Robert, Township 16 is Springfield Twp and included the town of Spfld. Cotton Hill appears to be in township 14. I'm looking at an 1876 map of Sangamon County. Section 17 would be slightly northwest of the Springfield of that day. (Going diagonal, it looks like there is one section between the northwest corner of Springfield and Section 17.) Technically without the Range, I couldn't say for sure where it is because that township number included everything from Illiopolis Twp on the east to Cartwright Twp on teh west, but with the Springfield reference it is probably Spfld twp. Dave Hunter Nicea@aol.com