[2] Judyville's founder John Finley Judy, born in Ohio on 18 March 1856, arrived in Warren County in 1867 with his parents Skillman and Sarah.

The subjects of Judy's enterprises were diverse and included livestock, vehicles, farming equipment, groceries, dry goods and various supplies, blacksmithing, undertaking, grain elevators and real estate.

[3] By the turn of the century, Judy's farm in Liberty Township (already known by that time as Judyville) had become an industrial village containing "six barns, one of them being the largest in Warren County, thirteen dwelling houses, a hotel, an office building and numerous outbuildings ... provided with telephonic communication, there being ten distinct lines of operation.".

[3] The site being remote, Judy convinced the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad to build an eight-mile-long rail line to his farm from their trunk in Vermilion County, Illinois, and also minted a limited form of currency known as "Judy Money" which was accepted both in the village and throughout the Warren County area.

Judyville is located along the western border of the township, about 7 miles (11 km) northwest of the county seat of Williamsport in fertile farmland and sits on a gentle rise with an elevation of approximately 770 feet.