlin, of Adams ......................1840 Wm. A. Richardson, of Adams .....................1880 Jno. G. Humphrey, of Adams .....................1842 Thomas G. Black, of Adams .........................1882 O. H. Browning, of Adams .........................1842 James E. Purnell, of Adams...........................1882 A. Jonas, of Adams ……………………….1842 James E. Downing, of Adams .......................1882 R. W. Star, of Adams ..................................1842 Fred P. Taylor, of Adams...............................1884 P. B. Garrett, of Adams................................1842 Samuel Mileham, of Adams...........................1884 A. Wheat, of Adams ....................................1842 Wm. H. Collins, of Adams.............................1884 Peter Lott, of Adams ...................................1844 Albert W. Wells, of Adams............................1886 William Hendrix, of Adams ........................1844 Ira Tyler, of Adams........................................1886 William Miller, of Adams ...........................1844 Wm. H. Collins, of Adams.............................1886 I. N. Morris, of Adams.................................1846 A. S. 1VIcDowell, of Adams.........................1888 William Hendrix, of Adams ........................1846 Albert W. Wells, of Adams............................1888 James M, Seehorn, of Adams.......................1846 Ira Tyler, of Adams........................................1888 E. H. Buckley, of Marquette, then attached Ira Tyler, of Adams........................................1890 to Adams...........................................1846 Jonathan Parkhurst, of Adams .......................1890 O.C. Skinner, of Adams...............................1848 Geo. C. McCrone, of Adams .........................1890 John Mariott; of Adams ..............................1848 Mitchell Dazey, of Adams ............................1892 J. R. Hobbs, of Adams ................................1850 Joel W. Bonney, of Adams.............................1892 J. M. Pittman, of Adams .............................1850 Geo. C. McCrone, of Adams..........................1892 J. W. Singleton, of Brown............................1851 Elmer A. Perry, of Brown .............................1894 John Moses, of Brown..................................1852 Geo. W. Dean, of Adams...............................1894 J. Wolf, of Adams .......................................1852 Chas. F. Kincheloe, of Adams .......................1894 J. W. Singleton, of Brown............................1853 Chas. F. Kincheloe; of Adams ......................1896 H. Boyle, of Adams .....................................1853 Ellmer A. Perry, of Brown ............................1896 Eli Seehorn, of Adams .................................1854 Geo. W. Montgomery, of Adams...................1896 H. V. Sullivan, of Adams .............................1854 William Schlagenhauf, of Adams .................1898 Samuel Holmes, of Adams............................1856 Jacob Groves, of Adams ...............................1898 M. M. Bane, of Adams..................................1856 Elmer A. Perry, of Brown ............................1898 M. M. Bane, of Adams .................................1858 Wm. Schlagenhauf, of Adams .......................1900 W. Metcalf, of Adams...................................1858 John M. Murphy, of Brown............................1900 J. W. Singleton, of Brown.............................1860 Jacob Groves, of Adams ...............................1900 W.C. Harrington, of Adams..........................1860 Wm. Schlagenhauf, of Adams........................1902 A. E. Wheat, of Adams.................................1862 Jacob Groves, of Adams................................1902 William Brown, of Adams............................1862 Irvin D. Webster, of Pike ..............................1902 Thomas Redmond, of Adams........................1864 Campbell S. Hearn, of Adams........................1904 Wm. T. Yeargain, of Adams.........................1864 R. B. Echols, of Adams..................................1904 Henry L. Warren, of Adams..........................1866 Trvin D. Webster, of Pike..............................1904 P. G. Corkins, of Adams ..............................1866 Thomas Jasper, of Adams.............................1868 John E. Downing, of Adams ........................1868 Geo. J. Richardsori; of Adams......................1870 CHAPTER LVII. Joseph Stewart, of Adams.............................1870 H. S. Trimble, of Adams...............................1870 THE VARIOUS TOWNSHIPS-THEIR ORGANIZATION Maurice Kelly, of Adams .............................1870 AND DEVELOPMENT. Ira M. Moore, of Adams ...............................1872 Charles Ballou, of Adams..............................1872 N. Bushnell, of Adams ..................................1872 BEVERLY TOWNSHIP John Tillson, of Adams..................................1873 A. G. Griffith; of Adams................................1873 The township of Beverly is situated thirty-one Ira M. Moore, of Adams................................1874 miles southeast of the city of Quincy, in the R. H. Downing, of Adams..............................1874 southeast corner of Adams county, the county of J. C. Bates, of Adams.....................................1874 Pike lying south and east: The first permanent 316 PAST AND PRESENT OF ADAMS COUNTY settlement was made by Azeriah Mayfield, in of the time as an orderly sergeant, he was dis- 1832, on Section 21, and was the only settlement charged, and coming to Illinois in 1824 or 1825, until 1834, when James Sykes, Jr., and John B. located on the land granted him by the govern- Robertson, with their families from New York, ment for his services, being the northwest corner settled there, and in 1835, James Richardson, Sr., of Section 28. Samuel Cutler, Wm. Raymond, Hon. Archi- Thaddeus Pond and family came to the town- bald Williams, Jacob Stafford, and others, and ship in 1829, and located on the southwest cor- from that time the accessions to their population ner of Section 15. were more rapid.. These, mainly, entered Con- John Wigle was living in the year 1831, on gress land, and soon it was mostly taken up, Section 28, near where the town of New Liberty leaving nothing but the military land open for now stands, and had for his neighbor Joseph Fer- purchasers; but for lack of confidence in the guson, who resided about two miles west from titles the latter was not purchased until 1840, him, near where the old Dunkard meeting house when it began to sell rapidly, and the best of it stood. Dennis P. Meachem had located near the was early taken by those who still continued to southwest corner of the northeast quarter of Sec- come into the township. tion 20. Abraham Hunsaker, Jno. Hughes and In this township are two small villages, Bev- Geo. Wolfe, with their families, were located erly and Kingston. along the western line of Section 18. Lewis Beverly village was laid out in 1856, on Sec- Simpson, Jacob Hunsaker, and Eli Littleton were tion 21, by an association composed of John B. located along the west line of Section 19, and Robertson, Wm. Raymond, Chas. W. Billington, Samuel Hunsaker on the northeast of Section 30. Samuel Reynolds and Archibald Williams. Long Davis on the northwest of Section 30. Jo- Beverly contains several churches, and a town seph Rhodes and Andrew Hunsaker on the south- hall for holding elections and other meetings. west of Section 30. Jno. McBride on southwest This hall was built in 1850 for a church. The of Section 31, which is now the west part of Lib- first church was built in 1864 by public subscrip- erty township. As most of these settlers had tion. The first school house was built in 1837, and large families, quite a little