Warsaw, Illinois

Summary

Located at foot of Des Moines rapids of Mississippi River at site of three military forts: Fort Johnson (1814), Cantonment Davis (1815–1818), and Fort Edwards (1816–1824).

Peck, Gazetteer of Illinois, 309; Nolan, “Fort Johnson, Cantonment Davis, and Fort Edwards,” 85–88; Cochran et al., History of Hancock County, Illinois, 134, 138–139, 141–144, 150.

Comprehensive Works Cited

Peck, J. M. A Gazetteer of Illinois, in Three Parts: Containing a General View of the State. . . . 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Grigg and Elliot, 1837.

Nolan, David J. “Fort Johnson, Cantonment Davis, and Fort Edwards, 1814–1824.” In Frontier Forts of Iowa: Indians, Traders, and Soldiers, 1682–1862, edited by William E. Whittaker, 85–94.

Cochran, Robert M., Mary H. Siegfried, Ida Blum, David L. Fulton, Harold T. Garvey, and Olen L. Smith, eds. History of Hancock County, Illinois: Illinois Sesquicentennial Edition. Carthage, IL: Board of Supervisors of Hancock County, 1968.

First settlers participated in fur trade.

Nolan, “Fort Johnson, Cantonment Davis, and Fort Edwards,” 85–88; Cochran et al., History of Hancock County, Illinois, 134, 144.

Comprehensive Works Cited

Nolan, David J. “Fort Johnson, Cantonment Davis, and Fort Edwards, 1814–1824.” In Frontier Forts of Iowa: Indians, Traders, and Soldiers, 1682–1862, edited by William E. Whittaker, 85–94.

Important trade and shipping center.

Peck, Gazetteer of Illinois, 309; Cochran et al., History of Hancock County, Illinois, 578.

Comprehensive Works Cited

Peck, J. M. A Gazetteer of Illinois, in Three Parts: Containing a General View of the State. . . . 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Grigg and Elliot, 1837.

Post office established, 1833.

Adams, Illinois Place Names, 365.

Comprehensive Works Cited

Adams, James N., comp. Illinois Place Names. Occasional Publications, no. 55. Springfield, IL: Illinois State Historical Society, 1989.

Laid out, 1834.

Gregg, History of Hancock County, Illinois, 637.

Comprehensive Works Cited

Gregg, Thomas. History of Hancock County, Illinois, Together with an Outline History of the State, and a Digest of State Laws. Chicago: Charles C. Chapman, 1880.

Incorporated as town, 1837.

An Act to Incorporate the Towns therein Named [27 Feb. 1837], Incorporation Laws of the State of Illinois [1836–1837], pp. 107–108.

Comprehensive Works Cited

Incorporation Laws of the State of Illinois; Passed at a Session of the General Assembly, Begun and Held at Vandalia the 6th Day of December, 1836. Vandalia, IL; William Walters, 1837.

Population in 1837 about 250; in 1840 about 400; and in 1845 about 470.

Peck, Gazetteer of Illinois, 309; Cochran et al., History of Hancock County, Illinois, 578; Gregg, Descriptive, Statistical, and Historical Chart, 1 Feb. 1846.

Comprehensive Works Cited

Peck, J. M. A Gazetteer of Illinois, in Three Parts: Containing a General View of the State. . . . 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Grigg and Elliot, 1837.

Gregg, Thomas. A Descriptive, Statistical, and Historical Chart of the County of Hancock. 2nd ed. Warsaw, IL: By the author, 1846.

Thomas Sharp, editor of local newspaper Warsaw Signal, helped found anti-Mormon political party.

JS, Journal, 13 Dec. 1841; Berrett, Sacred Places, 3:215.

Comprehensive Works Cited

Berrett, LaMar C., ed. Sacred Places: A Comprehensive Guide to Early LDS Historical Sites. 6 vols. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1999–2007.

Because of opposition to the Latter-day Saints, church leaders directed Saints in town to remove to Nauvoo, 13 Dec. 1841.

JS, Journal, 13 Dec. 1841.

Five of the nine men indicted for killing JS and Hyrum Smith were from Warsaw.

Albers et al., History of Warsaw, 29; Oaks and Hill, Carthage Conspiracy, 53, 55–56, 129; Trial of the Persons Indicted in the Hancock Circuit Court, 1.

Comprehensive Works Cited

Albers, Adelaide, Virginia Van Pappelendam, and Marie Worthen, comps. History of Warsaw. [Warsaw, IL]: The Warsaw Bulletin, 1960.

Oaks, Dallin H., and Marvin S. Hill. Carthage Conspiracy: The Trial of the Accused Assassins of Joseph Smith. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1975.

Trial of the Persons Indicted in the Hancock Circuit Court, for the Murder of Joseph Smith, at the Carthage Jail, on the 27th Day of June, 1844. [Warsaw, IL]: [Warsaw Signal], [1845].

Warsaw, Illinois

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