Henry County was formed on January 13, 1825, out of Fulton County, Illinois. It is named for Patrick Henry,[4]Revolutionary War firebrand and champion of individual rights, to whom the slogan "give me liberty, or give me death" is attributed. The county was settled by people from New England and western New York, descendants of English Puritans who settled New England in the colonial era. The New England settlers founded the five towns of Andover, Wethersfield, Geneseo, Morristown and La Grange.[5]
The settlement of Cambridge came about in 1843, when the owner of the land in that area (Rev. Ithamar Pillsbury) dedicated a section of his properties to a town council; lots were sold to incoming settlers, and construction of the town proper began on June 9, 1843. The incoming "Yankee" settlers made Henry County culturally similar to early New England culture.[6][7]
Henry County from the time of its creation to 1827
The county between 1827 and 1831
Henry between 1831 and 1836
Henry in 1836, after Whiteside County was created
Geography
According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 826 square miles (2,140 km2), of which 823 square miles (2,130 km2) is land and 2.7 square miles (7.0 km2) (0.3%) is water.[8] It is the 29th largest of Illinois' 102 counties. The area is fairly flat, with elevations ranging from 650 feet above sea level in the northwest to 850 in the southeast. About 456,596 acres (1,847.78 km2) or 86.7% of the county's land area, is used for agriculture.[9]
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Cambridge have ranged from a low of 13 °F (−11 °C) in January to a high of 86 °F (30 °C) in July, although a record low of −24 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in February 1996 and a record high of 103 °F (39 °C) was recorded in July 1983. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.52 inches (39 mm) in January to 4.32 inches (110 mm) in August.[10]
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 50,486 people, 20,373 households, and 14,149 families residing in the county.[17] The population density was 61.3 inhabitants per square mile (23.7/km2). There were 22,161 housing units at an average density of 26.9 per square mile (10.4/km2).[8] The racial makeup of the county was 94.8% white, 1.6% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.6% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.8% of the population.[17] In terms of ancestry, 30.0% were German, 14.6% were Irish, 12.3% were Swedish, 11.5% were English, and 7.2% were American.[18]
Of the 20,373 households, 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.6% were non-families, and 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 41.8 years.[17]
The median income for a household in the county was $49,164 and the median income for a family was $61,467. Males had a median income of $44,589 versus $30,992 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,915. About 6.8% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.9% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.[19]
Henry County's political history is fairly typical of many Yankee-settled rural counties in Illinois. After being largely Democratic in its first few elections, the county turned powerfully Republican for the 110 years following the formation of that party. The only time it did not vote Republican between 1856 and 1960 was in 1912 when the GOP was mortally divided and ProgressiveTheodore Roosevelt won a majority of the county's ballots. In 1964, when the Republican Party nominated the Southern-oriented Barry Goldwater, Henry County voted Democratic for the first time since 1852, but as was typical for Yankee counties it returned to the Republicans with the selection of the more moderate Richard Nixon.
In the 1980s, the transition of the Republican Party into a party largely based around Southern Evangelicals severely alienated its historic Yankee base: Henry County turned to Democrat Michael Dukakis in 1988, and voted Democratic in every election between 1988 and 2012 except that of 2004 when George W. Bush carried the county by 5.1 percent. However, concern with unemployment and trade deals in the “Rust Belt” resulted in a powerful swing to Republican Donald Trump in 2016 – the worst Democratic result in the county since Jimmy Carter in 1980. In 2020, Trump built on his win in 2016, capturing 60% of the vote - the highest Republican percentage in 40 years.
United States presidential election results for Henry County, Illinois[20]
^The expansion of New England: the spread of New England settlement and institutions to the Mississippi River, 1620-1865, pp. 215-216
^History Henry County, Illinois H.F. Kett & Company (1877) pp. 177-178
^The expansion of New England: the spread of New England settlement and institutions to the Mississippi River, 1620-1865 by Louis Kimball Matthews, pp. 215-216
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United States
Illinois
