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History · Oneida

Oneida dates to 1854, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: old-book passages.

1854founded
0on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
2famous people
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Photo: David Wilson · CC BY 2.0
Quick answers

How Oneida began

When was Oneida founded?

1854

Oneida dates its founding to 1854 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1855.

2020 census: 696172 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1855.

What stands out about Oneida’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Oneida are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Oneida’s homes were built before 1958.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Oneida’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Oneida’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Oneida, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Oneida yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Oneida is a city in Knox County, Illinois, United States. The population was 696 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Oneida was established in 1854. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 700 in 2010, 696 in 2020.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Oneida in 1878

Passages that mention Oneida, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Oneida. — This church edifice is located on Pine street, in the city of Oneida; is 50 by 30 feet in size, and in Gothic style of architecture. The church was organized in 1877 by Rev. Charles Anderson. The present pastor is J. W. Stromberg.
History of Knox county, Illinois1878Read the page →
Read the text

Oneida. — This church edifice is located on Pine street, in the city of Oneida; is 50 by 30 feet in size, and in Gothic style of architecture. The church was organized in 1877 by Rev. Charles Anderson. The present pastor is J. W. Stromberg.

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.

Timeline

Oneida, 1854 to 1870

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1854
    FoundingOneida is established
  3. 1855Post officeThe Oneida post office opens
  4. 1865Born hereLincoln Henry Jelliff is born here
  5. 1870Born hereKid Mohler is born here
By decade

Oneida, decade by decade

Today4 recent
J. Newton Conger House2013J. Newton Conger HouseOneida, Illinois aerial 01A2012Oneida, Illinois aerial 01AOneida, Illinois aerial 012012Oneida, Illinois aerial 01Untitled photo2003Untitled photo
Famous people

2 famous people were born in Oneida

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Kid MohlerAmerican baseball player · b. 1870
Lincoln Henry JelliffCanadian politician · b. 1865

Questions about Oneida’s history

What year was Oneida founded?

In 1854, according to Wikidata. Oneida’s post office opened in 1855.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

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 Wikimedia Commons (4), Wikidata (1), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), 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.