Map of Fidelity village, Illinois

Fidelity is a village in Jersey County, Illinois, United States, located about thirty-five miles north of Saint Louis, Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the village had a total population of 96.

The village is usually noted for its postmark.

Fidelity village overview:
Name:	Fidelity village
LSAD Code:	47
LSAD Description:	village (suffix)
State:	Illinois
County:	Jersey County
Elevation:	633 ft (193 m)
Total Area:	0.10 sq mi (0.26 km²)
Land Area:	0.10 sq mi (0.26 km²)
Water Area:	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)
Total Population:	96
Population Density:	950.50/sq mi (365.86/km²)
Area code:	618
FIPS code:	1725960
GNISfeature ID:	2398873

Online Interactive Map

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Fidelity online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Fidelity location map. Where is Fidelity village?

Fidelity location on the U.S. Map. Where is Fidelity village. — Fidelity location on the U.S. Map.

Fidelity location on the Illinois map. Where is Fidelity village. — Location of Fidelity in Illinois.

History

In 1829, people from Tennessee reportedly traveled across this site. According to local legend, a horse belonging to settler Joseph Russell went lame, stranding Russell, who was offered a replacement horse by another settler, Samuel Simmons.

The legend continues that Russell replied, “That’s true fidelity.”

In another version of events, Joseph Russell and his brother William were traveling from Hawkins County, TN, to Missouri. They were looking for cheap, good land. They set up camp in present day Fidelity. They hobbled their horses and went to sleep. When they woke, they found that William’s horse had tried to escape and injured its foot. Stuck with only one horse, William said “Joseph, you take my horse to finish the trip and get back to East Tennessee, and I’ll stay here and keep your horse with me until his foot gets well.” William exclaimed “Well, that’s what I call real fidelity!” William continued to St Louis, surveyed a tract of land, and went back to Tennessee. On July 31, 1849, William wrote to Joseph about his intentions to name the town ” Fidelity.”

Simmons built a log cabin there, and in 1850, Russell and his brother also settled in the area. The Russell brothers are credited with having ensured the town was officially named Fidelity. A post office was established in the village in 1854. During the mid-20th century, Fidelity was reportedly the site of “a small Army barracks, grain elevator, several doctors and dentists, a blacksmith shop and grocery stores.”

Since then, Fidelity has become a tiny village made up mostly of small homes. The post office is now the only remaining business and its postmark has enjoyed some popularity for use on Valentine’s day greetings, with several hundred requests for cancellations received from addresses both in the United States and around the world each year.