The county is named for John Hancock, he of the conspicuous signature on the Declaration of Independence. He was the first Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachussetts.
Hancock county was formed in 1825 from parts of Pike County. Its first county seat was located in Montebello on the banks of the Mississippi River. The seat was moved to Carthage in 1833.
Around 1839, the Mormons came to the town of Commerce. The settlement was renamed Nauvoo meaning "Beautiful Place". From 1839-1846, Nauvoo was Illinois' largest town with a population of about 20,000 and was the most politically powerful town in the state.
The population on July 1, 1999, was 20,965, a decrease of 408 over the 1990 census.
For information on county government, contact the National Association of Counties Web site.
Additional information is available at these pages: