Montgomery County, Illinois Genealogy

Guide to Montgomery County, Illinois ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.



Description
Montgomery County was named for General Montgomery, who was an Irish-born Revolutionary War General most famous for leading the failed 1775 invasion of Canada. . The county seat is Hillsboro and the county was organized in 1821. The county is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Montgomery County Courthouse 120 N Main St Hillsboro, IL 62049 Phone: 217-532-9540   Montgomery County Courthouse

County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for Montgomery County are kept, see the Montgomery County Courthouse page.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Biographies

 * The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois has a Montgomery County edition. This includes a state history section along with a county history and biographies of Montgomery County residents. See the wiki article for links to available copies and indexes.

Census Records
Censuses indexes from Montgomery County Genealogical Society Federal Census Publications are available through the Montgomery County Genealogical Society of the 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1910 Federal Census transcriptions for Montgomery County, Illinois. State Census 1825 1855

 1840 Pensioners
 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. Washington, D.C., 1841. ; . Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Illinois, Montgomery County on page 187.

Church Records
 List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

 Baptist  Lutheran  Presbyterian
 * 1818-1950 Old Hurricane Church Primitive Baptist of Montgomery County, Illinois Other libraries (WorldCat) Typescript. Includes index.
 * 1823-1837 Minutes of the Sangamon United (later Regular) Baptist Association
 * 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1866-1947 Mt.Zion Lutheran Church
 * 1852-1952 Waveland Presbyterian Church
 * The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois has a Montgomery County edition. Church information can be found in the township histories beginning on page 848. See the wiki article for links to available copies and indexes.
 * Perrin, William Henry. History of Bond and Montgomery County. Chicago: O.L. Baskin Historical Publishers, 1882. Internet Archive Digital Online Copy Begining on page 232 is a history of churches in Hillsboro. Search within township histories, beginning on page 248, for other county church information.

Court Records
See Illinois Court Records for more information. Original probate records are usually held by the Montgomery. However, in Montgomery County, the original circuit court case files 1821–1902 are held by IRAD–UIS. See the wiki page IRAD–UIS for more information about these records and how to access them. Probate records include wills, inventories, settlements, and guardianship records.

Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1821-1902 Circuit Court Case Files IRAD–UIS. Learn more about using IRAD
 * 1821-1863 Circuit Court Record IRAD–UIS.
 * 1822-1870 Circuit Court Judgement and Execution Files IRAD–UIS.
 * 1822-1862 Circuit Court Judgement Dockets IRAD–UIS.
 * 1837-1856 Circuit Court Dockets IRAD–UIS.
 * 1838-1873 Circuit Court Fee Books IRAD–UIS.
 * 1862-1955 Circuit Court Records, Chancery IRAD–UIS. Chancery court records are usually civil court records and may include family information.
 * No date Circuit Court Judgement Dockets and Claim Registers IRAD–UIS.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
 African Americans
 * African American Research (US) has more information about the kinds of records
 * Illinois African-American Resource Guide by the Illinois State Archives describes what records are at the State Archives with an online method for ordering records.
 * African-American Resources for Illinois
 * Negro in Montgomery County - an article from the Illinois State Genealogy Society originally published in 1978

Land and Property Records
Original land records are held in the office of the County Clerk. See Illinois Land and Property for more information about using land records.

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1796-1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry ($)
 * 1821-1958 Deed Index
 * 1821-1958 Deed Record
 * 1837-1868 School land sale
 * 1865-1874 Swamp lands sale
 * 1821-1848 Taxable lands
 * IRAD–UIS land holdings for Montgomery County. Search for Montgomery County. Records include: Explore the IRAD–UIS wiki page for more information about how to use IRAD.
 * BLM GLO Records. Search original land patents for Montgomery County from the Govenment Land Office (GLO) or Eastern States Office. Some searches include images of the original warrants. All search results include the patent details needed for requesting copies of the land entry files at the National Archives. The GLO is the custodian of millions of land title documents. The General Land Office Automated Records Project is responsible for making these important documents available to the public.
 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales. The Illinois State Archives has an online index to the records of Public land sales held by the State Archives. The indexes are by purchasers name and by legal description. This is a statewide collection with nearly 550,000 land sales fro 54740 square miles.
 * Illinois Public Land Purchase Records This record extract includes over 538,000 land sales from the 19th Century. Each entry includes the purchaser's name, purchase date, number of acres, price per acre, and in some cases the purchaser's sex and residence. Available at www.ancestry.com ($)
 * Sheldon, Theodore. Land registration in Illinois. Chicago: Callaghan Co., 1901. Digital book. Expains the laws regarding land and the land systems used in Illinois. Includes court cases involving land issues. In addition to being on Ancestry, this book is available online at no cost at Internet Archive.
 * Illinois County Land Ownership Maps and Atlases

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)
 * Illinois County Land Ownership Maps and Atlases
 * 1823-1958 Plat Index IRAD–UIS. Search for Montgomery County records. Explore how to search IRAD–UIS
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
 Civil War Regiments. Civil War service men from Montgomery County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies or regiments that were formed from men of Montgomery County.
 * - 1st Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company E
 * - 3rd Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company L
 * - 7th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company D
 * - 9th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months, 1861), Company H
 * - 9th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H
 * - 70th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C
 * - 91st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A
 * - 117th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B
 * - 119th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K
 * - 126th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies D and F
 * - 143rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies C and H

Military Soldiers Indexed from Montgomery County Genealogical Society.
 * - 1st Provisional Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company B :- 14th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company G :- 14th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company H :- 67th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Milita (Union), Company A :- 67th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Milita (Union), Company B :- 67th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Milita (Union), Company C :- 67th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Milita (Union), Company D :- 67th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Milita (Union), Company E :- 67th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Milita (Union), Company F :- 67th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Milita (Union), Company G :- 67th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Milita (Union), Company H :- 67th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Milita (Union), Company I :- 6th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company H :- 9th Regiment, Missouri State Militia Cavalry (Union), Company C :- 9th Regiment, Missouri State Militia Cavalry (Union), Company D :- 9th Regiment, Missouri State Militia Cavalry (Union), Company L :- 1st Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia Cavalry (Union), Company C

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1800-1998 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1856-1991 https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61196/ Illinois, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1856-1991] at Ancestry - index and images ($)
 * 1862-1910 

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

Obituaries
Obituary Index at Montgomery County Genealogical Society for years 1980-1981 and 1984-2020. Online obituary request form included.

Probate Records
Original probate records are held by the Montgomery. Probate records include wills, inventories, settlements, and guardianship records. See the Illinois Probate wiki page for more information about these records. Copies of probate records are held by IRAD–UIS. See the Wiki article IRAD–UIS more information about these records and how access them. Additional copies are held by the FamilySearch Library.

Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1772-1999 Illinois Wills and Probate Records 1772-1999 at Ancestry ($) — index and images
 * 1819-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images only
 * 1860-1906 Index to Wills and Probates at Montgomery County Genealogical Society
 * 1821-1849 Probate Record IRAD–UIS.
 * 1849-1863 Probate Administrator's Settlement Record IRAD–UIS.
 * 1819-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images only
 * 1855-1862 Probate Claim Dockets IRAD–UIS.
 * 1858-1958 Probate Will Record IRAD–UIS.
 * 1862-1864 Probate Settlement Record IRAD–UIS.

Vital Records
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Original birth and death certificates recorded since 1877 are kept by the Montgomery County Clerk while those recorded after 1916 are kept by the Illinois Department of Public Health with a copy to the County Clerk. A limited number of births were recorded between 1862 and 1877. Original marriage records are kept by the County Clerk from 1821 to the present. Original divorce records are generally in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk. The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through online databases, the as a subject search, and the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the University of Illinois Springfield(UIS) - search for Montgomery County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the Wiki article IRAD - University of Illinois at Springfield.

Birth

 * 1862-1915 Birth records index at Montgomery County Genealogical Society. Online index.
 * 1862-1957 Birth Certificates IRAD–UIS search for Montgomery County. Explore how to search IRAD–UIS.
 * 1877-1918 Birth Record Index IRAD–UIS search for Montgomery County. Explore how to search IRAD–UIS.
 * 1918-1928 Birth Records (Litchfield) IRAD–UIS search for Montgomery County. Explore how to search IRAD–UIS.

Marriage

 * 1587-1959 Illinois, United States Marriages at Findmypast ($) — index $
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1810-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1821-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 Online index
 * 1821-1968 Marriage Record Index IRAD–UIS search for Montgomery County. Explore how to search IRAD–UIS.
 * 1821-1905 Marriage Record IRAD–UIS search for Montgomery County. Explore how to search IRAD–UIS.
 * 1821-1895 Marriage Records (Index 1821–1968)
 * 1821-1930 Marriage records index at Montgomery County Genealogical Society.
 * 1821-1850 Marriage Index at Ancestry ($)
 * 1821-1900 Marriage Index at Ancestry ($)

Death
Montgomery County does not have death records included in the pre-1916 statewide death index.
 * 1749-1999 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1878-1950 Death records index at Montgomery County Genealogical Society.
 * 1902-1928 Death Record (Litchfield) IRAD–UIS search for Montgomery County. Explore how to search IRAD–UIS.
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950
 * 1916-1921 Burial or Removal Permits
 * 1941-1956 Death Record IRAD–UIS search for Montgomery County. Explore how to search IRAD–UIS.
 * 1951-1971 Illinois Death Certificates, 1951–1971 at Illinois State Archives - index
 * 1916-1950 Illinois Deaths, 1916-1950 at MyHeritage - index ($)

Archives
Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) IRAD is a system of Illinois Regional Archives Depositories managed by the Illinois State Archives, housing the archival records of local Illinois counties, townships, municipalities and school districts. The seven Regional Depositories are housed on state university campuses scattered throughout Illinois. The University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS) houses the records for Montgomery County. The link will help you find and use the records. The address is:
 * Illinois Regional Archives Depository Room 144 University of Illinois at Springfield Region One University Plaza Springfield, Illinois 62703-5407 Phone: 217-206-6520

FamilySearch Centers

 * Alton Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Decatur Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Jacksonville Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Litchfield Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * St Louis Missouri North FamilySearch Center
 * Springfield Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Chatham Area Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Six Mile Regional Library District - Delmar Branch - an affiliate library
 * Six Mile Regional Library District - Johnson Branch - an affiliate library

Libraries
Doyle Public Library District 109 S O'Bannon Raymond, IL 62560 Farmersville-Waggoner Public Library District 210 South Cleveland Street Farmersville, IL 62533 Hillsboro Public Library 214 School Street Hillsboro, IL 62049 Website Litchfield Carnegie Public Library 400 N. State Litchfield, IL 62056 Website Genealogical collection is housed in the Jackson–Walker Genealogy Room. Holdings include the Walter Sanders collection. Records include cemetery listings, local county and town histories, city directories and plat books, family histories, church histories, marriage and death records and many other useful genealogy tools. Nokomis Public Library 22 South Cedar Street Suite 2 Nokomis, IL 62075 Witt Township Memorial Library 18 North Second Street Witt, IL 62094

Societies
Montgomery County Genealogical Society PO Box 212 334 Historic Old Route 66 North Litchfield, IL 62056-0212 Email: [mailto:info@mcgsil.com info@mcgsil.com] Facebook Website Online sources for births, marriages, deaths, cemeteries, census, land records, military records, wills, churches, schools, cemetery locations, maps. Historical Society of Montgomery County Illinois 904 S Main St. Hillsboro, IL 62049 Facebook

Websites

 * Montgomery County ILGenWeb
 * Montgomery County IL Genealogy
 * Montgomery County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.