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County · code 17155

Putnam CountyIllinois

Putnam County, Illinois, is a 160-square-mile county with its seat in Hennepin, created in 1825. The county was named after Israel Putnam.

  • Founded1825
  • County seatHennepin
  • Named forIsrael Putnam
  • Land area160 sq mi + 12 sq mi water
  • Population5,637 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped7,538 checked 16 October 2026
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Updated

MarshallBureau Hennepin Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Putnam on the map of Illinois

Illinois has 102 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Adams CountyAlexander CountyBond CountyBoone CountyBrown CountyBureau CountyCalhoun CountyCarroll CountyCass CountyChampaign CountyChristian CountyClark CountyClay CountyClinton CountyColes CountyCook CountyCrawford CountyCumberland CountyDeKalb CountyDe Witt CountyDouglas CountyDuPage CountyEdgar CountyEdwards CountyEffingham CountyFayette CountyFord CountyFranklin CountyFulton CountyGallatin CountyGreene CountyGrundy CountyHamilton CountyHancock CountyHardin CountyHenderson CountyHenry CountyIroquois CountyJackson CountyJasper CountyJefferson CountyJersey CountyJo Daviess CountyJohnson CountyKane CountyKankakee CountyKendall CountyKnox CountyLake CountyLaSalle CountyLawrence CountyLee CountyLivingston CountyLogan CountyMcDonough CountyMcHenry CountyMcLean CountyMacon CountyMacoupin CountyMadison CountyMarion CountyMarshall CountyMason CountyMassac CountyMenard CountyMercer CountyMonroe CountyMontgomery CountyMorgan CountyMoultrie CountyOgle CountyPeoria CountyPerry CountyPiatt CountyPike CountyPope CountyPulaski CountyRandolph CountyRichland CountyRock Island CountySt. Clair CountySaline CountySangamon CountySchuyler CountyScott CountyShelby CountyStark CountyStephenson CountyTazewell CountyUnion CountyVermilion CountyWabash CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyWayne CountyWhite CountyWhiteside CountyWill CountyWilliamson CountyWinnebago CountyWoodford CountyPutnam County Putnam
Counties of Illinois · Putnam highlighted

History

Formed in 1825 from Edgar County and Fulton County

An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.

Putnam County was created on January 13, 1825, from parts of Edgar and Fulton Counties. The county's boundaries changed frequently in its early decades through a series of border adjustments and the creation of neighboring counties including Jo Daviess, Cook, La Salle, Henry, Knox, Bureau, Marshall, and Stark.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; the 5 that matter most are shown first.

  1. 1825
    Putnam County created Putnam created from Non-County Area 4 attached to Edgar and Non-County Area 5 attached to Fulton.
    from Edgarfrom Fulton
    · Ill. Laws 1824-1825, pp. 85-87, 92-96
  2. 1827
    Lost territory Putnam lost to creation of Jo Daviess.
    to Jo Daviess
    · Ill. Rev. Code 1826-1827, pp. 117-118
  3. 1831
    Gained territory Putnam gained from Jo Daviess and Non-County Area 6 attached to Tazewell; lost to creation of Cook, La Salle, and Non-County Areas 8 and 9; and lost to Henry and Knox.
    from Jo Daviessfrom Tazewellfrom Cookfrom La Sallefrom Henryfrom Knox
    · Ill. Laws 1830-1831, pp. 54-57, 62-63
  4. 1837
    Lost territory Putnam lost to creation of Bureau.
    to Bureau
    · Ill. Laws 1836-1837, pp. 93-95
  5. 1839
    Lost territory Putnam lost to creation of Marshall.
    to Marshall
    · Ill. Laws 1838-1839, pp. 43-45
Show all 8 changes (3 more, mostly small adjustments)
  1. 1825
    Putnam County created Putnam created from Non-County Area 4 attached to Edgar and Non-County Area 5 attached to Fulton.
    from Edgarfrom Fulton
    · Ill. Laws 1824-1825, pp. 85-87, 92-96
  2. 1827
    Lost territory Putnam lost to creation of Jo Daviess.
    to Jo Daviess
    · Ill. Rev. Code 1826-1827, pp. 117-118
  3. 1831
    Gained territory Putnam gained from Jo Daviess and Non-County Area 6 attached to Tazewell; lost to creation of Cook, La Salle, and Non-County Areas 8 and 9; and lost to Henry and Knox.
    from Jo Daviessfrom Tazewellfrom Cookfrom La Sallefrom Henryfrom Knox
    · Ill. Laws 1830-1831, pp. 54-57, 62-63
  4. 1837
    Changed Legislature authorized creation of Coffee (proposed) from Putnam, Henry, and Knox, dependent on local referendum that failed (no change).
    CoffeeHenryKnox
    · Ill. Laws 1836-1837, pp. 86-88
  5. 1837
    Lost territory Putnam lost to creation of Bureau.
    to Bureau
    · Ill. Laws 1836-1837, pp. 93-95
  6. 1839
    Lost territory Putnam lost to creation of Marshall.
    to Marshall
    · Ill. Laws 1838-1839, pp. 43-45
  7. 1839
    Lost territory Putnam lost to Bureau and lost to creation of Stark. Legislature authorized Putnam to gain townships 31, 32 and 33 south of the Big Vermilion River, range 1 east, from La Salle, dependent on local referendum that failed (no change).
    to Bureauto Starkto La Salle
    · Ill. Laws 1838-1839, pp. 229-232, 241
  8. 1851
    Changed Legislature authorized Putnam to gain from La Salle townships 31 and 32 north, range 1 east, dependent on local referendum that failed (no change).
    La Salle
    · Ill. Laws 1851, gen., pp. 111-112

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Putnam

Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.

Official
from the office that keeps the record
Good enough
a reliable statewide or national copy
Fallback
a guide only; check the official record
Missing
nothing public found yet

People and land

Putnam by the Census

Population
5,637 2020 Census count
Housing units
3,057 2020 Census count
Land area
160 square miles
Water area
12 square miles
People per sq mi
35 population ÷ land area

Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Rules and offices

Putnam County's official site

We have found the county's site but not its offices yet; start there.

County government

See your own lot on these maps

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Questions

Common questions about Putnam County

When was Putnam County founded?
Putnam County was founded in 1825, formed from Edgar County and Fulton County, and named after Israel Putnam.
What is the county seat of Putnam County?
The county seat of Putnam County is Hennepin.
Is there an online parcel map for Putnam County?
Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 7,538 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Putnam County's boundary or name changed?
Putnam County was created in 1825 from Edgar County and Fulton County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 4 later changes, chiefly involving Jo Daviess County, Bureau County and Cook County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Putnam County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

Counties next door