Amity Township, Livingston County, Illinois

Amity Township is located in Livingston County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 866 and it contained 376 housing units.[3]

Amity Township
Township
Location in Livingston County
Livingston County's location in Illinois
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountyLivingston
EstablishedApril 6, 1858[1]
Area
 • Total36.37 sq mi (94.2 km2)
 • Land36.24 sq mi (93.9 km2)
 • Water0.13 sq mi (0.3 km2)  0.36%
Population
 (2010)
 • Estimate 
(2016)[2]
825
 • Density23.9/sq mi (9.2/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
FIPS code17-105-01348

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the township has a total area of 36.37 square miles (94.2 km2), of which 36.24 square miles (93.9 km2) (or 99.64%) is land and 0.13 square miles (0.34 km2) (or 0.36%) is water.[3]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
Est. 2016825[2]
U.S. Decennial Census[4]

Cemeteries

Bayou Cemetery is located southwest of Cornell, just southeast of the intersection of the Bayou and the Vermilion River in section 22.[5]

History

The first Europeans to settle the area that would eventually become Amity Township were Thomas N. Reynolds, Samuel K. Reynolds, and E. Breckinridge, arriving together in 1833. The area was attractive to early settlers for its abundance of timber, stone, and water. They built small cabins for their families and lived in them for several years on what was known by 1878 as the J.P. Houston farm.[1]

The township may be named after Amity, Ohio.[6] This is very likely as the earliest settlers in the township were from Ohio. It was mentioned in the same 1878 history that Amity means friendship.[1]

Margaret Winters Reynolds, the wife of Thomas N. Reynolds, was the first European to be buried in Amity Township. She died on 17 September 1838 and was buried in Bayou Cemetery in a hollowed out Walnut tree as her coffin.[1][7]

The township was officially organized on April 6, 1858 and was one of the first 20 townships in Livingston County organized in 1858.[1]

In 1871 a railroad was completed through the township. That same year, on June 15, Walter B. Cornell laid out a plat in the SW corner of section 11 and called it Cornell. 2 days later, Willard D. Blake section 14 and called it Amity. Most of the businesses were in Amity, but in 1873, the village organized as Cornell.[1]

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References
  1. “Amity Township.”. The History of Livingston County, Illinois, Wm Le Baron, Jr & Co, 1878, Chicago. 404-415. Print.
  2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  3. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County -- County Subdivision and Place -- 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census. Archived from the original on 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
  4. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  5. “Amity Township, Cornell.” Livingston County, 1911, Geo. A Ogle & Co, Historic Map Works, http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/220542/Amity+Township++Cornell/Livingston+County+1911/Illinois/, retrieved 03 October 2019.
  6. Callary, Edward (29 September 2008). Place Names of Illinois. University of Illinois Press. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-252-09070-7.
  7. Find A Grave database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 9 October 2019), memorial page for Margaret Winters Reynolds (1809–17 Sep 1836), Find A Grave Memorial no. 47937088, citing Bayou Cemetery, Cornell, Livingston County, Illinois, USA.



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