Illinois…

entered the Union on this date in 1818, the 21st state. Illinois takes its name from the Illinois Confederation — a group of Algonquian-speaking tribes native to the area. “Illinois” means tribe of superior men.

NewMexiKen’s grandmother, Lulubelle Cook, was born in Illinois in 1890. One of her great grandfathers, John Perisho, homesteaded in Illinois in 1826. See the land patents here and here.

Abraham Lincoln moved to Illinois in 1830.