COUNTIES AND COUNTY SEATS OF LINCOLN'S EIGHTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

When Lincoln began riding the Eighth Judicial Circuit of Illinois as an itinerant trial lawyer, the circuit had nine counties. When he left Illinois for Washington as president-elect, it had shrunk to five counties. Between 1839 and 1860 it morphed several times, becoming as large as fourteen counties. At one time or another sixteen counties were part of the circuit. Below is a diagram graphically demonstrating how the circuit expanded and contracted over the years:

COUNTIES AND COUNTY SEATS OF LINCOLN’S EIGHTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT
1839-1841	1841-1845	1845-1847	1847-1853	1853-1857	1857-1861
DeWitt Clinton	DeWitt Clinton	DeWitt Clinton	DeWitt Clinton	DeWitt Clinton	DeWitt Clinton
Logan Pottsville	Logan Pottsville	Logan Pottsville	Logan Mt. Pulaski	Logan Lincoln[1]	Logan Lincoln
McLean Bloomington	McLean Bloomington	McLean Bloomington	McLean Bloomington	McLean Bloomington	McLean Bloomington
Sangamon Springfield	Sangamon Springfield	Sangamon Springfield	Sangamon Springfield	Sangamon Springfield	--------------
Tazewell Tremont	Tazewell Tremont	Tazewell Tremont[2]	Tazewell  Pekin	Tazewell Pekin	--------------
Macon Decatur	Macon Decatur	Macon Decatur	Macon Decatur	--------------	--------------
Christian Taylorville	Christian Taylorville	Christian Taylorville	--------------	--------------	--------------
Livingston Pontiac	Livingston Pontiac	--------------	--------------	--------------	--------------
Menard Petersburg	Menard Petersburg	--------------	--------------	--------------	--------------
--------------	Mason Havanna	--------------	--------------	--------------	--------------
--------------	Moultrie Sullivan	Moultrie Sullivan	Moultrie Sullivan	--------------	--------------
--------------	Piatt Monticello	Piatt Monticello	Piatt Monticello	--------------	--------------
--------------	Shelby Shelbyville	--------------	Shelby Shelbyville	--------------	--------------
--------------	Woodford Versailles[3]	Woodford Metamora	Woodford Metamora	Woodford Metamora	--------------
--------------	--------------	Vermillion Danville	Vermillion Danville	Vermillion Danville	Vermillion Danville
--------------	--------------	--------------	Edgar Paris	Edgar Paris	--------------

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[1] Lincoln became the county seat of Logan County in 1854.

[2] Pekin became the county seat of Tazewell County in 1851.

[3] Metamora became the county seat of Woodford County in 1843.