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Franklin County
Contact InformationFranklin County Courthouse
Public Courthouse Square
P.O. Box 607
Benton, IL 62812
618-438-3221 – County Clerk
618-439-2011 – Circuit Clerk
618-438-3221 – Recorder
IRAD—c/o Records Management
Morris Library, Mail Code 6808
Southern Illinois University
1835 University Press Dr.
Carbondale, IL 62901-6808
618-453-3040
Established
- January 2, 1818 (Laws, 1817/18, p. 11)
Origin of the name of the county
- Named for Benjamin Franklin, philosopher, statesman, diplomatist, author, printer, a member of the Continental Congress, Ambassador to France, and (before the American Revolution) Deputy Postmaster General of the British Colonies in America.
Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in
- 1815–1818 – White
- 1812–1818 – Gallatin
- 1795–1813 – Randolph
- 1790–1795 – Knox, Northwest Territory
County Seats
- 1818–1821 – Shawneetown (Kaskaskia Road, at Moses Garrett’s tavern.)
- 1821–1841 – Frankfort
- 1841–present – Benton
History of county governing board
- 1818–1819 – Justices’ Court
- 1819–1849 – County Commissioners’ Court
- 1849–1871 – County Court
- 1872–1875 – County Board of Supervisors
- 1875–1876 – Board of County Commissioners
- 1876–1880 – County Board of Supervisors
- 1880–1885 – Board of County Commissioners
- 1885–present – County Board of Supervisors
Documented Record Losses
- November 18, 1843 – Fire. Most records lost (1818–1843).
Township Government
- Adopted – November 7, 1871
- Discontinued – November 3, 1874
- Adopted – November 2, 1875 – Divided into 9 townships (see notes below).
- Discontinued – November 1879
- Adopted – November 4, 1884
Township Names
- Barren – Part of Goode under 1875 organization.
- Benton
- Browning – Part of Benton under 1875 organization.
- Cave
- Denning – Named Town Mount under 1871 organization; part of Frankfort under 1875 organization.
- Eastern
- Ewing
- Frankfort
- Goode
- Northern
- Six Mile – Named Six Mile Prairie under 1871 organization.
- Tyrone
Township Map
Pertinent Databases