McConnell is an unincorporated community in Waddams Township

Waddams Township, Stephenson County, Illinois

Waddams Township is located in Stephenson County, Illinois. The population was 807 at the 2010 census, down from 872 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of McConnell and Damascus are located in the township, and once New Pennsylvania was located here also.On March 6, 1848 the...

 in Stephenson County

Stephenson County, Illinois

As of the census of 2000, there were 48,979 people, 19,785 households, and 13,473 families residing in the county. The population density was 87 people per square mile . There were 21,713 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...

, Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. McConnell is 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Orangeville

Orangeville, Illinois

Orangeville is a village in Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 793 at the 2010 census, up from 751 at the 2000 census. The area's earliest white settlers arrived in 1833 and the village was platted in 1851 by John Bower, who is considered the village founder. In 1867...

, 7 miles (11.3 km) Northeast of Lena

Lena, Illinois

Lena is a village in Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,912 at the 2010 census.-History:In 1853, a railroad survey by B. Dornblazer determined a course through present-day Lena, IL. Samuel F. Dodds, who owned of land in the area, purchased an additional tract of on...

 and 7 miles (11.3 km) Southeast of Winslow

Winslow, Illinois

Winslow is a village in Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 338 at the 2010 census, down from 345 at the 2000 census-Government:Mayor of Winslow is James Basswood. Treasurer is Lynn Towers. Clerk is Marty Campbell...

. McConnell has a post office

Post office

A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...

 with ZIP code

ZIP Code

ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...

 61050.

History

In 1836, John Dennison claimed 1000 acres (4 km²) east of the Pecatonica River

Pecatonica River

The Pecatonica River is a tributary of the Rock River, long, in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois in the United States.The word Pecatonica is an anglicization of two Algonquian language words: Bekaa , which means "slow", and niba, which means "water", forming the conjunction Bekaaniba or...

 for the purpose of starting a town. The area was heavily timbered and required a saw mill, which was erected north of the grove on a small creek in the spring of the year. This mill, located on Muddy Creek, was operated by Dennison and John Van Zant.

During the following year, Dennison and Van Zant plotted the town with Van Zant acting as surveyor. Stephenson County abstracts prove that the town was to be called either "Pennsylvania" or "New Pennsylvania".

By the spring of 1838, Dennison and Van Zant had made several land improvements and sold all of it, including the mill, to Robert McConnell

Robert W. McConnell

Robert McConnell was an early settler in Illinois, namesake of McConnell, Illinois. He served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1846 to 1848...

. McConnell then changed the name to "McConnell's Grove". Due to the fact that Galena

Galena, Illinois

Galena is the county seat of, and largest city in, Jo Daviess County, Illinois in the United States, with a population of 3,429 in 2010. The city is a popular tourist destination known for its history, historical architecture, and ski and golf resorts. Galena was the residence of Ulysses S...

 was the nearest town to acquire supplies and mail, McConnell built a storehouse and went to Galena to purchase goods to start a trading post.

On March 11, 1842 the land Robert McConnell received from Dennison and Van Zant was deeded from the United States to McConnell from the Land Office in Dixon

Dixon, Illinois

Dixon is a city in Lee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,733 as of the 2010 census, down from 15,941 at the 2000 census. Named for its founder, John Dixon , it is the county seat of Lee County. Located on the Rock River, Dixon was the boyhood home of former U.S...

.