Places

Dundee Township, Illinois

Dundee Township is a civil township in Kane County, Illinois. Among the earliest documented settlers were families who arrived from the northeastern United States during the late 1830s, establishing the agricultural community that would anchor the township through the nineteenth century. By the turn of the twentieth century, the township was characterized by well-maintained highways and cross-roads, highly cultivated farms, dairy stock with well-bred animals, and substantial farm homes. (Source: *Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Kane County* (1904))

History

By October 1837, families from New England and other northeastern states were settling in Dundee Township. One documented early arrival was the Larkin family, who came to Dundee Township in October 1837 after emigrating from Vermont. Their son, Cyrus H. Larkin, had been born in Waterville, Franklin County, Vermont on May 20, 1830 and was brought to Illinois by his parents in early childhood. (Source: Past and Present of Kane County, Illinois (1878))

Among the settlers arriving in 1837 was John Farrell, a native of Ireland born in 1803 who had come to the United States in boyhood. Farrell located in Dundee Township in 1837 with the first settlers, and by the time of his death in 1879 had accumulated approximately 900 acres of land within the township — a holding that reflects both the scale of early land acquisition in Kane County and the long tenure of pioneer farming families on the land they first claimed. (Source: Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Kane County (1904))

The Larkin family's presence in Dundee Township appears to have been relatively brief. According to the 1878 county history, they relocated to neighboring Elgin Township in 1841, suggesting that population movement between townships was common during the early settlement period. (Source: Past and Present of Kane County, Illinois (1878))

Agricultural land in and around Dundee Township was reportedly quite valuable by the time the county history was compiled in 1878. Cyrus H. Larkin, by then farming in Elgin Township, had accumulated some 500 acres valued at $40,000 — a figure that reflects the broader prosperity of Kane County farmland in the Gilded Age era. (Source: Past and Present of Kane County, Illinois (1878))

Dundee is shown as a voting precinct on the first division map of Kane County, reflecting its early administrative significance in the region. (Source: Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Kane County (1904))

Population figures recorded across the second half of the nineteenth century reveal an interesting demographic pattern. The township itself saw a decline in population between 1850 and 1900, dropping from 1,374 residents to 1,040, while the villages within the township grew substantially over the same period. West Dundee grew from 911 residents in 1850 to 1,170 in 1900; East Dundee grew from 759 to 1,348; and Carpentersville grew from 591 to 1,417. This pattern suggests a broader trend of population consolidating in incorporated villages rather than dispersed rural areas of the township. (Source: Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Kane County (1904))

The township borders Burlington Township, with the two sharing a common boundary line. A railroad station at Lily Lake, located approximately six miles easterly of the township, served the broader area. (Source: Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Kane County (1904))

Dundee Township is covered in Chapter XXIII of the History of Kane County, Illinois published by Joslyn in 1908, beginning at page 841. The same chapter also covers the nearby town of Dundee (page 835) and Carpentersville (page 837), grouping these closely associated communities together. (Source: History of Kane County, Ill., Vol. 1 (Joslyn, 1908))

Notable Associations

  • Cyrus H. Larkin — Born in Vermont in 1830, Larkin arrived in Dundee Township with his family in October 1837, making them among the earliest documented settlers of the township. The family later removed to Elgin Township in 1841. He subsequently became a prominent farmer and served two terms on the Board of Supervisors for Elgin Township. (Source: Past and Present of Kane County, Illinois (1878))
  • John Farrell — Born in Ireland in 1803, Farrell settled in Dundee Township in 1837 among the first wave of pioneers. He accumulated approximately 900 acres of land in the township over the course of his life and remained there until his death in 1879. His wife, Catherine Donovan Farrell, died in 1865. (Source: Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Kane County (1904))
  • William Farrell — Son of John and Catherine Farrell, born April 12, 1840 in Dundee Township, making him among the earliest native-born residents of the settlement. He established himself on a farm in 1868 and served as Road Commissioner for twenty years, as well as holding other township offices. He married Catherine McCartney in 1868; she died in 1880, having had four children. (Source: Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Kane County (1904))

Sources

  • The Past and Present of Kane County, Illinois (1878). Available at archive.org.
  • History of Kane County, Illinois, Vol. 1, ed. Joslyn (1908). Available at archive.org.
  • Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Kane County (1904). Available at archive.org; also offset-4521374.