He settled in Section 8 and that year broke a small patch of prairie and raised a crop of sod corn.

There had been land cultivated within its boundaries, years before but by parties living outside the immediate area not citizens of the township.

William Nixon and Smith Fuller of DeWitt Township rode on horseback to Houston, Texas, in 1856 to buy 500 sheep each.

Grains of corn, wheat and oats were to become the main cash crops and were delivered to market by wagon westerly to Clinton and northeast to Mt.

During the frozen seasons, delivery was made to Decatur by wagon on roads, or sled on the ice of Friends Creek, running in a southerly direction to the Sangamon River, and to the processing plant of A E. Staley Co Grain.

On one crossroad a store, blacksmith shop and a schoolhouse formed the first settlement of Shoo Fly and was directly northeast of the present village of Weldon.

With many bushels of grain and many head of cattle to be marketed, accompanied by a demand for raw materials, a railroad was soon found to be needed.

At this time the government entered the picture and gave every sixth mile of land to a division of the Wabash, St Louis & Pacific Railway.

This was used to form a railroad called "The Peanut Line," which ran from Champaign to Havana, Illinois, a total of 110 miles.

In 1872 a town of Weldon was laid out adjacent to the railroad, and stores were built one block north of the present main street.

The village of Weldon, Illinois, was surveyed and platted by surveyor John Brown, in the spring of 1872.

Charles S. Lisenby, rich landowner, sold his land in parts, invested in and helped develop the village of Weldon.

Grains of corn, wheat and oats were to become the main cash crops and were delivered to market by wagon westerly to Clinton and northeast to Mt.

During the frozen seasons, delivery was made to Decatur by wagon on roads, or sled on the ice of Friends Creek, running in a southerly direction to the Sangamon River, and to the processing plant of A E. Staley Co Grain.

On one crossroad a store, blacksmith shop and a schoolhouse formed the first settlement of Shoo Fly and was directly northeast of the present village of Weldon.

It boasted two hotels, two general stores, a grocer, two restaurants, a confectionery, a meat market, a drug store, one millinery shop, operated by Nora Reed (Baker), two barber shops, a lumber and coal yard and three grain elevators.

Thomas owned a loom and in her home she wove many rag carpels, which were sold around Weldon.

Mr. George W. Baker sold furniture, farm implements, silverware, jewelry, etc., in his store.

The first meeting of the board of trustees of the village was held in Worship Gray's office, August 15, 1892.

Seaborg, a committee was appointed to draft a municipal code for the government of the village of Weldon.

More information may be found at https://dewitt.illinoisgenweb.org/nixon.htm and at http://www.archive.org/stream/honortoourherita00weld/honortoourherita00weld_djvu.txt [3] According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Nixon Township has a total area of 27.53 square miles (71.30 km2), all land.