A New Guide for Emigrants to the West

by John Mason Peck

There has been a considerable falling off in the manufacture of whiskey within a few years, and it is sincerely hoped by thousands of citizens, that this branch of business, so decidedly injurious to the morals and happiness of communities and individuals, will entirely decline.

Several companies for manufacturing purposes, have been incorporated by the legislature.

Civil Divisions.—There are 66 counties laid off in this State, 59 of which are organized for judicial purposes. The six last named in the following table were laid off at the recent session of the legislature, Jan. 1836. The county of Will was formed from portions of Cook, Lasalle, and Iroquois, with the town of Juliet for its seat of justice, near the junction of the Kankakee and Des Plaines.

In this State, there are no civil divisions into townships as in Ohio, Indiana, &c. The township tracts of six miles square, in the public surveys, relate exclusively to the land system. The State is divided into three districts to elect representatives to Congress, and into six circuits for judicial purposes.

TABULAR VIEW OF THE COUNTIES.

Counties.	Date of Formation.	Square Miles.	Votes in 1834.	Population 1835.	Seats of Justice.	Bearing and distance from Vandalia.
Adams,	1825	820	728	7042	Quincy,	175 n. w.
Alexander,	1819	375	249	2050	Unity,	135 s.
Bond,	1817	360	519	3580	Greenville,	19 w. s. w.
Calhoun,	1825	260	151	1091	Gilhead,	134 w. n. w.
Champaign,	1833	864	102	1045	Urbanna,	103 n. n. e.
Clark,	1819	500	451	3413	Darwin,[A] or Marshall,	82 e. n. e.
Clay,	1824	620	172	1648	Maysville,	50 s. e.
Clinton,	1824	500	414	2648	Carlyle,	28 s. s. w.
Crawford,	1816	378	519	3540	Palestine,	100 e.
Coles,	1830	1248	680	5125	Charleston,	75 n. e.
Cook,	1830	[B]	528	9826	Chicago,	268 n. n. e.
Edgar,	1823	648	788	6668	Paris,	100 n. e.
Edwards,	1814	200	239	2006	Albion,	96 s. e.
Effingham,	1831	486	129	1055	Ewington,	29 e. n. e.
Fayette,	1821	684	665	3638	Vandalia,
Franklin,	1818	850	759	5551	Frankfort,	83 s.
Fulton,	1825	590	607	5917	Lewistown,	135 n. n. w.
Gallatin,	1812	828	1312	8660	Equality,	100 s. s. e.
Greene,	1821	912	1360	12274	Carrollton,	90 w. n. w.
Hamilton,	1821	378	460	2877	McLeansboro',	76 s. s. e.
Hancock,	1825	775	357	3249	Carthage,	180 n. w.
Henry (not
organized)	1925	800	—	118	—	210 n. n. w.
Iroquois,	1833	[B]	67	1164	(Not established)	165 n. n. e.
Jackson,	1816	576	354	2783	Brownsville,	96 s. s. w.
Jasper,	1831	288	—	415	Newton,	60 e.
Jefferson,	1819	576	455	3350	Mount Vernon,	48 s. s. e.
Jo Daviess,	1827	[B]	492	4038	Galena, (n.n.w.)	300 n. n. w.
Johnson,	1812	486	316	2166	Vienna,	120 s.
Knox,	1825	792	180	1600	Knoxville,	182 n. n. w.
Lasalle,	1831	[B]	289	4754	Ottawa,	187 n.
Lawrence,	1821	560	618	4450	Lawrenceville,	88 e. s. e.
Macon,	1829	404	292	3022	Decatur,	75 n.
Madison,	1812	750	1307	9016	Edwardsville,	58 w.
Macoupen,	1829	720	624	5554	Carlinville,	55 w. n. w.
Marion,	1823	576	372	2844	Salem,	25 s. s. e.
McDonough	1825	576	304	2883	Macomb,	155 n. w.
McLean,	1830	1916	496	5311	Bloomington,	120 n.
Mercer,	1825	558	—	497	New Boston,	209 n. w.
Monroe,	1816	360	449	2660	Waterloo,	72 s. w.
Montgomery ,	1821	960	475	3740	Hillsboro',	28 n. w.
Morgan,	1823	1150	2717	19214	Jacksonville,	91 n. w.
Peoria,	1825	648	223	3220	Peoria,	141 n. n. w.
Perry,	1827	446	273	2201	Pinckneyville,	71 s. s. w.
Pike,	1821	800	657	6037	Pittsfield,	126 w. n. w.
Pope,	1816	576	444	3756	Golconda,	130 s. s. e
Putnam,	1825	1340	383	4021	Hennepin,	80 n.
Randolph,	1795	540	814	5695	Kaskaskia,	90 s. s. w.
Rock Island,	1831	377	83	616	Stephenson,	20 n. w.
Sangamon,	1821	1234	2219	17573	Springfield,	79 n. n. w.
Schuyler,	1825	864	680	6361	Rushville,	128 n. w.
Shelby,	1827	1080	636	4848	Shelbyville,	40 n. n. e.
St. Clair,	1795	1030	1183	9055	Belleville,	64 w. s. w.
Tazewell,	1827	1130	433	5850	Tremont,	131 n.
Union,	1818	396	545	4156	Jonesboro',	120 s.
Vermillion,	1826	1000	1025	8103	Danville,	135 n. e.
Wabash,	1824	180	441	3010	Mount Carmel,	95 s. e.
Warren,	1825	900	266	2623	Monmouth,	184 n. w.
Washington,	1818	656	333	3292	Nashville,	48 s. s. w.
Wayne,	1819	576	471	2939	Fairfield,	76 s. e.
White,	1815	516	977	6489	Carmi,	103 s. e.
[A] It is expected the seat of justice of Clark county will be removed to Marshall, 10 miles N. W. from Darwin, and on the National Road. The distance is computed to Marshall.
[B] These counties have been recently subdivided, and their superficial area is not known.

TABULAR VIEW CONTINUED

New Counties formed, Jan. 1836.	Date of Formation.	Square Miles.	Votes in 1834.	Population in 1835.	Seats of Justice.
Will,	1836				Juliett.
Whiteside,	1836				These counties were taken from
Kane,	1836				Jo Daviess, Lasalle, Cook, and
Ogle,	1836				Iroquois. The seats of justice not
McHenry,	1836				established, and much of the land
Winnebago,	1836				unsurveyed, though rapidly settling.
Total,			34,102	272,427

SKETCHES OF EACH COUNTY.

Adams.—The streams are Bear creek and branches, Cedar, Tyrer, Mill, Fall, and Pigeon creeks, with the Mississippi river on its western border. Timber various, with equal portions of prairie. First rate county.