Dorr Township, Illinois-- Named for the Arrested Governor Who Wasn't From Illinois

In February I had a lot of entries about the 15th Illinois Infantry Regiment in my Saw the Elephant: Civil War blog.  The regiment had several companies from McHenry County where I live, including Company A that was mainly from Woodstock, Illinois, where our McHenry County Civil War Round Table meets every second Tuesday of the month.

We have a meeting this Tuesday, March 12 on Jonathan Letterman (no relation to David) who is credited as "The Father of Battlefield Medicine."

Anyway, I found a site that gave the residences of every member of Company A.  Most had Woodstock as their residence, and others had other McHenry County towns.  But. there were a few other places listed that after some research, I found to be McHenry County townships: Seneca, Greenwood Dorr and Hartland.  I had to look up the townships of McHenry County as I did not know most of them other than Burton, where we live, Richmond and McHenry.

When I looked up Dorr Township at its official site, I found it was named after Governor Thomas Wilson Dorr who had a "dramatically colorful record in the annals of American history, serving a jail sentence from which he was later acquitted by a Supreme Court decision."

Well, being from Illinois, I am well aware of the penchant for our governors finding themselves imprisoned.

So, I looked up Illinois' Governor Dorr.  Only, Illinois has never had a Governor Dorr.

The Plot Thickens.  --Cooter

Something Fishy in Fox Lake on September 16

Tomorrow, at 9:30 a.m., the Fox Lake Grant Township Area Historical Society will be having a monthly meeting at the Grant Hall Museum at 411 Washington Street in Ingleside, Illinois.

Topic of the meeting will be Commercial Fishing and Seining for Carp.

2017 marks the 20th anniversary of the organization, same as the 20th anniversary of the McHenry County Civil War Round Table which I also am a member.

Always something interesting.

--Cooter