Williamsfield, Illinois
human settlement in Knox County, Illinois, United States of America
Williamsfield is a village in Knox County, Illinois, United States. The population was 575 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
E.B. Purcell laid out the village in 1888, and a post office was established. The village was reportedly named for a Santa Fe Railroad contractor named Williams.
Geography
Williamsfield is located in eastern Knox County 21 miles (34 km) east of Galesburg, the county seat. Illinois Route 180 runs through the east side of the village, leading north 18 miles (29 km) to Galva and south 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to U.S. Route 150.
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Williamsfield has a total area of 1.23 square miles (3.19 km2), all land.
Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 575 people, 206 households, and 133 families residing in the village. The population density was 467.10 inhabitants per square mile (180.35/km2).
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Williamsfield, Illinois” as human settlement in Knox County, Illinois, United States of America. 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 human settlement in Knox County, Illinois, United States of America. 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 Apr 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2331025. VIAF identifies the subject as 160878035. The Library of Congress control number is no2010207878. Authority coordinates are 40.924, -90.017. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 1888 and 2021.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. 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 “Williamsfield, Illinois”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Williamsfield, Illinois primary sources, Williamsfield, Illinois archive and Williamsfield 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 “Williamsfield, Illinois”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Williamsfield, 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.