Champaign County, Illinois Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for Champaign County, Ohio and was founded 1833. The county seat is Urbana and the county is located in the East-Central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Champaign County Courthouse 101 E Main St Urbana, IL 61801 Phone: 217-384-3725 Champaign County Courthouse

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:

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

History Timeline
Large numbers of Ohio residents settled in frontier Champaign County, Illinois. The name of the county (Champaign) is reminiscent of Champaign County, Ohio - the previous residence of many pioneer settlers.

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

Church Records
 List of Churches and Church Parishes A Commemorative History of Champaign County, Illinois, 1833-1983. by Willis C. Baker and Patricia L. Miller contains a section on church history in the county. WorldCat The Champaign County Historical Archives (CCHA) at The Urbana Free Library has hundreds of church record books, membership directories, photos and published books about churches in Champaign County. To search the collections, type the word "Church" in Local History Online Catalog. Or limit your search to a specific denomination and/or location by including those terms in your search. Some Lutheran church records housed at CCHA are in German. To see those, include the word "German" in your search.

 Catholic Catholic Churches in Champaign County are part of the Diocese of Peoria.

 Church of Christ
 * 1853-1885 Community United Church of Christ, Baptism Index 1853-1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.
 * 1853-1895 Community United Church of Christ, Baptism Index 1853-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

 Lutheran  Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church 
 * 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * Baptism Record Extractions, 1874-1927
 * Confirmation Record Extractions, 1875-1926
 * Marriage Register Record Extractions, 1892-1925
 * Burial Register Extractions, 1874-1925
 * Records of Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church, Hensley Township, Champaign County, Illinois, 1874-1928. Champaign County Historical Archives; WorldCat

 St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church Sadorus, IL St. Paul German Evangelical Church Arcola, IL
 * Index to Baptism Register, 1860-1875,
 * Index to Confirmations,
 * Index to Marriages
 * Index to Burials
 * Records of St. John's Lutheran Church, Champaign, Illinois, 1860-1988. Champaign County Historical Archives; WorldCat
 * Parish Records of St. Paul's Evangelical Church, 1887-1959. By Wayne M. Fabert WorldCat
 * Parish records of St. Paul German Evangelical Church, Arcola, Illinois, 1867-1935. By Wayne M. Fabert WorldCat

 Evangelical St. Peter's Church  Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church 101 E Van Buren St. Philo, IL 61864
 * Index to Confirmations (1866-1915)
 * Index to Marriages (1866-1908)
 * Index to Burials (1865 to 1905) item 3
 * Parish Records of St. Peter's Evangelical Church 1865-1943. by Wayne M. Fabert WorldCat
 * 1865-1885 St. Peter's Evangelical Church, Champaign, Baptism Index 1865-1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.
 * 1865-1895 St. Peter's Evangelical Church, Champaign, Marriage Index 1865-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.
 * Parish Records of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church at Philo, Illinois, 1875-1931. by Wayne M. Fabert WordCat

 Methodist First United Methodist Church  210 West Church Street Champaign, IL 61820
 * Records of the First United Methodist Church, pastors, 1856-2002, marriages 1868-1948, baptisms 1868-1948 and summary church history. by Wilson M. Zaring. WorldCat
 * 1870-1904 First Methodist Episcopal Church, Champaign, Baptism Index 1870-1904 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.
 * 1869-1908 First Methodist Episcopal Church, Champaign, Marriage Index 1869-1908 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

 First Methodist Church, Urbana
 * 1877-1895 First Methodist Church, Urbana, Marriage Index 1877-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.
 * 1880-1954 First Methodist Church, Urbana, Baptism Index 1880-1954 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batches and.

Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church 2201 CR 900 E, Champaign, IL 61822 Shiloh Methodist Church 352 County Road 2700 North Mahomet, IL 61853
 * History of Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church, by Phillip R. Francis. WorldCat
 * Shiloh Methodist Episcopal Church Records, 1899-1970.

 Presbyterian  First Presbyterian Church, Champaign 1881-1892 First Presbyterian Church, Champaign, Baptism Index 1881-1892 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.  Other Christian Denominations Oak Grove Church Condit Township, IL


 * List of members, minutes of meetings and Sunday School records, 1909-1925. items 7-9


 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records
Original court records are held in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk. See Illinois Court Records for more information about using court records. The Champaign County Historical Archives is the official repository for non-current Champaign County records and holds county probate, chancery, and circuit court cases from 1833-2005. These records have been indexed and can be searched online through Local History Online Catalog. The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through the FamilySearch Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Illinois State University (ISU) - search for Champaign County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the ISU IRAD Wiki page. Online Court Indexes and Records
 * Court Record 1833-1852, 1857-1872
 * Circuit Court Recognizance Record 1869-1877 IRAD (ISU)

Directories
J.S.Lothrop's Champaign County Directory 1870-1871.($) Additional directories available at: Linkpendium.

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
 * Champaign County African-American History Committee Champaign Park District, Douglass Annex 512 E. Grove Champaign, IL 61820 Email:[mailto:littlefi@uiuc.edu littlefi@uiuc.edu] Website eBLACKcu Website

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. The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through online sources, the FamilySearch Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Illinois State University (ISU) - search for Champaign County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the ISU IRAD Wiki page.

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1833-1927 Deed Index. -
 * 1833-1902 Deed Record - (first film)
 * 1862-1877 Chattel Mortgage Record IRAD (ISU)
 * 1959-1965 Chattel Mortgages IRAD (ISU)
 * Beginning 1820 Land Patent Search See Illinois Land and Property for more information about this database.
 * 1796-1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry ($)
 * Illinois Public Land Purchase Records This record extract includes over 538,000 land sales from the 19th Century. Each entry includes the purchaser's name, purchase date, number of acres, price per acre, and in some cases the purchaser's sex and residence. Available at www.ancestry.com ($)
 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database
 * Champaign County Federal Township Plats

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
Linkpendium links data to information and records for the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I, and World War II.

 Revolutionary War Veteran Burials (Genealogy Trails History Group)

 War of 1812 Some Military Land Grants Champaign County Illinois For Soldiers of the War of 1812 (USGenWeb)

 Civil War Regiments. Civil War service men from Champaign 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 Champaign County.
 * Behrens, Robert H. From Salt Fork to Chickamauga: Champaign County Soldiers in the Civil War, includes full-name index of 3,200 men. ,
 * Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)
 * A list of the GAR post in Illinois additional site for post list Library of Congress
 * Black Eagle Post, Urbana 1913
 * - 3rd Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia Cavalry (Union), Company D

 Cavalry
 * - 2nd Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company I
 * - 10th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company I
 * - 16th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company L

 Infantry
 * - 20th_Regiment,_Illinois_Infantry, Company A
 * - 25th_Regiment,_Illinois_Infantry, Company C, Company G, Company I, and Company K
 * - 26th_Regiment,_Illinois_Infantry, Company F, and Company I
 * - 38th_Regiment,_Illinois_Infantry, Company C.
 * - 51st_Regiment,_Illinois_Infantry, Company B, and Company E.
 * - 67th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K
 * - 71st_Regiment,_Illinois_Infantry, Company C, Company F, and Company ;H.
 * - 72nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, G.
 * - 76th_Regiment,_Illinois_Infantry, Company B, and Company G.
 * - 125th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E, Company F, and Company H
 * - 133rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K
 * - 135th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A, and Company B
 * - 154th_Regiment,_Illinois_Infantry, Company A, and Company B

 World War I World War I Draft Registration Cards 1917-1918.(Ancestry)

 World War II Army Enlistees Alphabetical list - USGenWeb Army Casualties Part 1U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Army Casualties Part 2 U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

Naturalization and Citizenship
Original naturalization records are generally held in the office of the County Clerk. See Illinois Naturalization Records for more information about using naturalization records. The Champaign County Historical Archives is the official repository for non-current Champaign County records and holds naturalization records from 1859-1929. These records have been indexed and can be searched online through Local History Online Catalog. The following copies of original records may be accessed through the FamilySearch Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Western Illinois University (WIU) - search for Champaign County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the ISU IRAD Wiki page.

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records 1858-1906 Naturalization records (Circuit Court) 1860-1906 Naturalization records (County Court)  IRAD
 * 1800-1998 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1856-1991 Illinois, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1856-1991 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * Circuit Court:
 * 1858-1906 Naturalization Records
 * 1866-1906 Naturalization Records of Minors
 * 1866-1892 Naturalization Records of Soldiers
 * 1872-1906 Naturalization Records


 * County Court:
 * 1860-1902 Naturalization Records
 * 1866-1896 Naturalization Records of Minors
 * 1866-1889 Naturalization Records of Soldiers
 * 1896-1906 Naturalization Declarations of Intent

Newspapers
Ancestry.com:
 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * 1852-2019 Microfilm at Champaign County Historical Archives. List of newspapers and holdings.
 * Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections
 * Newspapers Published in Champaign County
 * Chronicling America  Library of Congress
 * 1892 Champaign, Illinois Newspaper Index, 1892 - search by name, date and event. ($)
 * 1935-1939 and 1941-1944The Evening Courier 1935-39 and 1941-1944($)

Obituaries
Newspaper death notices and obituaries from 1894 to the present are included in the Champaign County Historical Archives, and can be searched on-line using Local History Online. Obituaries are indexed by both a woman’s maiden as well as her married name(s) if that information was included in the obituary. The index covers the following newspapers:
 * 1894-1979 Urbana Courier - August 1894– March 1979
 * 1938-2020 Champaign News-Gazette - September 1938 – 2020

Obituaries from other newspapers, including the Champaign County Gazette, Champaign Daily Gazette, Champaign Daily News and others may be included in the index, but those newspapers have not been fully indexed and so may not include every obituary published. The Champaign County Historical Archives is able to provide off-site patrons with photocopies or scanned images of records for a fee. See 'How to Order Copies' webpage for more information. ($)

Public Records

 * IRAD - ISU Holdings


 * 1833-1942 Board of Supervisors' Minutes
 * 1956-1964 County Officials' Bonds and Oaths of Office
 * 1872-1966 Notary Public Registers
 * 1916-1922 Optometrist Registers
 * 1869-1872 Patent Record, Invention
 * 1877-1965 Professional Registers
 * 1950-1962 Drainage District Accounts
 * 1937-1963 Drainage District Assessment Record, Delinquent
 * 1942-1947 Drainage District Bank Books
 * 1928-1951 Drainage District Collector's Books
 * 1908-1957 Drainage District Collector's Books, Kankakee District
 * 1911-1955 Drainage District Collector's Books, Special District
 * 1914-1931 Drainage District Ledgers

Probate Records
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
 * 1833-1851 Probate Records. - Items 4-5
 * 1851-1921 Probate Records. -
 * 1877-1900 Probate Packets. -

from 1833 - 1922 are at the Champaign County Historical Archives at The Urbana Free Library. 1923-Present Original estates and wills from 1923 to the present are held in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk. 1992-Present Indexed and available on-line at Champaign County's Public Access Case Lookup System. See Illinois Probate Records for more information about using probate records. The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Illinois State University (ISU). To see all probate records available for Champaign County, search the Local Government Record Holdings with Champaign County selected and the word "probate" in the title search box. For more information about how to access records held at an Illinois Regional Archive Depository, see the ISU IRAD Wiki page.
 *  Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) at Illinois State University
 * 1835-1976 Probate Record Index
 * 1833-1953 Probate Will Records
 * 1833-1891 Probate Case Files (microfilm copies)
 * 1838-1851 Probate Records
 * 1859-1952 Probate Inventory Record
 * 1864-1943 Probate Appraisement Record
 * 1868-1907 Probate Sale Record, Real Estate
 * 1950-1955 Probate Appraisement Review Record
 * FamilySearch Library and Centers

The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through the FamilySearch Library
 * 1833-1948 Probate Will Records (handwritten copies in Will Books)
 * 1833-1922 Probate Case Files (complete, original files)

Tax Records
IRAD - ISU (Illinois State University)
 * 1857-1872 Tax Sale Record
 * 1935-1945 Tax Assessment Abstracts
 * 1947-1965 Tax Ledgers
 * 1906-1964 Collector's Accounts
 * 1950-1966 Collector's and Treasurer's Accounts
 * 1931-1964 County Annual Audit Reports
 * 1948-1965 Treasurer's Ledgers
 * 1946-1958 Motor Fuel Tax Allotment Record

Vital Records
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Original birth and death certificates recorded until the year 1916 are kept by the Champaign County Clerk while those recorded after 1916 are kept by the Illinois Department of Public Health with a copy to the County Clerk. Original marriage records are usually kept by the County Clerk from the establishment of the county 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 FamilySearch Library and the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Illinois State University (ISU) - search for Champaign County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the ISU IRAD Wiki page.

Birth

 * Birth Record Index- IRAD years unlisted.
 * 1878-1901 Birth Record -, also available through IRAD (ISU).
 * 1878-1918 Champaign County Birth Record - indexed in Champaign County Historical Archives Local History Online 
 * 1940-1946 Birth Certificates - IRAD (ISU) Adoptees. - may be restricted

Marriage

 * 1864-1932 Marriage Record Index. IRAD (ISU)
 * 1833-1915 Marriage Licenses. IRAD (ISU)
 * 1833-1932 Marriage Record IRAD (ISU) Also available with index through first film
 * 1878-1973 Marriage License Applications IRAD (ISU)
 * 1587-1959 Illinois, United States Marriages at Findmypast ($) — index ($)
 * 1763-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900
 * 1790-1860 Illinois Marriage index found at Ancestry ($)
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1810-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1833-1889 at FamilySearch — index

Death

 * 1749-1999 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1850-1885 U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 found at Ancestry ($)
 * 1878-1949 Death Record Index - IRAD (ISU) Also available through FamilySearch Library and its centers first film
 * 1878-1901 Death Record - IRAD (ISU) Also available through FamilySearch Library and its centers first film
 * 1902-1915 Death Certificates - IRAD (ISU)
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950 at Illinois State Archives - index
 * 1916-1950 Illinois Deaths, 1916-1950 at MyHeritage - index, ($)
 * 1951-1971 Illinois Death Certificates, 1951–1971 at Illinois State Archives - index
 * 1986-2001 Champaign County Coroner’s Death Certificates - indexed in Champaign County Historical Archives Local History Online

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


 * Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) Illinois State University (ISU) 2016 Warehouse Road Campus Box 1520 Normal, Illinois 61802 Phone: 309-452-6027 Illinois Regional Archives Depository System Illinois State University Region

 Databases Pertinent to Champaign County
 * Local Governmental Records Database
 * Name Index to Illinois Local Governments
 * Illinois Statewide Marriage Index
 * Illinois Statewide Death Index, 1916–1950
 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database
 * Federal Township Plats of Illinois

FamilySearch Centers

 * Champaign Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Danville Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Decatur Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Champaign County Historical Archives - an affiliate library
 * Danville Public Library-Illinois - an affiliate library
 * Vespasian Warner Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
The Urbana Free Library 210 West Green Street Urbana, IL 61801-5326 Phone: 217-367-4025 Website The Champaign County Historical Archives located at The Urbana Free Library offers a variety of resources to new and experienced genealogists, including access to on-line premium genealogy databases Ancestry Library Edition, Findmypast,Fold3, Heritage Quest, MyHeritage Library Edition, Newspapers.com, and more than 25,000 books and journals. See Local History Online to search the index of Champaign County birth, marriage, death, probate, burial, yearbook, and other records available through the library.

Museums

 * Museum of the Grand Prairie 950 North Lombard, Rt 47 Mahomet, IL 61853 Phone 217-586-2612 Email:[mailto:pcain@ccfpd.org pcain@ccfpd.org] Facebook Website
 * Champaign County History Museum 102 East University Avenue Champaign, IL 61820-4177 Phone 217-356-1010 Email:[mailto:president@champaigncountyhistory president@champaigncountyhistory.org] Facebook Website

Societies

 * Champaign County African-American History Committee Champaign Park District, Douglass Annex 512 E. Grove Champaign, IL 61820 Email:[mailto:littlefi@uiuc.edu littlefi@uiuc.edu] Website eBLACKcu Website


 * Champaign County Genealogical Society 210 W. Green St Urbana 61801 Phone: 217-367-4025 Facebook Website

Websites

 * Champaign County IL Genealogy
 * Champaign County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * USGenWeb project for Champaign County, Illinois
 * Urbana Free Library
 * – 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.