Nilwood Township, Macoupin County IL

Nilwood Celebrated 130 Years in 1997.
The population of all Nilwood Township in 1870 was 1,211.

Early Family Names In Nilwood Township Taken From the 1875 Atlas
(Use Find under pulldown menu Edit to find a surname)

Cemeteries in Nilwood Township

The towns in Nilwood Township are:

• (Greenridge) (Green Ridge) Extinct
  
• (Grinnerville) Extinct
  
• (Harris Point) Never a town, just a point of timber.
  
• (McVey) Extinct
  
• Nilwood
  
• (Seymour Station) - never a town
  
• Standard City
  
• (Sulphur Springs) Extinct - No post office as we know of.
  
  

contributed by Mary Ann Stewart Kaylor

I found a newspaper clipping in one of my many binders about yet another tombstone found, this one in the Nilwood area. Not sure what newspaper the article was in or the date, but appears to be fairly new. Possibly IL State Journal, Springfield.

The scope of the article states that a new purchaser of 270 acres of land near Sulphur Springs, south of the Nilwood-Waggoner blacktop, was told that buried somewhere on the farm was Macoupin County's first settler and sheriff, JOHN HARRIS. HARRIS was a captain of the Macoupin Milita during the Black Hawk Indian campaign, which mustered in at Beardstown on April 20, 1831. Abraham Lincoln, captain of the Sangamon County Militia, also served during that campaign, reporting in with his company the next day. They were organized to run Black Hawk back across the Mississippi. But neither man probably saw action as Black Hawk had surrendered.

HARRIS was influential in shaping the history of Macoupin County. He was the first landowner in the northeast part of Nilwood Twp. in 1829, after the Black Hawk War. He achieved rank of brigadier general of Macoupin's Milia. He served as sheriff from 1829 through 1834, as a state representative from 1834 to 1838 and as a state senator from 1840 through 1846. He also owned and operated a water mill.

The gravesite was found in the middle of a field between two cherry trees with a well nearby. Briars and brush were cleared and two stones were found....JOHN HARRIS and his 2 year old son, JOHN HARRIS who died in 1842.

A headstone was obtained through the Dept. of Veterans Affairs free of charge as JOHN HARRIS was Brig. Gen. IL Militia for the Indian Wars. He died 20 Oct 1852. The stone was placed next to one of the cherry trees overlooking Macoupin creek.

(These two tombstones are not listed in the Cemetery books for this area)

Carolynn Bettis added,

"Talked with Linda Libbra just a few minutes ago (her husband Pete instigated the search and the cemetery is on their property) and John Harris and his small son DID have and do have original stones on the farm near Sulphur Springs. The Sheriff was moved into Carlinville because of vandalism and cemetery destruction, but she doesn't know about the son's remains, but believes they may have been left on the farm. They still erected the Vet's stone as they thought it was due him since that WAS his original burial location. The dates of the newspaper articles were Virden Recorder (Virden, IL), Jan. 25, 1995 and the Journal Register(IL State Journal-Register, Springfield, IL) was February, 1995."

Girard Gazette Apr. 21, 1881, pg. 1 - McVey is a small town situated four miles southeast of Girard, 5 miles E. of Nilwood, 1 1/2 miles of Grinnerville.

McVey was established after 1875 when the Jacksonville Southeastern Railroad was built in the area.

McVey was named after the MCVEY Family who settled in Macoupin County in 1825 and owned the land where the town of McVey was established. McVey had about 60 town lots, an elevator, and a depot.

Standard City Yellow Pages and City Map

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