BlairAndCernyFamilie..

ILLIOPOLIS ItJ,INOIS
Every town has its story, lcnown perhans to a few
residents, who take the trorrble to aceurately remember,
and who pride thenselves in actins as loea1 historians.
Take the tovm of Il1lopo1is, for instanee, and its
plaee in Sanganon county, I11inois, America and the
world. 'rlhy the name Illiopolis? What possible effect
could this Iittle town of 700 persons, knom to nost
travelers only by the sharp eurve at its western edge,
have upon the other two billion rrersons milling about
on this olanet?
ft all beean in the year 1825. Settlers from the
east disdained the rich prairie land and settled in the
warmer dense timber stand alons the southern border of
the Saneanon river. Eounded in 1855 as the town of
Wilsonr the narne llliopolis was adcpted in March 1859.
The year was then 1831+, and at Vandali-a the
fllinois general assenbly was krrangling over the site
and location of the state eapitol. Abraharn Lincoln,
with the long }trine from Sangamon county, was selline
Snringfield. Other seetional interests were proposing
different sites, anong thern ttllliooo1is, exaet
geographieal eenterrr of T11inois.
Referenee to a map shows that flliopolis is indeed
eloser to the eenter of the state than laiddletor^rn, a
vil.laze about 20 ni"les north of Sprinsfield in Losan
eountv. But Snringfi-e1d was nn:eh represented to win the
losrollins eontest fcr the new capitol buiLdins. Then
ttliopolic had to be eontent with sueh minor cjistineticns
as beins the only watertank stop on the railroad between
Sprinqfield and leeatur.
I^Iilson was ehartered by the state on October 1!, in
the year of 1855. Judge Witliam Wilson, of Carmi: Co1.
Thomas S. Mather, of Sprinsfield and Timothy J. Carter
were the founders. Colonel Mather is said to have laid
out the town and named it for Judee 1llilson, who onned
most of the land. Judse Wilson a native of Vireinia,
eame to fllinois after living for a short tine in
Kentucky. In 1819 he was named an associate justice of
the state Surpreme Court and in 1825 r^ras re-elected ehief
justice of the court. His term of office was 29 years.