Waddams Grove, previously known as Wadam's, Waddam's Grove, and Sada, is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in the

Stephenson County Stephenson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 47,711. Its county seat is Freeport. Stephenson County is included in the Freeport, IL Micropolitan Statist ...

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Waddams Grove was the first settlement in Stephenson County. It is located northwest of

Lena Lena or LENA may refer to: Places * Léna Department, a department of Houet Province in Burkina Faso * Lena, Manitoba, an unincorporated community located in Killarney-Turtle Mountain municipality in Manitoba, Canada * Lena, Norway, a village in � ...

. The community is near the site of the

Battle of Waddams Grove The Battle of Waddams Grove, also known as the Battle of Yellow Creek was part of the Black Hawk War. It took place in present-day Stephenson County, Illinois on June 18, 1832. After several incidents of Sauk Indian raids on settlers along the ...

which took place during the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", crosse ...

History

Toward the end of the summer of 1832,

William Waddams William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conques ...

, and his sons Hiram and Nelson, arrived in Stephenson County and founded Waddams Grove following the end of the Black Hawk War.History of Stephenson County
Retrieved on August 18, 2007 This created the first permanent settlement in the county, and paved the way for future settlements. Waddams moved his family from

Jo Daviess County Jo Daviess County () is the northwesternmost county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 22,678. Its county seat is Galena. Jo Daviess County is part of the Tri-State Area and is located near D ...

in the spring of 1833 to the new settlement, and built his home there. Waddams would stay in the community until his death after having lived in other settlements including in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...

, and

Galena, Illinois Galena is the largest city in and the county seat of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, with a population of 3,308 at the 2020 census. A section of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Galena Historic District. The ci ...

. Waddams Grove is considered the launching spot for all other settlements in Stephenson County; most settlers stopped at Waddams Grove before moving on to their land claims. From 1832-1836, Waddams Grove continued to see strong growth. When Stephenson County was established in 1837, the settlement was not one of the settlements selected for the future location of the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

. The settlement's first

U.S. Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the Federal government of the Uni ...

opened on March 31, 1838, and would continue to function in the village of Waddams Grove until July 28, 1859.Illinois Family History Research: Place Names of the 33 Western Counties
Retrieved on August 19, 2007 The village changed its name to Wadam's, and then again changed its name to Sada. Sada changed its name back to Waddams Grove on January 14, 1876, and the name remains to this day.

Notes

External links

USGS
{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Stephenson County, Illinois Unincorporated communities in Illinois Populated places established in 1832 Black Hawk War 1832 establishments in Illinois