Pontoosuc Township, Hancock County, Illinois
township in Hancock County, Illinois
Pontoosuc Township is one of twenty-four townships in Hancock County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 365 and it contained 218 housing units.
Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Pontoosuc Township has a total area of 19.87 square miles (51.46 km2), of which 18.47 square miles (47.84 km2) (or 92.96%) is land and 1.40 square miles (3.63 km2) (or 7.04%) is water.
Cities, towns, villages
Dallas City (partial)
Pontoosuc
Cemeteries
The township contains these four cemeteries: Little Family, Myers, Pontoosuc and Tull.
Major highways
Illinois Route 9
Airports and landing strips
Rhea RLA Airport
Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 365 people, 120 households, and 74 families residing in the township. The population density was 18.37 inhabitants per square mile (7.09/km2). There were 218 housing units at an average density of 10.97 per square mile (4.24/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 96.99% White, 0.27% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 2.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.37% of the population.
There were 120 households, out of which 35.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.83% were married couples living together, 5.83% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 38.33% were non-families. 35.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 24.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Pontoosuc Township, Hancock County, Illinois” as township in Hancock County, Illinois. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as township in Hancock County, Illinois. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 9, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5648750. Authority coordinates are 40.596, -91.223. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020 and 2021.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Pontoosuc Township, Hancock County, Illinois”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Pontoosuc Township, Hancock County, Illinois primary sources, Pontoosuc Township, Hancock County, Illinois archive and Pontoosuc research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Pontoosuc Township, Hancock County, Illinois”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Pontoosuc Township, Hancock County, Illinois” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.