I have ancestors with the Stillwell surname who were born in the town of Stillwell in Hancock County. Where can I obtain information on this town and its origins? Thanks... Linda

Linda -- There is a good description of Stillwell's early days in on pages 525 and 526 in The History of Hancock County, Illinois, published in 1968 by the Board of Supervisors of Hancock County during the county's sesquintennial. It describes the early development and has a brief section on the churches of Stillwell and its cemeteries. Here is an excerpt from that article that mentions one of your relatives. "In 1868 Dick Hardin built a store. In 1870 the railroad was built through the heart of the village and Stillwell was laid out, the land being partially donated by Arthur Stillwell, for whom the village was named. During the developing years, the general merchandise store was operated by various owners. Thomas Corbin and Company erected an elevator which handled the grain for miles around. A Mr. Turna started a hardware store, which was afterward destroyed by fire." Although I've not seen it, there is supposed to be a brochure on Stillwell published in 1914 that describes the town. There are also several early pictures of it in the Hancock County Historical Society's publication "Historic Sites and Structures of Hancock County." Some of these come from the 1914 brochure. Many of the captions of the photos in the book are very descriptive of Stillwell and its development. The History of Hancock County, Illinois, by T. H. Gregg, published in 1880, page 548 indicates that "Stillwell--laid out Dec., 1870, by W. H. Zinn and Arthur Stillwell." No further mention is made of Arthur Stillwell in the chapter, but it does offer a description of Stillwell and biographies of several of its citizens. These publications are all available at the Hancock County Historical Society library in Carthage. A visit there would probably be useful. Some Family History libraries may also have some of these publications -- it would be worth checking. Jane