Sorted by Illinois census & voter lists | Sort by Count |
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Illinois, U.S., State Census Collection, 1825-1865 | 690,833 |
U.S., Census Reconstructed Records, 1660-1820 | 171,563 |
U.S., Indexed Early Land Ownership and Township Plats, 1785-1898 | 165,796 |
Illinois, U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1790-1890 | 47,577 |
Illinois Census Returns, 1820 | 471 |
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Sorted by Illinois birth, marriage & death | Sort by Count |
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Illinois, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1800-1940 | 5,480,909 |
U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970 | 4,566,787 |
U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Swedish American Church Records, 1800-1947 | 3,655,095 |
Illinois, U.S., Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947 | 2,881,376 |
Illinois, U.S., Marriage Index, 1860-1920 | 2,294,483 |
View all Illinois birth, marriage & death (40) |
Sorted by Illinois immigration & emigration | Sort by Count |
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Illinois, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1856-1991 | 7,260,800 |
U.S., Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791-1992 (Indexed in World Archives Project)Free | 5,810,303 |
Northern District, Illinois, U.S., Naturalization Index, 1926-1979 | 550,929 |
Chicago, Illinois, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists of Airplanes 1943-1963 | 273,301 |
View other immigration & emigration collections related to Illinois (47) |
Sorted by Illinois newspapers & periodicals | Sort by Count |
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Illinois, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-current | 767,579,474 |
Genealogical material collected by the Illinois D.A.R. : presented to Newberry Library | 130 |
View other newspapers & periodicals collections related to Illinois (104) |
Sorted by Illinois pictures | Sort by Count |
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There are no pictures collections unique to Illinois | |
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Sorted by Illinois directories & member lists | Sort by Count |
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U.S., Chicago and North Western Railroad Employment Records, 1935-1970Free | 1,095,637 |
U.S., Selected States Dutch Reformed Church Membership Records, 1701-1995 | 465,389 |
U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Membership Records, 1856-1970 | 210,143 |
Illinois, U.S., Compiled Records from Lockport Area Genealogical and Historical Society, 1811-1990Free | 99,767 |
U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Vital Records, 1856-1970 | 52,945 |
View all Illinois directories & member lists (31) |
Sorted by Illinois court, land, wills & financial | Sort by Count |
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Illinois, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1772-1999 | 1,707,962 |
Illinois, U.S., Public Land Purchase Records, 1813-1909 | 546,064 |
U.S., Census Reconstructed Records, 1660-1820 | 171,563 |
U.S., Indexed Early Land Ownership and Township Plats, 1785-1898 | 165,796 |
U.S., Homestead Records, 1863-1908 | 107,521 |
View all Illinois court, land, wills & financial (24) |
Sorted by Illinois dictionaries, encyclopedias & reference | Sort by Count |
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Index to the Transactions of the Ill. State Historical Society and other publications of the Ills. State Historical Library | 1,323 |
The county archives of the state of Illinois | 870 |
Gould's blue book for the city of St. Louis, 1913 | 807 |
Collections of the Illinois State Historical Library. | 662 |
Index to names in twenty-six volumes of Illinois records | 616 |
View all Illinois dictionaries, encyclopedias & reference (19) |
Sorted by Illinois maps, atlases & gazetteers | Sort by Count |
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U.S., Indexed Early Land Ownership and Township Plats, 1785-1898 | 165,796 |
A gazetteer of the states of Illinois and Missouri | 351 |
A gazetteer of Illinois | 336 |
View other maps, atlases & gazetteers collections related to Illinois (12) |
Sorted by Illinois stories, memories & histories | Sort by Count |
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History of Illinois and her people | 3,077 |
The winning of the West | 1,736 |
History of the Swedes of Illinois | 1,595 |
History of the Illinois River Valley | 1,579 |
A compendium of Freemasonry in Illinois | 1,526 |
View all Illinois stories, memories & histories (388) |
A genealogical history
Statehood: 3 December 1818
Capital: Springfield
Largest City: Chicago
Counties: 102
State motto: State Sovereignty, National Union
State nickname: The Prairie State
Neighboring states: Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Iowa
Transportation Building, World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, Illinois, 1893
Interesting facts
- Following the French and Indian War in 1763, pioneers from the eastern colonies of New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the Carolina began moving westward to present-day Illinois, traveling along the Cumberland Road and via the Great Lakes.
- When the Illinois & Michigan (I&M) Canal was completed in 1848, it created a water route from the East Coast to the Mississippi River. Travelers could take the Erie Canal to Buffalo and from there westward via the Great Lakes to Chicago. The I&M Canal would take them from there on a 96-mile trip to the Illinois River, which was the last leg of the journey to the Mississippi River. Its completion secured Chicago's future as a transportation hub.
- On 8 October 1871, a fire swept through Chicago, killing hundreds of people and scorching about four square miles. The Chicago fire was actually one of four fires that were sparked that night near Lake Michigan. Fires in Peshtigo, Wisconsin; Holland, Michigan; and Manistee, Michigan, also flared and spread quickly due drought and high winds.
Featured Illinois collections
Famous people
Help and advice
Resources
Illinois Census Research
Federal censuses for the state of Illinois began in 1820. They were taken every ten years and are available through 1920, except for 1890. The mostly destroyed 1890 census exists only for Mound Township, McDonough County.
The following state and territorial censuses are available for Illinois:
- 1810: Territorial censuses include inhabitants of Randolph County in 1810.
- 1818: An incomplete territorial census exists
- 1820: Covers all of Illinois except Edwards County
- 1825: Edwards, Fulton, Montgomery and Randolph counties only.
- 1830: Morgan County only (includes present counties of Cass, Morgan, and Scott)
- 1835: Fayette, Fulton, Jasper, Union and Morgan counties (includes present counties of Cass, Morgan, and Scott)
- 1840: Thirty-five counties included. Consult Descriptive Inventory of the Archives of the State of Illinois (see Archives, Libraries, and Societies) for list of counties.
- 1845: Cass, Adams, Putnam, and Tazewell counties only
- 1855: All counties except Carroll, Champaign, Franklin, Gallatin, Henry, Jefferson, Lake, Stark, Will, and Woodford
- 1865: All counties except Gallatin, Mason, Monroe, and Tazewell (Elm Township in Tazewell County has survived)
Illinois Vital Records
Birth and death records in Illinois were kept on a statewide basis from January 1, 1916. Some records are found in the individual counties as early as 1871, and occasionally earlier. Marriage records continue to be kept on a county level for most areas, though the state has kept an index to these records since 1962.
- Illinois Department of Public Health: Holds records of births and deaths from January 1, 1916 and marriages from 1962. For earlier records, contact the clerk of the county where the event was recorded. See the online indexes from the Illinois State Archives for help in locating a record.
- Illinois State Archives: In partnership with the Illinois Genealogical Society and the Illinois State Department of Health, the State Archives provides searchable statewide indexes of marriages and deaths. The indexes contain information on how to order copies of original documents. In addition, vital records indexes for selected counties are available through IRAD, the Illinois Regional Archives Depositories. See the llinois State Archives Databases page for a list of available indexes.
- Cook County Clerk’s office provides a searchable index of birth, marriage, and death records from Cook County (covers Chicago).
Illinois Research Resources
The organizations listed below provide information about Illinois history and genealogy. In addition to these state-level resources, many counties and towns maintain important genealogical collections in local libraries, genealogical societies, or historical societies, so check for a local resource when researching.
Statewide Research Resources
- Illinois State Archives
- Illinois State Library
- Illinois State Historical Society
- Illinois State Genealogical Society
- Illinois GenWeb
- Illinois Digital Archives
- The National Archives at Chicago: This facility maintains records from Federal agencies and courts in Illinois, including census, military, court, naturalization, and immigration records.
- Bureau of Land Management (BLM) General Land Office Records: The BLM administers Federal Land for public land states including Illinois, and maintains records of land patents which granted land from the Federal Government to individuals. Use the Land Patent Search to locate land grants by name. Many record images are available on the web site. See the FAQ for more information on how to locate and use land patents.
Specialty and Regional Research
- Chicago History Museum’s Family Research page
- The Newberry Library: Maintains a Genealogy Research page. Digital collections include Chicago Ancestors.
- Illinois Digital Newspaper collections
- Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library’s Genealogy page