Township Organization
September 1, 1856, on application of three petitioners, signed by over fifty legal voters of Rock Island County, praying for the question of township organization; it was ordered by the court that the question be submitted to the voters of said county, to vote for or against township organization at the next November election. Abstract of votes given at said election resulted as follows: For township organization, 2314. Against township organization, 147. Tuesday, December 2, 1856, the court appointed Lemuel Andrews, Nathaniel Belcher and Flavel J. Whitney as commissioners to divide the county into towns, in accordance with general assembly act for township organization, passed February 17, 1851. June 29, 30, and July 1, 1857, credentials were presented to the board of supervisors by the representatives of the following named towns :Rock Island, R. M. Marshall, Zachariah Cook; Canoe Creek, I. H. Marshall; Hampton, Lucius Wells; Drury, Peter Demoss; Edgington, James Baker; Bowling, T. W. Vincent; Coal Valley, Lewis Wilson; Buffalo, O. H. P. Moore; Port Byron, David S. Hobert; Walker, Rinnah Wells; Fremont, A. S. Coe; Camden, H. J. Brunot; Moline, Jeremiah Chamberlin; Cordova, George Marshall. September 18, 1857, by order of the board of supervisors, the names of the following towns were changed: Town of Camden, changed to Black Hawk; town of Fremont, changed to Penn; town of Buffalo, changed to Copper; town of Walker, changed to Zuma. January 6, 1858, town of Copper, changed to Buffalo Prairie; town of Penn, changed to Coe. September 16, 1858, a part of Edgington Township, was, through the prayer of petitioners-citizens of Edgington Township-by order of the board of supervisors, named Andalusia. September 15, 1871, by petition of eighty-three legal voters of Coal Valley Township, a partition of the township was made, and named town of Rural. March 3, 1873, a petition was presented to the board of supervisors, by Quincy McNeil and others, to annex that portion of the Town of Black Hawk north of Rock River to the Town of Rock Island. December 12, 1873, by a vote of the board of supervisors-yeas, nine; nays, eight; absent, one-it was ordered that the portion of Black Hawk Township lying north of Rock River and south of the corporate limits of the City of Rock Island, be detached from the Town of Black Hawk and annexed to the Town of Rock Island. December 14, 1877, the board of supervisors adopted a resolution that the portion of Rock Island Township, south of the corporate limits of the City of Rock Island, extending to the north shore of Rock River, be created and constituted the new Town of South Rock Island, to take effect March 1, 1878. The corporate limits of the City of Rock Island to be the Town of Rock Island. November 16, 1872. Upon petition by three-fourths of the voters and property holders of the following tract to-wit: N. W. 1/4, Sec. 6, T. 17, R. 1, 4th P. M., and W. fractional 1/2 (south of Sylvan Water) of Sec. 31, T. 18, R. 1 W., 4th P. M., the city council annexed said territory to the City of Rock Island, and made it a part of the Fourth Ward of said city. September 15, 1875, at a meeting of the board of supervisors the above tract (a part of Moline Township), to simplify administration and taxation, was annexed to the Town of Rock Island. March 14, 1879. Adopted by the board of supervisors, that the Town of Moline be sub-divided. The incorporated City of Moline be organized as the Town of Moline; the remaining territory of Moline Township to be hereafter known as the Town of South Moline.
Rock Island County, Illinois Genealogy
Source: Historic Rock Island County, pub. Kramer & Company, Rock Island, Illinois, 1908