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Lawrence County
Contact InformationLawrence County Courthouse
1100 State St.
Lawrenceville, IL 62439
618-943-2346 – County Clerk
618-943-2815 – Circuit Clerk
618-943-5126 – Recorder
IRAD Depository
Booth Library
600 Lincoln Ave.
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, IL 61920
217-581-6093
Established
- January 16, 1821 (Laws, 1821, p. 16)
Origin of the name of the county
- Named for Captain James Lawrence, Commander of the Chesapeake, who was mortally wounded in an engagement between that vessel and the British vessel, Shannon, during the War of 1812.
Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in
- 1816–1821 – Crawford
- 1815–1819 – Edwards
- 1812–1815 – Gallatin
- 1812–1815 – Madison
- 1809–1812 – Randolph
- 1790–1809 – Knox, Northwest Territory
County Seats
- 1821 – Home of Toussaint Dubois (Lawrenceville)
- 1821–present – Lawrenceville
History of county governing board
- 1821–1849 – County Commissioners’ Court
- 1849–1857 – County Court
- 1857–present – County Board of Supervisor
Township Government
- Adopted – November 4, 1856
Township Names
- Allison – Name changed from Thompson on April 10, 1857.
- Bond
- Bridgeport – Formed from Christy on September 10, 1872.
- Christy – Name changed from Hardin on April 10, 1857.
- Denison
- Lawrence
- Lukin – Name changed from Marion (probably 1857).
- Petty – Name changed from Perry to Ohio on April 10, 1857 and from Ohio to Petty (date unknown).
- Russell
Township Map
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