Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Nixon Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Nixon Township is one of thirteen townships in DeWitt County, Illinois, US. As of the 2020 census, its population was 492 and it contained 231 housing units. The last settled township in DeWitt County was Nixon. The first settlement began in 1850 and the first to locate in this township was Cicero Twist in the spring of 1850. He settled in Section 8 and that year broke a small patch of prairie and raised a crop of sod corn. There had been land cultivated within its boundaries, years before but by parties living outside the immediate area not citizens of the township. Milo Twist, one of eight, was the first white child born in the township and the Twist family lived in a crude cabin construc…
Its first post office opened in 1867. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 571 to 492 (-14%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Nixon Township in 1882
Passages that mention Nixon Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
... History of De Witt county, Illinois. With illustrations descriptive of the scenery, and biographical sketches of some of the prominent men and pioneers1882 · page 107Read the page →
Read the text
Nixon Township — The sale of the school land of this township was made in 1852, but the first record of a school is 1856. This school, a summer term, was taught by John A. Helmand, at the Twist school house. The old school house is still occupied by the district for school purposes. The present teacher is Miss Alice Branson. The meeting of the first Board of Trustees was in Dec- 1855. In Feb- 1856, the school fund amounting to (§4442.011,) was paid by Lawrence Weldon, School Cjmmission-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
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Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Nixon Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1979Weldon West sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Nixon Township.
People over time
Nixon Township, census by census
Between 492 and 1,015 people in every census since 1930.
10 censuses, 1930–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Nixon Township’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to Nixon Township
Nobody well known was born in Nixon Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
