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From the Historical Encylopedia of Illinois, ©1901
BOND COUNTY .... a small county lying northeast from St. Louis, having an area of 380 square miles and a population
(1900) of 16,078. The first American settlers located here in 1807, coming from the South, and building Hill's
and Jones's forts for protection from the Indians. Settlement was slow, in 1816 there being scarcely 25 log cabins
in the county. The county-seat is Greenville, where the first cabin was erected in 1815 by George Davidson. The
county was organized in 1818, and named in honor of Gov. Shadrach Bond. Its original limits included the present
counties of Clinton, Fayette and Montgomery. The first court was held at Perryville, and, in May 1817, Judge Jesse
B. Thomas presided over the first Circuit Court at Hill's station. The first court house was erected at Greenville
in 1822.
The county contains good timber and farming lands, and at some points, coal is found near the surface.
Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in:
1812–1817 - Madison
1790–1812 - St. Clair
County Seats:
1817: Hills Station or Hills Fort—Temporary designation.
1817–1821: Perryville
1821: Greenville
Transcribed by K. Torp
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