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DeKalb County
Contact InformationCounty Clerk and Recorder
DeKalb County Administration Building
110 E. Sycamore St.
Sycamore, IL 60178
815-895-7149
Circuit Clerk
DeKalb County Courthouse
133 W. State St.
Sycamore, IL 60178
815-895-7131
IRAD Depository
Founders Memorial Library
Rm. 245B
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115
815-753-1807
Established
- March 4, 1837 (Laws, 1837, p. 97)
Origin of the name of the county
- Named for Johann DeKalb, a German baron, who served in the Colonies during the American Revolution, and was mortally wounded at Camden, South Carolina in 1780.
Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in
- 1836–1837 – Kane
- 1831–1835 – LaSalle
- 1825–1831 – Putnam
- 1823–1825 – Fulton
- 1821–1823 – Pike
- 1819–1821 – Clark
- 1816–1819 – Crawford
- 1815–1816 – Edwards
- 1812–1815 – Madison
- 1795–1812 – St. Clair
County Seats
- 1837–1839 – Orange (Name later changed to Sycamore.)
- 1839–1840 – Coltonville
- 1840–present – Sycamore
History of county governing board
- 1837–1850 – County Commissioners’ Court
- 1850–present – County Board of Supervisors
Township Government
- Adopted – November 6, 1849
Township Names
- Afton – Formed from DeKalb and Clinton on February 18, 1856.
- Clinton
- Cortland – First named Richland, then changed to Pampas on November 20, 1850 and to Cortland on February 1, 1865.
- DeKalb – Name changed from Orange on November 20, 1850.
- Franklin
- Genoa
- Kingston
- Malta – Formed as Etna from DeKalb in September, 1856; name changed from Etna in December, 1858.
- Mayfield – Name changed from Liberty on November 20, 1850.
- Milan – Formed from Shabbona and Malta on February 23, 1858.
- Paw Paw – Formed in March, 1850.
- Pierce – Formed from Squaw Grove and Pampas (Cortland) before 1853.
- Sandwich – Formed from Somonauk on July 14, 1896.
- Shabbona
- Somonauk
- South Grove – Name changed from Vernon on November 20, 1850.
- Squaw Grove
- Sycamore
- Victor – Formed from Clinton about 1853.
Township Map
Pertinent Databases