SHELBY, county, Ill. Situated a little S. E. of the centre of the state, and contains 1,030 square ms. Watered by Kaskaskia r. and its tributaries, and head branches of the s. fork of Sangamon r. The surface consists of timber land and prairie; soil, very fertile. Capital, Shelbyville. There were in 1840, neat cattle 8,423, sheep 6,693, swine 20,862; wheat 18,595 bush. produced, Ind. corn 385,220, oats 74,392, potatoes 6,729; 16 stores, cap. $45,299; 3 tanneries, 4 distilleries, 2 flouring m., 18 grist m., 13 saw m. Cap. in manufac. $69,570. 18 schools 427 scholars. Pop. 6,659. (Haskell's Complete Descriptive and Statistical Gazetteer of the the United States...,1843)
SHELBY COUNTY, situated in the central part of Illinois, and traversed by Kaskaskia river. Area, 1,080 square miles. Soil, in many parts, fertile. Seat of justice, Shelbyville. Pop. in 1830, 2,972; in 1840, 6,639; in 1850, 7,807. (Fanning's, 1853)
SHELBY COUNTY A county in the south-east central part of III., has an area of 790 square miles. It is intersect by the Kaskaskia river, dividing it into nearly equal parts, and also drained by the Little Wabash and by the south fork of Sangamon rivers. The surface is moderately undulating and diversified by prairie and forests. The soil is fertile, well watered and easily cultivated. A portion of the Grand Prairie is included in this county. The timber is mostly distributed along the rivers and creeks. Indian corn, wheat, oats, potatoes, pork and butter are the staples. It contains twelve churches and 869 pupils attending public schools. The line of the Illinois Central railroad and the Alton and Terre Haute railroad run through the county. Capital, Shelbyville. Population, about 8,000. (Hawes' Illinois State Gazetteer...,1859)